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<p>On the coffee table in <a href="http://variety.com/t/pamela-adlon/" type="external">Pamela Adlon</a>’s sunny Sherman Oaks office, within easy reach of her comfortable, blanket-strewn couch, is a book of photographs by <a href="http://www.vivianmaier.com/" type="external">Vivian Maier</a>.</p>
<p>SEE MORE: <a href="https://variety.com/access-digital/" type="external">From the September 12, 2017, issue of Variety</a></p>
<p>Maier, who worked as a nanny in Chicago for years, took the art world by storm when her work came to light a few years ago. Unknown before her death (her negatives were discovered after she died in 2009), she was keenly interested in all kinds of humans, from homeless people and children to shoppers and socialites. Her uncontrived images grab the viewer in part because they don’t traffic in sentimentality or cliché.</p>
<p>The same can be said for Adlon, creator of FX’s “ <a href="http://variety.com/t/better-things/" type="external">Better Things</a>,” which returns Sept. 14. After a critically acclaimed first season, she has gone full auteur. Not only did she serve as showrunner and star once again (earning an Emmy nomination for best actress in a comedy), but she also directed every episode of the extraordinary second season — making for an even fuller, richer, more emotionally resonant experience.</p>
<p>Last year, she says she and executive producer Louis C.K., with whom she writes the show, were simply trying to “find the voices” of the characters. “Now,” she says, “we’re following them and going down longer roads with them.”</p>
<p>“Better Things” tells the story of Sam Fox, a woman fighting for scraps of autonomy despite the time-consuming roadblocks in her path. Three of those stubborn and fascinating obstacles are her daughters — Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood) and Duke (Olivia Edward) —&#160; who never stop intentionally and unintentionally challenging their mom. Her eccentric&#160;English mother, Phil (Celia Imrie), lives nearby and can always be counted on to pop over and say something perceptive — or completely inappropriate.</p>
<p>It’s a lot to contend with. But the most difficult limitations for Sam are often those imposed by a world that wants to constrict who she is and what she can be. With “Better Things,” which is as irreverent, spontaneous and ferociously empathic as its creator, Adlon has broken free of many of those limitations.</p>
<p>“It’s like an artisanal cheese of a show,” Adlon says, given the handmade quality of each half hour. She credits FX for its “hands-off” approach. “They just give a subtle and helpful note every once in a while,” she says. “It’s like being on ‘Project Runway,’ and Tim Gunn comes over and arches an eyebrow and says, ‘I like what you’re doing here.’”</p>
<p>FX Networks CEO John Landgraf says he’s been moved by the show — and surprised as well. “I feel like I’ve come to understand things about being a parent and about being a mom from watching this show that I didn’t understood before,” he says, “even though I have three kids and I’m married and I was raised by a single mom.”</p>
<p>Aesthetically and thematically, “Better Things” fits right in with the most acclaimed half hours of the moment. But the fact that Adlon’s show is built around domestic settings and has a largely female cast means that it’s nothing short of radical.</p>
<p>TV comedies about a woman raising kids simply don’t look like this. A fan of chunky boots and weathered jeans, Sam drinks, swears, takes up space — and she doesn’t apologize for it.</p>
<p>“My show is my flaws and the weird things about me that have kept me going — and also kept me from achieving,” Adlon says.</p>
<p>At one point in the new season, Sam, fed up with her daughters’ ingratitude, pushes them to hold a fake funeral for her and tell her why they’d miss her. In another episode, Sam unloads on a date who doesn’t realize how needy he is. It’s like listening to a foulmouthed and hilariously truthful aria. That moment hints at another revolutionary stance: Unlike most mainstream film and TV narratives, “Better Things” assumes that settling down with the right guy might add to Sam’s problems, rather than solve them.</p>
<p>“I’m so curious how men are going to react to that episode,” Adlon says. “They’re going to be like, ‘She’s fucking crazy.’”</p>
<p>And while most family-centric TV episodes — in both drama and comedy — tend to conclude with some form of rote sentiment or cloying closure, Adlon resolutely refuses to offer up any sort of happy ending.</p>
<p>“I don’t like things to be wrapped up neatly, because I want people to explore their own feelings about what’s happening,” Adlon says. “It’s OK to see that things don’t always work out, or there’s some catastrophic event, and the next day, there’s no mention of it. Because that’s the way real life works.”</p>
<p>That no-bullshit ambiguity is reflected in the show’s ads.</p>
<p>“I have maybe two regrets in my life, and one of them is that I didn’t film [FX marketing chief] Stephanie Gibbons pitching the first-season ad campaign to me, because it was the most fascinating thing in the world,” Adlon says. Gibbons laid out a series of visual stereotypes that have come to define mothers on TV: the businesswoman holding a baby and a briefcase, the mom with her arms crossed, ready to scold someone.</p>
<p>And then, Adlon recounts, Gibbons showed her the image her team had come up with: Adlon lying face down on a bed with her feet on a wall. She was sold immediately.</p>
<p>The new ads for “Better Things” follow suit. In the key art, Adlon is leaning back in a chair balancing on its two rear legs. She’s wobbling but staying upright.</p>
<p>“My show is about art and music as much as it is about people and feelings,” she says. “So the fact that these posters are art is a bonus, because they’re beautiful to look at, and they’re strong.”</p>
<p>The daughter of a TV writer and producer, Adlon has been on TV sets since she was very young. But for much of her career, she was cast in supporting roles (“Grease 2,” “Bed of Roses,” “Californication”) or lent her distinctive raspy voice to animated projects (“Rugrats,” “King of the Hill”). That place in the Hollywood power structure — inside it but off to the side — offered her an excellent vantage point from which to observe, dissect and analyze.</p>
<p>“I never had the ambition to be a director and do all of this, nor was it on my radar,” Adlon says. “When I saw Lena Dunham, when I saw an ad for ‘Girls,’ I was like, ‘What is that?’ Then I watched it. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. Are you kidding me? She’s half my fucking age, and she’s running that shit?’ That was a head-cracking moment for me.”</p>
<p>Having wrapped up commitments to “Californication” and then “Louie,” where she appeared on-screen and also wrote, she was ready to start telling her own stories. The critical response to the first season&#160;— in which Adlon directed two episodes —&#160;encouraged her to take over behind the camera.</p>
<p>Still, that 40-day shoot — which took place mostly in Los Angeles but also partly in Canada — proved a bit of an endurance test. One of Adlon’s key survival strategies: nap time.</p>
<p>When everyone else went to lunch, she would retreat to her character’s bedroom. Her second assistant director would help her black out all the windows and then put a strip of tape across the door, to serve as a warning to stay out.</p>
<p>“I would get in the bed and pass out,” says Adlon of that daily break, something she says she would “preserve with my life.” In the first season, she made the mistake of taking part in production meetings during every lunch period. But she found she needed a half hour a dayin which no one was talking to her or asking questions.</p>
<p>“It’s like you’re a boxer,” Adlon says. “You have to rest on the ropes.”</p>
<p>But there still were moments when she admits she felt “terrified” to direct the cast and the second season’s guest stars, who include Rade Serbedzija, Jane Carr, Nigel Havers and Henry Thomas.</p>
<p>“I’m sitting there going, ‘How do I say anything to Celia Imrie? Rade was in “Eyes Wide Shut.” How do I direct him?’” Adlon recalls. Her go-to strategy was to be clear about what she wanted but to stay open to what the actors might find.</p>
<p>“It’s very dangerous to be the writer as well, because if you’re precious with your lines and you’re married to something you have in your head, you’re cheating yourself as much as you’re cheating the actor,” Adlon says. “The actors come with this bag of gifts, and so you’ve got to trust in them.”</p>
<p>Louis C.K. says he’s in awe of what she’s delivered. “The second season has scenes in it that would terrify me as a director,” he says. “There’s 10 people talking, and she’s got three kids in the show. She’s got scenes where there are parties and people are arguing and [the action] is going places. That’s really hard to shoot right. And she found really elegant ways to shoot it and compose it.”</p>
<p>C.K. first began working with Adlon when he cast her in his short-lived HBO show “Lucky Louie,” in part because she had three kids. On FX’s “Louie,” she served as his most crucial sounding board: “She had an excellent instinct for how to get feelings across and how to do this kind of honest comedy about tough things,” he says. He even thinks her show surpasses his creatively.</p>
<p>“‘Louie’ was a workshop for us to learn how to do TV a little bit differently, but I think her show honestly is the best execution,” C.K. says. “It’s just so full of overlapping feelings and messy feelings. My show was more nihilist. It was about the absence of feelings; it was about loneliness. And her show is more about being crammed full of responsibility of people to care for. It’s a fuller meal.”</p>
<p>Many scenes in “Better Things” revolve around the preparation of food; get-togethers are plentiful in the Fox household. That welcoming vibe played out off camera as well.</p>
<p>“Taking care of people — it just comes naturally to me. I feed my crew four times a day,” Adlon says. “[Running the set] was just like I was putting a pair of old shoes on. It felt natural.”</p>
<p>Part of her mission was to eliminate the kinds of wasteful situations and stressful dynamics she’s experienced on other sets.</p>
<p>“I know what it’s like to sit and whittle your life away on a set watching men — people — waste so much time and money indulging themselves,” she sighs. “It’s insane. It doesn’t have to be that way. This whole season was an experiment in ‘Things can be great and comfortable.’ You don’t have to scrape the marrow off your bones.”</p>
<p>Adlon shifted her aesthetic mind-set a little as well: While still steering clear of the surreal touches that can be found in a number of acclaimed half- hours, she admits that she moved away from being very “staunchly literal” about things. “I like to stay completely authentic, but then my show was begging for a kind of magic. One of my best friends calls it ‘grace.’”</p>
<p>One key grace note: “We all touch the statue at the top of the stairs when we walk past it — and we never talk about it,” Adlon notes.</p>
<p>That explains a central part of the appeal of “Better Things”: It avoids the obvious moves. It doesn’t over-explain, and it lets complex situations marinate.</p>
<p>“In my storytelling, I like to bury the lead. It’s like layering a lasagna,” she says. “It’s more work for you and better satisfaction for everybody, but it takes a little bit longer to tell a story that way.”</p>
<p>At its base, “Better Things” is rooted in the idea that, as Sam tells students in an acting class she’s teaching, the mistakes people work hard to hide are actually a source of power. Why not celebrate the experiences that lead to moments of insight?</p>
<p>“I learned the most from the worst mother I knew,” says Adlon (adding that the mother in question was not her own). “You learn the most from your failures. They strengthen you.”</p>
<p>That confidence allowed her to tell stories that are unique in their raw honesty and immediacy.</p>
<p>“I used to worry so much about what people thought about me and be over-pleasing, and it was exhausting,” Adlon says. “When you stop worrying about that kind of stuff, you actually start focusing and doing the good work. The work that you’re meant to do.”</p>
<p>Debra Birnbaum contributed to this story.</p> | false | 1 | coffee table pamela adlons sunny sherman oaks office within easy reach comfortable blanketstrewn couch book photographs vivian maier see september 12 2017 issue variety maier worked nanny chicago years took art world storm work came light years ago unknown death negatives discovered died 2009 keenly interested kinds humans homeless people children shoppers socialites uncontrived images grab viewer part dont traffic sentimentality cliché said adlon creator fxs better things returns sept 14 critically acclaimed first season gone full auteur serve showrunner star earning emmy nomination best actress comedy also directed every episode extraordinary second season making even fuller richer emotionally resonant experience last year says executive producer louis ck writes show simply trying find voices characters says following going longer roads better things tells story sam fox woman fighting scraps autonomy despite timeconsuming roadblocks path three stubborn fascinating obstacles daughters max mikey madison frankie hannah alligood duke olivia edward 160 never stop intentionally unintentionally challenging mom eccentric160english mother phil celia imrie lives nearby always counted pop say something perceptive completely inappropriate lot contend difficult limitations sam often imposed world wants constrict better things irreverent spontaneous ferociously empathic creator adlon broken free many limitations like artisanal cheese show adlon says given handmade quality half hour credits fx handsoff approach give subtle helpful note every says like project runway tim gunn comes arches eyebrow says like youre fx networks ceo john landgraf says hes moved show surprised well feel like ive come understand things parent mom watching show didnt understood says even though three kids im married raised single mom aesthetically thematically better things fits right acclaimed half hours moment fact adlons show built around domestic settings largely female cast means nothing short radical tv comedies woman raising kids simply dont look like fan chunky boots weathered jeans sam drinks swears takes space doesnt apologize show flaws weird things kept going also kept achieving adlon says one point new season sam fed daughters ingratitude pushes hold fake funeral tell theyd miss another episode sam unloads date doesnt realize needy like listening foulmouthed hilariously truthful aria moment hints another revolutionary stance unlike mainstream film tv narratives better things assumes settling right guy might add sams problems rather solve im curious men going react episode adlon says theyre going like shes fucking crazy familycentric tv episodes drama comedy tend conclude form rote sentiment cloying closure adlon resolutely refuses offer sort happy ending dont like things wrapped neatly want people explore feelings whats happening adlon says ok see things dont always work theres catastrophic event next day theres mention thats way real life works nobullshit ambiguity reflected shows ads maybe two regrets life one didnt film fx marketing chief stephanie gibbons pitching firstseason ad campaign fascinating thing world adlon says gibbons laid series visual stereotypes come define mothers tv businesswoman holding baby briefcase mom arms crossed ready scold someone adlon recounts gibbons showed image team come adlon lying face bed feet wall sold immediately new ads better things follow suit key art adlon leaning back chair balancing two rear legs shes wobbling staying upright show art music much people feelings says fact posters art bonus theyre beautiful look theyre strong daughter tv writer producer adlon tv sets since young much career cast supporting roles grease 2 bed roses californication lent distinctive raspy voice animated projects rugrats king hill place hollywood power structure inside side offered excellent vantage point observe dissect analyze never ambition director radar adlon says saw lena dunham saw ad girls like watched like oh god kidding shes half fucking age shes running shit headcracking moment wrapped commitments californication louie appeared onscreen also wrote ready start telling stories critical response first season160 adlon directed two episodes 160encouraged take behind camera still 40day shoot took place mostly los angeles also partly canada proved bit endurance test one adlons key survival strategies nap time everyone else went lunch would retreat characters bedroom second assistant director would help black windows put strip tape across door serve warning stay would get bed pass says adlon daily break something says would preserve life first season made mistake taking part production meetings every lunch period found needed half hour dayin one talking asking questions like youre boxer adlon says rest ropes still moments admits felt terrified direct cast second seasons guest stars include rade serbedzija jane carr nigel havers henry thomas im sitting going say anything celia imrie rade eyes wide shut direct adlon recalls goto strategy clear wanted stay open actors might find dangerous writer well youre precious lines youre married something head youre cheating much youre cheating actor adlon says actors come bag gifts youve got trust louis ck says hes awe shes delivered second season scenes would terrify director says theres 10 people talking shes got three kids show shes got scenes parties people arguing action going places thats really hard shoot right found really elegant ways shoot compose ck first began working adlon cast shortlived hbo show lucky louie part three kids fxs louie served crucial sounding board excellent instinct get feelings across kind honest comedy tough things says even thinks show surpasses creatively louie workshop us learn tv little bit differently think show honestly best execution ck says full overlapping feelings messy feelings show nihilist absence feelings loneliness show crammed full responsibility people care fuller meal many scenes better things revolve around preparation food gettogethers plentiful fox household welcoming vibe played camera well taking care people comes naturally feed crew four times day adlon says running set like putting pair old shoes felt natural part mission eliminate kinds wasteful situations stressful dynamics shes experienced sets know like sit whittle life away set watching men people waste much time money indulging sighs insane doesnt way whole season experiment things great comfortable dont scrape marrow bones adlon shifted aesthetic mindset little well still steering clear surreal touches found number acclaimed half hours admits moved away staunchly literal things like stay completely authentic show begging kind magic one best friends calls grace one key grace note touch statue top stairs walk past never talk adlon notes explains central part appeal better things avoids obvious moves doesnt overexplain lets complex situations marinate storytelling like bury lead like layering lasagna says work better satisfaction everybody takes little bit longer tell story way base better things rooted idea sam tells students acting class shes teaching mistakes people work hard hide actually source power celebrate experiences lead moments insight learned worst mother knew says adlon adding mother question learn failures strengthen confidence allowed tell stories unique raw honesty immediacy used worry much people thought overpleasing exhausting adlon says stop worrying kind stuff actually start focusing good work work youre meant debra birnbaum contributed story | 1,112 |
<p>SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Bad Place,” the winter finale of “ <a href="http://variety.com/t/supernatural/" type="external">Supernatural</a>” Season 13 that aired on Dec. 7.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/mark-pellegrino-supernatural-season-13-lucifer-alt-world-interview-1202592195/" type="external">Supernatural</a>” is no stranger to setting up potential spinoffs through backdoor pilots, but unlike “Bloodlines” in Season 9, Season 13’s new attempt features characters that have been a part of the “Supernatural family” — at the very least for an episode, but in some cases for years.</p>
<p>“‘Bloodlines,’ by design, was to drop you into a world that was part ‘Supernatural’ but supposed to feel very different,” Andrew Dabb, “Supernatural” Season 13 showrunner and the writer of the previous backdoor pilot “Bloodlines,” tells Variety. “When we started talking about ‘Wayward,’ it was something that had been built up for years and seeded in our show for a long time. And when we made the decision last year to trudge forward on this, it was really important to us that, unlike ‘Bloodlines,’ it did feel like an organic [extension] of ‘Supernatural.’”</p>
<p>“Wayward Sisters,” which will air when “Supernatural” returns with its winter premiere in January, was set up in the winter finale episode when psychic Patience (Clark Backo) had a vision of death for Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes) and set out to warn her, despite her father’s instance she stay out of the hunting life. Additionally the winter finale, “The Bad Place,” introduced dreamwalker Kaia (Yadira Guevara-Prip), a young woman who thought her powers were a curse because she could only ever visit a place that left her with physical and psychological scars when she woke back up in the “real” world.</p>
<p>However, Dabb says that the episode was designed so that whether or not the audience member watching knew it was a backdoor pilot, they would still feel like they were watching an episode of “Supernatural” proper.</p>
<p>“We think this episode steps up and has relationships and a big mythology that can support a show, but if the stars don’t align for us, they can just enjoy it as an episode of ‘Supernatural,’” Dabb says. “That’s important to us. I think a lot of the reason ‘Bloodlines’ turned so many people off was that it didn’t feel like an episode of ‘Supernatural.’ This feels like an episode of ‘Supernatural,’ and should it go forward, we would build on that DNA to make it feel unique and different but still part of that world.”</p>
<p>Working with nephilim Jack (Alexander Calvert) in “The Bad Place,” Kaia found enough focus to see other worlds besides her titular bad one, including the alternate, post-apocalyptic world in which Mary (Samantha Smith) was trapped at the end of Season 12.&#160;Her power was strong enough to open a rift between worlds&#160;— but unfortunately left Jack stranded with Mary, while Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) were sent to another, unknown place, and Kaia herself was left back in the regular world.</p>
<p>“Kaia just survived an incredibly traumatic incident, and Jack gave her hope that maybe her power didn’t have to be as dark as she’s been experiencing, but then what happens? A giant calamity occurs, so she’s a reluctant ally of the girls,” says “Wayward Sisters” writer and “Supernatural” co-executive producer Robert Berens. “[‘Wayward Sisters’] will shine a little light on Kaia’s power, but if we go to series it will be a deeper dive. Her connection to this other place is actually very personal. She has a very dark and complicated relationship to this world.”</p>
<p>“Wayward Sisters” has to pick up in the “Supernatural” story where “The Bad Place” left off, which means finding out a way to get Dean and Sam back from this other world&#160;— a world which Dabb notes is “unlike anything we’ve ever seen on ‘Supernatural.’” But it also has to flesh out the ensemble dynamics of the women who will not only work together to save Dean and Sam, but also who will make up the cast of the spinoff, should it go forward to series.</p>
<p>In addition to Jody, Patience, and Kaia, the show is set to follow Claire (Kathryn Newton), Donna (Briana Buckmaster), and Alex (Katherine Ramdeen).</p>
<p>“There’s a number of POVs and there are a number of beautiful character beats for every character. You have a couple of core relationships that are very warm and established, like Alex and Jody, and Jody and Donna&#160;— they’re very ride or die,” Berens says, noting that past episodes of “Supernatural” have already introduced the POVs of each but that the “focal POV” of the “Wayward Sisters” episode will be Claire’s story.</p>
<p>Claire, who Berens calls “the prodigal daughter,” is conflicted about the family unit at this time in her life and the show’s history. “[She’s]&#160;returning to the fold after an absence. She feels like she’s a solo hunter&#160;— like maybe she’s outgrown this family — but under the circumstances, she has to come back. So there’s a lot of emotion and interpersonal relationships to work through with the rest of the group,” Berens says.</p>
<p>For Dabb and Berens there is both a great challenge and a great joy in being able to dive into such a rich group of characters with different points of view. In addition to exploring “the ego and the glory and the freedom of being a solo hunter” through Claire, characters like Patience and Kaia are still not fully certain of their powers&#160;— or of the other women with whom they are thrown together and tasked to work.</p>
<p>“Patience has something of a connection with Jody but she doesn’t have that emotional connection with everybody else [and there’s some interesting tension between Patience and Claire,” Berens says.</p>
<p>Meanwhile Berens calls Kaia “pivotal” because&#160;“she’s the only one of all of these women who knows, more or less, what went down [with Dean and Sam].”</p>
<p>And then there are Jody and Donna who have been in the hunting game longer and feel a responsibility towards the other women.</p>
<p>“It’s the tension between the two generations of ‘Wayward.’ Jody and Donna have a responsibility to protect and train these young women, and these young women are finding their strength. That family dynamic of conflict is going to be the core conflict of our series,” Berens says. “They ultimately work together very beautifully, but the road there is very complicated.”</p>
<p>“Supernatural” airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW. “Wayward Sisters” airs on Jan. 18 2018.</p> | false | 1 | spoiler alert read yet watched bad place winter finale supernatural season 13 aired dec 7 supernatural stranger setting potential spinoffs backdoor pilots unlike bloodlines season 9 season 13s new attempt features characters part supernatural family least episode cases years bloodlines design drop world part supernatural supposed feel different andrew dabb supernatural season 13 showrunner writer previous backdoor pilot bloodlines tells variety started talking wayward something built years seeded show long time made decision last year trudge forward really important us unlike bloodlines feel like organic extension supernatural wayward sisters air supernatural returns winter premiere january set winter finale episode psychic patience clark backo vision death jody mills kim rhodes set warn despite fathers instance stay hunting life additionally winter finale bad place introduced dreamwalker kaia yadira guevaraprip young woman thought powers curse could ever visit place left physical psychological scars woke back real world however dabb says episode designed whether audience member watching knew backdoor pilot would still feel like watching episode supernatural proper think episode steps relationships big mythology support show stars dont align us enjoy episode supernatural dabb says thats important us think lot reason bloodlines turned many people didnt feel like episode supernatural feels like episode supernatural go forward would build dna make feel unique different still part world working nephilim jack alexander calvert bad place kaia found enough focus see worlds besides titular bad one including alternate postapocalyptic world mary samantha smith trapped end season 12160her power strong enough open rift worlds160 unfortunately left jack stranded mary dean jensen ackles sam jared padalecki sent another unknown place kaia left back regular world kaia survived incredibly traumatic incident jack gave hope maybe power didnt dark shes experiencing happens giant calamity occurs shes reluctant ally girls says wayward sisters writer supernatural coexecutive producer robert berens wayward sisters shine little light kaias power go series deeper dive connection place actually personal dark complicated relationship world wayward sisters pick supernatural story bad place left means finding way get dean sam back world160 world dabb notes unlike anything weve ever seen supernatural also flesh ensemble dynamics women work together save dean sam also make cast spinoff go forward series addition jody patience kaia show set follow claire kathryn newton donna briana buckmaster alex katherine ramdeen theres number povs number beautiful character beats every character couple core relationships warm established like alex jody jody donna160 theyre ride die berens says noting past episodes supernatural already introduced povs focal pov wayward sisters episode claires story claire berens calls prodigal daughter conflicted family unit time life shows history shes160returning fold absence feels like shes solo hunter160 like maybe shes outgrown family circumstances come back theres lot emotion interpersonal relationships work rest group berens says dabb berens great challenge great joy able dive rich group characters different points view addition exploring ego glory freedom solo hunter claire characters like patience kaia still fully certain powers160 women thrown together tasked work patience something connection jody doesnt emotional connection everybody else theres interesting tension patience claire berens says meanwhile berens calls kaia pivotal because160shes one women knows less went dean sam jody donna hunting game longer feel responsibility towards women tension two generations wayward jody donna responsibility protect train young women young women finding strength family dynamic conflict going core conflict series berens says ultimately work together beautifully road complicated supernatural airs thursdays 8 pm cw wayward sisters airs jan 18 2018 | 565 |
<p>The times they are a changin’. Atheists are on the march ( <a href="http://reason.com/reasontv/2016/06/04/good-without-god-reason-rally-2016-draws" type="external">literally</a>), while the traditionally religious are in a defensive crouch. Bernie Sanders has broken the taboo on socialism, as a new generation questions the legitimacy of free enterprise. Freedom of speech, that most fundamental and cherished American liberty, is endangered in unprecedented ways. And a presidential candidate who wants to make America great again has what even his defenders might concede is a limited grasp of the constitutional underpinnings of that greatness. In sum, America as we’ve known it seems lately to be slipping away. I think I know an important part of the reason why: bad history.</p>
<p>America’s founders understood themselves to be reviving something that had been lost for millennia: republican democracy. Educated in the classics, the founders knew well the fates of Athenian and Roman democracy, and they dreaded another fall. Thomas Jefferson especially, and the other founders as well, believed that education would be the surest safeguard of America’s liberty. The Constitution by itself, they knew, would not be enough. Only knowledge of the history of liberty and the reasons for its periodic loss would inspire the public with the knowledge and desire to protect America’s freedoms.</p>
<p>But what if education itself were to turn against liberty? In that case we would be lost.</p>
<p>An extraordinary new report authored by historian David Randall of the National Association of Scholars (NAS), “ <a href="https://www.nas.org/articles/the_disappearing_continent" type="external">The Disappearing Continent</a>,” suggests that this is what may be happening to us. At one level, The Disappearing Continent is a devastating critique of the <a href="https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-european-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf" type="external">College Board’s newly-issued curriculum for its Advanced Placement European History (APEH) course</a>. That course is the closest most Americans will come to a class in what used to be called Western Civilization. And the new curriculum will shape textbooks, and the way in which all high school and college students are taught about our Western heritage for years to come.</p>
<p>Rightly understood, however, the NAS report also provides a profound explanation for today’s cultural and political headlines: the rise of secularism and the discrediting of religion; debunking hostility toward economic and political liberty; the rise of a soft form of Marxism; and the undermining of Western exceptionalism in a way that leaves even the West’s would-be defenders bereft of resources to make a stand. The contours of our education have become the contours of our politics.</p>
<p>The history of Europe, of course, is particularly important because it is our history. To make sense of American Catholicism, you need to understand the history of medieval, Renaissance, and modern European Christianity. American Protestantism rests on the achievements of Luther, Calvin, Wesley, and a host of other continental reformers. American democracy is rooted in the history of European and especially British liberty, including the long struggle for parliamentary democracy, the writings of Hobbes and Locke, and the tradition of English common law. Economic liberty has roots in the achievements of the Industrial Revolution and the writings of Adam Smith.</p>
<p>Incredibly, however, as the NAS Report establishes in devastating detail, APEH omits, minimizes, or subtly undermines all these core themes of Western history. APEH skips medieval Christianity entirely and “fails to convey the actual content of even the most basic developments in Reformation theology,” while reducing religion to a mere instrument of political power.</p>
<p>APEH also barely mentions the history of European liberty, and minimizes the history of Britain in particular, although Britain is the traditional focus of American interest in Europe’s history. When discussed at all, British parliamentary democracy is treated as little more than a tool of class interests. APEH also “minimizes the role that Britain’s political, economic, and social liberty played in fostering the Industrial Revolution.” The new curriculum likewise plays up the alleged failings of free enterprise at every turn, and has virtually nothing to say of Europe’s great inventors and entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>What is going on here? I’ll give you a hint. The College Board’s new AP European History curriculum minimizes both the revolutionary violence of the Socialist tradition and the brutality of the Soviet regime. While APEH strains to make free enterprise look as bad as possible and rightly condemns the cruelties of slavery, it obscures the evil and dysfunctionality of Communism. While APEH offers a debunking class-based analysis of English Parliamentary democracy, it embraces the most questionable self-descriptions of Marxism and adopts a troubling stance of moral equivalence toward the Western and Soviet blocks of the Cold War. While APEH paints religion in a negative light, it minimizes or passes over not only the Soviet Union’s atheistic hostility to religion, but also the broader and often murderous European tradition of leftist anti-clericalism.</p>
<p>In short, as the NAS puts it, “APEH follows modern progressive historians’ soft-Marxist interpretation of the history of Europe, which works to justify modern progressivism’s soft-Marxist political action in the present…APEH shreds European history to serve today’s progressive agenda.”</p>
<p>It’s often said that millennials support Bernie Sanders because they <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2016/02/15/why-so-many-millennials-are-socialists/" type="external">don’t really know what socialism is</a> and haven’t been properly taught its frightening history. That’s true insofar as it goes, but we need to say more.</p>
<p>Through the new AP European History framework and its other AP curricula, the College Board is providing the leftist professoriate with the means to gain control of our high-schools. Yet it’s important to realize that this “new” high school curriculum merely enshrines an orthodoxy that’s been taught at the college level for decades. If students don’t know the truth about socialism, it’s not because they’re lazy but because their teachers don’t want them to know. And although APEH avoids clear explanations of what socialism is and has done, the entire framework operates on “soft-Marxist” premises. This is what the debunking analyses of religion and liberal democracy as tools of power and class interest are all about. So the millennials have been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2016/03/22/how-socialists-from-the-60s-primed-millennials-to-feel-the-bern/" type="external">primed to accept neo-Marxist attacks</a> on “systemic oppression” and the free speech of the “privileged,” even without having been taught very much about socialism per se. Millennials, in other words, have been trained to view past and present through a soft-Marxist lens.</p>
<p>The damage goes far beyond socialism-infatuated millennials. The core liberal democratic idea that individual rights do and should trump race, ethnicity, and sex has been under assault for some time by the sort of left-multiculturalism enshrined in the College Board’s new curricula.</p>
<p>And what of those who resist the leftist pull? The Tea Party was inspired by respect for our constitutional system, but where does anyone go to learn about that now? Even the least progressive AP U.S. History textbooks are somewhere on the left side of the political spectrum. The strongest adherents of traditional American history and constitutionalism have taken to private- or home-schooling, excellent-but-outlier colleges, and teaching techniques that eschew textbooks in favor of reading presidential speeches and other original documents from American history.</p>
<p>These are excellent alternatives, yet the greater part of high school and college students have been without proper resources for the study of American history for some time. Even in “red states,” many American history teachers tend to favor leftists like Howard Zinn, and the new progressive orthodoxies. Is it any wonder, then, that even for voters who want to restore American greatness, the Constitution seems less central to the project than before?</p>
<p>Is anyone—right or left—now learning the history of liberty’s rise and fall in a way that Jefferson and the founders might recognize? And will even that remnant survive the College Board’s curriculum takeover? Multiple AP classes are now expected of any student hoping to attend top-ranked colleges.</p>
<p>Yet there is a way around the College Board’s ideological monopoly, and it’s not mysterious. As The Disappearing Continent puts it, America needs a choice. The remedy for the College Board’s curricular bias, says NAS, is “to restore variety, choice, and accountability to secondary education in America by developing one or more competitive alternatives to the College Board’s AP testing program.”</p>
<p>Last year the College Board attempted to forestall such competition by producing a revised version of its controversial, hyper-leftist 2014 AP U.S. History curriculum framework. I’ve argued at length that this supposed fix was illusory: that American <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/421952/sorry-still-no-american-exceptionalism-apush-stanley-kurtz" type="external">exceptionalism has not in fact been incorporated</a> into the new AP U.S. History framework, that even the revised framework is <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424414/ap-us-history-bias-still-runs-deep-john-fonte-stanley-kurtz" type="external">deeply flawed</a>, and that in any case none of the textbooks or other course materials for AP U.S. History have been changed since they turned so sharply left. In short, the AP U.S. History revision was little more than a publicity stunt designed to parry criticism without making substantial changes.</p>
<p>The NAS has been the leading force in the national debate over the College Board’s new curriculum, firmly but fairly pressing the case for the importance of core Western values. In keeping with that, NAS set out to test the sincerity of the College Board’s professed efforts to meet its traditionalist critics halfway by evaluating the new AP European History curriculum. The result is the withering critique of The Disappearing Continent. As the NAS report puts it: “The College Board’s persisting progressive distortion of history substantiates concerns that the 2015 APUSH revisions do not represent a genuine change of direction, but only a temporary detour in the College Board’s long march to impose leftist history on the half a million American high school students each year who prepare themselves for college by taking APUSH or APEH.”</p>
<p>Once the College Board has finished producing detailed curricula for all of its AP courses, we will have arrived at the endpoint no-one openly admits to wanting: a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-next-great-education-debate/2015/09/11/f726ceca-5881-11e5-b8c9-944725fcd3b9_story.html" type="external">leftist national curriculum</a>. The only way to block this is by creating a competing educational testing company advised by the best traditionalist scholars and capable of authorizing alternative curricula and textbooks. For those dissatisfied with America’s current direction, there is no better way to begin the task of cultural reconstruction than this.</p>
<p>I’ve only been able to summarize the fascinating takedown of the College Board’s new AP European History curriculum by The Disappearing Continent’s author, historian David Randall, but do yourself a favor. For fun, and for the kind of enlightenment the Founders would have appreciated, try reading The Disappearing Continent yourself.</p>
<p>Stanley Kurtz is a senior fellow at the <a href="" type="internal">Ethics and Public Policy Center</a>. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | false | 1 | times changin atheists march literally traditionally religious defensive crouch bernie sanders broken taboo socialism new generation questions legitimacy free enterprise freedom speech fundamental cherished american liberty endangered unprecedented ways presidential candidate wants make america great even defenders might concede limited grasp constitutional underpinnings greatness sum america weve known seems lately slipping away think know important part reason bad history americas founders understood reviving something lost millennia republican democracy educated classics founders knew well fates athenian roman democracy dreaded another fall thomas jefferson especially founders well believed education would surest safeguard americas liberty constitution knew would enough knowledge history liberty reasons periodic loss would inspire public knowledge desire protect americas freedoms education turn liberty case would lost extraordinary new report authored historian david randall national association scholars nas disappearing continent suggests may happening us one level disappearing continent devastating critique college boards newlyissued curriculum advanced placement european history apeh course course closest americans come class used called western civilization new curriculum shape textbooks way high school college students taught western heritage years come rightly understood however nas report also provides profound explanation todays cultural political headlines rise secularism discrediting religion debunking hostility toward economic political liberty rise soft form marxism undermining western exceptionalism way leaves even wests wouldbe defenders bereft resources make stand contours education become contours politics history europe course particularly important history make sense american catholicism need understand history medieval renaissance modern european christianity american protestantism rests achievements luther calvin wesley host continental reformers american democracy rooted history european especially british liberty including long struggle parliamentary democracy writings hobbes locke tradition english common law economic liberty roots achievements industrial revolution writings adam smith incredibly however nas report establishes devastating detail apeh omits minimizes subtly undermines core themes western history apeh skips medieval christianity entirely fails convey actual content even basic developments reformation theology reducing religion mere instrument political power apeh also barely mentions history european liberty minimizes history britain particular although britain traditional focus american interest europes history discussed british parliamentary democracy treated little tool class interests apeh also minimizes role britains political economic social liberty played fostering industrial revolution new curriculum likewise plays alleged failings free enterprise every turn virtually nothing say europes great inventors entrepreneurs going ill give hint college boards new ap european history curriculum minimizes revolutionary violence socialist tradition brutality soviet regime apeh strains make free enterprise look bad possible rightly condemns cruelties slavery obscures evil dysfunctionality communism apeh offers debunking classbased analysis english parliamentary democracy embraces questionable selfdescriptions marxism adopts troubling stance moral equivalence toward western soviet blocks cold war apeh paints religion negative light minimizes passes soviet unions atheistic hostility religion also broader often murderous european tradition leftist anticlericalism short nas puts apeh follows modern progressive historians softmarxist interpretation history europe works justify modern progressivisms softmarxist political action presentapeh shreds european history serve todays progressive agenda often said millennials support bernie sanders dont really know socialism havent properly taught frightening history thats true insofar goes need say new ap european history framework ap curricula college board providing leftist professoriate means gain control highschools yet important realize new high school curriculum merely enshrines orthodoxy thats taught college level decades students dont know truth socialism theyre lazy teachers dont want know although apeh avoids clear explanations socialism done entire framework operates softmarxist premises debunking analyses religion liberal democracy tools power class interest millennials primed accept neomarxist attacks systemic oppression free speech privileged even without taught much socialism per se millennials words trained view past present softmarxist lens damage goes far beyond socialisminfatuated millennials core liberal democratic idea individual rights trump race ethnicity sex assault time sort leftmulticulturalism enshrined college boards new curricula resist leftist pull tea party inspired respect constitutional system anyone go learn even least progressive ap us history textbooks somewhere left side political spectrum strongest adherents traditional american history constitutionalism taken private homeschooling excellentbutoutlier colleges teaching techniques eschew textbooks favor reading presidential speeches original documents american history excellent alternatives yet greater part high school college students without proper resources study american history time even red states many american history teachers tend favor leftists like howard zinn new progressive orthodoxies wonder even voters want restore american greatness constitution seems less central project anyoneright leftnow learning history libertys rise fall way jefferson founders might recognize even remnant survive college boards curriculum takeover multiple ap classes expected student hoping attend topranked colleges yet way around college boards ideological monopoly mysterious disappearing continent puts america needs choice remedy college boards curricular bias says nas restore variety choice accountability secondary education america developing one competitive alternatives college boards ap testing program last year college board attempted forestall competition producing revised version controversial hyperleftist 2014 ap us history curriculum framework ive argued length supposed fix illusory american exceptionalism fact incorporated new ap us history framework even revised framework deeply flawed case none textbooks course materials ap us history changed since turned sharply left short ap us history revision little publicity stunt designed parry criticism without making substantial changes nas leading force national debate college boards new curriculum firmly fairly pressing case importance core western values keeping nas set test sincerity college boards professed efforts meet traditionalist critics halfway evaluating new ap european history curriculum result withering critique disappearing continent nas report puts college boards persisting progressive distortion history substantiates concerns 2015 apush revisions represent genuine change direction temporary detour college boards long march impose leftist history half million american high school students year prepare college taking apush apeh college board finished producing detailed curricula ap courses arrived endpoint noone openly admits wanting leftist national curriculum way block creating competing educational testing company advised best traditionalist scholars capable authorizing alternative curricula textbooks dissatisfied americas current direction better way begin task cultural reconstruction ive able summarize fascinating takedown college boards new ap european history curriculum disappearing continents author historian david randall favor fun kind enlightenment founders would appreciated try reading disappearing continent stanley kurtz senior fellow ethics public policy center reached commentskurtznationalreviewcom | 991 |
<p>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump praised Republicans in the Senate following a narrow vote Tuesday to begin debate on health care legislation that would repeal Obamacare.</p>
<p>The Senate voted 50-50, prompting Vice President Mike Pence to cast the tie-breaking vote that will allow lawmakers to begin a fast-paced process to build a bill with an open amendment process.</p>
<p>The vote was seen as a must-have victory for Trump, who has yet to have a major legislative accomplishment during his first six months in office.</p>
<p>“I applaud the Senate for taking a giant step to end the Obamacare nightmare,” Trump said. “The Senate must now pass a bill and get it to my desk so we can finally end the Obamacare disaster once and for all.”</p>
<p>The president has cajoled and twisted arms behind the scenes, trying to secure the votes from lawmakers whose states have varying degrees of health care needs.</p>
<p>Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted against bringing the bill to the floor for consideration. Since last week, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was won over by GOP leaders and voted to move forward with the legislation.</p>
<p>Heller votes yes</p>
<p>Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who opposed an earlier version of the Senate health care bill because of Medicaid cuts, voted with the majority to begin debate, but said he may or may not support a final bill.</p>
<p />
<p>Heller wants Medicaid to remain protected for the more than 200,000 Nevadans who became eligible under expansion.</p>
<p>Another bill by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., would grant states more flexibility.</p>
<p>“There are commonsense solutions that could improve our health care system and today’s vote gives us the opportunity to fight for them,” Heller said.</p>
<p>“If the final product isn’t improved for the state of Nevada, then I will not vote for it, if it is improved, I will support it,” Heller said.</p>
<p>Last month, Heller stood next to Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval at a press conference in Las Vegas where both men outlined their objections to the first draft of the Senate’s health care bill. On Tuesday, Sandoval reiterated his opposition to cuts in Medicaid.</p>
<p>”My policy position has not changed. I will continue to do all I can to protect the thousands of Nevadans whose lives are healthier and happier as a result of the expansion of Medicaid,” he said. “My health care team which includes staff and cabinet experts, have and will continue to review proposals offered in the Senate and discuss the potential impacts on Nevada with Senator Heller and his staff.”</p>
<p>Heller is considered the most vulnerable Republican senator facing reelection in 2018. A Democratic opponent, Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., accused him of “caving” to presidential pressure to move the bill to the floor.</p>
<p>“Senator Heller had a chance today to stop the GOP’s toxic health care agenda, but instead he broke his word and cast the deciding vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no replacement plan,” Rosen said.</p>
<p>Democrats unanimously voted against the motion to begin debate.</p>
<p>“This vote today is a disaster for Nevada,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. “It will hurt hundreds of thousands of Nevadans.”</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Cortez Masto disclosed a list of 183 local and national medical, health, education and faith groups opposed to Senate versions of the health care bill.</p>
<p>‘Here to do the big stuff’</p>
<p>The vote in the Senate chamber was dramatic. As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ushered lawmakers into the chamber after a party luncheon, his voice rose as he prompted his Republican caucus to support the bill.</p>
<p>He told GOP lawmakers that constituents didn’t “send us here to do the easy stuff, they sent us here to do the big stuff.”</p>
<p>In the visitor gallery, about two dozen protesters stood up and tried to stop the vote, chanting: “Kill the bill, don’t kill us,” and “Shame, shame, shame.”</p>
<p>The vote was held open until Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., recuperating from aggressive brain cancer, entered the chamber to applause and voted to proceed to the bill.</p>
<p>McCain, 80, gave an impassioned speech for lawmakers to work across partisan lines and craft a health care solution that may not please ideologues on either side, but would serve those who rely on the care.</p>
<p>He had the rapt attention of everyone in the chamber, Republicans and Democrats.</p>
<p>“Stop listening to bombastic loudmouths on the radio,” McCain said to cheers.</p>
<p>McCain said much work remains on the legislation. “I will not vote for this bill as it stands today.”</p>
<p>The veteran lawmaker implored his colleagues to work together. “Something has to be done,” he said to a standing ovation.</p>
<p>Votes begin on amendments</p>
<p>“We were all glad to see our old friend John McCain,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “I thought he delivered a very important message and at a very timely basis because this legislation is open for amendment not just by Republicans, but by Democrats as well.”</p>
<p>The Senate began voting late Tuesday on amendments to the bill. A proposal by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to help low-income people move off Medicaid and on to insurance plans was defeated because the measure did not include an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.</p>
<p>Heller voted no.</p>
<p>“This amendment jeopardizes too many Nevadans’ health care coverage so I cannot support it,” he said. There is, however, a way forward if states like Nevada are given the flexibility to build on their successes and ensure protection for those who are currently covered.”</p>
<p>Amendments to the bill will continue through the night.</p>
<p>Any differences between the Senate and House legislation must then be ironed out in a conference committee.</p>
<p>Centrists senators have balked at efforts to cut $756 billion out of Medicaid spending, and the end to expansion of Medicaid, which allowed 31 states including Nevada to reduce their rates of uninsured.</p>
<p>Conservatives, however, have bristled at the mandates in the ACA that require people to buy insurance, the expansion of Medicaid, and taxes on the more affluent to provide subsidies for low-income patients.</p>
<p>Contact Gary Martin at 202-662-7390 or [email protected]. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.</p> | false | 1 | washington president donald trump praised republicans senate following narrow vote tuesday begin debate health care legislation would repeal obamacare senate voted 5050 prompting vice president mike pence cast tiebreaking vote allow lawmakers begin fastpaced process build bill open amendment process vote seen musthave victory trump yet major legislative accomplishment first six months office applaud senate taking giant step end obamacare nightmare trump said senate must pass bill get desk finally end obamacare disaster president cajoled twisted arms behind scenes trying secure votes lawmakers whose states varying degrees health care needs sens susan collins rmaine lisa murkowski ralaska voted bringing bill floor consideration since last week sen shelley moore capito rwva gop leaders voted move forward legislation heller votes yes sen dean heller rnev opposed earlier version senate health care bill medicaid cuts voted majority begin debate said may may support final bill heller wants medicaid remain protected 200000 nevadans became eligible expansion another bill sen lindsey graham rsc sen bill cassidy rla would grant states flexibility commonsense solutions could improve health care system todays vote gives us opportunity fight heller said final product isnt improved state nevada vote improved support heller said last month heller stood next nevada gov brian sandoval press conference las vegas men outlined objections first draft senates health care bill tuesday sandoval reiterated opposition cuts medicaid policy position changed continue protect thousands nevadans whose lives healthier happier result expansion medicaid said health care team includes staff cabinet experts continue review proposals offered senate discuss potential impacts nevada senator heller staff heller considered vulnerable republican senator facing reelection 2018 democratic opponent rep jacky rosen dnev accused caving presidential pressure move bill floor senator heller chance today stop gops toxic health care agenda instead broke word cast deciding vote repeal affordable care act replacement plan rosen said democrats unanimously voted motion begin debate vote today disaster nevada said sen catherine cortez masto dnev hurt hundreds thousands nevadans earlier week cortez masto disclosed list 183 local national medical health education faith groups opposed senate versions health care bill big stuff vote senate chamber dramatic senate majority leader mitch mcconnell rky ushered lawmakers chamber party luncheon voice rose prompted republican caucus support bill told gop lawmakers constituents didnt send us easy stuff sent us big stuff visitor gallery two dozen protesters stood tried stop vote chanting kill bill dont kill us shame shame shame vote held open sen john mccain rariz recuperating aggressive brain cancer entered chamber applause voted proceed bill mccain 80 gave impassioned speech lawmakers work across partisan lines craft health care solution may please ideologues either side would serve rely care rapt attention everyone chamber republicans democrats stop listening bombastic loudmouths radio mccain said cheers mccain said much work remains legislation vote bill stands today veteran lawmaker implored colleagues work together something done said standing ovation votes begin amendments glad see old friend john mccain said sen john cornyn rtexas thought delivered important message timely basis legislation open amendment republicans democrats well senate began voting late tuesday amendments bill proposal sen ted cruz rtexas sen rob portman rohio help lowincome people move medicaid insurance plans defeated measure include analysis nonpartisan congressional budget office heller voted amendment jeopardizes many nevadans health care coverage support said however way forward states like nevada given flexibility build successes ensure protection currently covered amendments bill continue night differences senate house legislation must ironed conference committee centrists senators balked efforts cut 756 billion medicaid spending end expansion medicaid allowed 31 states including nevada reduce rates uninsured conservatives however bristled mandates aca require people buy insurance expansion medicaid taxes affluent provide subsidies lowincome patients contact gary martin 2026627390 gmartinreviewjournalcom follow garymartindc twitter | 608 |
<p>Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ryan, and other members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this very important hearing on the nation's long-term budget outlook.</p>
<p>It is readily apparent that the federal budget is on an unsustainable path. From 1789 to 2008, the nation accumulated $5.8 trillion in debt. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), President Obama's 2010 budget plan would push the nation's debt above $17 trillion by 2019 — thus more than tripling what the government owes to lenders in just eleven years.</p>
<p>Moreover, this rapid run-up in debt would occur just as the nation is entering into a period of dramatic demographic transformation. Between 2010 and 2030, the population age 65 and older will rise from about 41 million to 71 million, which will drive up spending on the nation's three largest entitlement programs — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. In their latest long-run projections, CBO expects spending on just these three programs to rise from 9.8 percent of GDP in 2010 to 14.4 percent in 2030, or an increase of about 4.6 percent of GDP in twenty years. To put that in perspective, that's like adding another program of the size of Social Security to the federal budget over a period of two decades without any additional revenue to pay for it.</p>
<p>The president has correctly argued that rising health-care costs, along with the aging of the population, is at the heart of the medium and long-term budget problem. And he has also said, repeatedly, that one of the primary objectives of the health-care legislation which has been under consideration in Congress for the last year is to slow the pace of rising health entitlement costs for the federal government.</p>
<p>It is also true that CBO has provided cost estimates which show modest deficit reduction from these bills — as written — over the period 2010 to 2019.</p>
<p>But these cost estimates are based on assumptions that are highly unlikely to hold up over time. Indeed, there are many reasons why those who are concerned about the nation's long-term finances should be very concerned about the budgetary implications of the health-care bills under consideration in Congress.</p>
<p>Let me outline just a few of these reasons.</p>
<p>Medicare Physician Fees</p>
<p>Both the President and Congressional leaders have signaled that they will not allow a scheduled 21 percent reduction in Medicare physician fees to go into effect in 2010 or later years. The original version of House health care legislation, released in July 2009, included a permanent repeal of the planned fee cuts, at a cost of $229 billion over ten years. However, after the president announced a $900 billion limit on total spending for health-care in September, House leaders decided to drop this provision from the larger health-care legislation and pass it as a separate bill. Senate leaders then followed a similar course.</p>
<p>Both the House and Senate bills are filled with provisions which would make changes in the Medicare program. It is hard to imagine what would justify taking this one change to the program and passing it separately from all the others. Of course, passing it separately does not change its cost. It's still $200 billion in spending that must either be offset or borrowed from lenders, and it doesn't matter if the health-care effort is passed in one or two bills. The total cost is the same either way. When a fix for Medicare physician fees is properly included in the total cost of what is being planned, neither the House nor the Senate version would reduce the federal budget deficit between 2010 and 2019. Indeed, if something like the House version of the fix is including in the accounting, both the House and Senate bills would flip from modestly reducing the federal budget deficit to increasing it by about $80 billion over a decade.</p>
<p>Substantial Non-Coverage Spending in the Bills</p>
<p>In September, the president said he wanted the bills to spend no more than $900 billion over ten years. He didn't say that was for a “net” number, with tax increases offsetting part of the cost. Nor did he say it was a limit only for some of the spending in the health-care bill.</p>
<p>And, yet, when all of the spending is included in a proper rack up, both the House and the Senate passed bills would far exceed the $900 billion limit the president established for the initiative just a few months ago.</p>
<p>In the House bill, the gross cost of the Medicaid expansions and the entitlement to new premium subsidies in the exchange would cost $1.055 trillion over ten years, according to CBO. In addition, the House legislation includes scores of other spending provisions, for everything from increasing payments to primary care providers to special payments to U.S. territories. According to CBO, these provisions would cost about $230 billion more over a decade. With a $210 billion physician fee bill, the total cost of the House's health care effort reaches nearly $1.5 trillion between 2010 and 2019.</p>
<p>In the Senate legislation, the cost of the coverage expansion is $871 billion between 2010 and 2019. Other spending in the bill totals about $90 billion over ten years. With about $200 billion more for a permanent repeal of the Medicare physician fee cut, the Senate plan's total cost approaches $1.2 trillion.</p>
<p>Spending Provisions in the House and Senate Health Care Plans</p>
<p>House</p>
<p>Senate</p>
<p>Other Spending</p>
<p>$0.230 trillion</p>
<p>$0.090 trillion</p>
<p>Physician Fee Fix</p>
<p>$0.210 trillion</p>
<p>$0.200 trillion</p>
<p>Total Spending</p>
<p>$1.495 trillion</p>
<p>$1.161 trillion</p>
<p>Unrealistic Medicare Cuts</p>
<p>There has been a great deal of discussion about reforming health-care delivery to painlessly root out unnecessary costs. But the bills as passed by the House and Senate do not achieve any substantial savings with these kinds of provisions. Instead they achieve the bulk of the Medicare savings, which totals $467 billion over ten years in the Senate bill, from across-the-board payment rate reductions, including an automatic yearly cut in the inflation updates for certain providers of care.</p>
<p>The Chief Actuary of the Medicare program has warned that these arbitrary reductions could have serious consequences for beneficiaries' access to care, as it would push about one out of every five hospital facilities into insolvency.</p>
<p>And, yet, despite this warning, the House and Senate bills assume these cuts would continue in perpetuity and provide the offsetting savings needed for a rapidly growing entitlement expansion.</p>
<p>The CLASS Act</p>
<p>Both the House and Senate passed bills would stand up an entirely new entitlement program for long-term care services, called the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports, or CLASS Act. Eligible participants would be required to pay premiums in advance of receiving any benefit payments. Consequently, starting this new program from scratch would produce one-time “savings” from premium collections before any cohort of beneficiaries starts drawing benefits. But the premiums collected in the early years would also be needed to liquidate entitlement obligations later, outside of the ten-year budget window.</p>
<p>So, in a very real sense, the CLASS Act premiums are being double-counted. They are being used to pay for the health-care bill, as well as deposited in an account to pay future long-term care benefits. If these premiums were only counted once, the ten year deficit increase associated with the House-passed bill would go up by more than $100 billion.</p>
<p>The True Ten-Year Window</p>
<p>Although the House and Senate sponsors of the health care bills argue that expeditious enactment is necessary to provide better services to the uninsured, none of the key provisions to expand coverage would go into effect until 2013 in the House bill and 2014 in the Senate bill. Meanwhile, many of the spending reductions, such as the cut in Medicare Advantage payment rates, would kick in much earlier, as would the tax increases. Consequently, both bills have ten years worth of spending and revenue “offsets” paying for only six or seven years worth of spending.</p>
<p>Looking at these bills over a true ten year window of full implementation reveals much higher costs. The Senate bill's provisions, even excluding the Medicare physician fee fix, would total $2.3 trillion over the period 2014 to 2023, with the coverage provisions fully in place. The House bill's true ten-year cost would be of a comparable magnitude.</p>
<p>The Certainty of Future of Entitlement Expansions</p>
<p>Both the House and Senate bills assume the new entitlement spending for coverage expansion can be held down with provisions which lock workers into employer-sponsored plans. If an employer offers “qualified” insurance coverage to a worker, the employee really has no choice but to take it if he wants to avoid paying the penalty for going uninsured. They could not go into the so-called “exchanges” to get insurance subsidized with federal tax support.</p>
<p>These firewall rules would create large disparities in the federal subsidies made available to workers inside and outside the exchanges. According to Gene Steuerle of the Urban Institute, a family of four with an income of $60,000 with employer-sponsored health care would get about $4,000 less in federal support in the House bill outside of the exchange than a similar family inside the exchange would get in 2016. And there would be many tens of millions more families outside the exchange than in it, according to CBO. Today, there are about 127 million Americans under the age of 65 with incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty line, but CBO expects only about 18 million people will be getting exchange subsidies in 2016.</p>
<p>If enacted as currently written, pressure would build very quickly to treat all Americans fairly, regardless of where they get their insurance. One way or another, the subsidies provided to those in the exchanges would be made more widely available, driving the costs of reform much higher than estimates currently indicate.</p>
<p>Weak Cost-Control Mechanisms</p>
<p>It has been argued by some that the bills include strong cost-control mechanisms which will slow the pace of rising costs even more than CBO currently estimates. That seems highly unlikely however, given the compromises which have been made to get these provisions into the bills.</p>
<p>For instance, many point to the so-called “high-cost insurance tax” in the Senate bill as a potentially important cost-control provision. But in recent days, the White House announced an agreement with some of the nation's leading labor unions to exempt all collectively bargained plans and state and local government workers from the excise tax through 2017.</p>
<p>News reports indicate that this deal would reduce the revenue collected from this provision by 40 percent. But it seems much more likely that it would lead to a wholesale abandonment of the idea because of the inequities it would create. In effect, all nonunion workers in the private sector would be potentially subject to the tax for a full five years before unionized workers were. That will strike many Americans as patently unfair. If enacted, pressure would build on Congress to make the exemption available to all workers, thus gutting the provision altogether.</p>
<p>Similarly, the Senate bill also includes an independent Medicare commission which could make recommendations to reduce Medicare payments to providers, and those recommendations would automatically go into effect if Congress did not act to pass provisions which would reduce spending by similar amounts. Sponsors of the legislation have argued that this commission would help bend the cost-curve system-wide.</p>
<p>But the commission's mandate would be very limited. It could not make any recommendations which altered any aspect of insurance coverage for beneficiaries, or reduced hospital or physician spending through 2019. That doesn't leave a lot of room to implement meaningful changes which have a large impact on costs. Moreover, pressure would build to extend indefinitely the exemptions for hospitals and physicians, and to make it available to other providers of Medicare-covered services as well.</p>
<p>Conclusion</p>
<p>The nation's long-term budget outlook is bleak in large part because our healthcare entitlement commitments far exceed the revenues available to pay for them. By 2019, the House and Senate-passed health-care bills would add at least another $200 billion per year to those commitments, and unleash pressures for even more spending down the road. Meanwhile, the offsets used to pay this spending would be much less likely to occur, and the cost control provisions are not nearly robust enough to make a difference.</p>
<p>Congress would be well-advised to take a step back and rethink this entire approach. Instead of passing an expensive health-care bill that uses $1 trillion in offsets to pay for more spending, it would be better to craft a sensible, consensus long-term budget plan which has as one of its core elements an affordable, bipartisan health-care program, one that truly does the job on costs and expands coverage as well.</p>
<p>James C. Capretta is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.</p> | false | 1 | mr chairman mr ryan members committee thank opportunity participate important hearing nations longterm budget outlook readily apparent federal budget unsustainable path 1789 2008 nation accumulated 58 trillion debt according congressional budget office cbo president obamas 2010 budget plan would push nations debt 17 trillion 2019 thus tripling government owes lenders eleven years moreover rapid runup debt would occur nation entering period dramatic demographic transformation 2010 2030 population age 65 older rise 41 million 71 million drive spending nations three largest entitlement programs social security medicare medicaid latest longrun projections cbo expects spending three programs rise 98 percent gdp 2010 144 percent 2030 increase 46 percent gdp twenty years put perspective thats like adding another program size social security federal budget period two decades without additional revenue pay president correctly argued rising healthcare costs along aging population heart medium longterm budget problem also said repeatedly one primary objectives healthcare legislation consideration congress last year slow pace rising health entitlement costs federal government also true cbo provided cost estimates show modest deficit reduction bills written period 2010 2019 cost estimates based assumptions highly unlikely hold time indeed many reasons concerned nations longterm finances concerned budgetary implications healthcare bills consideration congress let outline reasons medicare physician fees president congressional leaders signaled allow scheduled 21 percent reduction medicare physician fees go effect 2010 later years original version house health care legislation released july 2009 included permanent repeal planned fee cuts cost 229 billion ten years however president announced 900 billion limit total spending healthcare september house leaders decided drop provision larger healthcare legislation pass separate bill senate leaders followed similar course house senate bills filled provisions would make changes medicare program hard imagine would justify taking one change program passing separately others course passing separately change cost still 200 billion spending must either offset borrowed lenders doesnt matter healthcare effort passed one two bills total cost either way fix medicare physician fees properly included total cost planned neither house senate version would reduce federal budget deficit 2010 2019 indeed something like house version fix including accounting house senate bills would flip modestly reducing federal budget deficit increasing 80 billion decade substantial noncoverage spending bills september president said wanted bills spend 900 billion ten years didnt say net number tax increases offsetting part cost say limit spending healthcare bill yet spending included proper rack house senate passed bills would far exceed 900 billion limit president established initiative months ago house bill gross cost medicaid expansions entitlement new premium subsidies exchange would cost 1055 trillion ten years according cbo addition house legislation includes scores spending provisions everything increasing payments primary care providers special payments us territories according cbo provisions would cost 230 billion decade 210 billion physician fee bill total cost houses health care effort reaches nearly 15 trillion 2010 2019 senate legislation cost coverage expansion 871 billion 2010 2019 spending bill totals 90 billion ten years 200 billion permanent repeal medicare physician fee cut senate plans total cost approaches 12 trillion spending provisions house senate health care plans house senate spending 0230 trillion 0090 trillion physician fee fix 0210 trillion 0200 trillion total spending 1495 trillion 1161 trillion unrealistic medicare cuts great deal discussion reforming healthcare delivery painlessly root unnecessary costs bills passed house senate achieve substantial savings kinds provisions instead achieve bulk medicare savings totals 467 billion ten years senate bill acrosstheboard payment rate reductions including automatic yearly cut inflation updates certain providers care chief actuary medicare program warned arbitrary reductions could serious consequences beneficiaries access care would push one every five hospital facilities insolvency yet despite warning house senate bills assume cuts would continue perpetuity provide offsetting savings needed rapidly growing entitlement expansion class act house senate passed bills would stand entirely new entitlement program longterm care services called community living assistance services supports class act eligible participants would required pay premiums advance receiving benefit payments consequently starting new program scratch would produce onetime savings premium collections cohort beneficiaries starts drawing benefits premiums collected early years would also needed liquidate entitlement obligations later outside tenyear budget window real sense class act premiums doublecounted used pay healthcare bill well deposited account pay future longterm care benefits premiums counted ten year deficit increase associated housepassed bill would go 100 billion true tenyear window although house senate sponsors health care bills argue expeditious enactment necessary provide better services uninsured none key provisions expand coverage would go effect 2013 house bill 2014 senate bill meanwhile many spending reductions cut medicare advantage payment rates would kick much earlier would tax increases consequently bills ten years worth spending revenue offsets paying six seven years worth spending looking bills true ten year window full implementation reveals much higher costs senate bills provisions even excluding medicare physician fee fix would total 23 trillion period 2014 2023 coverage provisions fully place house bills true tenyear cost would comparable magnitude certainty future entitlement expansions house senate bills assume new entitlement spending coverage expansion held provisions lock workers employersponsored plans employer offers qualified insurance coverage worker employee really choice take wants avoid paying penalty going uninsured could go socalled exchanges get insurance subsidized federal tax support firewall rules would create large disparities federal subsidies made available workers inside outside exchanges according gene steuerle urban institute family four income 60000 employersponsored health care would get 4000 less federal support house bill outside exchange similar family inside exchange would get 2016 would many tens millions families outside exchange according cbo today 127 million americans age 65 incomes 100 400 percent federal poverty line cbo expects 18 million people getting exchange subsidies 2016 enacted currently written pressure would build quickly treat americans fairly regardless get insurance one way another subsidies provided exchanges would made widely available driving costs reform much higher estimates currently indicate weak costcontrol mechanisms argued bills include strong costcontrol mechanisms slow pace rising costs even cbo currently estimates seems highly unlikely however given compromises made get provisions bills instance many point socalled highcost insurance tax senate bill potentially important costcontrol provision recent days white house announced agreement nations leading labor unions exempt collectively bargained plans state local government workers excise tax 2017 news reports indicate deal would reduce revenue collected provision 40 percent seems much likely would lead wholesale abandonment idea inequities would create effect nonunion workers private sector would potentially subject tax full five years unionized workers strike many americans patently unfair enacted pressure would build congress make exemption available workers thus gutting provision altogether similarly senate bill also includes independent medicare commission could make recommendations reduce medicare payments providers recommendations would automatically go effect congress act pass provisions would reduce spending similar amounts sponsors legislation argued commission would help bend costcurve systemwide commissions mandate would limited could make recommendations altered aspect insurance coverage beneficiaries reduced hospital physician spending 2019 doesnt leave lot room implement meaningful changes large impact costs moreover pressure would build extend indefinitely exemptions hospitals physicians make available providers medicarecovered services well conclusion nations longterm budget outlook bleak large part healthcare entitlement commitments far exceed revenues available pay 2019 house senatepassed healthcare bills would add least another 200 billion per year commitments unleash pressures even spending road meanwhile offsets used pay spending would much less likely occur cost control provisions nearly robust enough make difference congress would welladvised take step back rethink entire approach instead passing expensive healthcare bill uses 1 trillion offsets pay spending would better craft sensible consensus longterm budget plan one core elements affordable bipartisan healthcare program one truly job costs expands coverage well james c capretta fellow ethics public policy center washington dc | 1,257 |
<p>It’s not uncommon to see MSM in the spotlight over its controversial reports, but news outlets really outdid themselves when they chose to jump on the bandwagon of a sourceless New York Times article which claimed Donald Trump drinks 12 Diet Cokes a day.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/412790-trump-stain-media-twitter/" type="external" /></p>
<p>To understand exactly what occurred in the world of MSM on Monday, you first have to go back to a New York Times (NYT) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/politics/donald-trump-president.html?_r=0" type="external">report</a> from Saturday, titled ‘Inside Trump’s Hour-by-Hour Battle for Self-Preservation.’ It’s a dramatic headline to say the least, which the outlet backs up by claiming to have interviewed “60 advisers, associates, friends, and members of Congress.”</p>
<p>In the report, the outlet – a well-known foe of President Trump – allegedly details the leader’s day-to-day life in the White House. Citing estimates from “people close to him,” the newspaper stated that Trump “spends at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television… marinating in the no-holds-barred wars of cable news and eager to fire back.”</p>
<p>That claim was enough to get the attention of Trump, who tweeted that it was a “false story” and “bad reporting.” But mainstream media seemed to care less about the TV claim and more about a singular sentence which stated – without naming a source – that Trump drinks a dozen Diet Cokes a day.</p>
<p />
<p>Another false story, this time in the Failing <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">@nytimes</a>, that I watch 4-8 hours of television a day – Wrong! Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News. I never watch Don Lemon, who I once called the “dumbest man on television!” Bad Reporting.</p>
<p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940223974985871360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">December 11, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>“Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day,” the NYT article states. That was all mainstream media outlets needed to make a story.</p>
<p>The mainstream media landscape – both in the US and abroad – was dominated with Diet Coke headlines on Monday, two days after the New York Times published its article. A Washington Post opinion <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/john-kelly-must-be-exhausted/2017/12/11/b4e5be34-deaa-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html" type="external">piece</a> didn’t stop at Diet Cokes. It went on to shame the president for reportedly… wait for it… eating McDonald’s on the campaign trail. Granted, the claims are that he often ate two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, and a chocolate shake in one sitting – but should that really matter, amid North Korean nuclear threats and turmoil in the Middle East?&#160;</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/412714-trust-cnn-mistakes-trump-frum/" type="external" /></p>
<p>In an effort to justify the hysteria, many outlets called in experts to provide comment about the ill effects that 12 daily Diet Cokes can have on a person. “That amount of anything is potentially harmful for anybody,” dietician Aisling Pigott, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bloating-gas-irritability-what-happens-your-body-if-you-drink-12-cans-diet-coke-day-1650965" type="external">told</a> International Business Times UK. “Twelve cans is equal to 500mg of caffeine a day, a large amount of artificial sweeteners and lots of gas.”</p>
<p>Nutritionist Dr. Joanna McMillan went so far as to <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/99762556/what-donald-trumps-diet-coke-habit-may-be-saying-about-his-health" type="external">tell</a> stuff.co.nz that the Diet Cokes could be affecting the president’s brain. “If [Trump’s] eating a rubbish diet with these drinks, considering he is slightly overweight, looking at his diet overall then his brain function is affected,” she said.&#160;</p>
<p>‘What happens to your body if you drink 12 cans of Diet Coke a day, like Donald Trump?’ reads a Monday headline from British newspaper Metro. It of course provided the answer by way of David Katz, a nutrition expert at the Yale School of Medicine. “Twelve cans a day, diet or regular, it’s potentially going to do damage to your skeleton, and eventually that can be a serious problem,” he said.</p>
<p>CNN called in numerous experts, one of whom <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/11/health/diet-coke-trump-health-effects/index.html" type="external">explained</a> the dangers of 12 Diet Cokes using a physical display of, well, 12 Diet Cokes. Another expert told the outlet that Diet Coke can fill a person with bubbles, cause bloating, and damage tooth enamel.</p>
<p>CNN really excelled itself when it came to devoting on-air time to the Diet Coke saga, deciding to give it significant attention on Monday. Some would say its dedication to the story was a bit over-the-top, but what happened next was even more shocking.</p>
<p>When news broke of a suspected terrorist attack near Times Square in New York, CNN made the decision to continue shaming Trump about his beverage choice, rather than interrupt its segment for the breaking news.</p>
<p>The timeline of events is easily understood when you watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZI5GHvW1CE" type="external">this</a>&#160;video of the Diet Coke segment, which begins at 8:39am EST. One minute later, the anchor tells her guest – CNN contributor and Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio – that the network has breaking news so she may have to cut away from him. However, the clip continues until 8:47am, with no mention of the terrorist attack taking place at all during that time. At 8:45am, a blurb can be seen on the ticker at the bottom of the screen.</p>
<p />
<p>8:45, more than an hour after the pipe-bomb story broke, CNN was busy with Trump’s diet Coke. Note the ticker at the bottom right of “NYPD responding” <a href="https://t.co/x2miM3LnLm" type="external">pic.twitter.com/x2miM3LnLm</a></p>
<p>— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) <a href="https://twitter.com/YossiGestetner/status/940229106859413504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">December 11, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>“US news was talking about the bombing at 7:54. Nearly an hour later, CNN is whining about [how] Donald Trump drinks Diet Cokes and watches too much TV instead of reporting about terrorism in New York City,” Dan Gainor, vice president of the Media Research Center – a conservative content analysis organization – <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/12/11/cnn-mocked-for-airing-segment-on-trumps-soda-consumption-while-nyc-faced-terror-attack.html" type="external">told</a> Fox News. “CNN might tell you what it’s giving you is an apple, but if it is, it’s rotten.” RT.com <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/412715-new-york-city-explosion/" type="external">broke</a>&#160;the news at 7:53am EST.</p>
<p>There is a bit of irony in what on-air guest D’Antonio said while the terrorist attack was unfolding. “[Trump’s] probably watching us right now because as the Times reported, he tunes to CNN when there’s breaking news. CNN is the strongest network in hard news…,” he said. Not this time, D’Antonio. Not unless Diet Coke can be considered hard news.</p>
<p>CNN’s news judgment didn’t go unnoticed on social media, with plenty of people taking to Twitter to express their surprise – and disgust – at the news outlet’s priorities. “I love that @CNN has reduced itself to being Diet Coke truthers,” one person sarcastically wrote.</p>
<p />
<p>I love that <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">@CNN</a> has reduced itself to being Diet Coke truthers.</p>
<p>You are petty, trivial partisans.</p>
<p>— Melissa Mackenzie (@MelissaTweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelissaTweets/status/940397227117293568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">December 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Another person suggested CNN’s focus on Trump’s Diet Coke habit was “inevitable,” considering the network’s alleged Russian collusion investigation is “fizzling out.”</p>
<p>Another Twitter user took a less emotional approach, simply comparing the coverage happening on CNN and Fox News at the same time. CNN shows the Diet Coke story, while Fox shows a reporter near the scene of the terrorist attack.</p>
<p />
<p>Been bouncing back and forth between CNN and Fox to compare coverage of the NYC attack this morning. CNN took a break to update us on Trump’s Diet Coke intake. <a href="https://t.co/1MYAyte57q" type="external">pic.twitter.com/1MYAyte57q</a></p>
<p>— Phil Woodall (@phil_woodall) <a href="https://twitter.com/phil_woodall/status/940219413940359169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">December 11, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Donald Trump Jr. even joined in, stating that “at least there is a possibility of this being correct unlike your big exclusives. Hard hitting media from ice cream to Diet Coke… CNN the least trusted name in ‘news.'”</p>
<p />
<p>Well at least there is a possibility of this being correct unlike your big exclusives. Hard hitting media from ice cream to Diet Coke… CNN the least trusted name in “news”. <a href="https://t.co/EUxIdoQHwd" type="external">https://t.co/EUxIdoQHwd</a></p>
<p>— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/940413491491622912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">December 12, 2017</a></p>
<p /> | false | 1 | uncommon see msm spotlight controversial reports news outlets really outdid chose jump bandwagon sourceless new york times article claimed donald trump drinks 12 diet cokes day read understand exactly occurred world msm monday first go back new york times nyt report saturday titled inside trumps hourbyhour battle selfpreservation dramatic headline say least outlet backs claiming interviewed 60 advisers associates friends members congress report outlet wellknown foe president trump allegedly details leaders daytoday life white house citing estimates people close newspaper stated trump spends least four hours day sometimes much twice front television marinating noholdsbarred wars cable news eager fire back claim enough get attention trump tweeted false story bad reporting mainstream media seemed care less tv claim singular sentence stated without naming source trump drinks dozen diet cokes day another false story time failing nytimes watch 48 hours television day wrong also seldom ever watch cnn msnbc consider fake news never watch lemon called dumbest man television bad reporting donald j trump realdonaldtrump december 11 2017 watching cable shares thoughts anyone room even household staff summons via button lunch one dozen diet cokes consumes day nyt article states mainstream media outlets needed make story mainstream media landscape us abroad dominated diet coke headlines monday two days new york times published article washington post opinion piece didnt stop diet cokes went shame president reportedly wait eating mcdonalds campaign trail granted claims often ate two big macs two filetofish sandwiches chocolate shake one sitting really matter amid north korean nuclear threats turmoil middle east160 read effort justify hysteria many outlets called experts provide comment ill effects 12 daily diet cokes person amount anything potentially harmful anybody dietician aisling pigott spokesperson british dietetic association told international business times uk twelve cans equal 500mg caffeine day large amount artificial sweeteners lots gas nutritionist dr joanna mcmillan went far tell stuffconz diet cokes could affecting presidents brain trumps eating rubbish diet drinks considering slightly overweight looking diet overall brain function affected said160 happens body drink 12 cans diet coke day like donald trump reads monday headline british newspaper metro course provided answer way david katz nutrition expert yale school medicine twelve cans day diet regular potentially going damage skeleton eventually serious problem said cnn called numerous experts one explained dangers 12 diet cokes using physical display well 12 diet cokes another expert told outlet diet coke fill person bubbles cause bloating damage tooth enamel cnn really excelled came devoting onair time diet coke saga deciding give significant attention monday would say dedication story bit overthetop happened next even shocking news broke suspected terrorist attack near times square new york cnn made decision continue shaming trump beverage choice rather interrupt segment breaking news timeline events easily understood watch this160video diet coke segment begins 839am est one minute later anchor tells guest cnn contributor trump biographer michael dantonio network breaking news may cut away however clip continues 847am mention terrorist attack taking place time 845am blurb seen ticker bottom screen 845 hour pipebomb story broke cnn busy trumps diet coke note ticker bottom right nypd responding pictwittercomx2mim3lnlm yossi gestetner yossigestetner december 11 2017 us news talking bombing 754 nearly hour later cnn whining donald trump drinks diet cokes watches much tv instead reporting terrorism new york city dan gainor vice president media research center conservative content analysis organization told fox news cnn might tell giving apple rotten rtcom broke160the news 753am est bit irony onair guest dantonio said terrorist attack unfolding trumps probably watching us right times reported tunes cnn theres breaking news cnn strongest network hard news said time dantonio unless diet coke considered hard news cnns news judgment didnt go unnoticed social media plenty people taking twitter express surprise disgust news outlets priorities love cnn reduced diet coke truthers one person sarcastically wrote love cnn reduced diet coke truthers petty trivial partisans melissa mackenzie melissatweets december 12 2017 another person suggested cnns focus trumps diet coke habit inevitable considering networks alleged russian collusion investigation fizzling another twitter user took less emotional approach simply comparing coverage happening cnn fox news time cnn shows diet coke story fox shows reporter near scene terrorist attack bouncing back forth cnn fox compare coverage nyc attack morning cnn took break update us trumps diet coke intake pictwittercom1myayte57q phil woodall phil_woodall december 11 2017 donald trump jr even joined stating least possibility correct unlike big exclusives hard hitting media ice cream diet coke cnn least trusted name news well least possibility correct unlike big exclusives hard hitting media ice cream diet coke cnn least trusted name news httpstcoeuxidoqhwd donald trump jr donaldjtrumpjr december 12 2017 | 764 |
<p>Even at the height of Hollywood’s infatuation with things Catholic, no screenwriter would have dared propose such a storyline:</p>
<p>Months after his country regains its independence, a son is born to Polish parents in the small provincial town of Wadowice. His mother dies before he makes his First Communion. Raised by his father, a gentleman of the old school and a retired military officer of deep piety, the youngster is easily the best student in the town schools, an enthusiastic athlete, an amateur actor of note in a town that prides itself on its theatrical tradition. One of his close friends is the son of the leader of the local Jewish community. After moving to Cracow with his pensioner-father he enters the ancient Jagiellonian University, but his brilliant academic performance and his rapidly developing career as an actor in avant-garde theater are abruptly terminated by the Second World War.</p>
<p>Amidst the brutalities of a Nazi occupation intended to wipe Poland off history’s map forever, he works as a quarryman, blaster, and manual laborer, often walking four kilometers to work in the freezing Polish winter, clad in jeans and wooden clogs, his face smeared with Vaseline to prevent his skin from freezing. At risk of his life he helps organize a resistance movement aimed at saving Polish culture through the power of the “living word,” proclaimed in an underground theater; at the same time, he takes his first steps in Carmelite spirituality under the tutelage of a quirky lay mystic who forms young men into “Living Rosary” groups after the priests of the local parish have been sent to Dachau.</p>
<p>His father dies and the young man’s vocational struggle intensifies: is his life to play itself out on the stage or in the sanctuary? When his decision to seek the priesthood matures, he enters a clandestine seminary run by the heroic archbishop of Cracow, who serves Hans Frank a meal of stale bread and acorn coffee when the haughty Nazi governor insists on being invited to dine at the episcopal manse. The surreptitious seminarian (one of whose classmates suddenly disappears, only to end up in front of a firing squad) studies philosophy and theology in the dim light of the chemical factory where he works the midnight shift; his books are pock-marked by the lime that splashes out of the water-purification machinery he tends. In the wake of the Warsaw Uprising, the Nazis try to forestall a similar eruption of resistance by arresting every young man in Cracow; our protagonist dodges Gestapo patrols, makes his way across town, and enters the bishop’s residence where the clandestine seminary is re-formed. He lives in a makeshift dormitory that was once the archbishop’s drawing room; after the Poland’s “liberation” by the Red Army in 1945, he engages a Soviet soldier in a long, earnest conversation about the possibility of God.</p>
<p>After priestly ordination, graduate studies in Rome, and a sympathetic look at the worker-priest movement in France, he returns to Cracow and, after a year in a country parish, begins an intense ministry to university students at St. Florian’s Church. While Stalinist orthodoxy is being ruthlessly enforced in Polish intellectual life, liturgical innovation, a pastoral strategy of “accompaniment,” and thousands of hours in the confessional distinguish his approach to the university chaplaincy. Completing a second doctoral degree, he joins the faculty of the only Catholic university in the communist world; there, he and his philosophy department colleagues conduct a bold experiment aimed at nothing less than the re-configuration of post-Cartesian intellectual life. While commuting back and forth by overnight train to his teaching position he continues his pastoral ministry in Cracow and works to develop a modern Catholic sexual ethic in conversation with his former parishioners, now preparing for marriage or starting their families.</p>
<p>One of the last episcopal nominations of Pius XII, he is consecrated bishop at 38 and within four years is elected administrator of the archdiocese when the incumbent ordinary dies and the Church and the government deadlock on a new appointment. One of the intellectual leaders of the Second Vatican Council, he makes crucial contributions to its Declaration on Religious Freedom and, above all, to its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Proving that Providence has a wicked sense of humor, he is nominated archbishop of Cracow with the enthusiastic support of the communist government and is created cardinal at 47.</p>
<p>As archbishop he conducts the most extensive implementation of Vatican II of any diocese in the world, all the while refusing to behave as cardinals are supposed to behave: he skis, he kayaks, he vacations with lay people. A working intellectual, he continues to teach at the Catholic University of Lublin and spends two hours every day in his chapel, writing at a desk before the Blessed Sacrament. To the intense chagrin of the communist authorities, he pursues a relentless, sophisticated, and increasingly vocal defense of religious freedom: demanding church-building permits, defending youth movements, clandestinely ordaining underground priests for work in Czechoslovakia.</p>
<p>Invited to preach the papal Lenten retreat in 1976, he prepares a series of meditations in which Holy Scripture, St. Augustine, and the German philosopher Heidegger are the first three references. Two years later he is elected the 264th bishop of Rome, the first non-Italian in 455 years, and the first Slavic pope ever. KGB leader Yuri Andropov warns the Politburo of grave troubles ahead, and is vindicated when the Polish Pope returns to his homeland in June 1979 and sets in motion the revolution of conscience that eventually produces the nonviolent revolution of 1989, the collapse of European communism — and the end of the Soviet Union Andropov served.</p>
<p>The Slav Pope revamps the practice of the papacy, through pastoral pilgrimages to every corner of the world and through a magisterium that addresses virtually every large question involved in the ongoing implementation of Vatican II, to whose completion he has pledged his pontificate. Surviving an assassination attempt, he redefines the Catholic encounter with Judaism, invites Orthodox and Protestant Christians to help conceive a papacy that could serve them, preaches to 60,000 raptly attentive Muslim teenagers in a Casablanca stadium, and describes marital intimacy as an icon of the inner life of the Trinity. After a bout with cancer and sundry other medical difficulties, the world press pronounces him a dying has-been; within the next six months, he publishes an international bestseller translated into 55 languages and gathers the largest crowd in human history in Manila, shortly after changing the course of the Cairo World Conference on Population and Development. When he addresses the United Nations in October 1995, the world, whether it likes what it hears or not, knows that it is listening to its moral leader. Two days later, the irrepressible pontiff does a credible imitation of Jack Benny during Mass in Central Park and the preternaturally cynical New York media loves it…</p>
<p>Man of the Century?</p>
<p>As I say, the story, as fiction, is simply too much. But it is not fiction. All of this really happened. But what does it mean? What is the truth about the human condition, the Church, the modern world, disclosed by this extraordinary personal epic?</p>
<p>It is difficult to imagine a twentieth-century life more fraught with dramatic tension than that of Karol Jozef Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II. Jonathan Kwitny, in a new biography, dubs the Pope “the man of the century” — and Kwitny is right about this, if wrong about many, many other things. But to grasp the kernel of Wojtyla’s life and papal project (the two are intimately related), it has to be understood that John Paul II as “man of the century” is not a matter of Catholic special pleading. John Paul II is not the man of the Catholic twentieth century; he is the man of the century, period.</p>
<p>To be sure, this has been one of the most ecclesiastically consequential pontificates in centuries; it may well be the most important for the Church’s internal life since the Reformation. But if John Paul II is the man of the century, then a search for the reason why that is true must take us beyond the trials and triumphs of contemporary Catholicism and deep into the heart of the singular crisis of the twentieth century — a crisis which, John Paul insists, is prologue to the twenty-first century and the new millennium. To think about John Paul II as the man of the century is not, therefore, to look backwards. It is precisely to look ahead.</p>
<p>The Crisis</p>
<p>When this journal was founded fifteen years ago, those of us present at the creation were primarily focused on a discrete set of problems at the intersection of Catholicism and public life: thus the original title, Catholicism-in-Crisis, which recalled the work of Reinhold Niebuhr and his colleagues in the 1930s, confronted by the threat of a rising totalitarian tide. Some may wonder why a title that starkly proclaims a “crisis” has been retained, given the defeat of the threat to which we were responding fifteen years ago. But the “crisis” in our original title was not simply the threat posed by Soviet power. It was the crisis of modernity, of which Soviet power was one threatening expression.</p>
<p>Given its dominical mandate to be light and salt in the world, the Church had to engage that crisis. But how was the Church to grapple with the crisis of modernity? Radical confrontation had been tried; one result was the secularization of the European mind. Accommodation had its obvious dangers; could the Church dialogue with some of the solvents of modernity without deconstructing its own evangelical message? In brief: was a Church that had proclaimed its solidarity with the “joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of this age” — in a solemn statement about its relationship to “the modern world” — capable of fulfilling that commitment?</p>
<p>As it happens, the crisis of modernity and the crafting of an evangelical Catholic response to that crisis have been precisely the questions that have shaped the life, intellectual project, priesthood, episcopate, and papacy of Karol Wojtyla. One way to parse his distinctively twentieth-century life is to think of it as an ongoing Catholic engagement — intellectually and pastorally — with the two great crises of modernity: the crisis of truth and the crisis of freedom.</p>
<p>Ideas and Consequences</p>
<p>Over some sixty years, Wojtyla’s personal experience has amply confirmed Richard Weaver’s famous aphorism that “ideas have consequences.” For the young worker who risked summary arrest and execution by the Gestapo for the crime of reciting his country’s poetry, as for the bishop who defended his priests from communist thuggery, ideas most certainly have real-world, life-and-death consequences. But being of a naturally philosophical cast of mind, Wojtyla began to ask questions about the bloody crossroads between ideas and realities while still a clandestine seminarian.</p>
<p>Why did a century that began with an assertive confidence in humanity’s new “maturity” — a century which was supposed to overcome ancient superstitions and prejudices under the benign tutelage of the scientific revolution — become the most sanguinary in human history? Why the mountain of corpses and the oceans of blood? Why were the first public fruits of humanity’s new “maturity” Marxism-Leninism, fascism, and National Socialism? What went wrong? How could the damage be repaired?</p>
<p>Conventional wisdom looks to high politics and economics as the engines of history: Marxism-Leninism, fascism, and National Socialism were the results of the unification of Germany, the industrial revolution, World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, etc., etc. Wojtyla — who learned from his father that Poland, the nation, had survived through its language, its literature, and its religious convictions when Poland, the state, was abolished — became convinced that history runs in more deeply-graven channels. Thus he began to look to culture, to the structure of ideas and morals that undergirds a society or a civilization, to discern the sources of history’s ebb and flow.</p>
<p>We cannot understand the crisis of the twentieth century, Wojtyla came to believe, if we think of it in merely material terms: as a clash of political and economic systems. In a deeper and longer perspective, the crisis of the twentieth century is a crisis in the order of ideas. Since Rene Descartes’s famous “turn to the subject, Western intellectual life had become ensnared in a prison of solipsism: in what one of Wojtyla’s Lublin colleagues, Wojciech Chudy, once called the “trap of reflection.” The ever-more-intense preoccupation with how we know things led, over time, to a profound skepticism that we could know anything at all with certainty (except, perhaps, the processes by which we knew that we knew nothing with certainty). The “turn to the subject,” conceived in rationalistic terms, became subjectivism, which led to a systematic, principled skepticism about the human capacity to know the truth of things.</p>
<p>This philosophical entrapment had real-world consequences. If “truth” was a human construct with no tether to reality itself, and if the truth of history revealed itself in dominance and power (the contributions of Hegel and Nietzsche to this particular witches’ brew), then there was a certain grim logic to the Nazi plan to exterminate the Polish people as untermenschen. To challenge this was necessarily to challenge the ideas which made plausible the perverse claims of Aryan racial superiority and the concept of history they advanced.</p>
<p>The real-existing communism with which Wojtyla contended as priest and bishop was yet another structure of lies, built on a foundation of radical skepticism about the possibility of humans grasping the truth of things. A typical joke of 1970s Poland captured the essence of the problem: Communist boss — “How much is 2+2?” Polish worker — “How much would you like it to be?” Thus it was no accident that one of the most memorable posters produced by the artists of Solidarity, the movement of social reform and nonviolent political revolution that John Paul II inspired, had it that “For Poland to be Poland, 2+2 must always = 4.”</p>
<p>The crisis of truth went hand-in-glove with the crisis of freedom. Was freedom a matter of indifferent choice between essentially equal opposites — the “freedom of indifference” that Servais Pinckaers has described as a bitter fruit of nominalism? Or was freedom the human capacity to seek the good and the true in order to achieve happiness? Was freedom a neutral faculty? Or was freedom necessarily ordered to the truth?</p>
<p>Here, again, were ideas with serious consequences. For if freedom is not ordered to a publicly-knowable truth — if my truth is as good as your truth and neither one of us recognizes a principle by which we can adjudicate whose truth is truer (so to speak) — then all social relationships dissolve into relationships of power, understood in its basest form as my capacity to enforce my will against yours. Nazism and Marxism-Leninism were undisguised, unapologetic totalitarianisms; the freedom of indifference, Wojtyla came to understand, opened the possibility of what he would describe as pope as “thinly-disguised totalitarianism.”</p>
<p>Wojtyla’s thinking about freedom was deeply influenced by his experience as a confessor and spiritual director. The freedom of indifference not only made it impossible to build a free society which recognized the dignity of the human person; it also drained personal life of its inherent drama. According to numerous of his former penitents, Father Karol Wojtyla, confessor, never said, “You must do this.” He would, rather, explore the “dramatic” circumstances of the penitent’s life (in confessions that often ran more than an hour); he would help the penitent identify the dramatic tension in which he or she lived; priest and penitent explored together the possible responses to that tension and the Christian principles that should guide reflection on the options — and then Wojtyla would say, “You must choose.”</p>
<p>The Heart of the Matter</p>
<p>Precisely because they were the vanguard of resistance to Nazism and communism, Western democracies may have imagined themselves immune to this twin crisis of modernity: freedom, after all, had been their rallying-cry against totalitarianism. But as early as 1991, John Paul II began to suggest that the developed democracies were also in crisis. Thus he argued, in his U.N. address in October 1995, that freedom, one of the “great dynamics of human history,” cannot be indifferent to truth. For a modernity that cannot give a persuasive account of the meaning of its highest value — freedom — is a modernity incapable of securing freedom’s future. No one is going to pledge life, fortune, or sacred honor to the defense of indifference.</p>
<p>As for the crisis of truth: well, one need look no farther than three decades of debate over the sexual revolution to understand that the democracies are deeply divided between those who think that moral truth emerges from reality (“The human body has a language; you should respect its grammar and syntax.”) and those who believe that truth is a human construct (“I will do what I please; what I please is what pleases me; none of this is anyone else’s concern.”)</p>
<p>Viewed from this angle, John Paul II’s teaching since the Revolution of 1989 has been a multifaceted response to the twin crises of truth and freedom as experienced in free societies on the edge of a new century and a new millennium — crises to which the Second Vatican Council was, to Wojtyla’s mind, the Providentially-inspired answer.</p>
<p>The Council’s product can be faithfully “read” a number of ways. Rocco Buttiglione persuasively argues in The Thought of Karol Wojtyla that Wojtyla has long believed that the Council as a whole is best read through the prism of Dignitatis Humanae, the Declaration on Religious Freedom. Here is where the Church confronted head-on the crises of truth and freedom, the claim that any genuine freedom must be uncoupled from a normative concept of truth. The Council ringingly affirmed that the human person, precisely in his personhood, has a right to religious freedom. But the Council also taught that the right of religious freedom is ours so that we may freely meet our obligation to seek the truth — including the ultimate Truth, which is God in His self-revelation. Human nature, Wojtyla has argued philosophically, is directed toward the good; and the person who seeks the good wants to direct himself to something that is, objectively, good. The internal dynamic of our freedom, its impulse toward goodness, impels us to take seriously the question of what is, in reality, good — which is also what is true.</p>
<p>Thus in Wojtyla’s holistic view of Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, forms a kind of triptych with the Council’s two great dogmatic constitutions: Lumen Gentium (on the Church) and Dei Verbum (on divine revelation). Gaudium et Spes explores the ways in which the Church (analyzed in her essence and functions in Lumen Gentium according to the theory of revelation as divine self-gift adumbrated in Dei Verbum) proposes to the world how it might achieve its aspiration to freedom, and thence to justice, peace, and prosperity. But the bottom line of the entire exercise is Dignitatis Humanae, which embodies the Council’s great philosophical creativity. For it is in Dignitatis Humanae, Wojtyla argued, that the Church showed the way out of the subjectivistic/relativistic “trap of reflection,” demonstrating how a free human act (man’s interior dialogue of conscience) is necessarily ordered to truth. Twentieth-century philosophy has insisted that we can’t get to the truth of things — to metaphysics — because the cosmologies on which classic metaphysics were built have been debunked by Newton and Einstein. But there is another, more secure path to truth, Wojtyla and Vatican II claim. We can get to metaphysics through anthropology: we can get to the truth of reality through the truth about the human person — free, active, creative, intelligent.</p>
<p>Put more evangelically: the bedrock conviction on which Karol Wojtyla’s life has been built is the conviction that the Christian story is true, and in that truth is disclosed the telos, the goal, of human freedom. The Christian story is not simply one among many possible accounts of the Way Things Are. Rather, Wojtyla has long been convinced — and his pontificate is a series of variations on this one great theme — that the story of the Church is the story of the world, rightly understood. Thus the Church’s task is not to condemn modernity. The Church’s task in the modern world is to propose, to persuade, to convince modernity that, in Christ and the Church, is to be found the true “narrative” of the human condition, including the human quest for freedom. Sometimes that will require speaking the truth to power, forcefully. But it is all in the service of persuasion and, ultimately, conversion.</p>
<p>Sign of Contradiction</p>
<p>If the life and pontificate of Karol Wojtyla are in fact a monumental effort to help give freedom — modernity’s great aspiration — a more secure foundation, why has this Pope been so controversial?</p>
<p>When all the complaints (many legitimate) about a biased media have been heard, and after one takes due account of the internal struggles in post-conciliar Catholicism, a fact of life remains: John Paul II has been controversial precisely because he is a sign of contradiction. His aim is the conversion, not the demolition, of modernity. But to some minds, an invitation to conversion is indistinguishable from a mortal assault.</p>
<p>Those committed to the pleasure principle, to a world in which human willfulness is the highest measure of freedom, will not take kindly to the Pope’s insistence that suffering and obligation are at the core of Christianity, and that true freedom is achieved precisely through self-giving.</p>
<p>Those who insist that we are incapable of knowing the truth will not take kindly to Wojtyla’s conviction that truth is real, that truth is apprehensible, and that truth (although apprehended through a marvelous array of particularities) is universal.</p>
<p>Those who contend that human beings are infinitely plastic and that, because of that, morality is something we construct will rightly perceive a challenge in the Pope’s calm insistence that there is a universal human nature, from which we can “read” universal moral norms and obligations.</p>
<p>All of which is to say that, for those who think that “What for?” is the ultimate question, John Paul II is inevitably going to be a sign of contradiction. For Karol Wojtyla has long been convinced that utilitarianism, with its reduction of the human “other” to a manipulable object, is as dangerous a threat to human dignity and to human freedom as Marxism-Leninism or Nazism.</p>
<p>The Witness</p>
<p>John Paul II’s critics say he is living in another century. They are, in fact, right. What they have wrong is the date: the 21st century, not the 19th, the 18th, or the 17th, is where Karol Wojtyla’s imagination has lived for some time.</p>
<p>At the end of what he once termed a century of tears, he now proposes the possibility of a “new springtime of the human spirit.” This is not, it must be emphasized, optimism. Optimism is for opticians: optimism, like pessimism, is a question of how one looks at things. And that can change, with a mere turn of the head.</p>
<p>At the U.N. in 1995, John Paul II assayed a self-definition and a ground for his vision of human possibility in sturdier terms: “I come before you as a witness: a witness to human dignity, a witness to hope, a witness to the conviction that the destiny of all…lies in the hands of a merciful Providence.” Karol Wojtyla, whose personal story is beyond the imagining of novelists, has long believed what he said as pope at Fatima on 13 May 1982, the first anniversary of Mehmet Ali Agca’s attempt on his life: “In the designs of Providence there are no mere coincidences.”</p>
<p>“No coincidences.” Is this, perhaps, the hardest of hard sayings for the modernity whose most cherished good — freedom — John Paul II has tried to serve? If Nietzsche’s will-to-power is one specter haunting the twentieth century, then Wojtyla’s insistence that, in the final analysis, we are not in charge — of history, or of the disposition of ourselves — is yet another inescapable sign of contradiction. But it is a sign of contradiction that contains within itself the “key” (a favorite Wojtyla word) to resolving modernity’s twin crises.</p>
<p>Freedom will inevitably decompose into license, license into anarchy, and anarchy into an imposed authoritarianism, absent the moral disciplines summoned forth by a culture which celebrates life as a gift — a culture in which the giving of self, rather than the aggrandizement of self, is the noblest aspiration. This “law of the gift” is built into the human condition, the philosopher Wojtyla has long argued; it can be demonstrated by a disciplined reflection on the nature of human action, or human moral agency; and, as such, it can form the basis of conviction on which free and pluralistic societies ordered to goodness and human flourishing can be built. That, Wojtyla insists, is what the Via Dolorosa of late modernity has taught us. And that is why the twenty-first century can be a springtime of the human spirit.</p>
<p>For Wojtyla the Christian believer, of course, the liberating character of the law of the gift is confirmed in the great drama of salvation: in the self-abnegation of the Incarnate Son of God, whose self-offering to the Father is vindicated in the Resurrection, in which all of creation is reconfigured to the glory God intended for it “in the beginning.” The Church, born in blood and water from the pierced side of the crucified Christ, is thus the bearer of a compelling proof about the law of the gift. But that is what makes the Church the servant of the world: the Church’s story is a preview of the world’s story, told in truth.</p>
