this is what it would look like from lawton street. in other words you have a long open wall with no windows in it setting atop a building along the skyline. i think you saw that before. the next point i want to make we believe it intrudes on scale along the other buildings in the cluster that the historic committee identified. it's 50% higher than the structures at leave. it maybe 75% if we knew what the real height was. it disrespects the conformance of topography and all conform. it conflicts with the architectural and visual rhythms. it introduces disproportionate horizontal architect uremphasis on the front scale. it introduces horizontal architectural emphasis. it's non proportional to the other buildings and impedes a major public view from lawton street on the south side of the pedestrian walk way out to the fair lawns, out to.rays, the midlands, et cetera. thanks. >> project sponsor you have a two minute rebuttal. >> thank you commissioners. i would like to spend some time speaking to the sort of mischaracteristics here. i don

my wife and i are disabled and live on lawton street and kiddie corner from 18th avenue and it's already difficult to someone who is disabled to even park a car in front of the house. it's really difficult. if you approve one more structure along the streets it adds one story each person afterwards their neighbors will say "well, they can do it. we should do it too" so they will come to you and ask for a variance to be able to build a third story onto their house. what happens is the neighborhood is changing. if you approve an addition to this house you will change the nature of the neighborhood. traffic will increase. there will be larger multiple families living in higher structures. we will be as a neighborhood, a neighborhood without a character. a neighborhood without the neighbors all knowing each other. a neighborhood which isn't a neighborhood because the neighborhood is supposed to be knowing your neighbor. a neighborhood is supposed to be being able to look and see that this is a unique area. it's unique, not only by the hin hab tants but it's always unique by the character of

joining me with more on the new congress is our managing editor kim lawton. kim? >> there was another religious first this week as well. the new hindu member of congress was actually sworn in with the bhagavad gita, which is a sacred text for hindus. now members of congress generally use a bible, the hebrew scriptures, some use the constitution. some don't use anything, they just do an affirmation as opposed to swearing in, but this was the first time we know of that the bhagavad gita was used. >> and there was no controversy about it. i remember a couple of years ago when a muslim was sworn in. there was a huge controversy about his using the quran. this time? >> well, when keith ellison was elected and then sworn in in 2007 he did choose a quran. of course there are sensitivities with muslims and so there was some controversy. he ended up using a koran that was owned by thomas jefferson, which helped dampen some of that controversy. >> is this the most religiously diverse congress there's ever been? >> it is considered the most diverse congress ever. that sort o

i'm kim lawton reporting. >>> 100 million pilgrims. >>> that's our program for now. bob abernathy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook a wach us any time onhe pbs app for iphones and ipads. there's always much more on our website, as well. including more of my conversation with professor harold dean trulean and john garvey. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. >>> as we leave you, music from the brooklyn tabernacle choir which will perform at the presidential inauguration on monday. ♪ ♪ >>> major funding for "religion and ethics news weekly" is provided by the lily endment and indianapolibased prate famy fountion, dedicated to its founder's interest in religion, community development and education. additional funding also provided by mutual of america, designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. the jane henson foundation. and the corporation for public broadcasting. >> welcome to you all.

kim lawton has more. >> reporter: before monday's public swearing-in ceremony, the obamas attended a special worship service at st. john's episcopal church. protestant, catholic and jewish leaders were part of the service, which was closed to cameras. then, the public ceremony began with an invocation by myrlie evers-williams, widow of slain civil rights leader medgar evers and the first laywoman to give an inaugural prayer. >> we invoke the prayers of our grandmothers, who taught us to pray, god, make me a blessing. >> reporter: music included the brooklyn tabernacle choir. >> the oath i have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this capitol, was an oath to god and country. >> reporter: the president cited god many times in his address. he laid out a liberal vision to the nation, which included an explicit endorsement of gay rights. >> our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. >> reporter: that was praised by some faith-based leaders who called this "the most lgbt-friendly" inauguration i

lawton, ftim from michigan. guest: where is lawton? they grow grapes. caller: as far as i know.t: tim, go ahead. caller: they can sit back and wait because they have the money to do it. it will come down on the poor people. when he runs out of money, the republicans are not going to want to know him anymore either. host: you are saying this will come down on middle class americans. caller: the middle class starts at like $75,000. guest: i think you're right. talking about the debt ceiling and putting in jeopardy the full faith and credit of this country is going to hurt everybody, including middle class people and people trying to climb up the ladder. it is reckless. they talk about paying some bills and not others. you tell me which ones. individual homes have trouble doing that and prefer not to. the greatest nation in the world, will pay some bills and not others and bond holders and defense contractors and social security recipients? host: jodie on twitter asks -- guest: sure, there are administrative costs, social security and medicare. it is better than any -- of course th

host: lawton, michigan. guest: where is lawton? caller: it's by papa. host: where is that? caller: southwest. way down in republican territory. guest: there's wine. they grow grapes there? caller: as far as i know. whole other subject there. host: tim, go ahead. caller: these people that the republicans back up are all sitting there. they can sit back and wait because they got the money to do it. all these things that are going to happen are going to come down on poor people and let me tell that fool from virginia that the republican when he runs out of money, those republicans aren't going to want to know him any more either. host: you are saying this will come down on middle class americans. you're referencing if the debt ceiling is not raised? caller: the middle class starts at like $75,000. what about the people that are making $20,000, $30,000, $40,000? host: ok, congressman. guest: i think you're right. i think you're talking about the debt ceiling and putting in jeopardy the full faith and credit of this country is really going to hurt everybody. surely middle-class

provided assistance to her and we all know her story from the movie the invisible war in in the marie lawton by case and want to read a letter i got back from them range. after she'd been viciously murdered writer accused we contacted the marines have asked them how could you not know that she was at risk for a violent crime for a violent action or assault and they actually wrote back this letter to me, which i have here from the tenet general crem which marine corps staff. asked him this question. does the rape accusation in nearly contained threats and this is the letter i got back. lauterbach never alleged any violence or threat of violence in neither sexual encounter so first i have a question that is relatively simple. have you ever heard of a non-violent rape? gen rice? >> no. >> general welsh? >> no congressmen i have not. >> i appreciate that because that is the answer i've gotten from every hearing and that is basically part of the culture understanding that this is a crime and its violence and i want to tell you another story. i've a question for either. we were at the marine comma

provided assistance to her and we all know her story from the movie the invisible war in in the marie lawtonby case and want to read a letter i got back from them range. after she'd been viciously murdered writer accused we contacted the marines have asked them how could you not know that she was at risk for a violent crime for a violent action or assault and they actually wrote back this letter to me, which i have here from the tenet general crem which marine corps staff. asked him this question. does the rape accusation in nearly contained threats and this is the letter i got back. lauterbach never alleged any violence or threat of violence in neither sexual encounter so first i have a question that is relatively simple. have you ever heard of a non-violent rape? gen rice? >> no. >> general welsh? >> no congressmen i have not. >> i appreciate that because that is the answer i've gotten from every hearing and that is basically part of the culture understanding that this is a crime and its violence and i want to tell you another story. i've a question for either. we were at the marine comman