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Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Tomgram: Engelhardt, The Trump Conundrum Pardon Me? Donald Trump is the Fakest (and Realest) News of All
Tomgram: Engelhardt, The Trump Conundrum
Pardon Me?
Donald Trump is the Fakest (and Realest) News of All
By Tom Engelhardt
Here’s the truth of it: I’d like a presidential pardon. Really, I would. And I think I deserve it more than Michael Milken or Rod Blagojevich or -- because it’s obviously heading our way -- Roger Stone (not to speak of Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort). Unlike the rest of them, I genuinely deserve a pardon because I don’t even remember being tried or know what I did. Yet somehow, here I am sentenced to what, if things don’t get better -- given my age and his luck -- could prove to be life not in prison but in Trumpland (once known as the United States of America).
Or here’s another possibility that came to mind as I was thinking over my predicament: maybe I can still use that old “get out of jail free card” I saved from my childhood Monopoly set. You know, the one at the bottom of which was written: “This card may be kept until needed or sold.” Well, I need it now. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work anymore, maybe because it was produced before financialization stopped being a kid’s board game and became one for presidents, presidential candidates, and those recently pardoned by you-know-who.
If only this were simply a game I found myself trapped in -- Trumpopoly. Unfortunately, it’s no board game, though I must admit that, more than three years later, I’m officially bored with the man who has surely gotten more attention, more words spoken and written about him, than anyone in history. Even if you included Nebuchadnezzar, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong, I doubt he would have any serious competition.
Honestly, who could even contest that statement, given that nothing he does, no matter how trivial, isn’t dealt with as “news” and covered as if the world were ending? When you think about it, it’s little short of remarkable. And I’m not even talking about Donald Trump’s non-stop coverage on his own news service, also known as Fox News. No, what I had in mind was the Fake News Media itself, regularly identified by the president as his major enemy. (“Our primary opponent is the Fake News Media. They are now beyond Fake, they are Corrupt.”)
He’s not wrong, if by corruption you mean the over-coverage of him. The truth is that, whether you’re talking about the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, or MSNBC, none of them can get enough of him. Ever. They cover his rallies; they cover his tweets; they cover his impromptu news conferences in the north driveway of the White House, often as if nothing else on Earth were going on.
“Cover” might not even be the right word for it, unless you’re thinking about a thick, smothering, orange blanket thrown over our American world.
Click here to read more of this dispatch. https://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176670/tomgram%3A_engelhardt%2C_the_trump_conundrum/#more
Coronavirus in China: The most important lessons from China’s Covid-19 response - Vox
Coronavirus in China: The most important lessons from China’s Covid-19 response - Vox: "It’s all about speed": the most important lessons from China’s Covid-19 response.
Concerts, Sports Events in UAE Canceled, Postponed over Coronavirus | Asharq AL-awsat
Concerts, Sports Events in UAE Canceled, Postponed over Coronavirus | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Iran Says to Execute ‘CIA Spy’ Soon | Asharq AL-awsat
Iran Says to Execute ‘CIA Spy’ Soon | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Regional states won’t oppose US-Taliban deal - Indian Punchline
Regional states won’t oppose US-Taliban deal - Indian Punchline: Youth release balloons and pigeons to celebrate the reduction in violence, Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2020 The reactions of the major regional states surrounding Afghanistan over the US-Taliban peace agreement in Doha Saturday reveal fault lines that are useful pointers in the Afghan peace process. A sardonic remark by the Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar … Continue reading "Regional states won’t oppose US-Taliban deal"
Coronavirus Won't Take Down China | The National Interest
Coronavirus Won't Take Down China | The National Interest: But this should be a wake-up call for Washington and Beijing to come together and battle this global health challenge together.
New York Emergency Room Doctor: There Will Be “Thousands” Of Confirmed Cases In The U.S. “By Next Week” – End Of The American Dream
New York Emergency Room Doctor: There Will Be “Thousands” Of Confirmed Cases In The U.S. “By Next Week” – End Of The American Dream: Dr. Matt McCarthy, a staff physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, just went on national television and warned that there will be "thousands" of confirmed
Monday, March 2, 2020
Why Silicon Valley and Big Tech Don’t Innovate Anymore - The Atlantic
Why Silicon Valley and Big Tech Don’t Innovate Anymore - The Atlantic: Once upon a time, in the notorious start-up cradle, small was beautiful.
Bill and Melinda Gates Pledge $100 Million to Coronavirus Response
Bill and Melinda Gates Pledge $100 Million to Coronavirus Response: The coronavirus outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern.