<p>That is what Karol Wojtyla has been preaching for more than fifty years. And that is why he is not simply the man of this century, but the prophet of the new millennium.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | even height hollywoods infatuation things catholic screenwriter would dared propose storyline months country regains independence son born polish parents small provincial town wadowice mother dies makes first communion raised father gentleman old school retired military officer deep piety youngster easily best student town schools enthusiastic athlete amateur actor note town prides theatrical tradition one close friends son leader local jewish community moving cracow pensionerfather enters ancient jagiellonian university brilliant academic performance rapidly developing career actor avantgarde theater abruptly terminated second world war amidst brutalities nazi occupation intended wipe poland historys map forever works quarryman blaster manual laborer often walking four kilometers work freezing polish winter clad jeans wooden clogs face smeared vaseline prevent skin freezing risk life helps organize resistance movement aimed saving polish culture power living word proclaimed underground theater time takes first steps carmelite spirituality tutelage quirky lay mystic forms young men living rosary groups priests local parish sent dachau father dies young mans vocational struggle intensifies life play stage sanctuary decision seek priesthood matures enters clandestine seminary run heroic archbishop cracow serves hans frank meal stale bread acorn coffee haughty nazi governor insists invited dine episcopal manse surreptitious seminarian one whose classmates suddenly disappears end front firing squad studies philosophy theology dim light chemical factory works midnight shift books pockmarked lime splashes waterpurification machinery tends wake warsaw uprising nazis try forestall similar eruption resistance arresting every young man cracow protagonist dodges gestapo patrols makes way across town enters bishops residence clandestine seminary reformed lives makeshift dormitory archbishops drawing room polands liberation red army 1945 engages soviet soldier long earnest conversation possibility god priestly ordination graduate studies rome sympathetic look workerpriest movement france returns cracow year country parish begins intense ministry university students st florians church stalinist orthodoxy ruthlessly enforced polish intellectual life liturgical innovation pastoral strategy accompaniment thousands hours confessional distinguish approach university chaplaincy completing second doctoral degree joins faculty catholic university communist world philosophy department colleagues conduct bold experiment aimed nothing less reconfiguration postcartesian intellectual life commuting back forth overnight train teaching position continues pastoral ministry cracow works develop modern catholic sexual ethic conversation former parishioners preparing marriage starting families one last episcopal nominations pius xii consecrated bishop 38 within four years elected administrator archdiocese incumbent ordinary dies church government deadlock new appointment one intellectual leaders second vatican council makes crucial contributions declaration religious freedom pastoral constitution church modern world proving providence wicked sense humor nominated archbishop cracow enthusiastic support communist government created cardinal 47 archbishop conducts extensive implementation vatican ii diocese world refusing behave cardinals supposed behave skis kayaks vacations lay people working intellectual continues teach catholic university lublin spends two hours every day chapel writing desk blessed sacrament intense chagrin communist authorities pursues relentless sophisticated increasingly vocal defense religious freedom demanding churchbuilding permits defending youth movements clandestinely ordaining underground priests work czechoslovakia invited preach papal lenten retreat 1976 prepares series meditations holy scripture st augustine german philosopher heidegger first three references two years later elected 264th bishop rome first nonitalian 455 years first slavic pope ever kgb leader yuri andropov warns politburo grave troubles ahead vindicated polish pope returns homeland june 1979 sets motion revolution conscience eventually produces nonviolent revolution 1989 collapse european communism end soviet union andropov served slav pope revamps practice papacy pastoral pilgrimages every corner world magisterium addresses virtually every large question involved ongoing implementation vatican ii whose completion pledged pontificate surviving assassination attempt redefines catholic encounter judaism invites orthodox protestant christians help conceive papacy could serve preaches 60000 raptly attentive muslim teenagers casablanca stadium describes marital intimacy icon inner life trinity bout cancer sundry medical difficulties world press pronounces dying hasbeen within next six months publishes international bestseller translated 55 languages gathers largest crowd human history manila shortly changing course cairo world conference population development addresses united nations october 1995 world whether likes hears knows listening moral leader two days later irrepressible pontiff credible imitation jack benny mass central park preternaturally cynical new york media loves man century say story fiction simply much fiction really happened mean truth human condition church modern world disclosed extraordinary personal epic difficult imagine twentiethcentury life fraught dramatic tension karol jozef wojtyla pope john paul ii jonathan kwitny new biography dubs pope man century kwitny right wrong many many things grasp kernel wojtylas life papal project two intimately related understood john paul ii man century matter catholic special pleading john paul ii man catholic twentieth century man century period sure one ecclesiastically consequential pontificates centuries may well important churchs internal life since reformation john paul ii man century search reason true must take us beyond trials triumphs contemporary catholicism deep heart singular crisis twentieth century crisis john paul insists prologue twentyfirst century new millennium think john paul ii man century therefore look backwards precisely look ahead crisis journal founded fifteen years ago us present creation primarily focused discrete set problems intersection catholicism public life thus original title catholicismincrisis recalled work reinhold niebuhr colleagues 1930s confronted threat rising totalitarian tide may wonder title starkly proclaims crisis retained given defeat threat responding fifteen years ago crisis original title simply threat posed soviet power crisis modernity soviet power one threatening expression given dominical mandate light salt world church engage crisis church grapple crisis modernity radical confrontation tried one result secularization european mind accommodation obvious dangers could church dialogue solvents modernity without deconstructing evangelical message brief church proclaimed solidarity joy hope grief anguish men age solemn statement relationship modern world capable fulfilling commitment happens crisis modernity crafting evangelical catholic response crisis precisely questions shaped life intellectual project priesthood episcopate papacy karol wojtyla one way parse distinctively twentiethcentury life think ongoing catholic engagement intellectually pastorally two great crises modernity crisis truth crisis freedom ideas consequences sixty years wojtylas personal experience amply confirmed richard weavers famous aphorism ideas consequences young worker risked summary arrest execution gestapo crime reciting countrys poetry bishop defended priests communist thuggery ideas certainly realworld lifeanddeath consequences naturally philosophical cast mind wojtyla began ask questions bloody crossroads ideas realities still clandestine seminarian century began assertive confidence humanitys new maturity century supposed overcome ancient superstitions prejudices benign tutelage scientific revolution become sanguinary human history mountain corpses oceans blood first public fruits humanitys new maturity marxismleninism fascism national socialism went wrong could damage repaired conventional wisdom looks high politics economics engines history marxismleninism fascism national socialism results unification germany industrial revolution world war treaty versailles etc etc wojtyla learned father poland nation survived language literature religious convictions poland state abolished became convinced history runs deeplygraven channels thus began look culture structure ideas morals undergirds society civilization discern sources historys ebb flow understand crisis twentieth century wojtyla came believe think merely material terms clash political economic systems deeper longer perspective crisis twentieth century crisis order ideas since rene descartess famous turn subject western intellectual life become ensnared prison solipsism one wojtylas lublin colleagues wojciech chudy called trap reflection evermoreintense preoccupation know things led time profound skepticism could know anything certainty except perhaps processes knew knew nothing certainty turn subject conceived rationalistic terms became subjectivism led systematic principled skepticism human capacity know truth things philosophical entrapment realworld consequences truth human construct tether reality truth history revealed dominance power contributions hegel nietzsche particular witches brew certain grim logic nazi plan exterminate polish people untermenschen challenge necessarily challenge ideas made plausible perverse claims aryan racial superiority concept history advanced realexisting communism wojtyla contended priest bishop yet another structure lies built foundation radical skepticism possibility humans grasping truth things typical joke 1970s poland captured essence problem communist boss much 22 polish worker much would like thus accident one memorable posters produced artists solidarity movement social reform nonviolent political revolution john paul ii inspired poland poland 22 must always 4 crisis truth went handinglove crisis freedom freedom matter indifferent choice essentially equal opposites freedom indifference servais pinckaers described bitter fruit nominalism freedom human capacity seek good true order achieve happiness freedom neutral faculty freedom necessarily ordered truth ideas serious consequences freedom ordered publiclyknowable truth truth good truth neither one us recognizes principle adjudicate whose truth truer speak social relationships dissolve relationships power understood basest form capacity enforce nazism marxismleninism undisguised unapologetic totalitarianisms freedom indifference wojtyla came understand opened possibility would describe pope thinlydisguised totalitarianism wojtylas thinking freedom deeply influenced experience confessor spiritual director freedom indifference made impossible build free society recognized dignity human person also drained personal life inherent drama according numerous former penitents father karol wojtyla confessor never said must would rather explore dramatic circumstances penitents life confessions often ran hour would help penitent identify dramatic tension lived priest penitent explored together possible responses tension christian principles guide reflection options wojtyla would say must choose heart matter precisely vanguard resistance nazism communism western democracies may imagined immune twin crisis modernity freedom rallyingcry totalitarianism early 1991 john paul ii began suggest developed democracies also crisis thus argued un address october 1995 freedom one great dynamics human history indifferent truth modernity give persuasive account meaning highest value freedom modernity incapable securing freedoms future one going pledge life fortune sacred honor defense indifference crisis truth well one need look farther three decades debate sexual revolution understand democracies deeply divided think moral truth emerges reality human body language respect grammar syntax believe truth human construct please please pleases none anyone elses concern viewed angle john paul iis teaching since revolution 1989 multifaceted response twin crises truth freedom experienced free societies edge new century new millennium crises second vatican council wojtylas mind providentiallyinspired answer councils product faithfully read number ways rocco buttiglione persuasively argues thought karol wojtyla wojtyla long believed council whole best read prism dignitatis humanae declaration religious freedom church confronted headon crises truth freedom claim genuine freedom must uncoupled normative concept truth council ringingly affirmed human person precisely personhood right religious freedom council also taught right religious freedom may freely meet obligation seek truth including ultimate truth god selfrevelation human nature wojtyla argued philosophically directed toward good person seeks good wants direct something objectively good internal dynamic freedom impulse toward goodness impels us take seriously question reality good also true thus wojtylas holistic view vatican ii gaudium et spes pastoral constitution church modern world forms kind triptych councils two great dogmatic constitutions lumen gentium church dei verbum divine revelation gaudium et spes explores ways church analyzed essence functions lumen gentium according theory revelation divine selfgift adumbrated dei verbum proposes world might achieve aspiration freedom thence justice peace prosperity bottom line entire exercise dignitatis humanae embodies councils great philosophical creativity dignitatis humanae wojtyla argued church showed way subjectivisticrelativistic trap reflection demonstrating free human act mans interior dialogue conscience necessarily ordered truth twentiethcentury philosophy insisted cant get truth things metaphysics cosmologies classic metaphysics built debunked newton einstein another secure path truth wojtyla vatican ii claim get metaphysics anthropology get truth reality truth human person free active creative intelligent put evangelically bedrock conviction karol wojtylas life built conviction christian story true truth disclosed telos goal human freedom christian story simply one among many possible accounts way things rather wojtyla long convinced pontificate series variations one great theme story church story world rightly understood thus churchs task condemn modernity churchs task modern world propose persuade convince modernity christ church found true narrative human condition including human quest freedom sometimes require speaking truth power forcefully service persuasion ultimately conversion sign contradiction life pontificate karol wojtyla fact monumental effort help give freedom modernitys great aspiration secure foundation pope controversial complaints many legitimate biased media heard one takes due account internal struggles postconciliar catholicism fact life remains john paul ii controversial precisely sign contradiction aim conversion demolition modernity minds invitation conversion indistinguishable mortal assault committed pleasure principle world human willfulness highest measure freedom take kindly popes insistence suffering obligation core christianity true freedom achieved precisely selfgiving insist incapable knowing truth take kindly wojtylas conviction truth real truth apprehensible truth although apprehended marvelous array particularities universal contend human beings infinitely plastic morality something construct rightly perceive challenge popes calm insistence universal human nature read universal moral norms obligations say think ultimate question john paul ii inevitably going sign contradiction karol wojtyla long convinced utilitarianism reduction human manipulable object dangerous threat human dignity human freedom marxismleninism nazism witness john paul iis critics say living another century fact right wrong date 21st century 19th 18th 17th karol wojtylas imagination lived time end termed century tears proposes possibility new springtime human spirit must emphasized optimism optimism opticians optimism like pessimism question one looks things change mere turn head un 1995 john paul ii assayed selfdefinition ground vision human possibility sturdier terms come witness witness human dignity witness hope witness conviction destiny alllies hands merciful providence karol wojtyla whose personal story beyond imagining novelists long believed said pope fatima 13 may 1982 first anniversary mehmet ali agcas attempt life designs providence mere coincidences coincidences perhaps hardest hard sayings modernity whose cherished good freedom john paul ii tried serve nietzsches willtopower one specter haunting twentieth century wojtylas insistence final analysis charge history disposition yet another inescapable sign contradiction sign contradiction contains within key favorite wojtyla word resolving modernitys twin crises freedom inevitably decompose license license anarchy anarchy imposed authoritarianism absent moral disciplines summoned forth culture celebrates life gift culture giving self rather aggrandizement self noblest aspiration law gift built human condition philosopher wojtyla long argued demonstrated disciplined reflection nature human action human moral agency form basis conviction free pluralistic societies ordered goodness human flourishing built wojtyla insists via dolorosa late modernity taught us twentyfirst century springtime human spirit wojtyla christian believer course liberating character law gift confirmed great drama salvation selfabnegation incarnate son god whose selfoffering father vindicated resurrection creation reconfigured glory god intended beginning church born blood water pierced side crucified christ thus bearer compelling proof law gift makes church servant world churchs story preview worlds story told truth karol wojtyla preaching fifty years simply man century prophet new millennium george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 2,309 |
<p>Since 1971 the world has suffered two great inflations and three recessions. Hopes for a world-wide economic expansion have been interrupted once again, by an economic slowdown and the threat of a trade war. Will the world ever settle down to sustained noninflationary growth?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, no-not unless a basic flaw in the world monetary system is corrected. Each succeeding crisis is a different symptom of the same disorder. Each succeeding crisis is a different symptom of the same disorder.</p>
<p>The institutional flaw concerns the choice of international monetary reserves. We all need monetary reserves. Reserves are the “final asset” that bridges the gaps between our sales and purchases of goods, and bonds (promises of future goods).</p>
<p>The main problem is that the international reserves financing world growth and trade consist basically of U.S. dollars—financial claims on the U.S. The dollar is the “official reserve currency.” This means that the “reserves” of the Bundesbank or Bank of Japan are not held in Frankfurt or Tokyo but invested in New York.</p>
<p>Why is this a problem? Because there never can be a net increase in the world monetary reserves. The dollar is an asset for foreign central banks, but it is a liability for the U.S.; it must be paid sooner or later in goods. So other countries can increase their reserves only if the if the U.S. increases its net reserve indebtedness with a balance-of-payments deficit. The U.S. can increase its liquidity only at the expense of other countries. This has made the attempt to gain reserves—and trade surpluses—a zero-sum game.</p>
<p>Bretton Woods Breakdown</p>
<p>The problems arising from the dollar’s reserve-currency role are basically the same ones that led to the breakdown of the sterling-based monetary system established at the 1922 Genoa conference, and the dollar-based system established by the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement. (We sometimes think of these monetary systems as spanning halcyon decades, but they actually operated without major restrictions only in 1925-31 and 1959-1968.)</p>
<p>Under both systems, Britain or the U.S. redeemed its currency in gold, while other countries used pounds sterling or dollars as official reserves. Around 1960, economists Robert Triffin and Jacques Rueff accurately predicted that Bretton Woods had to break down just like the sterling-based system, because the gain in official reserves by other countries was being supplied by net reserve losses of the U.S., which could not last. Bretton Woods officially ended with the suspension of dollar-gold convertibility in 1971, just as Britain suspended the gold standard in 1931.</p>
<p>With the dollar no longer convertible into gold, the attempt after the Smithsonian agreement of 1971 to peg other currencies to the dollar without dollar-gold convertibility exploded within 15 months, resulting in the current managed float. But neither the dollar’s inconvertibility nor greater exchange-rate flexibility lessens the problems created by the dollar’s reserve currency role. The same effects occur in real terms whether exchange rates are fixed or floating. Today, governments seek to relieve the pressures that blew apart Bretton Woods and the Smithsonian system through increasingly wild exchange-rate swings—but only at the cost of a continuous lurch from one state of disequilibrium to another.</p>
<p>The dollar’s reserve-currency role has always had two attractions: It allows other countries to earn interest on their reserves (unlike gold), and it permits the U.S. to acquire foreign and domestic wealth with all the reserves lent us by other countries. However, this subjects the other countries to the risk of exchange losses and the tax of U.S. inflation on their reserves. And acting as the world’s banker tends to diminish U.S. public and private saving and promote an “overvaluation” of the U.S. dollar (like sterling in the 1920s).</p>
<p>These effects are usually associated with an increase in national wealth. They are created under the reserve-currency system by government-to-government borrowing that makes the U.S. private sector feel wealthier even as Washington takes advantage of its greater ease of borrowing. One might say that the reserve-currency system makes the U.S. behave as if it were richer, and other countries as if they were poorer, than they really are. The reserve-currency system encourages American industrial decline, yet leaves us with a monetary system in which the reserves of other countries can increase only in the largest debtor nation in the world goes further into debt.</p>
<p>This explains why no lasting equilibrium is compatible with steady noninflationary growth. When the rest of the world demands dollar reserves to accommodate economic growth, the real dollar exchange rate rises and the leverage of the U.S. financial system increases. But easing U.S. monetary policy to promote a “competitive” dollar and re-liquefy the domestic economy causes either inflation or economic contraction in other countries—depending on whether foreign central banks respond by letting their currencies appreciate or by defensively inflating.</p>
<p>Some argue that we could avoid this if Germany and Japan used fiscal rather than monetary policy to stimulate domestic demand, thus “rebalancing” world growth and U.S. trade. Desirable as initiatives like tax reform are on other grounds, this theory wrongly assumes that the monetary system is symmetrical—that the deutsche mark and the yen are as important as the dollar. For all practical purposes, Germany and Japan can only acquire and spend monetary reserves; they cannot create them. Higher growth abroad would increase the demand for U.S. exports, but it would increase the demand for dollar reserves, offsetting much of the hoped-for gain to U.S. trade.</p>
<p>It’s sometimes pointed out that all nations are trying to achieve a trade surplus at the same time. We are generally reminded that not everyone can have a balance-of-payments surplus. But this is not true. In fact, before the existence of official national-reserve currencies, it was normal for the world economy to have a trade surplus with itself.</p>
<p>Under the old gold standard, the world’s demand for new monetary reserves was met by mining and minting gold. The world’s net exports equaled the increase in monetary gold. Through this mechanism the gold standard maintained average price stability in the long run and even provided a kind of contracyclical job-creation policy. Periods of general prosperity and rising commodity prices tended to depress gold production, since gold’s price was fixed but its cost of production was rising. During depressions, deflation and unemployment in other industries stimulated increased employment in the gold industry, because gold’s price was fixed but its cost of production was falling.</p>
<p>Ironically, when John Maynard Keynes proposed anti-recessionary deficit spending 50 years ago, his theoretical model, as the General Theory makes clear, was the per-1914 gold standard. Keynes simply argued (like many economists since) that building roads and harbors on the cuff is more useful to society than mining gold.</p>
<p>But Keynes overlooked a crucial fact: Since debt must be paid off in real terms by someone, deficit spending alone cannot provide a permanent addition to real incomes: gold, being an asset that is not someone else’s liability, can.</p>
<p>The inescapable conclusion is that without restoring something strongly resembling the international gold standard we cannot solve the world’s systemic monetary and trade problems. To end the zero-sum scramble for monetary reserves and trade surpluses, we must restore an international money that is an asset without being any nation’s liability. This rules out national-reserve currencies like the dollar. It also rules out a currency issued, say, by the IMF, since that would not be a net asset either. The “resource cost” of using gold as money, which is often claimed to be a drawback, is in fact a major advantage. Unless the world’s “final asset” is a real commodity, there can never be an increase in net reserves. And unlike paper money, the production of gold adds to real as well as nominal income.</p>
<p>The world monetary system could regain a stable core, removing most of the reserve-currency problems, if the three or five nations with the largest market economies agreed to settle their accounts with one another in gold, not dollars.</p>
<p>Current dollar reserves of those nations should be redeemed or amortized. They could be financed in large part simply by revaluing official gold stocks from the still official $42.22 an ounce. The U.S. could then pay gold to countries without large gold stocks, such as Japan, and ask countries realizing capital gains on large gold reserves (like France and Germany) to convert their dollars from short to longer term loans. As a transition step, the U.S. could request other governments to hold dollar reserves on deposit directly with the Federal Reserve, not in New York or Eurodollar markets.</p>
<p>‘Portable’ Official Reserves</p>
<p>Meanwhile, private gold convertibility should be restored, with gold parities that initially overvalue gold against currencies in general. This would permit a slight upward drift of world prices to a new equilibrium, avoiding any deflation risk. This might mean a gold price higher than the current market price. Resulting private sales of gold to central banks would force down real interest rates, re-liquefy balance-sheets world-wide and provide a steady source of new monetary reserves.</p>
<p>Ending the dollar’s official reserve-currency role would make official reserve “portable” again: instead of being mechanically recycled to the U.S.—perpetuating the disadvantage for American farmers and manufacturers—part of the surpluses of Germany and Japan would naturally be routed to growing nations with the most investment-friendly policies. These countries would, in turn, find more congenial Japanese and European markets for their goods.</p>
<p>The reason there is no middle ground between protectionist stagnation and inflationary binge is that we have a world monetary system that is literally without reserve. If we are to restore equilibrium of balanced, noninflationary growth, we need to restore a money which is a real asset to the world: gold.</p> | false | 1 | since 1971 world suffered two great inflations three recessions hopes worldwide economic expansion interrupted economic slowdown threat trade war world ever settle sustained noninflationary growth unfortunately nonot unless basic flaw world monetary system corrected succeeding crisis different symptom disorder succeeding crisis different symptom disorder institutional flaw concerns choice international monetary reserves need monetary reserves reserves final asset bridges gaps sales purchases goods bonds promises future goods main problem international reserves financing world growth trade consist basically us dollarsfinancial claims us dollar official reserve currency means reserves bundesbank bank japan held frankfurt tokyo invested new york problem never net increase world monetary reserves dollar asset foreign central banks liability us must paid sooner later goods countries increase reserves us increases net reserve indebtedness balanceofpayments deficit us increase liquidity expense countries made attempt gain reservesand trade surplusesa zerosum game bretton woods breakdown problems arising dollars reservecurrency role basically ones led breakdown sterlingbased monetary system established 1922 genoa conference dollarbased system established 1944 bretton woods agreement sometimes think monetary systems spanning halcyon decades actually operated without major restrictions 192531 19591968 systems britain us redeemed currency gold countries used pounds sterling dollars official reserves around 1960 economists robert triffin jacques rueff accurately predicted bretton woods break like sterlingbased system gain official reserves countries supplied net reserve losses us could last bretton woods officially ended suspension dollargold convertibility 1971 britain suspended gold standard 1931 dollar longer convertible gold attempt smithsonian agreement 1971 peg currencies dollar without dollargold convertibility exploded within 15 months resulting current managed float neither dollars inconvertibility greater exchangerate flexibility lessens problems created dollars reserve currency role effects occur real terms whether exchange rates fixed floating today governments seek relieve pressures blew apart bretton woods smithsonian system increasingly wild exchangerate swingsbut cost continuous lurch one state disequilibrium another dollars reservecurrency role always two attractions allows countries earn interest reserves unlike gold permits us acquire foreign domestic wealth reserves lent us countries however subjects countries risk exchange losses tax us inflation reserves acting worlds banker tends diminish us public private saving promote overvaluation us dollar like sterling 1920s effects usually associated increase national wealth created reservecurrency system governmenttogovernment borrowing makes us private sector feel wealthier even washington takes advantage greater ease borrowing one might say reservecurrency system makes us behave richer countries poorer really reservecurrency system encourages american industrial decline yet leaves us monetary system reserves countries increase largest debtor nation world goes debt explains lasting equilibrium compatible steady noninflationary growth rest world demands dollar reserves accommodate economic growth real dollar exchange rate rises leverage us financial system increases easing us monetary policy promote competitive dollar reliquefy domestic economy causes either inflation economic contraction countriesdepending whether foreign central banks respond letting currencies appreciate defensively inflating argue could avoid germany japan used fiscal rather monetary policy stimulate domestic demand thus rebalancing world growth us trade desirable initiatives like tax reform grounds theory wrongly assumes monetary system symmetricalthat deutsche mark yen important dollar practical purposes germany japan acquire spend monetary reserves create higher growth abroad would increase demand us exports would increase demand dollar reserves offsetting much hopedfor gain us trade sometimes pointed nations trying achieve trade surplus time generally reminded everyone balanceofpayments surplus true fact existence official nationalreserve currencies normal world economy trade surplus old gold standard worlds demand new monetary reserves met mining minting gold worlds net exports equaled increase monetary gold mechanism gold standard maintained average price stability long run even provided kind contracyclical jobcreation policy periods general prosperity rising commodity prices tended depress gold production since golds price fixed cost production rising depressions deflation unemployment industries stimulated increased employment gold industry golds price fixed cost production falling ironically john maynard keynes proposed antirecessionary deficit spending 50 years ago theoretical model general theory makes clear per1914 gold standard keynes simply argued like many economists since building roads harbors cuff useful society mining gold keynes overlooked crucial fact since debt must paid real terms someone deficit spending alone provide permanent addition real incomes gold asset someone elses liability inescapable conclusion without restoring something strongly resembling international gold standard solve worlds systemic monetary trade problems end zerosum scramble monetary reserves trade surpluses must restore international money asset without nations liability rules nationalreserve currencies like dollar also rules currency issued say imf since would net asset either resource cost using gold money often claimed drawback fact major advantage unless worlds final asset real commodity never increase net reserves unlike paper money production gold adds real well nominal income world monetary system could regain stable core removing reservecurrency problems three five nations largest market economies agreed settle accounts one another gold dollars current dollar reserves nations redeemed amortized could financed large part simply revaluing official gold stocks still official 4222 ounce us could pay gold countries without large gold stocks japan ask countries realizing capital gains large gold reserves like france germany convert dollars short longer term loans transition step us could request governments hold dollar reserves deposit directly federal reserve new york eurodollar markets portable official reserves meanwhile private gold convertibility restored gold parities initially overvalue gold currencies general would permit slight upward drift world prices new equilibrium avoiding deflation risk might mean gold price higher current market price resulting private sales gold central banks would force real interest rates reliquefy balancesheets worldwide provide steady source new monetary reserves ending dollars official reservecurrency role would make official reserve portable instead mechanically recycled usperpetuating disadvantage american farmers manufacturerspart surpluses germany japan would naturally routed growing nations investmentfriendly policies countries would turn find congenial japanese european markets goods reason middle ground protectionist stagnation inflationary binge world monetary system literally without reserve restore equilibrium balanced noninflationary growth need restore money real asset world gold | 945 |
<p>NEW ORLEANS — <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Tom_Brady/" type="external">Tom Brady</a> didn’t look quite like himself in the season opener, but it took the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/New_England_Patriots/" type="external">New England Patriots</a>‘ future Hall of Famer exactly 30 minutes Sunday to transform himself into the man in the mirror, with a nice assist from the defensively inept <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/New-Orleans-Saints/" type="external">New Orleans Saints</a>.</p>
<p>Brady threw for 302 of his 447 passing yards in a 30-point first-half explosion, and the Patriots rolled up 555 yards and 29 first downs in a 36-20 spanking of the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.</p>
<p>“We were 0-1, and with the 10-day break, it felt like a year,” Brady said. “It was a good four quarters of great competition. We got off to a good start with some situational things, but we still left some things out there.”</p>
<p>Brady completed only 16 of 36 passes for 267 yards in an opening loss to the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kansas-City-Chiefs/" type="external">Kansas City Chiefs</a> on Sept. 7, but he connected on 19 of 25 for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone against the Saints.</p>
<p>New England (1-1) raced to a 30-13 halftime lead and coasted to the win. Brady finished 30 of 39 for 447 yards.</p>
<p>“We had a really good week of preparation, and it showed up this afternoon,” said New England head coach <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Bill_Belichick/" type="external">Bill Belichick</a>, adding that the offensive blitz came despite communications issues in getting the plays in to Brady.</p>
<p>“Communication was difficult — before the game and all game. We always try to play well early and get off to a fast start. We were able to do that, and that was good.”</p>
<p>It was the first time in Brady’s career — spanning 273 games, including the playoffs — that he threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter.</p>
<p>Brady connected with three different targets for scores on the Patriots’ first three series. He found running back <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Rex-Burkhead/" type="external">Rex Burkhead</a> for a 19-yard catch over rookie linebacker Alex Anzalone and then threw a sideline pass to <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Rob_Gronkowski/" type="external">Rob Gronkowski</a> that the big tight end converted into a 53-yard score, niftily side-stepping rookie safety <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Marcus_Williams/" type="external">Marcus Williams</a> at the 10.</p>
<p>“He had a crossing route, and I was able to hold on to the ball because I got great protection,” Brady said on the throw to Gronkowski. “I made eye contact and I saw it was open behind him. If he does the wheel route, the linebacker doesn’t have any vision. He turned and caught it. He’s a tough guy to handle in the open field, and we need more of those plays. You make those type of plays and it hurts the defense pretty bad.”</p>
<p>Brady’s final scoring pass went to wide receiver <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Chris-Hogan/" type="external">Chris Hogan</a>, who was wide open in the left corner of the end zone on a rub route that resulted in a 13-yard touchdown and a 20-3 lead.</p>
<p>Gronkowski played just eight games last season because of injury and looked somewhat rusty with just two catches in the opener. He caught six passes for 116 yards on Sunday before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with a reported groin injury.</p>
<p>Gronkowski had a chance at another touchdown, but dropped a lob pass from Brady in the end zone at the end of the first half.</p>
<p>The Patriots rolled up 354 yards in total offense and 18 first downs in the first half, and Brady was nearly perfect. The Patriots could have made it even more lopsided, but their final three scoring drives ended inside the New Orleans 10-yard line with field goals of 28, 24 and 27 yards by <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Stephen_Gostkowski/" type="external">Stephen Gostkowski</a>.</p>
<p>The Patriots scored on five of their first six possessions and punted only twice in the game until the final minute.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Drew_Brees/" type="external">Drew Brees</a> (27 of 45 for 356 yards and two touchdowns) tried to keep the Saints close, connecting with Brandon Coleman on a 5-yard fade that began a 10-point comeback in the second quarter and cut New England’s lead to 20-13.</p>
<p>“We only have one way to go, and that’s up,” Brees said after the Saints (0-2) lost their ninth consecutive game in September.</p>
<p>But the Patriots responded by scoring 10 points in the final 4:47 of the half and put the game away.</p>
<p>Trailing 27-13 with under three minutes left in the half, Saints head coach <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Sean_Payton/" type="external">Sean Payton</a> elected to gamble on fourth-and-3 from the New England 25, passing up a field-goal attempt. Brees’ deep fade for <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ted_Ginn/" type="external">Ted Ginn</a> Jr. fell incomplete.</p>
<p>“Obviously, to start off like this, there’s disappointment,” Payton said. “Yet, we have the right type of locker room. We’ve got Carolina on the road (next Sunday). We’ll find out what we’re made of.”</p>
<p>NOTES: The Patriots played without WR <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Danny-Amendola/" type="external">Danny Amendola</a> (concussion/knee) and LB Dont’a Hightower (knee). … WR Chris Hogan also looked gimpy in the second half before returning. … The Patriots are 43-6 following a loss since 2004. … The Saints dropped to 0-2, not a good omen for them. In their last three 7-9 seasons, in which they failed to make the playoffs, they started 0-2, 0-3 and 0-3. … CB <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Marshon-Lattimore/" type="external">Marshon Lattimore</a>, the Saints’ No. 1 pick, was put under the concussion protocol after a fourth-quarter tackle. … RB <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/James_White/" type="external">James White</a> had eight receptions for 85 yards as Brady picked apart the Saints underneath.</p> | false | 1 | new orleans tom brady didnt look quite like season opener took new england patriots future hall famer exactly 30 minutes sunday transform man mirror nice assist defensively inept new orleans saints brady threw 302 447 passing yards 30point firsthalf explosion patriots rolled 555 yards 29 first downs 3620 spanking saints mercedesbenz superdome 01 10day break felt like year brady said good four quarters great competition got good start situational things still left things brady completed 16 36 passes 267 yards opening loss kansas city chiefs sept 7 connected 19 25 302 yards three touchdowns first half alone saints new england 11 raced 3013 halftime lead coasted win brady finished 30 39 447 yards really good week preparation showed afternoon said new england head coach bill belichick adding offensive blitz came despite communications issues getting plays brady communication difficult game game always try play well early get fast start able good first time bradys career spanning 273 games including playoffs threw three touchdown passes first quarter brady connected three different targets scores patriots first three series found running back rex burkhead 19yard catch rookie linebacker alex anzalone threw sideline pass rob gronkowski big tight end converted 53yard score niftily sidestepping rookie safety marcus williams 10 crossing route able hold ball got great protection brady said throw gronkowski made eye contact saw open behind wheel route linebacker doesnt vision turned caught hes tough guy handle open field need plays make type plays hurts defense pretty bad bradys final scoring pass went wide receiver chris hogan wide open left corner end zone rub route resulted 13yard touchdown 203 lead gronkowski played eight games last season injury looked somewhat rusty two catches opener caught six passes 116 yards sunday exiting game fourth quarter reported groin injury gronkowski chance another touchdown dropped lob pass brady end zone end first half patriots rolled 354 yards total offense 18 first downs first half brady nearly perfect patriots could made even lopsided final three scoring drives ended inside new orleans 10yard line field goals 28 24 27 yards stephen gostkowski patriots scored five first six possessions punted twice game final minute drew brees 27 45 356 yards two touchdowns tried keep saints close connecting brandon coleman 5yard fade began 10point comeback second quarter cut new englands lead 2013 one way go thats brees said saints 02 lost ninth consecutive game september patriots responded scoring 10 points final 447 half put game away trailing 2713 three minutes left half saints head coach sean payton elected gamble fourthand3 new england 25 passing fieldgoal attempt brees deep fade ted ginn jr fell incomplete obviously start like theres disappointment payton said yet right type locker room weve got carolina road next sunday well find made notes patriots played without wr danny amendola concussionknee lb donta hightower knee wr chris hogan also looked gimpy second half returning patriots 436 following loss since 2004 saints dropped 02 good omen last three 79 seasons failed make playoffs started 02 03 03 cb marshon lattimore saints 1 pick put concussion protocol fourthquarter tackle rb james white eight receptions 85 yards brady picked apart saints underneath | 519 |
<p>Aug. 25 (UPI) — The ancient Babylonians – who lived <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Babylonia" type="external">from about 4,000 BCE in what is now Iraq</a> – had a long forgotten understanding of right-angled triangles that was much simpler and more accurate than the conventional trigonometry we are taught in schools.</p>
<p>Our new research, published in <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0315086017300691" type="external">Historia Mathematica</a>, shows that the Babylonians were able to construct a trigonometric table using only the exact ratios of sides of a right-angled triangle. This is a completely different form of trigonometry that does not need the familiar modern concept of angles.</p>
<p>At school we are told that the shape of a right-angled triangle depends upon the other two angles. The angle is related to the circumference of a circle, which is divided into 360 parts or degrees. This angle is then used to describe the ratios of the sides of the right-angled triangle through sin, cos and tan.</p>
<p>But circles and right-angled triangles are very different, and the price of having simple values for the angle is borne by the ratios, which are very complicated and must be approximated.</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/179754/area14mp/file-20170726-30134-1p9cdem.png" type="external" /> The three ratios of a modern trigonometric table, rounded to six decimal places, with auxiliary angle Θ in degrees. Image courtesy of Daniel Mansfield,</p>
<p>This approach can be traced back to the Greek astronomer and mathematician <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hipparchus-Greek-astronomer" type="external">Hipparchus of Nicaea</a> (who died after 127 BCE). He is said to be the father of trigonometry because he used his table of chords to calculate orbits of the moon and sun.</p>
<p>But our new research shows this was not the first, or only, or best approach to trigonometry.</p>
<p>Babylonian trigonometry</p>
<p>The Babylonians discovered their own unique form of trigonometry during the Old Babylonian period (1900-1600 BCE), more than 1,500 years earlier than the Greek form.</p>
<p>Remarkably, their trigonometry contains none of the hallmarks of our modern trigonometry — it does not use angles and it does not use approximation.</p>
<p>The Babylonians had a completely different conceptualization of a right triangle. They saw it as half of a rectangle, and due to their sophisticated sexagesimal (base 60) number system they were able to construct a wide variety of right triangles using only exact ratios.</p>
<p>The sexagesimal system is better suited for exact calculation. For example, if you divide 1 hour by 3 then you get exactly 20 minutes. But if you divide $1 by three then you get 33 cents, with 1 cent left over. The fundamental difference is the convention to treat hours and dollars in different number systems: Time is sexagesimal and dollars are decimal.</p>
<p>The Babylonians knew that their sexagesmial number system allowed for many more exact divisions. For a more sophisticated example, 1 hour divided by 48 is 1 minute and 15 seconds.</p>
<p>This precise arithmetic of the Babylonians also influenced their geometry, which they preferred to be exact. They were able to generate a wide variety of right-angled triangles within exact ratios b/l and d/l, where b, l and d are the short side, long side and diagonal of a rectangle.</p>
<p>The ratio b/l was particularly important to the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians because they used this ratio to measure steepness.</p>
<p>The Plimpton 322 tablet</p>
<p>We now know that the Babylonians studied trigonometry because we have a fragment of one of their trigonometric tables.</p>
<p>Plimpton 322 is a broken clay tablet from the ancient city of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Larsa" type="external">Larsa</a>, which was located near Tell as-Senkereh in modern day Iraq. The tablet was written between 1822-1762 BCE.</p>
<p>In the 1920s, the archaeologist, academic and adventurer Edgar J Banks sold the tablet to the American publisher and philanthropist <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/george-arthur-plimpton-9442850" type="external">George Arthur Plimpton</a>.</p>
<p>Plimpton bequeathed his entire collection of mathematical artifacts to Columbia University in 1936, and it resides there today in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library. It’s available online through the <a href="http://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P254790" type="external">Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative</a>.</p>
<p>In 1945, the tablet was revealed to contain a highly sophisticated sequence of integer numbers that satisfy the Pythagorean equation a2+b2=c2, known as <a href="https://www.mathsisfun.com/pythagorean_triples.html" type="external">Pythagorean triples</a>.</p>
<p>This is the fundamental relationship of the three sides of a right-angled triangle, and this discovery proved that the Babylonians knew this relationship more than 1,000 years before the Greek mathematician <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pythagoras" type="external">Pythagoras</a> was born.</p>
<p>Plimpton 322 has ruled space on the reverse, which indicates that additional rows were intended. In 1964, the Yale-based science historian <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0498.1964.tb00385.x/abstract" type="external">Derek J de Solla Price</a> discovered the pattern behind the complex sequence of Pythagorean triples and we now know that it was originally intended to contain 38 rows in total.</p>
<p>The tablet also has missing columns, and in 1981 the Swedish mathematics historian <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0315-0860(81)90069-0" type="external">Jöran Friberg</a> conjectured that the missing columns should be the ratios b/l and d/l. But the tablet’s purpose remained elusive.</p>
<p>The surviving fragment of Plimpton 322 starts with the Pythagorean triple 119, 120, 169. The next triple is 3367, 3456, 4825. This makes sense when you realize that the first triple is almost a square (which is an extreme kind of rectangle), and the next is slightly flatter. In fact the right-angled triangles are slowly but steadily getting flatter throughout the entire sequence.</p>
<p />
<p>So the trigonometric nature of this table is suggested by the information on the surviving fragment alone, but it is even more apparent from the reconstructed tablet.</p>
<p>This argument must be made carefully because modern notions such as angle were not present at the time Plimpton 322 was written. How then might it be a trigonometric table?</p>
<p>Fundamentally a trigonometric table must describe three ratios of a right triangle. So we throw away sin and cos and instead start with the ratios b/l and d/l. The ratio which replaces tan would then be b/d or d/b, but neither can be expressed exactly in sexagesimal.</p>
<p>Instead, information about this ratio is split into three columns of exact numbers. A squared index and simplified values of b and d to help the scribe make their own approximation to b/d or d/b.</p>
<p>No approximation</p>
<p>The most remarkable aspect of Babylonian trigonometry is its precision. Babylonian trigonometry is exact, whereas we are accustomed to approximate trigonometry.</p>
<p>The Babylonian approach is also much simpler because it only uses exact ratios. There are no irrational numbers and no angles, and this means that there is also no sin, cos or tan or approximation.</p>
<p>It is difficult to say why this approach to trigonometry has not survived. Perhaps it went out of fashion because the Greek approach using angles is more suitable for astronomical calculations. Perhaps this understanding was lost in 1762 BCE when Larsa was captured by Hammurabi of Babylon. Without evidence, we can only speculate.</p>
<p>We are only beginning to understand this ancient civilization, which is likely to hold many more secrets waiting to be discovered.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-mansfield-333603" type="external">Daniel Mansfield</a> is an associate lecturer in mathematics and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/norman-wildberger-392488" type="external">Norman Wildberger</a> is an associate professor in mathematics at <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" type="external">UNSW.</a></p>
<p />
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com/" type="external">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/written-in-stone-the-worlds-first-trigonometry-revealed-in-an-ancient-babylonian-tablet-81472" type="external">original article</a>.</p> | false | 1 | aug 25 upi ancient babylonians lived 4000 bce iraq long forgotten understanding rightangled triangles much simpler accurate conventional trigonometry taught schools new research published historia mathematica shows babylonians able construct trigonometric table using exact ratios sides rightangled triangle completely different form trigonometry need familiar modern concept angles school told shape rightangled triangle depends upon two angles angle related circumference circle divided 360 parts degrees angle used describe ratios sides rightangled triangle sin cos tan circles rightangled triangles different price simple values angle borne ratios complicated must approximated three ratios modern trigonometric table rounded six decimal places auxiliary angle Θ degrees image courtesy daniel mansfield approach traced back greek astronomer mathematician hipparchus nicaea died 127 bce said father trigonometry used table chords calculate orbits moon sun new research shows first best approach trigonometry babylonian trigonometry babylonians discovered unique form trigonometry old babylonian period 19001600 bce 1500 years earlier greek form remarkably trigonometry contains none hallmarks modern trigonometry use angles use approximation babylonians completely different conceptualization right triangle saw half rectangle due sophisticated sexagesimal base 60 number system able construct wide variety right triangles using exact ratios sexagesimal system better suited exact calculation example divide 1 hour 3 get exactly 20 minutes divide 1 three get 33 cents 1 cent left fundamental difference convention treat hours dollars different number systems time sexagesimal dollars decimal babylonians knew sexagesmial number system allowed many exact divisions sophisticated example 1 hour divided 48 1 minute 15 seconds precise arithmetic babylonians also influenced geometry preferred exact able generate wide variety rightangled triangles within exact ratios bl dl b l short side long side diagonal rectangle ratio bl particularly important ancient babylonians egyptians used ratio measure steepness plimpton 322 tablet know babylonians studied trigonometry fragment one trigonometric tables plimpton 322 broken clay tablet ancient city larsa located near tell assenkereh modern day iraq tablet written 18221762 bce 1920s archaeologist academic adventurer edgar j banks sold tablet american publisher philanthropist george arthur plimpton plimpton bequeathed entire collection mathematical artifacts columbia university 1936 resides today rare book manuscript library available online cuneiform digital library initiative 1945 tablet revealed contain highly sophisticated sequence integer numbers satisfy pythagorean equation a2b2c2 known pythagorean triples fundamental relationship three sides rightangled triangle discovery proved babylonians knew relationship 1000 years greek mathematician pythagoras born plimpton 322 ruled space reverse indicates additional rows intended 1964 yalebased science historian derek j de solla price discovered pattern behind complex sequence pythagorean triples know originally intended contain 38 rows total tablet also missing columns 1981 swedish mathematics historian jöran friberg conjectured missing columns ratios bl dl tablets purpose remained elusive surviving fragment plimpton 322 starts pythagorean triple 119 120 169 next triple 3367 3456 4825 makes sense realize first triple almost square extreme kind rectangle next slightly flatter fact rightangled triangles slowly steadily getting flatter throughout entire sequence trigonometric nature table suggested information surviving fragment alone even apparent reconstructed tablet argument must made carefully modern notions angle present time plimpton 322 written might trigonometric table fundamentally trigonometric table must describe three ratios right triangle throw away sin cos instead start ratios bl dl ratio replaces tan would bd db neither expressed exactly sexagesimal instead information ratio split three columns exact numbers squared index simplified values b help scribe make approximation bd db approximation remarkable aspect babylonian trigonometry precision babylonian trigonometry exact whereas accustomed approximate trigonometry babylonian approach also much simpler uses exact ratios irrational numbers angles means also sin cos tan approximation difficult say approach trigonometry survived perhaps went fashion greek approach using angles suitable astronomical calculations perhaps understanding lost 1762 bce larsa captured hammurabi babylon without evidence speculate beginning understand ancient civilization likely hold many secrets waiting discovered daniel mansfield associate lecturer mathematics norman wildberger associate professor mathematics unsw article originally published conversation read original article | 627 |
<p>Aaron Luna works as a caseworker to help immigrants take steps needed to build a future in the U.S.</p>
<p>The 24-year-old DREAMer is familiar with the stories of those he helps because he is one of them. Luna came to the U.S. with his parents from La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico, some 1,600 miles south of Las Vegas. He started out volunteering at the nonprofit Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional in 2012 and got a job there a couple of years later.</p>
<p>He’s also waiting for answers from President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Trump’s administration has signaled he doesn’t want to end Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has allowed DREAMers, the children of immigrants brought into the U.S. illegally as minors, to remain in the country.</p>
<p>A White House spokesman said this week Trump is focused instead on immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have a criminal record or “pose a threat to the American people.” It’s a departure from a campaign promise in which Trump said he would immediately end DACA.</p>
<p>Still, after a campaign filled with strong rhetoric, Nevada’s immigrants, lawmakers and advocates need more details before they know what to expect from Trump.</p>
<p>“I was actually a little relieved that they aren’t taking into account to do an action right now,” Luna said Tuesday. “But still, it’s that uncertainty that’s scaring all the people because they don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe in two months, three months, he’s going to make a decision. That uncertainty, the anxiety, is keeping us in suspense. What should I do? Should I be worried, should I not be worried? Should I start taking precautions, like I’m going to lose my work permit, or not? ”</p>
<p>DELEGATION RESPONDS</p>
<p>Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation are particularly skeptical. Trump’s statements on immigration as a presidential candidate aren’t forgotten.</p>
<p>“We cannot take anything for granted when it comes to policies affecting our immigrant communities and families,” U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said. “Throughout his campaign, President Trump promised an anti-immigrant agenda that includes mass deportations and tearing families apart, and until we see a proposal or measures that prove otherwise, we are going to remain vigilant in fighting to protect DACA and immigrant families.”</p>
<p>U.S. Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev, immigrated with his family from Mexico to the United States as a child.</p>
<p>“President Trump called Mexican immigrants ‘rapists’ and ‘criminals,’ then promised to build a ‘huge’ wall,” Kihuen said. “Now, he expects us to trust that he won’t deport millions of young DREAMers? I’m not buying it.”</p>
<p>Meaningful immigration reform, such as securing the border, must be addressed, said Neal Patel, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.</p>
<p>U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., isn’t convinced that Trump’s position has changed.</p>
<p>“Just because the Trump administration suggests it wants to ease the narrative on DACA doesn’t mean I believe it’s changing its position,” Titus said. “I will keep my eyes open for 3 a.m. tweets and spur-of-the-moment press conferences to find out the truth.”</p>
<p>OTHERS WEIGH IN</p>
<p>Immigration advocates continue to be wary.</p>
<p>“We’re still operating on high alert because you never know,” said Laura Martin, associate director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.</p>
<p>“People are nervous and they’re already scared because the campaign rhetoric was very violent against immigrants,” she said, adding nothing about Trump’s first few days in office allays those fears.</p>
<p>The Culinary Union, which represents thousands of resort and casino workers in Nevada, said keeping families together will remain a priority.</p>
<p>“As the largest union and immigrant organization in Nevada, the Culinary Union will continue fighting for comprehensive worker-centered immigration reform,” said secretary-treasurer Geoconda Arguello-Kline in a statement. “The Culinary Union remains committed to ensuring that immigrant children and their parents are not separated.”</p>
<p>There’s no way of knowing, she said, whether his administration will turn its attention to DACA and other immigration reform efforts this week, this month, or this year, and “there’s still Congress that could send him a bill.”</p>
<p>Juan Escalante, a DACA recipient and digital campaigns manager for national immigration reform group America’s Voice, said more details from Trump are needed.</p>
<p>“I will not speculate because the Trump Administration refuses to speak in details about DACA,” he said. “Instead, I will continue to defend the DACA program until we have concrete details.”</p>
<p>EDUCATORS REACT</p>
<p>The Clark County School Board will discuss a resolution on Thursday to protect the privacy of students, regardless of their immigration status. Trustee Carolyn Edwards, who said she proposed the resolution to reassure immigrant students, said the latest word from Washington doesn’t change her proposal.</p>
<p>“I think that’s good news,” she said. “But I also think that the anxiety level of people is so high, and this is a way for us to reassure students and families.”</p>
<p>The Rogers Foundation, a local educational nonprofit, called on K-12 and higher-education leaders to establish their campuses as sanctuaries for undocumented students back in December.</p>
<p>“Whatever the president said yesterday, it doesn’t erase the things he said throughout the campaign,” said foundation president Rory Reid.</p>
<p>The foundation runs programs that serve minority students — including Core Academy, which is offered through the Clark County School District.</p>
<p>“I’m still concerned that our immigration policy will not be friendly to innocent children that are here,” Reid said.</p>
<p>Trump’s move away from taking immediate action was welcomed by Nevada State College President Bart Patterson, among the more than 600 college leaders nationwide to sign a Pomona College letter in support of DACA.</p>
<p>“It is very positive that the new administration and Congress are withholding any immediate action on DACA to take time to look at a comprehensive plan for these young people who were brought here as little children, have grown up here and are now going to school, working, and helping build our economy,” Patterson said in a statement.</p>
<p>Jordan Escoto, co-founder of the newly formed UNLV Campus Conservatives — which has opposed the push to make the university a sanctuary campus — said the latest statement is not their “preferred outcome.”</p>
<p>“We think Trump needs to stick to his promise to get rid of any unconstitutional executive order, which DACA is,” he said. “Congress needs to be the only one who is making immigration policy.”</p>
<p>WAITING FOR ANSWERS</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Luna and others like Luis-Angel Morales-Abarca, 21, and his sister Katheryne Morales-Abarca, 24, will closely watch the developments from the Trump administration.</p>
<p>“Most of us just want to make our family proud because it’s another step towards citizenship and having a better life,” said Luis-Angel Morales-Abarca, who was working with Luna on Tuesday to obtain a DACA renewal.</p>
<p>Luna’s family yearns to one day become U.S. citizens. His father was once a bus driver in Mexico. His mother cleans houses and cars.</p>
<p>“We would like to be able to stay here legally and have the opportunity to become U.S. citizens,” Luna said. “We understand that there’s going to be some process for it. Most of the people will need to go under that process. But still, we would like to have that opportunity.”</p>
<p>Contact Ben Botkin at [email protected] or 775-461-0661. Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BenBotkin1" type="external">@BenBotkin1</a> on Twitter. Amelia Pak-Harvey, Natalie Bruzda, Lucy Hood, Brooke Wanser and Debra Saunders contributed to this report.</p>
<p>RELATED</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Trump spokesman signals that ending DACA no longer a priority</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Trump plans to go forward with border wall, considers refugee restrictions</a></p>
<p /> | false | 1 | aaron luna works caseworker help immigrants take steps needed build future us 24yearold dreamer familiar stories helps one luna came us parents la piedad michoacan mexico 1600 miles south las vegas started volunteering nonprofit hermandad mexicana transnacional 2012 got job couple years later hes also waiting answers president donald trump trumps administration signaled doesnt want end barack obamas deferred action childhood arrivals program allowed dreamers children immigrants brought us illegally minors remain country white house spokesman said week trump focused instead immigrants us illegally criminal record pose threat american people departure campaign promise trump said would immediately end daca still campaign filled strong rhetoric nevadas immigrants lawmakers advocates need details know expect trump actually little relieved arent taking account action right luna said tuesday still uncertainty thats scaring people dont know whats going happen maybe two months three months hes going make decision uncertainty anxiety keeping us suspense worried worried start taking precautions like im going lose work permit delegation responds democratic members nevadas congressional delegation particularly skeptical trumps statements immigration presidential candidate arent forgotten take anything granted comes policies affecting immigrant communities families us sen catherine cortez masto dnev said throughout campaign president trump promised antiimmigrant agenda includes mass deportations tearing families apart see proposal measures prove otherwise going remain vigilant fighting protect daca immigrant families us rep ruben kihuen dnev immigrated family mexico united states child president trump called mexican immigrants rapists criminals promised build huge wall kihuen said expects us trust wont deport millions young dreamers im buying meaningful immigration reform securing border must addressed said neal patel spokesman us sen dean heller rnev us rep dina titus dnev isnt convinced trumps position changed trump administration suggests wants ease narrative daca doesnt mean believe changing position titus said keep eyes open 3 tweets spurofthemoment press conferences find truth others weigh immigration advocates continue wary still operating high alert never know said laura martin associate director progressive leadership alliance nevada people nervous theyre already scared campaign rhetoric violent immigrants said adding nothing trumps first days office allays fears culinary union represents thousands resort casino workers nevada said keeping families together remain priority largest union immigrant organization nevada culinary union continue fighting comprehensive workercentered immigration reform said secretarytreasurer geoconda arguellokline statement culinary union remains committed ensuring immigrant children parents separated theres way knowing said whether administration turn attention daca immigration reform efforts week month year theres still congress could send bill juan escalante daca recipient digital campaigns manager national immigration reform group americas voice said details trump needed speculate trump administration refuses speak details daca said instead continue defend daca program concrete details educators react clark county school board discuss resolution thursday protect privacy students regardless immigration status trustee carolyn edwards said proposed resolution reassure immigrant students said latest word washington doesnt change proposal think thats good news said also think anxiety level people high way us reassure students families rogers foundation local educational nonprofit called k12 highereducation leaders establish campuses sanctuaries undocumented students back december whatever president said yesterday doesnt erase things said throughout campaign said foundation president rory reid foundation runs programs serve minority students including core academy offered clark county school district im still concerned immigration policy friendly innocent children reid said trumps move away taking immediate action welcomed nevada state college president bart patterson among 600 college leaders nationwide sign pomona college letter support daca positive new administration congress withholding immediate action daca take time look comprehensive plan young people brought little children grown going school working helping build economy patterson said statement jordan escoto cofounder newly formed unlv campus conservatives opposed push make university sanctuary campus said latest statement preferred outcome think trump needs stick promise get rid unconstitutional executive order daca said congress needs one making immigration policy waiting answers meanwhile luna others like luisangel moralesabarca 21 sister katheryne moralesabarca 24 closely watch developments trump administration us want make family proud another step towards citizenship better life said luisangel moralesabarca working luna tuesday obtain daca renewal lunas family yearns one day become us citizens father bus driver mexico mother cleans houses cars would like able stay legally opportunity become us citizens luna said understand theres going process people need go process still would like opportunity contact ben botkin bbotkinreviewjournalcom 7754610661 follow benbotkin1 twitter amelia pakharvey natalie bruzda lucy hood brooke wanser debra saunders contributed report related trump spokesman signals ending daca longer priority trump plans go forward border wall considers refugee restrictions | 739 |
<p>President Donald Trump has embraced legislation that would dramatically reduce legal immigration and shift the nation toward a system that prioritizes merit and skills over family ties.</p>
<p>However,&#160;economists warn that the plan could actually hurt the American economy because economic growth depends on expanding the workforce, not shrinking it, as Trump’s plan seemingly would accomplish.</p>
<p>In essences, experts warn that Trump’s plan would hinder&#160;prospects for his own administration’s economic growth goals. One expert called the plan “economically reckless.”</p>
<p>Trump on Wednesday joined with Republican Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas to promote the bill, which so far has gained little traction in the Senate.</p>
<p>“This legislation demonstrates our compassion for struggling American families who deserve an immigration system that puts their needs first and puts America first,” Trump said during an event Wednesday in the White House’s Roosevelt Room.</p>
<p>It was the latest example of the president championing an issue that animated the core voters of his 2016 campaign, following decisions to pull out of the Paris climate treaty and ban transgender people from the military.</p>
<p>Perdue and Cotton’s legislation would replace the current process for obtaining legal permanent residency, or green cards, creating a skills-based point system for employment visas. The bill would also eliminate the preference for U.S. residents’ extended and adult family members, while maintaining priority for their spouses and minor children.</p>
<p>Overall, immigration would be slashed 41 percent in the legislation’s first year and 50 percent in its 10th, according to projection models cited by the bill’s sponsors. The bill would also aim to slash the number of refugees in half and eliminate a program that provides visas to people from countries with low rates of immigration.</p>
<p>The rollout included a combative press briefing led by Trump policy aide Stephen Miller, who clashed with the media over the plan and accused one reporter of being “cosmopolitan” when he suggested it would only bring in English-speaking people from Britain and Australia.</p>
<p>The president has made cracking down on illegal immigration a hallmark of his administration and has tried to slash federal grants for cities that refuse to comply with federal efforts to detain and deport those living in the country illegally.</p>
<p>But he has also vowed to make changes to the legal immigration system, arguing that immigrants compete with Americans for much-needed jobs and drive wages down.</p>
<p>Most economists dispute the president’s argument, noting that immigration in recent decades doesn’t appear to have meaningfully hurt wages in the long run. Increased immigration is also associated with faster growth because the country is adding workers, so restricting the number of immigrants could slow the economy’s potential to expand.</p>
<p>The White House has set a goal of achieving 3% economic growth through a mix of tax reform, deregulation and other measures. Most economists say immigration would be a key contributor to achieving that mark.</p>
<p>“The only way the administration would be able to achieve its goal of 3% sustained real GDP growth would be to significantly increase foreign immigration into the U.S.,” said Moody’s Analytics economist Mark Zandi in a recent interview with <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/story/14254137/1/trump-s-immigration-cuts-could-damage-prospects-for-economic-growth.html" type="external">TheStreet.</a></p>
<p>“Unfortunately, it appears to be going in the opposite direction, and working to restrict immigration,” Zandi told TheStreet.</p>
<p>“We’ve achieved 3% growth in the past partly when assisted by rapid population growth, and favorable demographics,” University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers explained to&#160; <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/story/14254137/1/trump-s-immigration-cuts-could-damage-prospects-for-economic-growth.html" type="external">TheStreet.&#160;</a>&#160;</p>
<p>“We are certain that both will be headwinds over the next few decades, as fertility has slowed, immigration looks likely to decline, and as the baby boomers enter retirement. And all of this occurs against a backdrop of relatively weak productivity growth, and with an economy that is closing in on full employment.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/02/immigration-bill-economic-growth-241267" type="external">Politico</a> explained that economic growth, as measured by gross domestic product, is an increase in the quantity of goods and services produced by workers; the more workers, the more goods they can produce. “And with U.S. population growing at its slowest pace since the Great Depression, the only way the workforce can expand is through immigration,” Politico said.</p>
<p>Economists tend to worry not about there being too much immigration, but rather not enough, Politico reported.&#160;</p>
<p>To be sure,&#160;Donald Kerwin, director of the Center for Migration Studies, told <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3vgmq/trumps-reckless-legal-immigration-policy-could-hurt-the-economy" type="external">Vice.com</a> that he thinks Trump’s plan is economically reckless.</p>
<p>“We would be going from admitting 1 million a year in a country of 330 million people to one that’s admitting 500,000. I think it’s fairly reckless, economically reckless. They haven’t thought it through very well,” Kerwin said.</p>
<p>“I must say it seems a bit ideological and it also seems that this was the plan all along, for certain politicians and groups. They didn’t like the legal immigration either when they were railing against illegal immigration all these years.”</p>
<p>The bill’s supporters, meanwhile, say it would make the U.S. more competitive, raise wages and create jobs.</p>
<p>Backers said the bill would sharply increase the proportion of green cards available to high-skilled workers and would not affect other high or low-skilled worker visa programs such as H1-B and H2-B visas. The Trump Organization has asked for dozens of H-2B visas for foreign workers at two of Trump’s private clubs in Florida, including his Mar-a-Lago resort.</p>
<p>The White House said that only 1 in 15 immigrants comes to the U.S. because of their skills, and the current system fails to place a priority on highly skilled immigrants.</p>
<p>But the Senate has largely ignored a previous version of the measure, with no other lawmaker signing on as a co-sponsor. GOP leaders have showed no inclination to vote on immigration this year, and Democrats quickly dismissed it.</p>
<p>“The bottom line is to cut immigration by half a million people, legal immigration, doesn’t make much sense,” said Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer of New York, who called it a “nonstarter.”</p>
<p>The bill would create a new points-based system for applicants seeking to become legal permanent residents, favoring those who can speak English, have high-paying job offers, can financially support themselves and offer skills that would contribute to the U.S. economy. A little more than 1 million green cards were issued in 2015.</p>
<p>In a nod to his outreach to blue-collar workers during the campaign, Trump said the measure would prevent new immigrants from collecting welfare for a period of time and help U.S. workers by reducing the number of unskilled laborers entering the U.S.</p>
<p>But the president is mischaracterizing many of the immigrants coming to the United States as low-skilled and dependent on government aid.</p>
<p>The Pew Research Center said in 2015 that 41 percent of immigrants who had arrived in the past five years held a college degree, much higher than the 30 percent of non-immigrants in the United States. A stunning 18 percent held an advanced degree, also much higher than the U.S. average.</p>
<p>Trump has long advocated for the changes and vowed during an immigration speech in Phoenix last August to overhaul the legal immigration system “to serve the best interests of America and its workers.” He voiced support for the Senate bill at a rally last week in Ohio, where his call for a “merit-based system” that “protects our workers” generated loud cheers.</p>
<p>Some immigrant advocates have criticized the proposal, saying that slashing legal immigration would hurt industries like agriculture and harm the economy.</p>
<p>“Our system is broken, but the response should be to modernize it, not take a sledgehammer to it,” said Jeremy Robbins, executive director of New American Economy, a group backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.</p>
<p>(Newsmax wires services the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters contributed to this report).</p> | false | 1 | president donald trump embraced legislation would dramatically reduce legal immigration shift nation toward system prioritizes merit skills family ties however160economists warn plan could actually hurt american economy economic growth depends expanding workforce shrinking trumps plan seemingly would accomplish essences experts warn trumps plan would hinder160prospects administrations economic growth goals one expert called plan economically reckless trump wednesday joined republican sens david perdue georgia tom cotton arkansas promote bill far gained little traction senate legislation demonstrates compassion struggling american families deserve immigration system puts needs first puts america first trump said event wednesday white houses roosevelt room latest example president championing issue animated core voters 2016 campaign following decisions pull paris climate treaty ban transgender people military perdue cottons legislation would replace current process obtaining legal permanent residency green cards creating skillsbased point system employment visas bill would also eliminate preference us residents extended adult family members maintaining priority spouses minor children overall immigration would slashed 41 percent legislations first year 50 percent 10th according projection models cited bills sponsors bill would also aim slash number refugees half eliminate program provides visas people countries low rates immigration rollout included combative press briefing led trump policy aide stephen miller clashed media plan accused one reporter cosmopolitan suggested would bring englishspeaking people britain australia president made cracking illegal immigration hallmark administration tried slash federal grants cities refuse comply federal efforts detain deport living country illegally also vowed make changes legal immigration system arguing immigrants compete americans muchneeded jobs drive wages economists dispute presidents argument noting immigration recent decades doesnt appear meaningfully hurt wages long run increased immigration also associated faster growth country adding workers restricting number immigrants could slow economys potential expand white house set goal achieving 3 economic growth mix tax reform deregulation measures economists say immigration would key contributor achieving mark way administration would able achieve goal 3 sustained real gdp growth would significantly increase foreign immigration us said moodys analytics economist mark zandi recent interview thestreet unfortunately appears going opposite direction working restrict immigration zandi told thestreet weve achieved 3 growth past partly assisted rapid population growth favorable demographics university michigan economist justin wolfers explained to160 thestreet160160 certain headwinds next decades fertility slowed immigration looks likely decline baby boomers enter retirement occurs backdrop relatively weak productivity growth economy closing full employment meanwhile politico explained economic growth measured gross domestic product increase quantity goods services produced workers workers goods produce us population growing slowest pace since great depression way workforce expand immigration politico said economists tend worry much immigration rather enough politico reported160 sure160donald kerwin director center migration studies told vicecom thinks trumps plan economically reckless would going admitting 1 million year country 330 million people one thats admitting 500000 think fairly reckless economically reckless havent thought well kerwin said must say seems bit ideological also seems plan along certain politicians groups didnt like legal immigration either railing illegal immigration years bills supporters meanwhile say would make us competitive raise wages create jobs backers said bill would sharply increase proportion green cards available highskilled workers would affect high lowskilled worker visa programs h1b h2b visas trump organization asked dozens h2b visas foreign workers two trumps private clubs florida including maralago resort white house said 1 15 immigrants comes us skills current system fails place priority highly skilled immigrants senate largely ignored previous version measure lawmaker signing cosponsor gop leaders showed inclination vote immigration year democrats quickly dismissed bottom line cut immigration half million people legal immigration doesnt make much sense said senate democratic leader charles schumer new york called nonstarter bill would create new pointsbased system applicants seeking become legal permanent residents favoring speak english highpaying job offers financially support offer skills would contribute us economy little 1 million green cards issued 2015 nod outreach bluecollar workers campaign trump said measure would prevent new immigrants collecting welfare period time help us workers reducing number unskilled laborers entering us president mischaracterizing many immigrants coming united states lowskilled dependent government aid pew research center said 2015 41 percent immigrants arrived past five years held college degree much higher 30 percent nonimmigrants united states stunning 18 percent held advanced degree also much higher us average trump long advocated changes vowed immigration speech phoenix last august overhaul legal immigration system serve best interests america workers voiced support senate bill rally last week ohio call meritbased system protects workers generated loud cheers immigrant advocates criticized proposal saying slashing legal immigration would hurt industries like agriculture harm economy system broken response modernize take sledgehammer said jeremy robbins executive director new american economy group backed former new york city mayor michael bloomberg newsmax wires services associated press bloomberg reuters contributed report | 773 |
<p>If comic-book superheroes get origin stories, why shouldn’t Supreme Court justices? With its punchy, one-word title, “Marshall” sounds like it might be our introduction to some kind of pulp enforcer, but is in fact the story of ambitious young civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall — who would go on to become the first African-American associate justice named to the highest court in the land —&#160;and one of his early cases, reminiscent of the one Atticus Finch tries in “To Kill a Mockinbird,” in which a terrified black chauffeur stands accused of the rape and attempted murder of his white employer.</p>
<p>How appropriate then that the title role should go to <a href="http://variety.com/t/chadwick-boseman/" type="external">Chadwick Boseman</a>, the handsome, fast-rising star who has played heroes both real (Jackie Robinson in “42”) and imaginary (Black Panther in the upcoming Marvel film), and who balances the two in this performance, offsetting Marshall’s mythic stature as the chief counsel for the NAACP with those qualities that made him human, including a well-earned yet case-endangering ego and a commitment to his work that was tough on his marriage.</p>
<p>Director <a href="http://variety.com/t/reginald-hudlin/" type="external">Reginald Hudlin</a> (whose credits include “House Party,” “The Ladies Man” and exec producer duties on the last six NAACP Image Awards telecasts) is a stiff and not especially stylish director, but he has a smart take on this particular project: Rather than falling into the trap of blindly sanctifying Marshall based on his impressive his list of future accomplishments, he treats the character as a rich, three-dimensional character, the way Denzel Washington played Easy Rawlins in “Devil in a Blue Dress,” or Spencer Tracy brought depth to Henry Drummond in “Inherit the Wind.” By approaching Marshall as just another idealistic young trial lawyer, the film stands on its own as a compelling courtroom drama, complete with surprising revelations —&#160;and while we hope things will go his way, this case could just as easily prove the one that motivated his future crusade (much as Finch failed to exonerate Tom Robinson in “Mockingbird”).</p>
<p>Part of the character’s hubris is his self-righteous insistence that he only defends innocent men, which leads him to overlook the flaws of Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), a not-entirely-reliable defendant whose word pales by comparison with that of his accuser, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson, finding sympathy in a character who would destroy another man’s life to save her own reputation). Marshall’s cockiness is endearingly apparent from the moment he steps off the train in Bridgeport, Conn., ordering his white co-counsel, Sam Friedman ( <a href="http://variety.com/t/josh-gad/" type="external">Josh Gad</a>), to carry his bags.</p>
<p>The relationship with Friedman —&#160;a Jewish insurance attorney whom the NAACP hired to argue the case in court — was one of the defining aspects of this trial, and one that isn’t necessarily reported in online accounts, which often fail to mention that the judge (James Cromwell, stern as ever) allowed Marshall to sit at the defense’s table but forbade him from speaking in court.</p>
<p>This was 1940, a dozen years before Marshall challenged segregation’s “separate but equal” premise in Brown v. Board of Education, and though the NAACP often focused its efforts on Southern states (their mission was “to defend people falsely accused of a crime because of their race”), this particular case reveals how such prejudice was rampant in the North as well. Not only had practically every white person in town already made up his or her mind against the defendant, Joseph Spell, but they were clearly threatened by the idea that a fancy black lawyer might travel all the way from New York to help an alleged rapist beat that rap —&#160;as if anyone in town was willing to take the case.</p>
<p>Though prone to many of the clichés we’ve come to expect from big-screen courtroom dramas —&#160;where the words “objection,” “overruled” and “sustained” take on a kind of mini-theatricality of their own —&#160;“Marshall” was written by father-son team Michael and Jacob Koskoff, of which the elder Michael is himself a Connecticut civil rights lawyer who knows a thing or two about the field. As such, he brings insight to the case that others might have overlooked, paying particular attention to the technical arrangement by which Friedman and Marshall found themselves in such a curious situation: The NAACP needed a local lawyer to enter the case, but never wagered that they would be blocked from having a voice in court. (In a telling detail, Marshall meets another marginalized African-American in town who passed the bar, but was denied a license to practice law in Connecticut on account of his race.)</p>
<p>Mismatched partners can always be relied upon to generate sparks on screen, and while “Marshall” may not be as elegant as last year’s “Loving” in its chronicle of a mid-century civil-rights victory, the tension between Boseman and Gad’s characters delivers an added dramatic hook. Concerned for his reputation, Friedman has reason to fear that trying such an unpopular case will destroy his legal career, and besides, he’s less than thrilled to be taking under-the-table orders from this out-of-town stranger.</p>
<p>But as a Jewish man in wartime America, Friedman’s own experience with anti-Semitism adds a natural point of empathy with his client. By the end of the trial, he has put total trust in Marshall, which Hudlin illustrates by intercutting between a night-before powwow in which Marshall dictates the closing argument and the courtroom itself, where Friedman imbues his partner’s words with a personal conviction all his own. True to history, Marshall didn’t stay to hear the verdict, but was reassigned to another case, like Batman being unable to attend a parade in his honor because duty calls once again — the sort of real-life superhero to whom audiences ought to look for inspiration.</p>
<p>Reviewed at Open Road screening room, Los Angeles, Sept. 20, 2017. (In Urbanworld, San Diego film festivals.) MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 118 MIN.</p>
<p>An Open Road Films release, presented with Starlight Media of a Chestnut Ridge, Hudlin Entertainment production. Producers: Paula Wagner, Jonathan Sanger, Reginald Hudlin. Executive producers: Lei Luo, Xu Yan, Chris Bongirne, Hunter Ryan, David Ryan, Tom Ortenberg, John Cappetta, Kevin Lamb, Lai Pan, Lili Sun.</p>
<p>Director: Reginald Hudlin. Screenplay: Michael Koskoff &amp; Jacob Koskoff. Camera (color): Newton Thomas Sigel. Editor: Tom McArdle. Music: Marcus Miller.</p>
<p>Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown, Dan Stevens, James Cromwell, Keesha Sharp, Roger Guenveur Smith.</p> | false | 1 | comicbook superheroes get origin stories shouldnt supreme court justices punchy oneword title marshall sounds like might introduction kind pulp enforcer fact story ambitious young civil rights attorney thurgood marshall would go become first africanamerican associate justice named highest court land 160and one early cases reminiscent one atticus finch tries kill mockinbird terrified black chauffeur stands accused rape attempted murder white employer appropriate title role go chadwick boseman handsome fastrising star played heroes real jackie robinson 42 imaginary black panther upcoming marvel film balances two performance offsetting marshalls mythic stature chief counsel naacp qualities made human including wellearned yet caseendangering ego commitment work tough marriage director reginald hudlin whose credits include house party ladies man exec producer duties last six naacp image awards telecasts stiff especially stylish director smart take particular project rather falling trap blindly sanctifying marshall based impressive list future accomplishments treats character rich threedimensional character way denzel washington played easy rawlins devil blue dress spencer tracy brought depth henry drummond inherit wind approaching marshall another idealistic young trial lawyer film stands compelling courtroom drama complete surprising revelations 160and hope things go way case could easily prove one motivated future crusade much finch failed exonerate tom robinson mockingbird part characters hubris selfrighteous insistence defends innocent men leads overlook flaws joseph spell sterling k brown notentirelyreliable defendant whose word pales comparison accuser eleanor strubing kate hudson finding sympathy character would destroy another mans life save reputation marshalls cockiness endearingly apparent moment steps train bridgeport conn ordering white cocounsel sam friedman josh gad carry bags relationship friedman 160a jewish insurance attorney naacp hired argue case court one defining aspects trial one isnt necessarily reported online accounts often fail mention judge james cromwell stern ever allowed marshall sit defenses table forbade speaking court 1940 dozen years marshall challenged segregations separate equal premise brown v board education though naacp often focused efforts southern states mission defend people falsely accused crime race particular case reveals prejudice rampant north well practically every white person town already made mind defendant joseph spell clearly threatened idea fancy black lawyer might travel way new york help alleged rapist beat rap 160as anyone town willing take case though prone many clichés weve come expect bigscreen courtroom dramas 160where words objection overruled sustained take kind minitheatricality 160marshall written fatherson team michael jacob koskoff elder michael connecticut civil rights lawyer knows thing two field brings insight case others might overlooked paying particular attention technical arrangement friedman marshall found curious situation naacp needed local lawyer enter case never wagered would blocked voice court telling detail marshall meets another marginalized africanamerican town passed bar denied license practice law connecticut account race mismatched partners always relied upon generate sparks screen marshall may elegant last years loving chronicle midcentury civilrights victory tension boseman gads characters delivers added dramatic hook concerned reputation friedman reason fear trying unpopular case destroy legal career besides hes less thrilled taking underthetable orders outoftown stranger jewish man wartime america friedmans experience antisemitism adds natural point empathy client end trial put total trust marshall hudlin illustrates intercutting nightbefore powwow marshall dictates closing argument courtroom friedman imbues partners words personal conviction true history marshall didnt stay hear verdict reassigned another case like batman unable attend parade honor duty calls sort reallife superhero audiences ought look inspiration reviewed open road screening room los angeles sept 20 2017 urbanworld san diego film festivals mpaa rating pg13 running time 118 min open road films release presented starlight media chestnut ridge hudlin entertainment production producers paula wagner jonathan sanger reginald hudlin executive producers lei luo xu yan chris bongirne hunter ryan david ryan tom ortenberg john cappetta kevin lamb lai pan lili sun director reginald hudlin screenplay michael koskoff amp jacob koskoff camera color newton thomas sigel editor tom mcardle music marcus miller chadwick boseman josh gad kate hudson sterling k brown dan stevens james cromwell keesha sharp roger guenveur smith | 644 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In the school where I once taught, they used to tell the story of the smart-alecky boy in chemistry class who, upon being given meticulous instructions as to the day’s classwork, put his hand up and asked: “Please, sir, why do we need to do this experiment? You already know how it comes out, and we don’t care.” It was a sentiment to which the bosoms of at least half the all-male school instantly returned an echo. Not only did most of those on the artsy side of the arts-sciences divide not care, they passionately didn’t care. Very possibly the numbers of the uncaring and the unmotivated in a girl’s school would have been even higher. The difference is that nowadays no one cares about the boys who don’t care, but the girls who don’t care are thought to be letting down their sex.</p>
<p>The cover story by Amanda Ripley in <a href="http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1032332,00.html" type="external">Time of today’s date</a>&#160;is headlined “The Math Myth: The Real Truth about Women’s Brains and the Gender Gap in Science.” Scientists who are still working their slow way towards “the Real Truth” on this subject will doubtless be grateful to Time, with its customary enthusiasm for gross simplification, for straightening them out and so making an awful lot of laborious investigation and data-collection unnecessary. Nor will it surprise those who are already acquainted with Time to learn that the Real Truth bears a remarkable resemblance to the politically correct account of male-female learning disparities. For even though there are differences, including physiological ones, between the brains of men and women, they are unlikely to be important. “Men and women perform similarly on IQ tests. And most scientists still cannot tell male and female brains apart just by looking at them.”</p>
<p>Most can’t but some can? And which ones can’t? Physiologists or nuclear physicists? Time does not tell. Anyway, the important datum is that even where different aptitudes in the two sexes show up on tests, it is a simple matter of proper education to annihilate them. “There is plenty of evidence that when young women are motivated and encouraged, they excel at science,” Ms Ripley tells us. As an example, she tells us, girls in Iceland and Sweden are better than boys in math and physics, and because the gap is widest in the remote regions of Sweden, Ms Ripley and her tame expert, a Danish professor of educational psychology, find it an easy leap to the conclusion that “That may be because women want to move to the big cities farther south, where they would need to compete in high-tech economies, while men are focused on local hunting, fishing and forestry opportunities.”</p>
<p>The assumption here seems to be that motivation is an entirely extrinsic phenomenon. The scientifically-minded girls are presumed to have become so because of an accident of geography, while the non-scientifically minded ones who haven’t had the luck to have been born in some place like Jokkmokk in Swedish Lapland have become the way they are because, presumably, society has let them down and failed to perform its manifest duty of ensuring equal outcomes for the two sexes. Either way, the only intrinsic differences between the sexes which are supposed to matter are cognitive ones — and of course they don’t matter. But what if motivations are also inborn? What if little girls are by nature disposed not to care how the experiment comes out in even greater numbers than little boys. On what grounds do we tell them that they have a duty to care — at least beyond the conclusion of their minimal scientific education?</p>
<p>The answer can only be that we derive such a duty from the political imperative to make sure that all social outcomes are the same for the two sexes, as only thus can we be sure that one — that is to say, women — is not being oppressed or exploited by the other — that is to say, men. And yet what a procrustean bed we make for ourselves with such a reduction of the personal to the political. Surely it is ideology and not reason which forces us to suppose that natural differences in the moral and emotional dispositions of the two sexes can only be the result of one’s exercising an illegitimate power at the expense of the other?</p>
<p>I can think of two analogies. One is the contortions that educational institutions are forced by Title IX to engage in in order to find women who care about participation in sports and games and athletic events, whereas there is never any shortage of men. Of course, the PC account of this phenomenon is likely to be the same as it is in the case of female scientists and engineers: somehow they have been brainwashed by “society” into thinking they can’t do these things and therefore they don’t want to do them. It seems to me that all the brainwashing these days is going the other way, and yet there are still many fewer women wishing to take part in athletic competition than men. But let that pass. Perhaps the more telling example of inborn differences in what an earlier generation would have called “the passions” is in the sexes’ attitudes to the cleanliness of their environment.</p>
<p>Like most people who have lived with members of the opposite sex, I have always taken it for granted that women in general will care more about keeping clean than men in general. Of course this too may be “only” on account of social conditioning — as if social conditioning were merely arbitrary and alterable at will — but it is hard to see when and how such conditioning takes place. Even back in the bad old days of the 1950s when I was growing up, children of both sexes were enjoined to keep their rooms clean, but my sister cared about this without prompting while my brothers and I did not. Even threats rarely moved us. In every survey, women are found still to do the vast majority of the housework that is done in America. Is this only because of “sexism”? Or is it because the women by nature find it as hard not to care as men do to care that housework should be done? I’m only asking. But there seems enough of a doubt in this case, as in that of the women scientists, for people of good will to wish that politics might not bring its coercive force to the matter of making people do what they are disinclined to do.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | false | 1 | 160 school taught used tell story smartalecky boy chemistry class upon given meticulous instructions days classwork put hand asked please sir need experiment already know comes dont care sentiment bosoms least half allmale school instantly returned echo artsy side artssciences divide care passionately didnt care possibly numbers uncaring unmotivated girls school would even higher difference nowadays one cares boys dont care girls dont care thought letting sex cover story amanda ripley time todays date160is headlined math myth real truth womens brains gender gap science scientists still working slow way towards real truth subject doubtless grateful time customary enthusiasm gross simplification straightening making awful lot laborious investigation datacollection unnecessary surprise already acquainted time learn real truth bears remarkable resemblance politically correct account malefemale learning disparities even though differences including physiological ones brains men women unlikely important men women perform similarly iq tests scientists still tell male female brains apart looking cant ones cant physiologists nuclear physicists time tell anyway important datum even different aptitudes two sexes show tests simple matter proper education annihilate plenty evidence young women motivated encouraged excel science ms ripley tells us example tells us girls iceland sweden better boys math physics gap widest remote regions sweden ms ripley tame expert danish professor educational psychology find easy leap conclusion may women want move big cities farther south would need compete hightech economies men focused local hunting fishing forestry opportunities assumption seems motivation entirely extrinsic phenomenon scientificallyminded girls presumed become accident geography nonscientifically minded ones havent luck born place like jokkmokk swedish lapland become way presumably society let failed perform manifest duty ensuring equal outcomes two sexes either way intrinsic differences sexes supposed matter cognitive ones course dont matter motivations also inborn little girls nature disposed care experiment comes even greater numbers little boys grounds tell duty care least beyond conclusion minimal scientific education answer derive duty political imperative make sure social outcomes two sexes thus sure one say women oppressed exploited say men yet procrustean bed make reduction personal political surely ideology reason forces us suppose natural differences moral emotional dispositions two sexes result ones exercising illegitimate power expense think two analogies one contortions educational institutions forced title ix engage order find women care participation sports games athletic events whereas never shortage men course pc account phenomenon likely case female scientists engineers somehow brainwashed society thinking cant things therefore dont want seems brainwashing days going way yet still many fewer women wishing take part athletic competition men let pass perhaps telling example inborn differences earlier generation would called passions sexes attitudes cleanliness environment like people lived members opposite sex always taken granted women general care keeping clean men general course may account social conditioning social conditioning merely arbitrary alterable hard see conditioning takes place even back bad old days 1950s growing children sexes enjoined keep rooms clean sister cared without prompting brothers even threats rarely moved us every survey women found still vast majority housework done america sexism women nature find hard care men care housework done im asking seems enough doubt case women scientists people good wish politics might bring coercive force matter making people disinclined 160 | 520 |
<p>WASHINGTON — Will Donald Trump remake school lunches into his fast-food favorites of burgers and fried chicken when he’s president?</p>
<p>Children grumbling about healthier school meal rules championed by first lady Michelle Obama may have reason to cheer Trump’s election as the billionaire businessman is a proud patron of Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s while promising to curb federal regulations.</p>
<p>The Obama administration has made healthier, safer and better labeled food a priority in the last eight years, significantly raising the profile of food policy and sometimes drawing the ire of Republicans, farmers and the food industry. The first lady made reducing childhood obesity one of her signature issues through her “Let’s Move” campaign.</p>
<p>In addition to the healthier school meal rules, the administration ushered a sweeping food safety law through Congress, pushed through several new food labeling regulations, started to phase out trans fats, added calorie labels to menus and suggested new limits on sodium in packaged foods. The White House has also fended off efforts in the Republican Congress to trim the nation’s food stamp program.</p>
<p>“Food advocates are already nostalgic for the Obama era and will be playing defense for the next four years,” says Sam Kass, a former White House senior adviser on nutrition and personal chef for the Obamas.</p>
<p>A look at some of the food regulations that could be scrapped — or tweaked — in the new administration:</p>
<p>MAKING SCHOOL MEALS GREAT AGAIN</p>
<p>Trump himself hasn’t weighed in on school meal regulations. But Republicans, school nutrition directors and some in the food industry have balked at parts of the administration’s rules that set stricter fat, sugar and sodium limits, among other standards, on foods in the lunch line and beyond. While many students and schools have now gotten used to the healthier foods, some still complain that the standards are costly and difficult to meet.</p>
<p>“I would be very surprised if we don’t see some major changes on the school lunch program” and some other food issues, said Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees Agriculture Department spending.</p>
<p>Aderholt, who sits on Trump’s agriculture advisory committee, says the Obama administration’s approach was “activist driven” and people who voted for Trump are looking for a more common-sense approach.</p>
<p>Legislation is pending in both the House and Senate to revise some of the standards, and will likely be considered again next year. USDA could also make some changes on its own.</p>
<p />
<p>One of many names that have been floated as a possible agriculture secretary is Sid Miller, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner who repealed a state ban on deep fryers and soda machines at schools. Miller recently got in trouble when he used a profanity on Twitter to describe Democrat Hillary Clinton; he blamed a staffer and the tweet was deleted.</p>
<p>THE FOOD POLICE</p>
<p>In September, the Trump campaign pitched rolling back food safety regulations in a fact sheet, arguing they are burdensome to farmers and criticizing increased inspections of food manufacturing facilities as “overkill.” The sheet referred to the “food police” at the Food and Drug Administration. The campaign later deleted the proposal from its website.</p>
<p>Congress passed new food safety regulations in 2010, a year after a salmonella outbreak linked to a Georgia peanut company killed nine people. Michael Taylor, former FDA deputy commissioner for foods who oversaw the food safety rules, says it wouldn’t be popular with consumers to roll them back.</p>
<p>“Consumers are only getting more focused on safety, health and wellness,” Taylor says.</p>
<p>Trump himself is a self-professed germaphobe who prefers eating at fast-food restaurants because he believes they have higher food safety standards.</p>
<p>FOOD STAMPS</p>
<p>Congressional Republicans have been examining food stamps since the program’s cost grew to almost $80 billion annually after the recession. Participation and costs have dipped since its 2013 high, but conservatives have suggested tightening eligibility standards or increasing work requirements. House Speaker Paul Ryan has for years championed an overhaul to the program.</p>
<p>Democrats in the Senate have consistently objected to any changes, and will still wield influence. But they won’t have the backing of a Democratic White House.</p>
<p>OTHER FOOD POLICY</p>
<p>Many other laws are either already in place or close to it, including a revised “nutrition facts” panel on the back of food packages, with a new line breaking out added sugars, a labeling law for genetically modified foods and calorie labeling on restaurant and supermarket menus.</p>
<p>In many cases, the rules are a result of compromise with industry. Kass says that pulling back may just create more cost and uncertainty for businesses.</p>
<p>“Unwinding things is really hard, especially when most of them have been implemented and industry has moved on,” Kass says.</p>
<p>He predicts most of the regulations will stay, but that there will be little additional progress. Ongoing administration efforts to reduce sodium in food and antibiotics in meat could be casualties.</p>
<p>Margo Wootan, a lobbyist on nutrition issues for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says advocates will continue to be aggressive at the state and local levels, hoping change will bubble up.</p>
<p>“The public is more interested than ever in nutrition and will continue to press companies,” she says.</p> | false | 1 | washington donald trump remake school lunches fastfood favorites burgers fried chicken hes president children grumbling healthier school meal rules championed first lady michelle obama may reason cheer trumps election billionaire businessman proud patron kentucky fried chicken mcdonalds promising curb federal regulations obama administration made healthier safer better labeled food priority last eight years significantly raising profile food policy sometimes drawing ire republicans farmers food industry first lady made reducing childhood obesity one signature issues lets move campaign addition healthier school meal rules administration ushered sweeping food safety law congress pushed several new food labeling regulations started phase trans fats added calorie labels menus suggested new limits sodium packaged foods white house also fended efforts republican congress trim nations food stamp program food advocates already nostalgic obama era playing defense next four years says sam kass former white house senior adviser nutrition personal chef obamas look food regulations could scrapped tweaked new administration making school meals great trump hasnt weighed school meal regulations republicans school nutrition directors food industry balked parts administrations rules set stricter fat sugar sodium limits among standards foods lunch line beyond many students schools gotten used healthier foods still complain standards costly difficult meet would surprised dont see major changes school lunch program food issues said rep robert aderholt alabama republican chairman house subcommittee oversees agriculture department spending aderholt sits trumps agriculture advisory committee says obama administrations approach activist driven people voted trump looking commonsense approach legislation pending house senate revise standards likely considered next year usda could also make changes one many names floated possible agriculture secretary sid miller texas agriculture commissioner repealed state ban deep fryers soda machines schools miller recently got trouble used profanity twitter describe democrat hillary clinton blamed staffer tweet deleted food police september trump campaign pitched rolling back food safety regulations fact sheet arguing burdensome farmers criticizing increased inspections food manufacturing facilities overkill sheet referred food police food drug administration campaign later deleted proposal website congress passed new food safety regulations 2010 year salmonella outbreak linked georgia peanut company killed nine people michael taylor former fda deputy commissioner foods oversaw food safety rules says wouldnt popular consumers roll back consumers getting focused safety health wellness taylor says trump selfprofessed germaphobe prefers eating fastfood restaurants believes higher food safety standards food stamps congressional republicans examining food stamps since programs cost grew almost 80 billion annually recession participation costs dipped since 2013 high conservatives suggested tightening eligibility standards increasing work requirements house speaker paul ryan years championed overhaul program democrats senate consistently objected changes still wield influence wont backing democratic white house food policy many laws either already place close including revised nutrition facts panel back food packages new line breaking added sugars labeling law genetically modified foods calorie labeling restaurant supermarket menus many cases rules result compromise industry kass says pulling back may create cost uncertainty businesses unwinding things really hard especially implemented industry moved kass says predicts regulations stay little additional progress ongoing administration efforts reduce sodium food antibiotics meat could casualties margo wootan lobbyist nutrition issues center science public interest says advocates continue aggressive state local levels hoping change bubble public interested ever nutrition continue press companies says | 528 |
<p>Toronto Intl. Film Festival</p>
<p>Germany’s film industry is set for a very good year, with a slew of high-profile local films drawing strong B.O. at home, while also performing well on the international festival circuit, while the government gave a major boost in film funding.</p>
<p>The return of Michael Herbig with Warner’s “Bullyparade — Der Film,” an adaptation of the multi-hyphenate’s hit TV comedy sketch show, has already lit up the box office: The film opened Aug. 17 with 485,000 admissions, the best start of any German film since the hit high school comedy “Fack ju Goehte 2” bowed in September 2015.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, the third installment of Constantin Film’s hugely successful “Fack Ju Goehte” franchise is among the most highly anticipated of this year’s releases.</p>
<p>Local pics are sure to propel the year’s box office, which could use a boost after declining more than 12% last year from €1.17 billion ($1.38 billion) in 2015 to just over $1.2 billion. German films accounted for 22.7% of the total 121.1 million admissions in 2016, down from 27.5% the previous year. Yet local productions already saw an improved performance in the first half of the year with a 10.3% revenue increase to $84 million, according to trade publication Blickpunkt Film.</p>
<p>Top German titles in the first six months included DCM’s “Bibi &amp; Tina: Perfect Pandemonium,” Detlev Buck’s latest installment in his hugely successful franchise about a teen witch with $10 million; Studiocanal’s “My Blind Date With Life,” Marc Rothemund’s true story of a visually impaired man whose extraordinary determination lands him a job at a prestigious hotel, with $4.6 million; and “Vier gegen die Bank,” Warner’s star-studded comedy heist pic and Wolfgang Petersen’s first German-language film in more than 30 years, released at the end of 2016 and taking in some $8 million-plus.</p>
<p>Martin Moszkowicz, Constantin’s executive chairman, says the group has so far enjoyed a good year and is expecting an even better second half.“‘Fack Ju Goehte 3,’ the third installment of the most successful German movie franchise of all time, will be this year’s No. 1 movie opening in October everywhere in Germany,” he says. “Constantin is having a very strong third quarter so far. We currently have three movies in the top 10 on approximately 1,500 screens and with an overall market share of more than 25%.”</p>
<p>The producer-distributor’s current hits include Bavarian cop comedy “Griesnockerlaffaire”; “Ostwind — Aufbruch nach Ora,” the second sequel to the popular franchise about a girl and her horse, this time around on a galloping adventure in Spain; and Leander Haussmann’s family comedy “Das Pubertier,” about a hapless father witnessing the transformation if his sweet little girl into a petulant teen with the onset of puberty.</p>
<p>Moszkowicz expects “an outstandingly strong year overall — with several blockbusters coming until the end of the year.”</p>
<p>Those include “Jugend ohne Gott” (Youth Without God), a dystopian drama set in the near future in a school for high achievers and loosely based on the 1937 anti-fascist novel by Odon von Horváth (published in English as “The Age of the Fish”); “Tigermilch” (Tiger Milk), about the close friendship of two teenage girls coming of age in Berlin’s urban jungle; and Rothemund’s other fact-based drama, “Das Bescheuerte Herz” (This Crazy Heart), which stars Elyas M’Barek (of “Fack ju Goehte” fame) as a privileged young man who befriends a terminally ill teenage boy.</p>
<p>“These are all very commercial titles — I can’t think of a year with a similarly strong line-up,” Moszkowicz says.</p>
<p>A number of German productions are set to make a splash on the international circuit, including Wim Wenders’ “Submergence,” starring Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy, which world premieres in Toronto and subsequently opens the San Sebastian Festival.</p>
<p>Also unspooling is Fatih Akin’s timely thriller “In the Fade,” starring Diane Kruger as a woman seeking justice against neo-Nazis murder of her husband and son anchors this skilled though familiar drama. The film bowed at Cannes in May and is Germany’s entry in the Oscar foreign-language film race.</p>
<p>Jan Zabeil’s critically acclaimed family drama “ <a href="http://variety.com/t/three-peaks/" type="external">Three Peaks</a>,” starring <a href="http://variety.com/t/alexander-fehling/" type="external">Alexander Fehling</a>, won the Variety Piazza Grande Award in Locarno and makes its North American premiere in Toronto. Fehling also appears in Robert Schwentke’s World War II drama “Der Hauptmann” (The Captain), which likewise bows in Toronto.</p>
<p>Speaking to Variety, Fehling stresses that a young breed of filmmakers is taking fresh new approaches to cinema.</p>
<p>“A new generation of storytellers is rising, whose main focus is neither the history of our country nor to always be understood and liked by the audience, but more to open up a window to certain ways of seeing the world and experiencing the crazy streams of life as it is today, which ultimately creates interesting parts for actors.”</p>
<p>For Fehling, “Ambiguity is the key. The abysses and anxieties of a character are much more interesting than some sort of shiny side. If a great understanding and a big question mark come together, I become alert.”</p>
<p>That was one of the factors that led Fehling to “Three Peaks,” a tense drama focusing on the “ambiguous relationship” between a man and his girlfriend’s young son during a trip in the mountains.</p>
<p>The local industry back home, meanwhile, is celebrating a major boost in federal film funding after new regulations went into effect in August.</p>
<p>Announced earlier this year by German culture and media minister Monika Gruetters, the move enlarges the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), adding a new €25 million ($29.5 million) fund, dubbed DFFF II, aimed at large-scale domestic and international productions, which is set to grow to €75 million ($88.6 million) next year. The DFFF I will be continued with €50 million ($59 million) for a total funding pot next year of €125 million ($147.7 million)</p>
<p>The DFFF II will also allow local visual effects studios in addition to local production companies to apply for funding for commissioned projects, something Germany’s dynamic vfx sector has long been seeking.</p>
<p>Marvel Studios, in particular, has been a major international client of German vfx companies and the new regulations will likely mean even more work for studios in Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart.</p>
<p>The overall increase also raises the amount of funding the DFFF can provide per film.</p>
<p>Until now the program offered a 20% rebate on productions if they spend at least 25% of their budget in Germany. The DFFF I and II will now provide up to a 25% rebate.</p> | false | 1 | toronto intl film festival germanys film industry set good year slew highprofile local films drawing strong bo home also performing well international festival circuit government gave major boost film funding return michael herbig warners bullyparade der film adaptation multihyphenates hit tv comedy sketch show already lit box office film opened aug 17 485000 admissions best start german film since hit high school comedy fack ju goehte 2 bowed september 2015 surprisingly third installment constantin films hugely successful fack ju goehte franchise among highly anticipated years releases local pics sure propel years box office could use boost declining 12 last year 117 billion 138 billion 2015 12 billion german films accounted 227 total 1211 million admissions 2016 275 previous year yet local productions already saw improved performance first half year 103 revenue increase 84 million according trade publication blickpunkt film top german titles first six months included dcms bibi amp tina perfect pandemonium detlev bucks latest installment hugely successful franchise teen witch 10 million studiocanals blind date life marc rothemunds true story visually impaired man whose extraordinary determination lands job prestigious hotel 46 million vier gegen die bank warners starstudded comedy heist pic wolfgang petersens first germanlanguage film 30 years released end 2016 taking 8 millionplus martin moszkowicz constantins executive chairman says group far enjoyed good year expecting even better second halffack ju goehte 3 third installment successful german movie franchise time years 1 movie opening october everywhere germany says constantin strong third quarter far currently three movies top 10 approximately 1500 screens overall market share 25 producerdistributors current hits include bavarian cop comedy griesnockerlaffaire ostwind aufbruch nach ora second sequel popular franchise girl horse time around galloping adventure spain leander haussmanns family comedy das pubertier hapless father witnessing transformation sweet little girl petulant teen onset puberty moszkowicz expects outstandingly strong year overall several blockbusters coming end year include jugend ohne gott youth without god dystopian drama set near future school high achievers loosely based 1937 antifascist novel odon von horváth published english age fish tigermilch tiger milk close friendship two teenage girls coming age berlins urban jungle rothemunds factbased drama das bescheuerte herz crazy heart stars elyas mbarek fack ju goehte fame privileged young man befriends terminally ill teenage boy commercial titles cant think year similarly strong lineup moszkowicz says number german productions set make splash international circuit including wim wenders submergence starring alicia vikander james mcavoy world premieres toronto subsequently opens san sebastian festival also unspooling fatih akins timely thriller fade starring diane kruger woman seeking justice neonazis murder husband son anchors skilled though familiar drama film bowed cannes may germanys entry oscar foreignlanguage film race jan zabeils critically acclaimed family drama three peaks starring alexander fehling variety piazza grande award locarno makes north american premiere toronto fehling also appears robert schwentkes world war ii drama der hauptmann captain likewise bows toronto speaking variety fehling stresses young breed filmmakers taking fresh new approaches cinema new generation storytellers rising whose main focus neither history country always understood liked audience open window certain ways seeing world experiencing crazy streams life today ultimately creates interesting parts actors fehling ambiguity key abysses anxieties character much interesting sort shiny side great understanding big question mark come together become alert one factors led fehling three peaks tense drama focusing ambiguous relationship man girlfriends young son trip mountains local industry back home meanwhile celebrating major boost federal film funding new regulations went effect august announced earlier year german culture media minister monika gruetters move enlarges german federal film fund dfff adding new 25 million 295 million fund dubbed dfff ii aimed largescale domestic international productions set grow 75 million 886 million next year dfff continued 50 million 59 million total funding pot next year 125 million 1477 million dfff ii also allow local visual effects studios addition local production companies apply funding commissioned projects something germanys dynamic vfx sector long seeking marvel studios particular major international client german vfx companies new regulations likely mean even work studios berlin munich stuttgart overall increase also raises amount funding dfff provide per film program offered 20 rebate productions spend least 25 budget germany dfff ii provide 25 rebate | 689 |
<p>A close look at the choice between the two candidates isn’t as obvious as it might otherwise seem if the focus is limited to the Middle East.</p>
<p>When it comes to foreign policy, it seems at first glance to be a no brainer. Hillary Clinton is experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent, an internationalist, known and respected around the world. In contrast, Donald Trump repeatedly shoots himself and others elsewhere in the foot, seems clueless on the complexities of the world, and makes reckless hyper-nationalist boasts about how he will crush enemies and make allies squirm. Such posturing makes people everywhere fearful, hostile and even wondering whether the American citizenry as a whole is collectively experiencing a psychotic episode by taking seriously such an outlandish candidate.</p>
<p>Yet a closer look makes the choice between these two candidates less obvious, and more interesting, although not more encouraging, especially if the focus is what the election might mean for the Middle East.</p>
<p>One of the few consistent positions taken by Trump is to voice his deep skepticism about regime-changing interventions in the region, especially Iraq and Libya, and the accompanying expensive delusions of former presidents, as well as Clinton, about policies aimed at producing democracies. As expected, Trump has some awkward inconsistencies in his earlier pronouncements on these issues if you bother to check out what he had to say a few years ago.</p>
<p>Still, his present opposition to military interventions in the Middle East has been consistently expressed throughout the presidential campaign. His essential position is summarized by his own words: “After fifteen years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before.” What follows, then, is the likelihood that Trump will oppose intervention in the Middle East unless there is a clear connection present with a terrorist threat directed at the United States posed by ISIS, and maybe al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).</p>
<p>Clinton has a consistently hawkish record in foreign policy, which she tried her best to put out of sight during the primary competition with Bernie Sanders, whose progressive views were surprisingly similar to Trump on this central question of military intervention in the Middle East. During her time as Secretary of State (2009-2012), including shaping policy toward Russia, China, Afghanistan, and in the Middle East, Clinton over and over again pushed President Obama hard to adopt more militarist and confrontational positions, most visibly in the region with respect to American military involvement in Libya and Syria.</p>
<p>It is also relevant that Clinton’s regional grand strategy was premised on keeping friendly dictators in power even in the face of overwhelmingly popular uprisings, disclosed rather starkly in her lobbying efforts to stand by Mubarak in his hour of troubles with the Egyptian people back in 2011. Although she now downplays her support for the 2003 aggressive war in Iraq launched against the regime of Saddam Hussein, she clearly supported at its outset the most disastrous American foreign policy decision since the United States committed itself in the mid-1960s so heavily to the losing side in the Vietnam War. Not only did the attack on Iraq bring many deaths, much devastation, massive displacement, and lasting chaos to Iraq and its people, but the long American-led occupation spread disorder beyond Iraqi borders, and was an important contributing cause to the origins and rise of ISIS.</p>
<p>Yet, despite these Clinton policy misjudgments in the Middle East, isn’t the world still better off with the steady hand of Clinton than the wildly impulsive Trump? Her morbid quip struck hard at what this distinction could mean: “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.” Such anxiety is intensified as soon as we realize that there are no political checks limiting the capacity of an American president to use nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>This makes us aware of how people everywhere despite their huge stake in prudent American leadership, play no role in determining the outcome of a presidential election in the United States. It may be time to consider a plan to enfranchise the whole world to have a vote of some kind in American national elections if the ideal of global democracy and the rule of law are ever to achieve political traction.</p>
<p>Trump has made a number of assertions about nuclear weapons that not only challenge decades of Western conventional wisdom, but also strike fear in the hearts of people wherever they are, including the Middle East. In his preoccupation with conserving American financial resources, Trump has suggested that it might not be a bad thing for Japan and South Korea to develop their own nuclear weapons, and then take over responsibility for their own security. Supposedly he asked a friend, “Why can’t we use nukes?” True, such assertions are not necessarily indicative of what Trump would do as president in the Middle East, but neither should they be ignored.</p>
<p>Trump seems neo-isolationist in overall outlook, which means fewer international commitments and a desperate search for ways to cut overseas expenditures. It is possible that his unwillingness to give unquestioned support to the nonproliferation regime that has frozen the nuclear status quo for decades might generate a renewed push for phased, total nuclear disarmament, the only decent and reliable long-term solution.</p>
<p>There are other worries. Trump opposes the Iran nuclear deal, probably the most constructive diplomatic initiative taken during the eight years of the Obama presidency. Trump thinks it was a terrible deal since it “gave back to Iran $150 billion and gave us nothing.” Scrapping the agreement, or even failing to live up to its commitments, endangers an unraveling of the whole normalizing relationship of Iran within the Middle East, and could tempt Israel to launch some kind of preemptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities or even give rise to an extremely dangerous nuclear arms race in the region.</p>
<p>It should be noted, in passing, that both Trump and Clinton have tied themselves so firmly to the mast of pro-Israeli alignment as to be blind to the desirability of promoting a Middle East Nuclear Free Zone, a proposal that enjoys the support of every Middle Eastern government except Israel, and would probably do more to stabilize the region than any other single initiative.</p>
<p>Thinking that Clinton is more reliable than Trump may be more a matter of style than substance. Supposedly she did not oppose giving Israel a green light to attack Iran during her period as Secretary of State. Also worrisome is her long undisguised admiration for the warped wisdom of Henry Kissinger and even Robert Kagan, considered the most militarist member of the neoconservative inner circle, and despite being closely identified in the past with Republicans, has endorsed Clinton, and reportedly acts as the most prominent advisor in her foreign policy braintrust.</p>
<p>It is hardly a surprise that 50 self-proclaimed Republican national security specialists publicly endorsed Clinton over Trump, but it is a marker of how unusual this contest for the American presidency has become. As has been often observed, Clinton is of the foreign policy/national security establishment that has brought to where we are now, while Trump is seen as a potential spoiler who might pursue policies that would cause structural disintegration and with it, the collapse of the neoliberal economic order, that is, ‘the Washington consensus.’</p>
<p>Trump, too, boasts of his meetings with Kissinger, as some kind of certification of his worthiness that overcomes his amateurish qualifications for high political office. Yet his opinions adopt lines of thought that are probably an anathema to this aged master of real politik. Clinton, of course, has reflected more and longer on such matters, and in an effort to please all sides opts for what she is calling ‘smart power,’ a customized blend of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ power that is supposed to be responsive to the complexities of shaping foreign policy in the early 21st century. The Clinton formula, not unlike that of other recent mainstream candidates in the U.S., is designed to please as much as possible the warlords of the Pentagon, the wizards of Wall Street, and the champions of Israel, or at least not distress any of these three nodes of American geopolitical primacy.</p>
<p>With these profiles as a background, can we predict the foreign policy of a Clinton or Trump presidency in the Middle East? It is possible to make more reliable guesses about Clinton because she has made some of her positions already clear: an escalation of support for anti-Assad Syrian forces (except ISIS), a hardening of diplomatic bargaining with Iran in carrying out the nuclear agreement, a further upgrading of the ‘special relationship’ with Israel, and no change of course with respect to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the other Western-leaning autocracies in the region. In addition, a Clinton administration poses a possible recommitment of American military forces in Iraq, and especially robust military action against political extremism throughout the region.</p>
<p>Trump can be expected to indulge his neo-isolationist inclinations, likely moving policy in an opposite direction, withdrawing American combat forces and downgrading military bases in the region, in effect, a pivot away from the Middle East. The exception would seem to be his extravagant pledge to crush ISIS, whatever that might mean in practice, especially as it already seems almost crushed. The related idea of imposing an absolute ban on Muslim immigration to the US, if enacted, is likely to have disastrous blowback effects, fanning the flames of Muslim civilizational discontent.</p>
<p>If voting for an American president was only about the Middle East, I would rate the candidates as a tossup, but it isn’t. When the American domestic scene is taken into account, as well the rest of the world, Clinton holds the clear edge unless one feels so disgusted her candidacy as to write in Bernie Sanders on the ballot or cast a vote of conscience for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate. I remain uncertain as to which of these choices to make.</p>
<p>My liberal friends become angry when even such a possibility is mentioned. They still blame the Ralph Nader candidacy in the 2000 election for depriving Al Gore from a victory in Florida, and thus a national victory over George W. Bush. I remain puzzled by and opposed to such logic. Why allow third party candidates to seek public office if the pundits view it as irresponsible, or worse, to vote for them if the best candidate?</p>
<p>Or maybe, it is okay to vote for them if your state is not ‘a swing state,’ but that again means that it is more important to vote for the lesser of evils to avoid the greater of evils rather than to vote for the best candidate. I take a more nuanced position. It depends on how evil is the greater of evils compared to the lesser evil, and whether this seems to matter. At present, if I were in a swing state I would vote for Clinton, although reluctantly (domestic issues and nuclear weapons policy), but since I live in California I will probably vote for Jill Stein.</p>
