I have an unusual last name.  It is a Hebrew word meaning “integrity” and “truth.”  “Urim va toomim” is the motto of Yale University.  In English it means “light and truth.”  During ancient times, the high priest in the Holy of Holies of King Solomon’s Temple wore a breast plate with pockets containing two tokens: the urim and the toomim.  He would toss one or the other to indicate judicial decisions — urim for guilty, toomim for not guilty.  I take this heritage very much to heart. 

As an investigative journalist covering Afghanistan and Pakistan, I was offered funding by the Russians (RT), the Muslim Brotherhood (Al Jazeera) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).  To all of them I said, NO THANK YOU!  There was no way I was going to accept funding from any of our nation’s enemies.  It didn’t matter that I was struggling financially.  I have always been dedicated to truth and integrity.  Every day the halls of Congress are filled with lobbyists challenging the honesty of our representatives, but my integrity has been challenged in the past, and I am confident that I will have no more difficulty saying ‘no thank you’ to lobbyists than I had with the Russians, Muslim Brotherhood and ISI.  My name is Melissa Toomim, and Toomim means integrity.