The Man Behind Trump’s Facebook Juggernaut
The Man Behind Trump’s Facebook Juggernaut
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/09/the-man-behind-trumps-facebook-juggernaut?utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Magazine_030220&utm_medium=email&bxid=5ceaed3452ba1e585c266bdb&cndid=57373203&esrc=Auto_Subs&mbid=&utm_term=TNY_Magazine
Bernie Sanders called AIPAC a platform for ‘bigotry.’ The group is proving his point. - The Washington Post
Bernie Sanders called AIPAC a platform for ‘bigotry.’ The group is proving his point. - The Washington Post: AIPAC is increasingly becoming a platform against anyone critical of Netanyahu’s treatment of Palestinians.
Bernie Sanders's 2020 Campaign Proves America Needs to Grow Up About Dictators
Bernie Sanders's 2020 Campaign Proves America Needs to Grow Up About Dictators: The Democrats’ presidential primary has exposed the pathological moral obsessions of U.S. foreign policy.
Chris Matthews announces retirement, mutually parts ways with MSNBC
Chris Matthews announces retirement, mutually parts ways with MSNBC: Matthews was due to retire in the near future with the events of the past week playing a factor in the timing of the move, an MSNBC spokesperson said.
Adviser to Iran's Supreme leader dies from coronavirus, as other top officials infected
Adviser to Iran's Supreme leader dies from coronavirus, as other top officials infected
https://www.foxnews.com/health/advisor-irans-supreme-leader-dies-from-coronavirus-1150-cases-middle-east-linked-to-country?fbclid=IwAR10fm1eToYp1YUirJ0t7HAK5MtM7ZK94MxiFLA6yFOTsMCMZcasfQfi32I
The flu has already killed 10,000 across US as world frets over coronavirus
The flu has already killed 10,000 across US as world frets over coronavirus: "In the U.S., it's really a fear based on media and this being something new," Dr. Jennifer Lighter, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, said of the new coronavirus.
Thomas Friedman: Democrats, here’s the sure-fire way to defeat Donald Trump - Opinion - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL
Thomas Friedman: Democrats, here’s the sure-fire way to defeat Donald Trump - Opinion - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL: If this election turns out to be just between a self-proclaimed socialist and an undiagnosed sociopath, we will be in a terrible, terrible place as a country. How do we prevent that?That’s all I am thinking about right now. My short answer is that the Democrats have to do something extraordinary — forge a national unity ticket the likes of which they have never forged before. And that’s true even if Democrats nominate someone other than Bernie Sanders.What would this super
Vladimir Putin Says Trump Told Him U.S. Military Costs Were Too High and 'Actually Advocated Disarmament'
Vladimir Putin Says Trump Told Him U.S. Military Costs Were Too High and 'Actually Advocated Disarmament': The Russian president told state-run news agency Tass that the rest of the world was trying to catch up with Russia's military advances.
Can China’s Economy Withstand the Coronavirus? by Michael Spence - Project Syndicate
Can China’s Economy Withstand the Coronavirus? by Michael Spence - Project Syndicate: Can China’s Economy Withstand the Coronavirus?
Can China’s Economy Withstand the Coronavirus?
Can China’s Economy Withstand the Coronavirus?
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-economy-coronavirus-resilience-by-michael-spence-2020-02?utm_source=Hoover+Daily+Report&utm_campaign=19544f06cc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_02_06_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_21b1edff3c-19544f06cc-73113757
At senior living homes, a heightened readiness as coronavirus looms - The Boston Globe
At senior living homes, a heightened readiness as coronavirus looms - The Boston Globe: Nursing homes and assisted living communities may face the greatest risk, because their old and sick residents are most vulnerable to Covid-19 and live in close quarters where the virus can spread easily.
Coronavirus may have spread in US for weeks, gene sequencing suggests - The Boston Globe
Coronavirus may have spread in US for weeks, gene sequencing suggests - The Boston Globe: Two cases detected weeks apart in Washington state had genetic links, suggesting that many more people in the area may be infected.
Judge orders Boston law firm to repay millions in inflated legal fees - The Boston Globe
Judge orders Boston law firm to repay millions in inflated legal fees - The Boston Globe: A federal judge has ordered Boston-based Thornton Law Firm and a New York firm to give back $15 million they collected by dramatically inflating their bills. Judge Mark L. Wolf credited the Globe Spotlight Team for uncovering the scheme.
Second coronavirus case confirmed in R.I.; both patients were on a school trip to Europe - The Boston Globe
Second coronavirus case confirmed in R.I.; both patients were on a school trip to Europe - The Boston Globe: A teenager has become the second Rhode Island victim of the coronavirus, and state health officials said she was on the same school trip to Europe last month as the first victim, a man in his 40s who was hospitalized.
US Catholic colleges suspend Italy programs over coronavirus
US Catholic colleges suspend Italy programs over coronavirus: Several Catholic colleges and universities with study abroad programs in Italy have ended the semester early and are sending students back to the United States amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Federal judge rules Ken Cuccinelli unlawfully ran immigration agency
Federal judge rules Ken Cuccinelli unlawfully ran immigration agency: Policies that were put in place under Cuccinelli are now void.
Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection March 2, 2020
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Spiritual Smoothies: First Comes Prayer
Spiritual Smoothies: First Comes Prayer: Our debut Spiritual Smoothie discusses branding: the bridge between desires and decisions. Watch the video now!
Gospel Reflections: Jesus, Where are you Today?
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Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Opening Prayer: My Lord, you invite me today to reflect on the end of my days and to prepare for the end of time. Enlighten me so that your words can fall on fertile ground in my heart. I believe in you; strengthen my faith in your loving guidance. Encountering Christ:
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will intentionally look for you in one of my neighbors. For Further Reflection: Catechism of the Catholic Church 2447: The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God. written by Fr. Gabriel von Wendt, LC The post Jesus, Where Are You Today? appeared first on RC Spirituality. |
Did you miss a day? Click Here for all the Gospel Reflections.
Lysenko at the Olympics - The Catholic Thing
Lysenko at the Olympics - The Catholic Thing: Brad Miner on male-to-female “transgender” athletes. In genetics, XY can't really become XX. Thus activists reject “sex” and insist on “gender.”
Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 Are Starting To Pop Up Literally All Across The United States – End Of The American Dream
Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 Are Starting To Pop Up Literally All Across The United States – End Of The American Dream: Over the past few days, local officials have been announcing newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 all over the country. For a while, it had been hoped that by
US and Israel vote: Two 'racist' incumbents and two proud Jews | USA | Al Jazeera
US and Israel vote: Two 'racist' incumbents and two proud Jews | USA | Al Jazeera: What effect will Bernie Sanders have on Jewish support for Israel?
Coronavirus: 'Boom' threatens US as global death toll tops 3,000
Coronavirus: 'Boom' threatens US as global death toll tops 3,000: A Seattle scientist estimates that a "few hundred" residents of Washington state alone may already have been infected with the deadly new coronavirus.
2020's Plague of Locusts: Updates on Africa and Pakistan (and China) | naked capitalism
2020's Plague of Locusts: Updates on Africa and Pakistan (and China) | naked capitalism: The plague of locusts in Africa (and Pakistan) is getting worse, and threatens millions with starvation. Solutions are pesticides, biopesticides (but, sadly, not ducks). China's role is interesting.
Porkfest! Tallying How Much the Pentagon Really Costs | naked capitalism
Porkfest! Tallying How Much the Pentagon Really Costs | naked capitalism: Yes, sports fans, Pentagon spending is even worse than you imagined.
Coronavirus: Bracing for the Economic Shockwave | naked capitalism
Coronavirus: Bracing for the Economic Shockwave | naked capitalism: The coronavirus spread is setting up a nasty real economy-financial system contraction.
Coronavirus Outbreak: What Happens to the Gig Economy? - The Atlantic
Coronavirus Outbreak: What Happens to the Gig Economy? - The Atlantic: Companies such as Uber and Instacart have transformed the urban experience, but would they hold up if the coronavirus spread across America?
Japan electronics maker Sharp to make masks at display plant - The Washington Post
Japan electronics maker Sharp to make masks at display plant - The Washington Post: Electronics maker Sharp Corp. will start making surgical masks, which are in high demand because of the virus outbreak, using a plant in central Japan that usually makes displays
Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Spread of the Outbreak - The New York Times
Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Spread of the Outbreak - The New York Times: The virus has infected more than 89,700 people in at least 65 countries.
State Department examination of Twitter found millions of coronavirus tweets pushed false information - The Washington Post
State Department examination of Twitter found millions of coronavirus tweets pushed false information - The Washington Post: Roughly 2 million tweets peddled conspiracy theories and other falsehoods about coronavirus in other countries over the roughly two-week period when the outbreak began to spread outside China, according to a report from an arm of State Department obtained by The Washington Post.
Second coronavirus death confirmed in Washington state - The Verge
Second coronavirus death confirmed in Washington state - The Verge: A man in his 70s died at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland — the same hospital where the death of a man in his 50s was announced yesterday. Three more people in the county have also been hospitalized as a result of the disease. There are now 10 confirmed cases of illnesses from the new coronavirus in King County, Washington.
Quarantines Won’t Save Us From Coronavirus | FiveThirtyEight
Quarantines Won’t Save Us From Coronavirus | FiveThirtyEight: Coronavirus is coming. Maybe not for you, but certainly for the U.S. The country’s first case of unexplained origin has been identified in California, and Ameri…
In Coronavirus Fight, China Gives Citizens a Color Code, With Red Flags - The New York Times
In Coronavirus Fight, China Gives Citizens a Color Code, With Red Flags - The New York Times: A new system uses software to dictate quarantines — and appears to send personal data to police, in a troubling precedent for automated social control.
Last satellites for network near finish line - Ministry of National Defense
Last satellites for network near finish line - Ministry of National Defense: Construction of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System will be finished in May through the deployment of the last third-generation Beidou satellite, according to the China Satellite Navigation Office.