<p>Somehow I wish Bernie Sanders had wrestled with this dilemma rather than uncritically adopting the liberal consensus, which, given Clinton’s slide to the right since the Democratic Party convention, should keep him awake some nights.</p>
<p>This article was originally published at <a href="https://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2016/09/03/clinton-versus-trump-how-it-might-matter-for-the-middle-east/" type="external">RichardFalk.Wordpress.com</a> and is an adaptation of a version published in <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/" type="external">Middle East Eye</a>.</p> | false | 1 | close look choice two candidates isnt obvious might otherwise seem focus limited middle east comes foreign policy seems first glance brainer hillary clinton experienced knowledgeable intelligent internationalist known respected around world contrast donald trump repeatedly shoots others elsewhere foot seems clueless complexities world makes reckless hypernationalist boasts crush enemies make allies squirm posturing makes people everywhere fearful hostile even wondering whether american citizenry whole collectively experiencing psychotic episode taking seriously outlandish candidate yet closer look makes choice two candidates less obvious interesting although encouraging especially focus election might mean middle east one consistent positions taken trump voice deep skepticism regimechanging interventions region especially iraq libya accompanying expensive delusions former presidents well clinton policies aimed producing democracies expected trump awkward inconsistencies earlier pronouncements issues bother check say years ago still present opposition military interventions middle east consistently expressed throughout presidential campaign essential position summarized words fifteen years wars middle east trillions dollars spent thousands lives lost situation worse ever follows likelihood trump oppose intervention middle east unless clear connection present terrorist threat directed united states posed isis maybe al qaeda arabian peninsula aqap clinton consistently hawkish record foreign policy tried best put sight primary competition bernie sanders whose progressive views surprisingly similar trump central question military intervention middle east time secretary state 20092012 including shaping policy toward russia china afghanistan middle east clinton pushed president obama hard adopt militarist confrontational positions visibly region respect american military involvement libya syria also relevant clintons regional grand strategy premised keeping friendly dictators power even face overwhelmingly popular uprisings disclosed rather starkly lobbying efforts stand mubarak hour troubles egyptian people back 2011 although downplays support 2003 aggressive war iraq launched regime saddam hussein clearly supported outset disastrous american foreign policy decision since united states committed mid1960s heavily losing side vietnam war attack iraq bring many deaths much devastation massive displacement lasting chaos iraq people long americanled occupation spread disorder beyond iraqi borders important contributing cause origins rise isis yet despite clinton policy misjudgments middle east isnt world still better steady hand clinton wildly impulsive trump morbid quip struck hard distinction could mean man bait tweet man trust nuclear weapons anxiety intensified soon realize political checks limiting capacity american president use nuclear weapons makes us aware people everywhere despite huge stake prudent american leadership play role determining outcome presidential election united states may time consider plan enfranchise whole world vote kind american national elections ideal global democracy rule law ever achieve political traction trump made number assertions nuclear weapons challenge decades western conventional wisdom also strike fear hearts people wherever including middle east preoccupation conserving american financial resources trump suggested might bad thing japan south korea develop nuclear weapons take responsibility security supposedly asked friend cant use nukes true assertions necessarily indicative trump would president middle east neither ignored trump seems neoisolationist overall outlook means fewer international commitments desperate search ways cut overseas expenditures possible unwillingness give unquestioned support nonproliferation regime frozen nuclear status quo decades might generate renewed push phased total nuclear disarmament decent reliable longterm solution worries trump opposes iran nuclear deal probably constructive diplomatic initiative taken eight years obama presidency trump thinks terrible deal since gave back iran 150 billion gave us nothing scrapping agreement even failing live commitments endangers unraveling whole normalizing relationship iran within middle east could tempt israel launch kind preemptive attack irans nuclear facilities even give rise extremely dangerous nuclear arms race region noted passing trump clinton tied firmly mast proisraeli alignment blind desirability promoting middle east nuclear free zone proposal enjoys support every middle eastern government except israel would probably stabilize region single initiative thinking clinton reliable trump may matter style substance supposedly oppose giving israel green light attack iran period secretary state also worrisome long undisguised admiration warped wisdom henry kissinger even robert kagan considered militarist member neoconservative inner circle despite closely identified past republicans endorsed clinton reportedly acts prominent advisor foreign policy braintrust hardly surprise 50 selfproclaimed republican national security specialists publicly endorsed clinton trump marker unusual contest american presidency become often observed clinton foreign policynational security establishment brought trump seen potential spoiler might pursue policies would cause structural disintegration collapse neoliberal economic order washington consensus trump boasts meetings kissinger kind certification worthiness overcomes amateurish qualifications high political office yet opinions adopt lines thought probably anathema aged master real politik clinton course reflected longer matters effort please sides opts calling smart power customized blend hard soft power supposed responsive complexities shaping foreign policy early 21st century clinton formula unlike recent mainstream candidates us designed please much possible warlords pentagon wizards wall street champions israel least distress three nodes american geopolitical primacy profiles background predict foreign policy clinton trump presidency middle east possible make reliable guesses clinton made positions already clear escalation support antiassad syrian forces except isis hardening diplomatic bargaining iran carrying nuclear agreement upgrading special relationship israel change course respect saudi arabia egypt westernleaning autocracies region addition clinton administration poses possible recommitment american military forces iraq especially robust military action political extremism throughout region trump expected indulge neoisolationist inclinations likely moving policy opposite direction withdrawing american combat forces downgrading military bases region effect pivot away middle east exception would seem extravagant pledge crush isis whatever might mean practice especially already seems almost crushed related idea imposing absolute ban muslim immigration us enacted likely disastrous blowback effects fanning flames muslim civilizational discontent voting american president middle east would rate candidates tossup isnt american domestic scene taken account well rest world clinton holds clear edge unless one feels disgusted candidacy write bernie sanders ballot cast vote conscience jill stein green party candidate remain uncertain choices make liberal friends become angry even possibility mentioned still blame ralph nader candidacy 2000 election depriving al gore victory florida thus national victory george w bush remain puzzled opposed logic allow third party candidates seek public office pundits view irresponsible worse vote best candidate maybe okay vote state swing state means important vote lesser evils avoid greater evils rather vote best candidate take nuanced position depends evil greater evils compared lesser evil whether seems matter present swing state would vote clinton although reluctantly domestic issues nuclear weapons policy since live california probably vote jill stein somehow wish bernie sanders wrestled dilemma rather uncritically adopting liberal consensus given clintons slide right since democratic party convention keep awake nights article originally published richardfalkwordpresscom adaptation version published middle east eye | 1,055 |
<p>A Clark County District Court judge said the city of Las Vegas “abused its discretion” in approving a developer’s plans for condominiums on the Badlands golf course without a major modification to the master plan.</p>
<p>Opponents of plans to develop the shuttered course from the surrounding Queensridge development challenged <a href="" type="internal">the City Council’s February 2017 vote</a> to allow developer EHB Cos. to build condos on 17 acres at the property’s eastern tip, and requested a judge weigh in.</p>
<p>Judge Jim Crockett in a hearing last week sided with the opponents, calling it “ironic” that the city and the developer “want to point to staff recommendations that were made toward the end of this process, but they want to disregard the repeated recommendations by staff in the earlier stages which made it clear that a major modification was a requirement,” according to the court transcript from the Jan. 11 hearing.</p>
<p>&lt;img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/stephens-media/image/upload/v1516407116/badlandsgraphicweb.jpg" alt="RIGHT-CLICK TO ENLARGE"&gt;</p>
<p>The City Council split 4-3 in favor of 435 for-sale condominiums at the former golf course’s eastern edge. Multiple development plans for the course have come before the Planning Commission and City Council since EHB bought the property, though the 435 condos are the only proposal the council has given the green light to. Construction on the condos hasn’t begun. The council voted down other development proposals in June and August.</p>
<p>The condo plans are one installment in a sustained struggle between the developers and a group of opponents who live in the tony Queensridge community, their properties overlooking the course. The battles have played out in courtrooms and City Hall, and their difference boils down to a fundamental disagreement over whether the golf course can be developed.</p>
<p>City staff at first “repeatedly explained” a major modification to the Peccole Ranch Master Plan was needed to approve the application, Crockett said.</p>
<p>“Instead, over the course of many months there was a gradual retreat from talking about that, and instead all of a sudden that discussion and the need for following staff’s recommendation just went out the window,” Crockett said.</p>
<p>The developers and their attorneys contend a major modification isn’t required for their development plans and that the golf course isn’t subject to the Peccole Ranch Master Plan. The developers also assert the property carries hard zoning and isn’t classified common open space.</p>
<p>“We are confident that the city’s interpretation of its own code is proper and will ultimately prevail,” said an EHB Cos. statement responding to Crockett’s decision.</p>
<p>Deputy City Attorney Phil Byrnes, who represented the city in court, told Crockett the golf course is not a planned development district and doesn’t require a major modification.</p>
<p>City Attorney Brad Jerbic could not be reached for comment.</p>
<p>The judge gave Todd Bice, the attorney representing the Badlands development opponents, two weeks to prepare an order. The developers and the city could appeal Crockett’s decision after that’s finalized.</p>
<p>This month, the council heard an appeal from the Queensridge opponents challenging the city planning director’s decision to not require EHB Cos. to submit a general plan amendment and a major modification of the master plan with a new round of development plans for another section of the course, which the council has yet to publicly consider.</p>
<p>The City Council voted 4-2 to deny that appeal, with Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian abstaining. Councilman Bob Coffin later said he accidentally voted with the majority — the opposite of what he intended to do. Coffin’s effort to have the council rescind that action and take another vote on the appeal died with a 3-3 vote Wednesday. Council members were briefed on Crockett’s decision in a closed-door session on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Coffin during the open meeting questioned why the council would revisit the issue when a judge had since ruled against the city.</p>
<p>“We lost the case. On this exact point,” Coffin said at Wednesday’s council meeting. “Why would we today thumb our nose at the judge and say ‘Sorry, Judge Crockett, we don’t care what you said in court … our position is going to be against you and for whoever — the developer.’”</p>
<p>The immediate implications for the city of the court decision on council-approved and pending plans for developing the course weren’t immediately clear.</p>
<p>New plans</p>
<p>Last week, the Las Vegas Planning Commission voted to advance to the City Council a separate set of plans to build single-family homes on a large swath of the 250-acre Badlands course, west of the planned condominium proposal. City staff recommended approval.</p>
<p>Multiple versions of plans have come before the Planning Commission and the council over the past two years. The developer’s team decried the process and how long it’s dragged on.</p>
<p>“The process has failed this developer. The process has not treated this developer as it treats other developers …” the developer’s attorney, Stephanie Allen, told the Planning Commission Jan. 9. “Every time you press pause it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars that go down the tank for this particular property owner.”</p>
<p>Contact Jamie Munks at <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a> or 702-383-0340. Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/JamieMunksRJ" type="external">@JamieMunksRJ</a> on Twitter.</p>
<p>Related</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Las Vegas City Council denies Badlands appeal</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Las Vegas might require community outreach to develop open space</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Las Vegas wants standard for golf course redevelopment</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Las Vegas City Council nixes another Badlands debate</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Badlands developer forces council vote, threatens to sell property</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p /> | false | 1 | clark county district court judge said city las vegas abused discretion approving developers plans condominiums badlands golf course without major modification master plan opponents plans develop shuttered course surrounding queensridge development challenged city councils february 2017 vote allow developer ehb cos build condos 17 acres propertys eastern tip requested judge weigh judge jim crockett hearing last week sided opponents calling ironic city developer want point staff recommendations made toward end process want disregard repeated recommendations staff earlier stages made clear major modification requirement according court transcript jan 11 hearing ltimg srchttpsrescloudinarycomstephensmediaimageuploadv1516407116badlandsgraphicwebjpg altrightclick enlargegt city council split 43 favor 435 forsale condominiums former golf courses eastern edge multiple development plans course come planning commission city council since ehb bought property though 435 condos proposal council given green light construction condos hasnt begun council voted development proposals june august condo plans one installment sustained struggle developers group opponents live tony queensridge community properties overlooking course battles played courtrooms city hall difference boils fundamental disagreement whether golf course developed city staff first repeatedly explained major modification peccole ranch master plan needed approve application crockett said instead course many months gradual retreat talking instead sudden discussion need following staffs recommendation went window crockett said developers attorneys contend major modification isnt required development plans golf course isnt subject peccole ranch master plan developers also assert property carries hard zoning isnt classified common open space confident citys interpretation code proper ultimately prevail said ehb cos statement responding crocketts decision deputy city attorney phil byrnes represented city court told crockett golf course planned development district doesnt require major modification city attorney brad jerbic could reached comment judge gave todd bice attorney representing badlands development opponents two weeks prepare order developers city could appeal crocketts decision thats finalized month council heard appeal queensridge opponents challenging city planning directors decision require ehb cos submit general plan amendment major modification master plan new round development plans another section course council yet publicly consider city council voted 42 deny appeal councilwoman lois tarkanian abstaining councilman bob coffin later said accidentally voted majority opposite intended coffins effort council rescind action take another vote appeal died 33 vote wednesday council members briefed crocketts decision closeddoor session wednesday coffin open meeting questioned council would revisit issue judge since ruled city lost case exact point coffin said wednesdays council meeting would today thumb nose judge say sorry judge crockett dont care said court position going whoever developer immediate implications city court decision councilapproved pending plans developing course werent immediately clear new plans last week las vegas planning commission voted advance city council separate set plans build singlefamily homes large swath 250acre badlands course west planned condominium proposal city staff recommended approval multiple versions plans come planning commission council past two years developers team decried process long dragged process failed developer process treated developer treats developers developers attorney stephanie allen told planning commission jan 9 every time press pause hundreds thousands dollars go tank particular property owner contact jamie munks jmunksreviewjournalcom 7023830340 follow jamiemunksrj twitter related las vegas city council denies badlands appeal las vegas might require community outreach develop open space las vegas wants standard golf course redevelopment las vegas city council nixes another badlands debate badlands developer forces council vote threatens sell property | 539 |
<p>Asbury Park was synonymous with rock ’n’ roll even before New Jersey native son Bruce Springsteen first picked up a guitar at age 14. But for the better part of the past 30 years, the New Jersey Shore town suffered neglect and a series of lofty but ill-fated entrepreneurial stop-starts. By the early 2000s, its boardwalk was splintering, Palace Amusements, with the iconic, smiling Tillie, was a memory, and weeds were sprouting in pavement cracks throughout its 1.6 square miles.</p>
<p>So when, over Labor Day weekend, former Beatle Paul McCartney was spotted dining at Jimmy’s Italian Restaurant — a mile away from a renovated Convention Hall, scores of art galleries, a brand-new hotel and, yes, old rock stalwart The Stone Pony — it signaled a major moment for the community of not quite 16,000. Asbury Park had truly, finally, returned.</p>
<p>“It’s such an interesting town, and it’s so close to New York City [55 miles], but it seems to be almost a little lost in time,” says David Bowd, a U.K. native who opened the Asbury Hotel in May 2016. Bowd partnered with New York-based iStar, the leading developer in Asbury Park, where a construction spree has resulted in new waterfront condos, restaurants and shops. “I felt that Asbury was so authentic and gritty. I walked around and saw that there were obviously lots of musicians and a vibrant art scene; there was a great gay community of young couples. I thought, ‘My goodness, this place really has it all.’”</p>
<p>Ghosts of long abandoned construction projects loomed large against the picturesque backdrop of the Atlantic, but Bowd, along with iStar CEO Jay Sugarman and senior VP Brian Cheripka, who spent five years acquiring most of the property they’ve since rehabbed, theorized that previous developers didn’t go “big enough.”</p>
<p>The 110-room boutique property The Asbury, located in a former Salvation Army building, is the first hotel to open in the city in more than 50 years. Like the new eateries and bars that have popped up in the vicinity in the past decade (among them the Asbury Festhalle &amp; Biergarten, Little Buddy Hideaway, Asbury Park Brewery and the popular Langosta Lounge), and attractions like the Silverball Museum, showcasing pinball machines from the Shore’s early years, the idea, says Sugarman, was “not to tear something down but to reinvent it.”</p>
<p />
<p>CREDIT: Courtesy of Ashbury Park Hotel</p>
<p>To that end, the connection to music is a through-line for businesses of every ilk. At the Asbury, the lobby features a “wall of vinyl,” each LP selected individually from a stack of 3,000. In May, the hotel hosted an exhibit by photographer Danny Clinch (Springsteen was spotted in the gallery, surveying images of Tupac Shakur, Johnny Cash and himself). This summer, the Asbury Park Music Foundation began selling shirts that read, “Music Saved Asbury Park.”</p>
<p>Radio personality and record executive Tom Cunningham, who hosts the weekly “Bruce Brunch” show on WCHR, says there’s a lot of truth in that statement. “The Stone Pony continues to be one of the most recognized clubs in the world,” says Cunningham of the venue, which recently hosted two shows by E Street Band members — bassist Garry Tallent and drummer Max Weinberg’s Jukebox — backed by North Brunswick native and former Styx member Glen Burtnik and his new band, the Weeklings. “The Light of Day festival has grown into an international success story, delivering both funding for Parkinson’s research and amazing music,” adds Cunningham. “There’s now an extra spotlight on a thriving restaurant scene, as well as the always evolving LGBT community. But it’s music that has always been the brightest beacon of light.”</p>
<p>Jersey native Matt Pinfield, a veteran of MTV’s “120 Minutes” and author of “All These Things That I’ve Done — My Insane, Improbable Rock Life,” credits the Asbury music scene’s long history to the now legendary appearance of U2 at defunct club the Fastlane, also known as the spot where a young Jon Bon Jovi cut his teeth as a musician before hitting it big. “Asbury Park is one of the most vital scenes in the United States, because it’s very magical,” Pinfield tells Variety. “I credit the people in New Jersey who support the music. There’s always something new, exciting and creative coming out, be it Bleachers or Gaslight Anthem. Asbury is where artists build a fan base. In that sense, it’s never changed.”</p>
<p>“I walked around and saw that there were obviously lots of musicians and a vibrant art scene; there was a great gay community of young couples. I thought, ‘My goodness, this place really has it all.’”David Bowd, Asbury Hotel proprietor</p>
<p>Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff, who grew up in Bergenfield, N.J., and moonlights as a top pop producer, working with <a href="http://variety.com/tag/taylor-swift/" type="external">Taylor Swift</a>, <a href="http://variety.com/tag/lorde/" type="external">Lorde</a> and St. Vincent, recently taped an episode of “MTV Unplugged” at The Stone Pony. He echoed that sense of the area’s special bond with music at his annual Shadow of the City festival last month. “You spend your whole life wanting to leave New Jersey, and then you leave and realize there’s nothing better,” he told the 3,000 in attendance outside the venue’s Summer Stage.</p>
<p>Rap-rock supergroup Prophets of Rage, featuring members of <a href="http://variety.com/tag/rage-against-the-machine/" type="external">Rage Against the Machine</a>, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy, also chose The Stone Pony for a major TV taping: the series “Landmarks Live in Concert,” which debuts a new season on PBS.&#160; The Prophets of Rage show will air on a different network in 2018, says Daniel Catullo, a resident of Monmouth County and president and CEO of City Drive Group, which created the show. The band chose the venue because of its history as well as its affiliation with Springsteen, who has played there countless times going back to 1974.</p>
<p>“[Rage Against the Machine]’s Tom Morello and Springsteen are close,” adds Pinfield. “Tom, Chuck D and B-Real always loved that proactive audience from Jersey and the Shore. And the Pony has had so many legendary shows over the years.”</p>
<p />
<p>CREDIT: stone pony: MIKE DERER/AP/REX/Shutterstock; silverball: Joseph Murphy</p>
<p>Catullo calls the venue one of his favorites. “I have been a musician my whole life, and when I think of The Stone Pony, it feels like home,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to do a show there. I wanted to represent New Jersey on ‘Landmarks.’ That’s the nucleus of the music scene in my opinion.”</p>
<p>New beach revelers notwithstanding, touring musicians who come through town for gigs at venues like the Pony, Convention Hall, the Paramount Theatre and smaller but no less significant watering holes like the Wonder Bar and The Saint, continue to play an important role in the town’s economy, and local business owners would like to keep Asbury affordable for those artists. It’s why this summer, iStar and New York-based firm The Participation Agency opened Outpost, an immersive rest stop for touring artists, just one block from the boardwalk. Paying homage to the town’s reputation as a musical epicenter, the 1,800-square-foot space features a Gibson-sponsored recording studio, a yoga/meditation area, laundry facilities, outdoor hammocks, a grill and showers, as well as a general store — all for use free of charge. (Springsteen fans can complete the experience via Stan Goldstein and Jean Mikle’s <a href="http://www.njrockmap.com/" type="external">“Rock &amp; Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore.”</a>)</p>
<p>It’s important to “have musicians understand the care and the attention that this town gives to artists, creators and innovators,” Cheripka says. “We want to welcome them with open arms.”</p>
<p>That inclusiveness is an important distinction for Asbury, which in the 1960s and 1970s contended with racial tensions that divided the city. It ultimately came together to become a “town of acceptance,” says Tony Pallagrosi, a former member of Southside Johnny &amp; the Asbury Jukes, a local promoter and co-founder of The Light of Day Foundation. “People are coming to Asbury Park for the same reason I came back in 1975,” he says. “I found a place that accepted people like me, who lived our particular lifestyles that didn’t really jibe with the rest of Monmouth and Ocean counties at the time. And it probably doesn’t jibe with them now either. In Asbury Park, if you were not a nine-to-fiver, if you were part of a multiracial couple or a multinational or a gay couple, you were accepted. Bruce said the same thing: that he found in Asbury a place where he was comfortable.”</p>
<p>Michele Amabile Angermiller is a New Jersey radio personality who can be heard weekdays on <a href="http://www.1071theboss.com/" type="external">107.1 The Boss</a>.</p> | false | 1 | asbury park synonymous rock n roll even new jersey native son bruce springsteen first picked guitar age 14 better part past 30 years new jersey shore town suffered neglect series lofty illfated entrepreneurial stopstarts early 2000s boardwalk splintering palace amusements iconic smiling tillie memory weeds sprouting pavement cracks throughout 16 square miles labor day weekend former beatle paul mccartney spotted dining jimmys italian restaurant mile away renovated convention hall scores art galleries brandnew hotel yes old rock stalwart stone pony signaled major moment community quite 16000 asbury park truly finally returned interesting town close new york city 55 miles seems almost little lost time says david bowd uk native opened asbury hotel may 2016 bowd partnered new yorkbased istar leading developer asbury park construction spree resulted new waterfront condos restaurants shops felt asbury authentic gritty walked around saw obviously lots musicians vibrant art scene great gay community young couples thought goodness place really ghosts long abandoned construction projects loomed large picturesque backdrop atlantic bowd along istar ceo jay sugarman senior vp brian cheripka spent five years acquiring property theyve since rehabbed theorized previous developers didnt go big enough 110room boutique property asbury located former salvation army building first hotel open city 50 years like new eateries bars popped vicinity past decade among asbury festhalle amp biergarten little buddy hideaway asbury park brewery popular langosta lounge attractions like silverball museum showcasing pinball machines shores early years idea says sugarman tear something reinvent credit courtesy ashbury park hotel end connection music throughline businesses every ilk asbury lobby features wall vinyl lp selected individually stack 3000 may hotel hosted exhibit photographer danny clinch springsteen spotted gallery surveying images tupac shakur johnny cash summer asbury park music foundation began selling shirts read music saved asbury park radio personality record executive tom cunningham hosts weekly bruce brunch show wchr says theres lot truth statement stone pony continues one recognized clubs world says cunningham venue recently hosted two shows e street band members bassist garry tallent drummer max weinbergs jukebox backed north brunswick native former styx member glen burtnik new band weeklings light day festival grown international success story delivering funding parkinsons research amazing music adds cunningham theres extra spotlight thriving restaurant scene well always evolving lgbt community music always brightest beacon light jersey native matt pinfield veteran mtvs 120 minutes author things ive done insane improbable rock life credits asbury music scenes long history legendary appearance u2 defunct club fastlane also known spot young jon bon jovi cut teeth musician hitting big asbury park one vital scenes united states magical pinfield tells variety credit people new jersey support music theres always something new exciting creative coming bleachers gaslight anthem asbury artists build fan base sense never changed walked around saw obviously lots musicians vibrant art scene great gay community young couples thought goodness place really alldavid bowd asbury hotel proprietor bleachers jack antonoff grew bergenfield nj moonlights top pop producer working taylor swift lorde st vincent recently taped episode mtv unplugged stone pony echoed sense areas special bond music annual shadow city festival last month spend whole life wanting leave new jersey leave realize theres nothing better told 3000 attendance outside venues summer stage raprock supergroup prophets rage featuring members rage machine cypress hill public enemy also chose stone pony major tv taping series landmarks live concert debuts new season pbs160 prophets rage show air different network 2018 says daniel catullo resident monmouth county president ceo city drive group created show band chose venue history well affiliation springsteen played countless times going back 1974 rage machines tom morello springsteen close adds pinfield tom chuck breal always loved proactive audience jersey shore pony many legendary shows years credit stone pony mike dereraprexshutterstock silverball joseph murphy catullo calls venue one favorites musician whole life think stone pony feels like home says ive always wanted show wanted represent new jersey landmarks thats nucleus music scene opinion new beach revelers notwithstanding touring musicians come town gigs venues like pony convention hall paramount theatre smaller less significant watering holes like wonder bar saint continue play important role towns economy local business owners would like keep asbury affordable artists summer istar new yorkbased firm participation agency opened outpost immersive rest stop touring artists one block boardwalk paying homage towns reputation musical epicenter 1800squarefoot space features gibsonsponsored recording studio yogameditation area laundry facilities outdoor hammocks grill showers well general store use free charge springsteen fans complete experience via stan goldstein jean mikles rock amp roll tour jersey shore important musicians understand care attention town gives artists creators innovators cheripka says want welcome open arms inclusiveness important distinction asbury 1960s 1970s contended racial tensions divided city ultimately came together become town acceptance says tony pallagrosi former member southside johnny amp asbury jukes local promoter cofounder light day foundation people coming asbury park reason came back 1975 says found place accepted people like lived particular lifestyles didnt really jibe rest monmouth ocean counties time probably doesnt jibe either asbury park ninetofiver part multiracial couple multinational gay couple accepted bruce said thing found asbury place comfortable michele amabile angermiller new jersey radio personality heard weekdays 1071 boss | 852 |
<p />
<p>Edward Snowden</p>
<p>In the course of his professional life in the world of national security Edward Snowden must have gone through numerous probing interviews, lie detector examinations, and exceedingly detailed background checks, as well as filling out endless forms carefully designed to catch any kind of falsehood or inconsistency. The Washington Post (June 10) reported that “several officials said the CIA will now undoubtedly begin reviewing the process by which Snowden may have been hired, seeking to determine whether there were any missed signs that he might one day betray national secrets.”</p>
<p>Yes, there was a sign they missed – Edward Snowden had something inside him shaped like a conscience, just waiting for a cause.</p>
<p>It was the same with me. I went to work at the State Department, planning to become a Foreign Service Officer, with the best – the most patriotic – of intentions, going to do my best to slay the beast of the International Communist Conspiracy. But then the horror, on a daily basis, of what the United States was doing to the people of Vietnam was brought home to me in every form of media; it was making me sick at heart. My conscience had found its cause, and nothing that I could have been asked in a pre-employment interview would have alerted my interrogators of the possible danger I posed because I didn’t know of the danger myself. No questioning of my friends and relatives could have turned up the slightest hint of the radical anti-war activist I was to become. My friends and relatives were to be as surprised as I was to be. There was simply no way for the State Department security office to know that I should not be hired and given a Secret Clearance.[1]</p>
<p>So what is a poor National Security State to do? Well, they might consider behaving themselves. Stop doing all the terrible things that grieve people like me and Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning and so many others. Stop the bombings, the invasions, the endless wars, the torture, the sanctions, the overthrows, the support of dictatorships, the unmitigated support of Israel; stop all the things that make the United States so hated, that create all the anti-American terrorists, that compel the National Security State – in pure self-defense – to spy on the entire world.</p>
<p>“Eavesdropping on the planet”</p>
<p>The above is the title of an essay that I wrote in 2000 that appeared as a chapter in my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1567513743/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1567513743&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=forepolijour-20" type="external">Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower</a>. Here are some excerpts that may help to put the current revelations surrounding Edward Snowden into perspective:</p>
<p>Can people in the 21st century imagine a greater invasion of privacy on all of earth, in all of history? If so, they merely have to wait for technology to catch up with their imagination.</p>
<p>Like a mammoth vacuum cleaner in the sky, the National Security Agency (NSA) sucks it all up: home phone, office phone, cellular phone, email, fax, telex … satellite transmissions, fiber-optic communications traffic, microwave links … voice, text, images … captured by satellites continuously orbiting the earth, then processed by high-powered computers … if it runs on electromagnetic energy, NSA is there, with high high tech. Twenty-four hours a day. Perhaps billions of messages sucked up each day. No one escapes. Not presidents, prime ministers, the UN Secretary-General, the pope, the Queen of England, embassies, transnational corporation CEOs, friend, foe, your Aunt Lena … if God has a phone, it’s being monitored … maybe your dog isn’t being tapped. The oceans will not protect you. American submarines have been attaching tapping pods to deep underwater cables for decades.</p>
<p>Under a system codenamed ECHELON, launched in the 1970s, the NSA and its junior partners in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada operate a network of massive, highly automated interception stations, covering the globe amongst them. Any of the partners can ask any of the others to intercept its own domestic communications. It can then truthfully say it does not spy on its own citizens.</p>
<p>Apart from specifically-targeted individuals and institutions, the ECHELON system works by indiscriminately intercepting huge quantities of communications and using computers to identify and extract messages of interest from the mass of unwanted ones. Every intercepted message – all the embassy cables, the business deals, the sex talk, the birthday greetings – is searched for keywords, which could be anything the searchers think might be of interest. All it takes to flag a communication is for one of the parties to use a couple or so of the key words in the ECHELON “dictionary” – “He lives in a lovely old white house on Bush Street, right near me. I can shoot over there in two minutes.” Within limitations, computers can “listen” to telephone calls and recognize when keywords are spoken. Those calls are extracted and recorded separately, to be listened to in full by humans. The list of specific targets at any given time is undoubtedly wide ranging, at one point including the likes of Amnesty International and Christian Aid.</p>
<p>ECHELON is carried out without official acknowledgment of its existence, let alone any democratic oversight or public or legislative debate as to whether it serves a decent purpose. The extensiveness of the ECHELON global network is a product of decades of intense Cold War activity. Yet with the end of the Cold War, its budget – far from being greatly reduced – was increased, and the network has grown in both power and reach; yet another piece of evidence that the Cold War was not a battle against something called “the international communist conspiracy”.</p>
<p>The European Parliament in the late 1990s began to wake up to this intrusion into the continent’s affairs. The parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee commissioned a report, which appeared in 1998 and recommended a variety of measures for dealing with the increasing power of the technologies of surveillance. It bluntly advised: “The European Parliament should reject proposals from the United States for making private messages via the global communications network [Internet] accessible to US intelligence agencies.” The report denounced Britain’s role as a double-agent, spying on its own European partners.</p>
<p>Despite these concerns the US has continued to expand ECHELON surveillance in Europe, partly because of heightened interest in commercial espionage – to uncover industrial information that would provide American corporations with an advantage over foreign rivals.</p>
<p>German security experts discovered several years ago that ECHELON was engaged in heavy commercial spying in Europe. Victims included such German firms as the wind generator manufacturer Enercon. In 1998, Enercon developed what it thought was a secret invention, enabling it to generate electricity from wind power at a far cheaper rate than before. However, when the company tried to market its invention in the United States, it was confronted by its American rival, Kenetech, which announced that it had already patented a near-identical development. Kenetech then brought a court order against Enercon to ban the sale of its equipment in the US. In a rare public disclosure, an NSA employee, who refused to be named, agreed to appear in silhouette on German television to reveal how he had stolen Enercon’s secrets by tapping the telephone and computer link lines that ran between Enercon’s research laboratory and its production unit some 12 miles away. Detailed plans of the company’s invention were then passed on to Kenetech.</p>
<p>In 1994, Thomson S.A., located in Paris, and Airbus Industrie, based in Blagnac Cedex, France, also lost lucrative contracts, snatched away by American rivals aided by information covertly collected by NSA and CIA. The same agencies also eavesdropped on Japanese representatives during negotiations with the United States in 1995 over auto parts trade.</p>
<p>German industry has complained that it is in a particularly vulnerable position because the government forbids its security services from conducting similar industrial espionage. “German politicians still support the rather naive idea that political allies should not spy on each other’s businesses. The Americans and the British do not have such illusions,” said journalist Udo Ulfkotte, a specialist in European industrial espionage, in 1999.</p>
<p>That same year, Germany demanded that the United States recall three CIA operatives for their activities in Germany involving economic espionage. The news report stated that the Germans “have long been suspicious of the eavesdropping capabilities of the enormous U.S. radar and communications complex at Bad Aibling, near Munich”, which is in fact an NSA intercept station. “The Americans tell us it is used solely to monitor communications by potential enemies, but how can we be entirely sure that they are not picking up pieces of information that we think should remain completely secret?” asked a senior German official. Japanese officials most likely have been told a similar story by Washington about the more than a dozen signals intelligence bases which Japan has allowed to be located on its territory.</p>
<p>In their quest to gain access to more and more private information, the NSA, the FBI, and other components of the US national security establishment have been engaged for years in a campaign to require American telecommunications manufacturers and carriers to design their equipment and networks to optimize the authorities’ wiretapping ability. Some industry insiders say they believe that some US machines approved for export contain NSA “back doors” (also called “trap doors”).</p>
<p />
<p /> | false | 1 | edward snowden course professional life world national security edward snowden must gone numerous probing interviews lie detector examinations exceedingly detailed background checks well filling endless forms carefully designed catch kind falsehood inconsistency washington post june 10 reported several officials said cia undoubtedly begin reviewing process snowden may hired seeking determine whether missed signs might one day betray national secrets yes sign missed edward snowden something inside shaped like conscience waiting cause went work state department planning become foreign service officer best patriotic intentions going best slay beast international communist conspiracy horror daily basis united states people vietnam brought home every form media making sick heart conscience found cause nothing could asked preemployment interview would alerted interrogators possible danger posed didnt know danger questioning friends relatives could turned slightest hint radical antiwar activist become friends relatives surprised simply way state department security office know hired given secret clearance1 poor national security state well might consider behaving stop terrible things grieve people like edward snowden bradley manning many others stop bombings invasions endless wars torture sanctions overthrows support dictatorships unmitigated support israel stop things make united states hated create antiamerican terrorists compel national security state pure selfdefense spy entire world eavesdropping planet title essay wrote 2000 appeared chapter book rogue state guide worlds superpower excerpts may help put current revelations surrounding edward snowden perspective people 21st century imagine greater invasion privacy earth history merely wait technology catch imagination like mammoth vacuum cleaner sky national security agency nsa sucks home phone office phone cellular phone email fax telex satellite transmissions fiberoptic communications traffic microwave links voice text images captured satellites continuously orbiting earth processed highpowered computers runs electromagnetic energy nsa high high tech twentyfour hours day perhaps billions messages sucked day one escapes presidents prime ministers un secretarygeneral pope queen england embassies transnational corporation ceos friend foe aunt lena god phone monitored maybe dog isnt tapped oceans protect american submarines attaching tapping pods deep underwater cables decades system codenamed echelon launched 1970s nsa junior partners britain australia new zealand canada operate network massive highly automated interception stations covering globe amongst partners ask others intercept domestic communications truthfully say spy citizens apart specificallytargeted individuals institutions echelon system works indiscriminately intercepting huge quantities communications using computers identify extract messages interest mass unwanted ones every intercepted message embassy cables business deals sex talk birthday greetings searched keywords could anything searchers think might interest takes flag communication one parties use couple key words echelon dictionary lives lovely old white house bush street right near shoot two minutes within limitations computers listen telephone calls recognize keywords spoken calls extracted recorded separately listened full humans list specific targets given time undoubtedly wide ranging one point including likes amnesty international christian aid echelon carried without official acknowledgment existence let alone democratic oversight public legislative debate whether serves decent purpose extensiveness echelon global network product decades intense cold war activity yet end cold war budget far greatly reduced increased network grown power reach yet another piece evidence cold war battle something called international communist conspiracy european parliament late 1990s began wake intrusion continents affairs parliaments civil liberties committee commissioned report appeared 1998 recommended variety measures dealing increasing power technologies surveillance bluntly advised european parliament reject proposals united states making private messages via global communications network internet accessible us intelligence agencies report denounced britains role doubleagent spying european partners despite concerns us continued expand echelon surveillance europe partly heightened interest commercial espionage uncover industrial information would provide american corporations advantage foreign rivals german security experts discovered several years ago echelon engaged heavy commercial spying europe victims included german firms wind generator manufacturer enercon 1998 enercon developed thought secret invention enabling generate electricity wind power far cheaper rate however company tried market invention united states confronted american rival kenetech announced already patented nearidentical development kenetech brought court order enercon ban sale equipment us rare public disclosure nsa employee refused named agreed appear silhouette german television reveal stolen enercons secrets tapping telephone computer link lines ran enercons research laboratory production unit 12 miles away detailed plans companys invention passed kenetech 1994 thomson sa located paris airbus industrie based blagnac cedex france also lost lucrative contracts snatched away american rivals aided information covertly collected nsa cia agencies also eavesdropped japanese representatives negotiations united states 1995 auto parts trade german industry complained particularly vulnerable position government forbids security services conducting similar industrial espionage german politicians still support rather naive idea political allies spy others businesses americans british illusions said journalist udo ulfkotte specialist european industrial espionage 1999 year germany demanded united states recall three cia operatives activities germany involving economic espionage news report stated germans long suspicious eavesdropping capabilities enormous us radar communications complex bad aibling near munich fact nsa intercept station americans tell us used solely monitor communications potential enemies entirely sure picking pieces information think remain completely secret asked senior german official japanese officials likely told similar story washington dozen signals intelligence bases japan allowed located territory quest gain access private information nsa fbi components us national security establishment engaged years campaign require american telecommunications manufacturers carriers design equipment networks optimize authorities wiretapping ability industry insiders say believe us machines approved export contain nsa back doors also called trap doors | 866 |
<p>In the end, the person America elects as President makes no appreciable difference to what America does in the world or how its wealthy rulers treat their own people.</p>
<p>Yes, there is still bias “out there,” as some have written, about an American woman running for President, but I do not believe the bias is decisive: after all, America has broken what surely was its fiercest taboo with the election of a black man, twice. There is, however, another bias “out there,” and a decisive one: a bias against the Clintons, a ghastly pair in almost every respect, America’s contemporary version of the Borgias—both of them grasping, vicious, ruthless, two-faced, and lacking only the Borgias’ good taste in art and literature.</p>
<p>Among the distinguished achievements of Hillary’s husband are the bombing of Serbia’s capital, including the offices of journalists, and the bombing of a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan claimed to be a chemical weapons plant. President Clinton bragged of “ending welfare in our time,” quite the claim for a self-styled liberal. It was his blundering, belligerent FBI and ATF that committed the atrocities at Waco. He embarrassed everyone with his grotesque personal behavior, and he pardoned some ghastly criminals in return for huge contributions to his “foundation.” He is good friends with people like Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender who solicited and kept underage girls to “service” guests on his private island or on the “Lolita Express,” nick-name for his private jet—both jet and island having Clinton recorded as a guest.</p>
<p>Bill Clinton failed every major undertaking of worth, including health care reform, Hillary playing a large role in that failure. Sometimes forgotten, he also frequently played the public coward, not standing behind appointments he made when they were attacked viciously in the Senate, allowing honorable people to be pilloried, then finally withdrawing their nominations. Perhaps his greatest act of cowardice involved the genocidal horrors of Rwanda. He was aware of them quite early, but his government was instructed not to use inflammatory language in public, and he made virtually no effort to save a million lives.</p>
<p>His contemptible behavior should, in theory, have nothing to do with Hillary, but in fact it very much does. They were the ones going around talking up the idea of getting “two for one” during his term of office. She still treats him as a confidant and advisor, having been photographed a number of times engaged in serious tête-à-têtes, and he has had several sessions with Obama, and big money sources, concerning Hillary’s ambitions.</p>
<p>Both Clintons have long records of chasing, indeed groveling in much the same fashion as the smarmy Tony Blair, after big money—money for the foundation, money for elections, she having set an unenviable record for cancerous spending when running for the Senate in New York, and they have both been involved in at least as many questionable deals on the side as several former Israeli Prime Ministers combined.</p>
<p>I wish a woman could run for President, but must the candidate be someone who resembles Richard Nixon in drag and shares views the late ogre, J. Edgar Hoover? Everyone who doubts what a colossally unpleasant character Hillary has in private should read the memoirs of former secret service agents. Her behavior was appalling, tasking agents with things like holding her purse in public, and shouting a stream of “f–k off” invective at them if they declined.</p>
<p>She has always voted for war in the Senate, including the horrible war crime of invading Iraq. She goes around making speeches – at $300,000 a pop plus a whole printed list of demanded perquisites – about America’s need for a strong defense. Strong defense? America? How does one manage to spend more than America already spends on death and destruction? Park a nuclear-loaded B-52 at every civilian airport? Supply every Boy Scout troop with heavy machine guns and plenty of ammo? The woman borders on deranged here.</p>
<p>She has lied countless times in office and while running for office. The bloody mess at Benghazi was her baby, and she has done nothing but lie about its embarrassing and deadly failure. The last time she ran for President, in order to bolster her image for toughness, she bragged of coming under gunfire when she landed on a visit to Bosnia as First Lady, but a news video promptly appeared which showed nothing but a sweet little girl presenting flowers to her at the airport. Of course, she had to lie again when the video turned up, saying she hadn’t remembered events clearly, but no one ever forgets coming under gun fire. It is not possible unless your faculties are in such a jumbled state you should be disqualified from office.</p>
<p>Of course, in the end, Hillary’s mass of deceptions and terrible associations and rotten personality really do not matter because America’s real government, its ongoing unelected one, allows no President to depart much from the established script. The last one who made a serious try had half his head blasted into the streets of Dallas.</p>
<p>Anticipation and excitement about the first woman candidate reminds me of America’s electing and celebrating its first black—a seemingly charming and intelligent man at the time—and he has proved just another George Bush, giving ordinary Americans nothing, and especially his own people. He weekly approves extrajudicial killings in a half dozen places, behavior completely in keeping with former South American juntas who made thousands of people just disappear, and he happily does business with tyrants and absolute monarchs and madmen like Netanyahu. Hillary would do precisely the same.</p>
<p>In the end, the person America elects as President makes no appreciable difference to what America does in the world or how its wealthy rulers treat their own people, a presidential election being little more than the most costly theater performance in the world, “a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.”</p> | false | 1 | end person america elects president makes appreciable difference america world wealthy rulers treat people yes still bias written american woman running president believe bias decisive america broken surely fiercest taboo election black man twice however another bias decisive one bias clintons ghastly pair almost every respect americas contemporary version borgiasboth grasping vicious ruthless twofaced lacking borgias good taste art literature among distinguished achievements hillarys husband bombing serbias capital including offices journalists bombing pharmaceutical plant sudan claimed chemical weapons plant president clinton bragged ending welfare time quite claim selfstyled liberal blundering belligerent fbi atf committed atrocities waco embarrassed everyone grotesque personal behavior pardoned ghastly criminals return huge contributions foundation good friends people like jeffrey epstein registered sex offender solicited kept underage girls service guests private island lolita express nickname private jetboth jet island clinton recorded guest bill clinton failed every major undertaking worth including health care reform hillary playing large role failure sometimes forgotten also frequently played public coward standing behind appointments made attacked viciously senate allowing honorable people pilloried finally withdrawing nominations perhaps greatest act cowardice involved genocidal horrors rwanda aware quite early government instructed use inflammatory language public made virtually effort save million lives contemptible behavior theory nothing hillary fact much ones going around talking idea getting two one term office still treats confidant advisor photographed number times engaged serious têteàtêtes several sessions obama big money sources concerning hillarys ambitions clintons long records chasing indeed groveling much fashion smarmy tony blair big moneymoney foundation money elections set unenviable record cancerous spending running senate new york involved least many questionable deals side several former israeli prime ministers combined wish woman could run president must candidate someone resembles richard nixon drag shares views late ogre j edgar hoover everyone doubts colossally unpleasant character hillary private read memoirs former secret service agents behavior appalling tasking agents things like holding purse public shouting stream fk invective declined always voted war senate including horrible war crime invading iraq goes around making speeches 300000 pop plus whole printed list demanded perquisites americas need strong defense strong defense america one manage spend america already spends death destruction park nuclearloaded b52 every civilian airport supply every boy scout troop heavy machine guns plenty ammo woman borders deranged lied countless times office running office bloody mess benghazi baby done nothing lie embarrassing deadly failure last time ran president order bolster image toughness bragged coming gunfire landed visit bosnia first lady news video promptly appeared showed nothing sweet little girl presenting flowers airport course lie video turned saying hadnt remembered events clearly one ever forgets coming gun fire possible unless faculties jumbled state disqualified office course end hillarys mass deceptions terrible associations rotten personality really matter americas real government ongoing unelected one allows president depart much established script last one made serious try half head blasted streets dallas anticipation excitement first woman candidate reminds americas electing celebrating first blacka seemingly charming intelligent man timeand proved another george bush giving ordinary americans nothing especially people weekly approves extrajudicial killings half dozen places behavior completely keeping former south american juntas made thousands people disappear happily business tyrants absolute monarchs madmen like netanyahu hillary would precisely end person america elects president makes appreciable difference america world wealthy rulers treat people presidential election little costly theater performance world tale told idiot full sound fury signifying nothing | 553 |
<p>With tax reform behind them and a congressional-election year just begun, Republicans in Washington seem remarkably uncertain about what they want to do with their control of the presidency and Congress at this point. There is no clear next major item on the to-do list, and there have been some odd public disagreements about the shape of the agenda.</p>
<p>Both President Trump and Speaker Ryan have talked at various points lately about wanting to take up welfare reform. Trump and some congressional Republicans (especially some more moderate Republican senators) have talked about trying for an infrastructure bill—perhaps with some bipartisan support. Ryan and some congressional Republicans (especially some more conservative House members) have talked broadly about “entitlement reform,” though it has never been entirely clear if this is another way of saying welfare reform or a way of gesturing toward Medicare and Social Security. Some on the right (especially those not facing elections anytime soon) have also talked about giving health care another try—and a fair amount of work has been done behind the scenes to get a legislative vehicle into shape in case that happens. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been running around Washington with a bucket of cold water, publicly insisting that almost none of this can happen and that Republicans should just spend the election year touting the tax bill they passed.</p>
<p>This is normally how people would be talking about what to do once some major ongoing effort that could take all year is finished, not what to do right now when looking at a bare agenda. So what’s going on here? What do these different options really consist of? And which path is most likely to be followed?</p>
<p>I think the answers to these questions depend on the answer to another question that has not been getting nearly as much journalistic attention but that is likely soon to be resolved: Will congressional Republicans pursue a budget-reconciliation process in this coming year or not?</p>
<p>On the face of things, it would seem&#160;pretty obvious that they should and will. The reconciliation process—which is a way of advancing budget-related legislation that enables it to pass with 50 rather than 60 votes in the Senate—is what allowed Republicans to pass their tax-reform bill and what gave them any chance of passing a health-care bill. They could immediately launch into a 2019 budget resolution that would give them another 50-vote opportunity to pass some major bill this coming year, and it’s hard to see how they pass much that’s significant otherwise.</p>
<p>But as a practical matter, the reconciliation process has for some time now been pretty much distinct from the actual budget and appropriations process on the Hill. This is evidenced, for instance, by the fact that although Republicans passed two budget-reconciliation bills last year (technically one was for 2017, and was used to start the legislative process on health care, and one was for 2018 and used for tax reform) they never did get their appropriations work done for the year and they now need to pass a bipartisan spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.</p>
<p>That spending bill, which is now being negotiated among congressional Republicans and Democrats and the White House, could turn out to establish some budget caps for the next two fiscal years, as a way to avoid having to go through another shutdown crisis in an election year. If it does that, it would pretty much make a formal budget process for 2019 unnecessary, effectively allowing the appropriators to do their work without a budget resolution. The formal incentives for advancing a reconciliation bill would disappear.</p>
<p>Republicans could still advance such a bill anyway, just to create an opportunity for partisan legislation. But it would be no easy thing to get House and Senate Republicans to agree on the shape of such a bill, especially with just 51 Republicans in the Senate. And if a bill isn’t even formally necessary, the case for going through that pain grows weaker, particularly for those in the congressional leadership who don’t have strong policy ambitions to begin with.</p>
<p>This question of whether there will be a 2019 reconciliation bill is crucial to the question of the 2018 Republican agenda because it would establish the boundaries of the possible. If they do pass a reconciliation bill, Republicans would probably use it to create room for a party-line welfare-reform effort. This would likely amount to a proposal for devolving funding and design flexibility over some of the major federal welfare programs to the states while attaching some work requirements to most of them. Paul Ryan proposed&#160; <a href="http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/expanding_opportunity_in_america.pdf" type="external">an approach&#160;like this</a>&#160;in 2014, and that general idea is what I take people in Congress and the administration to be talking about when they raise the prospect of welfare reform. I don’t know that it could actually get 50 Senate votes, but it’s possible, and would be a plausible use of the reconciliation process.</p>
<p>Such a bill could also create space for a return to health care if Republicans decided during the year that things were ripe for that. This would fit right into the framework of their welfare approach, since a return to health care would involve some form of the Graham-Cassidy bill, which does in health care what Ryan’s proposals would do in welfare: It would package the money Washington now spends on Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid and let states use those funds as they see fit to provide access to coverage for their residents, with a few general conditions and protections.</p>
<p>If there is to be a reconciliation bill, I think this is the set of issues it would put front and center. Fiscally vital though they are, Medicare and Social Security reforms don’t actually seem to be on anyone’s radar at this point.</p>
<p>If there is no reconciliation bill, however, then neither welfare reform nor a return to health care on any serious scale would be possible. At that point, the most logical major legislative package to pursue this year would be some kind of infrastructure bill, presumably beginning from the proposal the administration has been working on and then moving to the right in some areas to satisfy House Republicans and to the left in others to get some Democratic votes in the Senate. The chances of such a bill coming together and garnering 60 Senate votes are not great, but neither are the chances for a partisan reconciliation bill to reform welfare in a 51-vote Republican Senate. And those seem like the two most plausible sets of options for big-ticket 2018 legislation.</p>
<p>Either way, there will probably also be some smaller bills on the move: a farm bill, CHIP reauthorization, maybe a modest bipartisan higher-education bill, maybe a bipartisan banking bill, and maybe some Senate votes on immigration and abortion-related bills the House has already passed (to make life difficult for some red-state Democrats up for re-election). Some of these things could even pass.</p>
<p>But the core question, the question that will determine the heart of the legislative agenda, is which big-ticket path will be attempted, and that in turn rests on the question of whether there will be a 2019 reconciliation process. The ultimate answer to that question seems likely to be a product of the talks now beginning over a spending deal, even if the 2018 agenda is not explicitly on the table in those talks. If (as seems plausible) a bipartisan spending agreement is reached this month that establishes two-year spending levels or caps, I think it becomes fairly likely that there will be no 2019 reconciliation bill and so no welfare-reform bill and no return to health care.</p>
<p>One man’s hunch, anyway.</p>
<p>Yuval Levin is the Hertog Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p> | false | 1 | tax reform behind congressionalelection year begun republicans washington seem remarkably uncertain want control presidency congress point clear next major item todo list odd public disagreements shape agenda president trump speaker ryan talked various points lately wanting take welfare reform trump congressional republicans especially moderate republican senators talked trying infrastructure billperhaps bipartisan support ryan congressional republicans especially conservative house members talked broadly entitlement reform though never entirely clear another way saying welfare reform way gesturing toward medicare social security right especially facing elections anytime soon also talked giving health care another tryand fair amount work done behind scenes get legislative vehicle shape case happens meanwhile senate majority leader mitch mcconnell running around washington bucket cold water publicly insisting almost none happen republicans spend election year touting tax bill passed normally people would talking major ongoing effort could take year finished right looking bare agenda whats going different options really consist path likely followed think answers questions depend answer another question getting nearly much journalistic attention likely soon resolved congressional republicans pursue budgetreconciliation process coming year face things would seem160pretty obvious reconciliation processwhich way advancing budgetrelated legislation enables pass 50 rather 60 votes senateis allowed republicans pass taxreform bill gave chance passing healthcare bill could immediately launch 2019 budget resolution would give another 50vote opportunity pass major bill coming year hard see pass much thats significant otherwise practical matter reconciliation process time pretty much distinct actual budget appropriations process hill evidenced instance fact although republicans passed two budgetreconciliation bills last year technically one 2017 used start legislative process health care one 2018 used tax reform never get appropriations work done year need pass bipartisan spending bill avoid government shutdown spending bill negotiated among congressional republicans democrats white house could turn establish budget caps next two fiscal years way avoid go another shutdown crisis election year would pretty much make formal budget process 2019 unnecessary effectively allowing appropriators work without budget resolution formal incentives advancing reconciliation bill would disappear republicans could still advance bill anyway create opportunity partisan legislation would easy thing get house senate republicans agree shape bill especially 51 republicans senate bill isnt even formally necessary case going pain grows weaker particularly congressional leadership dont strong policy ambitions begin question whether 2019 reconciliation bill crucial question 2018 republican agenda would establish boundaries possible pass reconciliation bill republicans would probably use create room partyline welfarereform effort would likely amount proposal devolving funding design flexibility major federal welfare programs states attaching work requirements paul ryan proposed160 approach160like this160in 2014 general idea take people congress administration talking raise prospect welfare reform dont know could actually get 50 senate votes possible would plausible use reconciliation process bill could also create space return health care republicans decided year things ripe would fit right framework welfare approach since return health care would involve form grahamcassidy bill health care ryans proposals would welfare would package money washington spends obamacare subsidies medicaid let states use funds see fit provide access coverage residents general conditions protections reconciliation bill think set issues would put front center fiscally vital though medicare social security reforms dont actually seem anyones radar point reconciliation bill however neither welfare reform return health care serious scale would possible point logical major legislative package pursue year would kind infrastructure bill presumably beginning proposal administration working moving right areas satisfy house republicans left others get democratic votes senate chances bill coming together garnering 60 senate votes great neither chances partisan reconciliation bill reform welfare 51vote republican senate seem like two plausible sets options bigticket 2018 legislation either way probably also smaller bills move farm bill chip reauthorization maybe modest bipartisan highereducation bill maybe bipartisan banking bill maybe senate votes immigration abortionrelated bills house already passed make life difficult redstate democrats reelection things could even pass core question question determine heart legislative agenda bigticket path attempted turn rests question whether 2019 reconciliation process ultimate answer question seems likely product talks beginning spending deal even 2018 agenda explicitly table talks seems plausible bipartisan spending agreement reached month establishes twoyear spending levels caps think becomes fairly likely 2019 reconciliation bill welfarereform bill return health care one mans hunch anyway yuval levin hertog fellow ethics public policy center | 695 |
<p>No small part of the West’s confusion and consternation over the tribulations of post-communist societies is the result of a residual, debilitating misunderstanding of communism. That misunderstanding (coupled with the historic myopia noted above) has, in turn, fueled Western incomprehension about the sources of the extreme nationalism, ethnic violence, and barbarism that have broken out in several parts of Stalin’s old empire.</p>
<p>It seems that it has to be said again, and again, and again: communism was not just another form of political tyranny. Communism was a form of totalitarianism: it sought the transformation, not just of men’s politics, but of their souls, their relationships, and their identities. Even under the “bureaucratic totalitarianism” of the post-Khrushchev era, during which the fires of Marxist-Leninist ideological conviction burned less brightly than in the old days, the very nature of communist social control mitigated against social normality and human decency. And the results are too much with us.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>A Damaged Moral Ecology</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In a recent lecture at George Washington University, President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic made a similar point, in attempting to analyze the “root causes” of the difficulties of post-communist societies:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Communism was far from being simply the dictatorship of one group of people over another. It was a genuinely totalitarian system, that is, it permeated every aspect of life and deformed everything it touched, including all the natural ways people had evolved of living together. … It was a perverted structure . . . but society nevertheless internalized it, or rather was forced to internalize it.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>That “perverted structure,” the communist culture of the lie, collapsed with communist power in 1989. But, Havel argued, “people couldn’t simply absorb and internalize a new structure immediately, one that would correspond to the elementary principles of civic society and democracy. . . . [T]o build a new system of living values and to identify with them takes time.”</p>
<p>Thus the old system and its anti-values had collapsed; but the new values necessary to sustain civil society and comity had not yet achieved critical mass throughout Central and Eastern Europe. And into this vacuum came “radicalism of all kinds,” the “hunt for scapegoats,” and the “need to hide behind the anonymity of a group, be it socially or ethnically based.” The net result was an “unparalleled flourishing of selfishness,” itself an expression of the moral-ecological damage that communism left in its wake.</p>
<p>The result, Havel said, was a “vast shroud of uniformity, stifling all national, intellectual, spiritual, social, cultural, and religious variety.” That, in turn, led to “the monstrous illusion that we were all the same.” When communism collapsed, so did that shroud of uniformity—and from beneath it there emerged all those differences that “proletarian universalism” was supposed to have smoothed out. After the long, dark night of enforced sameness, each of these traits, Havel argued, “felt a natural need to draw attention to itself, to emphasize its uniqueness and its difference from others. This is the reason for the eruption of so many different kinds of old-fashioned patriotism, revivalist messianism, conservatism., and expressions of hatred toward all those who appeared to be betraying their roots or identifying with different ones.”</p>
<p>And that dynamic has played itself out in particularly bloody ways in the former Yugoslavia, where the understandable (and ancient) urge to emphasize one’s ethnic and religious uniqueness was married to nationalism and then exploited by the demagoguery of unscrupulous politicians.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Return of History</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>At the end of The Final Revolution, my study of the role of the Catholic Church in the collapse of European communism, I wrote that the “final revolution”—the revolution of conscience that shaped the non-violent political revolution in Poland and Czechoslovakia—was not the end of history but the return of history to its normal patterns and rhythms. President Havel takes that analysis a step further, arguing that communism not only stopped history but thereby forestalled, in parts of Eastern Europe, the development of the attitudes and understandings that sustain democracy and pluralism—social traits that had evolved in the West over a long period of time. Moreover, “national and cultural differences were driven into the subterranean areas of social life, where they were . . . prevented from developing freely, from taking on modern form in the fresh air, from creating, over time, the free space of unity in variety.”</p>
<p>To compound these difficulties, several countries that had fallen under communist rule had not, before their fall, resolved some of the crucial questions—especially about pluralism—involved in their very nationhood. These issues lay trapped under the ice of the communist system. Then, when the icecap broke up, Havel writes, “thousands of unresolved problems suddenly burst forth”:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>It is truly astonishing to discover how, after decades of falsified history and ideological manipulation, nothing has been forgotten. Nations are now remembering their ancient achievements and their ancient suffering, their ancient suppressors and their allies, their ancient statehood and their former borders, their traditional animosities and affinities—in short, they are suddenly recalling a history that, until recently, has been carefully concealed or misrepresented [emphasis added].</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>What is at issue today, then, is not simply the result of the Yalta imperial system, but also the long-term residue of the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain-Trianon at the end of World War I. Some, Havel observes, want to go “even farther back into history and exploit the greatest freedom some of them have ever had to make further amends” for even more ancient grievances. Thus among the ironic “accomplishments” of the communist empire was that it spared the West, for some forty-five years, the results of Western folly in 1919. We are to be spared no longer, it appears.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Questions of Scale</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Finally, Vaclav Havel asks us to remember the magnitude of the historical change that is now under way in the aftermath of the communist crackup. People who never knew how to think about communism imagine that the problems of post-communism are roughly analogous to those of any political transition: one set of rascals gets thrown out, another bunch gets in. But the post-communist world is not to be understood on the analogy of Spain after Franco, or France after Napoleon, much less America between presidents. Rather, Havel argues, “the fall of the communist empire is an event on the same scale of historical importance as the fall of the Roman empire.” A vast, continental system of social control has collapsed, leaving behind a jumble of peoples, race, and nations in varying degrees of economic, political, and cultural chaos.</p>
<p>Some of them will recover rather quickly: the Poles, the Hungarians, and the Czechs are three good bets, if they stay the present economic course and if no mass refugee wave washes over them from an imploding Great Russia. Others—and here we come back to the unhappy southern Slavs— haven’t even entered the recovery ward. Thus it seems prudent to see the wisdom in Havel’s judgment that building decent societies “on the ruins of communism might be as extended and complex a process as the creation of a Christian Europe— after the great migrations—once was.”</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | small part wests confusion consternation tribulations postcommunist societies result residual debilitating misunderstanding communism misunderstanding coupled historic myopia noted turn fueled western incomprehension sources extreme nationalism ethnic violence barbarism broken several parts stalins old empire seems said communism another form political tyranny communism form totalitarianism sought transformation mens politics souls relationships identities even bureaucratic totalitarianism postkhrushchev era fires marxistleninist ideological conviction burned less brightly old days nature communist social control mitigated social normality human decency results much us 160 damaged moral ecology 160 recent lecture george washington university president vaclav havel czech republic made similar point attempting analyze root causes difficulties postcommunist societies 160 160 communism far simply dictatorship one group people another genuinely totalitarian system permeated every aspect life deformed everything touched including natural ways people evolved living together perverted structure society nevertheless internalized rather forced internalize 160 perverted structure communist culture lie collapsed communist power 1989 havel argued people couldnt simply absorb internalize new structure immediately one would correspond elementary principles civic society democracy build new system living values identify takes time thus old system antivalues collapsed new values necessary sustain civil society comity yet achieved critical mass throughout central eastern europe vacuum came radicalism kinds hunt scapegoats need hide behind anonymity group socially ethnically based net result unparalleled flourishing selfishness expression moralecological damage communism left wake result havel said vast shroud uniformity stifling national intellectual spiritual social cultural religious variety turn led monstrous illusion communism collapsed shroud uniformityand beneath emerged differences proletarian universalism supposed smoothed long dark night enforced sameness traits havel argued felt natural need draw attention emphasize uniqueness difference others reason eruption many different kinds oldfashioned patriotism revivalist messianism conservatism expressions hatred toward appeared betraying roots identifying different ones dynamic played particularly bloody ways former yugoslavia understandable ancient urge emphasize ones ethnic religious uniqueness married nationalism exploited demagoguery unscrupulous politicians 160 return history 160 end final revolution study role catholic church collapse european communism wrote final revolutionthe revolution conscience shaped nonviolent political revolution poland czechoslovakiawas end history return history normal patterns rhythms president havel takes analysis step arguing communism stopped history thereby forestalled parts eastern europe development attitudes understandings sustain democracy pluralismsocial traits evolved west long period time moreover national cultural differences driven subterranean areas social life prevented developing freely taking modern form fresh air creating time free space unity variety compound difficulties several countries fallen communist rule fall resolved crucial questionsespecially pluralisminvolved nationhood issues lay trapped ice communist system icecap broke havel writes thousands unresolved problems suddenly burst forth 160 160 truly astonishing discover decades falsified history ideological manipulation nothing forgotten nations remembering ancient achievements ancient suffering ancient suppressors allies ancient statehood former borders traditional animosities affinitiesin short suddenly recalling history recently carefully concealed misrepresented emphasis added 160 issue today simply result yalta imperial system also longterm residue treaties versailles st germaintrianon end world war havel observes want go even farther back history exploit greatest freedom ever make amends even ancient grievances thus among ironic accomplishments communist empire spared west fortyfive years results western folly 1919 spared longer appears 160 questions scale 160 finally vaclav havel asks us remember magnitude historical change way aftermath communist crackup people never knew think communism imagine problems postcommunism roughly analogous political transition one set rascals gets thrown another bunch gets postcommunist world understood analogy spain franco france napoleon much less america presidents rather havel argues fall communist empire event scale historical importance fall roman empire vast continental system social control collapsed leaving behind jumble peoples race nations varying degrees economic political cultural chaos recover rather quickly poles hungarians czechs three good bets stay present economic course mass refugee wave washes imploding great russia othersand come back unhappy southern slavs havent even entered recovery ward thus seems prudent see wisdom havels judgment building decent societies ruins communism might extended complex process creation christian europe great migrationsonce george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 655 |
<p>A US researcher aiming to develop a herpes vaccine conducted illegal trials during which he injected people in hotel rooms and at a house on the island of St. Kitts, according to a new investigation.</p>
<p>William Halford, a former associate professor at Southern Illinois University (SIU), began his first “trial” in 2013. But the setting wasn’t a university laboratory or a room at a hospital – it was a Holiday Inn Express and a Crowne Plaza Hotel located 15 minutes away from the college, according to an investigation by <a href="https://khn.org/news/years-before-heading-offshore-herpes-researcher-experimented-on-people-in-u-s/" type="external">Kaiser Health News</a>.</p>
<p>Halford, who died of cancer in June, administered his experimental shots to at least eight herpes patients on four different occasions in the summer and fall of 2013. The volunteers were injected with a virus he had created, according to emails from seven participants and interviews with one participant.</p>
<p>In multiple email exchanges between Halford and the participants, seen by Kaiser, he asked them to send photographs of rashes, blisters and other reactions they might have received as a result of the injections.</p>
<p>Halford, who was a microbiologist rather than a physician, apparently knew that his makeshift trial was a violation of US law, as he stated the need for secrecy in one of his emails. He said it would be “suicide” if it became too public about how he was conducting his research.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/405465-herpes-early-human-ancestor-found/" type="external" /></p>
<p>He <a href="https://kaiserhealthnews.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/dcscanners_20171117_180959.pdf" type="external">described his methods</a> in some of his emails, as well as the number of injections given.</p>
<p>“Just wanted to pass along that I immunized someone with the higher dose of the HSV-2 vaccine on Monday, and I attach the photos of the injection site at 48 hours to give you and everyone else an idea of what to expect…,” he wrote in September 2013. “This individual requested that I give him two immunizations to double the effect…one immunization per leg.”</p>
<p>Four days later, Halford wrote that “everyone’s vaccines contained ~150 million infectious units of the HSV-2 vaccine strain,” noting that the first injection of the group represented about a 30- to 40-fold increase over what others received in August 2013. In the same email, the microbiologist wrote that he believed the trials were important.</p>
<p>“Saturday Sept. 21 definitely represents a milestone in my career,” he wrote. “Don’t know how it will turn out, but I undoubtedly feel like this was a real test of the (a) safety / tolerability of the HSV-2 vaccine and (b) an opportunity to see if it has any therapeutic potential…I am indebted to all of you.”</p>
<p>In an <a href="https://kaiserhealthnews.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/dcscanners_20171120_165408.pdf" type="external">email dated October 2, 2013</a>, Halford told a participant that his hypothesis of the injection’s outcome was “nothing more than an education guess.” He added that “the proof is in the pudding…let’s see if your problems with outbreaks dial back or not.”</p>
<p>In addition to the trial being blatantly illegal, the microbiologist also did not obtain written informed consent from the participants, which is required by US law when testing a live virus on humans. Moreover, medical researchers are not allowed to inject people without a physician or nurse practitioner being present, Jonathan Zenilman, a doctor and expert on sexually transmitted diseases at Johns Hopkins University, told Kaiser.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a man from Texas who said he received the injections said he fears the vaccine may have given him genital herpes (HSV-2), when he previously only had HSV-1, which usually emerges as sores on the face.</p>
<p>The Texan wrote in an email on February 24, 2014, that he was frightened after his second shot. “I got a large rash on my leg and it burned and swelled,” he wrote. “Then a blister popped up.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/viral/378339-autism-genital-herpes-pregnancy/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Responding to his concern in an email, Halford said: “I did not think the HSV-2 vaccine strain would be capable of reactivation, but perhaps I will have to reconsider that.” Experts who reviewed the man’s medical details for Kaiser said such a scenario was possible.</p>
<p>“It makes me angry that Halford went ahead with the offshore trial anyway,” the Texas man said. “I hope more people weren’t hurt.”</p>
<p>Another woman, however, claims to have been cured from Halford’s vaccine. She went on to help him recruit patients and organize injections.</p>
<p>The Texas man said he did not know how the trial was paid for, noting that Halford would not accept money from the participants and told them “it would get him in more trouble if he was ever caught.”</p>
<p>Even though Halford was apparently aware of the potential “suicide” that could occur if his under-the-radar trial became public, he launched a similar trial in 2016 at a house in St. Kitts, once again failing to notify US or local authorities. News of that trial was made public earlier this year.&#160; A woman from Colorado who took part in that trial has also reported possible side effects from the injections.</p>
<p>SIU has refused to comment to Kaiser about Halford’s 2013 trials. However, many exchanges between Halford and the participants in 2013 were sent from his university email account. He also used the university telephone for communication and referred to a graduate student as assisting in the trial and to using a laboratory on campus.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/330534-nasa-space-herpes-study/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“My lab currently consists of myself and 1 graduate student and anything I do with you guys or your blood is extra and on top of what I get paid to do …” he wrote in a <a href="https://kaiserhealthnews.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/dcscanners_20171117_110813.pdf" type="external">November 3, 2013, email</a>.</p>
<p>After a Kaiser report stated that Halford completed the 2016 trial with no independent safety or oversight, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demanded a response from SIU. In an initial response to federal authorities, the university said it found “serious non-compliance with regulatory requirements and institutional policies and procedures.”</p>
<p>“If deemed necessary, SIU will develop an effective corrective action plan,” the dean of SIU’s medical school, Jerry Kruse,&#160; wrote in a <a href="https://kaiserhealthnews.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/mtaylorkaiser_foiaresponsefinal_11072017-1.pdf" type="external">letter to the HHS</a>, which was obtained by Kaiser under the Freedom of Information Act.</p>
<p>The university previously said it had no role, responsibility, or knowledge of the 2016 trial on St. Kitts, because Halford pursued it through Rational Vaccines, a company he co-founded in 2015. Its sole purposed was to market and research the herpes vaccine.</p>
<p>However, SIU shared a patent on the herpes injection with the company, and promoted Halford’s research on its website. Furthermore, when a company owned by entrepreneur and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel invested millions of dollars into the research in April, SIU publicly hailed Halford and Rational Vaccines.</p>
<p>Several of the participants of both trials have told Kaiser that they asked SIU for help. The Colorado woman called the university “dismissive,” while a participant from California said he wanted the university to continue the vaccine research with safety oversight while “taking responsibility.” When SIU did not provide him with an adequate response, he said “it was obvious they want nothing to do with us.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/174488-condom-attacks-hiv-australia/" type="external">READ MORE: Condom that attacks HIV, herpes to hit Australian stores in months</a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, the surviving co-founder of Rational Vaccines, Hollywood filmmaker Agustín Fernández III, has said he considers the 2016 trial a success, and vowed to continue the research. He said that he was not involved with Halford’s work before the company was formed (meaning he had no part in the 2013 trial), but said he is aware of “individuals who experienced positive outcomes from the vaccine.”</p> | false | 1 | us researcher aiming develop herpes vaccine conducted illegal trials injected people hotel rooms house island st kitts according new investigation william halford former associate professor southern illinois university siu began first trial 2013 setting wasnt university laboratory room hospital holiday inn express crowne plaza hotel located 15 minutes away college according investigation kaiser health news halford died cancer june administered experimental shots least eight herpes patients four different occasions summer fall 2013 volunteers injected virus created according emails seven participants interviews one participant multiple email exchanges halford participants seen kaiser asked send photographs rashes blisters reactions might received result injections halford microbiologist rather physician apparently knew makeshift trial violation us law stated need secrecy one emails said would suicide became public conducting research read described methods emails well number injections given wanted pass along immunized someone higher dose hsv2 vaccine monday attach photos injection site 48 hours give everyone else idea expect wrote september 2013 individual requested give two immunizations double effectone immunization per leg four days later halford wrote everyones vaccines contained 150 million infectious units hsv2 vaccine strain noting first injection group represented 30 40fold increase others received august 2013 email microbiologist wrote believed trials important saturday sept 21 definitely represents milestone career wrote dont know turn undoubtedly feel like real test safety tolerability hsv2 vaccine b opportunity see therapeutic potentiali indebted email dated october 2 2013 halford told participant hypothesis injections outcome nothing education guess added proof puddinglets see problems outbreaks dial back addition trial blatantly illegal microbiologist also obtain written informed consent participants required us law testing live virus humans moreover medical researchers allowed inject people without physician nurse practitioner present jonathan zenilman doctor expert sexually transmitted diseases johns hopkins university told kaiser meanwhile man texas said received injections said fears vaccine may given genital herpes hsv2 previously hsv1 usually emerges sores face texan wrote email february 24 2014 frightened second shot got large rash leg burned swelled wrote blister popped read responding concern email halford said think hsv2 vaccine strain would capable reactivation perhaps reconsider experts reviewed mans medical details kaiser said scenario possible makes angry halford went ahead offshore trial anyway texas man said hope people werent hurt another woman however claims cured halfords vaccine went help recruit patients organize injections texas man said know trial paid noting halford would accept money participants told would get trouble ever caught even though halford apparently aware potential suicide could occur undertheradar trial became public launched similar trial 2016 house st kitts failing notify us local authorities news trial made public earlier year160 woman colorado took part trial also reported possible side effects injections siu refused comment kaiser halfords 2013 trials however many exchanges halford participants 2013 sent university email account also used university telephone communication referred graduate student assisting trial using laboratory campus read lab currently consists 1 graduate student anything guys blood extra top get paid wrote november 3 2013 email kaiser report stated halford completed 2016 trial independent safety oversight department health human services hhs demanded response siu initial response federal authorities university said found serious noncompliance regulatory requirements institutional policies procedures deemed necessary siu develop effective corrective action plan dean sius medical school jerry kruse160 wrote letter hhs obtained kaiser freedom information act university previously said role responsibility knowledge 2016 trial st kitts halford pursued rational vaccines company cofounded 2015 sole purposed market research herpes vaccine however siu shared patent herpes injection company promoted halfords research website furthermore company owned entrepreneur paypal cofounder peter thiel invested millions dollars research april siu publicly hailed halford rational vaccines several participants trials told kaiser asked siu help colorado woman called university dismissive participant california said wanted university continue vaccine research safety oversight taking responsibility siu provide adequate response said obvious want nothing us read condom attacks hiv herpes hit australian stores months meanwhile surviving cofounder rational vaccines hollywood filmmaker agustín fernández iii said considers 2016 trial success vowed continue research said involved halfords work company formed meaning part 2013 trial said aware individuals experienced positive outcomes vaccine | 671 |
<p>The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C.</p>
<p>June 18, 2014</p>
<p>Speakers:&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin, Ethics and Public Policy Center and National Affairs</p>
<p>Karlyn Bowman, American Enterprise Institute</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard, Columbia Business School</p>
<p>Henry Olsen, Ethics and Public Policy Center</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson,&#160;pollster &amp;&#160;columnist for&#160;The Daily Beast</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin</p>
<p>Yuval Levin: Fantastic. Thank you all very much. We couldn’t have hoped for better. And you also introduced some nice tensions between these different views that we might be able to explore.</p>
<p>We’ll very gladly take some questions from the audience, so if people have questions, please feel free to line up behind the microphone, right in the middle of the middle aisle here. I can start, while people are doing that, with one question that struck me as really all of you were talking, but especially a tension between what Glenn and Henry had to say. A tension about whether it is possible to think at the same time about the good of the overall economy and the good of this group of voters that’s important, not only as voters but as in some respect the kind of core and heart of American society.</p>
<p>Glenn, you argue that what we need is dynamism and that government shouldn’t act as a risk buffer, but as an enabler. Henry, at the same time, argues that what a lot of voters and voters who are maybe most winnable, and in the most trouble, want is a sense of security or a sense of comfort. How can that be overcome? Is there a tension here that might be the reasons why conservatives, and liberals really, are having such trouble finding a way to talk to the entire country, rather than choosing between people in&#160; need and the larger economy?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160;I think it’s a huge question and I actually don’t see that much disagreement here. I think we need to radically rethink our support for work. And what I meant by risk buffer, more what Henry spoke about in the DI Program, the Disability Program’s expansion. If we return the earned income tax credit to being about work, rather than about family, if we had wage subsidies, I think there’s a lot that we could do to promote exactly this group of people’s wellbeing in the workforce.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, on the Right, people generally don’t like to talk about that. And again, on the Left, the concern is more about UI. But I think there’s a lot we can do in this area.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;And I would agree with that. What I would say, though, is that to appeal to this voter, to this sort of voter, this sort of voter is naturally risk averse or risk neutral. That they want to work, but they understand work as an activity, they don’t understand or don’t necessarily appreciate to the full degree that they need to, the degree to which dynamism by others produces the things that they value.</p>
<p>So, a language and a approach that is rhetorically and actually caring, that speaks as much about building people up as tearing walls down, is something that would not just –the policies, we might not disagree as much on, but I think we need to be very careful about how we talk about it and how we actually emphasize it. Not as a, “Well, I really care about risk, and I really care about empowering the entrepreneur, but you&#160; guys need to have some stuff, too.” But it’s a much more balanced rhetorical and policy picture that will really convince these people that we are the party of for.</p>
<p>And I won’t go too much into it, but I study elections all over across the world. Conservative parties that actually do that win their votes. I was just looking at Sweden, that consciously rebranded their party as the “new worker’s party” and where they gained votes from when they went to a minority party to a majority party was actually in the working class areas of Sweden that used to vote for social democrats.</p>
<p>So, if you do it, you can win votes and implement policy, but you have to do it whole hog, you can’t do it with a policy but with a rhetoric that doesn’t communicate your values, that you actually care about the sort of things that the workers care about and understand.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;Well, we’ve got people lined up, so why don’t we start. Please tell us who you are and a brief question to the panel.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Arnold Clay: Okay. Arnold Clay. I teach in a high school, so Kristen, your description of Millennials is very accurate, especially the driver’s license story, which I noticed myself.</p>
<p>Another thing I notice is that the education system really fills these kids’ heads with Left wing dogma. You know, environment, community service, and capitalism is bad, the whole thing. And I’m wondering is there a –how can conservatives operate in that environment? Should we be focused maybe less on politics and more on what we can do either in response to or to replace the brainwashing in the schools.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson: So, I’ll jump on to something that you mentioned in the list of things that the kids are gaining from school, one of them being community service. And actually, I may defer a bit to Yuval on this one, as he’s written an awful lot about how conservatives can look to civil society as you know, sort of a way to talk about how we want to address social programs, not through a government program, but through individual work.</p>
<p>The Millennial generation is incredibly committed to community service and to caring, helping one another. You know, they’re told they should join a million different clubs and put in hundreds of volunteer hours before they apply to college, because that’s important for them to do. And in the process they learn the value of service.</p>
<p>You have young people now graduating from college and they’re banging down the doors of organizations like Teach For America, because they want to make a difference. When they take surveys</p>
<p>and answer questions about what their career aspirations are, they care just as much, if not more, about making a difference in the world than they do about just making a lot of money. So, sort of what these values in mind, I actually think this opens up an interesting opportunity for conservatives.</p>
<p>If young people nowadays view it as their responsibility, as an individual, to help others, you know, I think the line for the Left is that “Government is the name we give to the things we do together,” I think that’s ridiculous. And I think that that means that for us as a movement, if we know that young people are growing up in a world where they’re being taught it’s important to go serve one another and make a difference that we show them that serving one another and making a difference is actually a very conservative approach to things. It doesn’t mean let’s have anybody pay higher taxes so that some program can go make a difference, so that you as an individual can make a difference. So, I think we have opportunity there.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Martin Worcester: I’m Martin Worcester. I haven’t been employed since 1988 and I’ve never been able to drive, so I’m declaring myself to be a Millennial. I’m going to ask the question. I asked this symposium in 2009. I’m depressed about politics today. Say something that will cheer me up.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;The Left does not have the answers for the future. When multi-party states where people have choices, they’re increasingly abandoning mainstream parties of the Left. The opportunity is on the Right. The opportunity is on the Right to show people that we actually care about their lives and not simply about their pocketbooks. The opportunity on the Right is to show that we care about their dignity, not simply their standard of living. And the opportunity on the Right is to show that we still think that patriotism and citizenship matter.</p>
<p>And if we can communicate those values, I think they are consistent with the type of dynamic economy that will translate, the massive changes that are happening into gains for all, in a way that the Left simply cannot do. The Left talks down, but we cannot suffer –we cannot make the mistake of talking down, from a different&#160; offers hope for people of all classes, if we understand and communicate our values and not only part of them.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Karlyn Bowman</p>
<p>Karlyn Bowman:&#160;Well, it will probably cheer you, Martin, to know that Obama’s approval rating is now 41 percent and there’s just clear evidence in the survey data that Americans are rethinking a lot of their views about this presidency and what it stands for in foreign policy and domestic policy. And so I think there’s an opportunity for Republicans and conservatives that’ll be very important going &#160;forward, to seize.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin: Glenn, is there reason for optimism on the economy?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160;Well, first I think I absolutely agree with Henry that the ideas are on our side. And I think in terms of the economy, yes there is. I do think that we can resume more traditional growth for America, but it does require the right policy.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;Kristen, on that theme, are Millennials optimistic? You described them as being future oriented, as we might imagine, being young people, but are they optimistic about their own future and the country’s future?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson:&#160;So, they’re concerned that they won’t be as well off as their parent’s generation. They are well aware of the challenges that are facing them. When you sit down in these focus groups and talk to Millennials, I mean, they will bring up to you, without prompting, “We have huge national debt. We’re never going to see social security.” They know that the problems are great.</p>
<p>They’re optimistic about their own ability to fix things, if that makes sense. So, they’re pessimistic about where things are headed, but they have a great deal of confidence in themselves to tackle big challenges and fix things. And so, I think sort of understanding and tapping into that kind of, “We get that you are&#160;&#160; facing a tough future and here’s how we think you as individuals can be empowered to fix that,” is a&#160;&#160; huge opportunity.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Roger Clegg: I’m Roger Clegg with The Center for Equal Opportunity. And one of our issues is opposing race based decision making by the government and things like racial preferences in university admissions and things like that. So, I’d like to ask the panelists to talk about the future of Affirmative Action, that kind of issue. On the one hand I have to think that the fact that America’s becoming increasingly multiethnic and multiracial suggests that that kind of bean counting is going to become more and more untenable. On the other hand, as one of the earlier questioners lamented, the intellectuals in the Academy seem to be quite wetted to this kind of approach.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin: Henry, some thoughts on Affirmative Action?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;Affirmative Action is something that is a very difficult issue for conservatives to electorally address for some of the obvious reasons. I think if conservatives were a little bit more courageous, but also a little bit more tempered in how they talk about it, that there would be a possibility of more action on it. I suspect that as a matter of fact this is eventually going to be something that’s going to be decided –you know, if you ask me ten years from now is this going to have a political solution or a judicial solution, I would say it’s probably going to have a judicial one. But it’s one that, you know, most Americans want, even most Americans, you know, in affected racial groups would like not to have a handout. But they do -­there are groups that feel that they are disadvantaged or face obstacles that other people don’t face. And to not recognize that in the way you deal with the problem is to minimize your political flexibility in actually talking about creating a protected class as apart from creating &#160;&#160;opportunity.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Bill Belter:&#160;Good morning. I’m Bill Belter from Wisconsin, business entrepreneur. And &#160;my thoughts have been that our economy and our nation and the traditional values that you’ve cited and taken polls on, that the public generally supports are being dismantled so quickly and so fast that unless somebody gets up and says stop, halt, very strongly, that things are going to be beyond the point of no return very, very quickly.</p>
<p>And the public is generally uneducated, under informed. And in the words of Benjamin Franklin, that you’ve all heard is, when people realize that they vote themselves benefits from the federal treasury or the public treasury, democracy is going to fail.</p>
<p>And I see this happening and most of the things that have been discussed this morning are great, they’re good, they’re needed, but they’re pretty long term in nature, because you’re trying to change public opinion. And I just don’t see that all coming about before it’s too late. I guess that’s my comment and would appreciate your thoughts on that.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160;Well, you know, I’m the dismal scientist, but I’ll offer you an optimistic take on your question. I don’t see it as much as being dismantled, as being, in many people’s mind’s eye, proven wrong.</p>
<p>And so if I believed that there was a system where if I worked hard and played by the rules I would achieve X and now I can’t, I become frustrated and angry. I think it’s less about dismantling. I argued once with a presidential candidate who shall remain nameless, since you’re videoing this, that his frustrations, much like what you just said, were wrong.</p>
<p>I think people want to work. I think they want to obey the rules. But that behavior hasn’t been rewarded. If they see incumbents being advantaged over entrants, financial services advantaged over real business, people’s rent seeking being rewarded while hard working people are not, frustration sets in. So, I see this an opportunity, frankly, for us.</p>
<p>There will always be people who behave the way you say, but I actually think they’re the minority.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;Karlyn, the question raises a distinction that you often find within the Left and the Right, between people who think that we are in a moment of great crisis and people who think that we are in a moment that needs balance. What does the public tend to think in general, people who don’t spend their lives in politics? Both these views seem to be comment, which is more comment?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Karlyn Bowman:&#160;The public is very inattentive on many of these questions. They don’t like what they see in Washington.&#160; But I think it is certainly not the crisis mentality.&#160; I mean, they’re looking for a middle, they talk about that all the time.</p>
<p>And again, to answer your earlier question, when you look at public opinion as much as I do, you see just an enormous reservoir of strength of the American people, I think, in terms of solving these problems going forward.&#160; But we certainly are inattentive, we’re not in the crisis mode yet.&#160; We were in the crisis mode in ’79 and ’80, but I don’t see that now.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160; You know, I think one of the things that conservatives need to do, I’ve spoken about before, is, you know, just go back and take a look at Ronald Reagan.&#160; That we have two often got in a sense that our fellow citizens want something from us, rather than want our help to get something for themselves. And that is the view that Reagan had of what the American worker and the American people wanted in the, you know, very awful economic times of 1970 and 1980, and he communicated those values.</p>
<p>And people supported a massive restructuring of the economy that frankly created many more winners than losers, but did create losers. If you were in the steel industry in Pittsburgh, you were not going to be propped by the government anymore. If you were in the new economy, which was just emerging at the time, you were not going to be burdened by propping up the steelworker. That created many more winners than losers, but Reagan always understood that people want to be reliant, people want to be helpful, people want dignity and they’re not simply out for a free lunch.</p>
<p>And if we communicate that, then I think we will find more people who are willing to support our view of Americans, because we’ll be respectful of them.</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;Kristen, what do young voters want from government?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson:&#160;What young voters want from government is I think very unclear right now, because they have been presented with –when you talk with them they either hear, “Well, Democrats want to use government to help people and conservatives want to get rid of government.” And there’s sort of the sense that I don’t know that either of those views is really what I’m looking for.</p>
<p>And they’re looking for someone to articulate what are the ways that government can be used as a good thing, what are the ways that government can be used as a bad thing. I mean, I don’t think any of us here are anarchists, and so, you know, what are the things that we think that the state can effectively do to create opportunity.</p>
<p>And I think that this is a theme that’s run through all of what we’ve had to say, which is they’re uncomfortable with this idea of the government guaranteeing outcomes. But they want to see the government maximize opportunity. And I think that’s sort of the broadest possible way to put it. That they –again, they are distrustful of big institutions. They are distrustful of things that are far away. They like things that are more local, that they can see, that they have more faith in. You know, that’s why they are trusting their friends more, they’re buying local produce. I mean, there are so many interesting little cultural threads woven through here that I think mean young people don’t want government to be the answer for everything. But they don’t inherently view it as a bad thing.</p>
<p>One of the data points that I often mention is that back in the 1980’s I believe this was the Pew Research Center, would ask a question, “When the government does something it tends to be inefficient and wasteful. Do you believe or not believe this statement?” And back in the 1980’s it was two-thirds of Americans believed, yes, the government tends to be inefficient and wasteful, as well as about half of young people. By the time you fast forward to the mid 2000’s, middle of the Bush Administration, for young people only one out of three thought that when the government does something it tended to be inefficient and wasteful. This sort of imagine of big government wasn’t as clear in their minds.</p>
<p>That question has since been re-asked and more young people are beginning to say they think government is inefficient and wasteful. But they don’t inherently view it as automatically a bad thing, or the least effective solution, but they don’t think it’s the only solution.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>George Leibmann:&#160;George Leibmann of the Calvert Institute in Baltimore. I’m struck partly because of where I’m from, which has an astronomical young unemployment rate, at the almost total indifference of the present administration to the problem of youth unemployment. You could look, as I did, at the website of the recently and happily departed Secretary of Labor, and discover that she went through four years of the Obama Administration without uttering a word on that subject.&#160; There are things that can and have been done that should be appealing to people who don’t believe in doles and who recognize the importance of cultivating a work ethic and in our large cities, a condition in which there are opportunities elsewhere than in the drug trade.</p>
<p>One of them is simply relieving works under a certain age of payroll taxes. That’s been a basis of public policy in Germany and the Netherlands&#160; since the war, and they have lower youth unemployment rates than general unemployment rates. When I raised this as a conservative summit a few weeks ago, I got the objection, “Well, we want a simplified tax code and that’s the overriding purpose.” And I think if conservatives are that doctrine there, they deserve everything that’s going to happen to them.</p>
<p>The other thing that’s hard not to remember is the Roosevelt Administration hostility towards doles and the belief in work relief, which has played no part in recent discussion, even though the Civilian Conservation Corps was a sufficiently popular program that it was ultimately supported by conservative Republicans before being abolished because of the need for labor during the war.</p>
<p>And aside from that, there was another institution of the New Deal that was abolished at the time of the war, that was also of considerable value to young workers and that was the United States Employment Service, which was designed, in essence to help people relocate themselves by learning of opportunities in other parts of the country.</p>
<p>None of this is any part of anyone’s agenda. And it seems to me that for reasons that have been stated, that there is a real opportunity for conservatives here, even though these things do involve tax changes, and even though they do involve government programs, that it’s not sufficient to say that a rising tide will ultimately lift all boats, that we have wonderful macroeconomic policies and the fact that we are losing a generation in the meantime doesn’t make any difference. It seems we can and should do better than that. And I just throw these three things out as a suggestion of things that are at least worthy of some discussion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;Glenn, on youth unemployment?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160;Yeah, I think you’ve identified an incredibly important social problem. In Europe this has been a crisis for a very long time, in America this is a more recent crisis, but a very unfortunate one. As you say, even in an administration that calls itself progressive, one doesn’t hear about it at all.</p>
<p>I have advocated exactly the payroll tax changes you’ve recommended, but for younger and older workers to address re-entry into work. And I do think we have to think about wage subsidies in this area as well, and take a lot of the waste and the rot in federal training programs and get them down to levels where they can be done more efficiently.</p>
<p>But yeah, this is a huge social problem.&#160;&#160; If you have young people out of work for an extended period of time, their probability of entering the labor force as the kind of productive citizens they want to be is simply small. It’s a social problem and we’re not talking about it.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Mike Krikorian: Mike Krikorian, Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. The discussion, much of it has been based on this idea&#160; that –or seems to be anyway, premised on this idea that there’s a large pool of voters that we can attract that’s sort of, you know, waiting for us, with the right message, the right kind of tone as well as the right policies that we can attract. I think our concern is actual more immediate. Our own voters hate the Republican Party, as we saw last week, with Dave Brat’s victory. And so the problem is the political class on the Right is, in a sense, the first problem.</p>
<p>We saw this with UKIP. UKIP voters are all people who would be voting conservative otherwise, and yet the conservative party elite, like much of the Republican Party elite is seen by their own voters as the problem, or at least as the first problem. And so my question is –well, I mean the symbol of that, not just politically the symbol, but also in a policy sense is the whole issue of immigration, that much of our political class is still seen by a lot of the voters, Henry you’re talking about, as wanting in whatever way possible to put through anti-worker, anti-middle class, anti-blue collar provisions through and immigration is kind of the key. There’s a lot of other aspects to it, but nobody’s ever heard of the Export Import Bank, whereas everybody understands the immigration issue and the amnesty issue in general.</p>
<p>So, my point is, isn’t the first problem basically –I mean, I don’t want to even use the word purge, because that’s not the right word, but getting our own political elite to understand that our own voters see them as, in a sense the near enemy, as opposed to the far enemy, which is the progressives?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;I’d like to address that, because I study this across the world and I’ve kitchen a lot of look at UKIP. The UKIP revolt is the working class revolt. All the surveys show that the lower your social class is in Britain, the likelier you are to vote UKIP. And if you only look at the 2010 election, a lot of them voted conservative, but if you look at the 2005 and before, a lot –most of them voted labor. They are people who are the losers in today’s economy, in the sense that they’re finding remunerative work harder to find, they’re finding a government that is focusing on the interests of people who they perceive as not playing by the rules, whether it’s illegal immigrants or immigrants generally in England, or if it’s people who are in the capital of London who are using their access to gain unfairly. That’s what’s driving the nationalist revolt all across Europe. It’s the same voter group. Yes, those people see the political elites of both parties as being out of touch. I was in England a year ago and I was speaking with the prime minister’s former pollster over, it was in England, so it was a pint. I had a lot of pints during the middle of the day when I was in England.</p>
<p>And I said, “You know, to me, as an American, David Cameron looks condescending. He’s somebody who speaks down to voters, as if he were, you know, a traditional 19th century Tory. But you live in a society now where people don’t have a rigid sense of social class, they have a sense of dignity, even though it’s not the sense of American, Australian have at ’em at authority.” And what his response was, “Well, when people don’t have to defer, they find that they want to.” That’s why they can’t deal with UKIP, because they don’t want to defer. They want dignity, they want respect and they want comfort. And an elite that will give them those three things will garner their support.</p>
<p>Eric Cantor did not seem to demonstrate respect and understanding of dignity and he was thrown out. Immigration is often just a flash that canals these deeper values rather than a concern about it itself. It was very much at play in Richmond. And Republican leaders who don’t see that, who can’t get outside of their own class, to see what the concerns of people who are not like them are, will suffer retribution to the first political entrepreneur who figures it out.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;Henry, doesn’t it suggest that since we’ve talked about the ways in which winning Hispanic voters is essential, and the ways in which winning these working class voters is essential, doesn’t that mean that immigration is really the most complicated question for Republicans going forward?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;Immigration is an incredibly complicated question, because Hispanics are working class voters. Hispanics are highly likely not to have a college –and I’m not talking about Cuban Hispanics, which are different, because they’re third generation. But the first and the second generation Hispanics live in families that work with their hands, not at their desks, or they work in service jobs that are low skill. They have median income of $38,000 a year, they are working class.</p>
<p>But, they are competing with lower class, working class whites. Maybe not in the same area, but where they are in the same area, you see a very strong clash of values. And immigration is an incredibly difficult issue for a party that wants to focus on work, simply, to understand. Which is why I think one thing that a reform oriented conservatism needs to do is understand how public policy right now is idoling the citizen low skilled, which creates a demand that is being filled by the non-citizen low skilled.</p>
<p>I mean, think about if you are a citizen, and you get thrown out of work, there are many programs that you’re available for that basically say, “We will give you a low, but steady income, all you have to do is get yourself out of the workforce and stay in your community.” If you’re a low income African-American person in a city and you’re getting a Section 8 voucher, if you want to move to Houston to get a job, rather than stay in Detroit, you lose your voucher, because it’s given by a local authority. So, we idol low skill citizens, we don’t encourage them to move to places where there are jobs and the businesses need jobs. So, what are they going to do? If we’re serious about immigration reform, we need to be serious about labor market reform in a way that says, “We’re not going to idol our citizens anymore. We’re not&#160;&#160;&#160; going to say it’s okay for you not to work and stay in your community, by saying that you can’t, because that creates a demand that keeps you out of the labor force, and it creates a demand for immigration.”</p>
<p>I think that reform of these programs, that idols citizens in non-economically vibrant areas is the single most effective way for conservatives to be both accepting of immigrants, for whom we do have a need for economically, while at the same time, empowering the people who are citizens, who are the losers in the economy, to show that we are on your side.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Eleanor Linton: I’m Eleanor Linton and I’m with The Hudson Institute. I have a question, a little bit more specific. What type of future do you expect for the Republican Party, and to remain relevant and/or electable, how much rebranding is necessary to prevent further splintering?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson:&#160;So, I think a lot of these questions about, you know, the Republican Party needing to rebrand comes down to this question of, “Do any of them care about me or get what I’m going through.” I think whether you’re talking about young voters, whether you’re talking about the working class, whether you’re talking about Latinos, no matter who you’re talking about, I think it all centers around that one question, “Who feels my pain.”</p>
<p>And I think that one of the big problems has been, in the last couple of years, is we talk to every American like they’re about to start a business tomorrow, like the best thing they could ever possibly want is a tax cut and that we think that a rising tide will lift all boats, when increasingly we’ve seen that that’s not happening for everybody.</p>
<p>And I think that the party rebranding, so much of the talk around it has been focused around, “Well, we need to get someone who’s young and charismatic. Or maybe we need to get the right message. Or maybe we just need better ads.” And I think these are all pieces of it, but I think it’s going to come down to the substance and not just a well tested message that proves I care, but that we’re talking about the real substance of what we believe in and why we think those ideas actually do lead to better outcomes for all of these people who have felt disaffected from the Republican Party as of late.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;Kristen and I are like the wrestling tag team of continually reminding people of one question on the exit poll, which is, you know, they asked “Which of these four qualities do &#160;you think describe this candidate –or is most important to you for president?” And it’s, you know, strong leader, vision for America, has the right policies, and 77 percent of Americans chose one of those three. And Romney won them by over 10 points. He won each of those categories by between 9 and 23 points.</p>
