[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18657-18658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THE GUEST CHAPLAIN

  Mr. REID. Let me say a few words about the guest Chaplain. Mr. Zed is 
a resident of Reno, NV. He serves as director of interfaith relations 
of the Hindu temple in Reno and is a spokesman for the Indian 
Association of Northern Nevada. He serves as the Hindu chaplain in 
northern Nevada and northern California hospitals. He teaches at 
Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno.
  In addition to his tireless work in the Hindu faith, he is also 
active in the community doing many different activities. He serves on 
the governing board of the Northern Nevada International Center, is a 
member of the Reno Police Chief Advisory Board, and is a member of the 
Diversity Action Plan Committee of the Washoe County School District.
  Mr. Zed was born in India. That is where he studied to become a Hindu 
chaplain. He holds degrees, including a master's degree from San Jose 
State University, in mass communications. He has a master's degree in 
business administration from the University of Nevada Reno.
  I have had a long-standing association with the Indian community. I 
went to college in Logan, UT, Utah State University, a cold, cold 
place. Brigham Young, when he sent people to colonize the West, had 
people come back from Cache County to tell him that it couldn't be 
settled because it froze there every month of the year. Well, that is 
not quite true, but it freezes all but a couple months of the year. It 
is a wonderful community and a great university. It has grown a lot 
since I was there.
  I lived off campus. I went there 2 years. I went to a junior college 
the first 2 years. I lived off campus. I was married. I would drive up 
that hill to the campus, and walking every day were students. They were 
Indians, coming from India to the United States to study. Utah State 
specialized in engineering and agriculture. These young men came from 
India to study at Utah State University. I would give them rides. I did 
that for 2 years, put as many in the car as would fit. When it came 
time to graduate, one of them came to me and said: Could you and Mrs. 
Reid stay over a day. We would like to do a traditional Indian feast 
for you.
  Well, I am from Searchlight. I didn't know what they were talking 
about.

[[Page 18658]]

But we had that traditional Indian feast. Many of them were dressed 
similar to Mr. Zed. That was an eye opener for me. They had all this 
Indian food. I am a guy from Searchlight. We like beans and rice and 
potatoes and, when we were lucky, some round steak. My mother used to 
pound it so it would be tender and we could eat it. It was unusual food 
for somebody from Searchlight, but we enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. 
They gave us a number of gifts when the feast was over, and it was 
really a feast. It was all traditional Indian food.
  I don't remember all they gave me, but I do remember one item. It is 
in my office in the Capitol. That was many years ago. We have had five 
children since then and lots of grandchildren. But it was a little 
statue of Gandhi, hand carved. It is ivory. It is done so well, you can 
pull the staff out of his hand. It is done really well. I have 
protected and saved that all these years. It is in my office. I have 
always had it there.
  The reason I mention that is that if people have any misunderstanding 
about Indians and Hindus, all they have to do is think of Gandhi. Here 
is a man who changed the world, a man who believed in peace. We heard 
the prayer: Peace, peace, peace. If there was ever a time, with this 
international war on terror that we are fighting now, where people have 
to understand how important peace is, think of Ghandi, a man who gave 
his life for peace, a tiny little man in physical stature but a giant 
in morality. Gandhi is the man that Martin Luther King, Jr., followed. 
His nonviolence was all based on the teachings of Gandhi. As a result 
of Gandhi, we had the civil rights movement, led by another man small 
in stature. Larger than Ghandi, Martin Luther King was not a giant of a 
man physically, but he was a giant of a man morally, just as Gandhi.
  I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing a 
faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak in 
communication with our Heavenly Father regarding peace. I am grateful 
he is here. I am thankful he was able to offer this prayer of peace in 
the Capitol. I say to everyone concerned, think of Gandhi. If you have 
a problem in the world, think what this great man has done to bring 
peace and nonviolence to a troubled world.

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