Israel cannot escape all of international law all of the time | Law | Al Jazeera
Israel cannot escape all of international law all of the time | Law | Al Jazeera: Trump's Middle East plan violates international law but also unintentionally reveals just how afraid of it Israel is.
Israel Admits Was Behind Assassination of Son of Islamic Jihad Official | Asharq AL-awsat
Israel Admits Was Behind Assassination of Son of Islamic Jihad Official | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
UN Report: Russia, Turkey May Have Carried out War Crimes in Syria | Asharq AL-awsat
UN Report: Russia, Turkey May Have Carried out War Crimes in Syria | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Middle East Airlines Lose $100 Mln Due to Coronavirus - IATA | Asharq AL-awsat
Middle East Airlines Lose $100 Mln Due to Coronavirus - IATA | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Must Growth Doom the Planet? - The New Atlantis
Must Growth Doom the Planet? - The New Atlantis: Ted Nordhaus on limiting growth in an age of stagnation
Guest Post: IGNORANCE OF HISTORY DOOMS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY TO BAD CHOICES BY ALLAN C. BROWNFELD
IGNORANCE OF HISTORY DOOMS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY TO BAD CHOICES
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Professor Danielle Allen, a political theorist at Harvard Ujiversity, notes that “Over the past decades , our nation has undergone a significant decline in the provision of civics education. We downshifted from delivering three courses in civics to most high school students in the mid-20th century to now delivering one single semester course to approximately 85 per cent of students.”
In his book “Flunking Democracy,” Michael Rebell reports that by four years after the implementation of No Child Left Behind, a meaningful percentage of school districts had reduced social-studies instruction to devote more time to English and math (33 per cent in a nationally representative sample of 290 districts). Statewide rests that focus on math and English, as important as they may be, give schools no incentive to invest in history and civics instruction.
This shift has been most pronounced in the case of low-income students. A 2017. Report from the Education Commission of the States reports that, “Urban schools with low-income, diverse students provide fewer and lower-quality civic opportunities and affluent white students are twice as likely as those of average socioeconomic status To study the legislative process or participate in service activities and 150 per cent more likely to do in-class debates.”
Only about 30 per cent of U.S.millennials consider it “essential” to live in a democracy, while 72 per cent of Americans born before World War ll do. Indeed, scholars such as kei Kawashima-Ginsberg and Peter Levine of Tufts University believe that the neglect of civic education in the past fifty years is a root cause of our civic and and political dysfunction.
In Professor Allen’s view, “No democracy can survive if its citizens do not believe that democracy is worth having. The long-term future of our system of government depends not only on restoring a supermajority of citizens who demand democracy but also on ensuring that that percentage exists across the generations...Some states have have recognized the need to rebuild civics education. In 2010, Florida passed the Sandra Day. O ‘Connor civics Education Act, which has dramatically ramped up civics education in that state. More recently, Massachusetts, Illinois and Arizona have passed important legislation or developed more demanding ...standards around civics.”
The study of history has, until recent years, been considered vital for a healthy society. In a 1941 essay, “The Use of The Past,”John Dos Passos writes: “Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written word by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today. We need to know what kind of firm ground other men, belonging to generations before us, have found to stand on. In spite of changing conditions of life they were not very different from ourselves, their thoughts were the grandfathers of our thoughts, , they managed to meet situations as difficult as those we have to face, to meet them sometimes lightheartedly, and in some measure to make their hopes prevail. We need to know how they did it.”
Dos Passos argues that, “In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present and get us past that idiot delusion of the Exceptional Now that blocks good thinking. That is why, in times like ours, when old institutions are caving in and being replaced by new institutions not necessarily in accord with most men’s preconceived hopes, political thought has to look backwards as well as forwards.”
Professor Wilfred Mcclay of the University of Oklahoma is the author of “Land of Hope: An Invitation T The Great American Story.” He notes that “The impulse to write history and organize our world around stories is intrinsic to human beings.
We are,at our core, remembering and story-making creatures, and stories are one of the chief ways we find meaning in the flow of events. What we call ‘history’ and ‘literature’ are merely the refinement and intensification of that basic impulse, that need.”
Dr. Mcclay makes the point that, “The word need is not an exaggeration. For the human animal, meaning is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Without it, we perish. Historical consciousness is to civilized society what memory is to individual identity. Without memory, without the stories by which our memories are carried forward, we cannot say who, or what, we are. Without them, our life and thought dissolve into a meaningless , unrelated rush of events. Without them, we cannot do the most human of things, we cannot learn, use language, pass on knowledge, raise children, establish rules of conduct, engage in science, or dwell harmoniously in society. Without them, we cannot govern ourselves...A culture without memory will necessarily be barbarous, and easily become tyrannies, even if it is technologically advanced.”