<p>Twenty-one percent chose the fourth category, and they voted for Obama by 63 points. And that’s cares about people like me. And after the election you saw the Preibus Report and the Republican Party thing, “We have a caring problem.” And I went through and read the Preibus Report and I thought, “Well, you still don’t get it, because there are five words to that phrase. It’s not cares about people, it cares about people like me.”</p>
<p>And the Preibus Report was all talking about, “We have –we care about people,” and then they started talking –it started talking about, “Look at all these tax cuts we delivered, and look at all this budget savings we have.” And it was money, money, money, money, money. No, they know we’re for money, they know we care about money, they think we care about nothing but money.</p>
<p>So, with respect to a rebranding, it’s actually a question of what are our values. Do we care about people like them? If you’re a woman and you’ve experienced some discrimination, it doesn’t mean that we should be in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act, but do we care about that? If you’re an African-American and you’ve been stopped four times on the street because you’re African-American, or a cab driver has, you know, passed you by, it doesn’t mean that we should have a government enforcement, you know, where we’re looking at every cab driver and what they do, but is that a reality we want to &#160;&#160;recognize?</p>
<p>If you’re a low income worker, and your choice really is between SSDI or a $9 job without benefits. Do we care about that? If we don’t, there’s not a majority in the American electorate right now to support the sort of things we’re talking about, and it’s because there is a majority of Americans who think we don’t care about people like them, and they’ll vote for the people who they think will.</p>
<p>And they may not like, and often don’t like the results they get from the Left, because like I said, the Left does not give them what they want, respect and dignity, they can only offer handouts. But, if we offer handsoff and they offer handouts, people will wish there was a third option.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Karlyn Bowman:&#160;Many years ago the Republican National Committee had a terrific little journal called Common Sense. And I’ll never forget an essay that my late colleague, Jean Kirkpatrick, wrote about. The title was Why I Don’t Become a Republican. And she made the simple point that party identification is a pretty strong thing, it means a lot to people like Jean who grew up as a Humphrey Democrat. And she sad, “But the reason that I can’t become a Republican,” obviously she eventually did, but she said, “It &#160;&#160;was that the Republican Party didn’t care enough about the whole, couldn’t articulate those values of compassion, of caring about people like me.” And that sort of stuck with me for a very long time.</p>
<p>I just went back and looked at every compassion question in the polling literature. Republicans have won the compassion vote, and it might surprise you who’s lost it and who’s won it. George W. Bush, beat Al Gore on the compassion vote in 2000. And he did well against –in the Kerry race. Republican did well because Kerry seemed so out of touch with people overall. Ronald Reagan didn’t win the compassion vote, but yet won the presidency. Again, identical questions asked over time, “Do you care about people like me?” So, interesting.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Derrick Morgan:&#160;Derrick Morgan from The Heritage Foundation. Thank you for an excellent panel, it’s been really illuminating. I wanted to put maybe a little bit finer point on what you were just talking about, Henry, which is welfare reform. And a lot of even conservatives, and particularly the public think, “Well, we’ve already done that. We did that in the 1990’s, we required work and, you know, so why are we talking about that again?”</p>
<p>But the fact is, that was only just a handful of programs out of 80, means tested welfare programs. Only a handful of them have a work requirement at all, and the president has actually gone and weakened those requirements. So, I wanted to ask, of course the incentive structure is right. You’ve got to make sure that people aren’t facing an extremely high marginal tax rate from losing all the benefits and all that, but isn’t the most important part of welfare reform really requiring the work, like we did with TANF in 1996?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;I think what we need to think about is, on the Right, is a couple of things that we tend not to think about. One is that there’s not a clear dividing line in people’s lives between rich and non-rich, that there’s a continuum. And often times, you know, if you are working in a $9 job in Ohio, you’re eligible for food stamps. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?</p>
<p>I think rather than thinking about work as something that we require for them, which tends to be –I do believe in work requirements, I think what we need to do is think about the whole, which is what can we do to make work both expected and remunerative, across not just a, are you poor or are you not, but across the whole spectrum of people who are more likely to be dislocated by the changes in our economy.</p>
<p>You know, I was very glad to hear Glenn talk about wage subsidies because that’s something that I’ve become much more interested in as a way to do away with the categorical programs that we have right now, but to send a very clear message, “If you work, it will pay. If you don’t, we will not.”</p>
<p>I think outside of the whole –we need to get out of the “us” “them” thing and think of it more as a whole of what our obligations are to other citizens and work both to expect and to remunerate work if we’re going to have –both limit the state, from a policy measure, but also empower people who are not naturally as highly skilled as everyone in this room is, from a practical letter.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Derrick Morgan:&#160;Yeah, I guess my thinking there is that the work requirements actually help the people themselves, too. We saw that in welfare reform, many people, thousands of people who got off the welfare rolls and then were able to climb up in the economy.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Henry Olsen:&#160;But I would just like to say, I’m with you on that, but I actually think we need to think bigger. That’s what I’m trying to say is that the welfare roll –you know, we tend to think that there’s a discreet number –with welfare there was a discreet set of people who were clearly being idoled, who were clearly low skilled, for whom a work requirement was necessary. And what I’m saying is that if we think more broadly, when we go from welfare reform to these other programs like food stamps, there’s not that discreet population.</p>
<p>You know, somebody who’s on food stamps could be disabled, could be an AFDC or TANF mom, and could be somebody who’s a low skilled worker who’s getting $9 an hour at a Kroeger’s in Southeastern Ohio. There are different people. And if we speak in terms of a work requirement without addressing the different needs of people like them, we limit our ability to actually transform the state.</p>
<p>So, like I’m with you, but I think the principle can be applied more broadly and in a way that has more affect both policy and politically.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160;Yeah, I would agree with that. I think that one reason that we’re caught flat-footed on debates over the minimum wage or food stamps or even the Medicaid Program is because we’re arguing category by category in these programs, which affect very different segments of the population, as opposed to really having a pro work program, which would involve EIC reform, wage subsidies and other things and then could get us out of these other unproductive discussions. Unproductive for the people involved and unproductive for conservatives as they talk about it.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;All right, one more&#160; question.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Evan Sparks:&#160;Evan Sparks with the American Bankers Association. There was some interesting numbers out from Pew recently, showing a big divide between Millennial conservatives and older conservatives, about where they’d like to live. With a third of Millennial conservatives saying they’d like to live in a big –in a city or an urban core. And only&#160; percent of people, older than 30, saying –conservatives older than &#160;30 saying that that’s what they would like. So, I guess my question is, if more and &#160;more, or if or as more and more younger conservatives move into cities, what does that mean for the Republican Coalition? Will these younger conservatives help to change cities or will the cities change them? Thanks?</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Kristen Soltis Anderson:&#160;So, my hope is that it is the former and not the latter. And that’s why I specifically mentioned things like Uber. It never fails to make me chuckle when there’s some kind of challenge. For those of you who don’t know, Uber is a start up that allows car –you know, whether it’s a taxi or a town car to pick up –to be summoned by a potential customer and to meet them and it lets you pay through credit card, and it’s very wonderful. And taxi companies –taxi drivers hate it, because it’s disrupting their industry, it’s disrupting their monopoly.</p>
<p>And it never fails to make me laugh when there’s a threat to Uber in Washington, D.C. that I’ll go look at my Twitter feed and all of my left of center friends are up in arms about government regulation all of the sudden. And, “How could you be fighting these small business owners and these entrepreneurs. This is so terrible.” And I thought, “Oh gosh, if only you thought this about everything.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Especially in cities is where you see so much broken policy and just decay and inefficiency and corruption that has typically been entrenched by a Left of center governing coalition that’s heavily backed by unions, which as I mentioned, young people aren’t joining unions at the same rates as their parents or grandparents did. Within cities are huge opportunities for conservatives to point out this contrast between our vision and their vision, our new way and their old way. And so I think –it makes me excited to hear that hopefully I won’t be the only conservative Millennial living on my block here in Washington, D.C. after too long. I actually think that this flocking to cities gives us a really interesting opportunity to take our principles and apply them in places where the Left’s policy vision has failed people for decades.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Karlyn Bowman:&#160;There’s an old adage in demography that, “Density equals Democrats.” And but I agree completely with Kristen that I think that there’s a real opportunity and there are just a lot of very attractive young Republican mayors of midsized cities, not as many of large sized cities, who are really pointing in a very different direction in terms of being problem solvers. And so I’m optimistic, as Kristen is.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Glenn Hubbard:&#160;As a New Yorker, though, I’d like to remind you that, you know, memories can be short. I mean, I probably am the only Republican in my precinct, perhaps my wife. But, New York, you know, prospered under Republican or quasi-Republican mayors, but then just took a very sharp turn, because people forgot what it was like. I lived in New York when David Dinkins was mayor, but evidently many voters had not. So, I’m not sure that we can necessarily bank as quickly on the relationship, but I hope.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Yuval Levin:&#160;All right. Well, we’ll close there. Thank you very much for this very fine panel. Thank you again, to the Bradley Foundation and to all of you for being here.</p> | false | 1 | mayflower hotel washington dc june 18 2014 speakers160 yuval levin ethics public policy center national affairs karlyn bowman american enterprise institute glenn hubbard columbia business school henry olsen ethics public policy center kristen soltis anderson160pollster amp160columnist for160the daily beast 160 yuval levin yuval levin fantastic thank much couldnt hoped better also introduced nice tensions different views might able explore well gladly take questions audience people questions please feel free line behind microphone right middle middle aisle start people one question struck really talking especially tension glenn henry say tension whether possible think time good overall economy good group voters thats important voters respect kind core heart american society glenn argue need dynamism government shouldnt act risk buffer enabler henry time argues lot voters voters maybe winnable trouble want sense security sense comfort overcome tension might reasons conservatives liberals really trouble finding way talk entire country rather choosing people in160 need larger economy 160 glenn hubbard glenn hubbard160i think huge question actually dont see much disagreement think need radically rethink support work meant risk buffer henry spoke di program disability programs expansion return earned income tax credit work rather family wage subsidies think theres lot could promote exactly group peoples wellbeing workforce unfortunately right people generally dont like talk left concern ui think theres lot area 160 henry olsen henry olsen160and would agree would say though appeal voter sort voter sort voter naturally risk averse risk neutral want work understand work activity dont understand dont necessarily appreciate full degree need degree dynamism others produces things value language approach rhetorically actually caring speaks much building people tearing walls something would policies might disagree much think need careful talk actually emphasize well really care risk really care empowering entrepreneur you160 guys need stuff much balanced rhetorical policy picture really convince people party wont go much study elections across world conservative parties actually win votes looking sweden consciously rebranded party new workers party gained votes went minority party majority party actually working class areas sweden used vote social democrats win votes implement policy whole hog cant policy rhetoric doesnt communicate values actually care sort things workers care understand 160 yuval levin160well weve got people lined dont start please tell us brief question panel 160 arnold clay okay arnold clay teach high school kristen description millennials accurate especially drivers license story noticed another thing notice education system really fills kids heads left wing dogma know environment community service capitalism bad whole thing im wondering conservatives operate environment focused maybe less politics either response replace brainwashing schools 160 kristen soltis anderson kristen soltis anderson ill jump something mentioned list things kids gaining school one community service actually may defer bit yuval one hes written awful lot conservatives look civil society know sort way talk want address social programs government program individual work millennial generation incredibly committed community service caring helping one another know theyre told join million different clubs put hundreds volunteer hours apply college thats important process learn value service young people graduating college theyre banging doors organizations like teach america want make difference take surveys answer questions career aspirations care much making difference world making lot money sort values mind actually think opens interesting opportunity conservatives young people nowadays view responsibility individual help others know think line left government name give things together think thats ridiculous think means us movement know young people growing world theyre taught important go serve one another make difference show serving one another making difference actually conservative approach things doesnt mean lets anybody pay higher taxes program go make difference individual make difference think opportunity 160 martin worcester im martin worcester havent employed since 1988 ive never able drive im declaring millennial im going ask question asked symposium 2009 im depressed politics today say something cheer 160 henry olsen160the left answers future multiparty states people choices theyre increasingly abandoning mainstream parties left opportunity right opportunity right show people actually care lives simply pocketbooks opportunity right show care dignity simply standard living opportunity right show still think patriotism citizenship matter communicate values think consistent type dynamic economy translate massive changes happening gains way left simply left talks suffer make mistake talking different160 offers hope people classes understand communicate values part 160 karlyn bowman karlyn bowman160well probably cheer martin know obamas approval rating 41 percent theres clear evidence survey data americans rethinking lot views presidency stands foreign policy domestic policy think theres opportunity republicans conservatives thatll important going 160forward seize 160 yuval levin glenn reason optimism economy 160 glenn hubbard160well first think absolutely agree henry ideas side think terms economy yes think resume traditional growth america require right policy 160 yuval levin160kristen theme millennials optimistic described future oriented might imagine young people optimistic future countrys future 160 kristen soltis anderson160so theyre concerned wont well parents generation well aware challenges facing sit focus groups talk millennials mean bring without prompting huge national debt never going see social security know problems great theyre optimistic ability fix things makes sense theyre pessimistic things headed great deal confidence tackle big challenges fix things think sort understanding tapping kind get are160160 facing tough future heres think individuals empowered fix a160160 huge opportunity 160 roger clegg im roger clegg center equal opportunity one issues opposing race based decision making government things like racial preferences university admissions things like id like ask panelists talk future affirmative action kind issue one hand think fact americas becoming increasingly multiethnic multiracial suggests kind bean counting going become untenable hand one earlier questioners lamented intellectuals academy seem quite wetted kind approach 160 yuval levin henry thoughts affirmative action 160 henry olsen160affirmative action something difficult issue conservatives electorally address obvious reasons think conservatives little bit courageous also little bit tempered talk would possibility action suspect matter fact eventually going something thats going decided know ask ten years going political solution judicial solution would say probably going judicial one one know americans want even americans know affected racial groups would like handout groups feel disadvantaged face obstacles people dont face recognize way deal problem minimize political flexibility actually talking creating protected class apart creating 160160opportunity 160 bill belter160good morning im bill belter wisconsin business entrepreneur 160my thoughts economy nation traditional values youve cited taken polls public generally supports dismantled quickly fast unless somebody gets says stop halt strongly things going beyond point return quickly public generally uneducated informed words benjamin franklin youve heard people realize vote benefits federal treasury public treasury democracy going fail see happening things discussed morning great theyre good theyre needed theyre pretty long term nature youre trying change public opinion dont see coming late guess thats comment would appreciate thoughts 160 glenn hubbard160well know im dismal scientist ill offer optimistic take question dont see much dismantled many peoples minds eye proven wrong believed system worked hard played rules would achieve x cant become frustrated angry think less dismantling argued presidential candidate shall remain nameless since youre videoing frustrations much like said wrong think people want work think want obey rules behavior hasnt rewarded see incumbents advantaged entrants financial services advantaged real business peoples rent seeking rewarded hard working people frustration sets see opportunity frankly us always people behave way say actually think theyre minority 160 yuval levin160karlyn question raises distinction often find within left right people think moment great crisis people think moment needs balance public tend think general people dont spend lives politics views seem comment comment 160 karlyn bowman160the public inattentive many questions dont like see washington160 think certainly crisis mentality160 mean theyre looking middle talk time answer earlier question look public opinion much see enormous reservoir strength american people think terms solving problems going forward160 certainly inattentive crisis mode yet160 crisis mode 79 80 dont see 160 glenn hubbard160 know think one things conservatives need ive spoken know go back take look ronald reagan160 two often got sense fellow citizens want something us rather want help get something view reagan american worker american people wanted know awful economic times 1970 1980 communicated values people supported massive restructuring economy frankly created many winners losers create losers steel industry pittsburgh going propped government anymore new economy emerging time going burdened propping steelworker created many winners losers reagan always understood people want reliant people want helpful people want dignity theyre simply free lunch communicate think find people willing support view americans well respectful yuval levin160kristen young voters want government 160 kristen soltis anderson160what young voters want government think unclear right presented talk either hear well democrats want use government help people conservatives want get rid government theres sort sense dont know either views really im looking theyre looking someone articulate ways government used good thing ways government used bad thing mean dont think us anarchists know things think state effectively create opportunity think theme thats run weve say theyre uncomfortable idea government guaranteeing outcomes want see government maximize opportunity think thats sort broadest possible way put distrustful big institutions distrustful things far away like things local see faith know thats trusting friends theyre buying local produce mean many interesting little cultural threads woven think mean young people dont want government answer everything dont inherently view bad thing one data points often mention back 1980s believe pew research center would ask question government something tends inefficient wasteful believe believe statement back 1980s twothirds americans believed yes government tends inefficient wasteful well half young people time fast forward mid 2000s middle bush administration young people one three thought government something tended inefficient wasteful sort imagine big government wasnt clear minds question since reasked young people beginning say think government inefficient wasteful dont inherently view automatically bad thing least effective solution dont think solution 160 george leibmann160george leibmann calvert institute baltimore im struck partly im astronomical young unemployment rate almost total indifference present administration problem youth unemployment could look website recently happily departed secretary labor discover went four years obama administration without uttering word subject160 things done appealing people dont believe doles recognize importance cultivating work ethic large cities condition opportunities elsewhere drug trade one simply relieving works certain age payroll taxes thats basis public policy germany netherlands160 since war lower youth unemployment rates general unemployment rates raised conservative summit weeks ago got objection well want simplified tax code thats overriding purpose think conservatives doctrine deserve everything thats going happen thing thats hard remember roosevelt administration hostility towards doles belief work relief played part recent discussion even though civilian conservation corps sufficiently popular program ultimately supported conservative republicans abolished need labor war aside another institution new deal abolished time war also considerable value young workers united states employment service designed essence help people relocate learning opportunities parts country none part anyones agenda seems reasons stated real opportunity conservatives even though things involve tax changes even though involve government programs sufficient say rising tide ultimately lift boats wonderful macroeconomic policies fact losing generation meantime doesnt make difference seems better throw three things suggestion things least worthy discussion 160 yuval levin160glenn youth unemployment 160 glenn hubbard160yeah think youve identified incredibly important social problem europe crisis long time america recent crisis unfortunate one say even administration calls progressive one doesnt hear advocated exactly payroll tax changes youve recommended younger older workers address reentry work think think wage subsidies area well take lot waste rot federal training programs get levels done efficiently yeah huge social problem160160 young people work extended period time probability entering labor force kind productive citizens want simply small social problem talking 160 mike krikorian mike krikorian director center immigration studies discussion much based idea160 seems anyway premised idea theres large pool voters attract thats sort know waiting us right message right kind tone well right policies attract think concern actual immediate voters hate republican party saw last week dave brats victory problem political class right sense first problem saw ukip ukip voters people would voting conservative otherwise yet conservative party elite like much republican party elite seen voters problem least first problem question well mean symbol politically symbol also policy sense whole issue immigration much political class still seen lot voters henry youre talking wanting whatever way possible put antiworker antimiddle class antiblue collar provisions immigration kind key theres lot aspects nobodys ever heard export import bank whereas everybody understands immigration issue amnesty issue general point isnt first problem basically mean dont want even use word purge thats right word getting political elite understand voters see sense near enemy opposed far enemy progressives 160 henry olsen160id like address study across world ive kitchen lot look ukip ukip revolt working class revolt surveys show lower social class britain likelier vote ukip look 2010 election lot voted conservative look 2005 lot voted labor people losers todays economy sense theyre finding remunerative work harder find theyre finding government focusing interests people perceive playing rules whether illegal immigrants immigrants generally england people capital london using access gain unfairly thats whats driving nationalist revolt across europe voter group yes people see political elites parties touch england year ago speaking prime ministers former pollster england pint lot pints middle day england said know american david cameron looks condescending hes somebody speaks voters know traditional 19th century tory live society people dont rigid sense social class sense dignity even though sense american australian em authority response well people dont defer find want thats cant deal ukip dont want defer want dignity want respect want comfort elite give three things garner support eric cantor seem demonstrate respect understanding dignity thrown immigration often flash canals deeper values rather concern much play richmond republican leaders dont see cant get outside class see concerns people like suffer retribution first political entrepreneur figures 160 yuval levin160henry doesnt suggest since weve talked ways winning hispanic voters essential ways winning working class voters essential doesnt mean immigration really complicated question republicans going forward 160 henry olsen160immigration incredibly complicated question hispanics working class voters hispanics highly likely college im talking cuban hispanics different theyre third generation first second generation hispanics live families work hands desks work service jobs low skill median income 38000 year working class competing lower class working class whites maybe area area see strong clash values immigration incredibly difficult issue party wants focus work simply understand think one thing reform oriented conservatism needs understand public policy right idoling citizen low skilled creates demand filled noncitizen low skilled mean think citizen get thrown work many programs youre available basically say give low steady income get workforce stay community youre low income africanamerican person city youre getting section 8 voucher want move houston get job rather stay detroit lose voucher given local authority idol low skill citizens dont encourage move places jobs businesses need jobs going serious immigration reform need serious labor market reform way says going idol citizens anymore not160160160 going say okay work stay community saying cant creates demand keeps labor force creates demand immigration think reform programs idols citizens noneconomically vibrant areas single effective way conservatives accepting immigrants need economically time empowering people citizens losers economy show side 160 eleanor linton im eleanor linton im hudson institute question little bit specific type future expect republican party remain relevant andor electable much rebranding necessary prevent splintering 160 kristen soltis anderson160so think lot questions know republican party needing rebrand comes question care get im going think whether youre talking young voters whether youre talking working class whether youre talking latinos matter youre talking think centers around one question feels pain think one big problems last couple years talk every american like theyre start business tomorrow like best thing could ever possibly want tax cut think rising tide lift boats increasingly weve seen thats happening everybody think party rebranding much talk around focused around well need get someone whos young charismatic maybe need get right message maybe need better ads think pieces think going come substance well tested message proves care talking real substance believe think ideas actually lead better outcomes people felt disaffected republican party late 160 henry olsen160kristen like wrestling tag team continually reminding people one question exit poll know asked four qualities 160you think describe candidate important president know strong leader vision america right policies 77 percent americans chose one three romney 10 points categories 9 23 points twentyone percent chose fourth category voted obama 63 points thats cares people like election saw preibus report republican party thing caring problem went read preibus report thought well still dont get five words phrase cares people cares people like preibus report talking care people started talking started talking look tax cuts delivered look budget savings money money money money money know money know care money think care nothing money respect rebranding actually question values care people like youre woman youve experienced discrimination doesnt mean favor lilly ledbetter equal pay act care youre africanamerican youve stopped four times street youre africanamerican cab driver know passed doesnt mean government enforcement know looking every cab driver reality want 160160recognize youre low income worker choice really ssdi 9 job without benefits care dont theres majority american electorate right support sort things talking majority americans think dont care people like theyll vote people think may like often dont like results get left like said left give want respect dignity offer handouts offer handsoff offer handouts people wish third option 160 karlyn bowman160many years ago republican national committee terrific little journal called common sense ill never forget essay late colleague jean kirkpatrick wrote title dont become republican made simple point party identification pretty strong thing means lot people like jean grew humphrey democrat sad reason cant become republican obviously eventually said 160160was republican party didnt care enough whole couldnt articulate values compassion caring people like sort stuck long time went back looked every compassion question polling literature republicans compassion vote might surprise whos lost whos george w bush beat al gore compassion vote 2000 well kerry race republican well kerry seemed touch people overall ronald reagan didnt win compassion vote yet presidency identical questions asked time care people like interesting 160 derrick morgan160derrick morgan heritage foundation thank excellent panel really illuminating wanted put maybe little bit finer point talking henry welfare reform lot even conservatives particularly public think well weve already done 1990s required work know talking fact handful programs 80 means tested welfare programs handful work requirement president actually gone weakened requirements wanted ask course incentive structure right youve got make sure people arent facing extremely high marginal tax rate losing benefits isnt important part welfare reform really requiring work like tanf 1996 160 henry olsen160i think need think right couple things tend think one theres clear dividing line peoples lives rich nonrich theres continuum often times know working 9 job ohio youre eligible food stamps good thing bad thing think rather thinking work something require tends believe work requirements think need think whole make work expected remunerative across poor across whole spectrum people likely dislocated changes economy know glad hear glenn talk wage subsidies thats something ive become much interested way away categorical programs right send clear message work pay dont think outside whole need get us thing think whole obligations citizens work expect remunerate work going limit state policy measure also empower people naturally highly skilled everyone room practical letter 160 derrick morgan160yeah guess thinking work requirements actually help people saw welfare reform many people thousands people got welfare rolls able climb economy 160 henry olsen160but would like say im actually think need think bigger thats im trying say welfare roll know tend think theres discreet number welfare discreet set people clearly idoled clearly low skilled work requirement necessary im saying think broadly go welfare reform programs like food stamps theres discreet population know somebody whos food stamps could disabled could afdc tanf mom could somebody whos low skilled worker whos getting 9 hour kroegers southeastern ohio different people speak terms work requirement without addressing different needs people like limit ability actually transform state like im think principle applied broadly way affect policy politically 160 glenn hubbard160yeah would agree think one reason caught flatfooted debates minimum wage food stamps even medicaid program arguing category category programs affect different segments population opposed really pro work program would involve eic reform wage subsidies things could get us unproductive discussions unproductive people involved unproductive conservatives talk 160 yuval levin160all right one more160 question 160 evan sparks160evan sparks american bankers association interesting numbers pew recently showing big divide millennial conservatives older conservatives theyd like live third millennial conservatives saying theyd like live big city urban core only160 percent people older 30 saying conservatives older 16030 saying thats would like guess question 160more younger conservatives move cities mean republican coalition younger conservatives help change cities cities change thanks 160 kristen soltis anderson160so hope former latter thats specifically mentioned things like uber never fails make chuckle theres kind challenge dont know uber start allows car know whether taxi town car pick summoned potential customer meet lets pay credit card wonderful taxi companies taxi drivers hate disrupting industry disrupting monopoly never fails make laugh theres threat uber washington dc ill go look twitter feed left center friends arms government regulation sudden could fighting small business owners entrepreneurs terrible thought oh gosh thought everything 160 especially cities see much broken policy decay inefficiency corruption typically entrenched left center governing coalition thats heavily backed unions mentioned young people arent joining unions rates parents grandparents within cities huge opportunities conservatives point contrast vision vision new way old way think makes excited hear hopefully wont conservative millennial living block washington dc long actually think flocking cities gives us really interesting opportunity take principles apply places lefts policy vision failed people decades 160 karlyn bowman160theres old adage demography density equals democrats agree completely kristen think theres real opportunity lot attractive young republican mayors midsized cities many large sized cities really pointing different direction terms problem solvers im optimistic kristen 160 glenn hubbard160as new yorker though id like remind know memories short mean probably republican precinct perhaps wife new york know prospered republican quasirepublican mayors took sharp turn people forgot like lived new york david dinkins mayor evidently many voters im sure necessarily bank quickly relationship hope 160 yuval levin160all right well well close thank much fine panel thank bradley foundation | 3,679 |
<p>Shortly before they were married, or so the story goes, Jacqueline Bouvier asked Senator John F. Kennedy how he would define himself. “An idealist without illusions,” replied the future president.</p>
<p>True or apocryphal, it was, in its way, a quintessentially American response. We think of ourselves as a pragmatic people, given to doing rather than contemplating, more gifted in invention than in philosophical speculation, wary of buying a pig in a poke—even if (perhaps especially if) the seller in question is an intellectual. On the other hand, Americans carry on a political experiment explicitly founded on an idea, one that is also a universal moral claim: that all men are created equal. Jefferson’s ringing phrase in the Declaration of Independence captures in microcosm the idealistic side of the national character; Madison’s arrangements for ordered liberty tempered Jeffersonian optimism, so that the experiment might be idealistic without being delusional.</p>
<p>This dialectic between idealism and pragmatism, between the national purpose and the national interest if you will, has had its effects on America’s role in world affairs. The arguments between Wilsonian idealists and the realist school defined by Hans Morgenthau, Reinhold Niebuhr, and the early George Kennan are familiar enough, and need not detain us now. We may note only that this is a perennial argument in American public life, and that the open-ended, dialectical argument over purpose and interest is sure to continue; the relevant question is not whether the argument can be resolved, but whether it leads to wisdom or confusion in the conduct of American foreign policy. James H. Billington, director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, entered the lists of this classic debate in a recent Foreign Affairs essay. Several of his points are worth pondering, particularly in light of the events of the past six months and the questions they raise about the capacity of the United States to act purposefully in the world.</p>
<p>Dr. Billington assumes that isolationism, in either its traditional or post-Vietnam forms, is no option for the United States: “[W]e cannot either go back or stay home. We are in the world psychologically and ethnically as well as economically and ecologically.” America will act, indeed must act, in world politics. And being America, we will act, at least in some measure, according to our ideals. But is that possible in a world as extraordinarily plural as this one seems to be? How might the United States “redefine the liberal democratic ideal for a broader audience” in the modern world?</p>
<p>Any attempt to answer that question must face squarely the “relativist’s skepticism that any single society today has much to say to any other.” Dr. Billington is not such a relativist; he believes that four features of the modern world point to “unanticipated… convergences” between American ideals and world realities.</p>
<p>First, history and hard human experience have debunked the notion that revolutionary action is the appropriate means of social change and the source of political legitimacy. The “age of revolution” has gone from cliché to anachronism. Revolutionary élan has been displaced by the less romantic, but more empirically impressive, realities of evolutionary development. “The real dynamism in social, economic and political development in recent years has lain in constructive evolution toward democracy rather than in destructive revolution leading to dictatorships,” Billington argues. What has led to dynamic and needed social change in Western Europe, southern Europe, South America, Japan, and India? Evolutionary democracy, rather than “totalistic revolution,” has been the key.</p>
<p>No doubt the revolutionary embers still burn in some parts of the Third World. “But French (and other European) intellectuals, who originally lit and long tended the flame of revolution, have decisively turned away from their historical Marxism in one of the most dramatic intellectual developments of recent years. As historians everywhere inventory the horrors perpetuated in the name of authoritarian revolutionary ideologies, humanity seems increasingly inclined to look to evolution rather than revolution for fresh beginnings.” And thus, the American experiment, an evolutionary exercise par excellence, takes on fresh relevance in world-historical terms.</p>
<p>The new importance of education, and the influence of intellectual elites in world affairs, mark the second point at which American experience and the world situation converge. The education explosion may be even more important than the population explosion, Billington suggests. For “the life of the mind has a vested interest in liberty, and liberal learning produces an inherent bias toward free societies.” Here is one challenge we pose to the Soviet Union, perhaps now more than ever, this being the age of glasnost: “Spreading the taste for the unlimited pursuit of truth powerfully challenges systems such as that of the USSR, which claims in the very name of its newspaper, Pravda, already to encapsulate truth in state policy.” Moreover, Billington argues, this challenge is one key to dealing with the Gordian knot of U.S./ Soviet, and indeed global, security concerns: “More fundamentally, the pursuit of truth tends to keep us from the pursuit of each other. It is ultimately non-competitive, and in an age when rising populations face finite resources, it may be that only in the expanding pursuit of truth can the horizons remain truly infinite for our cherished ideal of freedom.”</p>
<p>The religious renaissance underway throughout the world today—”the return of the sacred,” as Dr. Billington terms it—is the third point of linkage between the American experiment and the dynamics of contemporary world politics. Religion has not only been a force behind “the most unforeseen new developments of the last decade in the communist and Third Worlds (respectively, the rise of Solidarity in Poland and of Khomeini in Iran)”; it has also shaped conservative politics in the United States and radical politics in Latin America.</p>
<p>The United States is, as Dr. Billington understands, an incorrigibly religious country. This, too, is an advantage, rather than a debit, in the contest of models between the United States and the USSR, since “our individual commitments to faith enable Americans to identify with an entire dimension of human experience that communists, committed as they still are to atheism, can relate to only in insincere and manipulative ways.” Moreover, the recovery of the sacred has yet to run its course, and its impacts on even the Soviet Union cannot be simplistically pre-judged (and usually dismissed). This is surely worth keeping in mind over the next year in particular, since 1988 marks the millennium of Christianity in what is now the Soviet Union.</p>
<p>Finally, the fourth way in which “an American ideal is becoming a global necessity” is in our abiding commitment to plurality. “The rise of new religious passions alongside old ideological ones creates an urgent need for the world to better accommodate variety in the crowded global conditions that lie ahead.” The American experiment, which constitutionally protects a host of beliefs and ethnicities, thus provides a more appropriate model for the future than those societies in which “a monistic secularism finds all beliefs equally irrelevant.” Civic unity amidst luxuriant plurality is now a world-historical problem of immense proportions. America, which has “been a proving ground for bringing some measure of amity out of diversity,” could thus turn out to be “something of an experimental laboratory for the broader global community.”</p>
<p>And thus, paradoxically or providentially, one finds a kind of empirical “fit” between some of the world’s most pressing needs, and the peculiar experience and ideals of the United States.</p>
<p>It sounds almost too good to be true and, of course, in some ways it is. There is no metaphysical guarantee that our democracy will be able to operate in the dialectic between interest and purpose, between realism and idealism, with prudence and wisdom. Recent experience suggests almost precisely the opposite. We tend to swing, in great and rapid pendular strokes, between “the conservative realism of Nixon-Kissinger” and the “overextended globalism and potentially tragic hubris of Kennedy-Johnson,” as Billington defines two of the reigning temptations. The Iran/hostages/Nicaragua imbroglio may lead to a new/old temptation: to “pull in our horns and go back to Eisenhower, or to even earlier forms of withdrawal that might satisfy both the isolationism of our people and the relativism of our intellectuals.” Already one sees signs of this in the early maneuverings of the 1988 presidential campaign.</p>
<p>Of the two, the relativism of the intellectuals may be the more difficult problem to overcome. James Billington is surely right when he argues that “one can build bridges out to other cultures only if one has begun with casements deeply embedded in one’s own native soil. We cannot relate to others if we do not know who we are ourselves.” Or if we think we know ourselves as a deeply flawed experiment that is best kept far away from too close an encounter with the forces of change in the world. This latter intuition, now widespread in the teaching centers of American political culture, may be the real obstacle to the wise exploration of Dr. Billington’s four “convergences,” especially since the generation of the 1960s has now achieved tenure, vice-presidencies, and TV-news anchor chairs.</p>
<p>It would be a tragedy indeed if American democracy, precisely at the world-historical moment when its experiences and ideals were of maximum relevance to central problems in the pursuit of international community, were to turn in upon itself—yet again— and indulge in another round of self-flagellation. The world is too dangerous and, just perhaps, too hopeful a place for us to ignore all that went wrong these past six months. It is also too dangerous and, just perhaps, too hopeful a place in which to make Iran/hostages/ Nicaragua the only prism for thinking through our world responsibilities. James Billington’s sobered optimism and his sense of historical convergences point, to borrow from St. Paul, to a more excellent way.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | shortly married story goes jacqueline bouvier asked senator john f kennedy would define idealist without illusions replied future president true apocryphal way quintessentially american response think pragmatic people given rather contemplating gifted invention philosophical speculation wary buying pig pokeeven perhaps especially seller question intellectual hand americans carry political experiment explicitly founded idea one also universal moral claim men created equal jeffersons ringing phrase declaration independence captures microcosm idealistic side national character madisons arrangements ordered liberty tempered jeffersonian optimism experiment might idealistic without delusional dialectic idealism pragmatism national purpose national interest effects americas role world affairs arguments wilsonian idealists realist school defined hans morgenthau reinhold niebuhr early george kennan familiar enough need detain us may note perennial argument american public life openended dialectical argument purpose interest sure continue relevant question whether argument resolved whether leads wisdom confusion conduct american foreign policy james h billington director woodrow wilson international center scholars washington entered lists classic debate recent foreign affairs essay several points worth pondering particularly light events past six months questions raise capacity united states act purposefully world dr billington assumes isolationism either traditional postvietnam forms option united states either go back stay home world psychologically ethnically well economically ecologically america act indeed must act world politics america act least measure according ideals possible world extraordinarily plural one seems might united states redefine liberal democratic ideal broader audience modern world attempt answer question must face squarely relativists skepticism single society today much say dr billington relativist believes four features modern world point unanticipated convergences american ideals world realities first history hard human experience debunked notion revolutionary action appropriate means social change source political legitimacy age revolution gone cliché anachronism revolutionary élan displaced less romantic empirically impressive realities evolutionary development real dynamism social economic political development recent years lain constructive evolution toward democracy rather destructive revolution leading dictatorships billington argues led dynamic needed social change western europe southern europe south america japan india evolutionary democracy rather totalistic revolution key doubt revolutionary embers still burn parts third world french european intellectuals originally lit long tended flame revolution decisively turned away historical marxism one dramatic intellectual developments recent years historians everywhere inventory horrors perpetuated name authoritarian revolutionary ideologies humanity seems increasingly inclined look evolution rather revolution fresh beginnings thus american experiment evolutionary exercise par excellence takes fresh relevance worldhistorical terms new importance education influence intellectual elites world affairs mark second point american experience world situation converge education explosion may even important population explosion billington suggests life mind vested interest liberty liberal learning produces inherent bias toward free societies one challenge pose soviet union perhaps ever age glasnost spreading taste unlimited pursuit truth powerfully challenges systems ussr claims name newspaper pravda already encapsulate truth state policy moreover billington argues challenge one key dealing gordian knot us soviet indeed global security concerns fundamentally pursuit truth tends keep us pursuit ultimately noncompetitive age rising populations face finite resources may expanding pursuit truth horizons remain truly infinite cherished ideal freedom religious renaissance underway throughout world todaythe return sacred dr billington terms itis third point linkage american experiment dynamics contemporary world politics religion force behind unforeseen new developments last decade communist third worlds respectively rise solidarity poland khomeini iran also shaped conservative politics united states radical politics latin america united states dr billington understands incorrigibly religious country advantage rather debit contest models united states ussr since individual commitments faith enable americans identify entire dimension human experience communists committed still atheism relate insincere manipulative ways moreover recovery sacred yet run course impacts even soviet union simplistically prejudged usually dismissed surely worth keeping mind next year particular since 1988 marks millennium christianity soviet union finally fourth way american ideal becoming global necessity abiding commitment plurality rise new religious passions alongside old ideological ones creates urgent need world better accommodate variety crowded global conditions lie ahead american experiment constitutionally protects host beliefs ethnicities thus provides appropriate model future societies monistic secularism finds beliefs equally irrelevant civic unity amidst luxuriant plurality worldhistorical problem immense proportions america proving ground bringing measure amity diversity could thus turn something experimental laboratory broader global community thus paradoxically providentially one finds kind empirical fit worlds pressing needs peculiar experience ideals united states sounds almost good true course ways metaphysical guarantee democracy able operate dialectic interest purpose realism idealism prudence wisdom recent experience suggests almost precisely opposite tend swing great rapid pendular strokes conservative realism nixonkissinger overextended globalism potentially tragic hubris kennedyjohnson billington defines two reigning temptations iranhostagesnicaragua imbroglio may lead newold temptation pull horns go back eisenhower even earlier forms withdrawal might satisfy isolationism people relativism intellectuals already one sees signs early maneuverings 1988 presidential campaign two relativism intellectuals may difficult problem overcome james billington surely right argues one build bridges cultures one begun casements deeply embedded ones native soil relate others know think know deeply flawed experiment best kept far away close encounter forces change world latter intuition widespread teaching centers american political culture may real obstacle wise exploration dr billingtons four convergences especially since generation 1960s achieved tenure vicepresidencies tvnews anchor chairs would tragedy indeed american democracy precisely worldhistorical moment experiences ideals maximum relevance central problems pursuit international community turn upon itselfyet indulge another round selfflagellation world dangerous perhaps hopeful place us ignore went wrong past six months also dangerous perhaps hopeful place make iranhostages nicaragua prism thinking world responsibilities james billingtons sobered optimism sense historical convergences point borrow st paul excellent way george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 915 |
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<p>The resignation of the White House’s senior aide on cybersecurity, following long delays in the appointment of a cyber director, should be a wake up call to policy makers. Though President Obama’s cybersecurity initiative to bolster offensive and defensive cyber capabilities should be commended, without a leader to direct these efforts little will get done.</p>
<p>&lt;img class="size-medium wp-image-1736 alignleft" style="margin: 5px;" title="cyberwar" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/cyberwar-300x168.jpg" alt="cyberwar" width="270" height="151" /&gt; Before Melissa Hathaway resigned, she was among other highly qualified nominees for the “Cyber Czar” position that questioned whether they would be given the power and priority necessary, especially with our economy in the doldrums, to make real change to the fragmented bureaucracy that has come to define our nation’s cyber efforts.</p>
<p>While we wait to solidify these efforts, America is fighting a war in cyberspace without the necessary direction of a leader. Our critical infrastructure (financial institutions, defenses, water, energy, health system, etc.) and the economy it supports rely on networked computers that are being probed and attacked everyday by cyber spies, hackers, criminal networks, nation states and even non-state actors.</p>
<p>As these groups perfect their cyber capabilities and attacks become more sophisticated, former US Cyber Czar Richard Clarke’s warning of an electronic Pearl Harbor–a crippling attack on our nation’s critical infrastructure—appears to becoming a grim reality.</p>
<p>The last two years the US Department of Defense, NSA, White House, New York Stock Exchange, Veteran’s Affairs, Transportation Administration, State Department, and US power grid, have all been victims of cyber attacks. US businesses lost billions of dollars last year, including priceless R&amp;D and trade secrets—this is just the attacks that were detected and reported. During this time, major cyber attacks from Russia targeted US allies Georgia and Estonia, shutting down a number of their government and business websites.</p>
<p>The US needs to adopt a cyber strategy that acknowledges cyberwarfare as a revolution in military affairs. Similar to General David Petraeus’ successful counter–insurgency strategy in Iraq, this policy needs to adapt the form of US offensive and defensive cyber posture to function in the asymmetric world of cyberspace, where a few sophisticated attackers can take on nation states and destroy targets without even firing a shot.</p>
<p>While we wait, our adversaries have taken cover in the virtual sanctuary of cyber space. Unlike the attacks of 9/11, little can be done to trace a cyber attack back to an attacker with 100 percent certainty. Malicious software or malware can even make an attack difficult to detect. In this fog of war, anonymity means stealth, deniability and lack of options to respond. If the US cannot respond, its deterrence fails.</p>
<p>This problem is exasperated by America’s high level connectivity and dependence on cyberspace. Though the US has used cyber war in at least two reported cases, against Serbia and Iraq, it is reluctant to use the full force of its cyber warriors due to the potential for collateral damage to civilian infrastructure. For this reason, there has been little cost to attackers. Thus, mutually assured destruction, which was a crucial factor at deterring cold war nuclear powers, is lacking as a deterrent in cyberspace.</p>
<p>While attacks and attackers are becoming more sophisticated, the US continues to spend billions to advance the superiority of its air and land weaponry. Meanwhile, China continues to build its cyber capabilities. This year China celebrates its 10th year anniversary of the publication of Unrestricted Warfare, a popular policy book written by two colonels in the People’s Liberation Army on how China can defeat a technologically superior opponent with electronic warfare dominance. It appears China’s policy has been advantageous in prioritizing cyber capabilities. It now has an estimated 100,000 hackers capable of stealing R&amp;D on weaponry and incapacitating the command and control systems needed to deploy most modern armies that leverage these platforms.</p>
<p>In example of this policy bearing fruit might have been the recent breach of the $300 billion US F-35 Lightning II fighter plans by a cyber intruder who infiltrated the peer to peer network of the company developing the plane. A file containing the blueprints and avionics package for Marine One, which is the US president’s helicopter, was recently found on a similar network in Iran. These vulnerabilities are being closely examined by non-state actors-like al Qaeda who has increased its efforts to adopt cyberwarfare strategies by recruiting hackers, directing followers to certain targets, and maintaining covert communications in cyberspace.</p>
<p>To mitigate these risks the US needs to stop stalling on its nomination of a Cyber Czar. There needs to be a comprehensive and cohesive cyber effort, led by someone with the authority to realize the president’s initiative. This should prioritize a Private Public Partnership—80 percent of US critical infrastructure is run by private sector companies—that requires cybersecurity to be part of the design and operational architecture of our nation’s most important assets.</p>
<p>In addition to increased cyber security standards and enforcement, there needs to be increased funding for education on best cybersecurity practices. These efforts will be challenging due to a depressed economy and private sector loathing for increased government control. Yet, it’s better to take the necessary steps now than to respond to the next major attack later. Until policy makers realize that our most important and costly war is in cyberspace, we will continue to fight a losing battle with no leader at the helm.</p> | false | 1 | resignation white houses senior aide cybersecurity following long delays appointment cyber director wake call policy makers though president obamas cybersecurity initiative bolster offensive defensive cyber capabilities commended without leader direct efforts little get done ltimg classsizemedium wpimage1736 alignleft stylemargin 5px titlecyberwar srchttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads200908cyberwar300x168jpg altcyberwar width270 height151 gt melissa hathaway resigned among highly qualified nominees cyber czar position questioned whether would given power priority necessary especially economy doldrums make real change fragmented bureaucracy come define nations cyber efforts wait solidify efforts america fighting war cyberspace without necessary direction leader critical infrastructure financial institutions defenses water energy health system etc economy supports rely networked computers probed attacked everyday cyber spies hackers criminal networks nation states even nonstate actors groups perfect cyber capabilities attacks become sophisticated former us cyber czar richard clarkes warning electronic pearl harbora crippling attack nations critical infrastructureappears becoming grim reality last two years us department defense nsa white house new york stock exchange veterans affairs transportation administration state department us power grid victims cyber attacks us businesses lost billions dollars last year including priceless rampd trade secretsthis attacks detected reported time major cyber attacks russia targeted us allies georgia estonia shutting number government business websites us needs adopt cyber strategy acknowledges cyberwarfare revolution military affairs similar general david petraeus successful counterinsurgency strategy iraq policy needs adapt form us offensive defensive cyber posture function asymmetric world cyberspace sophisticated attackers take nation states destroy targets without even firing shot wait adversaries taken cover virtual sanctuary cyber space unlike attacks 911 little done trace cyber attack back attacker 100 percent certainty malicious software malware even make attack difficult detect fog war anonymity means stealth deniability lack options respond us respond deterrence fails problem exasperated americas high level connectivity dependence cyberspace though us used cyber war least two reported cases serbia iraq reluctant use full force cyber warriors due potential collateral damage civilian infrastructure reason little cost attackers thus mutually assured destruction crucial factor deterring cold war nuclear powers lacking deterrent cyberspace attacks attackers becoming sophisticated us continues spend billions advance superiority air land weaponry meanwhile china continues build cyber capabilities year china celebrates 10th year anniversary publication unrestricted warfare popular policy book written two colonels peoples liberation army china defeat technologically superior opponent electronic warfare dominance appears chinas policy advantageous prioritizing cyber capabilities estimated 100000 hackers capable stealing rampd weaponry incapacitating command control systems needed deploy modern armies leverage platforms example policy bearing fruit might recent breach 300 billion us f35 lightning ii fighter plans cyber intruder infiltrated peer peer network company developing plane file containing blueprints avionics package marine one us presidents helicopter recently found similar network iran vulnerabilities closely examined nonstate actorslike al qaeda increased efforts adopt cyberwarfare strategies recruiting hackers directing followers certain targets maintaining covert communications cyberspace mitigate risks us needs stop stalling nomination cyber czar needs comprehensive cohesive cyber effort led someone authority realize presidents initiative prioritize private public partnership80 percent us critical infrastructure run private sector companiesthat requires cybersecurity part design operational architecture nations important assets addition increased cyber security standards enforcement needs increased funding education best cybersecurity practices efforts challenging due depressed economy private sector loathing increased government control yet better take necessary steps respond next major attack later policy makers realize important costly war cyberspace continue fight losing battle leader helm | 546 |
<p>Manhattan is about to become a testing ground for what could be the next luxury real estate boom. Well, maybe mini-boom, considering the rather narrow target group: frail urban seniors with fat bank accounts.</p>
<p>Developers are spending hundreds of millions on high-end assisted-living apartment projects, one on the Upper East Side and one in Midtown, and aiming for more in the area and across the U.S. The bet is that there are sufficient numbers of the affluent and aging in big cities who won’t want to leave their neighborhoods, even as they suffer cognitive decline.</p>
<p>It is, of course, a rather group of any age or mental ability that can handle the monthly rents these kinds of places will command. They’ll start at $12,000 at the complex that Maplewood Senior Living&#160;and Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. are putting up on Second Avenue and 93rd Street. Some will top more than $20,000 at the building Welltower Inc. and Hines are about to break ground for on the corner of 56th Street and Lexington Avenue.</p>
<p>They’ll boast the usual luxury frills like uniformed doormen and lush landscaped gardens. But they’ll also incorporate special features for the elderly and memory impaired, such as sharply contrasting wall colors in bathrooms to help those with poor eyesight identify fixtures and hallway lighting designed to encourage sleep at night.</p>
<p>“The risk is that you’d be the anti-Field of Dreams —&#160;you build it and they don’t come,”&#160;said Michael Knott, managing director at Green Street Advisors LLC, a real estate research company. “But the absolute lack of supply of this product provides some comfort that even though these are pioneering projects, there will be demand.”</p>
<p>The elderly with dementia or Alzheimer’s are an under-served cohort, whatever their income.&#160;According to Welltower, there are just 70 licensed memory-care beds in Manhattan. And while the borough is over-saturated with posh condo offerings, no new assisted-living facilities have opened there since at least 2005, when the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing &amp; Care began tracking the projects. There are only 622 such units in the borough, with a median occupancy of 97 percent and average rents of about $6,020.</p>
<p>“We’re seeing people who are in New York, wanting and demanding to live in New York, but there’s really nothing available,” said Greg Smith,&#160;chief executive officer of Westport, Connecticut-based Maplewood, which owns 13 senior communities, most of them in suburbia, and a 48-acre (19-hectare) farm from which it sources food for its properties.</p>
<p>And if there was ever a good time to dive into Manhattan, this could be it, with deluxe residences going begging and land values down 21 percent so far this year, according to brokerage Cushman &amp; Wakefield. “Because of what’s happening broadly in real estate in New York City, it feels like the winds are moving in a direction that will allow us to find good sites,” said&#160;Thomas DeRosa, CEO of Welltower in Toledo, Ohio, the largest publicly traded senior-housing owner by market value.</p>
<p>Both Welltower and Maplewood are scouting for additional locations in New York, and in other major metropolitan areas, anticipating the so-called silver tsunami that will double the U.S. population of 80-somethings in the next two decades. In fact, Maplewood’s New York complex is the first in a planned international brand of boutique senior properties called Inspir that is considering sites in Los Angeles, Miami and London.</p>
<p>At the 23-story, $270 million Maplewood-Omega tower on the Upper East Side, residents will enjoy farm-to-table dining, a spa, a movie theater and a “sky park” on the 16th floor that will feature a flower-lined walking path and a sun porch. Smith said he views the project as “a hotel brand — a high-end luxury hotel brand.”</p>
<p>Welltower and Houston-based developer Hines will begin work on their project this month, preparing to raze two squat buildings they bought for a combined $115 million, to make way for a 16-story structure where the bathrooms will be marble and the exterior will look like limestone, the signature skin of some the neighborhood’s more rarefied residential structures.</p>
<p>The upper range of rents will be at least triple the average $6,988 that Welltower charges at the rest of its U.S. senior-housing portfolio, based on the company’s second-quarter filings.</p>
<p>Senior housing has traditionally been suburban-focused because land is so much cheaper outside cities, and developers hadn’t seen a big enough market to justify paying more, and charging more, for urban locations near transportation and nightlife, Knott said. The aging members of the massive baby-boom generation helped change their minds. Now, he said, many living in cities have the means to pay a premium to remain in familiar environments.</p>
<p>And many will need special care. In New York state alone, about 460,000 residents aged 65 and older are expected to be living with Alzheimer’s-related dementia in 2025, some 18 percent more than there are today, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.</p>
<p>To serve the wealthiest of them, senior-housing developers are taking cues from their tony-apartment building counterparts and putting extra emphasis on finishes and flourishes, to make their facilities look like the places residents left behind.</p>
<p>At the Maplewood building, set to open in 2019, that will mean concierge-style care-giving, where staff won’t wear clinical-looking clothing and will offer housekeeping and reservations to Broadway shows. There will be a salon and a swimming pool.</p>
<p>In a prototype of the Welltower development, a sample apartment has nearly 10-foot (3-meter) ceilings, with lights dotting the perimeter in lieu of an obtrusive fixture. Hines’ design team uses an app to evaluate every pattern and color choice through the eyes of someone who’s aging, said Sarah Hawkins, a managing director with the firm. Someone with cataracts might have a yellowish sheen to their view of the surroundings. Carpet colors and patterns also can’t be too contrasting, because that might make it seem that the floor is moving.</p>
<p>A hallway handrail, required by law in all assisted-living centers, is camouflaged in wainscoting. Hall lights are timed to the body’s circadian rhythms, glowing bluish in the morning to promote wakefulness and yellowish at night.</p>
<p>What’s key, DeRosa said, is that the assisted-living complex look like something else to residents —&#160;“like a building that they’re accustomed to.” So the exterior will be limestone blocks at the base and concrete poured to evoke the stone for the rest. The entrance courtyard will feature two walls carpeted in greenery, and a culinary consultant has been hired to advise on the proper mix of restaurants for a clientele accustomed to eating out as often as five nights a week.</p>
<p>“If you’ve lived your whole life in a limestone-clad building on the Upper East Side, this will not feel alien to you,” DeRosa said. “This building should feel like a seamless part of the community that someone would have experienced for the last 60 to 80 years.”</p> | false | 1 | manhattan become testing ground could next luxury real estate boom well maybe miniboom considering rather narrow target group frail urban seniors fat bank accounts developers spending hundreds millions highend assistedliving apartment projects one upper east side one midtown aiming area across us bet sufficient numbers affluent aging big cities wont want leave neighborhoods even suffer cognitive decline course rather group age mental ability handle monthly rents kinds places command theyll start 12000 complex maplewood senior living160and omega healthcare investors inc putting second avenue 93rd street top 20000 building welltower inc hines break ground corner 56th street lexington avenue theyll boast usual luxury frills like uniformed doormen lush landscaped gardens theyll also incorporate special features elderly memory impaired sharply contrasting wall colors bathrooms help poor eyesight identify fixtures hallway lighting designed encourage sleep night risk youd antifield dreams 160you build dont come160said michael knott managing director green street advisors llc real estate research company absolute lack supply product provides comfort even though pioneering projects demand elderly dementia alzheimers underserved cohort whatever income160according welltower 70 licensed memorycare beds manhattan borough oversaturated posh condo offerings new assistedliving facilities opened since least 2005 national investment center seniors housing amp care began tracking projects 622 units borough median occupancy 97 percent average rents 6020 seeing people new york wanting demanding live new york theres really nothing available said greg smith160chief executive officer westport connecticutbased maplewood owns 13 senior communities suburbia 48acre 19hectare farm sources food properties ever good time dive manhattan could deluxe residences going begging land values 21 percent far year according brokerage cushman amp wakefield whats happening broadly real estate new york city feels like winds moving direction allow us find good sites said160thomas derosa ceo welltower toledo ohio largest publicly traded seniorhousing owner market value welltower maplewood scouting additional locations new york major metropolitan areas anticipating socalled silver tsunami double us population 80somethings next two decades fact maplewoods new york complex first planned international brand boutique senior properties called inspir considering sites los angeles miami london 23story 270 million maplewoodomega tower upper east side residents enjoy farmtotable dining spa movie theater sky park 16th floor feature flowerlined walking path sun porch smith said views project hotel brand highend luxury hotel brand welltower houstonbased developer hines begin work project month preparing raze two squat buildings bought combined 115 million make way 16story structure bathrooms marble exterior look like limestone signature skin neighborhoods rarefied residential structures upper range rents least triple average 6988 welltower charges rest us seniorhousing portfolio based companys secondquarter filings senior housing traditionally suburbanfocused land much cheaper outside cities developers hadnt seen big enough market justify paying charging urban locations near transportation nightlife knott said aging members massive babyboom generation helped change minds said many living cities means pay premium remain familiar environments many need special care new york state alone 460000 residents aged 65 older expected living alzheimersrelated dementia 2025 18 percent today according alzheimers association serve wealthiest seniorhousing developers taking cues tonyapartment building counterparts putting extra emphasis finishes flourishes make facilities look like places residents left behind maplewood building set open 2019 mean conciergestyle caregiving staff wont wear clinicallooking clothing offer housekeeping reservations broadway shows salon swimming pool prototype welltower development sample apartment nearly 10foot 3meter ceilings lights dotting perimeter lieu obtrusive fixture hines design team uses app evaluate every pattern color choice eyes someone whos aging said sarah hawkins managing director firm someone cataracts might yellowish sheen view surroundings carpet colors patterns also cant contrasting might make seem floor moving hallway handrail required law assistedliving centers camouflaged wainscoting hall lights timed bodys circadian rhythms glowing bluish morning promote wakefulness yellowish night whats key derosa said assistedliving complex look like something else residents 160like building theyre accustomed exterior limestone blocks base concrete poured evoke stone rest entrance courtyard feature two walls carpeted greenery culinary consultant hired advise proper mix restaurants clientele accustomed eating often five nights week youve lived whole life limestoneclad building upper east side feel alien derosa said building feel like seamless part community someone would experienced last 60 80 years | 674 |
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<p>Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the last of the giants who led South Africa’s struggle against colonialism, is no more. “White supremacy implies black inferiority.” His words were truth to the powers and he devoted his life to opposing systems that protect and abet this superiority. It made him the most recognizable icon of struggle against oppression, injustice and discrimination all over the world.</p>
<p>Mandela, or Madiba as he was popularly known to fellow Africans, was a qualified lawyer who later became the first black president of South Africa. More than just a politician, he was a political activist. Mandela truly believed in the cause of freedom, democracy and justice. He experienced first-hand how apartheid had stripped black South Africans of their dignity and was holding them back, and took up the cause for equal political rights for blacks.</p>
<p>In 1944,&#160;Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) and participated in the resistance against the apartheid policies of the white South African government. He wanted to change the situation in South Africa where whites were rich and the blacks poor, and the laws which allowed this to happen. He wanted nothing less than banishing the “apartheid”&#160;system of governance which allowed one group to establish supremacy and dominate the other.</p>
<p>In his initial years, Mandela called for calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had subjugated the blacks after centuries of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression by the whites. But when every lawful way of protesting against injustice and discrimination was taken away from the blacks, and violence and intimidation was unleashed on them, he learned the hard way that it is the oppressor who sets the nature of the struggle. “The oppressed is often left with no recourse but to use methods that mirror those of his oppressor. After a point, one can only fight fire with fire.”</p>
<p>In 1961, Mandela formed the military wing of the ANC, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which was involved in targeting and sabotaging government facilities, destruction of power plants, and interfering with rail and telephone communications. The motive was to scare away foreign capital and cut the external economic and trade links which were propping up the apartheid regime. Mandela and his colleagues were soon arrested and put on trial.</p>
<p>During his open trial, popularly known as the Rivonia Trial or the trial that changed South Africa, Mandela spoke from the docks about economic and political injustices faced by blacks in South Africa in their everyday lives. He talked about how Africans wanted to live normal lives, be paid living wages, and perform work which they were capable of doing and not what they had been told to do. How poverty and the breakdown of family life had secondary effects; children wandered the streets of townships because they had no schools to go to, or no money to go to school, or no parents at home to see that they go to school, because the parents had to work to keep the family alive. This led to a breakdown in moral standards, to an alarming rise in illegitimacy, and to growing violence that erupted not only politically, but everywhere. He wanted blacks to have a just share in the whole of South Africa, a stake in society.</p>
<p>The Rivonia Trial was watched by the whole world. But the words of Mandela had no effect in the courts run by an apartheid government. While the Afro-Asian nations strongly condemned the ongoing trial, the Western states turned their backs. Britain, the US, and France also abstained from the UN Security Council resolution passed two days before the verdict in the Rivonia Trial urging the apartheid government to grant amnesty to all political prisoners convicted or being tried for their opposition to apartheid. This emboldened the white South Africa, as it faced no serious challenge to it apartheid policies from Western states.</p>
<p>On 12 June 1964, Mandela was sentenced to 27 years in prison at Robben Island and reduced to prisoner number 46664. He accepted it with dignity. He knew that overthrowing apartheid called for struggle and sacrifice, and was prepared for the long walk to freedom.</p>
<p>Ten thousand days in prison failed to break Mandela. Jail honed Nelson. It made him and the country. Jail could not capture him, no more than release from jail could not set him free, for he was always free. He knew that his dream of South Africa as a rainbow nation free from injustice and domination would eventually be realized, and no oppressor could suppress this dream. He refused to compromise on his beliefs or leave the struggle halfway. In February 1985, President P.W. Botha offered Mandela his freedom on the condition that he reject violence as a political weapon, but Mandela rejected the proposal. His response was a&#160;rebuke to the apartheid regime and its supporters. “What freedom am I being offered while the organization of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.”</p>
<p>The white leadership had hoped that confining the top black leaders to long years in prison would create a vacuum in leadership and kill the struggle for liberation. &#160;While Mandela was locked into the penal system and ANC driven into exile, the agitation they had unleashed and the fierce desire they had evoked among blacks to be free could not be suppressed. The pressures to end apartheid continued from within and outside. It forced the regime to open dialogue and negotiate with the incarcerated leaders of the struggle. &#160;Mandela was not forgotten. He had become the most prominent symbol of resistance among youths as well as old-timers.</p>
<p>On 11 February, 1990, Mandela was released from prison. It was an unconditional release. He was free to do what he wanted and he set himself to fulfilling the task of transforming South Africa from a white-only to a rainbow nation, and from a decaying apartheid regime to a new non-racial democracy. &#160;It culminated in South Africa’s first democratic elections of 1994 wherein its most recognised apartheid prisoner became the new president. The 27 years of imprisonment at the hands of white supremacists did not leave him bitter. Instead he sought the middle ground between “white fears and black hopes”. That vision was reflected in the “Freedom Charter” of the ANC party which opens with the words “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black or white.”</p>
<p>South Africa may have been politically free, but Mandela knew that business of decolonization was not yet finished. Political freedom without economic and social justice is meaningless. Much needed to be done to reverse the consolidation of land, natural resources and wealth brought about by centuries of colonization. Black empowerment would only be complete when they had equal economic opportunities, when the pride and dignity battered by apartheid governments were restored.</p>
<p>Mandela remained staunchly loyal to the people who supported his cause of liberation and justice. This was put to test several times after he became president, when he strongly defended his ties with Libya and Cuba. He let it known to the world that it was pure expediency to call on democratic South Africa to turn its back on Castro and Gaddafi, who contributed funding and arms to the ANC and assisted them in obtaining democracy while the West—wanting to protect its economic and military interests in white South Africa—looked the other way.</p>
<p>Mandela taught us what it means to be nationalistic. His vision of African nationalism was a force of good and stood for the concept of freedom and fulfilment for the African people in their own land. He was able to transform subjugation, suffering and injustices faced by black people into a national struggle—a struggle of the African people and by the African people for their right to live. It was not about superiority of one group over the other but about equality. This can be better understood in his own words at the Rivonia Trial: “During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”</p>
<p>Mandela knew when voice had to be raised and when silence was more effective.&#160; He was the liberation movement’s rallying cry through 27 years of incarceration and country’s moral compass once he stepped down from public office. However, the biggest legacy of Mandela is the redemptive power of forgiveness in a world beset by violence and turmoil. He taught us that complete victory lies not in rage and revenge but in forgiveness. The struggle, oppression, and long years in prison did not make him bitter or vengeful. He opted for reconciliation once the regime which subjugated his people came down.</p>
<p>Mandela also taught us that if you wish to enter public life, then enter it with the goal to serve the public and the determination to stick to that goal no matter what adversities come in the way. It calls for sacrifices – to sacrifice one’s freedom so that others can be free. To maintain moral leadership even when the enemy has lost its morality.</p>
<p>It is a cause for celebration and inspiration that a man of such conviction and principles lived among us. Till his death, he remained an African true to the soil. “I have done whatever I did, both as an individual and as a leader of my people, because of my experience in South Africa and my own proudly felt African background, and not because of what any outsider might have said.”</p> | false | 1 | nelson rolihlahla mandela last giants led south africas struggle colonialism white supremacy implies black inferiority words truth powers devoted life opposing systems protect abet superiority made recognizable icon struggle oppression injustice discrimination world mandela madiba popularly known fellow africans qualified lawyer later became first black president south africa politician political activist mandela truly believed cause freedom democracy justice experienced firsthand apartheid stripped black south africans dignity holding back took cause equal political rights blacks 1944160mandela joined african national congress anc participated resistance apartheid policies white south african government wanted change situation south africa whites rich blacks poor laws allowed happen wanted nothing less banishing apartheid160system governance allowed one group establish supremacy dominate initial years mandela called calm sober assessment political situation subjugated blacks centuries tyranny exploitation oppression whites every lawful way protesting injustice discrimination taken away blacks violence intimidation unleashed learned hard way oppressor sets nature struggle oppressed often left recourse use methods mirror oppressor point one fight fire fire 1961 mandela formed military wing anc umkhonto sizwe spear nation involved targeting sabotaging government facilities destruction power plants interfering rail telephone communications motive scare away foreign capital cut external economic trade links propping apartheid regime mandela colleagues soon arrested put trial open trial popularly known rivonia trial trial changed south africa mandela spoke docks economic political injustices faced blacks south africa everyday lives talked africans wanted live normal lives paid living wages perform work capable told poverty breakdown family life secondary effects children wandered streets townships schools go money go school parents home see go school parents work keep family alive led breakdown moral standards alarming rise illegitimacy growing violence erupted politically everywhere wanted blacks share whole south africa stake society rivonia trial watched whole world words mandela effect courts run apartheid government afroasian nations strongly condemned ongoing trial western states turned backs britain us france also abstained un security council resolution passed two days verdict rivonia trial urging apartheid government grant amnesty political prisoners convicted tried opposition apartheid emboldened white south africa faced serious challenge apartheid policies western states 12 june 1964 mandela sentenced 27 years prison robben island reduced prisoner number 46664 accepted dignity knew overthrowing apartheid called struggle sacrifice prepared long walk freedom ten thousand days prison failed break mandela jail honed nelson made country jail could capture release jail could set free always free knew dream south africa rainbow nation free injustice domination would eventually realized oppressor could suppress dream refused compromise beliefs leave struggle halfway february 1985 president pw botha offered mandela freedom condition reject violence political weapon mandela rejected proposal response a160rebuke apartheid regime supporters freedom offered organization people remains banned free men negotiate prisoner enter contracts white leadership hoped confining top black leaders long years prison would create vacuum leadership kill struggle liberation 160while mandela locked penal system anc driven exile agitation unleashed fierce desire evoked among blacks free could suppressed pressures end apartheid continued within outside forced regime open dialogue negotiate incarcerated leaders struggle 160mandela forgotten become prominent symbol resistance among youths well oldtimers 11 february 1990 mandela released prison unconditional release free wanted set fulfilling task transforming south africa whiteonly rainbow nation decaying apartheid regime new nonracial democracy 160it culminated south africas first democratic elections 1994 wherein recognised apartheid prisoner became new president 27 years imprisonment hands white supremacists leave bitter instead sought middle ground white fears black hopes vision reflected freedom charter anc party opens words south africa belongs live black white south africa may politically free mandela knew business decolonization yet finished political freedom without economic social justice meaningless much needed done reverse consolidation land natural resources wealth brought centuries colonization black empowerment would complete equal economic opportunities pride dignity battered apartheid governments restored mandela remained staunchly loyal people supported cause liberation justice put test several times became president strongly defended ties libya cuba let known world pure expediency call democratic south africa turn back castro gaddafi contributed funding arms anc assisted obtaining democracy westwanting protect economic military interests white south africalooked way mandela taught us means nationalistic vision african nationalism force good stood concept freedom fulfilment african people land able transform subjugation suffering injustices faced black people national strugglea struggle african people african people right live superiority one group equality better understood words rivonia trial lifetime dedicated life struggle african people fought white domination fought black domination cherished ideal democratic free society persons live together harmony equal opportunities ideal hope live see realized lord needs ideal prepared die mandela knew voice raised silence effective160 liberation movements rallying cry 27 years incarceration countrys moral compass stepped public office however biggest legacy mandela redemptive power forgiveness world beset violence turmoil taught us complete victory lies rage revenge forgiveness struggle oppression long years prison make bitter vengeful opted reconciliation regime subjugated people came mandela also taught us wish enter public life enter goal serve public determination stick goal matter adversities come way calls sacrifices sacrifice ones freedom others free maintain moral leadership even enemy lost morality cause celebration inspiration man conviction principles lived among us till death remained african true soil done whatever individual leader people experience south africa proudly felt african background outsider might said | 855 |
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<p>TRIPOLI — Truth be told, some foreign observers, and certainly this one, having been based in Tripoli the past nearly eight weeks, have not taken very seriously occasional media predictions that Tripoli might soon be invaded by “NATO rebels,” and certainly not by NATO country forces putting their boots on the ground.</p>
<p>The reasons include observations that the Libyan population is increasingly expressing anger over members of their families and tribes being killed by NATO sorties claiming to be “protecting civilians.”</p>
<p>It is said by many here that tens of thousands are ready to repulse invaders who try to enter Tripoli. Support for Colonel Gaddafi appears to reflect even Western polls such as the one referred to by the UK Guardian recently that Libya leader Colonel Gadaffi’s popularity had perhaps doubled during the current conflict. This morning’s Rasmussen poll claims that support for NATO-US involvement has plummeted to just 20% among the American public due to among other reasons, NATO killing of civilians. It is even lower in several other NATO countries.</p>
<p>Until quite recently, life appeared fairly normal, except for the scarcity of benzene for vehicles and some luxury food items, and also some necessities such as baby formula, some medicines, and reliable phone service. Earlier piles of household trash that began accumulating at some street corners around Tripoli in early March, when up to 400,000 foreign workers fled West to Tunisia and East to Egypt, began being cleared a couple of weeks ago as the municipality of Tripoli reorganized its severely and instantly depleted work force.</p>
<p>Except for the recent increase in NATO bombing sorties, Tripoli has been a fairly pleasant place to be.</p>
<p>On August 17, things abruptly changed, and no one knows for sure in which direction daily life is now headed. Starting just before noon, much if not most of Tripoli was without power. At my hotel, one of only two in Tripoli with even sporadic Internet these days (even though parts of Tripoli regularly experiences South Beirut Lebanon-type sudden cuts that can last for hours or days), the services abruptly stopped for all staff and guests. Initially, some guests were stuck in the elevator and a few appeared to panic. Our hotel rooms, which for security reasons have windows which don’t open, began to heat up fast, laptop batteries quickly died, the weak Internet vanished, and this observer, like others, was faced with the prospect of walking down and up eighteen floors to keep appointments in the street level reception area. Two of my Libyan friends who work in one of the hotel restaurants called my room to ask me if I wanted them to walk up some lunch. Profoundly touched by their thoughtfulness, which seems typical of Libyans, I reminded them that I was fasting for Ramadan and in any case would not think of accepting their kind offer. Not long after the hotel emergency generator kicked in and the elevator began working, but there was no power anywhere else inside the hotel.</p>
<p>At nearby Green Square, crowds began to gather by 2 p.m. and rally against “NATO rebels” and I was told thousands of Libyan citizens were ready to move to the edges of town, man check points, and support army units to repulse any advances from Al Zawieh to the West, Gheryan and several villages from the South, or Brega and closer villages from the East.</p>
<p>Prices at the local “Medina” (a street market covering several blocks that sells a large variety of goods and vegetables) adjacent to my hotel jumped up again, according to two sisters who have become my friends and who shop with their mother every morning in preparation for cooking the daily “Iftar” meal that breaks the Ramadan fast at sunset. Over the past six months, basic food prices have largely leveled off under government warnings to merchants not to even dream about trying to price gouge.</p>
<p>Some people are leaving Tripoli, but it’s hard to estimate how many. Most people I have asked say they will stay and they do not think “NATO rebels” can enter this well-armed and apparently well-organized city of still around 1.5 million people.</p>
<p>A delayed UN fact-finding delegation, led by a spectacular Palestinian woman from Nazareth in occupied Palestine named “Juliette”, finally arrived by plane after the UN demanded that NATO allow their plane to land at Tripoli airport. The UN group, staying at our hotel, had been blocked from the main road between Tripoli and Tunisia. As of the morning of August 18, people are trapped in Tripoli from departing to Tunisia and no one is entering from Tunisia.</p>
<p>Libyan students at Tripoli’s Al Fatah University, and even some government officials, have told this observer that they have vowed to dig in and wage a “Stalingrad Defense” of Tripoli against the advancing “NATO rebels.” Certainly the neighborhoods are very heavily armed.</p>
<p>Some, including this observer, lack the heart to remind these dear students that at Stalingrad, the Russian citizens were holding out for the arrival of the Red Army that did indeed save many of them in the end. One does not sense that a Red Army is en route to lift the threatened siege of Tripoli. But maybe Tripoli’s defenders will not need a Red Army to lift a siege of Tripoli.</p>
<p>This week, a Libyan law student who for weeks has been helping man a neighborhood defense committee checkpoint near Airport Road left me the following note:</p>
<p>Franklin, you asked me how we will defend our capitol Tripoli if NATO bombs a path so rebel forces can arrive here and try to enter our neighborhoods. We discuss this often among ourselves during the night. This is what we have to say to answer your question:</p>
<p>It is not private information that our defense will be from every buildings on every main street, square or roundabout. We can and will keep for as long as possible every meter that NATO forces try to take. Every apartment building, factory, warehouse, street corner, intersection, home or office building is waiting and supplied with guns of different types, RPGs and mortars. Snipers and specially trained small 5-6 man units are ready. Our defense will be a house to house battle. From every floor and from hole in the floor we will fight NATO rebels. Also from the sewers we will fight and every basement. If NATO enters a front door we will fight them for every room in the house and from the piles of debris created from them bombing us.</p>
<p>Dear friend Lamb. Libyans are a good and a proud people. You and I have spoken about Omar Muktar and our defeat of the Italians that cost us more than one-third of our relatives who fell in battle. Do you know my friend that during the Ottoman Empire centuries of colonization which was the only Arab or Muslim country to rebel again them? It was Libya. Only Libya, led by her tribes. We stood up against the Turks and fought two 20 year wars against them. Do NATO and Obama believe they can defeat us?</p>
<p>Your friend, Mohammad.</p> | false | 1 | tripoli truth told foreign observers certainly one based tripoli past nearly eight weeks taken seriously occasional media predictions tripoli might soon invaded nato rebels certainly nato country forces putting boots ground reasons include observations libyan population increasingly expressing anger members families tribes killed nato sorties claiming protecting civilians said many tens thousands ready repulse invaders try enter tripoli support colonel gaddafi appears reflect even western polls one referred uk guardian recently libya leader colonel gadaffis popularity perhaps doubled current conflict mornings rasmussen poll claims support natous involvement plummeted 20 among american public due among reasons nato killing civilians even lower several nato countries quite recently life appeared fairly normal except scarcity benzene vehicles luxury food items also necessities baby formula medicines reliable phone service earlier piles household trash began accumulating street corners around tripoli early march 400000 foreign workers fled west tunisia east egypt began cleared couple weeks ago municipality tripoli reorganized severely instantly depleted work force except recent increase nato bombing sorties tripoli fairly pleasant place august 17 things abruptly changed one knows sure direction daily life headed starting noon much tripoli without power hotel one two tripoli even sporadic internet days even though parts tripoli regularly experiences south beirut lebanontype sudden cuts last hours days services abruptly stopped staff guests initially guests stuck elevator appeared panic hotel rooms security reasons windows dont open began heat fast laptop batteries quickly died weak internet vanished observer like others faced prospect walking eighteen floors keep appointments street level reception area two libyan friends work one hotel restaurants called room ask wanted walk lunch profoundly touched thoughtfulness seems typical libyans reminded fasting ramadan case would think accepting kind offer long hotel emergency generator kicked elevator began working power anywhere else inside hotel nearby green square crowds began gather 2 pm rally nato rebels told thousands libyan citizens ready move edges town man check points support army units repulse advances al zawieh west gheryan several villages south brega closer villages east prices local medina street market covering several blocks sells large variety goods vegetables adjacent hotel jumped according two sisters become friends shop mother every morning preparation cooking daily iftar meal breaks ramadan fast sunset past six months basic food prices largely leveled government warnings merchants even dream trying price gouge people leaving tripoli hard estimate many people asked say stay think nato rebels enter wellarmed apparently wellorganized city still around 15 million people delayed un factfinding delegation led spectacular palestinian woman nazareth occupied palestine named juliette finally arrived plane un demanded nato allow plane land tripoli airport un group staying hotel blocked main road tripoli tunisia morning august 18 people trapped tripoli departing tunisia one entering tunisia libyan students tripolis al fatah university even government officials told observer vowed dig wage stalingrad defense tripoli advancing nato rebels certainly neighborhoods heavily armed including observer lack heart remind dear students stalingrad russian citizens holding arrival red army indeed save many end one sense red army en route lift threatened siege tripoli maybe tripolis defenders need red army lift siege tripoli week libyan law student weeks helping man neighborhood defense committee checkpoint near airport road left following note franklin asked defend capitol tripoli nato bombs path rebel forces arrive try enter neighborhoods discuss often among night say answer question private information defense every buildings every main street square roundabout keep long possible every meter nato forces try take every apartment building factory warehouse street corner intersection home office building waiting supplied guns different types rpgs mortars snipers specially trained small 56 man units ready defense house house battle every floor hole floor fight nato rebels also sewers fight every basement nato enters front door fight every room house piles debris created bombing us dear friend lamb libyans good proud people spoken omar muktar defeat italians cost us onethird relatives fell battle know friend ottoman empire centuries colonization arab muslim country rebel libya libya led tribes stood turks fought two 20 year wars nato obama believe defeat us friend mohammad | 664 |
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<p>The country that has long been known to abuse its powers and privileges in the United Nations is now leading a campaign to reform the same organization. While UN reforms are welcomed, if not demanded, by many of its member states, there is little reason to believe the recent US crusade is actually genuine. Rather, it seems a clear attempt to stifle any semblance of democracy in the world’s leading international institution.</p>
<p>Most American politicians actually despise the UN. While the Security Council is directed or tamed by the US veto (often to shield the US and its close ally Israel from any criticism), other UN bodies are not as easily intimidated. When the UN education and science agency, UNESCO, accepted Palestine’s bid for full membership last October, following a democratic vote by its members, the US could do little do stall the process. Still, it immediately cut funding to the agency (about 20 percent of its total budget).</p>
<p>The move was devoid of any humanitarian considerations. The UNESCO provides vital services to underprivileged communities all over the world, including the United States. Yet, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, insisted on sugarcoating what was an entirely injudicious political act. “Today’s vote by the member states of UNESCO to admit Palestine as member is regrettable, premature and undermines our shared goal of a comprehensive just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” said Nuland (CNN, October 31).</p>
<p>The fact is, there has been much saber-rattling in the US Congress targeting the UN. The campaign, led by Republican congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, is threatening the UN with all sorts of punishment if the organization does not cease its criticism of Israel and tighten the noose around Iran. Naturally, the UN is not meeting the expectations of Ros-Lehtinen and her peers. It happens to be a body that represents the interests of all its member states. Some US politicians, however, see the world through the distorted logic of former president George W. Bush: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”</p>
<p>The late British author and humanitarian doctor Theodore MacDonald showed that the US actually has a love-hate relationship with the UN. In his final book, Preserving the United Nations; Our Best Hope for Mediating Human Rights, MacDonald reveals a strange reality: that the US and its allies labor to undermine the UN, while also using it to further their own military, political and economic objectives. Expectedly, successive US governments had mastered the art of political manipulation at the UN. When successfully co-opted to accommodate US military designs, the UN suddenly becomes true to its mission—per Washington’s account, of course. However, when US pressures failed to yield a unified front against Iraq in late 2002, President Bush asked in his first address to the United Nations, on September 12, 2002: “Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?”</p>
<p>The Bush years were rife with such ultimatums—to the UN and the whole world. However, a similar attitude continues to define the administration of Barack Obama. The US latest assault on the UN is now happening under the guise of reforms, but no ‘reforms’ are possible without first creating the needed polarization aimed at pushing for an American agenda. Joe Torsella, the US Deputy Ambassador for Management and Reform of the United Nation, spoke of the latest US efforts at reining in the 47-nation Geneva-based Human Rights Council. “The US will work to forge a new coalition at the UN in New York, a kind of ‘credibility caucus’ to promote truly competitive elections, rigorous application of membership criteria, and other reforms aimed at keeping the worst offenders on the sidelines,” he said (Reuters, Jan 20).</p>
<p>UNHRC is an outspoken critic of human rights violations. As of late, the organization has been particularity vocal regarding the rights violations underway in Syria. It is also very critical of Israel and its one-sided wars and human rights violations in Gaza and the rest of the occupied territories. For years, the US has conspired to undercut, intimidate and silence this criticism.</p>
<p>The Reuters report on the US latest push for the supposed reforms states: “Council members include China, Russia and other countries where rights groups say abuses are commonplace.” To offset the seeming inconsistency—between UNHRC mission and its members’ records—the US, according to Torsella, wants to “hold Human Rights Council members to the same standard of truly free and fair elections that the U.N. promotes around the world, and insist on the highest standards of integrity for the Council and all its members.” Viewed without context, it is a noble endeavor indeed. However, it becomes a tainted statement when one considers that the US status at the UN has been achieved through the least democratic of all means: a disproportionate political power (the veto) and money (used for arm-twisting).</p>
<p>Attempting to curb and contain the UN, as opposed to punishing and boycotting the international body, is basically what sets Democrats apart from Republicans. Unlike Republicans, “the other side of the debate (mostly Democrats) believes that achieving these reforms requires strong American leadership—and strong leadership is demonstrated by paying dues on time and in full. You can call this side ‘constructive engagement,’” wrote Mark Leon Goldberg in the UN Dispatch (January 20). Practically, both approaches are aimed at achieving similar outcomes: realizing US policies, rewarding allies and punishing foes—even at the expense of the noble mission once championed by the UN over 65 years ago.</p>
<p>While the latest push for ‘reforms’ is being hailed by Washington’s media cheerleaders, no honest commentator could possibly believe the US campaign against UNESCO, UNHRC and the UN as a whole represents a genuine democratic endeavor. In fact, the truly urgent reforms required right now are ones that aim at correcting what MacDonald described in his book as the UN’s “foundational defects”.</p>
<p>MacDonald counseled for immediate addressing of the “issue of permanent membership and the use of the veto”. He also recommended the granting of greater power to the General Assembly and eliminating the “imposed use of the US dollar” in mediating UN transitional affairs. MacDonald’s guidelines for reforms are comprehensive, and rely on the concept of equality, guided by humanitarian and moral urgencies.</p>
<p>The same can hardly be said of Washington’s latest UN intrigues and shady politics.</p> | false | 1 | country long known abuse powers privileges united nations leading campaign reform organization un reforms welcomed demanded many member states little reason believe recent us crusade actually genuine rather seems clear attempt stifle semblance democracy worlds leading international institution american politicians actually despise un security council directed tamed us veto often shield us close ally israel criticism un bodies easily intimidated un education science agency unesco accepted palestines bid full membership last october following democratic vote members us could little stall process still immediately cut funding agency 20 percent total budget move devoid humanitarian considerations unesco provides vital services underprivileged communities world including united states yet state department spokeswoman victoria nuland insisted sugarcoating entirely injudicious political act todays vote member states unesco admit palestine member regrettable premature undermines shared goal comprehensive lasting peace middle east said nuland cnn october 31 fact much saberrattling us congress targeting un campaign led republican congresswoman ileana roslehtinen chairwoman house representatives foreign affairs committee threatening un sorts punishment organization cease criticism israel tighten noose around iran naturally un meeting expectations roslehtinen peers happens body represents interests member states us politicians however see world distorted logic former president george w bush either us terrorists late british author humanitarian doctor theodore macdonald showed us actually lovehate relationship un final book preserving united nations best hope mediating human rights macdonald reveals strange reality us allies labor undermine un also using military political economic objectives expectedly successive us governments mastered art political manipulation un successfully coopted accommodate us military designs un suddenly becomes true missionper washingtons account course however us pressures failed yield unified front iraq late 2002 president bush asked first address united nations september 12 2002 united nations serve purpose founding irrelevant bush years rife ultimatumsto un whole world however similar attitude continues define administration barack obama us latest assault un happening guise reforms reforms possible without first creating needed polarization aimed pushing american agenda joe torsella us deputy ambassador management reform united nation spoke latest us efforts reining 47nation genevabased human rights council us work forge new coalition un new york kind credibility caucus promote truly competitive elections rigorous application membership criteria reforms aimed keeping worst offenders sidelines said reuters jan 20 unhrc outspoken critic human rights violations late organization particularity vocal regarding rights violations underway syria also critical israel onesided wars human rights violations gaza rest occupied territories years us conspired undercut intimidate silence criticism reuters report us latest push supposed reforms states council members include china russia countries rights groups say abuses commonplace offset seeming inconsistencybetween unhrc mission members recordsthe us according torsella wants hold human rights council members standard truly free fair elections un promotes around world insist highest standards integrity council members viewed without context noble endeavor indeed however becomes tainted statement one considers us status un achieved least democratic means disproportionate political power veto money used armtwisting attempting curb contain un opposed punishing boycotting international body basically sets democrats apart republicans unlike republicans side debate mostly democrats believes achieving reforms requires strong american leadershipand strong leadership demonstrated paying dues time full call side constructive engagement wrote mark leon goldberg un dispatch january 20 practically approaches aimed achieving similar outcomes realizing us policies rewarding allies punishing foeseven expense noble mission championed un 65 years ago latest push reforms hailed washingtons media cheerleaders honest commentator could possibly believe us campaign unesco unhrc un whole represents genuine democratic endeavor fact truly urgent reforms required right ones aim correcting macdonald described book uns foundational defects macdonald counseled immediate addressing issue permanent membership use veto also recommended granting greater power general assembly eliminating imposed use us dollar mediating un transitional affairs macdonalds guidelines reforms comprehensive rely concept equality guided humanitarian moral urgencies hardly said washingtons latest un intrigues shady politics | 623 |
<p>The last 90 days in Hollywood have been a tidal wave of <a href="http://variety.com/t/sexual-harassment/" type="external">sexual harassment</a> allegations and the firings of abusers. The attention on any liabilities started in earnest earlier this summer when a reality show participant on “Bachelor in Paradise” accused another of sexual assault. Although the investigation was done by one studio (Warner Bros.), it set off a chain reaction where entertainment and production company clients began calling their legal counsels to ask what they needed to do about talent agreements and harassment policies, reported Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corp’s Scott Hervey at a Hollywood Radio &amp; Television Society ( <a href="http://variety.com/t/hrts/" type="external">HRTS</a>) panel discussion on <a href="http://variety.com/2017/voices/columns/spacey-sexual-harassment-broadway-1202607997/" type="external">sexual harassment</a> in production in Los Angeles, Calif. on Monday.</p>
<p>“We always think about company liability or executive liability,” said Joel P. Kelly, principal at Jackson Lewis P.C. “But whereas jurisdictional requirement is five people, for harassment you only have to have one. There is individual liability for harassment whether you have one [allegation] or whether you have thousands.”</p>
<p>In speaking about a hypothetical production company in the process of producing a new show, Hervey noted that it is not just the full-time employees of that production company that the company has to worry about but also everyone from the cast members of the show to vendors and independent contractors. In that hypothetical scenario, if a casting director who was hired as an independent contractor implied he would cast an actor in exchange for sexual favors, the company would be liable for his actions, even with that independent contractor status.</p>
<p>“You can require an electrician that you bring on to prove they’re competent for the job, so I don’t know why we wouldn’t want to make sure [people] aren’t offenders,” Kelly said.</p>
<p>Marjorie Williams, <a href="http://variety.com/t/endemol-shine-north-america/" type="external">Endemol Shine North America</a>’s vice president of business legal affairs, stressed that while it wasn’t strictly about sexual harassment training but included general safety training, too, that education is key. “We make sure we try to have HR on set or some training on the front-end. Our legal department will also be involved, and the thing we try to underscore is communication,” Williams said. “You may have crew that comes on at any point in the production cycle, so it’s equally important to have an ongoing dialogue.”</p>
<p>In order for this moment in Hollywood history to make a true tide turn in behavior, though, there need to be adjustments to policies and practices beyond having everyone sit through a short video or meeting — especially considering many of the highest level individuals “are not in those sessions,” per Kelly.</p>
<p>“One of the effective best practices that I can speak to is background checks,” Williams said. “Background checks are some of the best ways to have some kind of insight into who you’re putting in a room and what [might] come out of it.”</p>
<p>Williams acknowledged the importance of evaluating shows on a case-by-case basis, but she and Jackson Lewis P.C. principal Talya Z. Friedman both noted that another key factor in developing a sense of comfort and safety for anyone involved, especially on an unscripted show, is to ensure there is a “clear and concise understanding of who they can go to with a complaint.” Friedman stressed the importance that this person should not always be a direct supervisor&#160;— in case the direct supervisor is the one allegations are being brought against&#160;— while Williams pointed out the responsibility that person then has is to be “responsive right away, not in seven days.”</p>
<p>“I know a lot of us don’t like it [because] it’s expensive, but it’s spending the money now or spending the money later,” Williams continued.</p>
<p>Additionally, Williams said practices should be put in place where victims can come forward anonymously. In these situations, the alleged harassers would not receive different disciplinary actions than if the accusers identified themselves, but it would allow those doing the naming to do so without fear of repercussions. The company would still be able to see, by the number of people who named the same individual and reported the same circumstances, what kind of a cultural issue there is within the organization and address the issue through the “resonable person” standards.</p>
<p>While “mentoring and monitoring” is important, per Kelly, so too is getting a crisis management team in place — because it’s better to get ahead of something whenever possible. “They occur as isolated complaints, but if you have rumors, gossip, speculation, it’s time to do an investigation, and the length of the investigation is going to change based on what those accusations are,” he points out.</p>
<p>Kelly believes the key to those teams comes from having people of “different disciplines” on the team, from legal to HR to the occasional outside, objective counsel. “The best response is one that is practiced, and we’ve seen a great response in what’s hit the airwaves and the internet in the last 90 days,” Kelly said.</p>
<p>The most important thing to do once allegations are found to be true and offenders are identified within an organization is to take a step back and examine the culture of the company to see if there are systemic issues to address, though. Kelly noted the importance of not treating them as “isolated incidents” and being “proactive to cut off [additional issues] before they hit the internet” because once the public is made aware of the situation, expectations are different.</p>
<p>“The public has become conditioned,” Kelly says of the last few weeks. “I worry that there’s an expectation when we get into court. If you don’t [fire the person] you’re going to be litigating two issues: the event and the cover-up.”</p>
<p>But Williams also noted that liability can come if allegations don’t rise to the level of criminal activity and an accused gets hired by another studio or network. That studio or network can be putting themselves at risk.</p>
<p>“There’s not one catch-all or smoking gun that has to be found,” Williams said. “There are various degrees of it, and also the power dynamic that comes into play. These may be two consenting adults, but if one is one’s supervisor and one person has the potential to put someone in a film, or if someone can hire — we know there are a lot of independent contractors looking for their next gig. Who the individual is in this alleged consensual relationship is something we really need to take a look at.”</p> | false | 1 | last 90 days hollywood tidal wave sexual harassment allegations firings abusers attention liabilities started earnest earlier summer reality show participant bachelor paradise accused another sexual assault although investigation done one studio warner bros set chain reaction entertainment production company clients began calling legal counsels ask needed talent agreements harassment policies reported weintraub tobin chediak coleman grodin law corps scott hervey hollywood radio amp television society hrts panel discussion sexual harassment production los angeles calif monday always think company liability executive liability said joel p kelly principal jackson lewis pc whereas jurisdictional requirement five people harassment one individual liability harassment whether one allegation whether thousands speaking hypothetical production company process producing new show hervey noted fulltime employees production company company worry also everyone cast members show vendors independent contractors hypothetical scenario casting director hired independent contractor implied would cast actor exchange sexual favors company would liable actions even independent contractor status require electrician bring prove theyre competent job dont know wouldnt want make sure people arent offenders kelly said marjorie williams endemol shine north americas vice president business legal affairs stressed wasnt strictly sexual harassment training included general safety training education key make sure try hr set training frontend legal department also involved thing try underscore communication williams said may crew comes point production cycle equally important ongoing dialogue order moment hollywood history make true tide turn behavior though need adjustments policies practices beyond everyone sit short video meeting especially considering many highest level individuals sessions per kelly one effective best practices speak background checks williams said background checks best ways kind insight youre putting room might come williams acknowledged importance evaluating shows casebycase basis jackson lewis pc principal talya z friedman noted another key factor developing sense comfort safety anyone involved especially unscripted show ensure clear concise understanding go complaint friedman stressed importance person always direct supervisor160 case direct supervisor one allegations brought against160 williams pointed responsibility person responsive right away seven days know lot us dont like expensive spending money spending money later williams continued additionally williams said practices put place victims come forward anonymously situations alleged harassers would receive different disciplinary actions accusers identified would allow naming without fear repercussions company would still able see number people named individual reported circumstances kind cultural issue within organization address issue resonable person standards mentoring monitoring important per kelly getting crisis management team place better get ahead something whenever possible occur isolated complaints rumors gossip speculation time investigation length investigation going change based accusations points kelly believes key teams comes people different disciplines team legal hr occasional outside objective counsel best response one practiced weve seen great response whats hit airwaves internet last 90 days kelly said important thing allegations found true offenders identified within organization take step back examine culture company see systemic issues address though kelly noted importance treating isolated incidents proactive cut additional issues hit internet public made aware situation expectations different public become conditioned kelly says last weeks worry theres expectation get court dont fire person youre going litigating two issues event coverup williams also noted liability come allegations dont rise level criminal activity accused gets hired another studio network studio network putting risk theres one catchall smoking gun found williams said various degrees also power dynamic comes play may two consenting adults one ones supervisor one person potential put someone film someone hire know lot independent contractors looking next gig individual alleged consensual relationship something really need take look | 573 |
<p>Though only the most savage attacks make headlines, dogs bite an average of at least seven people every day in Clark County.</p>
<p>Animal control data from Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson show an average of slightly more than 2,500 bites were reported to animal control each year during the past five years.</p>
<p>The vast majority of the attacks, which ranged from relatively minor bites to fatal maulings, occurred in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County.</p>
<p>Statistically speaking, that means a resident’s chances of getting bitten are slim. About 2.1 million people live in the Clark County, so slightly over one-tenth of 1 percent are bitten every year.</p>
<p>But those encounters are often unpredictable and hard to avoid.</p>
<p>“It just takes one slip — the leash can slip out of the hand, or a kid can run up suddenly — for an accident to happen,” professional dog trainer Myca Durocher said. “Even I can go to a park and run across a dog that’s aggressive. If owners don’t address that and the dog ever gets out that will create an issue.”</p>
<p>Fatal attacks</p>
<p>Dog bites rarely result in death in Clark County. Since the start of 2012, six fatalities — about one a year — have been reported.</p>
<p>The most recent death was that of <a href="" type="internal">a 6-month-old infant killed May 8</a> after her family’s pet “pit bull-terrier-type mix” began biting her, the Metropolitan Police Department reported. Last August, <a href="" type="internal">a pet pit bull mauled a 9-year-old boy to death</a> at a friend’s home in a neighborhood east of Las Vegas.</p>
<p>The dogs in both cases were euthanized.</p>
<p>But attacks can be deadly even if they initially don’t appear too serious. Two of the most-recent Clark County deaths were from infections stemming from dog bites.</p>
<p>That’s why people bitten by a dog, even their own pet, should keep a close eye on the wound, said Dr. Joe Iser, chief health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District.</p>
<p>The chance of contracting rabies is slim, Iser said, but tetanus and other bacterial infections are more common.</p>
<p>“The deeper the wound and the more jagged and torn the tissue, the more likely an infection,” he said. “Watch the skin area for signs of infection. In general that would be swelling, redness and heat.”</p>
<p>Preventative measures</p>
<p>Durocher and fellow trainer Jaymi Crook both say there are no inherently dangerous breeds of domesticated dogs. However, they note that “working dog breeds” — including German shepherds, Rottweilers and Great Danes — can bite with much more force than a Chihuahua or Pomeranian. That’s also true of pit bulls, which are not a formal breed.</p>
<p>“If you buy a large, powerful breed make sure you address the training needed and socialize the dog while it’s young,” Durocher said. “They have a lot of energy. They have a lot of prey drive, so if you don’t train the dog you’ll have a lot of behavioral issues.”</p>
<p>Even with training, preventing dog attacks can be difficult, Crook said, because “literally every situation is different.”</p>
<p>Dogs will sometimes bite because they’re afraid, because they’re defending what they perceive to be their territory, or simply because they haven’t gotten enough exercise, he said.</p>
<p>“Part of this is all of us bring thrown together in a social dynamic where we live next door to each other, and we don’t know how each other’s dogs are raised and trained,” Crook said. “We have to give (our pets) their rules of the engagement, and we have to explain to them how we want them to behave. And a lot of people inadvertently teach their dogs behaviors that when they’re left alone and have a lot of energy it manifests itself in a way that we don’t want.”</p>
<p>Durocher said parents should never leave small children alone with dogs.</p>
<p>“Children should be supervised around dogs and taught not to climb on the dogs, or pull on the dogs ears or tail,” she said. “Some dogs tolerate it, but you don’t want a child to do that because they may come across another dog that does not like that.”</p>
<p>Self defense</p>
<p>The first step to protecting yourself from a dog attack is being aware of your surroundings, said Crook, director of training at High Powered K9 in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>“Know what lives in your neighborhood, especially if you’re walking a small animal yourself,” he said.</p>
<p>If a dog is acting aggressive, “you want to put something between yourself and the dog,” Crook said.</p>
<p>Carrying an item like an umbrella or tennis racket can make for a good barrier, Crook said. Pepper spray can sometimes send an attacking dog on the run, but others will ignore it, Durocher said.</p>
<p>Both trainers agree that the one thing you should never do, unless absolutely necessary, is run.</p>
<p>“When human beings act like prey they often get treated like prey,” Crook said.</p>
<p>Contact Michael Scott Davidson at [email protected] or 702-477-3861. Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidsonlvrj" type="external">@davidsonlvrj</a> on Twitter.</p>
<p>&lt;img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/stephens-media/image/upload/v1496880960/dogattacksweb.jpg" alt="Dog attacks in Clark County" width="100%" height="auto /"&lt;/p&gt;</p>
<p>Fatal dog attacks in Clark County since 2012</p>
<p>May 8, 2017: Girl, 6 months old, killed from dog attack injuries.</p>
<p>Aug. 17, 2016: Boy, 9, killed from dog attack injuries to head and neck.</p>
<p>April 5, 2016: Woman, 94, killed by infection after dog attack injury.</p>
<p>April 14, 2015: Man, 79, killed due to complications of injuries from dog attack.</p>
<p>July 23, 2014: Man, 48, killed by infection after dog attack injury.</p>
<p>April 28, 2012: Boy, 1, killed from dog attack injuries to head and neck.</p>
<p />
<p /> | false | 1 | though savage attacks make headlines dogs bite average least seven people every day clark county animal control data clark county las vegas north las vegas henderson show average slightly 2500 bites reported animal control year past five years vast majority attacks ranged relatively minor bites fatal maulings occurred las vegas unincorporated clark county statistically speaking means residents chances getting bitten slim 21 million people live clark county slightly onetenth 1 percent bitten every year encounters often unpredictable hard avoid takes one slip leash slip hand kid run suddenly accident happen professional dog trainer myca durocher said even go park run across dog thats aggressive owners dont address dog ever gets create issue fatal attacks dog bites rarely result death clark county since start 2012 six fatalities one year reported recent death 6monthold infant killed may 8 familys pet pit bullterriertype mix began biting metropolitan police department reported last august pet pit bull mauled 9yearold boy death friends home neighborhood east las vegas dogs cases euthanized attacks deadly even initially dont appear serious two mostrecent clark county deaths infections stemming dog bites thats people bitten dog even pet keep close eye wound said dr joe iser chief health officer southern nevada health district chance contracting rabies slim iser said tetanus bacterial infections common deeper wound jagged torn tissue likely infection said watch skin area signs infection general would swelling redness heat preventative measures durocher fellow trainer jaymi crook say inherently dangerous breeds domesticated dogs however note working dog breeds including german shepherds rottweilers great danes bite much force chihuahua pomeranian thats also true pit bulls formal breed buy large powerful breed make sure address training needed socialize dog young durocher said lot energy lot prey drive dont train dog youll lot behavioral issues even training preventing dog attacks difficult crook said literally every situation different dogs sometimes bite theyre afraid theyre defending perceive territory simply havent gotten enough exercise said part us bring thrown together social dynamic live next door dont know others dogs raised trained crook said give pets rules engagement explain want behave lot people inadvertently teach dogs behaviors theyre left alone lot energy manifests way dont want durocher said parents never leave small children alone dogs children supervised around dogs taught climb dogs pull dogs ears tail said dogs tolerate dont want child may come across another dog like self defense first step protecting dog attack aware surroundings said crook director training high powered k9 las vegas know lives neighborhood especially youre walking small animal said dog acting aggressive want put something dog crook said carrying item like umbrella tennis racket make good barrier crook said pepper spray sometimes send attacking dog run others ignore durocher said trainers agree one thing never unless absolutely necessary run human beings act like prey often get treated like prey crook said contact michael scott davidson sdavidsonreviewjournalcom 7024773861 follow davidsonlvrj twitter ltimg srchttpsrescloudinarycomstephensmediaimageuploadv1496880960dogattackswebjpg altdog attacks clark county width100 heightauto ltpgt fatal dog attacks clark county since 2012 may 8 2017 girl 6 months old killed dog attack injuries aug 17 2016 boy 9 killed dog attack injuries head neck april 5 2016 woman 94 killed infection dog attack injury april 14 2015 man 79 killed due complications injuries dog attack july 23 2014 man 48 killed infection dog attack injury april 28 2012 boy 1 killed dog attack injuries head neck | 559 |
<p>President Donald Trump will kick off his lobbying effort for a tax overhaul at an event with a Midwestern manufacturing backdrop and some economic tough talk.</p>
<p>The one thing missing? A detailed proposal.</p>
<p>Instead, in Springfield, Missouri, Wednesday, Trump will give remarks that the White House said will focus on his “vision” for spurring job creation and economic growth by cutting rates and revising the tax code. Details will come later, officials said, when lawmakers work them out.</p>
<p>After a year with no major legislative wins, the stakes are high for the White House and GOP leaders, who face mounting pressure to get points on the board before next year’s midterm elections. Complicating matters, the tax push comes amid an intense September workload that requires Congress to act by month’s end to fund the government and raise the debt limit, as well as pass emergency spending for the Harvey disaster.</p>
<p>After failing to deliver on seven years of promises to repeal and replace Obamacare, many Republicans believe they must produce on taxes or face a reckoning in next year’s congressional midterm elections. If they don’t have something to show for full control of Congress and the White House, voters could try to take it all away, beginning with the GOP’s House majority.</p>
<p>On Twitter Sunday, Trump previewed his trip, stressing the politics. Calling Missouri a “wonderful state,” he said the state’s Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill — up for re-election next year — is “opposed to big tax cuts” and said a “Republican will win” the state.</p>
<p>Trump is kicking the effort off in Springfield, considered the birthplace of the historic Route 66 highway, known as “America’s Main Street.” Emphasizing domestic jobs, he’s appearing at the Loren Cook Company, which manufactures fans, gravity vents, laboratory exhaust systems and energy recovery ventilators.</p>
<p>A key challenge is to frame a tax plan that could include cuts for corporations and top earners as a boon for the middle class. Officials suggested Trump would argue that cutting business taxes will benefit American companies and workers. The remarks were drafted by Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller with the speechwriting team, under Trump’s guidance, the White House said.</p>
<p>Trump will be joined by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, and Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon, said the White House. Also expected are Missouri elected officials, including Sen. Roy Blunt and Gov. Eric Greitens, as well as local business owners.</p>
<p>Trump is expected to continue his sales pitch and Republicans are hoping the president commits in a way he never did for health care.</p>
<p>“If you’re a Republican, you have to be encouraged by the president’s recent focus on tax reform,” said Brian McGuire, former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “Not only does presidential leadership make the chances of success here far more likely, it could also very well be the difference between Donald Trump presiding over a jobs boom and Nancy Pelosi presiding over an impeachment trial.”</p>
<p>But in order to clear their other priorities and focus to rewriting the tax code, Congress will need a steady partner in the White House, something that’s been sorely lacking from Trump thus far. If the president chooses to renew fights with key lawmakers like McConnell or double down on contentious issues like funding his border wall, which he’s already threatened to shut down the government to achieve, that could only hurt chances of reaching success on taxes.</p>
<p>“He’s a liability,” said Republican consultant Rick Tyler. “He proved that in the whole health care repeal and replace. He just can’t stay focused on one thing.”</p>
<p>The Trump administration released a one-page set of goals in April, followed by a joint statement in July with congressional leaders. In an interview with the Financial Times last week, Cohn said the White House and GOP leaders have agreed on a “good skeleton” for a tax overhaul, and said the House tax-writing committee would be drafting legislation while the White House tries to sell the plan.</p>
<p>Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan touted tax reform efforts during an appearance in suburban Seattle last week. He pledged to simplify the code, calling it “the worst, the least competitive tax system in the industrialized world.”</p>
<p>White House officials declined to discuss details Tuesday. Trump has promised the largest tax cut ever, saying he’d like to see the corporate tax rate drop from a top tax rate of 35 percent to a top rate of 15 percent. But it’s not clear if it will end up being that low in the plan. It is also not clear what kind of break a typical taxpayer will see.</p>
<p>Cohn told the Financial Times a bill could be passed in the House and Senate in 2017, pushing back the administration’s timetable for a bill to reach the president’s desk. The White House had said previously that it expected final passage in November.</p>
<p>Cohn said that if Democrats are not interested in working together, they will pursue legislation using a maneuver that only requires Republican votes.</p>
<p>Democrats have already gone on the attack. Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Twitter recently that House Speaker Paul Ryan’s “tax plan is not reform — it’s a tax cut for billionaires.”</p> | false | 1 | president donald trump kick lobbying effort tax overhaul event midwestern manufacturing backdrop economic tough talk one thing missing detailed proposal instead springfield missouri wednesday trump give remarks white house said focus vision spurring job creation economic growth cutting rates revising tax code details come later officials said lawmakers work year major legislative wins stakes high white house gop leaders face mounting pressure get points board next years midterm elections complicating matters tax push comes amid intense september workload requires congress act months end fund government raise debt limit well pass emergency spending harvey disaster failing deliver seven years promises repeal replace obamacare many republicans believe must produce taxes face reckoning next years congressional midterm elections dont something show full control congress white house voters could try take away beginning gops house majority twitter sunday trump previewed trip stressing politics calling missouri wonderful state said states democratic sen claire mccaskill reelection next year opposed big tax cuts said republican win state trump kicking effort springfield considered birthplace historic route 66 highway known americas main street emphasizing domestic jobs hes appearing loren cook company manufactures fans gravity vents laboratory exhaust systems energy recovery ventilators key challenge frame tax plan could include cuts corporations top earners boon middle class officials suggested trump would argue cutting business taxes benefit american companies workers remarks drafted trump policy adviser stephen miller speechwriting team trumps guidance white house said trump joined treasury secretary steven mnuchin commerce secretary wilbur ross gary cohn director national economic council small business administrator linda mcmahon said white house also expected missouri elected officials including sen roy blunt gov eric greitens well local business owners trump expected continue sales pitch republicans hoping president commits way never health care youre republican encouraged presidents recent focus tax reform said brian mcguire former chief staff senate majority leader mitch mcconnell presidential leadership make chances success far likely could also well difference donald trump presiding jobs boom nancy pelosi presiding impeachment trial order clear priorities focus rewriting tax code congress need steady partner white house something thats sorely lacking trump thus far president chooses renew fights key lawmakers like mcconnell double contentious issues like funding border wall hes already threatened shut government achieve could hurt chances reaching success taxes hes liability said republican consultant rick tyler proved whole health care repeal replace cant stay focused one thing trump administration released onepage set goals april followed joint statement july congressional leaders interview financial times last week cohn said white house gop leaders agreed good skeleton tax overhaul said house taxwriting committee would drafting legislation white house tries sell plan republican house speaker paul ryan touted tax reform efforts appearance suburban seattle last week pledged simplify code calling worst least competitive tax system industrialized world white house officials declined discuss details tuesday trump promised largest tax cut ever saying hed like see corporate tax rate drop top tax rate 35 percent top rate 15 percent clear end low plan also clear kind break typical taxpayer see cohn told financial times bill could passed house senate 2017 pushing back administrations timetable bill reach presidents desk white house said previously expected final passage november cohn said democrats interested working together pursue legislation using maneuver requires republican votes democrats already gone attack democratic house minority leader nancy pelosi said twitter recently house speaker paul ryans tax plan reform tax cut billionaires | 559 |
<p>George Lindbeck, the distinguished Lutheran theologian, served from 1962 through 1965 as one of sixty “Delegated Observers” from other Christian communions at the Second Vatican Council. As Lindbeck has noted on previous occasions, the ecumenical observers from the worlds of Orthodoxy and Protestantism were a “privileged lot.” They had special access to the Council aula, sat just to the left of the high altar of St. Peter’s, were served by a corps of ecumenically minded Catholic translators (all Council business was conducted in Latin), and were frequently consulted, formally and informally, about the drafts of conciliar texts. More than one bishop was heard to complain, and perhaps not without reason, that the observatores had gotten a much better deal than the bishops who, after all, were supposed to be the Council.</p>
<p>It has now been twenty-nine years since Vatican II finished its business, and the ranks of those with living memories of the Council is, in the natural course of things, growing ever thinner. Concurrently, debates over the Council’s intention, its accomplishment, and its “spirit” have intensified, within and beyond the formal boundaries of Roman Catholicism. It was with an eye to clarifying some of the terms of the contemporary debate, by reference to one keen observer’s experience of the actual proceedings, that I recently spoke at length with George Lindbeck about his memories of Vatican II.</p>
<p>Weigel: How did you happen to spend the better part of three years working at and on the Second Vatican Council?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: Before the Council started, Pope John XXIII invited each of the world confessional organizations to delegate three official observers who would attend the Council. The Lutheran World Federation was one of those organizations; the United States was, in those days, the major source of funding for the LWF; so the LWF authorities in Geneva decided that they had to name an American as one of the three delegated observers. The American would have to know Latin, German, and French, would have to have had some experience of Roman Catholic theology, and, perhaps hardest of all, would have to get a leave of absence from his regular job. They scraped and scraped the barrel, and at the bottom there was an untenured Yale teacher whose dean and department were not bound by the draconian faculty employment rules now in effect.</p>
<p>So I was named the junior member of the Lutheran delegation, and as it happened, I was the only one assigned full-time to Council business between the sessions of the Council which, as you remember, took place in the fall months of the years 1962-1965. I actually lived in Rome with my family from 1962 to 1964, but my responsibilities were such that I had to go to Helsinki to brief the LWF Assembly, to Montreal for a meeting of Faith and Order, to Scandinavia, Germany, France, and all the countries of Latin America where there was a Lutheran presence.</p>
<p>As things worked out, I ended up doing even more liaison work than had been anticipated. I became the Protestant observers’ link to Latin American bishops at the Council who spoke French but had neither German nor English. Then there were the Hispanic Protestants and the Italian Waldensians, who evidently found non-Catholic observers a less neuralgic means of communicating with the Catholic bishops of their own countries. It also worked the other way; I remember that the French Dominicans in Oslo helped me bridge the communication gap between local Lutheran groups who were shunning each other.</p>
<p>It was, as you can imagine, a very heady experience. It made a great difference to have my wife, Violette, and our small daughter with me during the two years I lived in Rome. Kristen, my daughter, was regularly entertained by various ecclesiastical notables, and my wife had an entree to that vast world of nuns that was in fact much more influential than many observers realized. We did a fair amount of entertaining, even though LWF emoluments were not, shall we say, excessive. Indeed, one of my favorite Council memories is of Cardinal Willebrands (who was then Bishop Willebrands and second-in-command to Cardinal Bea at the Secretariat for Christian Unity) and my wife smoking Willebrands’ excellent Dutch cigars together after dinner.</p>
<p>Weigel: Let’s talk a bit about the theological dynamics within Roman Catholicism just before the Council. In his book on Henri de Lubac, the distinguished French scholar, the late great Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar cites de Lubac’s striking reflection on the intention and the fate of the postwar French phenomenon, la nouvelle theologie. According to de Lubac, he, Yves Congar, and a group of others intended to produce a comprehensive theological work “that would have been less systematic than the manuals but more saturated with tradition, integrating the valid elements in the results of modern exegesis, of patristics, liturgy, history, philosophical reflection. . . .” But before the work could really get going in earnest, “the lightning bolt of Humani Generis (1950) killed the project.” To what extent did the confrontation between la nouvelle theologie, on the one hand, and the forces that produced Humani Generis on the other, set the theological (and in some sense “political”) background to the Council? And how did that confrontation shape the standard “liberal/conservative” hermeneutic of the Council?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: I think you have to go back further than la nouvelle theologie. From my point of view-which was that of a non-Catholic, interested in medieval thought and Thomas Aquinas-the Catholic anti-Modernist campaign of the early twentieth century had created a situation in which a very rigid and biased interpretation of Thomas, stemming in part from the seventeenth and in part from the nineteenth centuries, had become virtually a binding commitment on Catholic theology and philosophy departments throughout the world, and was very influential as well in the Roman congregations. So the real issue was the confrontation with Modernism. And anyone who wasn’t a “neo-scholastic,” in the sense in which the anti-Modernists had defined neo-scholasticism, was looked on with suspicion. Congar, de Lubac, von Balthasar, and Karl Rahner-the currently most influential Roman Catholic theologian-were different people, working on different projects; but what they had in common was that they were saying things in a different form from that of the official neo-scholasticism, and that brought them under suspicion. Jacques Maritain and Etienne Gilson were breaking new ground, too, but they were laymen, and in any case Gilson was an historian, not a philosopher, so he didn’t quite “count.”</p>
<p>Humani Generis was intended to say “No” to the sorts of approaches represented by la nouvelle theologie, but it was modified, according to de Lubac, who had a letter from John XXIII on this, stating that Pius XII had himself altered elements in Humani Generis that were directly critical of the kind of work de Lubac was doing. So in fact the encyclical did not directly chastise de Lubac or von Balthasar, although Rahner’s failure to reaffirm monogenesis would have come under the encyclical’s list of proscribed opinions. As a general rule, then, the real problem with Humani Generis was the way it reinforced the position of the regnant powers in the congregations and the academy, who used the encyclical to make the nouvelle theologie people personae non gratae. Which meant that the encyclical reinforced the anti-Modernist style of dealing with exploratory theology.</p>
<p>Weigel: Speaking of Rahner, do you know the wonderful story about one of his encounters in the 1950s with Cardinal Ottaviani [the prefect of the Holy Office]? According to an autobiographical interview Rahner gave toward the end of his life, Ottaviani once took Rahner aside during the Council and told him, “Well, we have absolutely nothing against you. You see, this extraordinary Roman censor [who had been imposed on Rahner by the Holy Office] is a special privilege by which we wish to protect you from the misunderstandings of dumb friends.” To which Rahner remembered saying, “Your Eminence, I renounce privileges.”</p>
<p>In any case, would you make the linkage between the nouvelle theologie project and its strategy of ressourcement (“back to the sources”), and the aggiornamento (“updating”) thrust of the Council?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: The ressourcement and aggiornamento people at the Council thought of themselves as collaborators. Ressourcement and aggiornamento were understood to be two dimensions of the same reality. But the dimension labelled “aggiornamento” could be used in a program of accommodation to the modern world, rather than one of an opening to the modern world; and when that happened, aggiornamento fell into opposition to ressourcement. But in my memory of the Council, there was absolutely no tension between the two, with the exception of the debate over what became the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.</p>
<p>And here it was the non-Catholics-especially the Lutherans, and not least Edmund Schlink, the observer from the German Evangelical Church- who had some serious reservations about the positive way in which the document talked about the world. But he was speaking from a specifically Reformation perspective, and was not at all in sympathy with the political rightists’ critique of the document. About the ressourcement dimension of the Council, though, Schlink was enthusiastic.</p>
<p>Weigel: Speaking of politics, how much of the venomous character of the controversy between the nouvelle theologie people and their critics in France had to do with the fact that the former had a rather more positive view of the Fourth Republic, indeed of democracy, than the latter?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: There is some fascinating history waiting to be written here. You’d be sitting around drinking wine with the French, and just as you pierced the surface, they’d start talking about Action Francaise and all that. The French allies of the curial party, the French integralists, were more likely to have been in sympathy with Action Francaise, which the nouvelle theologie people never were. By and large, most of the integralists had not been sympathetic to the Resistance during the war, as de Lubac and others in his group had been.</p>
<p>So there was this deep personal estrangement between the nouvelle theologie people and their critics, who believed that they had betrayed true French Catholicism, understood in monarchist terms. De Lubac illustrated the intensity of it when he quoted a critic of his to the effect that John XXIII had chosen Congar and de Lubac for the conciliar preparatory commissions because the Pope was wise enough to remember what had happened after Vatican I (1870), when the “old Catholic” schism occurred, and wanted to make sure that dissidents didn’t leave the Church this time around.</p>
<p>Weigel: So in that specific French sense, the pre- conciliar conflict goes back even further than the Modernist crisis, and reflects the fault line that runs through French society from 1789 on?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: I always found it desirable at any dinner party to find out where people stood on the Revolution before getting into any other discussion.</p>
<p>Weigel: Given that the ressourcement and aggiornamento people saw themselves at the Council as two dimensions of one enterprise, how are we to assess the image of the council as a grand struggle between “liberals” and “conservatives?” What did that imagery capture, and what did it miss?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: The crucial question was how people reacted to the pre-conciliar drafts of the proposed Council documents, which had been drawn up entirely by the curial party. People like Congar and de Lubac warned the preparatory commissions that these drafts-especially on the Church and on revelation-simply wouldn’t work. And rumors began to circulate among the bishops that John XXIII didn’t like the tone of the drafts, that they were too negative. It wasn’t that he had any disagreements with them doctrinally, but that he wanted a more positive presentation of Catholic truth, not condemnations of errors. The Pope had told the preparatory commissions that he didn’t want any condemnations, and they had simply interpreted this to mean no formal anathemas. And so when the bishops by and large found themselves put off by the rhetoric, they knew they would have the backing of the Pope if they demanded something different.</p>
<p>Weigel: If these documents by the preparatory commissions were distributed before the Council convened, then can we say that there was a countercurrent building even before the Council?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: Yes, including, massively, people who by all the formal theological criteria would be in agreement with the integralists. But they didn’t like the tone; it wasn’t tactful. So even at the beginning there were only a few bishops who were actively in favor of the documents as written by the preparatory commissions-which accounts for the huge and crucial rejection, in an early vote, of the preparatory commissions’ lists for members of the actual conciliar commissions.</p>
<p>Now there was no clear agreement on what the preparatory commissions’ documents should be replaced with. An awful lot of bishops would have been happy with just a change in tone. So then a struggle ensued between the curial bureaucracy and the non-bureaucrats, so to speak, on the revision of the documents. In fact, and although I hadn’t thought of this before, I think “Xavier Rynne” [Francis X. Murphy, C.SS.R.], whose reports in the New Yorker and later in books shaped many perceptions of the Council, didn’t make enough of this aspect of bureaucracy vs. non-bureaucracy.</p>
<p>Weigel: I’ve often wondered about that-whether what was perceived as a massive theological shift wasn’t at least in part simply a very human reaction against the curial bureaucracy that had increasingly muscled the bishops around during the later years of Pius XII.</p>
<p>Lindbeck: That was certainly part of it, but you also have to remember that the campaign against de Lubac and people like him wasn’t simply bureaucratic. The charge was that these were people who were toying with Modernism, and “Modernism” was too often used as a label to dismiss something you didn’t agree with. This made people who didn’t want to be perceived as sympathetic to Modernists very cautious.</p>
<p>Weigel: So the vote on the conciliar commissions really did break a psychological barrier, such that it was possible to talk with people and about people in a way that hadn’t been possible before?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: And “Rynne” did capture that dimension of the Council, especially in his book Letters from Vatican City. But I would also, today, criticize his (and others’) tendency to demonize the opposition. Ottaviani, to go back to your example, was, according to people who knew him, really a very good person who did his job humanely; but this was hard to remember if one disagreed with him on structural and policy issues. Polarization, to be sure, makes for excitement. The critique of the Holy Office by Cardinal Frings, head of the German bishops’ conference, and Cardinal Ottaviani’s impassioned defense of the curia as servants of the Pope, made for one of the Council’s most dramatic moments.</p>
<p>Another moment of real tension occurred on October 29, 1963, and it involved what we might call “Marian maximalism,” an issue that has so completely disappeared in the past decades that it may seem utterly antiquarian to some people today. This was not simply a Protestant concern, of course; years later, in his Theo-Dramatic, von Balthasar wrote critically of the tendency in some pre-conciliar Catholic circles to juxtapose Mary’s “almighty power of mercy . . . over against the Son’s almighty power and wrath,” to the point where Mary was, for some, “divinized . . . ‘supplementing the Trinity.'” In any event, for the kind of Lutheran I am, this was much more troubling than the papacy, and I think the same was true of my fellow-Lutheran observers. Thus from our point of view a crucial ecumenical-theological moment was reached when, in the closest vote of the Council (1,114- 1,074), the Council fathers agreed to place their discussion of the Virgin Mary within the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), rather than in a separate decree.</p>
<p>It’s strange to think that von Balthasar, not least in view of his critique of Marian maximalism, was once thought of as on the far left instead of on the far right, where some try to locate him now. Ressourcement, it seems, leads to the margins-or to martyrdom. The miracle of the Council is that the conjunction of forces was such that an authentic return to the sources could, for a moment, capture the center.</p>
<p>There was still another personal dynamic at work in the Council that may help account for that “conjunction of forces,” and I can illustrate it by a vignette. At a reception at the American Embassy, which was one of the places where everybody congregated, I got to talking with Archbishop McGucken of San Francisco. He was one of many bishops who admitted to never having talked with a Protestant theologian before, and he was curious about my reactions to the Council. I said that from the point of view of a Lutheran observer, Dei Verbum (the Constitution on Divine Revelation) had been of particular importance, and I asked him what his attitude toward that, and to the related controversies over biblical scholarship, had been. He replied that he had studied under [Cardinal Ernesto] Ruffini, and that he tended to share Ruffini’s dour views of current developments in biblical scholarship. But then he went on to say that he had been to six or eight different seminars led for the bishops by Father Barnabas Ahern, precisely on the new approaches to the Bible. “Marvelously saintly man, isn’t he?” McGucken said. “Do you know if he ever gives retreats for clergy? I think I might ask him to give a retreat to my priests.” And that experience of Ahern was why McGucken said he had voted against Ruffini and for Dei Verbum when that crucial document was on the agenda.</p>
<p>Weigel: Did you have the sense that John XXIII had a well-formulated idea of what the Council should and should not do?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: My contacts with him were limited to a couple of sessions he had with the observers. I can simply report the general feeling that John XXIII genuinely believed in the Holy Spirit’s guidance of the Council. He was open to being surprised.</p>
<p>Weigel: Did you have the impression that John XXIII had been much influenced by the French conflicts we were discussing a moment ago? Did Cardinal Roncalli come to the papacy convinced that this sixty- year struggle with Modernism (which, in one sense, was simply a code- word for “modernity” in the larger sense) had to be overcome?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: To a remarkable degree, it seems that as one gets to know previously unknown things about John XXIII the picture of him really doesn’t change. What he said publicly during his pontificate seems to hold up when one probes beneath the surface. He wanted more ecumenism and he wanted more openness to the modern world and he wanted more ressourcement. He said those things, and he quite evidently meant all three. But about what that meant in precise detail he apparently did not have any clear-cut ideas.</p>
<p>Weigel: And, presumably, he didn’t worry all that much about it. Which was really an act of faith. It wasn’t a sociological judgment about the stability of the Church in the mid-twentieth century, it was an act of faith in the Spirit’s presence to the Church.</p>
<p>Lindbeck: I suppose that, speculatively, you could connect his experiences as nuncio in France with the Council, in that John XXIII wanted a Church that had a good degree of openness, so that there could be frank and free discussion without politically correct terrorists frightening people. But that, you see, is a desire to establish an openness that would make real conversation possible. And while it fits in with the Pope’s character, it’s also hard to make into a program.</p>
<p>Weigel: And then John XXIII was succeeded by a man who worried about all the fine print and how the program was going to work out.</p>
<p>Lindbeck: And who was self-consciously committed to the kind of theology that had been previously designated la nouvelle theologie. As far as I know, nobody suggested that John XXIII had a very clear idea what la nouvelle theologie was.</p>
<p>Weigel: How deep a grasp did Paul VI have of the nouvelle theologie project?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: He said that Congar was his favorite theologian, and while I’m no expert on Montini, I’d be surprised if the documentation didn’t suggest that he had an intimate and deep knowledge of Congar and de Lubac.</p>
<p>Weigel: Would you say something about the unintended consequences of the Council: within Roman Catholicism, between Catholicism and other Christian communions, and between the Church and the world?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: Among the observers, there was a virtually universal agreement that we disagreed with the conventional notion of the Roman Catholic Church as a monolith, an army that never breaks ranks, with commands being obeyed from the top down, and so forth. And yet, however much we thought we disagreed with that view, we basically still thought that that was what the Roman Catholic Church was! And that affected the degree to which we were optimistic about the changes. As for me, I expected a gradual change guided by directives from Rome, a process in which everything would run relatively smoothly, in what my colleagues and I agreed was a very good direction.</p>
<p>This was, obviously, very naive. It was sociologically naive, psychologically naive, organizationally naive; and above all, what embarrasses me about my optimism is how unhistorical it was, because every major council in the past has been followed by disturbances. In fact, Vatican I, which probably colored our expectations, had fewer than most, and even then there was a period of turmoil that was stopped only by the condemnation of Modernism.</p>
<p>So many of the consequences were unintended, with one notable exception. What happened in the official ecumenical dialogues was very much what we had hoped for. But the context changed so much, and so many other things were happening that were ecumenically counterproductive, that the effect of the major dialogues has not been what we had hoped for. Still, the dialogues themselves followed a pattern that we had foreseen.</p>
<p>Weigel: By the end of the Council, was there an expectation that the ecumenical follow-through to Vatican II could in fact heal the breach of the sixteenth century?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: The official dialogues with which I’ve been most involved are the ones concerned with the present status of what historically have been divisive doctrinal disagreements. On the basis of an enormous amount of scholarship that had already been done, and given the results of the dialogues themselves, it seemed to those of us who had been involved in these dialogues that it ought to be possible on both sides to say that none of these disagreements need necessarily be ecclesially divisive. Now the circumstances that would make reunion possible had to do with much more than the discovery that these doctrines could be understood, without betraying one’s own heritage, in ways that were not church-dividing.</p>
<p>We learned a lot as time went on. And while we were never naive enough to think that that agreement was all that was needed, we did think that a meeting of minds on the sixteenth-century conflicts, in discussions that were sponsored by churches on both sides, would make more difference ecumenically than in fact it has. We thought, in other words, that specifically historical doctrinal issues were more decisive than they proved to be.</p>
<p>The agreements we reached are, of course, one of the conditions for reunion. And so, while I have no idea when this progress will contribute in substantial ways to the reunion of the churches, I find myself feeling a great sense of satisfaction that that job is in large part done.</p>
<p>Weigel: Let’s go back for a moment to the debate over the famous “Schema Thirteen,” which became Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Did it have too sanguine a reading of late modernity?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: At the time, I tended to agree with Edmund Schlink that the document’s reading of the world was too optimistic. He was a German theologian who had lived through the Hitler period and been deeply involved in the Confessing Church struggle against the pro-Nazi “German Christians,” and he was not at all sure that the rest of the West was immune from crises as severe as Germany had gone through. Moreover, and here we are on a different, although related, track, he formally rejected the legitimacy of what he regarded as Teilhard de Chardin’s “Christianizing” of evolution, both in itself and in its implications of an open-ended human progress.</p>
<p>If I remember my discussions with Schlink correctly, I defended Gaudium et Spes on the grounds that it was a necessary corrective in the Catholic context, and that looking at it from a Reformation perspective was unfair because the whole nature-grace schema in Catholic theology lent itself to these kinds of formulations much better than did Reformation evaluations.</p>
<p>So while Schlink had theological reservations, I had reservations about the document’s opportuneness. I was already pessimistic about the state of the world. The sixties were already upon us; you could see 1968 coming in 1965.</p>
<p>Weigel: Did you have much contact with John Courtney Murray at the Council?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: I had a lot of contact with Murray over the years. I had been his teaching assistant when he was at Yale, so we talked a great deal then. The chances to talk to him at the Council were not leisurely ones, and if I remember correctly, all of our exchanges were on Dignitatis Humanae (the Declaration on Religious Freedom). I recall his being concerned that the French way of arguing from New Testament materials to the neglect of natural law considerations would hinder the Church’s ability to speak to the world at large, and also that it lacked a certain conceptual rigor. He approved in principle of the retrieval of biblical and patristic language in the conciliar documents, but worried that, given the lack of a necessary intellectual rigor, these documents would be too ambiguous and susceptible to many different interpretations.</p>
<p>Weigel: Was Dignitatis Humanae ecumenically important in 1965?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: It was absolutely essential from the point of view of relations between churches. But it was not a matter on which the delegated observers had any great input. This was something that the Catholics were obviously going to solve in their own way, but it was also something that all the historic churches had been through, so we didn’t think of religious freedom and the disentangling of the Church from state power as a specifically Catholic problem.</p>
<p>Weigel: And yet, as things turned out, in terms of the reception of the Council within the Catholic Church, Dignitatis Humanae became an enormous point of fissure, as with the Lefebvrists [a later archconservative-and strongly anti-conciliar- movement led by Archbishop Lefebvre]. If what the Church teaches is eternally true, then how, they asked, could it now affirm a liberty it had before denied?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: The larger issue was the development of doctrine: Lefebvre, in effect, denies its possibility and therefore rejects the Council. But that question was engaged in other conciliar documents, and not simply in Dignitatis Humanae. As for Dignitatis Humanae, it may well be that Murray had argued the case so well in his pre-conciliar writings that most Council participants did not need to be convinced. It was just a matter of explaining to people how the issue could be managed.</p>
<p>Weigel: How has the Council had an impact on non- Catholic theological circles?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: My impression is that the deepest impact, de facto and probably also formally, has been via liberation theology. Catholic liberation theology has acquired many Protestant fellow- travellers, and when the liberationist Catholics cite the Council, these citations also get taken up by non-Catholics. Which means that the progressivists’ view of the Council dominates among non-Catholics. Among specialists, there is a fairly widespread awareness of what the Council said, based on a certain amount of actual reading of the texts. But outside specialist circles it has largely been a question of interest groups, as with liberation theology. Both the ecumenists and the anti- ecumentists cite the Council to show how, from their respective points of view, things have changed immensely or really haven’t changed at all. The interest-group or polemical use of the Council is dominant among non-Catholics as well as Catholics, and is found not only on the left but sometimes on the right as well.</p>
<p>Weigel: Let’s talk a bit about Pope John Paul II as an implementor of Vatican II. He said at the very beginning of his pontificate that its main thrust would be the full implementation of the Council, and he constantly refers to conciliar documents in his own work. One of the striking things about the moral encyclical Veritatis Splendor, I thought, was the number of citations in it from Gaudium et Spes.</p>
<p>Lindbeck: I must confess that I’m much more familiar with Cardinal Ratzinger’s implementation of the Council, so perhaps I could talk about that. Ratzinger’s general interpretation of the Council seems to me to have been what a responsible official committed to the Council would do. That is to say, one can’t follow the “spirit” of the documents; one has to follow what they actually say.</p>
<p>However, and in the areas with which I’m most familiar, it does seem to me that the present polarization in the Roman Catholic Church has led Ratzinger to interpret the Council in ways that it need not be interpreted in order to say “No” to what he perceives as abuses within the Roman Catholic Church. I’m thinking in particular here of his interpretation of the Council’s teaching in Lumen Gentium that the Church of Christ “subsists in” the Roman Catholic Church.</p>
<p>According to your namesake, Father Gustave Weigel (who was the American at the Council most deeply appreciated by the observers), the question of the exact boundaries of the Church of Christ was deliberately left less well determined than in the more exclusive boundary-language of Mystici Corporis, by the deliberate choice of the phrase, subsistet in. So the problem with Ratzinger’s interpretation, as I see it, is that it makes one possible interpretation of the Council into a definitive statement of the Council’s commitment. There are some things that the Council deliberately, and wisely, left ambiguous.</p>
<p>Weigel: What do you think is the problem that Cardinal Ratzinger is intending to resolve by his interpretation of subsistet in?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: Well, I suppose it’s a kind of Catholic ecumenism that is indifferent to the historic Roman Catholic claim that the fullness of the Church includes the structures of episcopacy and papacy.</p>
<p>Weigel: And perhaps, more generally, a kind of ecclesiological insouciance in some parts of the Catholic world?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: Yes. What I mentioned would be a specific instance of that insouciance. And if it weren’t for that indifference, I think the question of structures would be moot, since there are several conciliar documents that note the God-given and permanent character of these structures. So you don’t need to get them out of subsistet in.</p>
<p>I would think that Ratzinger’s ecumenical views are also weighted by his disappointments with what has happened on the non-Catholic side. He clearly wants to avoid a doctrinal permissiveness that implies that church doctrine is unimportant, or a kind of pluralism that makes all churches doctrinally equal. He insists that this is not the way to read the Council. And I wouldn’t disagree with that.</p>
<p>My guess is that Ratzinger thinks the time is not ripe for a definitive ecumenical articulation as long as the Roman Catholics don’t have their house in better order and as long as non-Roman Catholics are incapable of communally authoritative teaching or decisions. This is my own interpretation, to be sure, but I think his view is that as long as the churches on both sides are in such immense disarray, the time for clarity about “reunion” has not arrived.</p>
<p>Weigel: Does the degree of that disarray surprise you?</p>
<p>Lindbeck: I’ve gotten used to it. It began to strike me with full force in the early 1970s, although if I’d been living in France it would have hit me in the late 1960s. But I’ve gotten over the astonishment. I think we’ve all tended to forget that the Council occurred in what was, in retrospect, a remarkably calm moment in the history of the Western churches. The defeat of theological liberalism, the triumph of a return to the historical doctrinal commitments of the Church represented by neo-orthodoxy and by a renewed emphasis on the Confessions in churches like the Lutheran: this was not yet being challenged at the time of the Council. The resurgence of historic faith that came in response to Nazism looked as if it were definitive. But now it seems as if this was a relatively temporary interval that was made possible precisely by the fact that it was the orthodox, so to speak, who had stood up against the Nazis. In sum, the de-Christianization of Western culture, the kind of de-Christianization that was also undermining the faith of the Church in its tradition, was not really interrupted.</p>
<p>The timing of the Council also affected ecumenical relations. The leaders on both sides of the ecumenical dialogue had been formed, so to speak, by the experience of the Second World War, which had in fact accelerated or intensified their interest in ecumenism. For it was under the stress of Hitler that they had come to find each other as fellow Christians rather than as “Protestants” or “Catholics.” Among the ecumenists from Germany at the Council there weren’t any Bonhoeffers; yet many of them had, at considerable cost, been in the quiet resistance, even if they had not suffered in any dramatic fashion. Nevertheless they felt guilty for not having resisted more. The French had had a similar, though often more active, experience with the resistance, and it really meant something, in those days, to say that “what brings us together is Jesus Christ.”</p>
<p>I think that among the observers we also admired Roman Catholic theologians who had been stepped on by the ecclesiastical authorities before the Council, but who had not complained, had not gone public, but just continued doing their work to the best of their ability out of love for the Church.</p>
<p>We haven’t talked very much about major public events at the Council, so perhaps I could tell a story that illustrates the intensity of the sense of ecumenical encounter during those years. Archbishop Elchinger of Strasbourg gave a speech in St. Peter’s on how much Catholics owe non- Catholics even in matters of faith. One example was biblical scholarship. But then he talked about the central “dogma of justification by faith”-first “defined,” as he put it, when the Jerusalem Council (as is reported in the Book of Acts and in Galatians) exempted Gentile Christians from circumcision and full Torah observance- that had at times been better maintained outside of than within Roman Catholicism. If Catholics were now rediscovering it, he said, this was largely because of the ecclesial communities that had been born in the sixteenth-century Reformation.</p>
<p>And at those words, to my surprise, I began to cry.</p>
<p>I remembered the reports from Vatican I of what had happened when Bishop Strossmeyer had said that there were millions of Protestants who truly loved the Lord Jesus; the cries of “heresy” and “blasphemy” got so loud that he was forced to leave the podium. The contrast between then and now was what made tears of joy roll down my cheeks. And I think that is the only time I have wept in public except at funerals.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | george lindbeck distinguished lutheran theologian served 1962 1965 one sixty delegated observers christian communions second vatican council lindbeck noted previous occasions ecumenical observers worlds orthodoxy protestantism privileged lot special access council aula sat left high altar st peters served corps ecumenically minded catholic translators council business conducted latin frequently consulted formally informally drafts conciliar texts one bishop heard complain perhaps without reason observatores gotten much better deal bishops supposed council twentynine years since vatican ii finished business ranks living memories council natural course things growing ever thinner concurrently debates councils intention accomplishment spirit intensified within beyond formal boundaries roman catholicism eye clarifying terms contemporary debate reference one keen observers experience actual proceedings recently spoke length george lindbeck memories vatican ii weigel happen spend better part three years working second vatican council lindbeck council started pope john xxiii invited world confessional organizations delegate three official observers would attend council lutheran world federation one organizations united states days major source funding lwf lwf authorities geneva decided name american one three delegated observers american would know latin german french would experience roman catholic theology perhaps hardest would get leave absence regular job scraped scraped barrel bottom untenured yale teacher whose dean department bound draconian faculty employment rules effect named junior member lutheran delegation happened one assigned fulltime council business sessions council remember took place fall months years 19621965 actually lived rome family 1962 1964 responsibilities go helsinki brief lwf assembly montreal meeting faith order scandinavia germany france countries latin america lutheran presence things worked ended even liaison work anticipated became protestant observers link latin american bishops council spoke french neither german english hispanic protestants italian waldensians evidently found noncatholic observers less neuralgic means communicating catholic bishops countries also worked way remember french dominicans oslo helped bridge communication gap local lutheran groups shunning imagine heady experience made great difference wife violette small daughter two years lived rome kristen daughter regularly entertained various ecclesiastical notables wife entree vast world nuns fact much influential many observers realized fair amount entertaining even though lwf emoluments shall say excessive indeed one favorite council memories cardinal willebrands bishop willebrands secondincommand cardinal bea secretariat christian unity wife smoking willebrands excellent dutch cigars together dinner weigel lets talk bit theological dynamics within roman catholicism council book henri de lubac distinguished french scholar late great swiss catholic theologian hans urs von balthasar cites de lubacs striking reflection intention fate postwar french phenomenon la nouvelle theologie according de lubac yves congar group others intended produce comprehensive theological work would less systematic manuals saturated tradition integrating valid elements results modern exegesis patristics liturgy history philosophical reflection work could really get going earnest lightning bolt humani generis 1950 killed project extent confrontation la nouvelle theologie one hand forces produced humani generis set theological sense political background council confrontation shape standard liberalconservative hermeneutic council lindbeck think go back la nouvelle theologie point viewwhich noncatholic interested medieval thought thomas aquinasthe catholic antimodernist campaign early twentieth century created situation rigid biased interpretation thomas stemming part seventeenth part nineteenth centuries become virtually binding commitment catholic theology philosophy departments throughout world influential well roman congregations real issue confrontation modernism anyone wasnt neoscholastic sense antimodernists defined neoscholasticism looked suspicion congar de lubac von balthasar karl rahnerthe currently influential roman catholic theologianwere different people working different projects common saying things different form official neoscholasticism brought suspicion jacques maritain etienne gilson breaking new ground laymen case gilson historian philosopher didnt quite count humani generis intended say sorts approaches represented la nouvelle theologie modified according de lubac letter john xxiii stating pius xii altered elements humani generis directly critical kind work de lubac fact encyclical directly chastise de lubac von balthasar although rahners failure reaffirm monogenesis would come encyclicals list proscribed opinions general rule real problem humani generis way reinforced position regnant powers congregations academy used encyclical make nouvelle theologie people personae non gratae meant encyclical reinforced antimodernist style dealing exploratory theology weigel speaking rahner know wonderful story one encounters 1950s cardinal ottaviani prefect holy office according autobiographical interview rahner gave toward end life ottaviani took rahner aside council told well absolutely nothing see extraordinary roman censor imposed rahner holy office special privilege wish protect misunderstandings dumb friends rahner remembered saying eminence renounce privileges case would make linkage nouvelle theologie project strategy ressourcement back sources aggiornamento updating thrust council lindbeck ressourcement aggiornamento people council thought collaborators ressourcement aggiornamento understood two dimensions reality dimension labelled aggiornamento could used program accommodation modern world rather one opening modern world happened aggiornamento fell opposition ressourcement memory council absolutely tension two exception debate became pastoral constitution church modern world noncatholicsespecially lutherans least edmund schlink observer german evangelical church serious reservations positive way document talked world speaking specifically reformation perspective sympathy political rightists critique document ressourcement dimension council though schlink enthusiastic weigel speaking politics much venomous character controversy nouvelle theologie people critics france fact former rather positive view fourth republic indeed democracy latter lindbeck fascinating history waiting written youd sitting around drinking wine french pierced surface theyd start talking action francaise french allies curial party french integralists likely sympathy action francaise nouvelle theologie people never large integralists sympathetic resistance war de lubac others group deep personal estrangement nouvelle theologie people critics believed betrayed true french catholicism understood monarchist terms de lubac illustrated intensity quoted critic effect john xxiii chosen congar de lubac conciliar preparatory commissions pope wise enough remember happened vatican 1870 old catholic schism occurred wanted make sure dissidents didnt leave church time around weigel specific french sense pre conciliar conflict goes back even modernist crisis reflects fault line runs french society 1789 lindbeck always found desirable dinner party find people stood revolution getting discussion weigel given ressourcement aggiornamento people saw council two dimensions one enterprise assess image council grand struggle liberals conservatives imagery capture miss lindbeck crucial question people reacted preconciliar drafts proposed council documents drawn entirely curial party people like congar de lubac warned preparatory commissions draftsespecially church revelationsimply wouldnt work rumors began circulate among bishops john xxiii didnt like tone drafts negative wasnt disagreements doctrinally wanted positive presentation catholic truth condemnations errors pope told preparatory commissions didnt want condemnations simply interpreted mean formal anathemas bishops large found put rhetoric knew would backing pope demanded something different weigel documents preparatory commissions distributed council convened say countercurrent building even council lindbeck yes including massively people formal theological criteria would agreement integralists didnt like tone wasnt tactful even beginning bishops actively favor documents written preparatory commissionswhich accounts huge crucial rejection early vote preparatory commissions lists members actual conciliar commissions clear agreement preparatory commissions documents replaced awful lot bishops would happy change tone struggle ensued curial bureaucracy nonbureaucrats speak revision documents fact although hadnt thought think xavier rynne francis x murphy cssr whose reports new yorker later books shaped many perceptions council didnt make enough aspect bureaucracy vs nonbureaucracy weigel ive often wondered thatwhether perceived massive theological shift wasnt least part simply human reaction curial bureaucracy increasingly muscled bishops around later years pius xii lindbeck certainly part also remember campaign de lubac people like wasnt simply bureaucratic charge people toying modernism modernism often used label dismiss something didnt agree made people didnt want perceived sympathetic modernists cautious weigel vote conciliar commissions really break psychological barrier possible talk people people way hadnt possible lindbeck rynne capture dimension council especially book letters vatican city would also today criticize others tendency demonize opposition ottaviani go back example according people knew really good person job humanely hard remember one disagreed structural policy issues polarization sure makes excitement critique holy office cardinal frings head german bishops conference cardinal ottavianis impassioned defense curia servants pope made one councils dramatic moments another moment real tension occurred october 29 1963 involved might call marian maximalism issue completely disappeared past decades may seem utterly antiquarian people today simply protestant concern course years later theodramatic von balthasar wrote critically tendency preconciliar catholic circles juxtapose marys almighty power mercy sons almighty power wrath point mary divinized supplementing trinity event kind lutheran much troubling papacy think true fellowlutheran observers thus point view crucial ecumenicaltheological moment reached closest vote council 1114 1074 council fathers agreed place discussion virgin mary within dogmatic constitution church lumen gentium rather separate decree strange think von balthasar least view critique marian maximalism thought far left instead far right try locate ressourcement seems leads marginsor martyrdom miracle council conjunction forces authentic return sources could moment capture center still another personal dynamic work council may help account conjunction forces illustrate vignette reception american embassy one places everybody congregated got talking archbishop mcgucken san francisco one many bishops admitted never talked protestant theologian curious reactions council said point view lutheran observer dei verbum constitution divine revelation particular importance asked attitude toward related controversies biblical scholarship replied studied cardinal ernesto ruffini tended share ruffinis dour views current developments biblical scholarship went say six eight different seminars led bishops father barnabas ahern precisely new approaches bible marvelously saintly man isnt mcgucken said know ever gives retreats clergy think might ask give retreat priests experience ahern mcgucken said voted ruffini dei verbum crucial document agenda weigel sense john xxiii wellformulated idea council lindbeck contacts limited couple sessions observers simply report general feeling john xxiii genuinely believed holy spirits guidance council open surprised weigel impression john xxiii much influenced french conflicts discussing moment ago cardinal roncalli come papacy convinced sixty year struggle modernism one sense simply code word modernity larger sense overcome lindbeck remarkable degree seems one gets know previously unknown things john xxiii picture really doesnt change said publicly pontificate seems hold one probes beneath surface wanted ecumenism wanted openness modern world wanted ressourcement said things quite evidently meant three meant precise detail apparently clearcut ideas weigel presumably didnt worry much really act faith wasnt sociological judgment stability church midtwentieth century act faith spirits presence church lindbeck suppose speculatively could connect experiences nuncio france council john xxiii wanted church good degree openness could frank free discussion without politically correct terrorists frightening people see desire establish openness would make real conversation possible fits popes character also hard make program weigel john xxiii succeeded man worried fine print program going work lindbeck selfconsciously committed kind theology previously designated la nouvelle theologie far know nobody suggested john xxiii clear idea la nouvelle theologie weigel deep grasp paul vi nouvelle theologie project lindbeck said congar favorite theologian im expert montini id surprised documentation didnt suggest intimate deep knowledge congar de lubac weigel would say something unintended consequences council within roman catholicism catholicism christian communions church world lindbeck among observers virtually universal agreement disagreed conventional notion roman catholic church monolith army never breaks ranks commands obeyed top forth yet however much thought disagreed view basically still thought roman catholic church affected degree optimistic changes expected gradual change guided directives rome process everything would run relatively smoothly colleagues agreed good direction obviously naive sociologically naive psychologically naive organizationally naive embarrasses optimism unhistorical every major council past followed disturbances fact vatican probably colored expectations fewer even period turmoil stopped condemnation modernism many consequences unintended one notable exception happened official ecumenical dialogues much hoped context changed much many things happening ecumenically counterproductive effect major dialogues hoped still dialogues followed pattern foreseen weigel end council expectation ecumenical followthrough vatican ii could fact heal breach sixteenth century lindbeck official dialogues ive involved ones concerned present status historically divisive doctrinal disagreements basis enormous amount scholarship already done given results dialogues seemed us involved dialogues ought possible sides say none disagreements need necessarily ecclesially divisive circumstances would make reunion possible much discovery doctrines could understood without betraying ones heritage ways churchdividing learned lot time went never naive enough think agreement needed think meeting minds sixteenthcentury conflicts discussions sponsored churches sides would make difference ecumenically fact thought words specifically historical doctrinal issues decisive proved agreements reached course one conditions reunion idea progress contribute substantial ways reunion churches find feeling great sense satisfaction job large part done weigel lets go back moment debate famous schema thirteen became gaudium et spes pastoral constitution church modern world sanguine reading late modernity lindbeck time tended agree edmund schlink documents reading world optimistic german theologian lived hitler period deeply involved confessing church struggle pronazi german christians sure rest west immune crises severe germany gone moreover different although related track formally rejected legitimacy regarded teilhard de chardins christianizing evolution implications openended human progress remember discussions schlink correctly defended gaudium et spes grounds necessary corrective catholic context looking reformation perspective unfair whole naturegrace schema catholic theology lent kinds formulations much better reformation evaluations schlink theological reservations reservations documents opportuneness already pessimistic state world sixties already upon us could see 1968 coming 1965 weigel much contact john courtney murray council lindbeck lot contact murray years teaching assistant yale talked great deal chances talk council leisurely ones remember correctly exchanges dignitatis humanae declaration religious freedom recall concerned french way arguing new testament materials neglect natural law considerations would hinder churchs ability speak world large also lacked certain conceptual rigor approved principle retrieval biblical patristic language conciliar documents worried given lack necessary intellectual rigor documents would ambiguous susceptible many different interpretations weigel dignitatis humanae ecumenically important 1965 lindbeck absolutely essential point view relations churches matter delegated observers great input something catholics obviously going solve way also something historic churches didnt think religious freedom disentangling church state power specifically catholic problem weigel yet things turned terms reception council within catholic church dignitatis humanae became enormous point fissure lefebvrists later archconservativeand strongly anticonciliar movement led archbishop lefebvre church teaches eternally true asked could affirm liberty denied lindbeck larger issue development doctrine lefebvre effect denies possibility therefore rejects council question engaged conciliar documents simply dignitatis humanae dignitatis humanae may well murray argued case well preconciliar writings council participants need convinced matter explaining people issue could managed weigel council impact non catholic theological circles lindbeck impression deepest impact de facto probably also formally via liberation theology catholic liberation theology acquired many protestant fellow travellers liberationist catholics cite council citations also get taken noncatholics means progressivists view council dominates among noncatholics among specialists fairly widespread awareness council said based certain amount actual reading texts outside specialist circles largely question interest groups liberation theology ecumenists anti ecumentists cite council show respective points view things changed immensely really havent changed interestgroup polemical use council dominant among noncatholics well catholics found left sometimes right well weigel lets talk bit pope john paul ii implementor vatican ii said beginning pontificate main thrust would full implementation council constantly refers conciliar documents work one striking things moral encyclical veritatis splendor thought number citations gaudium et spes lindbeck must confess im much familiar cardinal ratzingers implementation council perhaps could talk ratzingers general interpretation council seems responsible official committed council would say one cant follow spirit documents one follow actually say however areas im familiar seem present polarization roman catholic church led ratzinger interpret council ways need interpreted order say perceives abuses within roman catholic church im thinking particular interpretation councils teaching lumen gentium church christ subsists roman catholic church according namesake father gustave weigel american council deeply appreciated observers question exact boundaries church christ deliberately left less well determined exclusive boundarylanguage mystici corporis deliberate choice phrase subsistet problem ratzingers interpretation see makes one possible interpretation council definitive statement councils commitment things council deliberately wisely left ambiguous weigel think problem cardinal ratzinger intending resolve interpretation subsistet lindbeck well suppose kind catholic ecumenism indifferent historic roman catholic claim fullness church includes structures episcopacy papacy weigel perhaps generally kind ecclesiological insouciance parts catholic world lindbeck yes mentioned would specific instance insouciance werent indifference think question structures would moot since several conciliar documents note godgiven permanent character structures dont need get subsistet would think ratzingers ecumenical views also weighted disappointments happened noncatholic side clearly wants avoid doctrinal permissiveness implies church doctrine unimportant kind pluralism makes churches doctrinally equal insists way read council wouldnt disagree guess ratzinger thinks time ripe definitive ecumenical articulation long roman catholics dont house better order long nonroman catholics incapable communally authoritative teaching decisions interpretation sure think view long churches sides immense disarray time clarity reunion arrived weigel degree disarray surprise lindbeck ive gotten used began strike full force early 1970s although id living france would hit late 1960s ive gotten astonishment think weve tended forget council occurred retrospect remarkably calm moment history western churches defeat theological liberalism triumph return historical doctrinal commitments church represented neoorthodoxy renewed emphasis confessions churches like lutheran yet challenged time council resurgence historic faith came response nazism looked definitive seems relatively temporary interval made possible precisely fact orthodox speak stood nazis sum dechristianization western culture kind dechristianization also undermining faith church tradition really interrupted timing council also affected ecumenical relations leaders sides ecumenical dialogue formed speak experience second world war fact accelerated intensified interest ecumenism stress hitler come find fellow christians rather protestants catholics among ecumenists germany council werent bonhoeffers yet many considerable cost quiet resistance even suffered dramatic fashion nevertheless felt guilty resisted french similar though often active experience resistance really meant something days say brings us together jesus christ think among observers also admired roman catholic theologians stepped ecclesiastical authorities council complained gone public continued work best ability love church havent talked much major public events council perhaps could tell story illustrates intensity sense ecumenical encounter years archbishop elchinger strasbourg gave speech st peters much catholics owe non catholics even matters faith one example biblical scholarship talked central dogma justification faithfirst defined put jerusalem council reported book acts galatians exempted gentile christians circumcision full torah observance times better maintained outside within roman catholicism catholics rediscovering said largely ecclesial communities born sixteenthcentury reformation words surprise began cry remembered reports vatican happened bishop strossmeyer said millions protestants truly loved lord jesus cries heresy blasphemy got loud forced leave podium contrast made tears joy roll cheeks think time wept public except funerals george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 2,965 |
<p />
<p>Gary Sick at the Daily Beast <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-27/the-thugs-who-lead-irans-supreme-leader/" type="external">explains</a> how the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) have become a formidable power in Iran. “Technically,” he writes, “they take their orders from the leader, but has he ever dared to contradict them? On the contrary, he seems always to court them by granting them ever-greater influence and responsibilities.”</p>
<p>President Ahmadinejad “has appointed his fellow guardsman to positions throughout the bureaucracy” and “The economic role of the Revolutionary Guards has been remarked on in recent years. The Guards themselves and companies run by the Guards have won major contracts in every corner of the economy, from airport construction to telecommunications to auto manufacturing.”</p>
<p>“This is a formula for the kind of militarized and nationalist corporate state under a single controlling ideology that is not dissimilar to fascist rule in an earlier day”, concludes Sick.</p>
<p>He might just as well have been describing America’s military-industrial complex and the corporate revolving door of Washington.</p>
<p>It hardly needs to be said that there’s a tendency for American journalists and pundits to criticize and condemn the practices of other countries, and yet, while the criticisms and condemnations are often well deserved, at at the same time there seems to be an ideological barrier preventing these same characteristics from being recognized when they are shared by our own government.</p>
<p>Consider this comment in the New York Times several days ago: “The government has made it a practice to publicize confessions from political prisoners held without charge or legal representation, often subjected to pressure tactics like sleep deprivation, solitary confinement and torture, according to human rights groups and former political prisoners.”</p>
<p>A fair charge, no doubt. The human rights record of the Islamic Republic is less than stellar. The point in this Times article, though, is to say: Look at those bad Iranians; they torture people into making “confessions” that the reason they took part in the protests following Iran’s disputed presidential election is because they were influenced by foreign propaganda. We must therefore dismiss the accusations.</p>
<p>There are two points to be made here. First, it’s certainly a correct conclusion that such “confessions” should be dismissed as evidence for the accusations of foreign interference, and such methods of coercion are certainly condemnable.</p>
<p>But the tendency of late in the mainstream media and blogosphere to simply dismiss the possibility that Western propaganda or covert black ops could have had anything to do with the chaos in the streets following the election is difficult to explain, considering the long history of U.S. interference in the internal affairs, including in elections, of other nations.</p>
<p>The rest of the world aside, in just Iran alone, the U.S. history is a quite remarkable one. The CIA in 1953 paid people to rampage through the streets in an effort to destabilize the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, and to start clashes with opposing groups who were also out on the streets and who, unbeknownst to either party, had also been doled out cash to by the CIA. Iranian reporters were paid off and the U.S. flooded the country with propaganda. During the chaos in the streets, the CIA issued false information such as that Mossadegh had stepped down and the new prime minister had already taken over the office.</p>
<p>The successful coup, of course, was followed by a quarter-century of tyranny under Shah Reza Pahlavi’s brutal rule. The CIA helped the Shah to create the SAVAK secret police who served as his Praetorian Guard and intimidated, tortured, or disappeared the Shah’s political opposition.</p>
<p>Then came the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The U.S. closed its embassy and pulled out, leaving the CIA without a base of operations.</p>
<p>But that didn’t stop the U.S. from selling weapons to the Iranian regime in the 1980s. The Prime Minister at the time, incidentally, was none other than Mir Hossein Mousavi, the reformist candidate in the Iranian election whose followers have accused the government of electoral fraud. It was Mousavi’s good buddy, arms dealer Manucher Ghorbanifar, who served as the go-between for the U.S., Israel, and Iran during the arms-for-hostages deals.</p>
<p>Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a principle supporter of Mousavi during the recent election, was then Speaker of the Parliament. It was during this period of time that Hezbollah, backed by the government of Rafsanjani and Mousavi, held American hostages in Lebanon. The arms deals were intended in part to see the release of the hostages (and in part to finance the U.S. terrorist war against Nicaragua), but the cost for every next hostage just went up and Hezbollah just kidnapped more Americans. When the CIA cut Ghorbanifar out of the deal, he blew the whistle on the operations that became known as the Iran-Contra Affair.</p>
<p>The U.S. also provided Iran military intelligence during the war with Iraq, whom the U.S., incidentally, was also supporting and providing with intelligence.</p>
<p>Under the Bush administration, the U.S. policy of regime change became well established under the guise (surprise, surprise) of a movement to “promote democracy”. The so-called neoconservatives in the administration had long listed Iran alongside Iraq as being countries where the U.S. should seek to implement a change of regime. Under the Bush administration, efforts to broadcast propaganda into Iran were stepped up, support for dissident and opposition groups was increased, and the CIA and Pentagon began running covert operations in the country, including by backing terrorist groups like the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK), Kurdish rebels, and Jundullah, according to former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, and others.</p>
<p>We are supposed to believe, apparently, that this train suddenly came to a halt as soon as Barack Obama was sworn into the Executive Office. This is a dubious assumption, for one because of the fact that such policies gain a momentum that makes it very difficult to slow, much less reverse, even if so desired. Consider, for example, the debate that has arisen from Obama’s executive order to close the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the opposition to it just on the grounds that Bush’s detention policy has gained too much momentum for the U.S. to just up and close “Gitmo” on a whim from the President.</p>
<p>For another, Obama’s foreign policy has largely been a continuation of Bush’s and is in many regards virtually indistinguishable from his predecessor’s.</p>
<p>Recently criticized for the military withdraw from urban centers in Iraq, for instance, the Obama administration correctly pointed out in response that the agreement with the Iraqi government under which this occurred was negotiated and finalized under the Bush administration.</p> | false | 1 | gary sick daily beast explains islamic revolutionary guards corp irgc become formidable power iran technically writes take orders leader ever dared contradict contrary seems always court granting evergreater influence responsibilities president ahmadinejad appointed fellow guardsman positions throughout bureaucracy economic role revolutionary guards remarked recent years guards companies run guards major contracts every corner economy airport construction telecommunications auto manufacturing formula kind militarized nationalist corporate state single controlling ideology dissimilar fascist rule earlier day concludes sick might well describing americas militaryindustrial complex corporate revolving door washington hardly needs said theres tendency american journalists pundits criticize condemn practices countries yet criticisms condemnations often well deserved time seems ideological barrier preventing characteristics recognized shared government consider comment new york times several days ago government made practice publicize confessions political prisoners held without charge legal representation often subjected pressure tactics like sleep deprivation solitary confinement torture according human rights groups former political prisoners fair charge doubt human rights record islamic republic less stellar point times article though say look bad iranians torture people making confessions reason took part protests following irans disputed presidential election influenced foreign propaganda must therefore dismiss accusations two points made first certainly correct conclusion confessions dismissed evidence accusations foreign interference methods coercion certainly condemnable tendency late mainstream media blogosphere simply dismiss possibility western propaganda covert black ops could anything chaos streets following election difficult explain considering long history us interference internal affairs including elections nations rest world aside iran alone us history quite remarkable one cia 1953 paid people rampage streets effort destabilize government prime minister mohammed mossadegh start clashes opposing groups also streets unbeknownst either party also doled cash cia iranian reporters paid us flooded country propaganda chaos streets cia issued false information mossadegh stepped new prime minister already taken office successful coup course followed quartercentury tyranny shah reza pahlavis brutal rule cia helped shah create savak secret police served praetorian guard intimidated tortured disappeared shahs political opposition came islamic revolution 1979 us closed embassy pulled leaving cia without base operations didnt stop us selling weapons iranian regime 1980s prime minister time incidentally none mir hossein mousavi reformist candidate iranian election whose followers accused government electoral fraud mousavis good buddy arms dealer manucher ghorbanifar served gobetween us israel iran armsforhostages deals ali akbar hashemi rafsanjani principle supporter mousavi recent election speaker parliament period time hezbollah backed government rafsanjani mousavi held american hostages lebanon arms deals intended part see release hostages part finance us terrorist war nicaragua cost every next hostage went hezbollah kidnapped americans cia cut ghorbanifar deal blew whistle operations became known irancontra affair us also provided iran military intelligence war iraq us incidentally also supporting providing intelligence bush administration us policy regime change became well established guise surprise surprise movement promote democracy socalled neoconservatives administration long listed iran alongside iraq countries us seek implement change regime bush administration efforts broadcast propaganda iran stepped support dissident opposition groups increased cia pentagon began running covert operations country including backing terrorist groups like mujahideenekhalq mek kurdish rebels jundullah according former un weapons inspector scott ritter investigative journalist seymour hersh others supposed believe apparently train suddenly came halt soon barack obama sworn executive office dubious assumption one fact policies gain momentum makes difficult slow much less reverse even desired consider example debate arisen obamas executive order close prison facility guantanamo bay cuba opposition grounds bushs detention policy gained much momentum us close gitmo whim president another obamas foreign policy largely continuation bushs many regards virtually indistinguishable predecessors recently criticized military withdraw urban centers iraq instance obama administration correctly pointed response agreement iraqi government occurred negotiated finalized bush administration | 597 |
<p />
<p>“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” — Voltaire</p>
<p>Question: How many countries do you have to be at war with to be disqualified from receiving the Nobel Peace Prize?</p>
<p>Answer: Five. Barack Obama has waged war against only Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. He’s holding off on Iran until he actually gets the prize.</p>
<p>Somalian civil society and court system are so devastated from decades of war that one wouldn’t expect its citizens to have the means to raise serious legal challenges to Washington’s apparent belief that it can drop bombs on that sad land whenever it appears to serve the empire’s needs. But a group of Pakistanis, calling themselves “Lawyers Front for Defense of the Constitution”, and remembering just enough of their country’s more civilized past, has filed suit before the nation’s High Court to make the federal government stop American drone attacks on countless innocent civilians. The group declared that a Pakistan Army spokesman claimed to have the capability to shoot down the drones, but the government had made a policy decision not to.[1]</p>
<p>The Obama administration, like the Bush administration, behaves like the world is one big lawless Somalia and the United States is the chief warlord. On October 20 the president again displayed his deep love of peace by honoring some 80 veterans of Vietnam at the White House, after earlier awarding their regiment a Presidential Unit Citation for its “extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry”.[2] War correspondent Michael Herr has honored Vietnam soldiers in his own way: “We took space back quickly, expensively, with total panic and close to maximum brutality. Our machine was devastating. And versatile. It could do everything but stop.”[3]</p>
<p>What would it take for the Obamaniacs to lose any of the stars in their eyes for their dear Nobel Laureate? Perhaps if the president announced that he was donating his prize money to build a monument to the First — “Oh What a Lovely” — World War? The memorial could bear the inscription: “Let us remember that Rudyard Kipling coaxed his young son John into enlisting in this war. John died his first day in combat. Kipling later penned these words:</p>
<p>A wise measure, indeed, but one American president after another has dragged the nation into bloody war without the approval of Congress, the American people, international law, or world opinion. Millions marched against the war in Iraq before it began. Millions more voted for Barack Obama in the belief that he shared their repugnance for America’s Wars Without End. They had no good reason to believe this — Obama’s campaign was filled with repeated warlike threats against Iran and Afghanistan — but they wanted to believe it.</p>
<p>If machismo explains war, if men love war and fighting so much, why do we have to compel them with conscription on pain of imprisonment? Why do the powers-that-be have to wage advertising campaigns to seduce young people to enlist in the military? Why do young men go to extreme lengths to be declared exempt for physical or medical reasons? Why do they flee into exile to avoid the draft? Why do they desert the military in large numbers in the midst of war? Why don’t Sweden or Switzerland or Costa Rica have wars? Surely there are many macho men in those countries.</p>
<p>War licenses men to take part in what would otherwise be described as psychopathic behavior.</p>
<p>After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a Taliban leader declared that “God is on our side, and if the world’s people try to set fire to Afghanistan, God will protect us and help us.”[4]</p>
<p>Why don’t church leaders forbid Catholics from joining the military with the same fervor they tell Catholics to stay away from abortion clinics?</p>
<p>God, war, the World Bank, the IMF, free trade agreements, NATO, the war on terrorism, the war on drugs, “anti-war” candidates, and Nobel Peace Prizes can be seen as simply different instruments for the advancement of US imperialism.</p>
<p>Tom Lehrer, the marvelous political songwriter of the 1950s and 60s, once observed: “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” Perhaps each generation has to learn anew what a farce that prize has become, or always was. Its recipients include quite a few individuals who had as much commitment to a peaceful world as the Bush administration had to truth. One example currently in the news: Bernard Kouchner, co-founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres which won the prize in 1998. Kouchner, now France’s foreign secretary, has long been urging military action against Iran. Last week he called upon Iran to make a nuclear deal acceptable to the Western powers or else there’s no telling what horror Israel might inflict upon the Iranians. Israel “will not tolerate an Iranian bomb,” he said. “We know that, all of us.” <a href="http://killinghope.org/bblum6/aer75.html#note-7" type="external">7</a> There is a word for such a veiled threat — “extortion”, something normally associated with the likes of a Chicago mobster of the 1930s … “Do like I say and no one gets hurt.” Or as Al Capone once said: “Kind words and a machine gun will get you more than kind words alone.”</p>
<p>__________</p>
<p>[1]&#160; The Nation (Pakistan English-language daily newspaper), October 10, 2009 [2]&#160; Washington Post, October 20, 2009 [3]&#160; Michael Herr, “Dispatches” (1991), p.71 [4]&#160; New York Daily News, September 19, 2001 [5]&#160; Washington Post, July 20, 2004, p.15, citing the New Era (Lancaster, PA), from a private meeting of Bush with Amish families on July 9. The White House denied that Bush had said it. (Those Amish folks do lie a lot you know.) [6]&#160; Washington Post, August 17, 2008 [7]&#160; Daily Telegraph (UK), October 26, 2009</p> | false | 1 | forbidden kill therefore murderers punished unless kill large numbers sound trumpets voltaire question many countries war disqualified receiving nobel peace prize answer five barack obama waged war pakistan afghanistan iraq somalia hes holding iran actually gets prize somalian civil society court system devastated decades war one wouldnt expect citizens means raise serious legal challenges washingtons apparent belief drop bombs sad land whenever appears serve empires needs group pakistanis calling lawyers front defense constitution remembering enough countrys civilized past filed suit nations high court make federal government stop american drone attacks countless innocent civilians group declared pakistan army spokesman claimed capability shoot drones government made policy decision to1 obama administration like bush administration behaves like world one big lawless somalia united states chief warlord october 20 president displayed deep love peace honoring 80 veterans vietnam white house earlier awarding regiment presidential unit citation extraordinary heroism conspicuous gallantry2 war correspondent michael herr honored vietnam soldiers way took space back quickly expensively total panic close maximum brutality machine devastating versatile could everything stop3 would take obamaniacs lose stars eyes dear nobel laureate perhaps president announced donating prize money build monument first oh lovely world war memorial could bear inscription let us remember rudyard kipling coaxed young son john enlisting war john died first day combat kipling later penned words wise measure indeed one american president another dragged nation bloody war without approval congress american people international law world opinion millions marched war iraq began millions voted barack obama belief shared repugnance americas wars without end good reason believe obamas campaign filled repeated warlike threats iran afghanistan wanted believe machismo explains war men love war fighting much compel conscription pain imprisonment powersthatbe wage advertising campaigns seduce young people enlist military young men go extreme lengths declared exempt physical medical reasons flee exile avoid draft desert military large numbers midst war dont sweden switzerland costa rica wars surely many macho men countries war licenses men take part would otherwise described psychopathic behavior terrorist attacks september 11 2001 taliban leader declared god side worlds people try set fire afghanistan god protect us help us4 dont church leaders forbid catholics joining military fervor tell catholics stay away abortion clinics god war world bank imf free trade agreements nato war terrorism war drugs antiwar candidates nobel peace prizes seen simply different instruments advancement us imperialism tom lehrer marvelous political songwriter 1950s 60s observed political satire became obsolete henry kissinger awarded nobel peace prize perhaps generation learn anew farce prize become always recipients include quite individuals much commitment peaceful world bush administration truth one example currently news bernard kouchner cofounder medecins sans frontieres prize 1998 kouchner frances foreign secretary long urging military action iran last week called upon iran make nuclear deal acceptable western powers else theres telling horror israel might inflict upon iranians israel tolerate iranian bomb said know us 7 word veiled threat extortion something normally associated likes chicago mobster 1930s like say one gets hurt al capone said kind words machine gun get kind words alone __________ 1160 nation pakistan englishlanguage daily newspaper october 10 2009 2160 washington post october 20 2009 3160 michael herr dispatches 1991 p71 4160 new york daily news september 19 2001 5160 washington post july 20 2004 p15 citing new era lancaster pa private meeting bush amish families july 9 white house denied bush said amish folks lie lot know 6160 washington post august 17 2008 7160 daily telegraph uk october 26 2009 | 572 |
<p>The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has explained to RT how an “efficient mechanism” of information sharing with the US works. No private lawyers are involved in the process, the agency official said, denying allegations that it has played a part in any meeting between Donald Trump Jr. with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.</p>
<p>RT: Some foreign media wrote about the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya which reportedly took place last June, and possible involvement of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office in brokering the meeting. How would you comment on this information?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis, head of the International Cooperation Department for Major Cases at the Office of International Legal Cooperation of Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office: I would not want to comment on something that is totally untrue. You have to understand that the Office of the Prosecutor General does not share information with individuals in the US. Such contacts can only happen through official channels – as stipulated by international agreements – and after a formal query is submitted by a prosecution agency.</p>
<p>This is exactly what we told your foreign colleagues – and we had about a dozen major Western media outlets asking us to comment. Interestingly enough, they did not publish any of our comments.</p>
<p>RT: So you are saying that the Prosecutor General’s Office could not have sent Veselnitskaya?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis: It is insane to think that the Prosecutor General’s Office would use a private lawyer to transfer information. Let me explain how this communication between our agency and the US usually happens. In 1999, Russia and the US entered into the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, and it is still valid.</p>
<p>This treaty states that any exchange of information about criminal cases is done through the countries’ official agencies – the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and the US Department of Justice. So if we need to share information with our American colleagues, we send it to the Justice Department, after processing it in full compliance with the Treaty.</p>
<p>There is a direct channel of communication between our agencies. For instance, in 2015, we sent 109 queries to the US, asking for legal assistance in criminal matters, and received 35 such queries from our American colleagues.</p>
<p>The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office is in constant communication with the American colleagues – we hold video conferences and meet with the law enforcement employees of the US embassy in Moscow. These contacts allow us to coordinate practical steps that we take under this Treaty.</p>
<p>The Prosecutor General’s Office views this cooperation with the US as quite an efficient mechanism.</p>
<p>RT: So the Prosecutor General’s Office can&#160;share information with&#160;the Justice Department. How does that work?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis:&#160;I’ll give you some examples. Even though we have no extradition treaty, we still succeed in ensuring the inevitability of punishment for those who commit crimes via sharing information and evidence that DOJ needs. For instance, upon the query from the US Department of Justice, a Russian citizen named Rakosiy was charged with murder of two people in New York in 2011. The court sentenced him to 19 years in prison.</p>
<p>Last March, the California Central District Court sentenced a US citizen, Mr. Abramov, to life in prison for pedophilia. Justice was served, because we shared evidence with the US law enforcement.&#160;</p>
<p>RT: You said that there is no extradition treaty – is that the only problem hindering the cooperation between the prosecution agencies of the two countries?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis: We appreciate our colleagues’ level of professionalism and respect them. But at the same time, we have to admit that in some areas the Americans are not as eager to work with us as we would hope. As an example, I can mention investigation of economic crimes.</p>
<p>In Russia, we are at the final stages of the investigation into the illegal acquisition of 200 million Gazprom shares, tax evasion and deliberate bankruptcy of a number of companies.</p>
<p>The investigators had questions for an international group that included the Ziff brothers, William Browder, and Jamison Firestone. These foreign nationals headed up Ziff Brothers Investments, a US investment fund that used offshore companies to transfer money to the accounts of Russian shell corporations. Eventually, this scheme was applied to acquire the Gazprom shares at St. Petersburg and Moscow Exchanges in violation of the presidential order that regulated Gazprom share sale procedures at the time.</p>
<p>Then in 2006, all assets (Gazprom shares and dividends) were funneled out of the affiliated Russian companies. The companies failed to pay 1 billion rubles in taxes and were dismantled, while their assets (at least 1 billion dollars) were transferred to Cypriot companies and then, after a very short period of time, to US companies, in the same manner.</p>
<p>By the way, according to some media reports, Ziff Brothers Investments financed the US Democratic Party.</p>
<p>RT: Have you shared this information with your American colleagues?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis: Yes, we have. Back in March 2016, we met with representatives of the US Embassy in Moscow, including some FBI operatives. We officially informed them that in the course of the investigation we had found certain information that showed that those people and organizations could have violated not only Russian, but also American tax and financial regulations.</p>
<p>The American delegation was headed by Mr. Godfrey, head of the political section and the third most important official in the US Embassy [in Russia]. We stressed that we might be talking about a cross-border organized criminal group. According to the information we have, it is de-facto led by Browder. We warned that the economic crimes committed by this group are notable for their sophistication. We said we did not rule out the possibility that the investigation might be hampered by the political forces in the US who could have received funding from this organization.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>The US Embassy delegation promised to inform Washington about this issue in every detail, since they understand how sensitive it is. They advised us to relay the information we had about the potentially illegal activities on the US territory in a separate query so that it could be used to conduct an investigation in the US. They assured us that the query would be reviewed and handled with its importance in mind.</p>
<p>In May 2016, the Office of the Prosecutor General officially declared its intention to contact the US law enforcement agencies on this issue. In July, all the files, several volumes of them, were sent to the US Department of Justice. We also asked our US counterparts to carry out a number of investigative actions on the US territory, including interviewing the witnesses and seizure of documents.</p>
<p>RT: What response did you get from your American counterparts?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis: Not the kind we expected, unfortunately. At first, our counterparts told us they were reviewing the files they had received. They assured us they would be very thorough and involve various experts. In early February 2017, after numerous reminders and discussions during video conferences and phone calls, we were told that working on our query might interfere with one of the investigations conducted on the US territory. As far as we know, the investigation and legal proceedings mentioned have nothing to do with the files we sent and have been completed by now.</p>
<p>RT: Where do things stand now?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis:&#160;Our query regarding potentially illegal actions of a cross-border criminal group that includes the Ziff brothers, William Browder and Jamison Firestone, remains unanswered. We have not received the evidence we need for our investigation. Our American counterparts have conducted no inquiry or investigation based on the information we sent.</p>
<p>RT: Why do you think that is? Could politics have played a part in it, just like you warned your counterparts it might&#160;in May last year?</p>
<p>Denis Grunis: I wouldn’t rule that out. Nevertheless, we continue to cooperate with our American counterparts and hope for a response to our query. Neutralizing this criminal group is first and foremost in the US interests, since it operates predominantly on US soil. &#160;</p> | false | 1 | russian prosecutor generals office explained rt efficient mechanism information sharing us works private lawyers involved process agency official said denying allegations played part meeting donald trump jr lawyer natalia veselnitskaya rt foreign media wrote meeting donald trump jr russian lawyer natalia veselnitskaya reportedly took place last june possible involvement russian prosecutor generals office brokering meeting would comment information denis grunis head international cooperation department major cases office international legal cooperation russias prosecutor generals office would want comment something totally untrue understand office prosecutor general share information individuals us contacts happen official channels stipulated international agreements formal query submitted prosecution agency exactly told foreign colleagues dozen major western media outlets asking us comment interestingly enough publish comments rt saying prosecutor generals office could sent veselnitskaya denis grunis insane think prosecutor generals office would use private lawyer transfer information let explain communication agency us usually happens 1999 russia us entered treaty mutual legal assistance criminal matters still valid treaty states exchange information criminal cases done countries official agencies russian prosecutor generals office us department justice need share information american colleagues send justice department processing full compliance treaty direct channel communication agencies instance 2015 sent 109 queries us asking legal assistance criminal matters received 35 queries american colleagues russian prosecutor generals office constant communication american colleagues hold video conferences meet law enforcement employees us embassy moscow contacts allow us coordinate practical steps take treaty prosecutor generals office views cooperation us quite efficient mechanism rt prosecutor generals office can160share information with160the justice department work denis grunis160ill give examples even though extradition treaty still succeed ensuring inevitability punishment commit crimes via sharing information evidence doj needs instance upon query us department justice russian citizen named rakosiy charged murder two people new york 2011 court sentenced 19 years prison last march california central district court sentenced us citizen mr abramov life prison pedophilia justice served shared evidence us law enforcement160 rt said extradition treaty problem hindering cooperation prosecution agencies two countries denis grunis appreciate colleagues level professionalism respect time admit areas americans eager work us would hope example mention investigation economic crimes russia final stages investigation illegal acquisition 200 million gazprom shares tax evasion deliberate bankruptcy number companies investigators questions international group included ziff brothers william browder jamison firestone foreign nationals headed ziff brothers investments us investment fund used offshore companies transfer money accounts russian shell corporations eventually scheme applied acquire gazprom shares st petersburg moscow exchanges violation presidential order regulated gazprom share sale procedures time 2006 assets gazprom shares dividends funneled affiliated russian companies companies failed pay 1 billion rubles taxes dismantled assets least 1 billion dollars transferred cypriot companies short period time us companies manner way according media reports ziff brothers investments financed us democratic party rt shared information american colleagues denis grunis yes back march 2016 met representatives us embassy moscow including fbi operatives officially informed course investigation found certain information showed people organizations could violated russian also american tax financial regulations american delegation headed mr godfrey head political section third important official us embassy russia stressed might talking crossborder organized criminal group according information defacto led browder warned economic crimes committed group notable sophistication said rule possibility investigation might hampered political forces us could received funding organization160160 us embassy delegation promised inform washington issue every detail since understand sensitive advised us relay information potentially illegal activities us territory separate query could used conduct investigation us assured us query would reviewed handled importance mind may 2016 office prosecutor general officially declared intention contact us law enforcement agencies issue july files several volumes sent us department justice also asked us counterparts carry number investigative actions us territory including interviewing witnesses seizure documents rt response get american counterparts denis grunis kind expected unfortunately first counterparts told us reviewing files received assured us would thorough involve various experts early february 2017 numerous reminders discussions video conferences phone calls told working query might interfere one investigations conducted us territory far know investigation legal proceedings mentioned nothing files sent completed rt things stand denis grunis160our query regarding potentially illegal actions crossborder criminal group includes ziff brothers william browder jamison firestone remains unanswered received evidence need investigation american counterparts conducted inquiry investigation based information sent rt think could politics played part like warned counterparts might160in may last year denis grunis wouldnt rule nevertheless continue cooperate american counterparts hope response query neutralizing criminal group first foremost us interests since operates predominantly us soil 160 | 734 |
<p>China’s economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter, putting the nation on track to meet its growth target this year and giving backing to officials in their campaign to corral oncoming financial risk.</p>
<p>Data showing that the world’s second-largest economy expanded 6.9 percent in the second quarter, matching the pace from the first three months, was released hours after the&#160;Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper warned of potential “gray rhinos” — highly probable, high-impact threats that people should see coming, but often don’t.</p>
<p>In China’s case it’s the relentless buildup of risks caused by the debt-fueled investment that’s contributing to growth, a development tackled by a major meeting of top leaders in Beijing at the weekend. Until now, regulators have homed in on financial-sector excesses; that probe is now widening to debt in the broader economy, a shift that prompted a sell-off in domestic stocks.</p>
<p>China is grappling with how to ensure annual growth of at least 6.5 percent this year while reining in financial sector risks ahead of a twice-a-decade leadership transition this fall at the 19th Communist Party Congress. A regulatory crackdown pushed up money market rates and helped damp down speculative lending while at the weekend President Xi Jinping warned regulators that failing to spot and dispose of risks in a timely manner would amount to a “dereliction of duty.”</p>
<p>“The gray rhinos are containable,” said Liu Ligang,&#160;chief China economist for Citigroup Inc. in Hong Kong. But the economy is “still relying quite a lot on investment and credit and overall financial leverage is still building up. There’s no doubt that China’s debt overhang is still a serious challenge.”</p>
<p>The Data</p>
<p>While the economy steams along, the government is setting a wary tone: The front page commentary in the People’s Daily, said China should not only be alert to “black swan” risks that catch people off guard but also more obvious threats. It cited a term popularized by author Michele Wucker’s book ” The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore.”</p>
<p>With the economy still on a slowing-growth trend, China should “strictly prevent risks from liquidity, credit, shadow banking and abnormal capital market fluctuations, as well as insurance market and property bubbles,” the commentary said. The new focus on “deleveraging in the economy” suggests that local-government and state-owned enterprise debt is now very much in the spotlight.</p>
<p>China’s strong momentum has fueled global economic expansion and boosted sentiment in international markets. The nation’s solid growth reinforces recoveries for commodity exporters and keeps 2017’s pickup in global growth on track, said William Adams, senior international economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>“The Fed’s commitment to a gradual pace of interest rate hikes is maintaining supportive monetary conditions for emerging-market growth,” said Adams, who previously worked for the Conference Board in Beijing. “And with little sign of global inflationary pressure from either labor markets or commodity prices, this global expansion has room to run.”</p>
<p>Synchronized growth in most developed markets has meant exports have helped keep the expansion on track, and the effects of property market cooling are yet to kick in. The statistics bureau said the result “provides a solid basis” for meeting the full-year growth target.</p>
<p>Old Drivers</p>
<p>“It’s a cyclical recovery story on strong exports and real estate,” said Junheng Li, the founder of JL Warren Capital LLC, a China-focused research firm in New York. “Both are the same old growth drivers. Very little supply-side reform and restructuring have been done in the first half.”</p>
<p>The strong data suggest across-the-board robustness in the industrial sector in June, said Zhu Haibin, chief China economist at JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. in Hong Kong. China can aim for faster deleveraging in the real economy in the second half and the leverage ratio will come down significantly this year with nominal GDP growing and credit growth slowing, he said</p>
<p>“It’s a good time for corporates to cut excess leverage, especially for state-owned enterprises,” Zhu said. “We’re now in an upward trend of the economy which makes it less painful and much easier to push ahead.”</p>
<p>Raising Forecasts</p>
<p>Zhu raised his 2017 full-year growth estimate to 6.8 percent from 6.7 percent after the report, as did economists at Nomura Holdings Inc..&#160;Societe Generale SA boosted its estimate to&#160;6.7 percent from 6.6 percent while Australia &amp; New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. lifted its projection to 6.7 percent from 6.5 percent.</p>
<p>Robust nominal GDP growth — the expansion pace not adjusted by prices — rose 11.1 percent. The GDP deflator, a gauge of economy-wide inflation, came in at 4.5 percentage points — the difference between the nominal and real growth rate of output. That fast expansion backed by price pressure would help boost corporate profits and government revenue, and help service or cut their debts.</p>
<p>China Daily, the official English-language newspaper, said in a commentary Monday that fending off risks is one of the country’s top priorities, with corporate debt running high, the property market being overheated and excess capacity in some sectors lingering.</p>
<p>“Only through guarding against financial risks can a sound and stable financial sector better fulfill its duty and purpose of serving the real economy,” it said.</p>
<p>More Details</p> | false | 1 | chinas economy grew faster expected second quarter putting nation track meet growth target year giving backing officials campaign corral oncoming financial risk data showing worlds secondlargest economy expanded 69 percent second quarter matching pace first three months released hours the160communist partys peoples daily newspaper warned potential gray rhinos highly probable highimpact threats people see coming often dont chinas case relentless buildup risks caused debtfueled investment thats contributing growth development tackled major meeting top leaders beijing weekend regulators homed financialsector excesses probe widening debt broader economy shift prompted selloff domestic stocks china grappling ensure annual growth least 65 percent year reining financial sector risks ahead twiceadecade leadership transition fall 19th communist party congress regulatory crackdown pushed money market rates helped damp speculative lending weekend president xi jinping warned regulators failing spot dispose risks timely manner would amount dereliction duty gray rhinos containable said liu ligang160chief china economist citigroup inc hong kong economy still relying quite lot investment credit overall financial leverage still building theres doubt chinas debt overhang still serious challenge data economy steams along government setting wary tone front page commentary peoples daily said china alert black swan risks catch people guard also obvious threats cited term popularized author michele wuckers book gray rhino recognize act obvious dangers ignore economy still slowinggrowth trend china strictly prevent risks liquidity credit shadow banking abnormal capital market fluctuations well insurance market property bubbles commentary said new focus deleveraging economy suggests localgovernment stateowned enterprise debt much spotlight chinas strong momentum fueled global economic expansion boosted sentiment international markets nations solid growth reinforces recoveries commodity exporters keeps 2017s pickup global growth track said william adams senior international economist pnc financial services group pittsburgh feds commitment gradual pace interest rate hikes maintaining supportive monetary conditions emergingmarket growth said adams previously worked conference board beijing little sign global inflationary pressure either labor markets commodity prices global expansion room run synchronized growth developed markets meant exports helped keep expansion track effects property market cooling yet kick statistics bureau said result provides solid basis meeting fullyear growth target old drivers cyclical recovery story strong exports real estate said junheng li founder jl warren capital llc chinafocused research firm new york old growth drivers little supplyside reform restructuring done first half strong data suggest acrosstheboard robustness industrial sector june said zhu haibin chief china economist jpmorgan chase amp co hong kong china aim faster deleveraging real economy second half leverage ratio come significantly year nominal gdp growing credit growth slowing said good time corporates cut excess leverage especially stateowned enterprises zhu said upward trend economy makes less painful much easier push ahead raising forecasts zhu raised 2017 fullyear growth estimate 68 percent 67 percent report economists nomura holdings inc160societe generale sa boosted estimate to16067 percent 66 percent australia amp new zealand banking group ltd lifted projection 67 percent 65 percent robust nominal gdp growth expansion pace adjusted prices rose 111 percent gdp deflator gauge economywide inflation came 45 percentage points difference nominal real growth rate output fast expansion backed price pressure would help boost corporate profits government revenue help service cut debts china daily official englishlanguage newspaper said commentary monday fending risks one countrys top priorities corporate debt running high property market overheated excess capacity sectors lingering guarding financial risks sound stable financial sector better fulfill duty purpose serving real economy said details | 553 |
<p>It keeps getting deeper for Houston, the epicenter of the U.S. oil industry.</p>
<p>As floods inundated the nation’s fourth-largest city Monday, with an estimated 20 inches of rain still to come, predictions of damage ranged as high as $100 billion. Wall Street and Washington braced for the repercussions of the costliest U.S. natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.</p>
<p>Tropical Storm Harvey, which made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, drifted into the Gulf of Mexico, poised to recharge before crashing ashore again Wednesday on the Texas-Louisiana border. As much as 30 percent of the nation’s refining power was imperiled, according to analysts at Tudor Pickering Holt &amp; Co.</p>
<p>Houston was born from the wreckage of a cataclysmic storm in 1900, and in the decades since has weathered not only water and wind but the gyrating fortunes of the oil industry. The sprawling megalopolis, which takes a perverse pride in its booms and busts, will endure Harvey as well, said Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president of research for the Greater Houston Partnership.</p>
<p>“If $26 oil didn’t destroy Houston, Hurricane Harvey is not going to destroy Houston,” he said.</p>
<p>The storm has been blamed for six deaths in Harris County since Sunday, according to county officials. Houston television station KHOU reported Monday that another six, members of one family, were believed to have drowned when floods swept away their van.</p>
<p>More than 30,000 residents will be displaced, a number sure to climb now that the&#160;Army Corps of Engineers has begun to release water from two dams, a relief tactic that will flood additional neighborhoods. More than 450,000 residents will require assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which said it will be at work in Houston for years.</p>
<p>Hurricane Katrina, which in 2005 became the most expensive hurricane to hit the U.S., cost about $118 billion, while Hurricane Sandy cost about $75 billion. Loss estimates for Harvey vary widely, but David Havens, an insurance analyst at Imperial Capital, said costs could surpass $100 billion.</p>
<p>The storm promises to test the resilience of the biggest city in a state that’s&#160;home to almost 1 in 12 U.S. workers. Greater Houston, which includes eight counties, covers 8,778 square miles, an area larger than New Jersey. The metro area of 6.8 million is loosely organized with multiple centers of commerce, defined by vast and looping highways, strip malls and subdivisions.</p>
<p>The nation’s most diverse municipality, Houston’s economy boomed even as the price of oil lagged. If Houston were its own country, its economy would be the world’s 30th largest, according to city statistics. Houston is the site of 18 Fortune 500 companies and the world’s biggest medical complex, but it’s synonymous with the Gulf Coast’s oil sector, an industry suddenly hobbled.</p>
<p>Ships at Sea</p>
<p>Gasoline futures in New York extended gains a sixth session Tuesday as more than a million barrels of fuel-making capacity was knocked offline; and natural-gas fields and offshore-drilling rigs shut down. The motor fuel advanced 1.3 percent to $1.7342 a gallon at 7:32 a.m. London time.</p>
<p>Ports along a 250-mile stretch of Texas coast were closed to tankers. Twenty-two vessels laden with a combined 15.3 million barrels of crude from as far afield as Brazil and Colombia were drifting off the coastline, waiting for the all clear.</p>
<p>Ten of the state’s 25 refineries are shut down, accounting for about half the 6 million barrels per day of capacity, said Christi Craddick, chairman of the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the industry. Companies will have to wait for floods to recede before they can evaluate damage, she said.</p>
<p>“Hopefully within the next week to two weeks, we’ll see refineries back on line,” Craddick said.</p>
<p>For Bloomberg’s refinery outages and events page, click here</p>
<p>Harvey is expected to have little effect on U.S gross domestic product and may deal only a short-term blow regionally. As with most natural disasters, the rebuilding of damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure will later add to the economy, said Robert Dye, chief economist with Comerica Inc., a Dallas-based bank.</p>
<p>“We start to actually see increased economic activity due to all the repair and rebuilding that’s going to have to happen because of this storm,” he said.</p>
<p>But the Texas labor market is tight, and incentives will be needed — usually in the form of higher wages — to pull in engineers, tradesman and laborers from around the region. The Federal Reserve district banks in Dallas, Atlanta and St. Louis already have reported hiring difficulties.</p>
<p>Cracking Down</p>
<p>Gathering manpower could be further complicated by a newly passed Texas law requiring cities to be more aggressive in helping deport undocumented people.</p>
<p>“If Houston is going to be rebuilt in a reasonable amount of time, it will be rebuilt with the contributions of undocumented immigrant workers,” said&#160;Mark Jones, a political-science professor at Rice University in Houston. “If undocumented immigrants are afraid or unwilling to come to Houston because of fears of deportation, that’s going to delay the recovery, as well as make it far more expensive.”</p>
<p>Large companies should be back on their feet within weeks, said Jankowski, whose partnership includes&#160;Exxon Mobil Corp., LyondellBasell Industries NV and Royal Dutch Shell Plc.</p>
<p>“The businesses that are going to be hurt the most are the mom-and-pop operations that depend so much on selling into the Houston market or don’t have flood insurance,” he said. “We will see some businesses fold as a result.”</p>
<p>The White House has taken pains to demonstrate that President Donald Trump is marshaling resources for the disaster, and the president plans to travel to Texas on Tuesday. Trump said Congress will swiftly pass emergency disaster funding, even as signs of a political fight over the money began to emerge.</p>
<p>“You’re going to see very rapid reaction from Congress, certainly from the president,” Trump said at a news conference Monday. “You’re going to get your funding.”</p>
<p>House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said any bill should be exempt from offsetting spending cuts. It wasn’t clear whether Republican leaders such as Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who opposed an aid package after Sandy hit New York and New Jersey, would back such a bill.</p>
<p>Raining Still</p>
<p>Harvey has drenched Houston with as much as 36 inches (91 centimeters) of rain, and downpours will last through the week, the National Hurricane Center said. The state’s 12,000-strong National Guard was activated, and volunteers joined emergency teams as thousands of people fled to rooftops and higher ground. Houston police rescued 3,052 people,&#160;Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a news conference Monday evening. A Coast Guard official said the agency was receiving more than 1,000 calls an hour.</p>
<p>Turner said about 4,800 residents had been evacuated to the George R. Brown Convention Center, one of the city’s largest temporary shelters. He urged people to stay off the roads as darkness fell.</p>
<p>Slammed now by one hurricane, Houston was forged by another. The 1900 storm hit nearby rival Galveston, then one of the country’s busiest ports. It remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, causing more than 8,000 deaths.</p>
<p>Afterward, local officials pushed for a deepwater port in Houston. It opened in 1914, with then-President Woodrow Wilson celebrating by firing a cannon via remote control from Washington. The population took off, far outpacing Galveston’s, and Houston became the leading city of Texas by 1930. From the bayous and marshes rose a metropolis.</p>
<p>“This city will come back stronger than it was before Hurricane Harvey,” Turner said. “Anybody who bets against the city of Houston is a loser.”</p>
<p>(Updates gasoline price in 11th paragraph.)</p>
<p>–With assistance from Brian K. Sullivan Jennifer Epstein Amanda Albright Sonali Basak Sheela Tobben Christopher Condon Arit John Lauren Etter Thomas Black Lucia Kassai and Rebecca Spalding</p>
<p>To contact the reporters on this story: Joe Carroll in Houston at [email protected], Thomas Black in Dallas at [email protected].</p>
<p>To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tina Davis at [email protected], Stephen Merelman, Anne Reifenberg</p>
<p>©2017 Bloomberg L.P.</p> | false | 1 | keeps getting deeper houston epicenter us oil industry floods inundated nations fourthlargest city monday estimated 20 inches rain still come predictions damage ranged high 100 billion wall street washington braced repercussions costliest us natural disaster since hurricane sandy 2012 tropical storm harvey made landfall category 4 hurricane drifted gulf mexico poised recharge crashing ashore wednesday texaslouisiana border much 30 percent nations refining power imperiled according analysts tudor pickering holt amp co houston born wreckage cataclysmic storm 1900 decades since weathered water wind gyrating fortunes oil industry sprawling megalopolis takes perverse pride booms busts endure harvey well said patrick jankowski senior vice president research greater houston partnership 26 oil didnt destroy houston hurricane harvey going destroy houston said storm blamed six deaths harris county since sunday according county officials houston television station khou reported monday another six members one family believed drowned floods swept away van 30000 residents displaced number sure climb the160army corps engineers begun release water two dams relief tactic flood additional neighborhoods 450000 residents require assistance according federal emergency management agency said work houston years hurricane katrina 2005 became expensive hurricane hit us cost 118 billion hurricane sandy cost 75 billion loss estimates harvey vary widely david havens insurance analyst imperial capital said costs could surpass 100 billion storm promises test resilience biggest city state thats160home almost 1 12 us workers greater houston includes eight counties covers 8778 square miles area larger new jersey metro area 68 million loosely organized multiple centers commerce defined vast looping highways strip malls subdivisions nations diverse municipality houstons economy boomed even price oil lagged houston country economy would worlds 30th largest according city statistics houston site 18 fortune 500 companies worlds biggest medical complex synonymous gulf coasts oil sector industry suddenly hobbled ships sea gasoline futures new york extended gains sixth session tuesday million barrels fuelmaking capacity knocked offline naturalgas fields offshoredrilling rigs shut motor fuel advanced 13 percent 17342 gallon 732 london time ports along 250mile stretch texas coast closed tankers twentytwo vessels laden combined 153 million barrels crude far afield brazil colombia drifting coastline waiting clear ten states 25 refineries shut accounting half 6 million barrels per day capacity said christi craddick chairman threemember texas railroad commission regulates industry companies wait floods recede evaluate damage said hopefully within next week two weeks well see refineries back line craddick said bloombergs refinery outages events page click harvey expected little effect us gross domestic product may deal shortterm blow regionally natural disasters rebuilding damaged homes businesses infrastructure later add economy said robert dye chief economist comerica inc dallasbased bank start actually see increased economic activity due repair rebuilding thats going happen storm said texas labor market tight incentives needed usually form higher wages pull engineers tradesman laborers around region federal reserve district banks dallas atlanta st louis already reported hiring difficulties cracking gathering manpower could complicated newly passed texas law requiring cities aggressive helping deport undocumented people houston going rebuilt reasonable amount time rebuilt contributions undocumented immigrant workers said160mark jones politicalscience professor rice university houston undocumented immigrants afraid unwilling come houston fears deportation thats going delay recovery well make far expensive large companies back feet within weeks said jankowski whose partnership includes160exxon mobil corp lyondellbasell industries nv royal dutch shell plc businesses going hurt momandpop operations depend much selling houston market dont flood insurance said see businesses fold result white house taken pains demonstrate president donald trump marshaling resources disaster president plans travel texas tuesday trump said congress swiftly pass emergency disaster funding even signs political fight money began emerge youre going see rapid reaction congress certainly president trump said news conference monday youre going get funding house minority leader nancy pelosi california said bill exempt offsetting spending cuts wasnt clear whether republican leaders texas senators ted cruz john cornyn opposed aid package sandy hit new york new jersey would back bill raining still harvey drenched houston much 36 inches 91 centimeters rain downpours last week national hurricane center said states 12000strong national guard activated volunteers joined emergency teams thousands people fled rooftops higher ground houston police rescued 3052 people160mayor sylvester turner said news conference monday evening coast guard official said agency receiving 1000 calls hour turner said 4800 residents evacuated george r brown convention center one citys largest temporary shelters urged people stay roads darkness fell slammed one hurricane houston forged another 1900 storm hit nearby rival galveston one countrys busiest ports remains one deadliest natural disasters us history causing 8000 deaths afterward local officials pushed deepwater port houston opened 1914 thenpresident woodrow wilson celebrating firing cannon via remote control washington population took far outpacing galvestons houston became leading city texas 1930 bayous marshes rose metropolis city come back stronger hurricane harvey turner said anybody bets city houston loser updates gasoline price 11th paragraph assistance brian k sullivan jennifer epstein amanda albright sonali basak sheela tobben christopher condon arit john lauren etter thomas black lucia kassai rebecca spalding contact reporters story joe carroll houston jcarroll8bloombergnet thomas black dallas tblackbloombergnet contact editors responsible story tina davis tinadavisbloombergnet stephen merelman anne reifenberg 2017 bloomberg lp | 842 |