The respected author Isaac Bashevis Singer points out that, “When a day passes it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren’t told or books weren’t written, man would live like the beasts, only for the day. The whole world, all human life, is one long story.”
The results of a survey commissioned by Common Core, an organization working to bring comprehensive instruction——including history and liberal arts——to American classrooms reveals an embarrassing ignorance among America’s students of basic U.S. and world history. Out of 1200 17-year-old respondents, nearly a quarter could not identify Adolf Hitler, less than that could place the Civil War in the correct half-century, a third did not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and religion.
Pulitzer Prize winning historian Walter McDougall, in an article in The American Scholar, sums up three important reasons studying history encourages intellectual growth as well as serving an important civic and moral function.
He writes: “History is the grandest vehicle for vicarious experience; it truly educates young minds and obliges them to reason, wonder and brood about the vastness, richness and tragedy of the human condition. Sttudying history provides a context in which to fit all other knowledge—-like math, science or literature—-that a student may learn.”
We abandon the teaching of history at our peril. There is a distinct American political philosophy which even some who hold high political office seem not to understand. It involves a fear of excessive government power. Because of this fear, the Constitution divided power between an executive, legislative and judicial branch——our system of checks and balances. Sadly, whichever party is in power tends to expand the reach of government. The Constitution, for example, gives the power to declare war to Congress. But Congress, under both Democrats and Republicans, has abdicated this authority. The last time Congress declared war was World War ll. Since then, we have gone to war in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere without such a declaration.
Free societies have been rare in history. No other country in the world now lives under the same form of government it did two hundred years ago. The Founding Fathers planned for the future as best they could. Their creation, whatever its flaws, is still with us. We imperil its continuity into the future if we do not transmit our history to the next generation
——————————————————————————————
Professor Danielle Allen, a political theorist at Harvard Ujiversity, notes that “Over the past decades , our nation has undergone a significant decline in the provision of civics education. We downshifted from delivering three courses in civics to most high school students in the mid-20th century to now delivering one single semester course to approximately 85 per cent of students.”
In his book “Flunking Democracy,” Michael Rebell reports that by four years after the implementation of No Child Left Behind, a meaningful percentage of school districts had reduced social-studies instruction to devote more time to English and math (33 per cent in a nationally representative sample of 290 districts). Statewide rests that focus on math and English, as important as they may be, give schools no incentive to invest in history and civics instruction.
This shift has been most pronounced in the case of low-income students. A 2017. Report from the Education Commission of the States reports that, “Urban schools with low-income, diverse students provide fewer and lower-quality civic opportunities and affluent white students are twice as likely as those of average socioeconomic status To study the legislative process or participate in service activities and 150 per cent more likely to do in-class debates.”
Only about 30 per cent of U.S.millennials consider it “essential” to live in a democracy, while 72 per cent of Americans born before World War ll do. Indeed, scholars such as kei Kawashima-Ginsberg and Peter Levine of Tufts University believe that the neglect of civic education in the past fifty years is a root cause of our civic and and political dysfunction.
In Professor Allen’s view, “No democracy can survive if its citizens do not believe that democracy is worth having. The long-term future of our system of government depends not only on restoring a supermajority of citizens who demand democracy but also on ensuring that that percentage exists across the generations...Some states have have recognized the need to rebuild civics education. In 2010, Florida passed the Sandra Day. O ‘Connor civics Education Act, which has dramatically ramped up civics education in that state. More recently, Massachusetts, Illinois and Arizona have passed important legislation or developed more demanding ...standards around civics.”
The study of history has, until recent years, been considered vital for a healthy society. In a 1941 essay, “The Use of The Past,”John Dos Passos writes: “Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written word by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today. We need to know what kind of firm ground other men, belonging to generations before us, have found to stand on. In spite of changing conditions of life they were not very different from ourselves, their thoughts were the grandfathers of our thoughts, , they managed to meet situations as difficult as those we have to face, to meet them sometimes lightheartedly, and in some measure to make their hopes prevail. We need to know how they did it.”
Dos Passos argues that, “In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present and get us past that idiot delusion of the Exceptional Now that blocks good thinking. That is why, in times like ours, when old institutions are caving in and being replaced by new institutions not necessarily in accord with most men’s preconceived hopes, political thought has to look backwards as well as forwards.”
Professor Wilfred Mcclay of the University of Oklahoma is the author of “Land of Hope: An Invitation T The Great American Story.” He notes that “The impulse to write history and organize our world around stories is intrinsic to human beings.
We are,at our core, remembering and story-making creatures, and stories are one of the chief ways we find meaning in the flow of events. What we call ‘history’ and ‘literature’ are merely the refinement and intensification of that basic impulse, that need.”