<p>Of the possible arguments that the bicentennial of the Constitution might have engendered, perhaps one of the least likely is the question of who, in our federal system, is responsible for U.S. foreign policy. That, at least, seemed settled two hundred years ago. Having had some experience, on tariff issues, with the chaos that came from state and local governments dealing with foreign countries, the Framers of the Constitution of 1787 gave the national government sole powers over the design and conduct of foreign relations. If there were to be constitutional debates over foreign policy during this bicentennial biennium, one would have anticipated brisk arguments over the War Powers Act, or the congressional role in the foreign policy process, or the doings, covert and otherwise, of the intelligence agencies. But governors and foreign policy? Mayors and foreign policy? City councils and county commissioners and foreign policy? That was settled long ago.</p>
<p>Or so it seemed.</p>
<p>It now appears that we have been misinformed on all this. The issue has by no means been settled. Thus argues Michael Shuman, president of the Center for Innovative Diplomacy in San Francisco, in an important and disturbing article in the winter 1986-87 issue of Foreign Policy. “More than 1,000 U.S. state and local governments of all political stripes are participating in foreign affairs,” writes Mr. Shuman, “and their numbers are expanding daily.” These local authorities are passing nuclear freeze resolutions, declaring themselves nuclear free zones, divesting billions of dollars in firms working in South Africa, refusing to cooperate with civil defense planning, establishing sister city relationships with Managua, adopting Jobs for Peace memorials against the defense budget, defying the Immigration and Naturalization Service, promoting foreign trade through state-based export financing, designing global education and nuclear awareness curricula for the public schools, refusing landing rights and port facilities to aircraft and ships of unfavored nations, dispatching tons of supplies to Nicaragua, and refusing permission for their National Guards to participate in training exercises in Honduras. It is often observed, with reference to the Congress, that the United States is the only country with 535 secretaries of state. Mr. Shuman’s list of municipal foreign policy activities suggests that 535 is orders of magnitude too low.</p>
<p>Mr. Shuman is an enthusiastic supporter of these and other developments. “Americans seeking more foreign policy clout are increasingly finding the tools in their own back yards-the half-million local officials who are rarely more than a telephone call or a public meeting away.” Moreover, the local officials in question have been “surprisingly receptive” to citizen requests for municipal foreign policies and have even formed two organizations to forward their aims: Local Elected Officials of America (LEO-USA) and (but of course) Local Elected Officials for Social Responsibility. Mr. Shuman would draw the line at cities, counties, or states exporting weapons, ammunition, and “military” support equipment.” But he finds the main thrust of the municipal foreign policy movement sound and, in any event, irreversible: “Unless America becomes a police state, municipal foreign policies are here to stay.”</p>
<p>About all of which, a few observations are in order. As the Atlantic Council of the United States warned in its recent study, U.S. International Leadership for the 21st Century: Building a National Foreign Affairs Constituency, we Americans are, on the whole, woefully ignorant of the rest of the world. Initiatives by state and local governments to enhance public understanding of the cultural, economic, political, and security ties of the United States to the world-if they are truly educational, which is to say, not propagandistic-ought to be welcomed. So, too, as we have often argued in these pages, are exchange programs that both strengthen mutual understanding and, in the case of totalitarian states, support those independent people who are struggling for a measure of intellectual, cultural, religious, and/or political freedom. We shall defer to the experts on whether or not state-financed export programs could short-circuit the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. In general, though, one has to applaud those localities that are aggressively seeking to compete in the world marketplace.</p>
<p>But are these the primary objectives of the municipal foreign policy movement?</p>
<p>Not according to Larry Agran, mayor of Irvine, California, and president of LEO-USA. The objective, says Mayor Agran, is quite straightforward and simple: “We want to take foreign policy back from the federal government.”</p>
<p>To what ends seems clear from a survey of the municipal initiatives noted by Mr. Shuman’s article. The initiatives fall, in the main, into a predictable ideological pattern. When one factors out the trade issues, exchange programs (many of them highly politicized, but let’s be generous here), and the rare occasions of protest against the USSR (e.g. New Jersey and New York denying landing rights to Soviet planes after the KAL 077 shootdown), virtually every other item on the municipal foreign policy agenda is an effort to challenge, impede, or block one or another policy of the present administration. The anti-civil defense efforts of the early 1980s and the majority of nuclear awareness education programs today are components of the broader anti-U.S.-weapons-modernization movement once simply known as “the freeze.” Local government “sanctuaries,” sister city arrangements with Managua and with guerrilla-occupied San Antonio Los Ranches in El Salvador, and the resistance to National Guard training in Central America, are of a piece with a certain view of the politics of that tortured region.</p>
<p>Now one can argue, in a free society, for the superior wisdom of the nuclear freeze as a means to peace, just as one can argue that the Sandinista regime should be left alone, in power and unobstructed, in Nicaragua. Those arguments ought to be engaged, briskly, within the bonds of civil and democratic debate. But what is so eminently democratic about bending local government agencies created for entirely different purposes to the foreign policy agenda of one-usually small but vocal-segment of the community? Do state governments really have any business re-opening the nullification controversy of the 1820s and 1830s, with latter-day John C. Calhouns announcing that they will enforce no federal law or regulation which they deem geopolitically inappropriate, morally unworthy, or otherwise distasteful? Consultation with state and local government officials on matters of direct concern to their responsibilities is surely warranted and might make for a more coherent foreign policy. But consultation is one thing and balkanization is another.</p>
<p>Mr. Shuman’s vision, in which “Americans continue to embrace participatory over representative democracy,” may be attractive to those whose policy preferences were rejected by the American people in 1980 and 1984 and who now seek to advance their agendas by other, municipal means (If we can’t elect a president, why not a mayor?). But to others this vision appears depressingly similar to the anarchic arrangements that paralyzed the Holy Roman Empire and eventually led to its dismemberment and collapse. Surely it in no way resembles what the Framers envisioned in 1787. And wouldn’t the hamstringing of President Reagan set the pattern for the hamstringing of President Nunn, President Bradley, President Biden, President Gephardt, President Dole, President Kemp, or anyone else?</p>
<p>The argument being made here is not for elitism as against populism. More than ten years after Vietnam, the United States remains a deeply divided political community when facing questions of its right role in world affairs. Rebuilding agreement on an American foreign policy able to address, simultaneously, the goals of peace, security, and freedom will not be imposed from the top down by a president or a council of the wise. It will happen, if it happens at all, through a long process of civic debate involving both governmental officials and the “attentive public” as it gathers in the country’s thousands of nongovernmental organizations. The proliferation of municipal “foreign policies,” many of which represent nothing more or less than a certain familiar kind of “peace” politics now translated to city hall, will more likely exacerbate, rather than bridge, our current divisions. Thus the central issue is not ideological but constitutional and procedural. A United States of squabbling local fiefdoms, each primarily concerned about its own foreign policy agenda, is a United States singularly unlikely to take effective leadership for peace and freedom in the world. If the true agenda of the municipal foreign policy movement is simply a variant on post-Vietnam neo-isolationism, the movement should say so. Then there can be a substantive argument. If the intent is something else, then the movement’s enthusiasm for the constitutional theories of John C. Calhoun and the decision-making practices of the Holy Roman Empire is singularly misplaced.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | possible arguments bicentennial constitution might engendered perhaps one least likely question federal system responsible us foreign policy least seemed settled two hundred years ago experience tariff issues chaos came state local governments dealing foreign countries framers constitution 1787 gave national government sole powers design conduct foreign relations constitutional debates foreign policy bicentennial biennium one would anticipated brisk arguments war powers act congressional role foreign policy process doings covert otherwise intelligence agencies governors foreign policy mayors foreign policy city councils county commissioners foreign policy settled long ago seemed appears misinformed issue means settled thus argues michael shuman president center innovative diplomacy san francisco important disturbing article winter 198687 issue foreign policy 1000 us state local governments political stripes participating foreign affairs writes mr shuman numbers expanding daily local authorities passing nuclear freeze resolutions declaring nuclear free zones divesting billions dollars firms working south africa refusing cooperate civil defense planning establishing sister city relationships managua adopting jobs peace memorials defense budget defying immigration naturalization service promoting foreign trade statebased export financing designing global education nuclear awareness curricula public schools refusing landing rights port facilities aircraft ships unfavored nations dispatching tons supplies nicaragua refusing permission national guards participate training exercises honduras often observed reference congress united states country 535 secretaries state mr shumans list municipal foreign policy activities suggests 535 orders magnitude low mr shuman enthusiastic supporter developments americans seeking foreign policy clout increasingly finding tools back yardsthe halfmillion local officials rarely telephone call public meeting away moreover local officials question surprisingly receptive citizen requests municipal foreign policies even formed two organizations forward aims local elected officials america leousa course local elected officials social responsibility mr shuman would draw line cities counties states exporting weapons ammunition military support equipment finds main thrust municipal foreign policy movement sound event irreversible unless america becomes police state municipal foreign policies stay observations order atlantic council united states warned recent study us international leadership 21st century building national foreign affairs constituency americans whole woefully ignorant rest world initiatives state local governments enhance public understanding cultural economic political security ties united states worldif truly educational say propagandisticought welcomed often argued pages exchange programs strengthen mutual understanding case totalitarian states support independent people struggling measure intellectual cultural religious andor political freedom shall defer experts whether statefinanced export programs could shortcircuit general agreement tariffs trade general though one applaud localities aggressively seeking compete world marketplace primary objectives municipal foreign policy movement according larry agran mayor irvine california president leousa objective says mayor agran quite straightforward simple want take foreign policy back federal government ends seems clear survey municipal initiatives noted mr shumans article initiatives fall main predictable ideological pattern one factors trade issues exchange programs many highly politicized lets generous rare occasions protest ussr eg new jersey new york denying landing rights soviet planes kal 077 shootdown virtually every item municipal foreign policy agenda effort challenge impede block one another policy present administration anticivil defense efforts early 1980s majority nuclear awareness education programs today components broader antiusweaponsmodernization movement simply known freeze local government sanctuaries sister city arrangements managua guerrillaoccupied san antonio los ranches el salvador resistance national guard training central america piece certain view politics tortured region one argue free society superior wisdom nuclear freeze means peace one argue sandinista regime left alone power unobstructed nicaragua arguments ought engaged briskly within bonds civil democratic debate eminently democratic bending local government agencies created entirely different purposes foreign policy agenda oneusually small vocalsegment community state governments really business reopening nullification controversy 1820s 1830s latterday john c calhouns announcing enforce federal law regulation deem geopolitically inappropriate morally unworthy otherwise distasteful consultation state local government officials matters direct concern responsibilities surely warranted might make coherent foreign policy consultation one thing balkanization another mr shumans vision americans continue embrace participatory representative democracy may attractive whose policy preferences rejected american people 1980 1984 seek advance agendas municipal means cant elect president mayor others vision appears depressingly similar anarchic arrangements paralyzed holy roman empire eventually led dismemberment collapse surely way resembles framers envisioned 1787 wouldnt hamstringing president reagan set pattern hamstringing president nunn president bradley president biden president gephardt president dole president kemp anyone else argument made elitism populism ten years vietnam united states remains deeply divided political community facing questions right role world affairs rebuilding agreement american foreign policy able address simultaneously goals peace security freedom imposed top president council wise happen happens long process civic debate involving governmental officials attentive public gathers countrys thousands nongovernmental organizations proliferation municipal foreign policies many represent nothing less certain familiar kind peace politics translated city hall likely exacerbate rather bridge current divisions thus central issue ideological constitutional procedural united states squabbling local fiefdoms primarily concerned foreign policy agenda united states singularly unlikely take effective leadership peace freedom world true agenda municipal foreign policy movement simply variant postvietnam neoisolationism movement say substantive argument intent something else movements enthusiasm constitutional theories john c calhoun decisionmaking practices holy roman empire singularly misplaced george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 839 |
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0066211700/002-2424670-2812010?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwweppcorg-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=0066211700" type="external">The Forgotten Man</a>&#160;by Amity Shlaes, HarperCollins, 464 pages, $26.95.</p>
<p>Amity Shlaes’ brilliant and highly readable book surely must be the best analysis of the Great Depression ever. With the precision of an economist, a historian’s sense of the enduring and a journalist’s ear for language, she deftly parries the claims of FDR fans and defenders. She details Herbert Hoover’s complicity in his successor’s flawed perception of one of America’s darkest hours. The Bloomberg columnist’s The Forgotten Man will stand the test of time.</p>
<p>But before I address her analysis, a word about my perspective as a Depression Kid in a family of five boys living in York, Pa. I was 10 when the 1929 stock market crash hit. My father didn’t think of himself as a “forgotten man.”</p>
<p>During the Depression years he ran the machine shop at the York Corporation, where he earned $40 a week and was known as the Bible-reading foreman. We had no car or telephone, but we did have books, lots of them.</p>
<p>Our parents said we had a Christian duty to help the “poor and downtrodden.” We gave 10 percent to our church, Mother canned peaches from our back yard for poor members and Dad oversaw the church poor fund. He sent occasional checks to the Near East Foundation for the “starving Armenians,” and we twice invited a summer “fresh air” boy from Brooklyn to stay with us.</p>
<p>In York, a loaf of bread cost 10 cents, sugar 5 cents a pound, a Woolworth’s necktie 10 cents and a toothbrush 5 cents.</p>
<p>In 1937 the average annual salary for public school teachers was $1,367, unemployment reached 14.3 percent, inflation was 1.5 percent and the Dow Jones high was 190. (I wrote this sentence just as the Dow reached 14,000 for the first time!)</p>
<p>Yet according to the “standard history,” Ms. Shlaes writes in her bracing introduction, “the 1920s were a period of false growth and low morals. . . . The crash was the honest acknowledgment of the breakdown of capitalism&#160;— and the cause of the Depression. A dangerous inflation caused by speculating margin traders brought down the nation.”</p>
<p>President Herbert Hoover “made matters worse” by his “rugged individualism” and President Roosevelt saved the day and staved off European-style revolution. “Without the New Deal, we would all have been lost.”</p>
<p>The Depression had multiple causes, in Ms. Shlaes’ view, but the deepest one was “the lack of faith in the marketplace . . . From 1929 to 1940, from Hoover to Roosevelt, government intervention helped make the Depression Great.”</p>
<p>In 1932, she continues, FDR first used the “forgotten man” image, the man at the bottom of the economic pyramid&#160;— the old, the poor, the sick and the unemployed. From the outset, he perused “interest group politics”&#160;— “labor, senior citizens, farmers, union workers”&#160;— and created the modern entitlement system that both parties practice today, pitting Americans against one another.</p>
<p>By defining the “forgotten man” as the specific groups FDR sought to help, Ms. Shlaes says, he was “in effect forgetting the rest&#160;— creating a new forgotten man. The country was splitting into those who were Roosevelt’s favorites and everyone else.”</p>
<p>For FDR, experimentation was essential. In his second inaugural address he sought “unimagined power” and “instinctively targeted monetary controls, utilities, and taxation” because they were central to the public sector.</p>
<p>He made scapegoats of businessmen. FDR’s Agricultural Adjustment Administration ordained that successful farmers had to “kill off their piglets in a time of hunger” because destroying the pigs would drive up prices for farmers. This made no sense to millions of Americans, including me.</p>
<p>FDR became increasingly critical of the Supreme Court for overturning several of his unconstitutional recovery efforts, and in 1937 he sought to correct their stubbornness by a plan that would have allowed him to appoint an additional justice for everyone 70-plus who refused to quit. This would have enabled him to appoint more compliant men. The Senate forthrightly nixed this unconstitutional Supreme Court packing scheme.</p>
<p>The author writes “The argument that democracy would have failed in the United States without the New Deal stood for seven decades,” but even if it were true it is not right to obscure the negative consequences of FDR’s and Hoover’s ill-conceived behavior.</p>
<p>Noting that the 1920s produced “true economic gains,” she faults Hoover and FDR for the same basic economic follies. And quotes Calvin Coolidge on Hoover’s flaws: “That man has offered me unsolicited advice for six years, all of it bad.”</p>
<p>With no coherent political philosophy and his celebrated wit and charm, FDR was opportunistic and given to slogans, cliches, demagoguery. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” He believed that “constitutional niceties blocked progress,” and his “remedies were often inspired by socialist or fascist models abroad” though few New Dealers were socialists or communists.</p>
<p>He was heavily dependent on his “brain trust,” a coterie of bright lawyers, several of whom were favorably influenced by Mussolini’s fascism and Stalin’s Marxism. In 1929, some 2,500 American intellectuals visited the Soviet Union to see if any of its social achievements might be applicable to America.</p>
<p>Among them was Rexford Tugwell, who had a six-hour chat with Joseph Stalin (foreshadowing in a bizarre way Hubert Humphrey’s eight-hour marathon with Khrushchev in the Kremlin in 1959).</p>
<p>Later Tugwell joined FDR’s brain trust, but neither he nor other FDR advisers who had seen merit in some of Stalin’s or Mussolini’s social accomplishments had much influence on the New Deal. The NRA (National Recovery Administration), whose ubiquitous symbol was the blue spread eagle, an ostentatious effort at central planning, was inspired in part by Mussolini’s fascist model.</p>
<p>Ms. Shlaes notes that the NRA bureaucracy “generated more paper than the entire legislative output of the federal government since 1789.”</p>
<p>As it turned out, she concludes, the New Deal’s policy of helping the poor and soaking the rich became the precursor of the “entitlement challenge that bedevils both parties today.”</p>
<p>With respect to the underclass, it may may seem odd that Ms. Shlaes regards Father Divine, a black Depression cult leader, a positive symbol of self-help, along with Booker T. Washington, who urged blacks to improve themselves in the years after slavery.</p>
<p>By preaching personal responsibility and property ownership, the charismatic Divine established himself as a major Depression figure along with better-known men such as Huey Long and Father Coughlin.</p>
<p>All three spoke up for the little guy, had political aspirations and sought FDR’s ear. Ms. Shlaes says that Divine’s belief in “a future of plenty” was in direct conflict with FDR, who assumed “a future of scarcity.”</p>
<p>Divine, with his thousands of followers, attempted to be a race-blind leader, but he became increasingly interested in civil rights.</p>
<p>After establishing his headquarters at 20 W. 15th St. he became so famous that a letter addressed simply “God, Harlem, USA” would reach him.</p>
<p>As the Depression eased, Divine’s empire shrank, but his New York “heavens” (low-cost housing) and his Father Divine restaurants persisted into the mid-1940s.</p>
<p>It was then that I ran into him. Occasionally when in New York, I would stop by one of his restaurants for a 25-cent lunch. There was always a fully set table reserved for Divine.</p>
<p>One Sunday evening I took a half-dozen fellow Yale Divinity School students to his chief heaven in Harlem to observe an opulent Love Feast over which he presided. The huge table was set with no fewer than 50 different dishes, each of which Divine blessed as one of his followers brought it to his table. Above him was a large neon sign, “God’s Holy Communion Table,” and behind him a large interracial choir. Brother John Lamb, a white man, announced our presence.</p>
<p>Shortly thereafter, in Divine’s daily paper, I had a lively exchange of letters with him, several crit icizing the American Red Cross for segregating blood by race, with which he heartedly agreed.</p>
<p>Divine was a cult figure and occasionally in trouble with the law, but Ms. Shlaes insists he was a symbol of private initiative and self-help that FDR failed to comprehend. The Forgotten Man, rich in analysis and anecdote, tells a story that needed to be told. Its basic findings are a convincing corrective to the mythologies that have clouded and distorted the origin and impact of the Great Depression and of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who misunderstood it and used it to advance his political objectives.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>— Ernest W. Lefever, a Washington writer, is founder of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p> | false | 1 | forgotten man160by amity shlaes harpercollins 464 pages 2695 amity shlaes brilliant highly readable book surely must best analysis great depression ever precision economist historians sense enduring journalists ear language deftly parries claims fdr fans defenders details herbert hoovers complicity successors flawed perception one americas darkest hours bloomberg columnists forgotten man stand test time address analysis word perspective depression kid family five boys living york pa 10 1929 stock market crash hit father didnt think forgotten man depression years ran machine shop york corporation earned 40 week known biblereading foreman car telephone books lots parents said christian duty help poor downtrodden gave 10 percent church mother canned peaches back yard poor members dad oversaw church poor fund sent occasional checks near east foundation starving armenians twice invited summer fresh air boy brooklyn stay us york loaf bread cost 10 cents sugar 5 cents pound woolworths necktie 10 cents toothbrush 5 cents 1937 average annual salary public school teachers 1367 unemployment reached 143 percent inflation 15 percent dow jones high 190 wrote sentence dow reached 14000 first time yet according standard history ms shlaes writes bracing introduction 1920s period false growth low morals crash honest acknowledgment breakdown capitalism160 cause depression dangerous inflation caused speculating margin traders brought nation president herbert hoover made matters worse rugged individualism president roosevelt saved day staved europeanstyle revolution without new deal would lost depression multiple causes ms shlaes view deepest one lack faith marketplace 1929 1940 hoover roosevelt government intervention helped make depression great 1932 continues fdr first used forgotten man image man bottom economic pyramid160 old poor sick unemployed outset perused interest group politics160 labor senior citizens farmers union workers160 created modern entitlement system parties practice today pitting americans one another defining forgotten man specific groups fdr sought help ms shlaes says effect forgetting rest160 creating new forgotten man country splitting roosevelts favorites everyone else fdr experimentation essential second inaugural address sought unimagined power instinctively targeted monetary controls utilities taxation central public sector made scapegoats businessmen fdrs agricultural adjustment administration ordained successful farmers kill piglets time hunger destroying pigs would drive prices farmers made sense millions americans including fdr became increasingly critical supreme court overturning several unconstitutional recovery efforts 1937 sought correct stubbornness plan would allowed appoint additional justice everyone 70plus refused quit would enabled appoint compliant men senate forthrightly nixed unconstitutional supreme court packing scheme author writes argument democracy would failed united states without new deal stood seven decades even true right obscure negative consequences fdrs hoovers illconceived behavior noting 1920s produced true economic gains faults hoover fdr basic economic follies quotes calvin coolidge hoovers flaws man offered unsolicited advice six years bad coherent political philosophy celebrated wit charm fdr opportunistic given slogans cliches demagoguery nothing fear fear believed constitutional niceties blocked progress remedies often inspired socialist fascist models abroad though new dealers socialists communists heavily dependent brain trust coterie bright lawyers several favorably influenced mussolinis fascism stalins marxism 1929 2500 american intellectuals visited soviet union see social achievements might applicable america among rexford tugwell sixhour chat joseph stalin foreshadowing bizarre way hubert humphreys eighthour marathon khrushchev kremlin 1959 later tugwell joined fdrs brain trust neither fdr advisers seen merit stalins mussolinis social accomplishments much influence new deal nra national recovery administration whose ubiquitous symbol blue spread eagle ostentatious effort central planning inspired part mussolinis fascist model ms shlaes notes nra bureaucracy generated paper entire legislative output federal government since 1789 turned concludes new deals policy helping poor soaking rich became precursor entitlement challenge bedevils parties today respect underclass may may seem odd ms shlaes regards father divine black depression cult leader positive symbol selfhelp along booker washington urged blacks improve years slavery preaching personal responsibility property ownership charismatic divine established major depression figure along betterknown men huey long father coughlin three spoke little guy political aspirations sought fdrs ear ms shlaes says divines belief future plenty direct conflict fdr assumed future scarcity divine thousands followers attempted raceblind leader became increasingly interested civil rights establishing headquarters 20 w 15th st became famous letter addressed simply god harlem usa would reach depression eased divines empire shrank new york heavens lowcost housing father divine restaurants persisted mid1940s ran occasionally new york would stop one restaurants 25cent lunch always fully set table reserved divine one sunday evening took halfdozen fellow yale divinity school students chief heaven harlem observe opulent love feast presided huge table set fewer 50 different dishes divine blessed one followers brought table large neon sign gods holy communion table behind large interracial choir brother john lamb white man announced presence shortly thereafter divines daily paper lively exchange letters several crit icizing american red cross segregating blood race heartedly agreed divine cult figure occasionally trouble law ms shlaes insists symbol private initiative selfhelp fdr failed comprehend forgotten man rich analysis anecdote tells story needed told basic findings convincing corrective mythologies clouded distorted origin impact great depression franklin roosevelt misunderstood used advance political objectives 160 ernest w lefever washington writer founder ethics public policy center | 828 |
<p>Ukraine marked the silver anniversary of its independence last month. It has been a rugged 25 years, and the last two and a half have been exceptionally tough. Russia, which has clearly never accepted the fact of an independent Ukrainian state that is not a Muscovite vassal, made a first stab at realizing its imperial ambitions by invading, occupying, and annexing Crimea — in blatant defiance of the Budapest Memorandum (1994), which guaranteed Ukraine’s borders in exchange for its ridding itself of nuclear weapons. Following that reversion to the politics of Anschluss, Moscow and its local minions have conducted, in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, a war that has cost almost 10,000 lives while internally displacing 1.5 million people. Occasional bleats notwithstanding, the West has largely stood by during this aggression, even as Ukraine attempts to defend itself while seeing through across-the-board reforms in its legal system, its state bureaucracy, its constitutional arrangements, and its economy.</p>
<p>Yet, somehow, the spirit of the 2013–14 Maidan revolution, which ushered in the present moment in Ukraine’s turbulent history, continues to inspire Ukrainians to do the seemingly impossible: effect a major economic and political transition while fending off military aggression. That may have something to do with three distinctive features of the Maidan revolution — three keys to its success — that will have a lot to do with whether the promise of a free and prosperous Ukraine is realized in the next 25 years.</p>
<p>In a world in which the word “populism” is typically misused, or used in so many different ways as to become virtually meaningless, the Maidan revolution of dignity was a genuinely populist phenomenon: It was a a people’s revolt, in which brave men and women asserted their dignity and rights as citizens, not subjects. And in doing so, they took a giant first step toward exorcising the demon of Homo sovieticus — the thwarted and stunted human personality created by Communism — and putting it behind them. As one brave Ukrainian said during those freezing days in Kyiv when he and thousands of others faced down Russian snipers, “We came to the Maidan looking for Europe” — protesting their government’s decision to back off from an agreement to accelerate accession to the European Union — “and we found Ukraine.” Meaning, I think, that he and tens of thousands of others found themselves as free and responsible agents, protagonists of their own history and destiny, rather than subjects, and often victims, of authoritarian government. That sense of dignity was crucial to the success of the Maidan, and it will be crucial to Ukraine’s future.</p>
<p>Second, in a country too often riven by inter-faith conflict, the Maidan revolution was genuinely ecumenical and inter-religious. People who previously could not imagine themselves working in harness found a new solidarity in living in the truth, and in putting their lives on the line for the truth about their rights as citizens. And out of this may come something of real consequence for the future of those parts of Europe where the Orthodox theological heritage dominates the religious landscape. The new cooperation and conversation between the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and those Ukrainian Orthodox communities that have disentangled themselves from the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow (a scandalous mouthpiece for the Kremlin on Ukrainian affairs these past several years) may open the path to a development of real consequence in Eastern Christianity: an Orthodox theory of civil society and democracy, including an Orthodox theory of Church and state in which the Church does not function as chaplain to the czar (in whatever guise he appears).</p>
<p>And third, at a moment when the fantastic propaganda apparatus of Vladimir Putin’s Russia was rewriting the history of the eastern Slavs in order to advance a Russian neo-imperial agenda (or, if you prefer, a revanchist KGB agenda), the Maidan asserted the truth of Ukraine’s distinctive cultural heritage, inserted that heritage into the idea of “Europe” in a powerful way that resonated with people of conscience throughout the West, and thereby falsified a Russian expropriation of the entire history of the eastern Slavs: a mythology that has a lot to do with Russians’ own demons, which have been used by Putin in a cynical and sinister way.</p>
<p>What do these three “keys” to the Maidan’s success suggest about the next 25 years?</p>
<p>The genuine populism of the Maidan must now be transformed into the practice of responsible governance — perhaps the hardest of tasks in any democratic transition. Some of those who were Maidan activists have gone into the Ukrainian parliament; others have remained in civil society, working energetically for its ongoing renewal. These two vocational options must be seen as mutually reinforcing. Those who made the revolution but have not gone into government justifiably claim the right to hold Ukraine’s new leadership, which they made possible, accountable to the promises of a radically different Ukrainian future. Those who have gone into government would be well advised to stay in close touch with the base, and with the convictions, that made their new positions possible.</p>
<p>As for the new ecumenical and inter-religious cooperation that was born in the experience of the Maidan, it should be seen as a crucial resource for the future. The fragile but hopeful public moral culture that was born in those epic days and that has been growing ever since is not going to be nurtured by a widespread public enthusiasm for the political philosophy of John Rawls. And it certainly won’t be sustained by any notion that Ukraine must imitate French laïcité in order to be truly democratic. And so the continued conversation and cooperation of the Greek Catholic Church and the non-Moscow-subservient Orthodox Churches, and of the Christian communities with their Jewish and Muslim fellow citizens (the latter being especially crucial in reversing the annexation of Crimea and reintegrating it into a free Ukraine), is going to be essential in the continued strengthening of Ukrainian civil society, and in providing the spiritual and moral resources necessary to resist the temptations to despair that beset all programs of political and social reform — especially one as comprehensive as that required in Ukraine.</p>
<p>And, in the third place, Russia’s false narrative of the history and destiny of the eastern Slavs as one in which all others must resign themselves to living under Muscovite hegemony must be constantly challenged and rebutted, especially in the West. It would be a great help in that task of public mental health if Western political leaders, or wannabe political leaders, would cease and desist from describing Vladimir Putin as a strong leader who gets things done. What Putin has gotten done is to build a kleptocratic Mafia state on top of a crumbling civil society while murdering his opponents with impunity and using an acquiescent Russian Orthodox Church leadership to provide ideological cover for the entire enterprise. This is shameful in itself; it is even more shameful when it is left unanswered and unchallenged by Western political and religious leaders.</p>
<p>The success of Ukraine’s next 25 years might also have a salutary rebound effect in the West. If the West can climb out of the sandbox of self-absorption in which it finds itself, it may find in Ukraine’s struggle to build a free and prosperous future an inspiration to reclaim what is best in the Western political tradition — and in doing so, the West can find one set of tools for countering Putin’s ideological aggression, focused as it is on the West’s alleged decadence.</p>
<p>But this will not happen if Putin succeeds in reducing Ukraine, through chronic low-grade war or something more kinetic and dramatic, into a vassal state. One would have thought that the lessons of leaving such aggression unchecked had been learned in the mid 20th century. When civilizational neighbors who share our commitments to human rights and democracy ask for help in defending themselves, they deserve something more than blankets. The West has a moral as well as strategic responsibility to provide Ukraine with the weaponry it needs to defend itself against various forms of Russian aggression.</p>
<p>And finally: Might I suggest that at least some of the key points here — including the questions “Is Ukraine part of the transatlantic alliance as you understand it?” and “What say ye of Putin?” — be constantly pressed on the two principal candidates for the presidency over the next seven and a half weeks?&#160;A failure to do so would be, in a word, deplorable, and a failure to answer forthrightly would brand our would-be leaders as losers.</p>
<p>— George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies. This article is adapted from remarks delivered on September 14 at a conference at the U.S. Capitol, “Ukraine at 25 — Winning the Battle for Freedom,” organized by the U.S.–Ukraine Foundation.</p> | false | 1 | ukraine marked silver anniversary independence last month rugged 25 years last two half exceptionally tough russia clearly never accepted fact independent ukrainian state muscovite vassal made first stab realizing imperial ambitions invading occupying annexing crimea blatant defiance budapest memorandum 1994 guaranteed ukraines borders exchange ridding nuclear weapons following reversion politics anschluss moscow local minions conducted donbass region eastern ukraine war cost almost 10000 lives internally displacing 15 million people occasional bleats notwithstanding west largely stood aggression even ukraine attempts defend seeing acrosstheboard reforms legal system state bureaucracy constitutional arrangements economy yet somehow spirit 201314 maidan revolution ushered present moment ukraines turbulent history continues inspire ukrainians seemingly impossible effect major economic political transition fending military aggression may something three distinctive features maidan revolution three keys success lot whether promise free prosperous ukraine realized next 25 years world word populism typically misused used many different ways become virtually meaningless maidan revolution dignity genuinely populist phenomenon peoples revolt brave men women asserted dignity rights citizens subjects took giant first step toward exorcising demon homo sovieticus thwarted stunted human personality created communism putting behind one brave ukrainian said freezing days kyiv thousands others faced russian snipers came maidan looking europe protesting governments decision back agreement accelerate accession european union found ukraine meaning think tens thousands others found free responsible agents protagonists history destiny rather subjects often victims authoritarian government sense dignity crucial success maidan crucial ukraines future second country often riven interfaith conflict maidan revolution genuinely ecumenical interreligious people previously could imagine working harness found new solidarity living truth putting lives line truth rights citizens may come something real consequence future parts europe orthodox theological heritage dominates religious landscape new cooperation conversation ukrainian greek catholic church ukrainian orthodox communities disentangled russian orthodox patriarchate moscow scandalous mouthpiece kremlin ukrainian affairs past several years may open path development real consequence eastern christianity orthodox theory civil society democracy including orthodox theory church state church function chaplain czar whatever guise appears third moment fantastic propaganda apparatus vladimir putins russia rewriting history eastern slavs order advance russian neoimperial agenda prefer revanchist kgb agenda maidan asserted truth ukraines distinctive cultural heritage inserted heritage idea europe powerful way resonated people conscience throughout west thereby falsified russian expropriation entire history eastern slavs mythology lot russians demons used putin cynical sinister way three keys maidans success suggest next 25 years genuine populism maidan must transformed practice responsible governance perhaps hardest tasks democratic transition maidan activists gone ukrainian parliament others remained civil society working energetically ongoing renewal two vocational options must seen mutually reinforcing made revolution gone government justifiably claim right hold ukraines new leadership made possible accountable promises radically different ukrainian future gone government would well advised stay close touch base convictions made new positions possible new ecumenical interreligious cooperation born experience maidan seen crucial resource future fragile hopeful public moral culture born epic days growing ever since going nurtured widespread public enthusiasm political philosophy john rawls certainly wont sustained notion ukraine must imitate french laïcité order truly democratic continued conversation cooperation greek catholic church nonmoscowsubservient orthodox churches christian communities jewish muslim fellow citizens latter especially crucial reversing annexation crimea reintegrating free ukraine going essential continued strengthening ukrainian civil society providing spiritual moral resources necessary resist temptations despair beset programs political social reform especially one comprehensive required ukraine third place russias false narrative history destiny eastern slavs one others must resign living muscovite hegemony must constantly challenged rebutted especially west would great help task public mental health western political leaders wannabe political leaders would cease desist describing vladimir putin strong leader gets things done putin gotten done build kleptocratic mafia state top crumbling civil society murdering opponents impunity using acquiescent russian orthodox church leadership provide ideological cover entire enterprise shameful even shameful left unanswered unchallenged western political religious leaders success ukraines next 25 years might also salutary rebound effect west west climb sandbox selfabsorption finds may find ukraines struggle build free prosperous future inspiration reclaim best western political tradition west find one set tools countering putins ideological aggression focused wests alleged decadence happen putin succeeds reducing ukraine chronic lowgrade war something kinetic dramatic vassal state one would thought lessons leaving aggression unchecked learned mid 20th century civilizational neighbors share commitments human rights democracy ask help defending deserve something blankets west moral well strategic responsibility provide ukraine weaponry needs defend various forms russian aggression finally might suggest least key points including questions ukraine part transatlantic alliance understand say ye putin constantly pressed two principal candidates presidency next seven half weeks160a failure would word deplorable failure answer forthrightly would brand wouldbe leaders losers george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center holds william e simon chair catholic studies article adapted remarks delivered september 14 conference us capitol ukraine 25 winning battle freedom organized usukraine foundation | 791 |
<p>In his 1994 State of the Union <a href="http://www.crisny.org/government/us/us.sotu94.html" type="external">address</a>, President Bill Clinton waved his pen at the Democratic-controlled Congress and said he would veto any health-care-reform bill that did not “guarantee” the right to health insurance for every American. The threat worked. Congress didn't send him a bill he would have to veto — or any reform bill at all, for that matter.</p>
<p>Then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, heading up her husband's health-care task force, undoubtedly had a hand in that disastrous 1994 line in the sand. Now that she is running for president, she says she has learned her lesson. But has she? It hasn't seemed so over the last two months on the campaign trail, as the take-no-prisoners rhetoric and finger-pointing ultimatums have returned with a vengeance.</p>
<p>The 1994 effort was a debacle of biblical proportions for the Democratic party. To win the presidency, everyone assumed Hillary Clinton would need to erase memories of her flawed leadership of that catastrophe. And doing so would mean showing voters she had the capacity for a different kind of leadership, one based on openness to the private sector, appreciation for the complexity of the task, and policy flexibility — not 1990's style war-rooms and the promised destruction of opponents with differing views.</p>
<p>For a time last fall, it seemed as if Clinton understood she had an image problem that needed correcting. In announcing her new plan for health care, she stressed choice and pluralism. She claimed — falsely — that under her plan no one would be forced to drop the coverage they have today if they were happy with it. She suggested the plan is built on general principles, not detailed legislative particulars, and she pledged to work with Congress to formulate a workable compromise. She even endorsed Republican-sounding tax credits to bolster her claimed support of more private health insurance options.</p>
<p>Conservatives, of course, never believed for a minute that her overall goal had changed, and rightly so. Her plan is cleverly drawn, but a careful <a href="http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDMyZDNkZmE0MmYxOTE4YjNiOWY4NjMwNzcyNGY3YjA" type="external">reading</a> shows it would lead to a government takeover. Still, there was no denying a change in salesmanship.</p>
<p>The only problem was that the new, seemingly more open-minded Clinton didn't work — politically, that is. She lost her frontrunner status for the Democratic presidential nomination and a slew of caucuses and primaries to Senator Barack Obama. It turns out that he, too, had a health-care plan he was touting, one that isn't all that different from hers. And he had already cornered the market of voters interested in promises of consensus-building leadership.</p>
<p>In recent weeks, in a last-ditch attempt to draw clearer distinctions with Obama, Clinton has done what comes naturally to her, promising, that if elected, she will again lead a no-holds-barred campaign to defeat any and all opponents who stand in her way on health care. And, just like her husband did in 1994, she has defined the fight as a struggle between those who support “universal coverage” and those who don't.</p>
<p>Of course, it is convenient, and not a coincidence, that Obama is on the wrong side in this fight, as Clinton describes it. He has refused to endorse the provision which Clinton argues is the non-negotiable foundation of Democratic health-care orthodoxy: mandatory enrollment by every American in government-approved health insurance. Clinton has virtually accused Obama of heresy for daring to defy a tenet of the universal-coverage church.</p>
<p>In response to Clinton's attacks, Obama has pointed out that such a mandate would hurt exactly those households a “universal” health-care plan is supposed to help — low-wage families who can't afford private coverage but who are ineligible for public programs. It would seem these families would be forced into a choice between bad and worse with the Clinton mandate. Either they pay premiums for coverage they cannot afford and forego other necessary goods and services for their family, or they pay a lesser financial penalty to save some money but still go without coverage. Either way, they are worse off financially than they are today.</p>
<p>But that's exactly the dilemma Clinton wants to force onto the public agenda. She understands that mandatory insurance enrollment would be the engine for a health-care train with many more cars attached to it, and these would inevitably shift the balance of political pressures toward a government-run system.</p>
<p>It's not difficult to see her logic. If the government requires everyone to have insurance, it will quickly become incumbent on politicians to make sure there are “affordable” options for everyone too, based on ability to pay. For a time, that might be accomplished with lavish new subsidies, which Clinton promises in her plan. But, if costs continue to escalate rapidly (as they would under her approach), pressure would build for predictable and reliable controls, as neither the government nor households could manage indefinitely with premium increases far exceeding wage gains. Inevitably, the federal government would respond to escalating costs the same way it has tried to reign in Medicare spending, with elaborate payment schedules, price setting, and heavy-handed regulation aimed at artificially lowering costs and limiting the supply of services.</p>
<p>Clinton has argued that her plan will slow cost escalation without price fixing. It would not. She proposes to invest in more widespread use of health information technology and fund research into what works and doesn't in health-care delivery. These proposals, which most Republicans also support, may result in some modest easing of cost pressures, but no credible expert believes they are a real answer to the larger problem, and certainly they would not be enough to offset the substantial new costs associated with a universal system of health-insurance subsidies.</p>
<p>To slow rapid cost escalation, there really are only two choices. The first would have the United States go the way of Europe and Canada, with all that would mean for reduced access, lower quality, and less innovation.</p>
<p>But there is a better way. A second option would have the government adopt policies that promote a functional marketplace, with cost-conscious consumers selecting from among numerous offerings of insurance and services based on price and quality competition. In time, such competition would increase productivity, improve the quality of services provided to patients, and ease cost pressure, making insurance more affordable for those who want coverage.</p>
<p>Clinton has made it abundantly clear which approach to cost control she favors. Her 1994 plan sought to impose “premium caps” on insurance, which would have quickly become price controls for hospitals, physicians, and products. She staunchly opposed the 2003 Medicare drug bill because it relies heavily on price competition and private insurance. And she frequently rails against “privatization schemes.” There should be no doubt that, once in power, she would couple her mandate to buy insurance with significant new government power to impose cost constraint.</p>
<p>Just like 1994, Clinton wants to frame the choice for the country as between universal coverage, or not. She failed last time because the country was presented with overwhelming evidence that the real choice was between a government-run system and one based on individual choice and competition. The lesson she appears to have learned from that episode is to do all she can to hide her true intentions.</p>
<p>—&#160;James C. Capretta is a fellow at the <a href="" type="internal">Ethics and Public Policy Center</a> and a health policy and research consultant.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | false | 1 | 1994 state union address president bill clinton waved pen democraticcontrolled congress said would veto healthcarereform bill guarantee right health insurance every american threat worked congress didnt send bill would veto reform bill matter thenfirst lady hillary clinton heading husbands healthcare task force undoubtedly hand disastrous 1994 line sand running president says learned lesson hasnt seemed last two months campaign trail takenoprisoners rhetoric fingerpointing ultimatums returned vengeance 1994 effort debacle biblical proportions democratic party win presidency everyone assumed hillary clinton would need erase memories flawed leadership catastrophe would mean showing voters capacity different kind leadership one based openness private sector appreciation complexity task policy flexibility 1990s style warrooms promised destruction opponents differing views time last fall seemed clinton understood image problem needed correcting announcing new plan health care stressed choice pluralism claimed falsely plan one would forced drop coverage today happy suggested plan built general principles detailed legislative particulars pledged work congress formulate workable compromise even endorsed republicansounding tax credits bolster claimed support private health insurance options conservatives course never believed minute overall goal changed rightly plan cleverly drawn careful reading shows would lead government takeover still denying change salesmanship problem new seemingly openminded clinton didnt work politically lost frontrunner status democratic presidential nomination slew caucuses primaries senator barack obama turns healthcare plan touting one isnt different already cornered market voters interested promises consensusbuilding leadership recent weeks lastditch attempt draw clearer distinctions obama clinton done comes naturally promising elected lead noholdsbarred campaign defeat opponents stand way health care like husband 1994 defined fight struggle support universal coverage dont course convenient coincidence obama wrong side fight clinton describes refused endorse provision clinton argues nonnegotiable foundation democratic healthcare orthodoxy mandatory enrollment every american governmentapproved health insurance clinton virtually accused obama heresy daring defy tenet universalcoverage church response clintons attacks obama pointed mandate would hurt exactly households universal healthcare plan supposed help lowwage families cant afford private coverage ineligible public programs would seem families would forced choice bad worse clinton mandate either pay premiums coverage afford forego necessary goods services family pay lesser financial penalty save money still go without coverage either way worse financially today thats exactly dilemma clinton wants force onto public agenda understands mandatory insurance enrollment would engine healthcare train many cars attached would inevitably shift balance political pressures toward governmentrun system difficult see logic government requires everyone insurance quickly become incumbent politicians make sure affordable options everyone based ability pay time might accomplished lavish new subsidies clinton promises plan costs continue escalate rapidly would approach pressure would build predictable reliable controls neither government households could manage indefinitely premium increases far exceeding wage gains inevitably federal government would respond escalating costs way tried reign medicare spending elaborate payment schedules price setting heavyhanded regulation aimed artificially lowering costs limiting supply services clinton argued plan slow cost escalation without price fixing would proposes invest widespread use health information technology fund research works doesnt healthcare delivery proposals republicans also support may result modest easing cost pressures credible expert believes real answer larger problem certainly would enough offset substantial new costs associated universal system healthinsurance subsidies slow rapid cost escalation really two choices first would united states go way europe canada would mean reduced access lower quality less innovation better way second option would government adopt policies promote functional marketplace costconscious consumers selecting among numerous offerings insurance services based price quality competition time competition would increase productivity improve quality services provided patients ease cost pressure making insurance affordable want coverage clinton made abundantly clear approach cost control favors 1994 plan sought impose premium caps insurance would quickly become price controls hospitals physicians products staunchly opposed 2003 medicare drug bill relies heavily price competition private insurance frequently rails privatization schemes doubt power would couple mandate buy insurance significant new government power impose cost constraint like 1994 clinton wants frame choice country universal coverage failed last time country presented overwhelming evidence real choice governmentrun system one based individual choice competition lesson appears learned episode hide true intentions 160james c capretta fellow ethics public policy center health policy research consultant 160 | 673 |
<p>Your Excellency, Bishop Rueger; Sister Paulette Gardner and distinguished members of the board of trustees; President McGarry and members of the faculty; Dr. Rose Clarisse Gadoury; Dr. Barry Moser; parents and families of the graduates; my fellow-members of the class of 2001 of Anna Maria College:</p>
<p>Thank you very much for honoring my work with the gift of a degree, and with the invitation to deliver this commencement address. Thank you, my fellow-graduates, for allowing me to share this keystone day in your lives.</p>
<p>President McGarry has instructed me to “let your humor show”—I suppose on the theory, entirely correct, that certain solemn occasions are not meant for unrelieved solemnity. So let me begin with a true story.</p>
<p>Shortly after Pope John Paul II had left our country in 1995 after visiting New York, Brooklyn, and Baltimore, I was at dinner with the Holy Father in Rome. He asked me how I thought his American pilgrimage had gone. I replied, “Holy Father, I have a friend and colleague who’s a leading figure in the Southern Baptist Convention. He’s also from East Texas. Shortly after you left our country he called me and said, “Down where Ah come from, we say, ‘You folks have fahn’ly got yo’selves a Pope who knows how to pope’.” The Holy Father, who speaks eight languages fluently, was utterly baffled—until I explained that in east Texan, which is a dialect of Texan, which is a dialect of Standard English, “pope” is both a noun and a verb. At which point the 263rd successor to St. Peter dissolved in laughter.</p>
<p>For almost twenty-three years now, we have all been privileged to live at the same historical moment as John Paul II. Most of you, members of the class of 2001 at Anna Maria College, have no memory of any other pope in your lives. Those of us whose memories go back much farther know that no pope in our lifetimes—perhaps no pope in centuries—has left such an imprint on history. But even that, I suggest, does not take the full measure of the man whom future generations will know as “John Paul the Great.” Perhaps baseball helps.</p>
<p>In the most compelling baseball book ever written, The Boys of Summer, Roger Kahn described the legendary Jackie Robinson in these terms: “Like a few, very few athletes…[Jackie] Robinson did not merely play at center stage. He was center stage; and wherever he walked, center stage moved with him.”</p>
<p>In the same way, Pope John Paul II has not simply left an imprint on history. He is history, and where he goes, as we saw most recently in Greece and Damascus, history moves with him—and history is changed because of his presence.</p>
<p>How does this happen? Not simply because the Pope has a winsome personality—although he surely has that. And not just because he has an acute mind—although he certainly has that, too. No, his impact on history—his singular capacity to be history, to embody the history of his times as only one other man, Winston Churchill, did during the last century—is the result of his faith, his convictions, and his commitments: in a word, his impact on history is a result of his discipleship.</p>
<p>Are there lessons to be learned from that discipleship for you who will shape the twenty-first century? I think so. Let me suggest three such lessons, by way of my graduation present to you on this landmark day.</p>
<p>John Paul II lives an intense sense of vocation that has implications for all of us. In the Catholic Church today we still use the word “vocation” as if it applies primarily, or even solely, to priests and nuns. The Pope, who is certainly committed to the crucial importance of the ordained priesthood and consecrated religious life in the Church, disagrees. In his mind, and according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, every baptized Christian has a vocation: a singular, unique place in the cosmic drama of God’s creative and redemptive purposes.</p>
<p>Each one of us, the Pope believes, is an actor in a drama with eternal consequences. And each one of us has a distinctive role to play in that drama.</p>
<p>It’s interesting to remember that John Paul II, as a young man, struggled—really struggled—to discern his vocation, his unique place in God’s scheme of things. He was intensely attracted to the theater. He had the normal social life of a young man of his time, including serious friendships with both young women and young men. When he began his university studies, he certainly intended to live his life as a committed Christian, but he thought he would do that as a layman: an actor or writer or director in the theater, perhaps later a professor of language. It was only after an intense period of reflection and prayer that he came to a different understanding: that God had chosen him for the priesthood, and that to that being-chosen there could only be one answer.</p>
<p>How very different the history of our times would have been, had young Karol Wojty a not taken seriously the question of where and how God wanted him to “play” within the drama of history.</p>
<p>That’s the kind of seriousness of purpose that all of us can learn from John Paul II. Many of you will enter the world of work after this graduation; others of you will continue your studies. No matter what you will be doing tomorrow, or new week, or next September, however, there is a lesson for you in the life of John Paul II: don’t think of your life simply as a “career.” Think of your life as a vocation.</p>
<p>God has something unique in mind for each of you. There is something singular that each one of you brings to the making of history. Think of your lives in those terms, and you’ll never fall prey to the most deadening of temptations: the temptation of boredom. Think of the example of Blessed Marie Anne Blondin, foundress of the Sisters of St. Anne and thus the spiritual mother of this college, and you will learn that even the pain of living vocationally can be transformed, by faith, into happiness and joy.</p>
<p>In the second place, we can all learn something from the Pope’s conviction that life is dramatic. When John Paul thinks of “the human drama,” he’s not thinking only in grand, sweeping, historical terms. He’s thinking very individually, very concretely.</p>
<p>In his recent apostolic letter closing the Great Jubilee of 2000, the Holy Father reflected on his experience of standing in the window of the papal apartment, watching long lines of pilgrims, day after day, waiting their turn to go through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s. Each one of those lives, the Pope writes, represented a unique encounter with Christ, a unique story—a unique drama.</p>
<p>Each of us, John Paul teaches, lives a life that is structured like a drama. Why? Because each one of us lives, every day, in the gap between the person I am today and the person I ought to be. That’s a dramatic situation. Closing that gap—becoming more the person I ought to be—is the drama of daily life.</p>
<p>Those of you who have visited London know that, on the Underground, the London</p>
<p>subway, there are endless signs admonishing riders to “Mind the gap!”—the space between the subway car and the edge of the platform. As I told a group of priests in London two months ago, “Mind the gap!” is in fact the story of all our lives, not just our lives on the subway. And we’re not simply to “mind” the gap;” we’re to close the “gap” between who we are today, and who we really ought to be. That’s what it means to grow as a human being. That’s what it means to become an adult—and then to keep on growing.</p>
<p>This profound conviction about the drama of every human life is what allowed John Paul II to say, in Fatima, on May 13, 1982—one year to the day after he was shot down in his front yard, St. Peter’s Square—“In the designs of Providence, there are no mere coincidences.” Nothing is just “coincidental.” Everything counts. Everyone counts. In John Paul II’s dramatic understanding of our lives, every person we meet, every situation in which we find ourselves, is an encounter or a scene in the drama of life: the great cosmic drama in which our individual lives are playing, and the unique drama that is each one of us.</p>
<p>So the second lesson we learn from John Paul II is to “mind the gap:” to live our lives fully and intensely, because each of us is capable of moral grandeur. Each of you, members of the class of 2001, is capable of moral greatness. Some of you will go on to do great things, as the world measures “greatness.” But all of you are capable of greatness in the most noble, the most deeply human sense of the term: you can be the person of moral conviction and purpose and goodness that you were made to be—the person that you must be, if you’re to fulfill your destiny.</p>
<p>Finally, let me suggest that there is a profound lesson for the members of this graduating class in John Paul II’s age, and indeed in his physical difficulties of recent years.</p>
<p>This may sound peculiar. You are young. He is old. You are vigorous. He, once a great sportsman—a daredevil skier, a man who could hike for hours on end, a kayaker and hockey player—now walks in pain and with difficulty. The Pope often treats his infirmities with the medicine of humor. A few months after he had had his not-altogether-successful hip-replacement surgery, I asked him, “Holy Father, how are you feeling?” “Neck down, not so good,” he immediately shot back. But it’s not simply his ability to laugh at his difficulties that commends John Paul, in his old age, to you who are young.</p>
<p>In a culture which tempts us to think of people as disposable when they become burdensome, or troubling, or inconvenient, John Paul II is teaching us—not just with words, but by a powerful example—that there are no “disposable” people. Human beings are not problems to be solved—or, in the case of the inconvenient unborn or the burdensome elderly, problems to be dismissed through the technological fixes of abortion or euthanasia.</p>
<p>Every human life is of consequence. Every human life has inherent, built-in, inextinguishable dignity. Every human life has infinite value. That is what John Paul II teaches us when he walks, in pain, in the footsteps of Jesus and St. Paul, in the Holy Land, in Damascus, in Greece. That is the truth he embodies when he returns insults with affection, when he acts on the belief that even those most filled with hate can become, once again, capable of decency.</p>
<p>There are no “ordinary” people: that is the third great lesson to be drawn from the life of John Paul II. You have never met, played, studied, or argued with a “mere mortal,” C.S. Lewis reminds us. Every one you have met in your life—every one you will meet in the years ahead—is someone with a dignity beyond measure. Everyone you will ever meet is a someone with an eternal destiny. To live that truth is to live life at its most bracingly, engagingly, thrillingly human. To live that truth is to live life as the adventure that God intended it to be from the beginning.</p>
<p>That is the kind of life for which Anna Maria College has prepared you, for that is what Catholic higher education is for: the preparation of vocationally serious men and women for whom faith and reason meet in one foundational conviction— that every human life is, by definition, extraordinary. That was the conviction of Blessed Marie Anne Blondin; that is the conviction on which this college can and must build its future.</p>
<p>In living out that conviction by preparing men and women whose competence is enhanced by their character, the Catholic colleges and universities of the United States are performing an immense public service. For our freedom depends, in the final analysis, on the content of our character as a people.</p>
<p>Only a people of character will be able to understand that freedom is not a matter of doing what we like, but of having the right to do what we ought.</p>
<p>Only a people of character will be able to build community out of the materials of diversity.</p>
<p>Only a people of character will know how to deploy the explosion of knowledge in the life sciences so that the biotechnologies of the future serve the ends of genuine healing, rather than leading us into a brave new world of stunted humanity.</p>
<p>Only a people of character will be able to defend freedom in the world by defending the human rights of all, especially the first human right of religious freedom.</p>
<p>By preparing those kinds of citizens, Catholic colleges and universities today are defending the truth that Thomas Jefferson inscribed in the birth-certificate of American independence: that our freedom rests on self-evident moral truths about human beings, our origins, and our destiny.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your graduation. Permit me a last suggestion: take a moment, on this happy day, to thank those who have brought you to this moment of celebration and transition— your parents and grandparents, your teachers, the administrators of this college. And in thanking them, make a quiet promise to yourself that you will be as generous with others as these men and women have been with you.</p>
<p>In the years before you, think back sometimes, perhaps often, on what it meant to have earned your baccalaureate degree at a time when a Christian giant—John Paul II—walked the earth. And learn from him the truth that he has preached: that each of you, because of the grace of God in Christ, is an extraordinary person with a destiny greater than your imagining.</p>
<p>Godspeed on your journey.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | excellency bishop rueger sister paulette gardner distinguished members board trustees president mcgarry members faculty dr rose clarisse gadoury dr barry moser parents families graduates fellowmembers class 2001 anna maria college thank much honoring work gift degree invitation deliver commencement address thank fellowgraduates allowing share keystone day lives president mcgarry instructed let humor showi suppose theory entirely correct certain solemn occasions meant unrelieved solemnity let begin true story shortly pope john paul ii left country 1995 visiting new york brooklyn baltimore dinner holy father rome asked thought american pilgrimage gone replied holy father friend colleague whos leading figure southern baptist convention hes also east texas shortly left country called said ah come say folks fahnly got yoselves pope knows pope holy father speaks eight languages fluently utterly baffleduntil explained east texan dialect texan dialect standard english pope noun verb point 263rd successor st peter dissolved laughter almost twentythree years privileged live historical moment john paul ii members class 2001 anna maria college memory pope lives us whose memories go back much farther know pope lifetimesperhaps pope centurieshas left imprint history even suggest take full measure man future generations know john paul great perhaps baseball helps compelling baseball book ever written boys summer roger kahn described legendary jackie robinson terms like athletesjackie robinson merely play center stage center stage wherever walked center stage moved way pope john paul ii simply left imprint history history goes saw recently greece damascus history moves himand history changed presence happen simply pope winsome personalityalthough surely acute mindalthough certainly impact historyhis singular capacity history embody history times one man winston churchill last centuryis result faith convictions commitments word impact history result discipleship lessons learned discipleship shape twentyfirst century think let suggest three lessons way graduation present landmark day john paul ii lives intense sense vocation implications us catholic church today still use word vocation applies primarily even solely priests nuns pope certainly committed crucial importance ordained priesthood consecrated religious life church disagrees mind according teaching second vatican council every baptized christian vocation singular unique place cosmic drama gods creative redemptive purposes one us pope believes actor drama eternal consequences one us distinctive role play drama interesting remember john paul ii young man struggledreally struggledto discern vocation unique place gods scheme things intensely attracted theater normal social life young man time including serious friendships young women young men began university studies certainly intended live life committed christian thought would layman actor writer director theater perhaps later professor language intense period reflection prayer came different understanding god chosen priesthood beingchosen could one answer different history times would young karol wojty taken seriously question god wanted play within drama history thats kind seriousness purpose us learn john paul ii many enter world work graduation others continue studies matter tomorrow new week next september however lesson life john paul ii dont think life simply career think life vocation god something unique mind something singular one brings making history think lives terms youll never fall prey deadening temptations temptation boredom think example blessed marie anne blondin foundress sisters st anne thus spiritual mother college learn even pain living vocationally transformed faith happiness joy second place learn something popes conviction life dramatic john paul thinks human drama hes thinking grand sweeping historical terms hes thinking individually concretely recent apostolic letter closing great jubilee 2000 holy father reflected experience standing window papal apartment watching long lines pilgrims day day waiting turn go holy door st peters one lives pope writes represented unique encounter christ unique storya unique drama us john paul teaches lives life structured like drama one us lives every day gap person today person ought thats dramatic situation closing gapbecoming person ought beis drama daily life visited london know underground london subway endless signs admonishing riders mind gapthe space subway car edge platform told group priests london two months ago mind gap fact story lives lives subway simply mind gap close gap today really ought thats means grow human thats means become adultand keep growing profound conviction drama every human life allowed john paul ii say fatima may 13 1982one year day shot front yard st peters squarein designs providence mere coincidences nothing coincidental everything counts everyone counts john paul iis dramatic understanding lives every person meet every situation find encounter scene drama life great cosmic drama individual lives playing unique drama one us second lesson learn john paul ii mind gap live lives fully intensely us capable moral grandeur members class 2001 capable moral greatness go great things world measures greatness capable greatness noble deeply human sense term person moral conviction purpose goodness made bethe person must youre fulfill destiny finally let suggest profound lesson members graduating class john paul iis age indeed physical difficulties recent years may sound peculiar young old vigorous great sportsmana daredevil skier man could hike hours end kayaker hockey playernow walks pain difficulty pope often treats infirmities medicine humor months notaltogethersuccessful hipreplacement surgery asked holy father feeling neck good immediately shot back simply ability laugh difficulties commends john paul old age young culture tempts us think people disposable become burdensome troubling inconvenient john paul ii teaching usnot words powerful examplethat disposable people human beings problems solvedor case inconvenient unborn burdensome elderly problems dismissed technological fixes abortion euthanasia every human life consequence every human life inherent builtin inextinguishable dignity every human life infinite value john paul ii teaches us walks pain footsteps jesus st paul holy land damascus greece truth embodies returns insults affection acts belief even filled hate become capable decency ordinary people third great lesson drawn life john paul ii never met played studied argued mere mortal cs lewis reminds us every one met lifeevery one meet years aheadis someone dignity beyond measure everyone ever meet someone eternal destiny live truth live life bracingly engagingly thrillingly human live truth live life adventure god intended beginning kind life anna maria college prepared catholic higher education preparation vocationally serious men women faith reason meet one foundational conviction every human life definition extraordinary conviction blessed marie anne blondin conviction college must build future living conviction preparing men women whose competence enhanced character catholic colleges universities united states performing immense public service freedom depends final analysis content character people people character able understand freedom matter like right ought people character able build community materials diversity people character know deploy explosion knowledge life sciences biotechnologies future serve ends genuine healing rather leading us brave new world stunted humanity people character able defend freedom world defending human rights especially first human right religious freedom preparing kinds citizens catholic colleges universities today defending truth thomas jefferson inscribed birthcertificate american independence freedom rests selfevident moral truths human beings origins destiny congratulations graduation permit last suggestion take moment happy day thank brought moment celebration transition parents grandparents teachers administrators college thanking make quiet promise generous others men women years think back sometimes perhaps often meant earned baccalaureate degree time christian giantjohn paul iiwalked earth learn truth preached grace god christ extraordinary person destiny greater imagining godspeed journey george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 1,182 |
<p>Synch licensing has edged past mechanical as source of songwriter revenue, according to National Music Publishers Association president and CEO <a href="http://variety.com/tag/david-israelite/" type="external">David Israelite</a>, who pegged the U.S. publishing and songwriting industry at $2.652 billion as of 2016, almost a 20% jump since 2014. But the boom is creating a world of haves and have-nots, with large companies trying to edge the songwriters out of the picture.</p>
<p>Speaking at a keynote session at the 2017 <a href="http://variety.com/tag/production-music-conference/" type="external">Production Music Conference</a> at the Loews Hollywood Hotel&#160;Thursday, Israelite rallied the 600 attendees – mostly songwriters and publishers – to fight for their rights and the value of their work. Quoting&#160; <a href="http://variety.com/2017/music/news/networks-music-composers-shake-down-guest-column-1202581674/" type="external">a&#160;guest column that appeared that day in Variety</a>, Israelite slammed studios and networks for what he called the increasingly common practice of demanding ownership stakes as a condition for licensing music. “You’re basically being put in a situation that is blackmail,” he said. “Our best weapon is sunlight, exposure, public pressure on these companies that are asking creators to pretend that somehow the motion picture studio or network had anything to do with the creative process, and therefore deserves any of the downstream performance money.”</p>
<p>Some companies are even trying to force title changes to support “the false narrative that somehow they were part of creating it.” In the face of such pressure, creators must fight back. “We’re in a battle over the value of music. We’ve been in that battle for a long time, it’s had its ups and down. It’s a battle that will never end.” And one being waged at fever pitch now that the pot is sweetened with a prize of increasing value. Prices paid for song libraries have spiked recently as the music industry once again seems to have a future. Much of the growth is coming from alternative sources</p>
<p>Synch revenue has surpassed mechanical licensing: 21% versus 19%, Israelite noted. “A large part of that is because of the growth of what you all are doing,” he told the group, mostly <a href="http://variety.com/tag/production-music-association/" type="external">Production Music Association</a> members who sell to marketing music for trailers and commercials or background music for television and occasionally films. While much of it is created specifically for those uses, in many cases it’s compositional work created by an artist who has agreed to have it exploited for ancillary use.</p>
<p>The industry is enjoying its found money. “Consumers love lyrics, and as an industry we used to give them away. Now they have real value,” Israelite said. “Amazon put out a list of the top requested lyrics&#160;from [Alexa]&#160;devices, and on YouTube, often the most popular videos are lyric videos, not the official video from the artist.”</p>
<p>Israelite provided a lesson in licensing basics: a performance license is required by artists and labels, while songwriters and publishers require both a performance and something called a “mechanical” license (so-named because the rolls on player pianos “mechanically” reproduced music). Performance licensing governs use of an artist’s recording of a song, and accounts for the majority of publishing revenue, 65%. “Record labels have been very successful in the free market, getting fair value for their sound recordings,” he said, indicating some 50% to 60% of the revenue generated by streaming companies goes to labels, “and in some instances, like with Spotify, they’ve taken equity stakes in a company that may go public for $16 billion.” By contrast, songwriter rates are regulated by the government regulation, an odd disconnect.</p>
<p>While digital is sizzling, growth is also coming from “a lot of the traditional sources” television, broadcast radio and cable. “Mechanical, at 19%, is fascinating to me because, as mentioned earlier, you are seeing the near-death of downloads, the continued path toward extinction of physical product, yet we had growth in mechanicals from 2015 to 2016 because of the mechanical part of interactive streaming.” (Streaming revenues for writers are roughly half mechanical and half performance-generated for writers, he noted.)</p>
<p>Israelite predicted growth will continue through 2017. But it’s not all good news. The Washington-based executive called out a “broken” licensing system that makes copyright infringers of those he said would be happy to obtain proper usage if it was easier. “Anyone who enters this space is going to get sued because it’s practically impossible to license content properly. In the old days, when music was physically sold, the record labels would be the ones seeking the mechanical license. “They’d come to us and say ‘We need these 10 songs.’ Today, I have Amazon in my office saying ‘How do we license 40 million songs&#160;tomorrow?’”</p>
<p>He called on the industry to create “a transparent database paid for 100% by the digital companies that use it but managed by creative community.” He lauded competing performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI for their intent to create a joint rights database, but said even that would not be effective without the participation of the smaller, newer PROs, SESAC and GMR.</p>
<p />
<p>Israelite’s talk did not sugarcoat the challenge of smoothing over business relations with the digital giants he made clear are indeed copyright infringers, taking advantage of every loophole in order to avoid or minimize music payments. But given they hold the keys to the music industry’s success, he counseled that they be treated as more than frenemies.</p>
<p>“I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to take songs out of their libraries when we’re in a battle for the hearts and minds of music consumers to&#160;pay&#160;for a music service every month,” the executive warned. “You’ve got YouTube out there for free that pays us crap. You’ve got Spotify that has a free service to the consumer that’s based on ad dollars which, we can debate, does not pay us well. Then there are paid subscriptions that are offered by Apple and Pandora and some by Spotify, and that is what’s going to save our industry.”</p>
<p>Music makers should focus the steps necessary to get more money for their work. “We can fight about the rate, and we should because they’re not paying us enough, but because the licensing system is broken everybody’s talking about the process instead of whether we’re getting paid fairly. This is a situation that needs to be fixed,” he said, urging creatives to “fight about value and work together over how we license.”</p>
<p>He predicts new legislation from Congress over the next few weeks to address critical inequities like the compulsory license (which&#160;originated in&#160;1909) and the 1941 consent decrees (which restrict ASCAP and BMI rates and terms). A more recent obstacle is the Obama administration Department of Justice move to eliminate fractional licensing (which allows multi-party ownership of songs and requires all parties be paid). That battle is winding its way through the courts on appeal.</p>
<p>“It is time to go back to this new administration that may have different views on anti-trust and ask ‘Who needs protection from whom?’ Is it really Google and Apple and Amazon that need protection from the songwriters? Because that’s how the consent decrees are being applied. It’s insane.” But on the bright side, “we as an industry we have turned a corner,”&#160;he said,&#160;from the blight of piracy and shift from ownership to streaming. To maintain growth, “we must challenge our old ways of licensing, break them down and rebuild them in a way that works for the future.</p> | false | 1 | synch licensing edged past mechanical source songwriter revenue according national music publishers association president ceo david israelite pegged us publishing songwriting industry 2652 billion 2016 almost 20 jump since 2014 boom creating world haves havenots large companies trying edge songwriters picture speaking keynote session 2017 production music conference loews hollywood hotel160thursday israelite rallied 600 attendees mostly songwriters publishers fight rights value work quoting160 a160guest column appeared day variety israelite slammed studios networks called increasingly common practice demanding ownership stakes condition licensing music youre basically put situation blackmail said best weapon sunlight exposure public pressure companies asking creators pretend somehow motion picture studio network anything creative process therefore deserves downstream performance money companies even trying force title changes support false narrative somehow part creating face pressure creators must fight back battle value music weve battle long time ups battle never end one waged fever pitch pot sweetened prize increasing value prices paid song libraries spiked recently music industry seems future much growth coming alternative sources synch revenue surpassed mechanical licensing 21 versus 19 israelite noted large part growth told group mostly production music association members sell marketing music trailers commercials background music television occasionally films much created specifically uses many cases compositional work created artist agreed exploited ancillary use industry enjoying found money consumers love lyrics industry used give away real value israelite said amazon put list top requested lyrics160from alexa160devices youtube often popular videos lyric videos official video artist israelite provided lesson licensing basics performance license required artists labels songwriters publishers require performance something called mechanical license sonamed rolls player pianos mechanically reproduced music performance licensing governs use artists recording song accounts majority publishing revenue 65 record labels successful free market getting fair value sound recordings said indicating 50 60 revenue generated streaming companies goes labels instances like spotify theyve taken equity stakes company may go public 16 billion contrast songwriter rates regulated government regulation odd disconnect digital sizzling growth also coming lot traditional sources television broadcast radio cable mechanical 19 fascinating mentioned earlier seeing neardeath downloads continued path toward extinction physical product yet growth mechanicals 2015 2016 mechanical part interactive streaming streaming revenues writers roughly half mechanical half performancegenerated writers noted israelite predicted growth continue 2017 good news washingtonbased executive called broken licensing system makes copyright infringers said would happy obtain proper usage easier anyone enters space going get sued practically impossible license content properly old days music physically sold record labels would ones seeking mechanical license theyd come us say need 10 songs today amazon office saying license 40 million songs160tomorrow called industry create transparent database paid 100 digital companies use managed creative community lauded competing performing rights organizations ascap bmi intent create joint rights database said even would effective without participation smaller newer pros sesac gmr israelites talk sugarcoat challenge smoothing business relations digital giants made clear indeed copyright infringers taking advantage every loophole order avoid minimize music payments given hold keys music industrys success counseled treated frenemies dont think good idea try take songs libraries battle hearts minds music consumers to160pay160for music service every month executive warned youve got youtube free pays us crap youve got spotify free service consumer thats based ad dollars debate pay us well paid subscriptions offered apple pandora spotify whats going save industry music makers focus steps necessary get money work fight rate theyre paying us enough licensing system broken everybodys talking process instead whether getting paid fairly situation needs fixed said urging creatives fight value work together license predicts new legislation congress next weeks address critical inequities like compulsory license which160originated in1601909 1941 consent decrees restrict ascap bmi rates terms recent obstacle obama administration department justice move eliminate fractional licensing allows multiparty ownership songs requires parties paid battle winding way courts appeal time go back new administration may different views antitrust ask needs protection really google apple amazon need protection songwriters thats consent decrees applied insane bright side industry turned corner160he said160from blight piracy shift ownership streaming maintain growth must challenge old ways licensing break rebuild way works future | 669 |
<p>One could argue that fear in Israel is an official industry, which the government uses to justify its extremist policies.</p>
<p>Bat-Hen Epstein Elias’s long article on Iranian Jews is interesting. Parts of it, in fact, are heartwarming. Yet, despite the lack of any serious evidence, the story is entirely framed in the language of fear.</p>
<p>Entitled, “All the Jews there live in fear that their telephones are tapped,” <a href="http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6065" type="external">the story in ‘Israel Hayom</a>’ peddles the idea that, although Iranian Jews seem generally content with their lives in Iran as an economically-privileged group, somehow, they are still afraid.</p>
<p>Or, perhaps, Israel needs them to be afraid, despite the fact that the Iranian Jews interviewed in the article expressed little or no fear sentiment at all.</p>
<p>One such character is ‘M’, who, like others asserted: “I never felt like I was being attacked because I was Jewish, or that my religious freedom was harmed.”</p>
<p>His narrative seems positive, if not altogether an encouraging model for co-existence.</p>
<p>For example, ‘M’ said: “I have a good friend, a Muslim, who takes care of me. He takes me to the doctor, and even to the movies and the park, and invites me for meals. Everyone is very good to me and helps me. Before I got sick, I had a lot of money. Medications in Iran are good, a little expensive, but they can be obtained with private insurance and government insurance.”</p>
<p>But then, the fear component is purposely pushed by the Israeli journalist with no clear editorial justification.</p>
<p>Referring to ‘M’, Elias wrote, “Like others, (‘M’) is careful when it comes to talking about the political situation, the nuclear program or the fear of an attack.”</p>
<p>Aside from the fact that Israel Hayom serves, along with other Israeli media, as a major platform for fear-mongering, the need to be afraid is a collective phenomenon in Israel, which it insists on imposing on Jewish communities around the world.</p>
<p>One could in fact argue that ‘fear’ in Israel is an official industry. It helps the government justify its military spending; it helps the military justify its wars; and it further cements the rise of rightwing, religious and ultra-nationalist parties, which now together, rule Israel.</p>
<p>In some way, this is an old, yet ongoing story.</p>
<p>When Israel was established in 1948, it called on all Jews to ‘return’ to the Jewish state, for they, allegedly, could not be safe anywhere else. While many Jewish immigrants throughout the years came to Israel seeking economic opportunities, many were compelled by fear.</p>
<p>That mindset has not changed at all. When militants staged several attacks in Paris in January 2015, Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/16/leaders-criticise-netanyahu-calls-jewish-mass-migration-israel" type="external">called on all French Jews</a> to migrate to Israel.</p>
<p>“We say to the Jews, to our brothers and sisters, Israel is your home and that of every Jew. Israel is waiting for you with open arms,” Netanyahu said.</p>
<p>The statement was strongly criticized by French officials. Many were befuddled by such opportunism during one of France’s most difficult moments in many years.</p>
<p>But for Netanyahu, as for past and present Israeli leaders, inciting or capitalizing on Jewish fears is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23455343?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" type="external">nothing new</a>.</p>
<p>However, peddling fear is now far more sophisticated, and is deeply embedded in the relationship between the state and Israel’s Jewish population. It has been so internalized to the extent that Israel is incapable of seeing the legitimate fears of the Palestinians and is only obsessed with its own self-induced fears.</p>
<p>A particularly telling story was reported in Israeli media earlier this month when Israeli police officers gave a group of elementary school children a demonstration on “how to kill a Palestinian assailant and verify that he is dead.”</p>
<p>True, the event which <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170511-israeli-police-show-primary-school-children-how-to-kill-palestinians/" type="external">took place</a> in Ramat HaSharon on May 8 was not welcomed by all parents, but it was, nonetheless, an example of the training in fear that takes place at a very young age.</p>
<p>Commenting on the story, <a href="http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2017-05-15/how-israeli-schools-help-sabotage-peace-prospects/" type="external">Jonathan Cook wrote</a>, “Half of Jewish schoolchildren believe these Palestinians, one in five of the population, should not be allowed to vote in elections.”</p>
<p>This, then, is the desired outcome of such methodology, which is constantly fed by the state. Cook adds, “This month the defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, called the minority’s representatives in parliament ‘Nazis’ and suggested they should share a similar fate.”</p>
<p>The use of the word ‘Nazis’ is not merely a widely inaccurate depiction, but such terminology is designed to constantly stir past fears to achieve racially-motivated political objectives.</p>
<p>Yes, <a href="http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2017-05-15/how-israeli-schools-help-sabotage-peace-prospects/" type="external">Israelis are manipulated to be very afraid</a>. But unlike occupied and oppressed Palestinians, the Israeli fear is self-induced, an outcome of an inherent sense of collective insecurity that is constantly fed by the government, political parties and official institutions.</p>
<p>Despite Israel’s massive military budget, nuclear arms and territorial expansion at the expense of Palestinians and other Arab neighbors, the sense of insecurity it engenders keeps on growing at the same rapid speed as its military adventures.</p>
<p>It is a vicious cycle.</p>
<p>When Netanyahu, for example, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/27/binyamin-netanyahu-cartoon-bomb-un" type="external">drew a red line</a> in a graphic of a bomb during a speech at a United Nations General Assembly session in September 2012, he was, in essence drawing a new parameter of fear for his own society.</p>
<p>Yoav Litvin, a US-based Israeli doctor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/05/02/independence-on-nakba-day-accountability-and-healing-as-an-israeli-aggressor/" type="external">wrote convincingly</a> on the subject.</p>
<p>His article entitled, “Independence on Nakba Day – Accountability and Healing as an Israeli Aggressor,” critiques the Zionist narrative, explaining how such deeply entrenched ideas of eternal victimization has led to Israel’s current state of permanent aggression and highly militarized society.</p>
<p>“We see that perspective represented by a long line of pro-aggression, exclusivist, expansionist and militaristic Israeli governments that instill and potentiate fear in order to control public opinion and facilitate their political and economic goals,” he wrote.</p>
<p>“In so doing, the Jewish victim narrative, a form of collective Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sustains the level of aggression and oppression that is a part of daily life in the reality of occupation.”</p>
<p>Writing in Haaretz, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.784269" type="external">Daniel Bar-Tal</a> conveys a similar sentiment. However, for Bar-Tal, the Zionist narrative is itself designed, in part, to accommodate existing beliefs pertaining to a collective Jewish experience.</p>
<p>Bar-Tal rites, “Societal beliefs, vis-à-vis security, in Israel are based on past experience and on information disseminated via various channels and institutions, whether with regard to the conflict with the Palestinians or to relations with other actors in the region.” But equally important, “every member of society is also exposed to the collective memory of the Jewish people, by means of social, educational and cultural institutions.”</p>
<p>The Zionist narrative has purposely molded ‘past experiences’ into new political objectives and an expansionist ideology to harness the perpetual support of the Jewish people, in Israel and elsewhere. It has convinced them that their very survival is dependent on the subjugation of Palestinians.</p>
<p>This vicious cycle has, thus, become an obstacle to any peace that is predicated on justice and respect for international law and human rights.</p>
<p>The Zionist narrative, as championed by Netanyahu and Lieberman has zero margins for inclusiveness, and for that ideology to be maintained, fear in Israel must be infused.</p>
<p>However, the stronghold of fear must be broken.</p>
<p>Litvin courageously writes: “We, as Israelis, must break the parasitic bond that Zionist propaganda has created between the Israeli/Zionist collective narrative (the state) and ourselves so that dissent becomes both legitimate and even patriotic as a means of building an inclusive and just society in Israel/Palestine.”</p>
<p>In fact, there can be no other way.</p> | false | 1 | one could argue fear israel official industry government uses justify extremist policies bathen epstein eliass long article iranian jews interesting parts fact heartwarming yet despite lack serious evidence story entirely framed language fear entitled jews live fear telephones tapped story israel hayom peddles idea although iranian jews seem generally content lives iran economicallyprivileged group somehow still afraid perhaps israel needs afraid despite fact iranian jews interviewed article expressed little fear sentiment one character like others asserted never felt like attacked jewish religious freedom harmed narrative seems positive altogether encouraging model coexistence example said good friend muslim takes care takes doctor even movies park invites meals everyone good helps got sick lot money medications iran good little expensive obtained private insurance government insurance fear component purposely pushed israeli journalist clear editorial justification referring elias wrote like others careful comes talking political situation nuclear program fear attack aside fact israel hayom serves along israeli media major platform fearmongering need afraid collective phenomenon israel insists imposing jewish communities around world one could fact argue fear israel official industry helps government justify military spending helps military justify wars cements rise rightwing religious ultranationalist parties together rule israel way old yet ongoing story israel established 1948 called jews return jewish state allegedly could safe anywhere else many jewish immigrants throughout years came israel seeking economic opportunities many compelled fear mindset changed militants staged several attacks paris january 2015 israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu called french jews migrate israel say jews brothers sisters israel home every jew israel waiting open arms netanyahu said statement strongly criticized french officials many befuddled opportunism one frances difficult moments many years netanyahu past present israeli leaders inciting capitalizing jewish fears nothing new however peddling fear far sophisticated deeply embedded relationship state israels jewish population internalized extent israel incapable seeing legitimate fears palestinians obsessed selfinduced fears particularly telling story reported israeli media earlier month israeli police officers gave group elementary school children demonstration kill palestinian assailant verify dead true event took place ramat hasharon may 8 welcomed parents nonetheless example training fear takes place young age commenting story jonathan cook wrote half jewish schoolchildren believe palestinians one five population allowed vote elections desired outcome methodology constantly fed state cook adds month defense minister avigdor lieberman called minoritys representatives parliament nazis suggested share similar fate use word nazis merely widely inaccurate depiction terminology designed constantly stir past fears achieve raciallymotivated political objectives yes israelis manipulated afraid unlike occupied oppressed palestinians israeli fear selfinduced outcome inherent sense collective insecurity constantly fed government political parties official institutions despite israels massive military budget nuclear arms territorial expansion expense palestinians arab neighbors sense insecurity engenders keeps growing rapid speed military adventures vicious cycle netanyahu example drew red line graphic bomb speech united nations general assembly session september 2012 essence drawing new parameter fear society yoav litvin usbased israeli doctor psychology behavioral neuroscience wrote convincingly subject article entitled independence nakba day accountability healing israeli aggressor critiques zionist narrative explaining deeply entrenched ideas eternal victimization led israels current state permanent aggression highly militarized society see perspective represented long line proaggression exclusivist expansionist militaristic israeli governments instill potentiate fear order control public opinion facilitate political economic goals wrote jewish victim narrative form collective posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd sustains level aggression oppression part daily life reality occupation writing haaretz daniel bartal conveys similar sentiment however bartal zionist narrative designed part accommodate existing beliefs pertaining collective jewish experience bartal rites societal beliefs visàvis security israel based past experience information disseminated via various channels institutions whether regard conflict palestinians relations actors region equally important every member society also exposed collective memory jewish people means social educational cultural institutions zionist narrative purposely molded past experiences new political objectives expansionist ideology harness perpetual support jewish people israel elsewhere convinced survival dependent subjugation palestinians vicious cycle thus become obstacle peace predicated justice respect international law human rights zionist narrative championed netanyahu lieberman zero margins inclusiveness ideology maintained fear israel must infused however stronghold fear must broken litvin courageously writes israelis must break parasitic bond zionist propaganda created israelizionist collective narrative state dissent becomes legitimate even patriotic means building inclusive society israelpalestine fact way | 688 |
<p />
<p>This article was first published at <a href="http://axisoflogic.com/" type="external">Axis of Logic</a>.</p>
<p>Driven by paranoia with resurgent Islam as a threat to the established social order in the West and their obsession to control this very important oil rich region, American strategists have toyed with the idea of redrawing political boundaries of Islamic states along ethnic lines. The American attack on Afghanistan and Iraq on false pretexts of ‘war on terror’ was the initiation of this strategy. Now they seek to legitimize their actions by labeling them as efforts to dispense justice for ‘oppressed Muslim minorities’.</p>
<p>They believe that smaller entities would be easier to micromanage through puppet regimes, enabling them to contain militancy and squeeze into extinction Jehadi outfits by choking their funding.</p>
<p>This ‘remapping’ involves splintering the Muslim world and creating sovereign states of Balochistan, Kurdistan and Arab Shia State by carving out and unifying Pakistani and Iranian Baluchistan territories to create Free Balochistan; unifying Iranian, Iraqi and Turkish Kurdistan to create Greater Kurdistan and slicing off Eastern Saudi Arabia to unite it with Southern Iraq to create Shia Arab State. It is no coincidence that these territories hold bulk of the world oil and host anti-imperialist movements.</p>
<p>Brilliant thinking! This promises them a picture-perfect Muslim world, tailored to their needs. The difficulty, however, is that the undertaking is too ambitious, out of sync with reality and unachievable. And this mindset is bound to pitch Christianity and Judaism versus Islam, a horrifying scenario that could send shock waves deep into the Western world.</p>
<p>American global interests have routinely propelled it into adversarial engagement with the Muslims, losing their hearts and minds. More often than not, Israeli interests have defined American foreign policy direction, particularly where their interests are congruent. For instance, both the US and Israel have eyes on the oil reserves of Caspian Sea and Central Asia, they need energy pipeline project transiting through Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Balochistan and desperately want a wider security shield for Israel, which involves denuclearizing Pakistan.</p>
<p>Israel’s interest to de-fang Pakistan’s nuclear ability dates back to mid-eighties when it attempted to bomb Kahuta facility in collusion with the Indians – a mission that was aborted when an alert Pakistan Air Force took to the skies. Now in Afghanistan they have a perfect opportunity to collude with America and India to take out Pakistan’s nuclear assets through subversion.</p>
<p>Pakistan’s denuclearization is important to India too. Pakistan has to be trimmed in size to enable India to achieve undisputed regional leadership. This is in American interest too, as a dominant regional power – India, could counter China that grows stronger by the day and will eventually challenge American expansionism into Asia. Together with Russia, China has already forged an alliance, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to squeeze the American military bases out of Central Asia. For America, an independent friendly Balochistan will also be very useful to keep Iran under close watch and serve as energy corridor to Central Asia.</p>
<p>Pakistan is, therefore, up for reconfiguration in this chess game of geo-strategic interests. It is no more of interest to America as a unified entity. President Obama’s insistence to stay on in Afghanistan followed by a massive military buildup is not apparently without sinister motives. Afghanistan not only provides safe haven and logistical support for espionage and subversion against Pakistan, it has also joined the bandwagon by creating its own Research &amp; Analysis Milli Afghanistan (RAMA) with Indian help, a new intelligence outfit tasked to destabilize Pakistan.</p>
<p>Pakistan’s Balkanization strategy was presented in a 2006 article in the US Armed Forces Journal ‘Blood Borders’ that advocated the incorporation of NWFP into Afghanistan and creation of a sovereign ‘Free Balochistan’, carved out of Baloch areas of Pakistan and Iran. Grounds: ethnic affinity.</p>
<p>Pakistani Balochistan is estimated to hold 25.1 trillion cft. of gas and 6 trillion barrels of oil, in addition to gold, copper and coal deposits, it borders Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and China and has a strategically located port that can connect Central Asian countries and China to Arabian Sea.</p>
<p>In his article “Drawn and Quartered” (New York Times) Selig Harrison of the Center of International Policy, Washington, forecasts Pakistan’s break up into three sovereign entities along ethnic lines: Pashtunistan (comprising Pashtuns of NWFP and Afghanistan), Free Baluchistan (a federation comprising Sindh and Baluchistan) and Pakistan (comprising the “nuclear armed Punjabi rump state”). He attributes Pakistan’s balkanization to rising nationalist sentiment in the Pashtun belt and growing disillusionment of the Pashtuns, Balochis and Sindhis with Punjab and Pakistan.</p>
<p>Both articles essentially sing the same tune and present a doctrine that seems to broadly reflect America’s long term objectives.</p>
<p>In this backdrop, the assessment of Michel Chossudovsky, Director of Montreal based Center for Research on Globalization (author of America’s “ <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/globaloutlook/truth911.html" type="external">War on Terrorism”)</a> is significant. In his article ‘The Destabilization of Pakistan’ he warns: “Washington’s foreign policy course is to actively promote the political fragmentation and balkanization of Pakistan as a nation”. He states: “The U.S. course consists in&#160;fomenting social, ethnic and factional divisions and political fragmentation, including the territorial breakup of Pakistan. This course of action is also dictated by U.S. war plans in relation to both Iran and Afghanistan.”</p>
<p>This cannot be dismissed as conspiracy theory. There are pointers that corroborate Chossudovsky’s thesis. The Indo-US Strategic Partnership Deal “aims at containing and curbing the rising military and economic power of China and the increasing threat of Islamic extremism in the region”. Reports say a joint espionage network of CIA, Mossad, MI-6 and RAW operates in Afghanistan to destabilize Pakistan and other regional countries. Dissidents from Pakistan are being trained at Sarobi and Kandahar for missions inside NWFP, whereas bases at Lashkargah and Nawah are being used to train dissidents from Balochistan for missions in support of Balochistan Liberation Army.</p>
<p>Now view other developments: Benazir returns after a deal with the US and is eliminated. Musharraf is shown the door. Zardari, a man of most dubious credentials, is catapulted into the presidency as Benazir’s replacement and assumes all powers. Economic downturn bankrupts the country and creates social chaos. The federal and provincial governments are completely immobilized. Corruption hits the sky. And the people begin to lose faith in the federation.</p>
<p>Then as a sequel to Bombay fiasco, the army is made to run from pole to post, insurgencies erupt in the FATA, North and South Waziristan and Malakand Division by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan – a rogue outfit aided and supported from Afghanistan and which is a known protégé of the occupiers of Afghanistan, the NWFP gets destabilized, the Army gets bogged down in quelling insurgencies and maintaining internal security, Baloch separatists get energized and the people of Pakistan are massacred and terrorized.</p>
<p>American interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs has reached such an ominous level that the country seems to be run by an American under secretary of state or envoy Holbrook rather than its elected representatives. The parliament has ceased to be of any consequence. Pakistan suddenly finds itself in turmoil, the like of which it has not experienced before.</p> | false | 1 | article first published axis logic driven paranoia resurgent islam threat established social order west obsession control important oil rich region american strategists toyed idea redrawing political boundaries islamic states along ethnic lines american attack afghanistan iraq false pretexts war terror initiation strategy seek legitimize actions labeling efforts dispense justice oppressed muslim minorities believe smaller entities would easier micromanage puppet regimes enabling contain militancy squeeze extinction jehadi outfits choking funding remapping involves splintering muslim world creating sovereign states balochistan kurdistan arab shia state carving unifying pakistani iranian baluchistan territories create free balochistan unifying iranian iraqi turkish kurdistan create greater kurdistan slicing eastern saudi arabia unite southern iraq create shia arab state coincidence territories hold bulk world oil host antiimperialist movements brilliant thinking promises pictureperfect muslim world tailored needs difficulty however undertaking ambitious sync reality unachievable mindset bound pitch christianity judaism versus islam horrifying scenario could send shock waves deep western world american global interests routinely propelled adversarial engagement muslims losing hearts minds often israeli interests defined american foreign policy direction particularly interests congruent instance us israel eyes oil reserves caspian sea central asia need energy pipeline project transiting afghanistan pakistans balochistan desperately want wider security shield israel involves denuclearizing pakistan israels interest defang pakistans nuclear ability dates back mideighties attempted bomb kahuta facility collusion indians mission aborted alert pakistan air force took skies afghanistan perfect opportunity collude america india take pakistans nuclear assets subversion pakistans denuclearization important india pakistan trimmed size enable india achieve undisputed regional leadership american interest dominant regional power india could counter china grows stronger day eventually challenge american expansionism asia together russia china already forged alliance shanghai cooperation organization squeeze american military bases central asia america independent friendly balochistan also useful keep iran close watch serve energy corridor central asia pakistan therefore reconfiguration chess game geostrategic interests interest america unified entity president obamas insistence stay afghanistan followed massive military buildup apparently without sinister motives afghanistan provides safe logistical support espionage subversion pakistan also joined bandwagon creating research amp analysis milli afghanistan rama indian help new intelligence outfit tasked destabilize pakistan pakistans balkanization strategy presented 2006 article us armed forces journal blood borders advocated incorporation nwfp afghanistan creation sovereign free balochistan carved baloch areas pakistan iran grounds ethnic affinity pakistani balochistan estimated hold 251 trillion cft gas 6 trillion barrels oil addition gold copper coal deposits borders iran afghanistan central asia china strategically located port connect central asian countries china arabian sea article drawn quartered new york times selig harrison center international policy washington forecasts pakistans break three sovereign entities along ethnic lines pashtunistan comprising pashtuns nwfp afghanistan free baluchistan federation comprising sindh baluchistan pakistan comprising nuclear armed punjabi rump state attributes pakistans balkanization rising nationalist sentiment pashtun belt growing disillusionment pashtuns balochis sindhis punjab pakistan articles essentially sing tune present doctrine seems broadly reflect americas long term objectives backdrop assessment michel chossudovsky director montreal based center research globalization author americas war terrorism significant article destabilization pakistan warns washingtons foreign policy course actively promote political fragmentation balkanization pakistan nation states us course consists in160fomenting social ethnic factional divisions political fragmentation including territorial breakup pakistan course action also dictated us war plans relation iran afghanistan dismissed conspiracy theory pointers corroborate chossudovskys thesis indous strategic partnership deal aims containing curbing rising military economic power china increasing threat islamic extremism region reports say joint espionage network cia mossad mi6 raw operates afghanistan destabilize pakistan regional countries dissidents pakistan trained sarobi kandahar missions inside nwfp whereas bases lashkargah nawah used train dissidents balochistan missions support balochistan liberation army view developments benazir returns deal us eliminated musharraf shown door zardari man dubious credentials catapulted presidency benazirs replacement assumes powers economic downturn bankrupts country creates social chaos federal provincial governments completely immobilized corruption hits sky people begin lose faith federation sequel bombay fiasco army made run pole post insurgencies erupt fata north south waziristan malakand division tehriketaliban pakistan rogue outfit aided supported afghanistan known protégé occupiers afghanistan nwfp gets destabilized army gets bogged quelling insurgencies maintaining internal security baloch separatists get energized people pakistan massacred terrorized american interference pakistans internal affairs reached ominous level country seems run american secretary state envoy holbrook rather elected representatives parliament ceased consequence pakistan suddenly finds turmoil like experienced | 700 |
<p>When he meets Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on July 10, President Barack Obama will find himself in conversation with a man who is, at heart, a teacher. Which raises the question: what lessons might Professor Ratzinger be interested in proposing to President Obama?</p>
<p>The first-and obvious-lesson has to do with what the Roman Catholic Church regards as the premier civil-rights issues of the moment: the life issues, including abortion, euthanasia, and embryo-destructive stem-cell research. Ever since the Saddleback Church debate during the 2008 campaign, Obama has steadfastly declined to address the moral argument at the heart of the Catholic Church’s teaching on the life issues, preferring instead to speak of different “beliefs” or different “views” on these deeply controverted questions. The professor-pope, who knows this, may gently remind his guest that what is at stake here is not a matter of taste or opinion, but a first principle of justice that can be known by reason: innocent human life is inviolable and must be afforded the protection of the law. That principle, Benedict XVI may continue, is not some peculiarly Catholic notion. Rather, it an argument that can be engaged by any serious person, irrespective of his or her theological convictions (or lack thereof). And grasping it is essential to securing the moral foundations of democracy-a point Benedict underscores in his new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate [Charity in Truth].</p>
<p>Should the president reply (as both his May commencement address at Notre Dame and his July 2 interview with religion reporters suggest he might) that people of good will ought to be able to find “common ground” on reducing the incidence of abortion and providing more effective aid for women in crisis pregnancies, Professor Ratzinger would likely thank Obama for such efforts-and then point out that any “common ground” will become slippery and untenable if it does not rest on the firm foundation of reason and moral principle. That, he might well add, is the lesson to be drawn from the two most impressive moral revolutions of the late 20th century: the American civil-rights movement, and the human-rights revolution that produced the Revolution of 1989 and the demise of European communism.</p>
<p>The second lesson the professor-pope might propose is less immediately obvious in the American media ground clutter. It has to do with the president’s subtle but striking insertion of himself and his office into an internal U.S. Catholic debate over Catholic identity, and what that identity requires of Catholic institutions such as colleges and universities, hospitals and other health-care facilities, and social service agencies.</p>
<p>The furor over Notre Dame’s invitation to the president to deliver the university’s commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate of laws didn’t have to do with politics but with ecclesiology-the debate over what constitutes Catholic identity, and who defines the Catholic “brand.” At Notre Dame, and in his recent interview with religion reporters, Obama took a partisan position in that debate, citing the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago as a role model who had taught the future president that the real Catholics, the good Catholics, were those “common ground” Catholics who sought to work with all people of good will in advancing mutual goals, especially service to the poor. What the president did not say at Notre Dame or to the reporters is that, despite Bernardin’s strong personal commitment to the pro-life cause, his “common ground” approach to public policy and his “consistent ethic of life” (or “seamless garment”) linkage of abortion, capital punishment, and nuclear disarmament served to permit an entire generation of Catholic politicians (including Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi) to take a pass on abortion by claiming that they were, after all, batting .667 on the consistent ethic of life.</p>
<p>By suggesting at Notre Dame that the real Catholics were those who welcomed his receipt of an honorary degree from a university claiming to have an entirely different view than his on the basic civil-rights issue of the moment, Obama was also saying that the real Catholics were not those who thought such an award a confession of institutional incoherence-those, for instance, like the Catholic bishop of Ft. Wayne-South Bend, John D’Arcy. At Notre Dame, the president in effect said that he, not Bishop D’Arcy (and the 80 U.S. bishops who publicly supported D’Arcy), would decide what constitutes authentic Catholicism-and did so to the applause of a considerable number of Catholic intellectuals and activists for whom the politics of the moment trumped any concerns about the chief executive playing arbiter of a dispute within a religious community, a genuine novelty in American history.</p>
<p>Benedict XVI will be aware of this ominous development and will understand that what is afoot here is a deft attempt by the administration to solidify its hold on Catholic voters by driving wedges between the Catholic bishops of the U.S. and the Catholic people of the U.S. Thus the president should not be surprised if the pope raises some rather urgent questions about how Obama’s playing referee in an internal Catholic scrum squares with the institutional separation of church and state-an American accomplishment that Professor Ratzinger has frequently saluted, and that Pope Benedict has been urging the worlds of Islam to emulate.</p>
<p>There is a rich menu of international issues the president and the pope could explore: the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran; the perilous condition of Christian communities in the Middle East, including the new Iraq; AIDS relief and prevention in Africa; environmental degradation; the world economic meltdown and its effects on the poorest of the poor; the legal definition of marriage. Yet it’s more likely that these specific issues-which come into play at the United Nations and other venues where the U.S. government and the Holy See interact diplomatically-will be discussed in meetings between senior Vatican diplomats and their American counterparts.</p>
<p>Summitry puts a premium on the big questions. The life issues as civil-rights issues, and the right of the Catholic Church to define its own character without interference or counsel from the president of the United States, are two such big questions. The odds are that those will be the focus of attention when the president meets the pope-no matter what the postmeeting communiques from the White House and the Vatican say.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | meets pope benedict xvi vatican july 10 president barack obama find conversation man heart teacher raises question lessons might professor ratzinger interested proposing president obama firstand obviouslesson roman catholic church regards premier civilrights issues moment life issues including abortion euthanasia embryodestructive stemcell research ever since saddleback church debate 2008 campaign obama steadfastly declined address moral argument heart catholic churchs teaching life issues preferring instead speak different beliefs different views deeply controverted questions professorpope knows may gently remind guest stake matter taste opinion first principle justice known reason innocent human life inviolable must afforded protection law principle benedict xvi may continue peculiarly catholic notion rather argument engaged serious person irrespective theological convictions lack thereof grasping essential securing moral foundations democracya point benedict underscores new encyclical caritas veritate charity truth president reply may commencement address notre dame july 2 interview religion reporters suggest might people good ought able find common ground reducing incidence abortion providing effective aid women crisis pregnancies professor ratzinger would likely thank obama effortsand point common ground become slippery untenable rest firm foundation reason moral principle might well add lesson drawn two impressive moral revolutions late 20th century american civilrights movement humanrights revolution produced revolution 1989 demise european communism second lesson professorpope might propose less immediately obvious american media ground clutter presidents subtle striking insertion office internal us catholic debate catholic identity identity requires catholic institutions colleges universities hospitals healthcare facilities social service agencies furor notre dames invitation president deliver universitys commencement address receive honorary doctorate laws didnt politics ecclesiologythe debate constitutes catholic identity defines catholic brand notre dame recent interview religion reporters obama took partisan position debate citing late cardinal joseph bernardin chicago role model taught future president real catholics good catholics common ground catholics sought work people good advancing mutual goals especially service poor president say notre dame reporters despite bernardins strong personal commitment prolife cause common ground approach public policy consistent ethic life seamless garment linkage abortion capital punishment nuclear disarmament served permit entire generation catholic politicians including joe biden nancy pelosi take pass abortion claiming batting 667 consistent ethic life suggesting notre dame real catholics welcomed receipt honorary degree university claiming entirely different view basic civilrights issue moment obama also saying real catholics thought award confession institutional incoherencethose instance like catholic bishop ft waynesouth bend john darcy notre dame president effect said bishop darcy 80 us bishops publicly supported darcy would decide constitutes authentic catholicismand applause considerable number catholic intellectuals activists politics moment trumped concerns chief executive playing arbiter dispute within religious community genuine novelty american history benedict xvi aware ominous development understand afoot deft attempt administration solidify hold catholic voters driving wedges catholic bishops us catholic people us thus president surprised pope raises rather urgent questions obamas playing referee internal catholic scrum squares institutional separation church statean american accomplishment professor ratzinger frequently saluted pope benedict urging worlds islam emulate rich menu international issues president pope could explore threat nucleararmed iran perilous condition christian communities middle east including new iraq aids relief prevention africa environmental degradation world economic meltdown effects poorest poor legal definition marriage yet likely specific issueswhich come play united nations venues us government holy see interact diplomaticallywill discussed meetings senior vatican diplomats american counterparts summitry puts premium big questions life issues civilrights issues right catholic church define character without interference counsel president united states two big questions odds focus attention president meets popeno matter postmeeting communiques white house vatican say george weigel distinguished senior fellow washingtons ethics public policy center holds william e simon chair catholic studies | 585 |
<p>The 2012 Medicare and Social Security trustees’ reports have been released (see <a href="http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/Downloads/TR2012.pdf" type="external">here</a>&#160;and <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/oact/TR/2012/index.html" type="external">here</a>). The headline is that the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund will have insufficient reserves to pay full benefits beginning in 2024 (the same year that was projected in last year’s report). Social Security will have insufficient reserves beginning in 2033 (three years earlier than projected last year).</p>
<p>The trustees’ reports always contain some interesting information, and that’s true again this year.</p>
<p>In 2010 and 2011, the Office of the Actuary felt compelled to issue separate “alternative” analyses of projected future Medicare spending because the scheduled cuts in reimbursement rates for providers of services to Medicare patients are untethered to reality. If the Medicare cuts planned for in Obamacare were actually to go into effect, Medicare’s reimbursement rates would plummet below those provided even by Medicaid by the end of the decade. If rates fell that low, hospitals and other providers would have no choice but to stop taking care of Medicare enrollees, thus causing severe access problems for seniors. That’s a completely unrealistic scenario for political reasons—Congress would never let it happen—and the actuaries have repeatedly said so over the past three years.</p>
<p>This year, the actuaries incorporated a more realistic “alternative scenario” for future Medicare spending directly into the trustees’ report. The alternative scenario drops the unrealistic cuts from Obamacare and assumes a permanent “doc fix” to prevent deep cuts in physician reimbursement rates. With these more realistic assumptions, Medicare spending is still headed through the roof. Indeed, in 2085, under the alternative scenario, Medicare spending would reach 10.5 percent of GDP, up from 3.7 percent today.</p>
<p>The other important story with respect to Medicare’s finances isn’t covered at all in the trustees’ report, however. That’s the double counting of Medicare tax hikes and spending cuts in the Obamacare legislation.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Chuck Blahous, one of two public trustees for the Medicare program, brought renewed attention to this subject when he released <a href="http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/publication/The-Fiscal-Consequences-of-the-Affordable-Care-Act_1.pdf" type="external">a paper</a>&#160;documenting the double count and quantifying its impact on the federal budget. According to Blahous, when cost estimates are adjusted to remove the effects of double counted Medicare “savings” provisions, Obamacare increases the deficit by as much as $530 billion over ten years.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, when the results of Blahous’s analysis <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/health-care-law-will-add-340-billion-to-deficit-new-study-finds/2012/04/09/gIQAti1o6S_story.html?hpid=z1" type="external">were printed in the Washington Post</a>, Obamacare’s apologists became completely unglued. Here was a direct assault on a prized talking point—that Obamacare will accomplish the amazing twofer of expanding coverage and also reducing future federal budget deficits. Arguments to the contrary must therefore be discredited at all costs! So, within days of the release of Blahous’s paper, <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/another-bogus-attack-on-health-reform/" type="external">Paul Krugman</a>, <a href="http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2012/04/18/washington-stuck-fighting-wrong-health-care-battle/" type="external">Peter Orszag</a>, <a href="http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2012/04/20/yes-health-reform-strengthens-medicare-and-reduces-the-deficit/" type="external">Paul van de Water</a>, and others all pounced on and denounced Blahous’s findings as being without any merit whatsoever (to put it more politely than some of them did).</p>
<p>The problem for these defenders of Obamacare is that their case is so plainly at odds with common sense that no one who is presented with the facts will believe them.</p>
<p>And here are the facts.</p>
<p>The Medicare HI trust fund is supposed to operate like the Social Security trust funds. Its only “income” is from tax revenue, mainly from payroll taxes (the other Medicare trust fund, for physician services, drugs, and other outpatient care, is financed heavily by the general fund of the Treasury and is therefore very different in character from the HI fund). Since enactment in 1965, the political consensus has been that the HI program should operate within a solvent trust fund. That is, whatever benefits are paid by HI over the years should be covered in full by taxes dedicated solely to the HI program. That’s the whole point of the HI trust fund convention. The trust fund doesn’t hold real economic assets in it. It’s an accounting device. But the purpose of the convention is important nonetheless. It is supposed to ensure the program is self-financing over time.</p>
<p>Of course, that’s the same logic guiding the operation of the Social Security trust funds. Indeed, to understand the Medicare double count in Obamacare, it’s useful to think about an analogous Social Security scenario.</p>
<p>As of today, the trustees project that Social Security will have an $8.6 trillion unfunded liability over the next seventy-five years. That is, on a present-value basis, tax receipts are expected to come in $8.6 trillion short of promised benefits over the long-range projection period. That shortfall could be covered with a simple fix: an increase in the Social Security payroll tax from about 12.4 percent today (not counting the 2011-12 payroll tax cut) to about 15 percent in the years ahead (note: I wouldn’t recommend this!). That tax hike would solve the shortfall problem and ensure benefits could be paid in full well into the future.</p>
<p>Now let’s suppose Congress took up a piece of legislation to do just that. Over the next decade, such a Social Security tax hike would produce a large amount of revenue, probably on the order of about $125 billion annually. That would be more than enough money to simultaneously establish a large, universal entitlement to subsidized college education. Every person graduating from high school could get a huge break on their tuition, paid for by the government. In fact, if the cost of the college program were kept to $100 billion annually, the legislation would appear to reduce the federal budget deficit by perhaps $25 billion every year.</p>
<p>But imagine the outcry if Congress actually tried to pass such legislation? The public would be outraged at the thought that Congress was trying to use Social Security tax revenue to pay for spending outside of the Social Security program. And they would be right to be outraged, because it would constitute a double-counting of the same money. That $125 billion coming into Social Security would be authorizing and paying for future benefit payments from the Social Security program. If the same money were used to also stand up an unrelated $100 billion per year entitlement, the law would be authorizing two new spending commitments with one source of revenue. The budget would be far worse off compared to the situation in which a Social Security fix were enacted on a standalone basis.</p>
<p>This is one important reason why Social Security changes are not counted on the “pay-as-you-go” scorecard, the ledger Congress uses to ensure that legislation which cuts taxes or increases entitlement spending includes offsets to prevent deficit increases. If Social Security changes were included on paygo, then a payroll tax hike could be used to pay for something else, like a universal college entitlement.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, unlike Social Security, the Medicare HI trust fund is counted on paygo, which is why Congress was able to double count Obamacare’s Medicare HI tax hikes and spending cuts. The proceeds of those changes are recorded both wi thin the HI trust fund (thus effectively authorizing future entitlement spending) and on the paygo scorecard, thus authorizing Obamacare’s Medicaid entitlement expansion and new premium credits in the health exchanges.</p>
<p>The result is a very deceptive shift in federal finances. On paper, it would appear that Obamacare has reduced substantially the government’s long-term unfunded liabilities. In 2009, before Obamacare, <a href="http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2009.pdf" type="external">the Medicare trustees’ report</a>&#160;showed the HI trust fund had an unfunded liability of $13.4 trillion over the next seventy-five years. In this year’s report, that unfunded liability is down to just $5.3 trillion. In rough terms, then, Obamacare would seem to have reduced the HI trust fund’s unfunded liability by about $8.1 trillion.</p>
<p>But, of course, because the HI taxes and spending cuts were counted on paygo, the government has now stood up permanent entitlement commitments in Medicaid and the state exchanges that exceed the $8.1 trillion liability reduction in Medicare. It’s just that those long-term liabilities are never reported anywhere because they are not paid from a trust fund.</p>
<p>Some Obamacare apologists have tried to argue that the rules have always allowed this double-count to occur. That is true. But in the past, the amounts were inconsequential. Not so with Obamacare. This legislation used double-counted Medicare cuts to create the largest entitlement expansion in a generation. Unless it is repealed, the fiscal consequences will be disastrous.</p>
<p>James C. Capretta is a fellow at the <a href="http://eppc.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=be333e74ea841be93db60da61&amp;id=bffb608f35&amp;e=4de8d3b2b6" type="external">Ethics and Public Policy Center</a>&#160;and project director of e21’s <a href="http://eppc.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=be333e74ea841be93db60da61&amp;id=2cde733c27&amp;e=4de8d3b2b6" type="external">ObamaCareWatch.org</a>. He was an associate director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2001 to 2004.</p> | false | 1 | 2012 medicare social security trustees reports released see here160and headline medicare hospital insurance hi trust fund insufficient reserves pay full benefits beginning 2024 year projected last years report social security insufficient reserves beginning 2033 three years earlier projected last year trustees reports always contain interesting information thats true year 2010 2011 office actuary felt compelled issue separate alternative analyses projected future medicare spending scheduled cuts reimbursement rates providers services medicare patients untethered reality medicare cuts planned obamacare actually go effect medicares reimbursement rates would plummet provided even medicaid end decade rates fell low hospitals providers would choice stop taking care medicare enrollees thus causing severe access problems seniors thats completely unrealistic scenario political reasonscongress would never let happenand actuaries repeatedly said past three years year actuaries incorporated realistic alternative scenario future medicare spending directly trustees report alternative scenario drops unrealistic cuts obamacare assumes permanent doc fix prevent deep cuts physician reimbursement rates realistic assumptions medicare spending still headed roof indeed 2085 alternative scenario medicare spending would reach 105 percent gdp 37 percent today important story respect medicares finances isnt covered trustees report however thats double counting medicare tax hikes spending cuts obamacare legislation earlier month chuck blahous one two public trustees medicare program brought renewed attention subject released paper160documenting double count quantifying impact federal budget according blahous cost estimates adjusted remove effects double counted medicare savings provisions obamacare increases deficit much 530 billion ten years surprisingly results blahouss analysis printed washington post obamacares apologists became completely unglued direct assault prized talking pointthat obamacare accomplish amazing twofer expanding coverage also reducing future federal budget deficits arguments contrary must therefore discredited costs within days release blahouss paper paul krugman peter orszag paul van de water others pounced denounced blahouss findings without merit whatsoever put politely problem defenders obamacare case plainly odds common sense one presented facts believe facts medicare hi trust fund supposed operate like social security trust funds income tax revenue mainly payroll taxes medicare trust fund physician services drugs outpatient care financed heavily general fund treasury therefore different character hi fund since enactment 1965 political consensus hi program operate within solvent trust fund whatever benefits paid hi years covered full taxes dedicated solely hi program thats whole point hi trust fund convention trust fund doesnt hold real economic assets accounting device purpose convention important nonetheless supposed ensure program selffinancing time course thats logic guiding operation social security trust funds indeed understand medicare double count obamacare useful think analogous social security scenario today trustees project social security 86 trillion unfunded liability next seventyfive years presentvalue basis tax receipts expected come 86 trillion short promised benefits longrange projection period shortfall could covered simple fix increase social security payroll tax 124 percent today counting 201112 payroll tax cut 15 percent years ahead note wouldnt recommend tax hike would solve shortfall problem ensure benefits could paid full well future lets suppose congress took piece legislation next decade social security tax hike would produce large amount revenue probably order 125 billion annually would enough money simultaneously establish large universal entitlement subsidized college education every person graduating high school could get huge break tuition paid government fact cost college program kept 100 billion annually legislation would appear reduce federal budget deficit perhaps 25 billion every year imagine outcry congress actually tried pass legislation public would outraged thought congress trying use social security tax revenue pay spending outside social security program would right outraged would constitute doublecounting money 125 billion coming social security would authorizing paying future benefit payments social security program money used also stand unrelated 100 billion per year entitlement law would authorizing two new spending commitments one source revenue budget would far worse compared situation social security fix enacted standalone basis one important reason social security changes counted payasyougo scorecard ledger congress uses ensure legislation cuts taxes increases entitlement spending includes offsets prevent deficit increases social security changes included paygo payroll tax hike could used pay something else like universal college entitlement unfortunately unlike social security medicare hi trust fund counted paygo congress able double count obamacares medicare hi tax hikes spending cuts proceeds changes recorded wi thin hi trust fund thus effectively authorizing future entitlement spending paygo scorecard thus authorizing obamacares medicaid entitlement expansion new premium credits health exchanges result deceptive shift federal finances paper would appear obamacare reduced substantially governments longterm unfunded liabilities 2009 obamacare medicare trustees report160showed hi trust fund unfunded liability 134 trillion next seventyfive years years report unfunded liability 53 trillion rough terms obamacare would seem reduced hi trust funds unfunded liability 81 trillion course hi taxes spending cuts counted paygo government stood permanent entitlement commitments medicaid state exchanges exceed 81 trillion liability reduction medicare longterm liabilities never reported anywhere paid trust fund obamacare apologists tried argue rules always allowed doublecount occur true past amounts inconsequential obamacare legislation used doublecounted medicare cuts create largest entitlement expansion generation unless repealed fiscal consequences disastrous james c capretta fellow ethics public policy center160and project director e21s obamacarewatchorg associate director office management budget 2001 2004 | 832 |
<p>Hillary Clinton and Mary Thomas have little in common, except for this: They both hope to add to the meager ranks of America’s female elected officials come January.</p>
<p>You know about Clinton, but probably not Thomas — a conservative Republican, opponent of abortion and Obamacare, former general counsel of Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs. She’s running in Florida’s 2nd District to become the first Indian-American woman in Congress. It’s no easy task.</p>
<p>“There is still a good ol’ boys network that is in place,” she says, though she insists that “A lot of people see the value in having different types of people in Washington.”</p>
<p>Even as <a href="" type="internal">Clinton</a> attempts to shatter what she has called “the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” other women like Thomas are testing other, lower ceilings. There are many: Women in the U.S. remain significantly underrepresented at all levels of elected office.</p>
<p>“Historically, we have centuries of catching up to do,” says Missy Shorey, executive director of the conservative-leaning Maggie’s List, one of a number of groups supporting female candidates.</p>
<p>Though women are more than half of the American population, they now account for just a fifth of all U.S. representatives and senators, and one in four state lawmakers. They serve as governors of only six states and are mayors in roughly 19 percent of the nation’s largest cities.</p>
<p>There has been progress; as recently as 1978, there were no women U.S. senators, and now there are 20. Still, there has been little headway since a surge of women won office in the 1980s and early 1990s. Sixteen states have fewer women serving in legislatures than in 2005, and five others have shown no improvement, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.</p>
<p>Advocates say the dearth of women officeholders has had consequences. They say women’s voices have been muted in local, state and national discussions of all issues, from climate change to foreign policy, but particularly of concerns important to women and working mothers: family leave, child care and abortion, for example. They point to instances where women in office have made a difference.</p>
<p>Kim McMillan was first elected as a Democrat to her seat in Tennessee’s House of Representatives in 1994 when she was 32 years old, a working mother of two children under the age of 3. More than once, she was told she couldn’t win because she was a woman. She eventually served six terms, rising to become the first woman majority leader. A major accomplishment: expansion of pre-kindergarten education around the state.</p>
<p>“I felt like I represented people who didn’t have any representation, working mothers like me,” says McMillan, now the first female mayor of Clarkesville, the fifth largest city in Tennessee.</p>
<p>Whether a Clinton win in November will inspire a new generation of female politicians remains to be seen. While the election of a woman as U.S. president would be unprecedented, at least 52 other countries around the world have had a female head of state in the last 50 years.</p>
<p>Female representation varies significantly around the U.S. Six states have never elected or appointed a woman to the U.S. House of Representatives, and 22 have never had a woman represent them in the U.S. Senate.</p>
<p>A major problem, activists say, is convincing women to run.</p>
<p>“We know that when women run for office, they win as often as men do,” says Debbie Walsh, executive director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “The number of women running isn’t going up, and so the number of women in office isn’t going up.”</p>
<p>A support network has been instrumental throughout Ellen Rosenblum’s career, beginning as a lawyer in Oregon and continuing as she was appointed a state court judge and later during her successful bid for state attorney general. Two of her early mentors were former Oregon Supreme Court Justice Betty Roberts and Barbara Roberts, the first woman elected governor of Oregon.</p>
<p>Rosenblum says she worked to pay it forward, helping to build up a statewide group of women lawyers. When it came to deciding in late 2011 whether to launch her first bid for statewide office, that same network was instrumental.</p>
<p>“I needed women to talk to, to make sure I was not completely out of my mind to do this,” says Rosenblum, who at the time had just retired as a judge.</p>
<p>In California, Hannah-Beth Jackson had long been active in her community beyond her work as a lawyer and former prosecutor, but it took the encouragement of one of her mentors to convince her to run for state Assembly in 1998.</p>
<p>“Women tend to ask permission, and we’re never quite sure we are good enough or ready enough,” she says.</p>
<p>Now in the state Senate, she is chairwoman of the powerful judiciary committee. Despite her influence and tenure, the Democratic lawmaker does not always succeed. Earlier this year, a bill she sponsored extending California’s family leave protections to small-business employees died in an all-male committee amid concerns of regulatory burdens.</p>
<p>She is undeterred.</p>
<p>“Let’s see what happens when I bring the bill back,” Jackson says. “Hopefully, that committee will have some women members.”</p>
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<p /> | false | 1 | hillary clinton mary thomas little common except hope add meager ranks americas female elected officials come january know clinton probably thomas conservative republican opponent abortion obamacare former general counsel floridas department elder affairs shes running floridas 2nd district become first indianamerican woman congress easy task still good ol boys network place says though insists lot people see value different types people washington even clinton attempts shatter called highest hardest glass ceiling women like thomas testing lower ceilings many women us remain significantly underrepresented levels elected office historically centuries catching says missy shorey executive director conservativeleaning maggies list one number groups supporting female candidates though women half american population account fifth us representatives senators one four state lawmakers serve governors six states mayors roughly 19 percent nations largest cities progress recently 1978 women us senators 20 still little headway since surge women office 1980s early 1990s sixteen states fewer women serving legislatures 2005 five others shown improvement according analysis associated press data national conference state legislatures advocates say dearth women officeholders consequences say womens voices muted local state national discussions issues climate change foreign policy particularly concerns important women working mothers family leave child care abortion example point instances women office made difference kim mcmillan first elected democrat seat tennessees house representatives 1994 32 years old working mother two children age 3 told couldnt win woman eventually served six terms rising become first woman majority leader major accomplishment expansion prekindergarten education around state felt like represented people didnt representation working mothers like says mcmillan first female mayor clarkesville fifth largest city tennessee whether clinton win november inspire new generation female politicians remains seen election woman us president would unprecedented least 52 countries around world female head state last 50 years female representation varies significantly around us six states never elected appointed woman us house representatives 22 never woman represent us senate major problem activists say convincing women run know women run office win often men says debbie walsh executive director center american women politics rutgers university number women running isnt going number women office isnt going support network instrumental throughout ellen rosenblums career beginning lawyer oregon continuing appointed state court judge later successful bid state attorney general two early mentors former oregon supreme court justice betty roberts barbara roberts first woman elected governor oregon rosenblum says worked pay forward helping build statewide group women lawyers came deciding late 2011 whether launch first bid statewide office network instrumental needed women talk make sure completely mind says rosenblum time retired judge california hannahbeth jackson long active community beyond work lawyer former prosecutor took encouragement one mentors convince run state assembly 1998 women tend ask permission never quite sure good enough ready enough says state senate chairwoman powerful judiciary committee despite influence tenure democratic lawmaker always succeed earlier year bill sponsored extending californias family leave protections smallbusiness employees died allmale committee amid concerns regulatory burdens undeterred lets see happens bring bill back jackson says hopefully committee women members related women nevada scale pinnacles politics least hillary clinton rally las vegas union hall thursday gop saying crooked hillary clinton clinton compares gop convention wizard oz kellyanne conway thinks trump win americas women | 527 |
<p>There is hope for ties between India and Pakistan, but it will require considerable effort.</p>
<p>The joint statement of the National Security Advisers (NSA) of India and Pakistan at the end of their secret meeting in Bangkok on 6 December has buoyed expectations. Not only does it closely precede the visit of India's foreign minister to Islamabad for the Heart of Asia conference on Afghanistan this week, but it also heralds the visit of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Islamabad in September 2016&#160;for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit.</p>
<p>The initiative was result of the short informal meeting between the two prime ministers at the climate change summit in Paris. It retrieves the ground lost since the last minute cancellation of the NSA meeting in August over a disagreement on whether the agenda should include Kashmir or be restricted to terrorism. Pakistan wanted to undo what had been agreed at the meeting in Ufa, Russia, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) between the two prime ministers reflected in the joint statement of the two foreign secretaries that left out mention of Kashmir. That both terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir (J&amp;K) were discussed at Bangkok shows the two are beyond this particular hurdle.</p>
<p>The canceled meeting of August was in wake of two terror attacks that were taken in India as the Pakistani army's manner of registering its disapproval of its government's agreement to an agenda without Kashmir. Pakistan soon thereafter replaced its national security adviser with a former military man. This switch incentivized India in that it could now consider dealing with a credible interlocutor.</p>
<p>The secret meeting also shows a shift in India's strategy. The early promise of the Modi government of better India-Pakistan ties, evidenced by Modi's invite to Nawaz Sharif to attend his swearing in in May 2014, was dissipated in the cancellation of foreign secretary talks soon thereafter in August of the same year.</p>
<p>India kept up the pressure with partial activation of the Line of Control by fire assaults by India, seemingly in response to spurt in infiltration bids from across. These duels spread to the international border sector also. This year has seen India exercise elements of all three of its geographic field armies facing Pakistan, including two strike corps. There were also insinuations in Pakistani media of covert Indian assistance to dissident militant groups in Pakistan.</p>
<p>This phase of strategy can now be seen to be shoring up of its fences by the new Indian government before it ventured to mend these. The idea appears to have been to go in for talks from a position of strength. For its part, Pakistan has gained confidence in setting back, through military and ranger operations in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and in Karachi, &#160;elements it alleges have had Indian intelligence backing and gains the Taliban, allegedly with its backing, have made in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>The very fact that the talks have taken place in secret and outside the region suggests that even a conservative-realist government in Delhi needs to tread pragmatically. While the talks have been a step ahead, it is only the first. The vision of the two prime ministers for a "peaceful, stable, and prosperous South Asia" requires many more steps to follow.</p>
<p>What should these steps be?</p>
<p>The first steps would necessarily be on atmospherics. The visits by the foreign minister and prime minister in quick succession can revise the tone of the relationship. Since the Pakistan army appears to be on board this time, India has the assurance that there would not be another Kargil-on-the-make as was the case last time when the last BJP Prime Minister Vajpayee went to Lahore to fix the relationship in 1999.</p>
<p>A resumption of cricketing ties, awaiting a green light from India's foreign ministry, can now be expected. The two teams have been poised lately to play a short one-day series, but in Sri Lanka.However, on atmospherics, the more important front is to manage the internal perceptions of the "Other" state. In Pakistan, the extremist leader Hafeez Sayeed has already chipped in with his criticism. In India, the Congress opposition, while overall supportive of improved ties, has registered its reservation on the unpredictability in the government's Pakistan policy.</p>
<p>More significant in India are the voices in the government's own camp that require managing. Lately, there have been several statements by right wing politicians dragging Pakistan into their point-scoring against India's largest minority, its Muslims. This has prompted the ongoing "intolerance" debate in India.</p>
<p>From the "intolerance" debate, the prospects of this do not appear bright since Modi has chosen not to rein in the cultural nationalists, his support base. It is possible he might choose to keep silent, since it would also enable him an alibi against moving further than he might like on repairing fences with Pakistan.</p>
<p>Among the final steps figures a return to the start point made available by the back channel in the first tenure of the predecessor government of Manmohan Singh. The memoirs of Pakistan's foreign minister in the period, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, reveal the possibilities. However, "resolution" along those lines, may not be the destination either Modi or his National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, have in mind. As hardliners, they may believe that India does not need to make any concessions to buy peace, preferring Pakistan fall in line overawed by India's rise.</p>
<p>In the interim, both governments would likely consolidate the beginning made. At a minimum, India would be looking to keep a mega-terror attack from diverting its economic trajectory into a conflict with nuclear portents. Pakistan for its part would like &#160;India to ease up on intelligence, diplomatic, and military pressure. That the two foreign secretaries were also present at Bangkok suggests a broader agenda than merely security.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is clear that Modi's next, if yet-to-be-announced, foreign stop Islamabad would likely be his most important. It remains to be seen if, as has been his wont in using his numerous foreign visits for positioning India favorably, he is able to finesse Pakistan.</p>
<p>[Correction (December 11, 2015): As originally published, this article stated that Prime Minister Modi's visit to Islamabad for the SAARC summit would be in January. It is scheduled for September of next year, and the text has been updated to correct the error.]</p> | false | 1 | hope ties india pakistan require considerable effort joint statement national security advisers nsa india pakistan end secret meeting bangkok 6 december buoyed expectations closely precede visit indias foreign minister islamabad heart asia conference afghanistan week also heralds visit indias prime minister narendra modi islamabad september 2016160for south asian association regional cooperation summit initiative result short informal meeting two prime ministers climate change summit paris retrieves ground lost since last minute cancellation nsa meeting august disagreement whether agenda include kashmir restricted terrorism pakistan wanted undo agreed meeting ufa russia sidelines shanghai cooperation organization sco two prime ministers reflected joint statement two foreign secretaries left mention kashmir terrorism jammu kashmir jampk discussed bangkok shows two beyond particular hurdle canceled meeting august wake two terror attacks taken india pakistani armys manner registering disapproval governments agreement agenda without kashmir pakistan soon thereafter replaced national security adviser former military man switch incentivized india could consider dealing credible interlocutor secret meeting also shows shift indias strategy early promise modi government better indiapakistan ties evidenced modis invite nawaz sharif attend swearing may 2014 dissipated cancellation foreign secretary talks soon thereafter august year india kept pressure partial activation line control fire assaults india seemingly response spurt infiltration bids across duels spread international border sector also year seen india exercise elements three geographic field armies facing pakistan including two strike corps also insinuations pakistani media covert indian assistance dissident militant groups pakistan phase strategy seen shoring fences new indian government ventured mend idea appears go talks position strength part pakistan gained confidence setting back military ranger operations khyber pukhtunkhwa karachi 160elements alleges indian intelligence backing gains taliban allegedly backing made afghanistan fact talks taken place secret outside region suggests even conservativerealist government delhi needs tread pragmatically talks step ahead first vision two prime ministers peaceful stable prosperous south asia requires many steps follow steps first steps would necessarily atmospherics visits foreign minister prime minister quick succession revise tone relationship since pakistan army appears board time india assurance would another kargilonthemake case last time last bjp prime minister vajpayee went lahore fix relationship 1999 resumption cricketing ties awaiting green light indias foreign ministry expected two teams poised lately play short oneday series sri lankahowever atmospherics important front manage internal perceptions state pakistan extremist leader hafeez sayeed already chipped criticism india congress opposition overall supportive improved ties registered reservation unpredictability governments pakistan policy significant india voices governments camp require managing lately several statements right wing politicians dragging pakistan pointscoring indias largest minority muslims prompted ongoing intolerance debate india intolerance debate prospects appear bright since modi chosen rein cultural nationalists support base possible might choose keep silent since would also enable alibi moving might like repairing fences pakistan among final steps figures return start point made available back channel first tenure predecessor government manmohan singh memoirs pakistans foreign minister period khurshid mahmud kasuri reveal possibilities however resolution along lines may destination either modi national security adviser ajit doval mind hardliners may believe india need make concessions buy peace preferring pakistan fall line overawed indias rise interim governments would likely consolidate beginning made minimum india would looking keep megaterror attack diverting economic trajectory conflict nuclear portents pakistan part would like 160india ease intelligence diplomatic military pressure two foreign secretaries also present bangkok suggests broader agenda merely security therefore clear modis next yettobeannounced foreign stop islamabad would likely important remains seen wont using numerous foreign visits positioning india favorably able finesse pakistan correction december 11 2015 originally published article stated prime minister modis visit islamabad saarc summit would january scheduled september next year text updated correct error | 593 |
<p>Setting the record straight on Iranian culture and men's respect for women.</p>
<p>Virtually everyone is familiar with Pinocchio’s story—a wooden puppet carved by Gepetto brought to life by a fairy that instructed him to be “brave, truthful, and unselfish” in order to remain a real boy. What I remember the most about Pinocchio was his failure to heed the fairy, his nose growing longer with every lie. This seems to be the case with Tehran Bureau’s unnamed correspondent who failed to heed the “ <a href="http://198.104.176.120/canons.htm" type="external">canons of journalism</a>” by making up tall stories about Iran in her article “ <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/sep/15/iran-hijab-backfired-sexual-harassment" type="external">How the hijab has made sexual harassment worse in Iran</a>”—in effect turning herself into &#160;Correspondent Pinocchio (CP).</p>
<p>CP writes a damning account of being sexually harassed in Iran, of being subjected to “ogling”, “whistling, hissing, smacking, licking, puffing” and “unhindered expressions of lust and profanity”.&#160; She backs her personal account with remarks from a friend who told her that she felt “naked, and worthless.” Not only is CP claiming that hijab has made the situation worse for women, but she also quotes someone as saying: “Basically, a woman shouldn’t walk in the street without male protection”. What nonsense.</p>
<p>Now, as a scholar of US foreign policy, I pay close attention to propaganda. Misinformation is nothing new to me, and I don’t like to spend my time and energy responding to all the lies. But this particular article by CP hit me hard because I happen to be in Iran at the moment and in the same exact location/neighborhood she mentions in her tall tale. And had it not been for the fact that the evening prior to reading her story I had been talking to my husband in California telling him that never had I felt more safe and comfortable walking alone and eating alone in a restaurant than I did here, I would have dismissed CP’s propaganda.&#160; But CP’s lies had a personal effect on me and I could not let it rest—especially in light of Tehran Bureau’s malicious history.</p>
<p>Tehran Bureau (TB) was established shorty prior to the 2009 elections in Iran. It would seem the sole purpose at the time was to start false allegations about the 2009 elections in Iran (Foreign Policy Journal editor Jeremy Hammond has a brilliant piece on this <a href="" type="internal">here</a>).&#160; TB’s ability to promote lies and with it, unrest, must have caught the attention of PBS, which Tehran Bureau is <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/" type="external">affiliated with</a> and which <a href="http://www.pbs.org/funding" type="external">receives funding from the US federal government</a>. The hosting of Tehran Bureau now by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran_Bureau" type="external">The Guardian</a> may have well given the paper a boost, for its very continuity was questionable, as admitted to in 2013 when its <a href="http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/09/guardian-ceo-the-newspaper-cant-survive-in-the-uk/" type="external">CEO warned that his paper might not survive.</a></p>
<p>So given this colorful background of Tehran Bureau and PC’s blatant lies, I was prompted to set the record straight and share my experiences and observations which were the exact opposite of what PC wrote in her piece. What I saw and personally experienced was profound respect. No glaring stares, no harassment. Simply the kind of courtesy that is offered to a woman and that is demanded by society. It seems to me as if in Iran the hijab serves as a reminder of how men are expected to behave toward women. (See article on hijab and status of women in Iran <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/discovering-iran-womens-rights-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/5412286" type="external">here</a>.) So what is CP on about?</p>
<p>Of course there is the possibility that CP is a budding beauty and Iranian men simply can’t handle her splendor (what an insult to Iranian men). Were I to give her this benefit of the doubt and imagine her to be a radiant beauty, her (possible) beauty would be completely eclipsed in Iran. As Mara wrote of the Iranian women in her 2012 article titled <a href="http://www.travelphotoreport.com/2012/12/07/for-the-women-of-iran-with-love/" type="external">For the women of Iran, with Love</a> “They are the most beautiful women I have ever seen”.&#160; I concur— as do many others. Iranian men are accustomed to beauty. So I tend to dismiss her claims of “harassment” based on her glamor.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it may be that she was completely ignored. After all, in many countries around the world men do indeed harass women and make sexual overtures. Some women are flattered while others are offended. But being invisible is not easy to handle. Being invisible may be likened to a blank piece of paper on which one can write anything and all things imaginary—depending on one’s inclination. What is an undisputed fact is that contrary to CP’s report, many Iranian women go all out to become visible.</p>
<p>I spent hours in a coffee shop in a beautiful park (Ab o Atash—literal translation: water and fire) near where CP claims to have walked, and watched young women. Faces made up, dressed fashionably in their colorful hijab, they paraded around like peacocks that open their glorious tails in order to attract attention.&#160; Sadly for them, I was doing the glaring while they were left mostly unnoticed. And in their midst there were also women who did not venture out to make an impression with their hairdo and clothing. They were beautiful in their simplicity and modesty. I made a mental note of them, too, and their ease and confidence.</p>
<p>Now it would be a lie to claim that all women are ignored and all men here are well behaved. With all the demonizing of Iranians, it may be hard to believe that Iranians are normal!&#160; As with every other country in the world, there are men who harass women and who make unsolicited approaches. This is more a personal upbringing than a norm. In the pre-revolution years, when I visited Iran as a very young teenager, harassment and catcalling was prevalent. As a shy girl, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me up so that I would be spared the stares, the pestering. But things have changed. What was once common is truly rare these days. Men would not dare disrespect women—and they don’t.</p>
<p>I would very much like to suggest that PC take her notebook or laptop, sit in the aforementioned park (or anywhere else in Tehran and elsewhere) and speak the truth. Perhaps only then, as with Pinocchio, her courage and unselfishness to write truthfully will turn her into a real bona fide correspondent.</p> | false | 1 | setting record straight iranian culture mens respect women virtually everyone familiar pinocchios storya wooden puppet carved gepetto brought life fairy instructed brave truthful unselfish order remain real boy remember pinocchio failure heed fairy nose growing longer every lie seems case tehran bureaus unnamed correspondent failed heed canons journalism making tall stories iran article hijab made sexual harassment worse iranin effect turning 160correspondent pinocchio cp cp writes damning account sexually harassed iran subjected ogling whistling hissing smacking licking puffing unhindered expressions lust profanity160 backs personal account remarks friend told felt naked worthless cp claiming hijab made situation worse women also quotes someone saying basically woman shouldnt walk street without male protection nonsense scholar us foreign policy pay close attention propaganda misinformation nothing new dont like spend time energy responding lies particular article cp hit hard happen iran moment exact locationneighborhood mentions tall tale fact evening prior reading story talking husband california telling never felt safe comfortable walking alone eating alone restaurant would dismissed cps propaganda160 cps lies personal effect could let restespecially light tehran bureaus malicious history tehran bureau tb established shorty prior 2009 elections iran would seem sole purpose time start false allegations 2009 elections iran foreign policy journal editor jeremy hammond brilliant piece here160 tbs ability promote lies unrest must caught attention pbs tehran bureau affiliated receives funding us federal government hosting tehran bureau guardian may well given paper boost continuity questionable admitted 2013 ceo warned paper might survive given colorful background tehran bureau pcs blatant lies prompted set record straight share experiences observations exact opposite pc wrote piece saw personally experienced profound respect glaring stares harassment simply kind courtesy offered woman demanded society seems iran hijab serves reminder men expected behave toward women see article hijab status women iran cp course possibility cp budding beauty iranian men simply cant handle splendor insult iranian men give benefit doubt imagine radiant beauty possible beauty would completely eclipsed iran mara wrote iranian women 2012 article titled women iran love beautiful women ever seen160 concur many others iranian men accustomed beauty tend dismiss claims harassment based glamor hand may completely ignored many countries around world men indeed harass women make sexual overtures women flattered others offended invisible easy handle invisible may likened blank piece paper one write anything things imaginarydepending ones inclination undisputed fact contrary cps report many iranian women go become visible spent hours coffee shop beautiful park ab atashliteral translation water fire near cp claims walked watched young women faces made dressed fashionably colorful hijab paraded around like peacocks open glorious tails order attract attention160 sadly glaring left mostly unnoticed midst also women venture make impression hairdo clothing beautiful simplicity modesty made mental note ease confidence would lie claim women ignored men well behaved demonizing iranians may hard believe iranians normal160 every country world men harass women make unsolicited approaches personal upbringing norm prerevolution years visited iran young teenager harassment catcalling prevalent shy girl wanted ground open swallow would spared stares pestering things changed common truly rare days men would dare disrespect womenand dont would much like suggest pc take notebook laptop sit aforementioned park anywhere else tehran elsewhere speak truth perhaps pinocchio courage unselfishness write truthfully turn real bona fide correspondent | 532 |
<p>When <a href="http://variety.com/t/dee-rees/" type="external">Dee Rees</a>’ “Mudbound” premiered at Sundance in January, and <a href="http://variety.com/t/jordan-peele/" type="external">Jordan Peele</a>’s “Get Out” stormed theaters late the following month, they seemed to have little in common. Rees had made a searing historical drama about the relationship between a white family and a black family in post-World War II Mississippi, and Peele had made a satirical horror film about a black man meeting his white girlfriend’s family in upstate New York. There’s a distance of 70 years between when their stories take place and a difference in milieu, too, between the rural Deep South, where Klansmen hold sway, and the suburban idyll of liberal Northerners in the present day.</p>
<p>And yet the two directors have made films that are in conversation with each other. Rees calls it “white currency” and Peele calls it “the post-racial lie,” but they’re each talking about racism and white supremacy as intractable problems in America, unsolved by seven decades of progress and the election of Barack Obama. They were not made in anticipation of each other or how the culture has changed in 2017, but they prove how much the past and present exist on the same continuum and comment meaningfully on the events of the day.</p>
<p>Many of the year’s director candidates have made films that reflect the tenor of the times, yet approach social commentary from different angles, from the historical bent of “Mudbound,” to Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit,” and the complementary visions of <a href="http://variety.com/t/joe-wright/" type="external">Joe Wright</a>’s “Darkest Hour” and Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” to the modern provocation of “Get Out” and <a href="http://variety.com/t/martin-mcdonagh/" type="external">Martin McDonagh</a>’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Then there’s <a href="http://variety.com/t/richard-linklater/" type="external">Richard Linklater</a>’s “Last Flag Flying,” which brings the Vietnam and Iraq wars together, each haunting the veterans who fought in them. None of these directors could have anticipated the tumult of Trump’s America, but they’ve hit it in stride.</p>
<p>In “Mudbound,” the relationship between the McAllens, a white family that’s moved to rural Mississippi, and the Jacksons, a black family that’s often commissioned to help them adjust, serves as an allegory for the entrenched racism that bogs them both down in the muck. When Rees talks about “white currency” in the film, she’s referring to the leverage the McAllens hold over the Jacksons and how each of them chooses to spend it, from the vile bigotry of their oldest member to the subtler expectation that the Jacksons will put the McAllens’ needs over their own.</p>
<p>“Mudbound” asks audiences to consider how racism still lingers, but between its Sundance premiere and its debut on Netflix in November, as hundreds of white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Va., with Tiki torches, the Klan violence of its most shocking scene suddenly seemed like a not-so-distant possibility.</p>
<p>“Back in January, I think [the Klan scene] could be read as hyperbole,” Rees says. “With Charlottesville, people are able to admit, ‘OK, things haven’t changed as much as we thought.’ This didn’t just spring up. This isn’t new. This has always been here. This is fully formed and growing and festering.”</p>
<p>For its part, “Get Out” marked the end of the Obama era with a reminder that his election didn’t move the country past race. It takes satirical aim at white liberals who may have voted for Obama, but weren’t interested in dismantling a system that benefits them. Taking a cue from the Ira Levin adaptations “The Stepford Wives” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” Peele introduces his black protagonist to his white girlfriend’s family, who pride themselves on being progressive, but cover a nefarious agenda with an unnerving battery of micro-aggressions.</p>
<p>A student of the genre, Peele started thinking about making a horror film about race back in 2009, when Obama took office and the phrase “post-racial” was being used to describe the country.</p>
<p>“We had a black president, but there was this sentiment going around that if you even talked about racism, you were part of the problem,” Peele says. “I knew that we weren’t cured of racism and I knew that if I pulled off a horror movie that dealt with that problem, the experience would be cathartic.”</p>
<p>As “Last Flag Flying” was premiering at the New York Film Festival in October, President Trump was stirring up controversy over the national anthem protests at National Football League games. They had started last season when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee to send a message about police brutality and racial injustice. But the issue had since been muddied by an argument over the flag itself and what it represents, and whether those who kneel are taking advantage of their freedom to protest or disrespecting a flag many veterans have sacrificed themselves to defend.</p>
<p>“Last Flag Flying” opens in 2003, as the film follows Larry “Doc” Shepherd (Steve Carell), a Vietnam vet who recruits his former Marine buddies (Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne) to help bury his son, who just died in the Iraq War. As accounts of how he died start to deviate from the official story, “Last Flag Flying” becomes a poignant reflection on patriotism and how the country can do a disservice to those who give their lives to it.</p>
<p>“We all love our country, but that’s not the question,” Linklater says. “A football player taking a knee on the sideline loves his country and appreciates the opportunities they’ve been given. But they’re there to represent people who aren’t as fortunate as they are. People who have it worse, which is brave in itself to care beyond your own selfish interests. That’s the American way, in my opinion — to represent all of us, to demand we live up to these higher aspirational ideas that our country is founded on.”</p>
<p>The current spread of right-wing nationalism across America and Europe, including his native U.K., which approved the Brexit referendum to depart from the European Union, was an inspiration for <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/darkest-hour-review-gary-oldman-1202545711/" type="external">Joe Wright</a> to make “Darkest Hour,” a biopic about Winston Churchill standing up against the fascists. Set largely in May 1940, shortly after Churchill (played by Gary Oldman) succeeded Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister, the film is about the difficult decision not to pursue a peace agreement with Germany and the private doubt behind Churchill’s public strength.</p>
<p>To Wright, Churchill’s uncertainty and thoughtfulness in the moment, combined with his extraordinary rhetorical gifts, were the sign of great leadership when it mattered the most.</p>
<p>“I never trust people who seem to not doubt themselves or doubt received information,” says Wright. “These people who claim to know everything, know exactly the right way. Churchill has been portrayed as just such a character, but actually what one finds when digging a little deeper is that at this pivotal moment in the history of civilization, we find a leader who doubts himself, and doubts his own policies. And through that doubt, he acquires the wisdom required for leadership, and the ability to lead us against this terrible enemy.”</p>
<p>Many of the issues at play in “Three Billboards” — including the power of protest and police brutality — are a synthesis of the year’s themes, all wrapped up in McDonagh’s lively treatment of small-town America. Rather than wilt in grief over the rape and murder of her teenage daughter, the film’s hero, Mildred (Frances McDormand), uses three billboards on an empty stretch of road to accuse the sheriff (Woody Harrelson) of not doing his job. As the tension escalates over Mildred’s protest, the town’s sympathy toward her wanes, but it’s a primary virtue of the film that she isn’t an easy character to support.</p>
<p>Asked if Mildred would have voted for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, McDonagh demurs.</p>
<p>“We don’t know where the hell she’s coming from politically,” says McDonagh. “Sometimes her actions seem very right wing. Sometimes they seem very left wing. Sometimes they feel very anarchist. It’s all of those things and none of those things, I think.</p>
<p>“I’m kind of interested how [the film] might play in the center of the country, because for those reasons too, she’s someone people could either get behind or be completely against, but I think that’s hopefully the beauty of Frances’ performance.”</p> | false | 1 | dee rees mudbound premiered sundance january jordan peeles get stormed theaters late following month seemed little common rees made searing historical drama relationship white family black family postworld war ii mississippi peele made satirical horror film black man meeting white girlfriends family upstate new york theres distance 70 years stories take place difference milieu rural deep south klansmen hold sway suburban idyll liberal northerners present day yet two directors made films conversation rees calls white currency peele calls postracial lie theyre talking racism white supremacy intractable problems america unsolved seven decades progress election barack obama made anticipation culture changed 2017 prove much past present exist continuum comment meaningfully events day many years director candidates made films reflect tenor times yet approach social commentary different angles historical bent mudbound kathryn bigelows detroit complementary visions joe wrights darkest hour christopher nolans dunkirk modern provocation get martin mcdonaghs three billboards outside ebbing missouri theres richard linklaters last flag flying brings vietnam iraq wars together haunting veterans fought none directors could anticipated tumult trumps america theyve hit stride mudbound relationship mcallens white family thats moved rural mississippi jacksons black family thats often commissioned help adjust serves allegory entrenched racism bogs muck rees talks white currency film shes referring leverage mcallens hold jacksons chooses spend vile bigotry oldest member subtler expectation jacksons put mcallens needs mudbound asks audiences consider racism still lingers sundance premiere debut netflix november hundreds white supremacists descended charlottesville va tiki torches klan violence shocking scene suddenly seemed like notsodistant possibility back january think klan scene could read hyperbole rees says charlottesville people able admit ok things havent changed much thought didnt spring isnt new always fully formed growing festering part get marked end obama era reminder election didnt move country past race takes satirical aim white liberals may voted obama werent interested dismantling system benefits taking cue ira levin adaptations stepford wives rosemarys baby peele introduces black protagonist white girlfriends family pride progressive cover nefarious agenda unnerving battery microaggressions student genre peele started thinking making horror film race back 2009 obama took office phrase postracial used describe country black president sentiment going around even talked racism part problem peele says knew werent cured racism knew pulled horror movie dealt problem experience would cathartic last flag flying premiering new york film festival october president trump stirring controversy national anthem protests national football league games started last season san francisco 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick took knee send message police brutality racial injustice issue since muddied argument flag represents whether kneel taking advantage freedom protest disrespecting flag many veterans sacrificed defend last flag flying opens 2003 film follows larry doc shepherd steve carell vietnam vet recruits former marine buddies bryan cranston laurence fishburne help bury son died iraq war accounts died start deviate official story last flag flying becomes poignant reflection patriotism country disservice give lives love country thats question linklater says football player taking knee sideline loves country appreciates opportunities theyve given theyre represent people arent fortunate people worse brave care beyond selfish interests thats american way opinion represent us demand live higher aspirational ideas country founded current spread rightwing nationalism across america europe including native uk approved brexit referendum depart european union inspiration joe wright make darkest hour biopic winston churchill standing fascists set largely may 1940 shortly churchill played gary oldman succeeded neville chamberlain british prime minister film difficult decision pursue peace agreement germany private doubt behind churchills public strength wright churchills uncertainty thoughtfulness moment combined extraordinary rhetorical gifts sign great leadership mattered never trust people seem doubt doubt received information says wright people claim know everything know exactly right way churchill portrayed character actually one finds digging little deeper pivotal moment history civilization find leader doubts doubts policies doubt acquires wisdom required leadership ability lead us terrible enemy many issues play three billboards including power protest police brutality synthesis years themes wrapped mcdonaghs lively treatment smalltown america rather wilt grief rape murder teenage daughter films hero mildred frances mcdormand uses three billboards empty stretch road accuse sheriff woody harrelson job tension escalates mildreds protest towns sympathy toward wanes primary virtue film isnt easy character support asked mildred would voted hillary clinton donald trump mcdonagh demurs dont know hell shes coming politically says mcdonagh sometimes actions seem right wing sometimes seem left wing sometimes feel anarchist things none things think im kind interested film might play center country reasons shes someone people could either get behind completely think thats hopefully beauty frances performance | 742 |
<p>[This article is the first in a two-part series. To read part two, <a href="" type="internal">click here</a>.]</p>
<p>Human ecology, a concept developed by sociologists early last century and appropriated by Pope John Paul II in his heralded <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus.html" type="external">Centesimus Annus</a>, provides an illuminating lens through which to understand the multifaceted cultural crisis in which we find ourselves today.</p>
<p>Using the term as a cultural analogue to growing concerns over natural ecology, John Paul II wrote in 1991:</p>
<p>Although people are rightly worried . . . about preserving the natural habitats . . . too little effort is made to&#160;safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic “human ecology.”&#160;Not only has God given the earth to man, who must use it with respect for the original good purpose for which it was given to him, but man too is God’s gift to man. A person must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he has been endowed.</p>
<p>More recently, in <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" type="external">Laudato Si</a>, Pope Francis reiterated John Paul II’s broadly framed ecological concern that had been handed on, we might say, through Pope Benedict. Francis writes:</p>
<p>Human ecology also implies another profound reality: the relationship between human life and the moral law, which is inscribed in our nature and is necessary for the creation of a more dignified environment. Pope Benedict spoke of an “ecology of man,” based on the fact that “man too has a nature that he must respect and that he cannot manipulate at will.”</p>
<p>For these recent popes, “the ecology of man” seems to approximate what would have been described classically as natural law: the idea that the human person possesses a nature that must be understood and nurtured for his full flourishing (eudaimonia, for the Greeks; beatitude, for the Christians). But the modern connotations of both nature and law are, without a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Saint-Augustine/dp/0872208168" type="external">great</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Christian-Ethics-3rd/dp/0813208181" type="external">unlearning</a>, too fixed or static to represent the dynamism of the human person in an authentic way. Consequently, natural law as a concept today is greatly misunderstood. For most, it is almost unintelligible.</p>
<p>Human ecology, by contrast, allows one to reflect with fewer intellectual stumbling blocks upon the design and dynamism of the human person and his life experience. That is, human ecology more readily calls to mind the reality that the human person is created and yet, by his choices, creates himself; that he is deeply influenced by and, in turn, influences others; that he is conditioned by the environment in which he finds himself and yet is capable of transcending it. The analogy to natural ecology is helpful in today’s philosophical climate, because it implies an interdependence of influences and actors, a complexity of causes and effects, while calling for empirical and scientific validation. Just as we can measure toxins in our waterways, we can use social science to empirically corroborate the destructive “downstream effects” of the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/an-analysis-of-out-of-wedlock-births-in-the-united-states/" type="external">pill</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wired-Intimacy-Pornography-Hijacks-Brain/dp/0830837000" type="external">pornography</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fatherless-America-Confronting-Urgent-Problem/dp/006092683X" type="external">fatherlessness</a> on real women, men, and children. Contrary to the prevailing libertarian view, the ecological analogy also reveals that the putatively “harmless” acts of solitary individuals, when adopted by a large proportion of the population, can have deeply harmful effects.</p>
<p>Protecting Our Natural and Social Ecosystems</p>
<p>Both our natural ecosystems and our social ecosystems are fragile: they need protection and cultivation to thrive. As Pope Francis said&#160; <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/11/17/full-text-pope-franciss-opening-address-to-humanum-conference/" type="external">in November 2014</a>:</p>
<p>The crisis in the family has produced an ecological crisis, for social environments, like natural environments, need protection. And although the human race has come to understand the need to address conditions that menace our natural environments, we have been slower to recognize that our fragile social environments are under threat as well.</p>
<p>As with Laudato Si’s striking claim that the decadent consumer habits of the first world are disproportionately harming the world’s poor, sociological data confirm quite clearly that it is the most vulnerable, fragile human beings who are most threatened by, and least equipped to protect themselves from, a deteriorating moral environment. We see this most clearly with the sharp decline in <a href="http://www.city-journal.org/html/marriage-and-caste-12908.html" type="external">marriage</a> among the poor, disproportionately harming those very communities most in need of the myriad personal, social, and economic benefits life-long marriage provides.</p>
<p>Human ecology, then, implicitly assumes the existence of the natural law, but it may be better able to capture the dynamic social influences that either support or undermine respect for that law—and it is, helpfully, susceptible to empirical measurement in a way that natural law simpliciter is not obviously. From Centisimus Annus:</p>
<p>Man receives from God his essential dignity and with it the capacity to transcend every social order so as to move towards truth and goodness. But he is also conditioned by the social structure in which he lives, by the education he has received and by his environment. These elements can either help or hinder his living in accordance with the truth.</p>
<p>In that foundational document of Catholic social teaching, then, John Paul II was urging the creation of a more dignified social environment, a social ecology worthy of the dignity of the human person.</p>
<p>Social Ecology</p>
<p>When John Paul II used the term “human ecology” in Centesimus Annus, he was entering a robust conversation that was already taking place among social thinkers. Since the beginning of the last century, social scientists had been making use of the term to describe the idea of society as a complex organism and to study the myriad ways in which surroundings influence the human person. The Russian-American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner notably wrote in 1977 of an “ecology of human development” in which one seeks to understand the human subject from within his “nested,” varied, and ever-changing arrangement of environmental structures. An ecological approach is one that is by nature interdisciplinary, that seeks to integrate diverse perspectives to achieve a wider angle.</p>
<p>By the 1990s, social theorists from across the political spectrum were thinking ecologically about the dynamic interaction among familial, political, economic, and social influences and about how these “mutually conditioning systems” affected children, families, and communities across America. The ecological analogy helped a diverse group of thinkers to diagnose (even without agreeing on causes) the growing deterioration of once stable families and communities, the deleterious impact that was having on the nation’s children and the nation’s poor, and the consequences of this cultural, or ecological, disintegration on American institutions. In particular, communitarians such as Mary Ann Glendon, Michael Sandel, and Amitai Etzioni worried that America’s celebrated free economic and political institutions were at great risk of undermining their own foundations due to an erosion of the “moral ecology” or, in Robert Putnam’s term, “social capital” that these free institutions needed to thrive.</p>
<p>At that time, few would have denied that America’s systems of free market capitalism and constitutional democracy had shown themselves to be the best in the world at guaranteeing individual liberty, creating wealth and opportunity, and providing the space needed for full human flourishing. This is why John Paul II, for the first time in the Catholic Church’s history, expressly endorses such systems in Centesimus Annus­—at least when they are duly constrained by a robust moral culture. Our free economic and political institutions, after all, say nothing of how we are to use our freedom and wealth or how to transmit the habits of mind and heart that are necessary for self-government and a just and humane economy.</p>
<p>And so, as Centesimus Annus strongly proclaimed, without countervailing cultural values that teach individuals to use their freedom and their wealth for the common good, the capitalist quest for material gain will inform and ultimately erode the culture, giving rise to hedonism, individualism, and consumerism. Similarly, without a strong cultural edifice promoting the true, the good, and the beautiful, our liberal democracy’s tendency to give equal hearing to all ideas will corrode the culture, leading to a relativization of all lifestyles, the tyranny of popular opinion, an equality that demands erasure of all differences (including <a href="http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2016/05/17033/" type="external">biological ones</a>), and an undermining of religion, the most vital force in culture.</p>
<p>How close to home all of this sounds to us today.</p>
<p>Freedom, Virtue, and Human Dependency</p>
<p>Free institutions do provide an important precondition for a robust moral environment or social ecology: freedom. But freedom—whether it be political or economic, personal, or even religious—can never be its own end. Without discounting the importance of freedom to human ecology, we must say that freedom is merely instrumental. Freedom is at the service of human ecology and human flourishing. But this instrument, this servant—freedom—also has its own preconditions that it cannot provide for of itself. The proper end and the necessary precondition of freedom are the same: virtue.</p>
<p>As Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon has argued throughout her influential and deeply prescient work, the American founders designed a remarkable system of free institutions, but they didn’t assure the conditions for that freedom. That is, though they guarded against rampant self-interest through a system of checks and balances, and well understood that self-government needs particularly virtuous men to sustain it, Glendon suggests that they seemed to take for granted that Americans would continue to be formed in the sorts of social environments that would produce this sort of virtue—environments like the deeply religious, tightly knit, self-governing colonies that stood as the backdrop of, and provided some of the impetus for, the Constitutional Convention. Glendon writes:</p>
<p>If history teaches us anything, it is that a liberal democracy is not just a given; that there seem to be conditions that are more, or less, favorable to its maintenance, and that these conditions importantly involve character . . . Character, too, has conditions—residing in no small degree in nurture and education. Thus one can hardly escape from acknowledging the political importance of the family.</p>
<p>Without a virtuous citizenry, John Adams memorably warns us, democracy always commits suicide. Freedom, without virtue, seems bent on its own self-destruction, as we witness all too well in our country these days. But, of course, virtue cannot be taken for granted. It must be taught, inculcated, practiced, and esteemed in every generation, every family, and every human heart. This is a tall order—and a real struggle for anyone who takes it seriously—but it is this&#160;interior struggle that was passed from one generation to the next until quite recently.</p>
<p>Indeed, over the last several decades, we have witnessed the Supreme Court in particular use arguments from personal autonomy (or freedom misunderstood as its own end) to weaken precisely those institutions—motherhood, fatherhood, marriage, other mediating structures—that are best suited to sustain the social ecology, to shape persons to use their freedom well. America’s long tradition of self-determination has morphed over the years into a constitutionalized sort of no-holds-barred self-invention, the freedom to define myself just as I wish, free from any claims or constraints upon me.</p>
<p>And herein lies the problem, a problem perhaps brought into clearer focus by the ecological lens. The self-defining, self-sufficient, radically autonomous individual at the heart of this modern paradigm simply does not exist. From the very moment each of us comes into being, we are embodied, fragile, and embedded in relationships, nested in our social environment. We are social, or political, animals, as Aristotle put it. And as such, our freedom is constrained by our dependence on others and, as we mature, others’ dependence on us. Human vulnerability and dependence are the most basic and enduring facts of human existence, of human identity, before even sin. We human beings flourish or fail to within the context of this interdependence, never in isolation. As the philosopher Alasdair MacIntryre <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dependent-Rational-Animals-Virtues-Lectures/dp/081269452X" type="external">reminds us</a>, the responsible adult independence for which we properly strive requires the prior care and sacrifice of others, of mothers and fathers, of families, of communities; we do not acquire the virtues necessary for independence, for the good use of our freedom, for flourishing on our own. We depend on others to teach us these virtues—and to model them for us.</p>
<p>And so, if we are to safeguard (or these days we may need to say, recreate) the moral conditions for an authentic human ecology, a culture worthy of the dignity of the person, one that encourages rather than discourages the duties we have toward God and one another, we must take far more seriously—far more seriously—the care, nurture, and cultivation of the young in virtue, and also of the social organisms that support such cultivation. We must focus, as John Paul II tells us in Centesimus Annus, on that “first and fundamental structure for ‘human ecology,’ the family,” and all that supports its critical work.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, I will offer three suggestions for where we might start.</p>
<p>Erika Bachiochi is a Visiting Fellow at the Ethics &amp; Public Policy Center. This essay was adapted from the luncheon presentation she gave at the Human Ecology Conference at the Busch School of Business and Economics at CUA last spring. Her remarks recently aired on EWTN.</p> | false | 1 | article first twopart series read part two click human ecology concept developed sociologists early last century appropriated pope john paul ii heralded centesimus annus provides illuminating lens understand multifaceted cultural crisis find today using term cultural analogue growing concerns natural ecology john paul ii wrote 1991 although people rightly worried preserving natural habitats little effort made to160safeguard moral conditions authentic human ecology160not god given earth man must use respect original good purpose given man gods gift man person must therefore respect natural moral structure endowed recently laudato si pope francis reiterated john paul iis broadly framed ecological concern handed might say pope benedict francis writes human ecology also implies another profound reality relationship human life moral law inscribed nature necessary creation dignified environment pope benedict spoke ecology man based fact man nature must respect manipulate recent popes ecology man seems approximate would described classically natural law idea human person possesses nature must understood nurtured full flourishing eudaimonia greeks beatitude christians modern connotations nature law without great unlearning fixed static represent dynamism human person authentic way consequently natural law concept today greatly misunderstood almost unintelligible human ecology contrast allows one reflect fewer intellectual stumbling blocks upon design dynamism human person life experience human ecology readily calls mind reality human person created yet choices creates deeply influenced turn influences others conditioned environment finds yet capable transcending analogy natural ecology helpful todays philosophical climate implies interdependence influences actors complexity causes effects calling empirical scientific validation measure toxins waterways use social science empirically corroborate destructive downstream effects pill pornography fatherlessness real women men children contrary prevailing libertarian view ecological analogy also reveals putatively harmless acts solitary individuals adopted large proportion population deeply harmful effects protecting natural social ecosystems natural ecosystems social ecosystems fragile need protection cultivation thrive pope francis said160 november 2014 crisis family produced ecological crisis social environments like natural environments need protection although human race come understand need address conditions menace natural environments slower recognize fragile social environments threat well laudato sis striking claim decadent consumer habits first world disproportionately harming worlds poor sociological data confirm quite clearly vulnerable fragile human beings threatened least equipped protect deteriorating moral environment see clearly sharp decline marriage among poor disproportionately harming communities need myriad personal social economic benefits lifelong marriage provides human ecology implicitly assumes existence natural law may better able capture dynamic social influences either support undermine respect lawand helpfully susceptible empirical measurement way natural law simpliciter obviously centisimus annus man receives god essential dignity capacity transcend every social order move towards truth goodness also conditioned social structure lives education received environment elements either help hinder living accordance truth foundational document catholic social teaching john paul ii urging creation dignified social environment social ecology worthy dignity human person social ecology john paul ii used term human ecology centesimus annus entering robust conversation already taking place among social thinkers since beginning last century social scientists making use term describe idea society complex organism study myriad ways surroundings influence human person russianamerican psychologist urie bronfenbrenner notably wrote 1977 ecology human development one seeks understand human subject within nested varied everchanging arrangement environmental structures ecological approach one nature interdisciplinary seeks integrate diverse perspectives achieve wider angle 1990s social theorists across political spectrum thinking ecologically dynamic interaction among familial political economic social influences mutually conditioning systems affected children families communities across america ecological analogy helped diverse group thinkers diagnose even without agreeing causes growing deterioration stable families communities deleterious impact nations children nations poor consequences cultural ecological disintegration american institutions particular communitarians mary ann glendon michael sandel amitai etzioni worried americas celebrated free economic political institutions great risk undermining foundations due erosion moral ecology robert putnams term social capital free institutions needed thrive time would denied americas systems free market capitalism constitutional democracy shown best world guaranteeing individual liberty creating wealth opportunity providing space needed full human flourishing john paul ii first time catholic churchs history expressly endorses systems centesimus annusat least duly constrained robust moral culture free economic political institutions say nothing use freedom wealth transmit habits mind heart necessary selfgovernment humane economy centesimus annus strongly proclaimed without countervailing cultural values teach individuals use freedom wealth common good capitalist quest material gain inform ultimately erode culture giving rise hedonism individualism consumerism similarly without strong cultural edifice promoting true good beautiful liberal democracys tendency give equal hearing ideas corrode culture leading relativization lifestyles tyranny popular opinion equality demands erasure differences including biological ones undermining religion vital force culture close home sounds us today freedom virtue human dependency free institutions provide important precondition robust moral environment social ecology freedom freedomwhether political economic personal even religiouscan never end without discounting importance freedom human ecology must say freedom merely instrumental freedom service human ecology human flourishing instrument servantfreedomalso preconditions provide proper end necessary precondition freedom virtue harvard law professor mary ann glendon argued throughout influential deeply prescient work american founders designed remarkable system free institutions didnt assure conditions freedom though guarded rampant selfinterest system checks balances well understood selfgovernment needs particularly virtuous men sustain glendon suggests seemed take granted americans would continue formed sorts social environments would produce sort virtueenvironments like deeply religious tightly knit selfgoverning colonies stood backdrop provided impetus constitutional convention glendon writes history teaches us anything liberal democracy given seem conditions less favorable maintenance conditions importantly involve character character conditionsresiding small degree nurture education thus one hardly escape acknowledging political importance family without virtuous citizenry john adams memorably warns us democracy always commits suicide freedom without virtue seems bent selfdestruction witness well country days course virtue taken granted must taught inculcated practiced esteemed every generation every family every human heart tall orderand real struggle anyone takes seriouslybut this160interior struggle passed one generation next quite recently indeed last several decades witnessed supreme court particular use arguments personal autonomy freedom misunderstood end weaken precisely institutionsmotherhood fatherhood marriage mediating structuresthat best suited sustain social ecology shape persons use freedom well americas long tradition selfdetermination morphed years constitutionalized sort noholdsbarred selfinvention freedom define wish free claims constraints upon herein lies problem problem perhaps brought clearer focus ecological lens selfdefining selfsufficient radically autonomous individual heart modern paradigm simply exist moment us comes embodied fragile embedded relationships nested social environment social political animals aristotle put freedom constrained dependence others mature others dependence us human vulnerability dependence basic enduring facts human existence human identity even sin human beings flourish fail within context interdependence never isolation philosopher alasdair macintryre reminds us responsible adult independence properly strive requires prior care sacrifice others mothers fathers families communities acquire virtues necessary independence good use freedom flourishing depend others teach us virtuesand model us safeguard days may need say recreate moral conditions authentic human ecology culture worthy dignity person one encourages rather discourages duties toward god one another must take far seriouslyfar seriouslythe care nurture cultivation young virtue also social organisms support cultivation must focus john paul ii tells us centesimus annus first fundamental structure human ecology family supports critical work tomorrow offer three suggestions might start erika bachiochi visiting fellow ethics amp public policy center essay adapted luncheon presentation gave human ecology conference busch school business economics cua last spring remarks recently aired ewtn | 1,185 |
<p>‘Zero. A Sixty-Five Pounder Opening Fire’ (1918-20) by James McBey</p>
<p>Promised Gift of Frank Raysor</p>
<p>The Great War: Printmakers&#160;Of World War I</p>
<p>Virginia Museum of Fine Arts</p>
<p>Through Nov. 11</p>
<p>Richmond, Va.</p>
<p>When the firing ceased in 1918, the belligerents of World War I counted their dead, missing and wounded. They numbered not in the thousands or hundreds of thousands, as in previous wars, but in the millions.</p>
<p>A century after the carnage, the British artists whom art historians deem most consequential are those who reacted most aggressively against the heroic tradition of war painting, both in style and in content. We now automatically associate the Modernist works of Christopher R.W. Nevinson, David Bomberg and Paul Nash with the Great War just as much as we do the bitter and disenchanted poetry written by Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. But seeing the conflict exclusively through their eyes leads us to neglect other talented artists who pictured the war in more conventional ways that the general public could readily understand. And so it is that many admirable artists who depicted the conflict, such as Henry Tonks, William Orpen and even John Singer Sargent (in his wartime paintings), are often undeservedly neglected.</p>
<p>The persistence and importance of this more traditional approach is seen in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ “The Great War: Printmakers of World War I,” which commemorates the centenary of the first year of the war in a focused, informative exhibition of 28 prints. These high-quality etchings, engravings, lithographs and dry points, all accompanied by helpful explanatory labels, chronicle the war from the British Isles to the deserts of the Near East.</p>
<p>The exhibition showcases several distinguished artists known mainly to connoisseurs. Remarkably, prints by some of them can still can be bought at bargain-basement prices, so visitors whose interest is sparked by the show won’t need very deep pockets to acquire their works, which are often dazzling masterpieces composed only of line, light and tone.</p>
<p>Three large lithographs of naval shipyards are by Muirhead Bone, an artist who was part of the Etching Renaissance of the late 19th century led by James McNeill Whistler and his brother-in law, Francis Seymour Haden. Bone depicts the shipyards as dynamic linear networks of scaffolding, cranes and derricks that dwarf the workers who operate them. The vigorous foreshortening and vertiginous angles of his “A Shipyard Seen from a Big Crane” (1917) makes one wonder if Joseph Stella had seen it before he composed his “Brooklyn Bridge” just a few years later.</p>
<p>Bone’s “Shipyards” are an example of many images of wartime Britain. Artists, particularly women who couldn’t travel to the front lines, boosted civilian morale by depicting and celebrating citizens’ contributions to the war effort in such places as farms and munitions factories.</p>
<p>Dating between 1919 and 1936, Kerr Eby’s prints are entirely different. A Canadian who served on the Western Front, he volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1917, the year the country entered World War I. His etchings, some of them done years after the war, show the hard slough of the ordinary soldier. In “Dawn, the 75’s Follow Up” (1919), a column of soldiers accompanies a horse-drawn French 75mm field gun, a mainstay of the American artillery. The column trudges past an empty house toward the shattered ruins of another building. The soldiers’ heads are downcast, their faces obscured by shadow. Surrounded by wreckage of war and soaked by rain, marvelously rendered by the artist’s skillful use of the white of the paper and ink, this is the dull, unglamorous routine of the Doughboys between the terrors of fighting.</p>
<p>The seven prints and drawings of another soldier-artist, James McBey, are the highlights of the exhibition. While serving in France, McBey, a Scottish autodidact, made drawings and prints, including the macabre “The Carpenter of Hesdin” (1917). Shrouded in shadow, the elderly carpenter, working with a bandsaw in this Western Front town, is watched by two children darkly silhouetted against a background window. What, at first glance, appear to be stacks of boards surrounding him are, on closer inspection, hundreds of identical crosses destined for the graves of soldiers. Mechanized production of these grave markers was a necessity: On just the first day of the battle of the Somme about 20,000 British soldiers died. Interestingly, an official censor who signed the bottom of the sheet approved this chilling image for publication.</p>
<p>In 1917, McBey became an official war artist traveling with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. His “Zero. A Sixty-Five Pounder Opening Fire” (1918-20) documents the first salvo aimed at the Ottoman Turks’ forces. Two agitated soldiers in the foreground, drawn in wiry, nervous lines, cup their hands over their ears as another fires the weapon. McBey uses just the white of the paper in front of the barrel to make an enormous muzzle flash, which pierces the twilight and casts the gunners into shadow. This is a brilliant use of the black-and-white print medium.</p>
<p>Much the same can be said of McBey’s “Dawn. The Camel Patrol Setting Out” (1917-1919). The artist was with the Imperial Camel Corps when they began their trek to Beersheba in the Negev. The camel train moves across the flat desert and into the space, gradually diminishing in size as the most distant riders near the sweeping horizon. The brightening sky, again created only by the white of the paper, is fringed with the nighttime darkness still remaining at the top of the print. McBey has fashioned a barren, almost limitless land of sand and sky through which the soldiers ride toward their destiny. There’s a romantic and heroic quality to this print, very much like the desert marches in David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia.” In fact, McBey met Lawrence in Damascus and painted a fine portrait of him. The artist’s exceptional portraits, landscape paintings and prints are now sadly neglected.</p>
<p>The most harrowing print in the exhibition is by the little-known Percy John Smith, another British soldier who fought in France. In “Death Awed” (1919), a tall, veiled skeleton, Death, stands on the duckboards of a trench in front of a blasted landscape. Surprised, he looks downward toward two combat boots from which protrude only broken bones and tendons, the remains of a solider blown apart. So ghastly is the sight that even Death, the Grim Reaper, is stunned by it. Could there be a more apt image for the charnel house that was World War I?</p>
<p>Mr. Cole, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p> | false | 1 | zero sixtyfive pounder opening fire 191820 james mcbey promised gift frank raysor great war printmakers160of world war virginia museum fine arts nov 11 richmond va firing ceased 1918 belligerents world war counted dead missing wounded numbered thousands hundreds thousands previous wars millions century carnage british artists art historians deem consequential reacted aggressively heroic tradition war painting style content automatically associate modernist works christopher rw nevinson david bomberg paul nash great war much bitter disenchanted poetry written wilfred owen siegfried sassoon seeing conflict exclusively eyes leads us neglect talented artists pictured war conventional ways general public could readily understand many admirable artists depicted conflict henry tonks william orpen even john singer sargent wartime paintings often undeservedly neglected persistence importance traditional approach seen virginia museum fine arts great war printmakers world war commemorates centenary first year war focused informative exhibition 28 prints highquality etchings engravings lithographs dry points accompanied helpful explanatory labels chronicle war british isles deserts near east exhibition showcases several distinguished artists known mainly connoisseurs remarkably prints still bought bargainbasement prices visitors whose interest sparked show wont need deep pockets acquire works often dazzling masterpieces composed line light tone three large lithographs naval shipyards muirhead bone artist part etching renaissance late 19th century led james mcneill whistler brotherin law francis seymour haden bone depicts shipyards dynamic linear networks scaffolding cranes derricks dwarf workers operate vigorous foreshortening vertiginous angles shipyard seen big crane 1917 makes one wonder joseph stella seen composed brooklyn bridge years later bones shipyards example many images wartime britain artists particularly women couldnt travel front lines boosted civilian morale depicting celebrating citizens contributions war effort places farms munitions factories dating 1919 1936 kerr ebys prints entirely different canadian served western front volunteered us army 1917 year country entered world war etchings done years war show hard slough ordinary soldier dawn 75s follow 1919 column soldiers accompanies horsedrawn french 75mm field gun mainstay american artillery column trudges past empty house toward shattered ruins another building soldiers heads downcast faces obscured shadow surrounded wreckage war soaked rain marvelously rendered artists skillful use white paper ink dull unglamorous routine doughboys terrors fighting seven prints drawings another soldierartist james mcbey highlights exhibition serving france mcbey scottish autodidact made drawings prints including macabre carpenter hesdin 1917 shrouded shadow elderly carpenter working bandsaw western front town watched two children darkly silhouetted background window first glance appear stacks boards surrounding closer inspection hundreds identical crosses destined graves soldiers mechanized production grave markers necessity first day battle somme 20000 british soldiers died interestingly official censor signed bottom sheet approved chilling image publication 1917 mcbey became official war artist traveling egyptian expeditionary force zero sixtyfive pounder opening fire 191820 documents first salvo aimed ottoman turks forces two agitated soldiers foreground drawn wiry nervous lines cup hands ears another fires weapon mcbey uses white paper front barrel make enormous muzzle flash pierces twilight casts gunners shadow brilliant use blackandwhite print medium much said mcbeys dawn camel patrol setting 19171919 artist imperial camel corps began trek beersheba negev camel train moves across flat desert space gradually diminishing size distant riders near sweeping horizon brightening sky created white paper fringed nighttime darkness still remaining top print mcbey fashioned barren almost limitless land sand sky soldiers ride toward destiny theres romantic heroic quality print much like desert marches david leans lawrence arabia fact mcbey met lawrence damascus painted fine portrait artists exceptional portraits landscape paintings prints sadly neglected harrowing print exhibition littleknown percy john smith another british soldier fought france death awed 1919 tall veiled skeleton death stands duckboards trench front blasted landscape surprised looks downward toward two combat boots protrude broken bones tendons remains solider blown apart ghastly sight even death grim reaper stunned could apt image charnel house world war mr cole former chairman national endowment humanities senior fellow ethics public policy center | 634 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans tried to make Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the face of the government shutdown. Now, he's becoming the face of the Democratic retreat.</p>
<p>For two days, Schumer, perhaps the most powerful Democrat in Washington, succeeded in keeping his party unified in a bid to use the government funding fight to push for protections for about 800,000 young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.</p>
<p>But as the shutdown moved into its third day, the New York Democrat and his party buckled as several Democrats backed a deal to end the shutdown in exchange for a Republican pledge to address the immigration debate in the near future.</p>
<p>Schumer quickly became a punching bag for the right and left.</p>
<p>"It's official: Chuck Schumer is the worst negotiator in Washington — even worse than Trump," said Murshed Zaheed, political director for the liberal group CREDO.</p>
<p>"Schumer caved," tweeted former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, an ally of President Donald Trump. He added, "Lessons learned — Schumer burned."</p>
<p>Schumer had little margin for error in this first major test of his muscle and maneuvering as leader.</p>
<p>The pragmatist was balancing the demands of a liberal base eager for a fight with the president and the political realities of red-state senators anxious about their re-election prospects this fall.</p>
<p>As liberals embraced the fight, some vulnerable senators met with Schumer on Sunday morning and urged a compromise to end the shutdown.</p>
<p>"The question is, how do we get out of here in a way that reflects what the majority of the body wants to do," said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who is among the Democrats on the ballot in November. She added: "It is critically important that we get this done today."</p>
<p>The Senate voted Monday to advance a bill that would extend government funding through Feb. 8. In a bid to win over a few Democratic holdouts,</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also pledged to take up legislation on immigration and other top Democratic priorities if they weren't already addressed by the time that spending bill would expire.</p>
<p>McConnell's pledge was enough to sway the handful of Democrats he needed to pass the spending bill.</p>
<p>Democratic aides said that while Schumer, who spent the weekend calling members on his flip phone, initially appeared to be holding the party together, the desire to end the shutdown won out.</p>
<p>Liberal leaders across the country hosted a conference call before Monday's vote to encourage Schumer and other Democrats to oppose any deal that excludes protections for the young immigrants.</p>
<p>"To anyone considering such a move, let me be clear: Promises won't protect anyone from deportation," said Greisa Martinez Rosas, a so-called "Dreamer" and the advocacy director for the liberal group United We Dream. "Delay means deportation for us."</p>
<p>Despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, Republicans pinned the blame for the shutdown squarely on Schumer, accusing him of being captive to liberals and advocacy groups that opposed any spending package that didn't result in a solution for the young immigrants.</p>
<p>The White House and GOP officials branded the funding gap the "Schumer Shutdown," spreading the phrase as a hashtag on social media.</p>
<p>Immigration advocates hoped Schumer would see that as a badge of honor, but there was anxiety about his resolve.</p>
<p>"He went to the mats," said Frank Sharry, the executive director of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice. "He had the backbone to lead his caucus into a high-stakes, high-risk battle. It thrilled progressives."</p>
<p>Should Democrats blink first, he predicted, "The era of good feeling quickly will be replaced by anger and disappointment."</p>
<p>Schumer isn't the most natural fit for the role of champion of the left.</p>
<p>The energetic, four-term senator is viewed as more of a pragmatist than an ideologue. He has long faced skepticism from some liberals, thanks, in part, to his Wall Street ties. He frustrated many Democrats with his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal championed by President Barack Obama.</p>
<p>In 2013, Schumer was part of a bipartisan group of senators that worked on a sweeping overhaul of the nation's fractured immigration laws. The package, which would have created a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in the U.S. illegally, was narrowly approved in the Senate but never taken up by the House</p>
<p>Just last month, immigration advocates, including members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, were furious with Schumer and Democratic leaders for not forcing a fight over the young immigrants.</p>
<p>Democratic aides said despite the pressure from some of his party's most energized forces, Schumer knew his caucus would not hold together at that point. Indeed, 18 Democratic senators ultimately voted for the short-term spending bill that kicked both the budget battle and the immigration fight into the new year.</p>
<p>The dynamic shifted in January. Democrats began the year hopeful that Trump, who has expressed sympathy for the young immigrants, would be willing to make a big deal. When those plans collapsed, Schumer found more enthusiasm even among moderate Democrat senators to withhold support for a spending bill that didn't address immigration, even if it meant forcing a shutdown.</p>
<p>He was helped along, according to multiple Democratic aides, by revelations that Trump had told lawmakers during a private meeting that he wanted less immigration from "s---hole" countries in Africa and more from places like Norway.</p>
<p>Schumer experienced a sea change after the remarks, according to one aide, who like other Democrats and Trump advisers, insisted on anonymity in order to describe private deliberations.</p>
<p>Some liberals fear the sea change is over.</p>
<p>"Today's cave by Senate Democrats — led by weak-kneed, right-of-center Democrats — is why people don't believe the Democratic Party stands for anything," said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.</p>
<p>"These weak Democrats hurt the party's brand for everyone and make it harder to elect Democrats everywhere in 2018."</p> | false | 1 | washington ap republicans tried make senate minority leader chuck schumer face government shutdown hes becoming face democratic retreat two days schumer perhaps powerful democrat washington succeeded keeping party unified bid use government funding fight push protections 800000 young immigrants brought us illegally children shutdown moved third day new york democrat party buckled several democrats backed deal end shutdown exchange republican pledge address immigration debate near future schumer quickly became punching bag right left official chuck schumer worst negotiator washington even worse trump said murshed zaheed political director liberal group credo schumer caved tweeted former arkansas gov mike huckabee ally president donald trump added lessons learned schumer burned schumer little margin error first major test muscle maneuvering leader pragmatist balancing demands liberal base eager fight president political realities redstate senators anxious reelection prospects fall liberals embraced fight vulnerable senators met schumer sunday morning urged compromise end shutdown question get way reflects majority body wants said sen heidi heitkamp north dakota among democrats ballot november added critically important get done today senate voted monday advance bill would extend government funding feb 8 bid win democratic holdouts senate majority leader mitch mcconnell also pledged take legislation immigration top democratic priorities werent already addressed time spending bill would expire mcconnells pledge enough sway handful democrats needed pass spending bill democratic aides said schumer spent weekend calling members flip phone initially appeared holding party together desire end shutdown liberal leaders across country hosted conference call mondays vote encourage schumer democrats oppose deal excludes protections young immigrants anyone considering move let clear promises wont protect anyone deportation said greisa martinez rosas socalled dreamer advocacy director liberal group united dream delay means deportation us despite controlling white house chambers congress republicans pinned blame shutdown squarely schumer accusing captive liberals advocacy groups opposed spending package didnt result solution young immigrants white house gop officials branded funding gap schumer shutdown spreading phrase hashtag social media immigration advocates hoped schumer would see badge honor anxiety resolve went mats said frank sharry executive director immigration advocacy group americas voice backbone lead caucus highstakes highrisk battle thrilled progressives democrats blink first predicted era good feeling quickly replaced anger disappointment schumer isnt natural fit role champion left energetic fourterm senator viewed pragmatist ideologue long faced skepticism liberals thanks part wall street ties frustrated many democrats opposition iran nuclear deal championed president barack obama 2013 schumer part bipartisan group senators worked sweeping overhaul nations fractured immigration laws package would created pathway citizenship millions people us illegally narrowly approved senate never taken house last month immigration advocates including members congressional hispanic caucus furious schumer democratic leaders forcing fight young immigrants democratic aides said despite pressure partys energized forces schumer knew caucus would hold together point indeed 18 democratic senators ultimately voted shortterm spending bill kicked budget battle immigration fight new year dynamic shifted january democrats began year hopeful trump expressed sympathy young immigrants would willing make big deal plans collapsed schumer found enthusiasm even among moderate democrat senators withhold support spending bill didnt address immigration even meant forcing shutdown helped along according multiple democratic aides revelations trump told lawmakers private meeting wanted less immigration shole countries africa places like norway schumer experienced sea change remarks according one aide like democrats trump advisers insisted anonymity order describe private deliberations liberals fear sea change todays cave senate democrats led weakkneed rightofcenter democrats people dont believe democratic party stands anything said stephanie taylor cofounder progressive change campaign committee weak democrats hurt partys brand everyone make harder elect democrats everywhere 2018 | 582 |
<p>Two goals in as many minutes snatched victory for CSKA in the Moscow derby versus Spartak on Saturday, leaving a serious dent in the latter’s hopes to defend their Russian Premier League (RPL) title.</p>
<p>Goals from Georgi Schennikov and then Vitinho in the last 10 minutes of the game at the VEB Arena overturned a 1-0 Spartak lead that came via a deflected strike from Mario Pasalic, his first goal for the club since joining on loan from Chelsea.</p>
<p>The result means champions Spartak have now gathered just 8 points from the opening six games of their title defense, a successful retention of their title looking increasingly less likely, whereas CSKA move up to 5th in the RPL table.</p>
<p>The team lineups told a tale of two goalkeepers. CSKA welcomed Igor Akinfeev back between the sticks after two games out, while at the other end Aleksandr Selikhov retained his spot in the Spartak goal in place of Artem Rebrov, who was dropped after the recent 5-1 drubbing by Zenit St. Petersburg.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before Selikhov was tested. Three Alan Dzagoev shots in the space of a few first half minutes drew one particularly spectacular save from the Spartak stopper to tip the ball over for a corner.</p>
<p>CSKA pressed early on as it seemed Spartak struggled to settle, but CSKA couldn’t find a way to penetrate and both sides went into the break level at 0-0.</p>
<p>But just three minutes after the restart and against the run of play, Mario Pasalic opened his Spartak account with a low drive that deflected in off a CSKA defender to leave Akinfeev with no chance.</p>
<p>The CSKA fans behind the goal had been preparing a performance routine with ticker tape before Pasalic’s shot went in, and instead tossed the paper strips at the celebrating players beneath them.</p>
<p>CSKA fans were preparing for a routine with ticker tape when Spartak scored in front of them, so instead threw it at the celebrating players <a href="https://t.co/OMtm24mZnV" type="external">pic.twitter.com/OMtm24mZnV</a></p>
<p>— Danny Armstrong (@DannyWArmstrong) <a href="https://twitter.com/DannyWArmstrong/status/896396141348237312" type="external">August 12, 2017</a></p>
<p>It didn’t seem to bother Croatian Pasalic, who courted considerable attention this summer with his move to Spartak from Premier League champions Chelsea. The midfielder was on loan at AC Milan last season, but the close relationship between Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and Spartak head coach Massimo Carrera, his former assistant manager at Juventus and Italy, swung the deal for Pasalic to move to Moscow.</p>
<p>It looked like Spartak would hold on for an unlikely victory as time seemed to ebb away for CSKA to find an equalizer. That was until the final 10 minutes when the Army Men pushed forward.</p>
<p>Aleksandr Golovin drove down the right and passed Pasalic with ease before squaring to Moscow native Georgi Schennikov who fired the ball home from close range. This time the CSKA tape was thrown for the right reasons.</p>
<p>Just as the celebrations were about to settle, CSKA were on the attack again. Vitinho tried his luck from range and when his shot bounced and rippled the back of Selikhov’s goal, the home crowd were sent into raptures.</p>
<p>’85 GOAL! And CSKA have turned this game around, Vitinho’s shot bounces past Selikhov, 2 goals in 2 minutes, now 2-1 CSKA <a href="https://t.co/r2bcHHnxrh" type="external">pic.twitter.com/r2bcHHnxrh</a></p>
<p>— RussianFootballNews (@RusFootballNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/RusFootballNews/status/896404753852362756" type="external">August 12, 2017</a></p>
<p>When, after the restart, Spartak’s Quincy Promes fired a volley goal wards at the other end only for Igor Akinfeev to save and hold, it was clear it wouldn’t be Spartak’s day. But the final few minutes would not be without drama.</p>
<p>When CSKA defender Pontus Wernbloom body checked Promes, the latter’s teammate Georgi Dzhikiya steamed into the Swede at full force, precipitating a fracas involving all 22 players and members of the bench.</p>
<p>As a result of the ensuing scuffle, Wernbloom, Dzhikiya and CSKA’s Mario Fernandes were all booked for their troubles and a free kick to Spartak was awarded.</p>
<p>But seconds after it was taken by Selikhov, the referee blew the final whistle, the game ending a reverse of the scoreline of the same fixture in April, which came in the midst of Spartak then closing in on the title.</p>
<p>There was to be no dream ending for Pasalic upon scoring his first Spartak goal, his new team slip to eighth.</p>
<p>“In the last six minutes, I wouldn’t change my team, they are a strong team, we also tried hard in the game,” Massimo Carrera told press after the match.</p>
<p>“We also created good chances, in the last minutes, we couldn’t control the moments that led to the goals,” he added.</p>
<p>Asked whether the performance of Selikhov influenced the outcome of the match, Carrera said, “Selikhov, I didn’t think he played badly. Like in every team we have two goalkeepers that challenge for the number one jersey.”</p>
<p>Questions will now surely be asked whether manager Carrera has done enough in the transfer market to compete with the likes of Zenit for the league title.</p>
<p>With just the loan move of Pasalic the only high-profile signing for the red and whites in the absence of a mooted move for Fedor Smolov of Krasnodar, Spartak are far outstripped by Zenit, who have spent a total of $79 million recruiting high-profile names such as Leandro Paredes, Sebastien Driussi and Emanuel Mammana, as well as Russian internationals Aleksandr Erokhin and Dmitri Poloz on free transfers.</p>
<p>The question of defending their first title in 16 years must surely be closed for Spartak, the question now is can Carrera, with Champions League football still to come, salvage something from an already difficult second season in charge.</p> | false | 1 | two goals many minutes snatched victory cska moscow derby versus spartak saturday leaving serious dent latters hopes defend russian premier league rpl title goals georgi schennikov vitinho last 10 minutes game veb arena overturned 10 spartak lead came via deflected strike mario pasalic first goal club since joining loan chelsea result means champions spartak gathered 8 points opening six games title defense successful retention title looking increasingly less likely whereas cska move 5th rpl table team lineups told tale two goalkeepers cska welcomed igor akinfeev back sticks two games end aleksandr selikhov retained spot spartak goal place artem rebrov dropped recent 51 drubbing zenit st petersburg wasnt long selikhov tested three alan dzagoev shots space first half minutes drew one particularly spectacular save spartak stopper tip ball corner cska pressed early seemed spartak struggled settle cska couldnt find way penetrate sides went break level 00 three minutes restart run play mario pasalic opened spartak account low drive deflected cska defender leave akinfeev chance cska fans behind goal preparing performance routine ticker tape pasalics shot went instead tossed paper strips celebrating players beneath cska fans preparing routine ticker tape spartak scored front instead threw celebrating players pictwittercomomtm24mznv danny armstrong dannywarmstrong august 12 2017 didnt seem bother croatian pasalic courted considerable attention summer move spartak premier league champions chelsea midfielder loan ac milan last season close relationship chelsea boss antonio conte spartak head coach massimo carrera former assistant manager juventus italy swung deal pasalic move moscow looked like spartak would hold unlikely victory time seemed ebb away cska find equalizer final 10 minutes army men pushed forward aleksandr golovin drove right passed pasalic ease squaring moscow native georgi schennikov fired ball home close range time cska tape thrown right reasons celebrations settle cska attack vitinho tried luck range shot bounced rippled back selikhovs goal home crowd sent raptures 85 goal cska turned game around vitinhos shot bounces past selikhov 2 goals 2 minutes 21 cska pictwittercomr2bchhnxrh russianfootballnews rusfootballnews august 12 2017 restart spartaks quincy promes fired volley goal wards end igor akinfeev save hold clear wouldnt spartaks day final minutes would without drama cska defender pontus wernbloom body checked promes latters teammate georgi dzhikiya steamed swede full force precipitating fracas involving 22 players members bench result ensuing scuffle wernbloom dzhikiya cskas mario fernandes booked troubles free kick spartak awarded seconds taken selikhov referee blew final whistle game ending reverse scoreline fixture april came midst spartak closing title dream ending pasalic upon scoring first spartak goal new team slip eighth last six minutes wouldnt change team strong team also tried hard game massimo carrera told press match also created good chances last minutes couldnt control moments led goals added asked whether performance selikhov influenced outcome match carrera said selikhov didnt think played badly like every team two goalkeepers challenge number one jersey questions surely asked whether manager carrera done enough transfer market compete likes zenit league title loan move pasalic highprofile signing red whites absence mooted move fedor smolov krasnodar spartak far outstripped zenit spent total 79 million recruiting highprofile names leandro paredes sebastien driussi emanuel mammana well russian internationals aleksandr erokhin dmitri poloz free transfers question defending first title 16 years must surely closed spartak question carrera champions league football still come salvage something already difficult second season charge | 547 |
<p />
<p>Almost from its very inception, there have been hot debates about reforming the United Nations, both within and outside the institution. The UN was founded in 1945 in order to replace the League of Nations and in so doing to bring about a new world order. The hope was that the new body would intervene in conflicts between nations and thereby avoid future all-out war. A Security Council was established with five permanent members: these were the main victors of World War II, each of whom was granted the power of veto over any UN resolution. Today the organization’s structure still reflects the circumstances pertaining at the time of its founding, but in the meantime the world has changed dramatically. Modern history, as taught, tells us that this international organization has become an essential part of the system for dealing with international problems, but we need to ask how relevant the UN is in the changed political circumstances of today? How successful has it been in fulfilling its promises and living up to its ideals? Does it truly constitute a global voice? Just how successful has it been in maintaining the peace in every part of the world? It is time to place the international body on trial and to re-assess, re-visit, and re-define its significance in terms of its past outcomes. It is time to consider whether, in the interest of all nations, the body should be re-constituted to form a stronger, more adaptable organization that better reflects the dynamics of a changed world order.</p>
<p>In nearly seven decades of its history, the United Nations cannot be said to have achieved that much. It has been able to prevent the recurrence of war on the scale of the First and Second World Wars. It has been instrumental in maintaining an international balance of power. It has played a role in the demise of colonialism on the one hand and of apartheid on the other. Its agencies, such as the WHO, UNICEF, and UNESCO, have keenly participated in the transformation of the international social sector. Moreover, despite being essentially a political body, it has provided a platform via its conventions and declarations for matters extra-political, e.g. human rights, women’s rights, climate change. Beyond these, though, its achievement has been less than outstanding.</p>
<p>The UN’s main objective is to ensure peace throughout the world, and under its Charter the use of force by states is prohibited. However, it has failed to prevent over a hundred major conflicts resulting in the death of over twenty five million people. Its peacekeeping missions in several parts in the world failed, and it was unable to stop genocides in African countries such as Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Liberia, and Sierra-Leone. In Rwanda alone it was unable to protect over eight hundred thousand innocent people from being slaughtered. Similarly, it was unable to prevent massive genocides in the USSR under Stalin and in Cambodia under Pol Pot, and it failed to prevent the US and its allies entering an illegal war in Iraq. For decades Israel has taken unilateral action against its neighbors, but a resolution of the border crisis appears to be as far away as ever. The UN certainly played no role of any importance in major crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war in Vietnam. It was nowhere to be seen, too, when NATO bombs rained down on the former Yugoslavia. It failed to control the horizontal expansion and proliferation of weapons and arms, and the number of nuclear powers in the world continued to rise. Finally, it has failed to reflect the democratic and other aspirations of its people.</p>
<p>Today, trans-governmentalism is rapidly becoming the most widespread and effective mode of international governance. Harvard Professor A. Slaughter even argues that the present processes of interaction and interdependence are transitional only, and that the decline and ultimate demise of the state will lead to “trans-national class formations” followed by “newer, more inclusive and larger social organizations”. The UN has been reduced to a talking shop where big and powerful nations show their might. Its strings and wings are pulled by power politics. &#160;Power politics and use of the UN as a tool for serving self-interest has reduced the relevance of the world body: it has become a hostage of the major powers, and it has totally failed to understand the present changed global political order.</p>
<p>Thus, transnational interaction has dramatically intensified into what Anthony Gidden views as “a global cosmopolitan society”. The globalization of manufacturing, finance, information, information dissemination and trade is evidence of the growing interdependence of countries and societies across the whole world. To be more specific, globally integrated trade and finance define the international economic order of today. With economic, social, political, cultural, religious and legal dimensions so intertwined in this new global order, the traditional role of individual governments is changing.</p>
<p>The period immediately after UN’s founding in 1945 was marked not only by the division of world politics into two hostile camps, i.e. the capitalist West and the communist East, but also by a confrontation between the North and the South as the latter at last gained a voice on the international stage. Since then, though, the world has witnessed huge political upheavals and social transformations such as the demise of the Soviet Union following the fall of the Berlin Wall and, much more recently, the Arab Spring.</p>
<p>The early post-colonial era was one during which the sovereign state was triumphant, and “break-ups and regroupings” were, according to Professor Serge Sur, a common phenomenon. The Westphalia view of international law as a disciplinary force between nation states, each with its own economic, social and political authority has, however, now ceased to be appropriate in a global society where the power of non-state actors continues to grow. As cross-border activity and practices increase in number, Professor Baoventura de Sausa Santos argues that the nation-state is less able to maintain the level of control that it once had over the flow of persons, goods, money and ideas. The ease of capital movement and the increasingly powerful world financial markets and multi-national corporations, backed by fast communications and therefore information, have meant that parts of the world such as Asia, Africa, and Central and Latin America have been drawn into the global economy at an increasingly rapid rate.Now monolithic financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are the economic order of the day.</p>
<p>With the ending of the Cold War, these international institutions assumed a greater role in world affairs, resulting in an era of unprecedented internationalism. At the same time technological advances led to intense interaction within and between nations generating complex interdependence. Professor Jessica Mathews describes the world of today as “a shift away from the state up, down, and sideways to supra-state, sub-state, and, above all, non-state actors”. These new players have multiple allegiances and global reach. She goes on to observe that, simultaneously and consequently, the threats to peace and prosperity are growing in complexity. These range from terrorism to organized crime, drug trafficking, and ethnic conflict. Moreover, rapid population growth, environmental decline, and poverty lead to economic stagnation, political instability, and possible state collapse. Increased globalization effectively diminishes the role of the UN. As Professor Serge Sur argues, General Assembly resolutions are relegated to a lower rank, and major UN conferences become things of the past. CNN becomes the world’s communicator, and in the new economic order, the WTO plays a far larger role than the UN. In short, the UN’s inter-state, collegial style of diplomacy has little relevance in the globalized world of today. As the change is driven by the appearance of new large and growing economies that expand total global economic activity, a new model is needed that can account for the complexity of this new world.</p>
<p>The collapse of the League of Nations in the 20th century led almost automatically to consideration of how to replace it. A similar failure by the UN now is producing a similar reaction today. Kofi Annan once said: “We should not shy away from the need to improve and, where necessary, change the structure and function of the United Nations and other international institutions.” However, reforming it alone would be like pouring new wine into old bottles. To Professor Anne Slaughter, the 1945 world order is a chimera: she emphasizes that the UN functions effectively only when it has the full support of the major powers. Not one of those powers would contemplate strengthening the international institution at its own expense: any attempt at change would inevitably produce a backlash. Nevertheless, the world must be willing to accept change, and that change must mean the establishment of a replacement institution.</p>
<p>At the time of the UN’s own establishment, a huge part of the world’s population was living under colonial rule. This body of humanity was given no voice at all at the new international political forum, and even today the developing nations are excluded from its decision-making. What was conceived with a 1945 mentality is no longer adequate for a world that has moved so far since that date. The generation of the twenty first century, with globalization, rapid advances in technology, and especially the Internet, is justified in demanding a forum more attuned to current circumstances. Today, the nature and scope of the political organization should be determined by the nature and intensity of the world’s current problems.</p>