Dr. Mcclay makes the point that, “The word need is not an exaggeration. For the human animal, meaning is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Without it, we perish. Historical consciousness is to civilized society what memory is to individual identity. Without memory, without the stories by which our memories are carried forward, we cannot say who, or what, we are. Without them, our life and thought dissolve into a meaningless , unrelated rush of events. Without them, we cannot do the most human of things, we cannot learn, use language, pass on knowledge, raise children, establish rules of conduct, engage in science, or dwell harmoniously in society. Without them, we cannot govern ourselves...A culture without memory will necessarily be barbarous, and easily become tyrannies, even if it is technologically advanced.”
The respected author Isaac Bashevis Singer points out that, “When a day passes it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren’t told or books weren’t written, man would live like the beasts, only for the day. The whole world, all human life, is one long story.”
The results of a survey commissioned by Common Core, an organization working to bring comprehensive instruction——including history and liberal arts——to American classrooms reveals an embarrassing ignorance among America’s students of basic U.S. and world history. Out of 1200 17-year-old respondents, nearly a quarter could not identify Adolf Hitler, less than that could place the Civil War in the correct half-century, a third did not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and religion.
Pulitzer Prize winning historian Walter McDougall, in an article in The American Scholar, sums up three important reasons studying history encourages intellectual growth as well as serving an important civic and moral function.
He writes: “History is the grandest vehicle for vicarious experience; it truly educates young minds and obliges them to reason, wonder and brood about the vastness, richness and tragedy of the human condition. Sttudying history provides a context in which to fit all other knowledge—-like math, science or literature—-that a student may learn.”
We abandon the teaching of history at our peril. There is a distinct American political philosophy which even some who hold high political office seem not to understand. It involves a fear of excessive government power. Because of this fear, the Constitution divided power between an executive, legislative and judicial branch——our system of checks and balances. Sadly, whichever party is in power tends to expand the reach of government. The Constitution, for example, gives the power to declare war to Congress. But Congress, under both Democrats and Republicans, has abdicated this authority. The last time Congress declared war was World War ll. Since then, we have gone to war in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere without such a declaration.
Free societies have been rare in history. No other country in the world now lives under the same form of government it did two hundred years ago. The Founding Fathers planned for the future as best they could. Their creation, whatever its flaws, is still with us. We imperil its continuity into the future if we do not transmit our history to the next generation
The Trump Administration Is Corrupting the U.S. Government - The Atlantic
The Trump Administration Is Corrupting the U.S. Government - The Atlantic: How Trump is destroying the civil service and bending the government to his will
Pedestrians at risk as deaths are increasing in California | The Sacramento Bee
Pedestrians at risk as deaths are increasing in California | The Sacramento Bee: Pedestrian deaths in California jumped 12% in the first half of last year, well above the national average increase of 3%, according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association released Thursday.
Covid-19 Is Traveling Along the New Silk Road | WIRED
Covid-19 Is Traveling Along the New Silk Road | WIRED: A striking overlap exists between the path of today's viral spread and the path of the Black Death in the 1300s.
Anti-Interventionist Think Tank’s Debut is a Dud – Consortiumnews
Anti-Interventionist Think Tank’s Debut is a Dud – Consortiumnews: The Quincy Institute's kickoff conference lacked any dramatic moment announcing the arrival of a powerful new voice for radical change in U.S. policy, writes Gareth Porter.
By Gareth Porter
Special to Consortium News
Given the current epochal political upheaval against entrenched politi
By Gareth Porter
Special to Consortium News
Given the current epochal political upheaval against entrenched politi
Jack Welch, Former GE Chairman and CEO, Dies at 84 | Time
Jack Welch, Former GE Chairman and CEO, Dies at 84 | Time: Jack Welch, the champion of corporate efficiency who built General Electric Co. into one of the world’s largest companies, has died at 84.
Business Icon Jack Welch Dies at 84
Business Icon Jack Welch Dies at 84: The former chairman who transformed General Electric into the world's biggest company was revered by global business leaders.
If You Knew Suzy... - Nymag
If You Knew Suzy... - Nymag: As the top editor, Suzy Wetlaufer brought spark and energy to the stolid pages of the Harvard Business Review while regaling colleagues with tales of her exploits among the moguls featured in the magazine. Then she met Jack Welch, and good th [...]
Catholic Worker confronts new era | National Catholic Reporter
Catholic Worker confronts new era | National Catholic Reporter: Martha Hennessy sits in a library adjacent to the Maryhouse chapel in New York, where the wake for her grandmother, Dorothy Day, was held in 1980.
Photos of Day and other Catholic social justice acti...
Photos of Day and other Catholic social justice acti...
Vatican Kills Italian Order of Traditionalist Priests
Vatican Kills Italian Order of Traditionalist Priests: Suppression of old-school religious fraternities peaks under Pope Francis
The Vatican Declares War on Cdl. Zen
The Vatican Declares War on Cdl. Zen: Explosive letter condemns Zen's opposition to China-Vatican agreement
Are Democrats Ignoring Lessons from Their 2018 Election Success? - The Globalist
Are Democrats Ignoring Lessons from Their 2018 Election Success? - The Globalist: Democrats must mobilize the party base, while focusing on adding cross-over anti-Trump rural and suburban independents and moderate Republicans.
Officials Feared U.S.-Taliban Deal Could Collapse Up Until the Last Minute - WSJ
Officials Feared U.S.-Taliban Deal Could Collapse Up Until the Last Minute - WSJ: A deal between the U.S. and the Taliban was more than a year in the making, encountering obstacles all the way up until its approval Saturday.
Coronavirus: Effective strategies and tools for remote work during a pandemic | ZDNet
Coronavirus: Effective strategies and tools for remote work during a pandemic | ZDNet: Whether or not coronavirus becomes a full outbreak, the trend of working from afar is currently experiencing a major boost as businesses shift to digital channels and more people avoid physical gatherings. Here are key approaches and tools to get the most from remote work.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Opinion | Here Comes the Coronavirus Pandemic - The New York Times
Opinion | Here Comes the Coronavirus Pandemic - The New York Times: Now, after many fire drills, the world may be facing a real fire.
Bernie Sanders has an audacious—and hugely expensive—climate plan
Bernie Sanders has an audacious—and hugely expensive—climate plan
But it restricts some of the tools we may need to rapidly cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615292/bernie-sanders-has-an-audaciousand-hugely-expensiveclimate-plan/?utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement&utm_medium=tr_social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3qq-byPmnvBVn5pRDLHRQGoo1FTwOOpKP0PaNzyntiC7UdeWjuQu4oC84#Echobox=1582915251
How to prepare for the coronavirus like a pro
How to prepare for the coronavirus like a pro
Some of the smartest people I know are getting ready for a crisis—including me.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615290/how-to-prepare-for-the-coronavirus-covid19/?utm_medium=tr_social&utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1yJuKF3uoSI3-ms7kAjs_dkcYLqnyQn3gA9BrAvOeXu5q6JK4-wSRyat8#Echobox=1582921449
Temptation Story in “Luke”—Jesus VS Satan | Fellow Dying Inmate
Temptation Story in “Luke”—Jesus VS Satan | Fellow Dying Inmate: Temptation and Jesus is a controversial Gospel subject. But we need to get the Gospel stories correctly before we theologize about them. Let's explore what "Luke" and his Synoptic companions are really telling us. It all comes back to Mediterranean cultural values of honor and shame.
Mental Illness and and the Darkness of Lent | Guest Contributor
Mental Illness and and the Darkness of Lent | Guest Contributor: Can depression and anxiety be part of Lent?
Creating a National Insecurity State
Creating a National Insecurity State
Spending More, Seeing Less
By Mandy Smithberger
Hold on to your helmets! It’s true the White House is reporting that its proposed new Pentagon budget is only $740.5 billion, a relatively small increase from the previous year’s staggering number. In reality, however, when you also include war and security costs buried in the budgets of other agencies, the actual national security figure comes in at more than $1.2 trillion, as the Trump administration continues to give the Pentagon free reign over taxpayer dollars.
You would think that the country’s congressional representatives might want to take control of this process and roll back that budget -- especially given the way the White House has repeatedly violated its constitutional authority by essentially stealing billions of dollars from the Defense Department for the president’s “Great Wall” (that Congress refused to fund). Recently, even some of the usual congressional Pentagon budget boosters have begun to lament how difficult it is to take the Department’s requests for more money seriously, given the way the military continues to demand yet more (ever more expensive) weaponry and advanced technologies on the (largely bogus) grounds that Uncle Sam is losing an innovation war with Russia and China.
And if this wasn’t bad enough, keep in mind that the Defense Department remains the only major federal agency that has proven itself incapable of even passing an audit. An investigation by my colleague Jason Paladino at the Project On Government Oversight found that increased secrecy around the operations of the Pentagon is making it ever more difficult to assess whether any of its money is well spent, which is why it’s important to track where all the money in this country’s national security budget actually goes.
Click here to read more of this dispatch. https://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176669/tomgram%3A_mandy_smithberger%2C_letting_the_pentagon_loose_with_your_tax_dollars/#more
Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection March 1, 2020 First Sunday of Lent
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Coronavirus Outbreak: Wealthy Take to Private Jets - Bloomberg
Coronavirus Outbreak: Wealthy Take to Private Jets - Bloomberg: Growing fear over coronavirus is battering commercial airline stocks, but private jet operators are seeing a spike in demand as well-heeled travelers look to minimize their public exposure and find alternatives to suspended flights.
Italian journalist publishes Medjugorje findings from Vatican commission
Italian journalist publishes Medjugorje findings from Vatican commission: In his book Medjugorje Dossier, released this month in Italian, Italian journalist and writer Saverio Gaeta has published the findings of the Vatican’s International Theological Commission led by C…
How fasting can lead to a more loving heart
How fasting can lead to a more loving heart: Initially, fasting can appear to be a negative practice, concerned about denying ourselves certain pleasures, such as food or entertainment. However, if we fast like Jesus, it will open our heart t…
What is the symbolism of ashes on Ash Wednesday?
What is the symbolism of ashes on Ash Wednesday?: Ash Wednesday in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church is focused, not surprisingly, on the imposition of ashes on all the faithful who attend Mass or a prayer service. This ceremony is relatively …
Jimmy Kimmel calls for Catholic Sign of Peace at Kobe Bryant memorial
Jimmy Kimmel calls for Catholic Sign of Peace at Kobe Bryant memorial: Jimmy Kimmel took the podium at the memorial service for Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the 11 other passengers on the ill-fated January 26 helicopter ride. As tears streamed down his cheeks…
Gospel Reflections: Voices in the Desert First Sunday of Lent
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Matthew 4:1-11 At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written: ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him. Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, descend upon us who are gathered all around the world today to pray. Enlighten your Church at the beginning of Lent and teach us to read and interpret Scripture in a way that reveals the loving heart of the Father through the words and deeds of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Encountering Christ:
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will identify a temptation that has been present in the back of my mind and which has been weighing me down. I will confront it at your side during this period of Lent, while directing my heart to the Father. For Further Reflection: Catechism of the Catholic Church 2847: The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death. We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation. Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears to be good, a “delight to the eyes” and desirable, when in reality its fruit is death. God does not want to impose the good, but wants free beings… There is a certain usefulness to temptation. No one but God knows what our soul has received from him, not even we ourselves. But temptation reveals it in order to teach us to know ourselves, and in this way we discover our evil inclinations and are obliged to give thanks for the goods that temptation has revealed to us. Written by Fr. Gabriel von Wendt, LC The post Voices in the Desert appeared first on RC Spirituality. |
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Russian-Palestinian Talks in Moscow to Discuss Reconciliation, Trump's Plan | Asharq AL-awsat
Russian-Palestinian Talks in Moscow to Discuss Reconciliation, Trump's Plan | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Kuwait Announces New Coronavirus Case | Asharq AL-awsat
Kuwait Announces New Coronavirus Case | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Gulf Bourses Down as Coronavirus Spreads | Asharq AL-awsat
Gulf Bourses Down as Coronavirus Spreads | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Netanyahu Pledges 'Immediate' Annexation Steps If Re-Elected | Asharq AL-awsat
Netanyahu Pledges 'Immediate' Annexation Steps If Re-Elected | Asharq AL-awsat: Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
Did coronavirus evacuation into CA base spread the disease? | The Sacramento Bee
Did coronavirus evacuation into CA base spread the disease? | The Sacramento Bee: The good news came on Feb. 18 for about 180 people who’d been holed up at the Westwind Inn, the on-site hotel at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. The two weeks in quarantine after their evacuation from China had crawled by as they interacted with a team of local, state and federal health officials.
Coronavirus brings memories of CA bubonic plague outbreak | The Sacramento Bee
Coronavirus brings memories of CA bubonic plague outbreak | The Sacramento Bee: A deadly medieval scourge, never before seen in North America, had arrived in San Francisco — and California was in denial.
There’s a New Artist in Town. The Name Is Biden. - The New York Times
There’s a New Artist in Town. The Name Is Biden. - The New York Times: Hunter Biden, his name forever linked to President Trump’s impeachment, says painting “is literally keeping me sane” after years of addiction and poor choices.
How a spate of shark attacks in 1916 might predict how the new coronavirus outbreak will affect Trump’s re-election chances - The Boston Globe
How a spate of shark attacks in 1916 might predict how the new coronavirus outbreak will affect Trump’s re-election chances - The Boston Globe: Sometimes, a public health emergency can affect a president's political fortunes
I am officially hoping Tom Brady leaves the Patriots - The Boston Globe
I am officially hoping Tom Brady leaves the Patriots - The Boston Globe: It would be much better theater to see whether the Patriots can win without him and what he can do with another team.
Michelle Obama doesn’t want to be vice president. Get over it. - The Boston Globe
Michelle Obama doesn’t want to be vice president. Get over it. - The Boston Globe: Michelle Obama does not want to be president. She does not want to be vice president. What about “no” can’t people understand?
Running community on virus alert as Boston Marathon approaches - The Boston Globe
Running community on virus alert as Boston Marathon approaches - The Boston Globe: This year, for the first time in the Boston Marathon's storied history, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over whether the world’s oldest marathon will be held, as fears of a global pandemic intensify.
WHO raises global coronavirus alert as US faceplants | Ars Technica
WHO raises global coronavirus alert as US faceplants | Ars Technica: There are now four possible community-spread cases of COVID-19 in the US.
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