<p>Reform within the UN itself will not suffice in this changed situation. Fundamental change is essential. Just as the UN was established at a series of conferences in San Francisco attended by the victor nations of World War II, so a similar series of world conferences should now involve all countries. The aim should be to establish a new form of global institution to replace completely the current UN. The new institution needs to be inclusive and to be based on equal voices, equal power sharing, and with strong enforcement mechanisms adapted to the present political world order. It must represent all continents and nations and must provide a strong form of global governance. It must promise equal justice, equal distribution of world resources, a withering of the gap between rich and poor countries, and an all-out assault on climate change and environmental degradation. The need for this new institution to replace the UN is urgent: its mission must be to achieve in the 21st century peace, social harmony among all races and religions, and the full recognition of human rights.</p> | false | 1 | almost inception hot debates reforming united nations within outside institution un founded 1945 order replace league nations bring new world order hope new body would intervene conflicts nations thereby avoid future allout war security council established five permanent members main victors world war ii granted power veto un resolution today organizations structure still reflects circumstances pertaining time founding meantime world changed dramatically modern history taught tells us international organization become essential part system dealing international problems need ask relevant un changed political circumstances today successful fulfilling promises living ideals truly constitute global voice successful maintaining peace every part world time place international body trial reassess revisit redefine significance terms past outcomes time consider whether interest nations body reconstituted form stronger adaptable organization better reflects dynamics changed world order nearly seven decades history united nations said achieved much able prevent recurrence war scale first second world wars instrumental maintaining international balance power played role demise colonialism one hand apartheid agencies unicef unesco keenly participated transformation international social sector moreover despite essentially political body provided platform via conventions declarations matters extrapolitical eg human rights womens rights climate change beyond though achievement less outstanding uns main objective ensure peace throughout world charter use force states prohibited however failed prevent hundred major conflicts resulting death twenty five million people peacekeeping missions several parts world failed unable stop genocides african countries rwanda democratic republic congo sudan liberia sierraleone rwanda alone unable protect eight hundred thousand innocent people slaughtered similarly unable prevent massive genocides ussr stalin cambodia pol pot failed prevent us allies entering illegal war iraq decades israel taken unilateral action neighbors resolution border crisis appears far away ever un certainly played role importance major crises cuban missile crisis war vietnam nowhere seen nato bombs rained former yugoslavia failed control horizontal expansion proliferation weapons arms number nuclear powers world continued rise finally failed reflect democratic aspirations people today transgovernmentalism rapidly becoming widespread effective mode international governance harvard professor slaughter even argues present processes interaction interdependence transitional decline ultimate demise state lead transnational class formations followed newer inclusive larger social organizations un reduced talking shop big powerful nations show might strings wings pulled power politics 160power politics use un tool serving selfinterest reduced relevance world body become hostage major powers totally failed understand present changed global political order thus transnational interaction dramatically intensified anthony gidden views global cosmopolitan society globalization manufacturing finance information information dissemination trade evidence growing interdependence countries societies across whole world specific globally integrated trade finance define international economic order today economic social political cultural religious legal dimensions intertwined new global order traditional role individual governments changing period immediately uns founding 1945 marked division world politics two hostile camps ie capitalist west communist east also confrontation north south latter last gained voice international stage since though world witnessed huge political upheavals social transformations demise soviet union following fall berlin wall much recently arab spring early postcolonial era one sovereign state triumphant breakups regroupings according professor serge sur common phenomenon westphalia view international law disciplinary force nation states economic social political authority however ceased appropriate global society power nonstate actors continues grow crossborder activity practices increase number professor baoventura de sausa santos argues nationstate less able maintain level control flow persons goods money ideas ease capital movement increasingly powerful world financial markets multinational corporations backed fast communications therefore information meant parts world asia africa central latin america drawn global economy increasingly rapid ratenow monolithic financial institutions world bank international monetary fund economic order day ending cold war international institutions assumed greater role world affairs resulting era unprecedented internationalism time technological advances led intense interaction within nations generating complex interdependence professor jessica mathews describes world today shift away state sideways suprastate substate nonstate actors new players multiple allegiances global reach goes observe simultaneously consequently threats peace prosperity growing complexity range terrorism organized crime drug trafficking ethnic conflict moreover rapid population growth environmental decline poverty lead economic stagnation political instability possible state collapse increased globalization effectively diminishes role un professor serge sur argues general assembly resolutions relegated lower rank major un conferences become things past cnn becomes worlds communicator new economic order wto plays far larger role un short uns interstate collegial style diplomacy little relevance globalized world today change driven appearance new large growing economies expand total global economic activity new model needed account complexity new world collapse league nations 20th century led almost automatically consideration replace similar failure un producing similar reaction today kofi annan said shy away need improve necessary change structure function united nations international institutions however reforming alone would like pouring new wine old bottles professor anne slaughter 1945 world order chimera emphasizes un functions effectively full support major powers one powers would contemplate strengthening international institution expense attempt change would inevitably produce backlash nevertheless world must willing accept change change must mean establishment replacement institution time uns establishment huge part worlds population living colonial rule body humanity given voice new international political forum even today developing nations excluded decisionmaking conceived 1945 mentality longer adequate world moved far since date generation twenty first century globalization rapid advances technology especially internet justified demanding forum attuned current circumstances today nature scope political organization determined nature intensity worlds current problems reform within un suffice changed situation fundamental change essential un established series conferences san francisco attended victor nations world war ii similar series world conferences involve countries aim establish new form global institution replace completely current un new institution needs inclusive based equal voices equal power sharing strong enforcement mechanisms adapted present political world order must represent continents nations must provide strong form global governance must promise equal justice equal distribution world resources withering gap rich poor countries allout assault climate change environmental degradation need new institution replace un urgent mission must achieve 21st century peace social harmony among races religions full recognition human rights | 971 |
<p>This is part two of&#160;Variety’s&#160;two-part cover story with <a href="http://variety.com/tag/bruce-springsteen/" type="external">Bruce Springsteen</a>. For part one,&#160; <a href="http://wp.me/p2WgDE-1jnQsi" type="external">click here</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>If you ran for governor of New Jersey, you’d win — is that ever a temptation?</p>
<p>Pssht, nooo. I would have no business in politics. I’m just not interested in policy-making enough. I know people in entertainment who are interested in those things, but I’m a musician.</p>
<p>Many people wondered why you didn’t come out in support of Hillary Clinton’s campaign earlier. Was there a reason for that?</p>
<p>Um… I don’t think I’m necessarily that essential a factor. And I still tend to be a little bit ambivalent about getting involved directly like that in political campaigns. I’ve done it when I felt it was really necessary and that maybe my two cents might make some small bit of difference. But the more you do it, your two cents becomes one cent and then no cents whatsoever, so I think your credibility and your impact lessens the more you do it. So I’ve been hesitant to overplay my hand in that area, and I generally come to service when I feel it’s kind of necessary and it might help a little bit.</p>
<p>I guess that was the case when you played at a rally for 32,000 people in Philadelphia on election eve?</p>
<p>Yeah. I thought she would have made an excellent president, and I still feel that way, so I was glad to do it.</p>
<p>Midway through “The River” anniversary tour you stopped playing the nearly 90-minute album in its entirety. Were you tired of it?</p>
<p>No, it was actually very enjoyable on a nightly basis because that record was well built, well put-together, so it gave a formal but very satisfying experience. I’m hoping to have something similar occur with [the Broadway shows]. But the reason we stopped is because we were going to play outside [stadiums] and, particularly, we were going to Europe, where I just didn’t know if it was going to ring and play as well. The few times we did it in Europe it played very well, but I wanted to have the freedom once we went outside to these bigger shows to just play whatever I wanted.</p>
<p>And sometimes that meant playing your first two albums, “Greetings From Asbury Park” and “The Wild, the Innocent &amp; the E Street Shuffle,” almost in their entirety, which you did later in the tour?</p>
<p>Yeah, when we’re in that mode, [the show] varies on a nightly basis, and I think we got in a place toward the end of that tour where we were playing a little bit chronologically. I think the whole first hour or more of the show was the first and second records, which was a lot of fun because I hadn’t done that in quite awhile. It was the band before it was a hard-rock band, which we didn’t really become until “Born to Run.” Previous to that we were a rock and soul band, a swingin’ little club band; the music had a lighter touch to it. Once we fired on all eight with “Born to Run,” that’s when the rock started.</p>
<p>You’ve done so much looking back recently, between the book and “The River” anniversary tour and now this Broadway run. Any thoughts on what’s next?</p>
<p>I suppose the [solo] record that I haven’t released. It’s not topical at all — topical writing at the moment doesn’t hold a lot of interest to me. I really got out a lot of what I had to say in that vein on “Wrecking Ball.” I’m not driven to write any anti-Trump diatribe; that doesn’t feel necessary at the moment.</p>
<p>Why, because so many people already are?</p>
<p>Yeah, because it’s everywhere and all over, ya know? It feels a little redundant to me at the moment. And, once again, I always try to look at what I can deliver that’s personal to me and of most value. The audience has a wide variety of needs; whatever you’re writing, you’re trying to meet your own need, and as I’ve said in other interviews, Marty Scorsese once said, “The job of the artist is to make the audience care about your obsessions.” So I hope I write about the things that obsess me well enough for my audience to care about them.</p>
<p>“I’ve never known him to not have the outline of some idea in mind. It’s part of his DNA.”Jon Landau, manager</p>
<p>But don’t you think your opinions about Trump would matter to your audience?</p>
<p>Well, if you read Charles Blow in The New York Times, he carries the flag pretty well. I’m ambivalent about … sort of getting on a soapbox. I still believe people fundamentally come to music to be entertained — yes, to address their daily concerns, and yes, also to address political topics, I believe music can do that well. But I still believe fundamentally it’s an affair of the heart. People want you to go deeper than politics, they want you to reach inside to their most personal selves and their deepest struggles with their daily lives and reach that place; that’s the place I’m always trying to reach. I’d never make a record that’s just polemical, I wouldn’t release it if I did. To me, that’s just an abuse of your audience’s good graces. But if I’m moved, I’ll write, say, something like “American Skin” [inspired by the 1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo by New York City Police officers — who were later acquitted]. That just rolled very naturally for me, and that’s as good a topical song as I’ve ever written. And when it comes up, I write ’em. If I felt that strongly, I’d do it now. But I watch myself, because I think you can weigh upon your audience’s indulgence in the wrong way.</p>
<p>What do you mean?</p>
<p>I never wanted to be just a proselytizer for an ideological point of view. That’s not my job; that’s somebody else’s job. And if you even look back to Woody Guthrie’s material, he didn’t do that. He wrote these very full character pieces that, whether you were there in the Depression or not, they live today. They weren’t hollow, they weren’t one-dimensional; they were these very full character pieces about the times. I still aspire to that, really, and if it has political implications that’s fine and if it doesn’t that’s fine too.</p>
<p>His songs are about those times but aren’t bound to them.</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s what I mean. That’s the target; those are the kinds of works that you aspire to. It’s like if “The Rising” was only about 9/11, it would have been hollow. But you can listen to it today and it’s a record that has a spiritual resonance that, whether it was connected to that event or not, it retains its life and its poetry. If you delve deep enough into yourself —and that doesn’t mean it’s autobiographical, it means if you’re reaching deep enough into your own humanity — it becomes universal. And that’s a guiding light that I use when I write.</p>
<p>“Born to Run” had an impressionism to the storytelling that you never really went back to; your writing became much more direct. Have you ever wanted to bring back that style?</p>
<p>“I like the storylines in his songs and his genuine delivery of them. And as a performer, he goes on forever — and the audience loves it.”Paul McCartney</p>
<p>I don’t think you can really recapture what you did in your youth. It’s tricky; if you try, it can feel like a cardboard copy of something you [formerly] did naturally. So I don’t think I’ll make a record quite like that ever again, where there’s a blizzard of words coming at you — I was havin’ fun throwin’ all those words around, and I imagined myself quite the poet at the moment. But later on I was interested in a more colloquial way of speaking through the songs, and a more direct approach. Also, at the time there were the comparisons to Dylan, so I moved away from that style — although now I go back and realize, gee, it really wasn’t like Dylan much at all. We could have taken that a little further, but I was interested in creating my own identity at the time.</p>
<p>In the book you say that after you’d finished touring behind “The River” in 1981, you’d earned enough money that you’d essentially “made it.” Then you made “Nebraska,” your darkest album. Why?</p>
<p>I dunno… you have to look back later at some of the psychological elements that led you to tap a particular creative vein at a certain moment. Looking back, I was very interested in this sort of American gothic form of writing. Flannery O’Connor was very influential, the [1973] Terrence Malick film “Badlands,” the [1981] movie “True Confessions” with Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall that didn’t get much attention but I really loved. And then the noir writers I’ve mentioned many times in the past, James M. Cain and Jim Thompson. I wanted to write something that felt like these films and stories, and that also connects to the youngest memories I have of my life, between, say, when I was born and 13 or 14, in a little town surrounded by relatives that were very old-world Irish and first- or second-generation Italian. I always thought “Nebraska” felt like my childhood at that time, and what it felt like around here in the mid-’50s. Then I had my own psychological issues, I suppose, that led me to that place, some unresolved things I was struggling with. The music was all very lonely. I suppose that was me at that moment.</p>
<p>What have you been reading lately?</p>
<p>I just read a bunch of true-crime things…&#160; The last thing I read that jumped out like “man you gotta read this” was “Moby Dick,” which I’d never read, and which ended up not being as intimidating as people claim — it was actually a boys’ adventure story that was particularly well told. And then I read a lot of Russian writers — I really enjoyed [Dostoyevsky’s] “Brothers Karamazov” … I went on a big Elmore Leonard stretch, which was fantastic, particularly the “Western Stories” … a couple of books on Isis. I’ve been wandering a bit with my reading.</p>
<p>How about TV?</p>
<p>Like everybody else, I was nuts about “Mad Men.” I watched “Breaking Bad.” I thought “Westworld” was incredibly realized.</p>
<p>Is it difficult being married to someone you work with?</p>
<p>Actually, no. We’ve kind of developed natural boundaries. Some places we have a more professional approach, like if I walk into the studio while she’s working, I have certain boundaries where if she requests my opinion or asks for my help, I give it on a very professional level. When she comes onstage with the E Street Band she’s an E Street band member, and when we walk offstage we’re husband and wife.</p>
<p>What are your favorite songs to sing with her?</p>
<p>I like “Brilliant Disguise,” “Tougher Than the Rest.” Those are songs we’ve sung together for a lotta years, and they encapsulate our relationship in a very universal but personal way. We sing “Fall Behind” together, “Mansion on the Hill” — Patti can have a really gothic voice when she wants to. She’s a very distinctive, underrated singer and songwriter. She’s made some excellent records that I think, because of her connection to me, have gone a little under-noticed and underrated. She’s got a great record she’s making now.</p>
<p>Was she in your life when you wrote “Tougher Than the Rest”? When you sing it together it almost feels like it was written for her.</p>
<p>Um… maybe it was! I might not have known it. It’s one of those songs that really feels like it’s hers and mine now.</p>
<p>Most of your major relationships have lasted for decades: wife, band, management, label, even your main guitar. Are you seeking a family vibe in all areas of your life?</p>
<p>I like consistency. I don’t like change. I change reluctantly, particularly with the people around me. And then when you find the right people, you hold onto them. There’s been some attrition over the years and sometimes I chose well and sometimes I didn’t, but the times I chose well I really stuck with. My relationship with Jon [Landau, Springsteen’s manager since the mid-1970s] is one in a million and one of the most important relationships in my life, and it’s maintained its creative edge since the day we got together. I still feel an excitement when we get on the phone together — like something could happen! We might learn something together that we haven’t known the other 10,000 times we’ve talked. That possibility is always there, similar to my experience with Patti — when we get together on any given day, I might learn something.</p> | false | 1 | part two of160varietys160twopart cover story bruce springsteen part one160 click here160 ran governor new jersey youd win ever temptation pssht nooo would business politics im interested policymaking enough know people entertainment interested things im musician many people wondered didnt come support hillary clintons campaign earlier reason um dont think im necessarily essential factor still tend little bit ambivalent getting involved directly like political campaigns ive done felt really necessary maybe two cents might make small bit difference two cents becomes one cent cents whatsoever think credibility impact lessens ive hesitant overplay hand area generally come service feel kind necessary might help little bit guess case played rally 32000 people philadelphia election eve yeah thought would made excellent president still feel way glad midway river anniversary tour stopped playing nearly 90minute album entirety tired actually enjoyable nightly basis record well built well puttogether gave formal satisfying experience im hoping something similar occur broadway shows reason stopped going play outside stadiums particularly going europe didnt know going ring play well times europe played well wanted freedom went outside bigger shows play whatever wanted sometimes meant playing first two albums greetings asbury park wild innocent amp e street shuffle almost entirety later tour yeah mode show varies nightly basis think got place toward end tour playing little bit chronologically think whole first hour show first second records lot fun hadnt done quite awhile band hardrock band didnt really become born run previous rock soul band swingin little club band music lighter touch fired eight born run thats rock started youve done much looking back recently book river anniversary tour broadway run thoughts whats next suppose solo record havent released topical topical writing moment doesnt hold lot interest really got lot say vein wrecking ball im driven write antitrump diatribe doesnt feel necessary moment many people already yeah everywhere ya know feels little redundant moment always try look deliver thats personal value audience wide variety needs whatever youre writing youre trying meet need ive said interviews marty scorsese said job artist make audience care obsessions hope write things obsess well enough audience care ive never known outline idea mind part dnajon landau manager dont think opinions trump would matter audience well read charles blow new york times carries flag pretty well im ambivalent sort getting soapbox still believe people fundamentally come music entertained yes address daily concerns yes also address political topics believe music well still believe fundamentally affair heart people want go deeper politics want reach inside personal selves deepest struggles daily lives reach place thats place im always trying reach id never make record thats polemical wouldnt release thats abuse audiences good graces im moved ill write say something like american skin inspired 1999 shooting death amadou diallo new york city police officers later acquitted rolled naturally thats good topical song ive ever written comes write em felt strongly id watch think weigh upon audiences indulgence wrong way mean never wanted proselytizer ideological point view thats job thats somebody elses job even look back woody guthries material didnt wrote full character pieces whether depression live today werent hollow werent onedimensional full character pieces times still aspire really political implications thats fine doesnt thats fine songs times arent bound yeah thats mean thats target kinds works aspire like rising 911 would hollow listen today record spiritual resonance whether connected event retains life poetry delve deep enough doesnt mean autobiographical means youre reaching deep enough humanity becomes universal thats guiding light use write born run impressionism storytelling never really went back writing became much direct ever wanted bring back style like storylines songs genuine delivery performer goes forever audience loves itpaul mccartney dont think really recapture youth tricky try feel like cardboard copy something formerly naturally dont think ill make record quite like ever theres blizzard words coming havin fun throwin words around imagined quite poet moment later interested colloquial way speaking songs direct approach also time comparisons dylan moved away style although go back realize gee really wasnt like dylan much could taken little interested creating identity time book say youd finished touring behind river 1981 youd earned enough money youd essentially made made nebraska darkest album dunno look back later psychological elements led tap particular creative vein certain moment looking back interested sort american gothic form writing flannery oconnor influential 1973 terrence malick film badlands 1981 movie true confessions robert de niro robert duvall didnt get much attention really loved noir writers ive mentioned many times past james cain jim thompson wanted write something felt like films stories also connects youngest memories life say born 13 14 little town surrounded relatives oldworld irish first secondgeneration italian always thought nebraska felt like childhood time felt like around mid50s psychological issues suppose led place unresolved things struggling music lonely suppose moment reading lately read bunch truecrime things160 last thing read jumped like man got ta read moby dick id never read ended intimidating people claim actually boys adventure story particularly well told read lot russian writers really enjoyed dostoyevskys brothers karamazov went big elmore leonard stretch fantastic particularly western stories couple books isis ive wandering bit reading tv like everybody else nuts mad men watched breaking bad thought westworld incredibly realized difficult married someone work actually weve kind developed natural boundaries places professional approach like walk studio shes working certain boundaries requests opinion asks help give professional level comes onstage e street band shes e street band member walk offstage husband wife favorite songs sing like brilliant disguise tougher rest songs weve sung together lotta years encapsulate relationship universal personal way sing fall behind together mansion hill patti really gothic voice wants shes distinctive underrated singer songwriter shes made excellent records think connection gone little undernoticed underrated shes got great record shes making life wrote tougher rest sing together almost feels like written um maybe might known one songs really feels like mine major relationships lasted decades wife band management label even main guitar seeking family vibe areas life like consistency dont like change change reluctantly particularly people around find right people hold onto theres attrition years sometimes chose well sometimes didnt times chose well really stuck relationship jon landau springsteens manager since mid1970s one million one important relationships life maintained creative edge since day got together still feel excitement get phone together like something could happen might learn something together havent known 10000 times weve talked possibility always similar experience patti get together given day might learn something | 1,075 |
<p>Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor at National Review, a columnist for Bloomberg View and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Yuval Levin is the editor of National Affairs and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p>
<p>With two years to go before the next presidential election, Republicans are beginning to contemplate the post-Obama era. For six years, they have offered themselves as a check on the president’s overreach. But now they must do more to show voters that conservatism is not just a brake on liberalism but also a better way to govern.</p>
<p>Republicans would be wise to begin by focusing on practical problems that concern large numbers of voters and could be greatly alleviated by a straightforward application of conservative and libertarian principles. Perhaps the foremost example is higher education, which has never been prominent on the conservative agenda but should become so now.</p>
<p>The basic problems to be addressed are well known. First, the cost of college is skyrocketing. <a href="http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fee-and-room-and-board-charges-over-time" type="external">Tuition has tripled</a> over three decades, adjusted for inflation. A year at a private university costs, on average, more than half <a href="http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf" type="external">an American family</a>’s annual income. For many students and parents, this bill requires going deeply into debt.</p>
<p>Second, although a college degree continues to provide an important economic advantage, the earnings of college graduates have been sliding for more than a decade, and many recent graduates have failed to find work in their fields that requires a college diploma. American families are stuck paying more for less because the alternative is even worse.</p>
<p>Third, many who bear these costs don’t even get what they pay for. Students are taking longer to complete bachelor’s degrees, and a great many drop out. According to the <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=40" type="external">National Center for Education Statistics</a>, only 59 percent of freshmen entering full-time degree programs in 2006 had graduated six years later.</p>
<p>Higher costs, lower value, growing debt and a lack of better alternatives add up to a bad deal for students and parents, and they know it. When a <a href="http://syndication.nationaljournal.com/communications/ASNJ%20Heartland%20Monitor%20XVI%20Topline%20Results.pdf" type="external">poll conducted for National Journal</a> last year asked Americans to rate public policies that might improve their financial security, 38 percent picked making higher education more affordable; lowering health costs came in second at 26 percent.</p>
<p>The Democrats’ solutions tend to focus on making student-loan programs more generous and offering loan forgiveness to those who cannot repay. But these policies would risk inflating tuition further and exacerbating the bad incentives that colleges confront.</p>
<p>Exploding costs are a symptom of a larger problem, and bad public policy has long been at its core. Simply put, our higher education system desperately needs market discipline. The structure of the student loan system gives colleges no reason to keep costs down or to better equip their students to succeed; federal rules regarding accreditation and access to student-aid dollars keep new entrants and approaches (especially those that make use of new technology) out of the system; and the government does not share data that could help parents and students find the best value for their dollars.</p>
<p>To improve incentives in the student loan system, conservative reformers should place limits on currently unlimited <a href="https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/plus" type="external">PLUS loans</a> for parents and graduate students, and, as the American Enterprise Institute’s <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/akelly/2014/07/31/giving-colleges-some-skin-in-the-game/" type="external">Andrew Kelly</a> has argued, require colleges to pay back a percentage of any loans on which their graduates default — giving schools more of a stake in their students’ futures. They should also create the legal space for new student-aid arrangements, including income-share agreements, by which private institutions or individuals fund a student’s education in return for a fixed share of his or her income for some period following graduation.</p>
<p>To ease the entry of new competitors into higher education, conservatives should allow states to experiment with approaches to accreditation that look beyond the standard brick-and-mortar campus and allow credit hours to be pursued more flexibly. Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have each offered promising approaches to this problem, allowing students (including those with federal loans) to accumulate credits in new and cheaper ways, using competition to put downward pressure on the cost of higher education more generally.</p>
<p>Conservatives should also clear the way for professional certificates, apprenticeships and other paths to gaining skills for well-paid employment that do not require a college degree.</p>
<p>And finally, conservatives should help make the data the federal government possesses about the value of different degrees more available to students and parents. A federal law barring the merging of student loan records with wage and employment information should be repealed, and families should have access at least to graduation and expected-earnings data broken down by degree program. Rubio and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have proposed legislation along these lines.</p>
<p>These are not new ideas. Education reformers have championed many of them for years, and all should be able to win support from Democrats as well as Republicans. But these ideas are a particularly natural fit for Republican reformers interested in enhancing the market orientation of the higher education sector and offering a clear contrast to Democrats more inclined to simply spend more on the problem, increase the federal role and protect powerful incumbents in higher education who are a significant Democratic constituency.</p>
<p>Higher education reform offers a huge opportunity for Republicans. It is an arena in which misguided federal policy causes many families great anxiety and exacts enormous costs — and where conservative principles put into practice could make for great improvements.</p> | false | 1 | ramesh ponnuru senior editor national review columnist bloomberg view visiting fellow american enterprise institute yuval levin editor national affairs fellow ethics public policy center two years go next presidential election republicans beginning contemplate postobama era six years offered check presidents overreach must show voters conservatism brake liberalism also better way govern republicans would wise begin focusing practical problems concern large numbers voters could greatly alleviated straightforward application conservative libertarian principles perhaps foremost example higher education never prominent conservative agenda become basic problems addressed well known first cost college skyrocketing tuition tripled three decades adjusted inflation year private university costs average half american familys annual income many students parents bill requires going deeply debt second although college degree continues provide important economic advantage earnings college graduates sliding decade many recent graduates failed find work fields requires college diploma american families stuck paying less alternative even worse third many bear costs dont even get pay students taking longer complete bachelors degrees great many drop according national center education statistics 59 percent freshmen entering fulltime degree programs 2006 graduated six years later higher costs lower value growing debt lack better alternatives add bad deal students parents know poll conducted national journal last year asked americans rate public policies might improve financial security 38 percent picked making higher education affordable lowering health costs came second 26 percent democrats solutions tend focus making studentloan programs generous offering loan forgiveness repay policies would risk inflating tuition exacerbating bad incentives colleges confront exploding costs symptom larger problem bad public policy long core simply put higher education system desperately needs market discipline structure student loan system gives colleges reason keep costs better equip students succeed federal rules regarding accreditation access studentaid dollars keep new entrants approaches especially make use new technology system government share data could help parents students find best value dollars improve incentives student loan system conservative reformers place limits currently unlimited plus loans parents graduate students american enterprise institutes andrew kelly argued require colleges pay back percentage loans graduates default giving schools stake students futures also create legal space new studentaid arrangements including incomeshare agreements private institutions individuals fund students education return fixed share income period following graduation ease entry new competitors higher education conservatives allow states experiment approaches accreditation look beyond standard brickandmortar campus allow credit hours pursued flexibly sens mike lee rutah marco rubio rfla offered promising approaches problem allowing students including federal loans accumulate credits new cheaper ways using competition put downward pressure cost higher education generally conservatives also clear way professional certificates apprenticeships paths gaining skills wellpaid employment require college degree finally conservatives help make data federal government possesses value different degrees available students parents federal law barring merging student loan records wage employment information repealed families access least graduation expectedearnings data broken degree program rubio sen ron wyden dore proposed legislation along lines new ideas education reformers championed many years able win support democrats well republicans ideas particularly natural fit republican reformers interested enhancing market orientation higher education sector offering clear contrast democrats inclined simply spend problem increase federal role protect powerful incumbents higher education significant democratic constituency higher education reform offers huge opportunity republicans arena misguided federal policy causes many families great anxiety exacts enormous costs conservative principles put practice could make great improvements | 545 |
<p>Bret Baier, host of the popular Fox News program Special Report with Bret Baier and an accomplished journalist at a young age, has an interesting professional story to tell. And in Special Heart he tells it, if only in a few chapters. Born in New Jersey and raised in Atlanta, Baier attended DePauw and from there, worked at local stations in Hilton Head, Rockford, Raleigh, and Atlanta. His big break came when, while working for the Fox Atlanta bureau, he traveled to Washington on September 11, 2001, to cover the response to the terrorist attacks. It turned out to be a one-way trip: The Fox brass decided they wanted Baier to cover the Pentagon, and thus began the second stage of his career.</p>
<p>The portrait of Baier in these early chapters is of a young man in a hurry. Captivated at an early age by politics and journalism, he was driven and hard-working, earnest, and determined never to be out-hustled. He knew what he wanted and found ways to get it, including wooing Amy Hills, whom he married in 2004. By the time his wife was pregnant with their first child, in 2007, Baier felt that he was on top of the world.</p>
<p>And then, in an instant, his world came crashing down. Just after delivery, Baier learned that his son Paul was born with several life-threatening heart defects. “Your baby has heart disease,” the Baiers were told by a cardiologist hours after Paul was born. “Heart disease can be simple or complex. Your son has a complex heart disease. He has a very complicated heart.” Five congenital defects were eventually diagnosed. And then, Baier writes, “Dr. [Gerald] Martin uttered the words that have played in my mind on a continual loop every day since: ‘If your son doesn’t have surgery within the next two weeks, he’s not going to make it.’ ”</p>
<p>The emotional core of this book centers on the weeks between Paul’s birth and his first operation: the initial terror and tears, the shock and disbelief, the anger and denial. After having been told of his son’s condition, Baier is candid in describing what he felt:</p>
<p>Immediately my mouth went completely dry. I didn’t know where my next breath would come from. Time stopped. Unlike any moment I have experienced in my life, it resembled one of those slow-motion scenes in a movie when you know the bomb is about to explode. Thoughts of complete doom filled my mind. I remember squeezing Amy’s hand, but my whole body was weightless. For a minute everything got completely fuzzy. I simply could not believe what I was hearing.</p>
<p>Those feelings soon gave way to a focused determination by the Baiers to do everything they could to support their child and his medical team in the face of this extraordinary ordeal. “In the days immediately following our turnaround moment in the Children’s emergency room,” Baier writes, “Amy and I became downright evangelical in our newfound mission—our decision—to transform ourselves into the two most positive, upbeat people on the planet. Not because we necessarily felt like it, but because we genuinely believed being positive and uplifting would have a direct impact on Paulie’s ability to fight and survive.”</p>
<p>The balance of Special Heart is about how the Baiers dealt with the first, and subsequent, open-heart surgeries, Paul’s unfolding awareness of his condition, his questions about it, and his bravery in facing it. Now 7 years old, Paul has undergone three open-heart procedures, seven angioplasties, and a stomach operation. And yet his spirit is undaunted, and his life is remarkably normal, a tribute both to Paul and to the tremendous advances in medical science.</p>
<p>Several themes run through this account, one of which is the vital role community can play in our lives. We’re told how both the Baier and Hills families rallied to the side of Bret, Amy, and Paul; how the Baiers have bonded with families whose children face similar challenges; and how they’ve grown in their trust in, and their affection for, the amazing medical team that saved Paul’s life. (Richard Jonas, M. D., one of the leading pediatric cardiovascular surgeons in the world, emerges as a terrifically impressive doctor.)</p>
<p>Throughout, Baier refers to the hospital staff as “family” and says the medical crew treating Paul dealt with him as if he were their son. The Baiers are sustained by a web of relationships, some of which started when they were born, some of which they married into, and still others that began after their son was diagnosed with heart disease. Together, friends and family provided the Baiers with encouragement, tender care, spiritual support, and medical guidance. I’m reminded of what anthropologists call “relationships of affinity,” which support us and keep us from being isolated in moments of genuine need. The Baiers were immeasurably helped by such relationships.</p>
<p>Another topic here is loss of control. Baier admits to struggling with his powerlessness: “Amy and I were a very happy couple,” he writes. “We had everything going for us—had all we needed. Our hopes, dreams, and future prospects were unlimited. Everyone said so. But now, none of that meant a thing. There was only one reality now; our son was extremely sick, and there was a chance he was going to die.” Later, he writes about “the pent-up insecurity of knowing I had zero control over anything that was going on.” Special Heart reveals a couple that first struggled with the loss of control and then, by necessity, came to accept it.</p>
<p>Of course, life is filled with unexpected turns, trials, and shattered expectations. The most joyful people are those who release rather than cling to expectations, who adjust to new circumstances rather than try to re-create ones lost in time. The Baiers eventually chose to focus their energies on the areas they could control—most especially, loving their son and being with him virtually around the clock—and release the rest to their Lord.</p>
<p>Which leads to a third theme: the Baiers’ increasing reliance on, and trust in, God. While they are lifelong Roman Catholics, their son’s condition made them more spiritually minded and prayerful. Baier writes about the succor they found in the chapel at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, how scriptural verses became touchstones for them, and how much they relied on, and asked for, prayer. They took comfort not in knowing how things would finally turn out but in knowing that God is faithful and can redeem all things, including pain and brokenness. With the prospect of losing their newborn child, the Baiers turned to God rather than turning on Him. Which explains why this is, finally, a book of gratitude—gratitude for the Baiers’ family and friends, for the medical team surrounding them, and for their son, the gift of life, and the giver of life.</p>
<p>Peter Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. &#160;</p> | false | 1 | bret baier host popular fox news program special report bret baier accomplished journalist young age interesting professional story tell special heart tells chapters born new jersey raised atlanta baier attended depauw worked local stations hilton head rockford raleigh atlanta big break came working fox atlanta bureau traveled washington september 11 2001 cover response terrorist attacks turned oneway trip fox brass decided wanted baier cover pentagon thus began second stage career portrait baier early chapters young man hurry captivated early age politics journalism driven hardworking earnest determined never outhustled knew wanted found ways get including wooing amy hills married 2004 time wife pregnant first child 2007 baier felt top world instant world came crashing delivery baier learned son paul born several lifethreatening heart defects baby heart disease baiers told cardiologist hours paul born heart disease simple complex son complex heart disease complicated heart five congenital defects eventually diagnosed baier writes dr gerald martin uttered words played mind continual loop every day since son doesnt surgery within next two weeks hes going make emotional core book centers weeks pauls birth first operation initial terror tears shock disbelief anger denial told sons condition baier candid describing felt immediately mouth went completely dry didnt know next breath would come time stopped unlike moment experienced life resembled one slowmotion scenes movie know bomb explode thoughts complete doom filled mind remember squeezing amys hand whole body weightless minute everything got completely fuzzy simply could believe hearing feelings soon gave way focused determination baiers everything could support child medical team face extraordinary ordeal days immediately following turnaround moment childrens emergency room baier writes amy became downright evangelical newfound missionour decisionto transform two positive upbeat people planet necessarily felt like genuinely believed positive uplifting would direct impact paulies ability fight survive balance special heart baiers dealt first subsequent openheart surgeries pauls unfolding awareness condition questions bravery facing 7 years old paul undergone three openheart procedures seven angioplasties stomach operation yet spirit undaunted life remarkably normal tribute paul tremendous advances medical science several themes run account one vital role community play lives told baier hills families rallied side bret amy paul baiers bonded families whose children face similar challenges theyve grown trust affection amazing medical team saved pauls life richard jonas one leading pediatric cardiovascular surgeons world emerges terrifically impressive doctor throughout baier refers hospital staff family says medical crew treating paul dealt son baiers sustained web relationships started born married still others began son diagnosed heart disease together friends family provided baiers encouragement tender care spiritual support medical guidance im reminded anthropologists call relationships affinity support us keep us isolated moments genuine need baiers immeasurably helped relationships another topic loss control baier admits struggling powerlessness amy happy couple writes everything going ushad needed hopes dreams future prospects unlimited everyone said none meant thing one reality son extremely sick chance going die later writes pentup insecurity knowing zero control anything going special heart reveals couple first struggled loss control necessity came accept course life filled unexpected turns trials shattered expectations joyful people release rather cling expectations adjust new circumstances rather try recreate ones lost time baiers eventually chose focus energies areas could controlmost especially loving son virtually around clockand release rest lord leads third theme baiers increasing reliance trust god lifelong roman catholics sons condition made spiritually minded prayerful baier writes succor found chapel childrens national medical center washington scriptural verses became touchstones much relied asked prayer took comfort knowing things would finally turn knowing god faithful redeem things including pain brokenness prospect losing newborn child baiers turned god rather turning explains finally book gratitudegratitude baiers family friends medical team surrounding son gift life giver life peter wehner senior fellow ethics public policy center 160 | 616 |
<p>A leftist New York comedian has become the unlikely focus of the US government’s Russia investigation. He believes the US is trying to use him as a pawn to undermine WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been dubbed a “demon” by the CIA director.</p>
<p>Randy Credico is a comedian, radio host, and civil rights activists who calls New York City home. The letter he received this month didn’t have anything to do with comedy, radio, or civil rights, however.</p>
<p>Signed by Congressman Michael Conaway (R-Texas), who leads the Russia investigation in the House Intelligence Committee, and the ranking member, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-California), the letter requested that Credico “participate in a voluntary, transcribed interview at the Committee’s offices” during the first half of December, Alternet <a href="https://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/intel-committee-subpoena-randy-credico-russia-investigation" type="external">reports</a>.</p>
<p>Credico declined the voluntary interview, telling the House Committee through his lawyer that he would not be participating. That’s when he realized the interview apparently wasn’t so voluntary after all. His attorney told him that the Committee planned to issue a subpoena.</p>
<p>The letter did not indicate why Credico was being summoned. It stated only that his interview could cover topics including “Russian cyber activities against the 2016 US election, potential links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns, the US government’s response to these Russian active measures, and related leaks of classified information.”</p>
<p>Credico believes the interview has to do with his dealings with Julian Assange, who is no friend of the US government. “This is about chilling WikiLeaks and that starts with intimidating anyone who has met with Julian [Assange],” he said.</p>
<p>The WikiLeaks founder and his associates were&#160; <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/384667-cia-assange-wikileaks-critisize/" type="external">dubbed</a>“demons” by CIA Director Mike Pompeo in April. Pompeo also accused WikiLeaks of siding with world dictators and endangering the “free world” with the help of states including Russia.&#160;</p>
<p>The Trump administration has expanded the federal jury seeking Assange’s arrest over his role in the leak of a huge trove of US diplomatic cables in 2010. He faces charges of espionage, conspiracy, theft of government property, and computer fraud in the US.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/410224-sessions-speech-joke-russia/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Credico said he and Assange previously held “three meetings that were two to three hours each” at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been holed up since June 2012 in an effort to avoid being extradited to the US. The meetings took place on September 6, November 13, and November 16 of this year, and fueled a series of online rumors accusing Credico of serving as a courier between Assange and former Trump adviser Roger Stone.</p>
<p>However, Credico said the purpose of his November trip to London was to attend the hearing of an Italian correspondent by the name of Stefania Maurizi, who had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding the right of the press to access documents regarding Assange’s case.</p>
<p>“I was just there to support [Assange] as a wing man,” Credico told Alternet’s Max Blumenthal. “I don’t agree with him on everything — it’s the fact that he’s a journalist and a publisher and has not put anything out that’s false. I don’t know anything about technology and he didn’t give me any secrets.”</p>
<p>Credico’s advocacy for national security whistleblowers who exposed secret government torture, assassination, and mass surveillance programs in the years following 9/11 led to him hosting Assange on his former radio show ‘Live on the Fly,’ which aired on the Pacifica affiliate WBAI in August 2015. Several subsequent interviews also took place, along with a series titled ‘Assange: Countdown to Freedom’ which featured high-profile whistleblowers advocating for Assange’s release.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/405829-us-russia-investigation-experts/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“I had to build an audience at a moribund station and I got 65 percent of the traffic,” Credico said. “I had a popular international show because it was tweeted out by WikiLeaks and Anonymous Scandinavia and I got a huge international following.”</p>
<p>The rumors that Credico had acted as some kind of messenger between Stone and Assange are potentially a major part of why the comedian is being sought by the committee. In September, Stone testified before the committee about his contacts with WikiLeaks and a tweet that seemed to suggest he had prior knowledge of the Podesta email leak, which was ultimately published by WikiLeaks. He denied colluding with the Russian government and said that all of his contacts with Assange had been conducted through an “intermediary.”</p>
<p>Stone, like Assange, was also a guest on Credico’s radio show. The two had also cooperated on sporadic political initiatives through the years.Still, Credico insists that “quieting” Assange is the committee’s main focus. “Roger Stone is just a whipping post for the committee but the one they’re after is Assange because they want to quiet him,” he said.</p>
<p>“They’re looking for a way to do in Assange,” the comedian added. “And I’m the only American in the press that has visited him outside of a reporter from the New Yorker, and he’s not going to talk to anyone else.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/410651-rt-google-schmidt-us/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Meanwhile, Credico said that although he publicly made his disdain for Hillary Clinton clear, he wouldn’t have helped Trump come to power. “I hate Trump,” he said, slamming the US president’s attempted “ethnic cleansing” of Haitians and Latin Americans and calling Attorney General Jeff Sessions “the worst nightmare I’ve ever seen.”</p>
<p>Asked whether he will comply with the committee’s request, Credico told New York 1’s ‘Road to City Hall’ program that he is “willing to go to jail” to protect journalists’ rights.</p>
<p>“I’m a journalist with a radio show and there’s nothing [the committee] can elicit out of me because I’m covered by the First Amendment. And everything I’ve talked to Assange about has been on the show, and everything else is in my fu**ing notes. Would any journalist give them their notes?” he said to Alternet.</p>
<p>As Credico awaits his interview, which is just days away, he feels confident that the committee won’t be able to break him. “Congress is no problem. I’ve worked much tougher rooms than that,” he said.</p>
<p>The US government is continuing its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, despite no evidence emerging that Moscow interfered in any way. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any interference or collusion with the Trump campaign, with Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/390253-putin-us-election-trump-russia/" type="external">stating</a> in May that the anti-Russia spin was concocted by those who simply can’t come to terms with the fact that Clinton lost the election fair and square. US President Trump has also referred to the investigation as a “witch hunt” while also denying any collusion between his camp and Moscow.</p> | false | 1 | leftist new york comedian become unlikely focus us governments russia investigation believes us trying use pawn undermine wikileaks founder julian assange dubbed demon cia director randy credico comedian radio host civil rights activists calls new york city home letter received month didnt anything comedy radio civil rights however signed congressman michael conaway rtexas leads russia investigation house intelligence committee ranking member congressman adam schiff dcalifornia letter requested credico participate voluntary transcribed interview committees offices first half december alternet reports credico declined voluntary interview telling house committee lawyer would participating thats realized interview apparently wasnt voluntary attorney told committee planned issue subpoena letter indicate credico summoned stated interview could cover topics including russian cyber activities 2016 us election potential links russia individuals associated political campaigns us governments response russian active measures related leaks classified information credico believes interview dealings julian assange friend us government chilling wikileaks starts intimidating anyone met julian assange said wikileaks founder associates were160 dubbeddemons cia director mike pompeo april pompeo also accused wikileaks siding world dictators endangering free world help states including russia160 trump administration expanded federal jury seeking assanges arrest role leak huge trove us diplomatic cables 2010 faces charges espionage conspiracy theft government property computer fraud us read credico said assange previously held three meetings two three hours ecuadorian embassy london holed since june 2012 effort avoid extradited us meetings took place september 6 november 13 november 16 year fueled series online rumors accusing credico serving courier assange former trump adviser roger stone however credico said purpose november trip london attend hearing italian correspondent name stefania maurizi filed freedom information act foia request demanding right press access documents regarding assanges case support assange wing man credico told alternets max blumenthal dont agree everything fact hes journalist publisher put anything thats false dont know anything technology didnt give secrets credicos advocacy national security whistleblowers exposed secret government torture assassination mass surveillance programs years following 911 led hosting assange former radio show live fly aired pacifica affiliate wbai august 2015 several subsequent interviews also took place along series titled assange countdown freedom featured highprofile whistleblowers advocating assanges release read build audience moribund station got 65 percent traffic credico said popular international show tweeted wikileaks anonymous scandinavia got huge international following rumors credico acted kind messenger stone assange potentially major part comedian sought committee september stone testified committee contacts wikileaks tweet seemed suggest prior knowledge podesta email leak ultimately published wikileaks denied colluding russian government said contacts assange conducted intermediary stone like assange also guest credicos radio show two also cooperated sporadic political initiatives yearsstill credico insists quieting assange committees main focus roger stone whipping post committee one theyre assange want quiet said theyre looking way assange comedian added im american press visited outside reporter new yorker hes going talk anyone else read meanwhile credico said although publicly made disdain hillary clinton clear wouldnt helped trump come power hate trump said slamming us presidents attempted ethnic cleansing haitians latin americans calling attorney general jeff sessions worst nightmare ive ever seen asked whether comply committees request credico told new york 1s road city hall program willing go jail protect journalists rights im journalist radio show theres nothing committee elicit im covered first amendment everything ive talked assange show everything else fuing notes would journalist give notes said alternet credico awaits interview days away feels confident committee wont able break congress problem ive worked much tougher rooms said us government continuing investigation alleged russian meddling 2016 presidential election despite evidence emerging moscow interfered way kremlin repeatedly denied interference collusion trump campaign russian president vladimir putin stating may antirussia spin concocted simply cant come terms fact clinton lost election fair square us president trump also referred investigation witch hunt also denying collusion camp moscow | 623 |
<p>OWINGS MILLS, Md. — <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Baltimore-Ravens/" type="external">Baltimore Ravens</a> rookie cornerback <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Marlon-Humphrey/" type="external">Marlon Humphrey</a> played in just two preseason games because of a hamstring injury. However, the rookie first-round pick shined when given opportunities, which could earn him some reps against the Bengals in the opener.</p>
<p>“I think he will rise to the challenge very well,” Ravens head coach <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/John_Harbaugh/" type="external">John Harbaugh</a> said. “Expectations are high. He is our first-round pick; he is a high pick. He is a really good player. He is confident. He has been well coached at Alabama, obviously. He has been in any kind of big situation that you could ever put a college player in. He has been in it, on the island so to speak. I have a lot of confidence that he is going to play at a very high level.”</p>
<p>In the final preseason game against the Saints. Humphrey forced a fumble on Saints running back <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Daniel-Lasco/" type="external">Daniel Lasco</a> and was solid in coverage. Humphrey is behind <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Brandon-Carr/" type="external">Brandon Carr</a> on the depth chart, but he has the coaches’ confidence.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>The Ravens made a couple of late moves to boost the offensive line.</p>
<p>Baltimore acquired Tony Bergstrom for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2018 on Friday. The following day, Baltimore acquired center Luke Bowanko from the Jaguars for a seventh-round pick in 2019.</p>
<p>“Those guys are guys that our scouting department feels really good about, and they have looked at those players,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “They are players that we know to some degree because we’ve played against them from time to time, but we are excited to add those guys to strengthen our offensive line. I feel like that was a goal throughout. We have talked about that before. Those are two good players that became available in trades.”</p>
<p>The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Bergstrom was a 2012 third-round selection of the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Oakland-Raiders/" type="external">Oakland Raiders</a> and has played in 40 career games, including four starts. He spent four seasons with Oakland and 2016 with the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Houston-Texans/" type="external">Houston Texans</a>.</p>
<p>The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Bowanko has appeared in 25 NFL games, including 14 starts at center. Originally a 2014 sixth-round pick by the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jacksonville-Jaguars/" type="external">Jacksonville Jaguars</a>, he saw action in all 16 games as a rookie and made 14 starts.</p>
<p>In 2015, he played in seven games. He was on the physically unable to perform list (hip) for the first 13 weeks of the 2016 season and then played in two games.</p>
<p>These acquisitions meant that Jeremy Zuttah’s second stint in Baltimore was a short one. The offensive lineman signed a two-year deal Aug. 18 after being released by the 49ers. He started three years in Baltimore (2014-16) before being traded to San Francisco in March.</p>
<p>Despite having multiple injuries on the offensive line, Zuttah simply did not play well enough to earn a roster spot.</p>
<p>The Ravens originally acquired Zuttah in March 2014 from Tampa Bay in exchange for a fifth-round pick. He was expected to challenge for a spot as the starting center or provide veteran depth. Zuttah was beaten for a sack in the final preseason game against the Saints.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Keenan Reynolds had been one of the feel-good stories of the Ravens training camp after a record-setting career as a quarterback at Navy. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 draft by the Ravens and was converted to a receiver and punt returner. As a rookie, Reynolds spent the first 15 games on the practice squad and was inactive for the finale.</p>
<p>Reynolds appeared to make further strides in the offseason, but was behind Michael Campanaro on the depth chart. Reynolds did not help his cause by fumbling a punt in the final preseason game against New Orleans.</p>
<p>“The last two days have been pretty hectic that way,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “Guys have been great. We have relationships. Those conversations are not fun. They are difficult, but they are honest. We have relationships. We have gone a long way with a lot of these guys. You have a real honest conversation about where they are going and that sort of thing. It has been really good that way as well.”</p>
<p>The Ravens could still look to get him on their practice squad.</p>
<p>Roster notes</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Wide receiver <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Breshad-Perriman/" type="external">Breshad Perriman</a> was back at practice Saturday, which is a good sign for him playing in the regular-season opener Sept. 10 in Cincinnati. Perriman had been sidelined since Aug. 1 with a hamstring injury. Last year, he caught 33 passes for 499 yards with three touchdowns. Perriman missed his entire rookie season in 2015 with a knee injury.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Running back <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Danny-Woodhead/" type="external">Danny Woodhead</a> returned to practice Saturday. He suffered a hamstring injury in the second preseason game against Miami and had been out since. It appears he will be available for the regular-season opener Sept. 10 in Cincinnati. Woodhead, 32, signed with the team as a free agent this offseason and he is expected to provide added versatility because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Cornerback Sheldon Price suffered a concussion against the Saints and had not been able to practice since suffering the injury. He was placed on injured reserve in 2016 with a hamstring injury. Despite the injury, Price did make the final roster.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Cornerback Jaylen Hill has been out with a leg injury. However, the undrafted rookie from Jacksonville State has been one of the most impressive players throughout the preseason practices. Hill led the team with two interceptions in three preseason games and will likely be part of the rotation in the secondary.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Running back Taquan Mizzell did not make the team after the Ravens decided to keep just three running backs and he was claimed off waivers by the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Chicago_Bears/" type="external">Chicago Bears</a>. Mizzell led the team in rushing during the preseason and was solid catching the ball out of the backfield. The Ravens would have liked to have kept Mizzell on the practice squad.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Defensive tackle Carl Davis, a third-round pick in 2015, made the final roster on a deep defensive line. Davis came up with a key interception in the final preseason game against the Saints and has been solid throughout preseason camp. He spent 2016 on IR with an ankle injury.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Quarterback <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ryan_Mallett/" type="external">Ryan Mallett</a> struggled as the starter with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Joe_Flacco/" type="external">Joe Flacco</a> out with a back injury, but he will still be the primary backup. In the final preseason game, Mallett completed three of 18 passes for 19 yards with one touchdown. Over the four preseason games, Mallett threw for 248 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions (61.5 passer rating). Flacco and Mallett are the only quarterbacks on the final roster.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Defensive lineman Patrick Ricard could see some opportunities on offense. The undrafted rookie has lined up at fullback and thrown some massive blocks. The Ravens cut their two other fullbacks — Ricky Ortiz and Lorenzo Taliaferro — trying to make the roster. Ricard also blocked a field goal in the final preseason game against the Saints. Ricard could be a key player for the Ravens this season.</p> | false | 1 | owings mills md baltimore ravens rookie cornerback marlon humphrey played two preseason games hamstring injury however rookie firstround pick shined given opportunities could earn reps bengals opener think rise challenge well ravens head coach john harbaugh said expectations high firstround pick high pick really good player confident well coached alabama obviously kind big situation could ever put college player island speak lot confidence going play high level final preseason game saints humphrey forced fumble saints running back daniel lasco solid coverage humphrey behind brandon carr depth chart coaches confidence ravens made couple late moves boost offensive line baltimore acquired tony bergstrom conditional seventhround pick 2018 friday following day baltimore acquired center luke bowanko jaguars seventhround pick 2019 guys guys scouting department feels really good looked players ravens head coach john harbaugh said players know degree weve played time time excited add guys strengthen offensive line feel like goal throughout talked two good players became available trades 6foot5 315pound bergstrom 2012 thirdround selection oakland raiders played 40 career games including four starts spent four seasons oakland 2016 houston texans 6foot6 300pound bowanko appeared 25 nfl games including 14 starts center originally 2014 sixthround pick jacksonville jaguars saw action 16 games rookie made 14 starts 2015 played seven games physically unable perform list hip first 13 weeks 2016 season played two games acquisitions meant jeremy zuttahs second stint baltimore short one offensive lineman signed twoyear deal aug 18 released 49ers started three years baltimore 201416 traded san francisco march despite multiple injuries offensive line zuttah simply play well enough earn roster spot ravens originally acquired zuttah march 2014 tampa bay exchange fifthround pick expected challenge spot starting center provide veteran depth zuttah beaten sack final preseason game saints keenan reynolds one feelgood stories ravens training camp recordsetting career quarterback navy selected sixth round 2016 draft ravens converted receiver punt returner rookie reynolds spent first 15 games practice squad inactive finale reynolds appeared make strides offseason behind michael campanaro depth chart reynolds help cause fumbling punt final preseason game new orleans last two days pretty hectic way ravens head coach john harbaugh said guys great relationships conversations fun difficult honest relationships gone long way lot guys real honest conversation going sort thing really good way well ravens could still look get practice squad roster notes wide receiver breshad perriman back practice saturday good sign playing regularseason opener sept 10 cincinnati perriman sidelined since aug 1 hamstring injury last year caught 33 passes 499 yards three touchdowns perriman missed entire rookie season 2015 knee injury running back danny woodhead returned practice saturday suffered hamstring injury second preseason game miami since appears available regularseason opener sept 10 cincinnati woodhead 32 signed team free agent offseason expected provide added versatility ability catch ball backfield cornerback sheldon price suffered concussion saints able practice since suffering injury placed injured reserve 2016 hamstring injury despite injury price make final roster cornerback jaylen hill leg injury however undrafted rookie jacksonville state one impressive players throughout preseason practices hill led team two interceptions three preseason games likely part rotation secondary running back taquan mizzell make team ravens decided keep three running backs claimed waivers chicago bears mizzell led team rushing preseason solid catching ball backfield ravens would liked kept mizzell practice squad defensive tackle carl davis thirdround pick 2015 made final roster deep defensive line davis came key interception final preseason game saints solid throughout preseason camp spent 2016 ir ankle injury quarterback ryan mallett struggled starter joe flacco back injury still primary backup final preseason game mallett completed three 18 passes 19 yards one touchdown four preseason games mallett threw 248 yards two touchdowns two interceptions 615 passer rating flacco mallett quarterbacks final roster defensive lineman patrick ricard could see opportunities offense undrafted rookie lined fullback thrown massive blocks ravens cut two fullbacks ricky ortiz lorenzo taliaferro trying make roster ricard also blocked field goal final preseason game saints ricard could key player ravens season | 655 |
<p>(Reuters) – Highlights of Sunday’s National Football League games:</p>
<p>Cincinnati 30, Cleveland 16</p>
<p>Rookie Joe Mixon rushed for a career-high 114 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown, and Andy Dalton passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Cincinnati Bengals to a 30-16 victory over the winless Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.</p>
<p>Cincinnati (5-6) revived its dormant rushing attack with a season-high 152 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, to help keep its slim playoff hopes alive. But Sunday’s game wasn’t without some nervous moments.</p>
<p>The Browns were within a touchdown and appeared to have the Bengals stopped on third-and-5 with less than four minutes remaining in the game when Dalton’s pass to Josh Malone fell incomplete on the sideline after a hard hit by safety Jabrill Peppers.</p>
<p>Malone did not appear to have possession of the ball when he was hit. Peppers was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver and Mixon scored on an 11-yard run to seal the victory moments later.</p>
<p>Isaiah Crowell rushed for 95 yards and DeShone Kizer passed for 268 yards and rushed for 39 and a touchdown for Cleveland. But the mistake-prone Browns (0-11) had a pair of drive-stalling penalties in the first half and a dropped touchdown pass by Corey Coleman in the end zone in the third quarter.</p>
<p>Atlanta 34, Tampa Bay 20</p>
<p>Atlanta Falcons All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones burned Tampa Bay again on Sunday, extending his banner success against the Buccaneers.</p>
<p>Jones, who came in with just one touchdown, caught 12 passes for 253 yards and two scores as the Falcons won their third game in a row, beating the Bucs 34-20.</p>
<p>Jones teamed with fellow wide receiver Mohamed Sanu for a 51-yard touchdown on a trick play and caught a 25-yard TD pass from quarterback Matt Ryan, who finished 26 of 35 for 317 yards and two scores.</p>
<p>The victory for the Falcons (7-4) snapped a two-game winning streak by the Buccaneers (4-7).</p>
<p>Jones has 80 catches for 1,359 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 career games against the Buccaneers.</p>
<p>Sanu’s bomb to Jones out of the wildcat formation early in the second quarter to break a 3-3 tie was the six-year veteran’s third NFL touchdown pass. Sanu botched a fake handoff to Tevin Coleman, but regained control of the ball and hit Jones in the end zone.</p>
<p>Tennessee 36, Indianapolis 22</p>
<p>For the second time this season, the Tennessee Titans rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Indianapolis Colts, this time 20-16 on Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium.</p>
<p>On Oct. 16 in Nashville, Tennessee outscored Indianapolis 21-3 in the final 15 minutes for a 36-22 victory.</p>
<p>On Sunday, Tennessee seized a 20-16 lead with 5:59 remaining in the game on DeMarco Murray’s 1-yard touchdown run to cap a nine-play, 77-yard drive.</p>
<p>The Titans (7-4) began their comeback with 1:50 remaining in the third quarter on Marcus Mariota’s 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Delanie Walker, one play after free safety Kevin Byard recovered a fumble by running back Marlon Mack at the Colts’ 4-yard line and then an Indianapolis offside penalty. That cut the deficit to 16-13.</p>
<p>Mariota finished 17 of 25 for 184 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 17-of-29 passes for 196 yards, but was sacked eight times as Indianapolis (3-8) produced only three second-half points and was outscored 14-3 after leading by seven at halftime.</p>
<p>Indianapolis increased its lead to 16-6 with 6:05 left in the third quarter on Adam Vinatieri’s third field goal of the day, a 42-yarder, capping a 13-play, 55-yard drive.</p>
<p>Philadelphia 31, Chicago 3</p>
<p>Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz threw for three touchdowns, including one to Alshon Jeffery, to lead the Eagles to a 31-3 rout of the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.</p>
<p>The Eagles (10-1) did most of their damage in a dominating first half in which they outscored the Bears 24-0 while outgaining them in yardage 272-33.</p>
<p>The victory over the NFC North cellar-dwelling Bears (3-8) was the ninth in a row for NFC East-leading Philadelphia, which improved to 6-0 at home this season.</p>
<p>Wentz upped his NFL-best touchdown total to 28 while going 23 of 36 for 227 yards.</p>
<p>Philadelphia stymied Chicago’s running game, holding the NFL’s fifth-ranked rushing attack to 6 yards. Jordan Howard entered leading the NFC in rushing, but finished with 6 yards on seven carries.</p>
<p>Jeffery, who made the Pro Bowl in one of his five seasons in Chicago before signing a one-year deal with the Eagles in the offseason, had five catches for 52 yards. He hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass on a beautifully executed slant up the middle that put the Eagles on top 24-0 with five seconds left in the first half.</p>
<p>New England 35, Miami 17</p>
<p>Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, two to tight end Rob Gronkowski, and the New England Patriots cruised to their seventh straight victory, a 35-17 rout of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.</p>
<p>Running back Rex Burkhead also scored twice (one pass, one run) as the Patriots (9-2) sent Miami (4-7) to its fifth straight loss — and its eighth straight at Gillette Stadium.</p>
<p>Brady had a string of 189 straight passes without an interception snapped, but went on to complete his 83rd game with at least three touchdown passes.</p>
<p>Brady has thrown 54 touchdown passes and five interceptions in 23 games since returning from his Deflategate suspension. He has 26 touchdown passes this season, a record for quarterbacks in a season after turning 40. It was also his 28th game with at least four touchdown passes, third-most all-time, and he has 482 touchdown passes, moving ahead of Drew Brees into third place in that category.</p>
<p>Brady finished 18 of 28 for 227 yards.</p>
<p>Gronkowski, who caught five passes for 82 yards, notched his 16th game with multi-touchdown catches, breaking Randy Moss’s club record. Brandin Cooks, who also had a touchdown catch, recorded six catches for 83 yards.</p>
<p>Dion Lewis ran for 112 yards on 15 carries, the first 100-yard game of his career.</p>
<p>The 17 Miami points matched the highest total against the Patriots during their winning streak.</p>
<p>Safety Reshad Jones ran 14 yards with a botched New England snap and running back Kenyan Drake caught an 8-yard touchdown pass for the Miami touchdowns. Cody Parkey also kicked a 28-yard field goal.</p>
<p>Matt Moore, making his second start of the season with Jay Cutler out with a concussion, was 23 of 34 for 215 yards and two interceptions, and was sacked seven times.</p>
<p>Patriots special teamer Nate Ebner, who ran 14 yards with a direct-snap fake punt to keep the opening drive of the game going, suffered a knee injury on the play and was ruled out for the rest of the game.</p>
<p>Los Angeles Rams 26, New Orleans 20</p>
<p>Jared Goff passed for two touchdowns and Drew Brees was held to one as the Los Angeles Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 26-20, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.</p>
<p>The Rams (7-4) won for the fifth time in six outings as the Saints (8-3) had their eight-game winning streak snapped.</p>
<p>Goff, who did not throw a touchdown pass in last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, clicked with veteran Sammy Watkins and rookie Josh Reynolds. Greg Zuerlein added four field goals, three from at least 46 yards, as the Rams prevailed.</p>
<p>New Orleans, which averaged 30.2 points during its winning streak, was stifled by the Rams’ defense, which sacked Brees three times. The Saints, who were 3-for-13 on third downs, entered the game averaging 415 yards but were held to 346.</p>
<p>Brees, who directs the NFL’s second-best passing offense, was 22 of 32 for 246 yards and a score. Much of Brees’ production came late against the Rams’ soft coverage as they protected their lead.</p>
<p>Goff, who lost to the Saints last year in his rookie season, completed 28-of-43 attempts for 354 yards. He was intercepted for the first time since Oct. 22 when Watkins dropped a ball into P.J. Williams’ hands.</p> | false | 1 | reuters highlights sundays national football league games cincinnati 30 cleveland 16 rookie joe mixon rushed careerhigh 114 yards 23 carries touchdown andy dalton passed 214 yards two touchdowns lifting cincinnati bengals 3016 victory winless cleveland browns sunday paul brown stadium cincinnati 56 revived dormant rushing attack seasonhigh 152 yards averaging 51 yards per carry help keep slim playoff hopes alive sundays game wasnt without nervous moments browns within touchdown appeared bengals stopped thirdand5 less four minutes remaining game daltons pass josh malone fell incomplete sideline hard hit safety jabrill peppers malone appear possession ball hit peppers flagged hitting defenseless receiver mixon scored 11yard run seal victory moments later isaiah crowell rushed 95 yards deshone kizer passed 268 yards rushed 39 touchdown cleveland mistakeprone browns 011 pair drivestalling penalties first half dropped touchdown pass corey coleman end zone third quarter atlanta 34 tampa bay 20 atlanta falcons allpro wide receiver julio jones burned tampa bay sunday extending banner success buccaneers jones came one touchdown caught 12 passes 253 yards two scores falcons third game row beating bucs 3420 jones teamed fellow wide receiver mohamed sanu 51yard touchdown trick play caught 25yard td pass quarterback matt ryan finished 26 35 317 yards two scores victory falcons 74 snapped twogame winning streak buccaneers 47 jones 80 catches 1359 yards 10 touchdowns 11 career games buccaneers sanus bomb jones wildcat formation early second quarter break 33 tie sixyear veterans third nfl touchdown pass sanu botched fake handoff tevin coleman regained control ball hit jones end zone tennessee 36 indianapolis 22 second time season tennessee titans rallied fourth quarter beat indianapolis colts time 2016 sunday lucas oil stadium oct 16 nashville tennessee outscored indianapolis 213 final 15 minutes 3622 victory sunday tennessee seized 2016 lead 559 remaining game demarco murrays 1yard touchdown run cap nineplay 77yard drive titans 74 began comeback 150 remaining third quarter marcus mariotas 2yard touchdown pass tight end delanie walker one play free safety kevin byard recovered fumble running back marlon mack colts 4yard line indianapolis offside penalty cut deficit 1613 mariota finished 17 25 184 yards touchdown two interceptions colts quarterback jacoby brissett completed 17of29 passes 196 yards sacked eight times indianapolis 38 produced three secondhalf points outscored 143 leading seven halftime indianapolis increased lead 166 605 left third quarter adam vinatieris third field goal day 42yarder capping 13play 55yard drive philadelphia 31 chicago 3 philadelphia quarterback carson wentz threw three touchdowns including one alshon jeffery lead eagles 313 rout chicago bears sunday lincoln financial field eagles 101 damage dominating first half outscored bears 240 outgaining yardage 27233 victory nfc north cellardwelling bears 38 ninth row nfc eastleading philadelphia improved 60 home season wentz upped nflbest touchdown total 28 going 23 36 227 yards philadelphia stymied chicagos running game holding nfls fifthranked rushing attack 6 yards jordan howard entered leading nfc rushing finished 6 yards seven carries jeffery made pro bowl one five seasons chicago signing oneyear deal eagles offseason five catches 52 yards hauled 8yard touchdown pass beautifully executed slant middle put eagles top 240 five seconds left first half new england 35 miami 17 tom brady threw four touchdown passes two tight end rob gronkowski new england patriots cruised seventh straight victory 3517 rout miami dolphins sunday running back rex burkhead also scored twice one pass one run patriots 92 sent miami 47 fifth straight loss eighth straight gillette stadium brady string 189 straight passes without interception snapped went complete 83rd game least three touchdown passes brady thrown 54 touchdown passes five interceptions 23 games since returning deflategate suspension 26 touchdown passes season record quarterbacks season turning 40 also 28th game least four touchdown passes thirdmost alltime 482 touchdown passes moving ahead drew brees third place category brady finished 18 28 227 yards gronkowski caught five passes 82 yards notched 16th game multitouchdown catches breaking randy mosss club record brandin cooks also touchdown catch recorded six catches 83 yards dion lewis ran 112 yards 15 carries first 100yard game career 17 miami points matched highest total patriots winning streak safety reshad jones ran 14 yards botched new england snap running back kenyan drake caught 8yard touchdown pass miami touchdowns cody parkey also kicked 28yard field goal matt moore making second start season jay cutler concussion 23 34 215 yards two interceptions sacked seven times patriots special teamer nate ebner ran 14 yards directsnap fake punt keep opening drive game going suffered knee injury play ruled rest game los angeles rams 26 new orleans 20 jared goff passed two touchdowns drew brees held one los angeles rams beat new orleans saints 2620 los angeles memorial coliseum sunday rams 74 fifth time six outings saints 83 eightgame winning streak snapped goff throw touchdown pass last weeks loss minnesota vikings clicked veteran sammy watkins rookie josh reynolds greg zuerlein added four field goals three least 46 yards rams prevailed new orleans averaged 302 points winning streak stifled rams defense sacked brees three times saints 3for13 third downs entered game averaging 415 yards held 346 brees directs nfls secondbest passing offense 22 32 246 yards score much brees production came late rams soft coverage protected lead goff lost saints last year rookie season completed 28of43 attempts 354 yards intercepted first time since oct 22 watkins dropped ball pj williams hands | 878 |
<p>WASHINGTON — Harry Reid didn’t start the partisan polarization that has stymied Congress in recent years. But he played a central role in sharpening the tone of discourse on Capitol Hill, dividing lawmakers and eroding the collegiality that once was a hallmark of the U.S. Senate.</p>
<p>In that atmosphere, Reid is stepping down from leadership and leaving the chamber with few regrets — and an armful of legislative victories from three decades of serving the Democratic caucus and his home state of Nevada.</p>
<p>His legacy includes the Affordable Care Act, <a href="" type="internal">a major Senate rule change on filibusters</a> and <a href="" type="internal">success in blocking nuclear waste shipments to Yucca Mountain</a> — to name just a few accomplishments.</p>
<p>At age 77, Reid remains irascible, unrepentant but humbled.</p>
<p>“I consider it a wonderful privilege, a blessing in my life, that I have been able to serve in the Senate with my background, where I came from, to be able to be a senator, let alone be the leader of the Senate, for as long as I have been,” Reid said in a wide-ranging interview with the Review-Journal in his Capitol office.</p>
<p>“It was very rewarding to me. I hope it has been for the people in the state of Nevada,” Reid said from the ornate Senate Democratic Leader’s suite.</p>
<p>The past weeks have seen Reid at the center of tributes and farewells from friends and adversaries who have brushed off the bitter partisan fights to regale colleagues with anecdotal stories, chestnuts and laurels.</p>
<p>“It is no exaggeration to say that America wouldn’t have accomplished all we have these past eight years — or the past three decades — without Harry Reid,” President Barack Obama said in a statement to the Review-Journal.</p>
<p>Obama said Reid is “as tough and as shrewd as they come, unafraid to do the right thing, and has never stopped fighting for folks who can’t fight for themselves.”</p>
<p>Felled <a href="" type="internal">recently by an accident with an exercise band</a> that left him with eye injuries that require care at several District of Columbia hospitals, Reid said he plans to spend most of his time back in Nevada when he leaves the Senate on Jan. 3.</p>
<p>In a touching farewell this month, Reid, said he and his wife, Landra, would transition into a new life, not dwell on the past, and “look to the future” in a role outside Congress.</p>
<p>ANGRY OUTBURSTS</p>
<p>The soft-spoken speech was as much a part of Reid’s public persona as the angry outbursts directed at national leaders.</p>
<p>He once called President George W. Bush a “loser” and a “liar,” he claimed Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was “classless” and <a href="" type="internal">he denounced President-elect Donald Trump as “a sexual predator who lost the popular vote.”</a></p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Reid later apologized for calling Bush a loser, but not a liar, said he gets along well with McConnell and recently said Trump wasn’t so bad.</p>
<p>But the intemperate name-calling became a character trait — one disdained by Republicans.</p>
<p>McConnell wrote in his memoir that Reid had a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality” and was rhetorically challenged.</p>
<p>“If a scalpel will work, he picks up a meat ax,” McConnell said.</p>
<p>It’s all part of a larger-than-life personality that he used to guide Democrats in the Senate for 17 years as leader. First elected to the U.S. House in 1982, Reid served two terms before being elected to the Senate. He assumed the leadership role after Sen. Tom Daschle lost re-election in 2004.</p>
<p>As party loyalties hardened, the outbursts became more commonplace.</p>
<p>“As a staffer you were terrified, because you never knew exactly what he was going to say. Sometimes it worked out well and sometimes it didn’t,” said Jim Manley, a former chief spokesman for Reid.</p>
<p>“He had an amazing ability to speak his mind,” Manley said.</p>
<p>Many defend Reid for standing up to Republicans at a time when GOP lawmakers <a href="" type="internal">banded together to halt progress by Obama and Democrats on an economic stimulus bill</a>, judicial appointments and <a href="" type="internal">the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.</a></p>
<p>“Reid didn’t start the polarized politics in the Senate. He simply reflected the reality of it. Sweetness and humility don’t get you very far in that lion’s den,” said Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.</p>
<p>Sabato said Reid, a high school pugilist, “continued his boxing career in the Senate, and he landed plenty of punches and knockouts.”</p>
<p>Reid, in the interview, said that what some may interpret as provocative speech was just a defense against a Republican onslaught that began when Bush tried to privatize Social Security, claiming his election was a mandate to do so.</p>
<p>Reid said he could not stand by and let Republicans block Obama’s initiatives, a tactic aimed at defeating the president’s re-election bid in 2012.</p>
<p>“So any rancor the people think I created, I did nothing — I was just trying to get the Senate to operate in a way that I think it should run. If that has caused some people to think I have caused some partisan disruption here they are wrong,” Reid said.</p>
<p>“I was only trying to protect the country. So that’s my take on that.”</p>
<p>A SON OF SEARCHLIGHT</p>
<p>Reid grew up in the sun-baked desert town of Searchlight, about 60 miles south of Las Vegas. The son of a miner who committed suicide, Reid recalls the hardships of life in the town with 13 brothels, gold mines and nothing else.</p>
<p>His mother washed laundry in the speck of civilization that sits between mountain ranges in the Mojave Desert. The town today remains a blur to travelers on the highway to California and Arizona.</p>
<p>Reid said growing up there prepared him for the future.</p>
<p>“I would recommend that everyone prepare themselves the way I did: be raised in a town that is made up of prostitutes, be raised in a town where there is no working going on to speak of — other than prostitution — there is no telegraph, there is no infrastructure to speak of, no railroad, nothing,” Reid said.</p>
<p>“So my recommendation is have everybody live the way I did: a house with an outside toilet, heat your house with a wood stove,” he chortled. “That prepares you pretty well for anything that comes up.”</p>
<p>The town, like Reid, has changed over the years. His name is now emblazoned on the elementary school, a road sign and in a display at the local museum of Searchlight’s most notable people, including the late Hollywood fashion designer Edith Head.</p>
<p>It was there that he met Landra, a Jewish girl, and punched her father before the two eloped and converted to Mormonism.</p>
<p>Growing up in Searchlight, Reid said he never practiced any religion at home. That came after marriage.</p>
<p>To this day, the couple remain extremely close, with five children and 19 grandchildren, former aides said.</p>
<p>In his goodbye speech to the Senate, Reid said: “She’s my first love. It will never end.”</p>
<p>It is a private side of Reid that the public doesn’t see.</p>
<p>“He’s a very gentle soul. I spent a lot of time with him behind closed doors,” said Neil Kornze, a former Reid staffer who now serves as the director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.</p>
<p>Staffers and political experts also said that Reid’s quiet nature as a lawmaker prompted many to underestimate his ability.</p>
<p>Democratic senators and party loyalists praise his acumen as a strategist and tactician.</p>
<p>Kornze said he recalls a fellow staffer once telling him that Reid was one of the best strategic thinkers in the country.</p>
<p>“What my friend said was that he’s not just one step ahead of you, it’s that he’s three steps ahead of you and around the corner and you don’t even know that a corner is coming,” Kornze said.</p>
<p>Manley said some of Reid’s rhetoric was in fact designed to “stir things up to see how people react. If they overreact, he finds a soft spot, if they don’t, he has to deal with them in a different way.”</p>
<p>“My theory is most politicians avoid getting into controversy. For Sen. Reid, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to stir it up a little and see where people are headed,” Manley said.</p>
<p>STIRRING THE POT</p>
<p>Nothing stirred the pot more than when Reid proposed changing Senate rules in 2013 to stop Republicans from filibustering Obama’s judicial nominees. It was <a href="" type="internal">known as the “nuclear option,”</a> a change in Senate tradition that lowered the threshold required to pass lower court nominees from 60 votes to a simple majority of the Senate.</p>
<p>Senate Democrats, led by Reid, detonated the nuclear option when Republicans blocked Obama’s nominations for three vacancies on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, a bench considered a stepping stone for the U.S. Supreme Court.</p>
<p>The rule change passed by Democrats allowed all three nominees to be confirmed, as well as lower court nominees bottled up in the Senate who were appointed by the president and awaiting a confirmation vote.</p>
<p>In addition to Republican opposition, many Democrats were queasy about passing the rule change because no Senate majority lasts forever, said Carl Tobias, a former UNLV law professor now with the University of Richmond School of Law.</p>
<p>But even long-serving Democratic senators like Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who served as Judiciary Committee chairman, agreed to the rule change “because they felt GOP obstruction had left them no alternatives,” Tobias said.</p>
<p>With the election of Trump and a Republican-led Senate, Democrats will now face a difficult task blocking presidential nominees to the courts.</p>
<p>“The nuclear option will probably come back to haunt Democrats on lower court nominees because they will need GOP votes to filibuster,” Tobias said.</p>
<p>Republicans could now go further and change the rule on Supreme Court nominations, lowering the threshold to stop debate from 60 votes to a simple majority. That would prevent Democrats from blocking a high court vacancy that opened when Associate Justice Antonin Scalia died in February.</p>
<p>Reid defends his decision to launch the nuclear option, changing the rules despite the likelihood that Republicans could gain control of the Senate and use the simple majority against Democrats.</p>
<p>“I know that turnabout is fair play,” he said.</p>
<p>Reid insists he did it “out of survival for the country.”</p>
<p>He said Republicans were blocking nominees to the D.C. Circuit Court, refused to hear judicial nominations on lower courts and were trying to break unions and eliminate agencies like the National Labor Relations Board.</p>
<p>Reid said he was glad he changed the rule, which led to confirmation of 98 federal judges and the filling of many sub-Cabinet seats in the new Obama administration.</p>
<p>“If I had to do it over again I would do it again in a second. Now does that mean it may work to the Democrats’ disadvantage during the Trump years? Maybe so, but that’s the way it is,” Reid said during the interview.</p>
<p>YUCCA MOUNTAIN</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Reid also takes pleasure in blocking the use of Nevada as a storage site for radioactive refuse.</p>
<p>In a parting shot during his Senate speech, Reid warned against <a href="" type="internal">renewed efforts by a Trump administration</a> or Congress to open Yucca Mountain as a repository for nuclear wastes.</p>
<p>Reid has led a bipartisan Nevada congressional delegation in opposition to the nuclear waste storage site, which lies just an hour north of Las Vegas casinos and the city’s booming tourism industry.</p>
<p>Obama cut funding to the project years ago, and now the cost is prohibitive, Reid insists.</p>
<p>Reid cautioned that if anyone attempts to revive the repository, they should “bring a checkbook, a great, great big one.” And he dismisses recent speculation of a Yucca Mountain revival as futile.</p>
<p>“It’s not going to happen. There is not money to do it, it’s not necessary to do it, it’s against science — it’s a bad, bad deal,” Reid said.</p>
<p>Despite his continued zeal against the project, Reid said he will not lead opposition to it once he leaves the Senate next month. He said he is content with stepping down from leadership, the Senate, and letting others carry the torch.</p>
<p>“I will be happy to be involved in causes, but I am not going to be the point person. Someone else can do that,” Reid said.</p>
<p>At this point, Reid insists he’s ready to move on in life and weigh options of employment outside the Senate.</p>
<p>“I accept the fact that I am not who I was,” Reid said. After Jan. 3, “I am a former senator and I am not going to try to pretend that I am still the same guy I was during the many years I was involved in public service.”</p>
<p>Contact Gary Martin at [email protected]. Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/garymartindc" type="external">@garymartindc</a> on Twitter.</p>
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<p /> | false | 1 | washington harry reid didnt start partisan polarization stymied congress recent years played central role sharpening tone discourse capitol hill dividing lawmakers eroding collegiality hallmark us senate atmosphere reid stepping leadership leaving chamber regrets armful legislative victories three decades serving democratic caucus home state nevada legacy includes affordable care act major senate rule change filibusters success blocking nuclear waste shipments yucca mountain name accomplishments age 77 reid remains irascible unrepentant humbled consider wonderful privilege blessing life able serve senate background came able senator let alone leader senate long reid said wideranging interview reviewjournal capitol office rewarding hope people state nevada reid said ornate senate democratic leaders suite past weeks seen reid center tributes farewells friends adversaries brushed bitter partisan fights regale colleagues anecdotal stories chestnuts laurels exaggeration say america wouldnt accomplished past eight years past three decades without harry reid president barack obama said statement reviewjournal obama said reid tough shrewd come unafraid right thing never stopped fighting folks cant fight felled recently accident exercise band left eye injuries require care several district columbia hospitals reid said plans spend time back nevada leaves senate jan 3 touching farewell month reid said wife landra would transition new life dwell past look future role outside congress angry outbursts softspoken speech much part reids public persona angry outbursts directed national leaders called president george w bush loser liar claimed sen republican leader mitch mcconnell classless denounced presidentelect donald trump sexual predator lost popular vote reid later apologized calling bush loser liar said gets along well mcconnell recently said trump wasnt bad intemperate namecalling became character trait one disdained republicans mcconnell wrote memoir reid dr jekyll mr hyde personality rhetorically challenged scalpel work picks meat ax mcconnell said part largerthanlife personality used guide democrats senate 17 years leader first elected us house 1982 reid served two terms elected senate assumed leadership role sen tom daschle lost reelection 2004 party loyalties hardened outbursts became commonplace staffer terrified never knew exactly going say sometimes worked well sometimes didnt said jim manley former chief spokesman reid amazing ability speak mind manley said many defend reid standing republicans time gop lawmakers banded together halt progress obama democrats economic stimulus bill judicial appointments affordable care act known obamacare reid didnt start polarized politics senate simply reflected reality sweetness humility dont get far lions den said larry sabato director center politics university virginia sabato said reid high school pugilist continued boxing career senate landed plenty punches knockouts reid interview said may interpret provocative speech defense republican onslaught began bush tried privatize social security claiming election mandate reid said could stand let republicans block obamas initiatives tactic aimed defeating presidents reelection bid 2012 rancor people think created nothing trying get senate operate way think run caused people think caused partisan disruption wrong reid said trying protect country thats take son searchlight reid grew sunbaked desert town searchlight 60 miles south las vegas son miner committed suicide reid recalls hardships life town 13 brothels gold mines nothing else mother washed laundry speck civilization sits mountain ranges mojave desert town today remains blur travelers highway california arizona reid said growing prepared future would recommend everyone prepare way raised town made prostitutes raised town working going speak prostitution telegraph infrastructure speak railroad nothing reid said recommendation everybody live way house outside toilet heat house wood stove chortled prepares pretty well anything comes town like reid changed years name emblazoned elementary school road sign display local museum searchlights notable people including late hollywood fashion designer edith head met landra jewish girl punched father two eloped converted mormonism growing searchlight reid said never practiced religion home came marriage day couple remain extremely close five children 19 grandchildren former aides said goodbye speech senate reid said shes first love never end private side reid public doesnt see hes gentle soul spent lot time behind closed doors said neil kornze former reid staffer serves director us bureau land management staffers political experts also said reids quiet nature lawmaker prompted many underestimate ability democratic senators party loyalists praise acumen strategist tactician kornze said recalls fellow staffer telling reid one best strategic thinkers country friend said hes one step ahead hes three steps ahead around corner dont even know corner coming kornze said manley said reids rhetoric fact designed stir things see people react overreact finds soft spot dont deal different way theory politicians avoid getting controversy sen reid necessarily bad thing stir little see people headed manley said stirring pot nothing stirred pot reid proposed changing senate rules 2013 stop republicans filibustering obamas judicial nominees known nuclear option change senate tradition lowered threshold required pass lower court nominees 60 votes simple majority senate senate democrats led reid detonated nuclear option republicans blocked obamas nominations three vacancies district columbia circuit court appeals bench considered stepping stone us supreme court rule change passed democrats allowed three nominees confirmed well lower court nominees bottled senate appointed president awaiting confirmation vote addition republican opposition many democrats queasy passing rule change senate majority lasts forever said carl tobias former unlv law professor university richmond school law even longserving democratic senators like patrick leahy vermont served judiciary committee chairman agreed rule change felt gop obstruction left alternatives tobias said election trump republicanled senate democrats face difficult task blocking presidential nominees courts nuclear option probably come back haunt democrats lower court nominees need gop votes filibuster tobias said republicans could go change rule supreme court nominations lowering threshold stop debate 60 votes simple majority would prevent democrats blocking high court vacancy opened associate justice antonin scalia died february reid defends decision launch nuclear option changing rules despite likelihood republicans could gain control senate use simple majority democrats know turnabout fair play said reid insists survival country said republicans blocking nominees dc circuit court refused hear judicial nominations lower courts trying break unions eliminate agencies like national labor relations board reid said glad changed rule led confirmation 98 federal judges filling many subcabinet seats new obama administration would second mean may work democrats disadvantage trump years maybe thats way reid said interview yucca mountain reid also takes pleasure blocking use nevada storage site radioactive refuse parting shot senate speech reid warned renewed efforts trump administration congress open yucca mountain repository nuclear wastes reid led bipartisan nevada congressional delegation opposition nuclear waste storage site lies hour north las vegas casinos citys booming tourism industry obama cut funding project years ago cost prohibitive reid insists reid cautioned anyone attempts revive repository bring checkbook great great big one dismisses recent speculation yucca mountain revival futile going happen money necessary science bad bad deal reid said despite continued zeal project reid said lead opposition leaves senate next month said content stepping leadership senate letting others carry torch happy involved causes going point person someone else reid said point reid insists hes ready move life weigh options employment outside senate accept fact reid said jan 3 former senator going try pretend still guy many years involved public service contact gary martin gmartinreviewjournalcom follow garymartindc twitter related harry reid bids farewell senate 30 years softspoken sharptongued sen harry reid bids farewell obama reid lead 20th annual lake tahoe preservation celebration | 1,186 |
<p>Let’s face it. Should Rebecca Mead, a New Yorker staff writer, offer us her mere, unadorned autobiography as something to pack along with our pail and shovel as a good beach read, she might risk the odd sarcastic comment from a friend or accusations of presumption or arrogance from those less well-disposed toward her. And yet, she’s proud of her life and has the professional writer’s urge to share.</p>
<p>What to do? Well, one answer is to hitch the memoir to somebody else’s star, somebody of indisputably autobiographical stature. The result is the latest example of that new genre, “part literary criticism, part memoir,” that Elaine Showalter calls “the shelfie.” It may not top the commercial success of Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) in turning her less-than-distinguished life story into a celebrity memoir and self-help guide for women, but then what does? George Eliot, née Mary Anne (or Mary Ann or Marian) Evans, is Mead’s choice of eminent author whose life may be said to shadow her own.</p>
<p>Rebecca Mead, too, was a bookish girl from provincial England, not conventionally pretty but not without her charms for men. She has enjoyed success as a writer in the metropolitan center of the English-speaking world of her day and, on her marriage, became a sudden stepmother to three sons, just as Eliot did to the sons of George Henry Lewes. Such frequently cited parallels give Mead the advantage of self-help at second hand, since George Eliot’s life experiences made her very big on wise sayings and how-to-live advice—perhaps even bigger than she was on writing readable novels, though that is clearly a matter of opinion.</p>
<p>Anyway, these wise sayings have stood Eliot’s doppelgänger, like many other readers over the last century, in good stead. In fact, to tread in Mead’s footsteps for a moment, allow me to furnish you with an autobiographical tidbit of my own. I have read Middlemarch four times in my life—twice as a student, twice as a teacher—and apart from a basic outline of the plot and the nature of the pain suffered by the two principal characters (bad marriages in both cases), there are really only two things I can now remember about it. One is Caleb Garth’s advice to Fred Vincy about coming to work at a proper job, where you need to “love your work, and not be always looking over the edge of it, wanting your play to begin.” Very true, said I to myself, as a lad of about Fred’s age. And I have always sought to live by that advice. The other thing I remember is this famous passage:</p>
<p>If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.</p>
<p>Profound, don’t you think? Mead certainly does, finding in it evidence of the author’s opinion that “if Art does not enlarge men’s sympathies, it does nothing morally.” Mead’s own sympathies, like those of most readers, vibrate in tune with the sorrows of the novel’s marriage martyrs, Dorothea and Lydgate. “I am able,” Mead claims, “not only to imagine their vivid, solipsistic experience but also to see them from Eliot’s authorial perspective of heightened, mature sympathy. In viewing them I am invited to shed my wadded layers of stupidity, and to listen for the sound of growing grass.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, she does not tell us what she hears when she listens for the sound of growing grass, but we can be pretty sure it’s not growing grass. Nor, presumably, has she successfully shed her wadded layers of stupidity, since doing so—according to George Eliot, anyway—would have resulted in her death. In other words, Rebecca Mead turns out to be not that careful a reader of the one book she says gives meaning to her life. What she takes to be a recommendation for infinitely expansive sympathy is actually a warning of sympathy’s limitations, even in “the quickest of us.” And although we may stipulate that Mead knows something of “vivid, solipsistic experience,” this does not mean the word “solipsistic” is appropriate to describe the experiences of the novel’s characters. She is projecting her own solipsistic experiences onto them, as she does throughout this book.</p>
<p>I have to say, however, that I find my own sympathies enlarging, not quite painlessly, to encompass even Rebecca Mead and her earnest, schoolgirlish, almost Victorian, effort to extract from the greatest work of a classic novelist something of the meaning and purpose her life must otherwise lack. It is so much at odds with how we are nowadays taught to read these works! The vogue, among professional readers of English literature, is all for “deconstructing,” which is the opposite of learning life lessons from Victorian novelists. Instead, we are, in effect, posthumously schooling them, demanding that they see the injustices in their society that are so clear to us but are missed by them and nearly all their benighted contemporaries. Mead is aware of the scholarly milieu out of which her book emerges; she writes of the squirrel’s heartbeat passage that</p>
<p>This kind of editorializing can strike today’s reader as awkward and off-putting. We’re wiser now, we think, than to believe in the authoritative inclusiveness of the first person plural; feminist or Marxist or post-colonial theory has made us conscious of perspectives that have been excluded by, or don’t care to be encompassed by, its embrace. We may even be writing from one of those perspectives ourselves. (I humbly submit: when I write “we,” I mean by it “I, and hopefully you.”)</p>
<p>How touching, this modest attempt to reclaim the common reader’s “we” from its political and academic exile! She is likewise self-deprecating in her account of her (albeit long dead) rival for the position of Eliot’s acolyte, whose name, like her own, is only four letters long and begins with the letter “M.” In 1875, Alexander Main produced, with the author’s permission, a volume titled Wise, Witty, and Tender Sayings, in Prose and Verse, Selected from the Works of George Eliot, which was a huge success and went through numerous editions during Eliot’s lifetime and after. Mead’s account of her predecessor’s labors and his “assumption of intimacy” with the great woman is at times rather sour, yet she writes, “I recognized in his enthusiasm for her works enough of my own admiration for her to feel an awkward fellowship with him.”</p>
<p>Though she doesn’t quite acknowledge it, that fellowship extends to the revolutionary assumption, once common but now long out of use, that we might have something to learn from the past. You won’t find much original wisdom in this volume, any more than you would have done in Mr. Main’s, apart from what, with a bit more effort, you can get for yourself from Middlemarch or a straightforward biography of George Eliot. One exception is when Rebecca Mead observes that “a book may not tell us exactly how to live our own lives, but our own lives can teach us how to read a book.” Just so. Her own may not directly take on the academic correctors of the past, but it does suggest how we might live our lives so as to learn from it.</p>
<p>James Bowman, the author of Honor: A History and Media Madness, is a resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p> | false | 1 | lets face rebecca mead new yorker staff writer offer us mere unadorned autobiography something pack along pail shovel good beach read might risk odd sarcastic comment friend accusations presumption arrogance less welldisposed toward yet shes proud life professional writers urge share well one answer hitch memoir somebody elses star somebody indisputably autobiographical stature result latest example new genre part literary criticism part memoir elaine showalter calls shelfie may top commercial success elizabeth gilbert eat pray love turning lessthandistinguished life story celebrity memoir selfhelp guide women george eliot née mary anne mary ann marian evans meads choice eminent author whose life may said shadow rebecca mead bookish girl provincial england conventionally pretty without charms men enjoyed success writer metropolitan center englishspeaking world day marriage became sudden stepmother three sons eliot sons george henry lewes frequently cited parallels give mead advantage selfhelp second hand since george eliots life experiences made big wise sayings howtolive adviceperhaps even bigger writing readable novels though clearly matter opinion anyway wise sayings stood eliots doppelgänger like many readers last century good stead fact tread meads footsteps moment allow furnish autobiographical tidbit read middlemarch four times lifetwice student twice teacherand apart basic outline plot nature pain suffered two principal characters bad marriages cases really two things remember one caleb garths advice fred vincy coming work proper job need love work always looking edge wanting play begin true said lad freds age always sought live advice thing remember famous passage keen vision feeling ordinary human life would like hearing grass grow squirrels heart beat die roar lies side silence quickest us walk well wadded stupidity profound dont think mead certainly finding evidence authors opinion art enlarge mens sympathies nothing morally meads sympathies like readers vibrate tune sorrows novels marriage martyrs dorothea lydgate able mead claims imagine vivid solipsistic experience also see eliots authorial perspective heightened mature sympathy viewing invited shed wadded layers stupidity listen sound growing grass unfortunately tell us hears listens sound growing grass pretty sure growing grass presumably successfully shed wadded layers stupidity since soaccording george eliot anywaywould resulted death words rebecca mead turns careful reader one book says gives meaning life takes recommendation infinitely expansive sympathy actually warning sympathys limitations even quickest us although may stipulate mead knows something vivid solipsistic experience mean word solipsistic appropriate describe experiences novels characters projecting solipsistic experiences onto throughout book say however find sympathies enlarging quite painlessly encompass even rebecca mead earnest schoolgirlish almost victorian effort extract greatest work classic novelist something meaning purpose life must otherwise lack much odds nowadays taught read works vogue among professional readers english literature deconstructing opposite learning life lessons victorian novelists instead effect posthumously schooling demanding see injustices society clear us missed nearly benighted contemporaries mead aware scholarly milieu book emerges writes squirrels heartbeat passage kind editorializing strike todays reader awkward offputting wiser think believe authoritative inclusiveness first person plural feminist marxist postcolonial theory made us conscious perspectives excluded dont care encompassed embrace may even writing one perspectives humbly submit write mean hopefully touching modest attempt reclaim common readers political academic exile likewise selfdeprecating account albeit long dead rival position eliots acolyte whose name like four letters long begins letter 1875 alexander main produced authors permission volume titled wise witty tender sayings prose verse selected works george eliot huge success went numerous editions eliots lifetime meads account predecessors labors assumption intimacy great woman times rather sour yet writes recognized enthusiasm works enough admiration feel awkward fellowship though doesnt quite acknowledge fellowship extends revolutionary assumption common long use might something learn past wont find much original wisdom volume would done mr mains apart bit effort get middlemarch straightforward biography george eliot one exception rebecca mead observes book may tell us exactly live lives lives teach us read book may directly take academic correctors past suggest might live lives learn james bowman author honor history media madness resident scholar ethics public policy center | 647 |
<p />
<p>Western propaganda about events in Ukraine has two main purposes.&#160; One is to cover up, or to distract from, Washington’s role in overthrowing the elected democratic government of Ukraine.&#160; The other is to demonize Russia.</p>
<p>The truth is known, but truth is not a part of the Western TV and print media. The intercepted telephone call between US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt reveals the two coup plotters discussing which of Washington’s stooges will be installed as Washington’s person in the new puppet government.&#160; The intercepted telephone call between Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and EU foreign policy official Catherine Ashton revealed suspicions, later confirmed by independent reports, that the sniper fire that killed people on both sides of the Kiev protests came from the Washington-backed side of the conflict.</p>
<p>To summarize, when Washington orchestrated in 2004 the “Orange Revolution” and the revolution failed to deliver Ukraine into Western hands, Washington, according to Victoria Nuland, poured $5 billion into Ukraine over the next ten years.&#160; The money went to politicians, whom Washington groomed, and to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that operate as educational, pro-democracy, and human rights groups, but in fact are Washington’s fifth columns.</p>
<p>When President Yanukovych, after considering the costs and benefits, rejected the invitation for Ukraine to join the European Union, Washington sent its well-funded NGOs into action.&#160; Protests broke out in Kiev demanding that Yanukovych change his decision and join the EU.</p>
<p>These protests were peaceful, but soon ultra-nationalists and neo-nazis appeared and introduced violence into the protests. The protest demands changed from “join the EU” to “overthrow Yanukovych and his government.”</p>
<p>Political chaos ensued.&#160; Washington installed a puppet government, which Washington represented as a democratic force against corruption.&#160; However, the ultra-nationalists and neo-nazis, such as the Right Sector, began intimidating members of Washington’s&#160;stooge government.&#160; Perhaps in response, Washington’s stooges began issuing threats against the Russian speaking population in Ukraine.</p>
<p>Areas of southern and eastern Ukraine are former Russian territories added to Ukraine by Soviet leaders.&#160; Lenin added Russian areas to Ukraine in early years of the Soviet Union, and Khrushchev added Crimea in 1954.&#160; The people in these Russian areas, alarmed by the destruction of Soviet war memorials commemorating the Red Army’s liberation of Ukraine from Hitler, by the banning of Russian as an official language, and by physical assaults on Russian-speaking people in Ukraine broke out in protests.&#160; Crimea voted its independence and requested reunification with Russia, and so have the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.</p>
<p>Washington, its EU puppets, and the Western media have denied that the votes in Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk are sincere and spontaneous.&#160; Instead, Washington alleges that the protests leading to the votes and the votes themselves were orchestrated by the Russian government with the use of bribes, threats, and coercion.&#160; Crimea was said to be a case of Russian invasion and annexation.</p>
<p>These are blatant lies, and the foreign observers of the elections know it, but they have no voice in the Western media, which is a Ministry of Propaganda for Washington. Even the once proud BBC lies for Washington.</p>
<p>Washington has succeeded in controlling the explanation of the “Ukrainian crisis.”&#160; The unified peoples in Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk have been branded “terrorists.”&#160; In contrast, the Ukrainian neo-nazis have been elevated to membership in the “democratic coalition.”&#160; Even more amazing, the neo-nazis are being described in the Western media as “liberators” of the protest regions from “terrorists.”&#160; Most likely, the Russophobic neo-nazi militias are becoming Washington’s stooge government’s army, because so many units of the Ukrainian military have been unwilling to fire on peaceful protestors.</p>
<p>The question before us is how will Russia’s leader, President Putin, play this game. His hesitancy or reluctance to accept Donetsk and Luhansk again as part of Russia is used by the Western media to make him look weak and intimidated. Within Russia this will be used against Putin by Washington-funded GGOs and by Russian nationalists.</p>
<p>Putin understands this, but Putin also understands that Washington wants him to confirm their demonized portrait of him.&#160; If Putin&#160;accepts requests from Donetsk and Luhansk to return to Russia, Washington will repeat its allegation that Russia&#160;invaded and annexed.&#160; Most likely, Putin is not weak and intimidated, but for good reasons Putin does not want to give Washington more propaganda to employ in Europe.</p>
<p>Washington’s press for sanctions against Russia has an obstacle in Germany. The German Chancellor, Merkel, is Washington’s vassal, but Germany’s foreign Minister, Frank Walter Steinmeier and German industry are no friends of sanctions.&#160; In addition to Germany’s dependence on natural gas from Russia, thousands of German companies are doing business in Russia, and the employment of several hundred thousands of Germans is dependent on economic relations with Russia.&#160; Former German Chancellors Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schroeder have slammed Merkel for her subservience to Washington. Merkel’s position is weak, because she has stupidly put herself in the position of sacrificing the interests of Germany to Washington’s interests.</p>
<p>Putin, who has demonstrated that he is not the typical dumb Western politician, sees in the conflict between Washington’s pressure on Germany and Germany’s real interests a chance to break up NATO and the EU.&#160; If Germany decides, as Yanukovych did, that Germany’s interests lie in its economic relations with Russia, not in being a puppet state of Washington, can Washington overthrow the government of Germany and install a more reliable puppet?</p>
<p>Perhaps Germany has had enough of Washington.&#160; Still occupied by Washington’s troops 69 years after the end of World War II, Germany has had its educational practices, its history, its foreign policy, and its membership in the EU and euro mechanism coerced by Washington.&#160; If Germans have any national pride, and as a very recently unified peoples, they might still have some national pride, these impositions by Washington are too much to accept.</p>
<p>The last thing Germany wants is a confrontation, economic or military, with Russia. Germany’s vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, said that it “was certainly not smart to create the impression in Ukraine that it had to decide between Russia and the EU.”</p>
<p>If the Russian government decides that Washington’s control of Ukraine, or whatever part remains after secession, is an unacceptable strategic threat to Russia, the Russian military will seize Ukraine, historically part of Russia.&#160; If Russia occupies Ukraine, there is nothing Washington can do but resort to nuclear war.&#160; NATO countries, with their own existence at stake, will not agree to this option.</p>
<p>Putin can take the Ukraine back whenever he wants and turn his back on the West, a declining corrupt entity mired in depression and looting by the capitalist class.&#160; The 21st century belongs to the East, to China and India.&#160; The enormous expanse of Russia sits above both of these most populous of all countries.</p>
<p>Russia can rise to power with the East. There is no reason for Russia to beg the West for acceptance. The bases for US foreign policy are the Brzezinski and Wolfowitz doctrines, which state that Washington must prevent the rise of Russia.&#160; Washington has no good will toward Russia and will hamper Russia at every opportunity. As long as Washington controls Europe, Russia has no prospects of being a part of the West, unless Russia becomes Washington’s puppet state, like Germany, Britain, and France.</p>
<p>This article first appeared in <a href="http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/05/22/russia-rise-to-global-power.html" type="external">Strategic Culture Foundation</a>.</p> | false | 1 | western propaganda events ukraine two main purposes160 one cover distract washingtons role overthrowing elected democratic government ukraine160 demonize russia truth known truth part western tv print media intercepted telephone call us assistant secretary state victoria nuland us ambassador ukraine geoffrey pyatt reveals two coup plotters discussing washingtons stooges installed washingtons person new puppet government160 intercepted telephone call estonian foreign minister urmas paet eu foreign policy official catherine ashton revealed suspicions later confirmed independent reports sniper fire killed people sides kiev protests came washingtonbacked side conflict summarize washington orchestrated 2004 orange revolution revolution failed deliver ukraine western hands washington according victoria nuland poured 5 billion ukraine next ten years160 money went politicians washington groomed nongovernmental organizations ngos operate educational prodemocracy human rights groups fact washingtons fifth columns president yanukovych considering costs benefits rejected invitation ukraine join european union washington sent wellfunded ngos action160 protests broke kiev demanding yanukovych change decision join eu protests peaceful soon ultranationalists neonazis appeared introduced violence protests protest demands changed join eu overthrow yanukovych government political chaos ensued160 washington installed puppet government washington represented democratic force corruption160 however ultranationalists neonazis right sector began intimidating members washingtons160stooge government160 perhaps response washingtons stooges began issuing threats russian speaking population ukraine areas southern eastern ukraine former russian territories added ukraine soviet leaders160 lenin added russian areas ukraine early years soviet union khrushchev added crimea 1954160 people russian areas alarmed destruction soviet war memorials commemorating red armys liberation ukraine hitler banning russian official language physical assaults russianspeaking people ukraine broke protests160 crimea voted independence requested reunification russia donetsk luhansk regions washington eu puppets western media denied votes crimea donetsk luhansk sincere spontaneous160 instead washington alleges protests leading votes votes orchestrated russian government use bribes threats coercion160 crimea said case russian invasion annexation blatant lies foreign observers elections know voice western media ministry propaganda washington even proud bbc lies washington washington succeeded controlling explanation ukrainian crisis160 unified peoples crimea donetsk luhansk branded terrorists160 contrast ukrainian neonazis elevated membership democratic coalition160 even amazing neonazis described western media liberators protest regions terrorists160 likely russophobic neonazi militias becoming washingtons stooge governments army many units ukrainian military unwilling fire peaceful protestors question us russias leader president putin play game hesitancy reluctance accept donetsk luhansk part russia used western media make look weak intimidated within russia used putin washingtonfunded ggos russian nationalists putin understands putin also understands washington wants confirm demonized portrait him160 putin160accepts requests donetsk luhansk return russia washington repeat allegation russia160invaded annexed160 likely putin weak intimidated good reasons putin want give washington propaganda employ europe washingtons press sanctions russia obstacle germany german chancellor merkel washingtons vassal germanys foreign minister frank walter steinmeier german industry friends sanctions160 addition germanys dependence natural gas russia thousands german companies business russia employment several hundred thousands germans dependent economic relations russia160 former german chancellors helmut schmidt gerhard schroeder slammed merkel subservience washington merkels position weak stupidly put position sacrificing interests germany washingtons interests putin demonstrated typical dumb western politician sees conflict washingtons pressure germany germanys real interests chance break nato eu160 germany decides yanukovych germanys interests lie economic relations russia puppet state washington washington overthrow government germany install reliable puppet perhaps germany enough washington160 still occupied washingtons troops 69 years end world war ii germany educational practices history foreign policy membership eu euro mechanism coerced washington160 germans national pride recently unified peoples might still national pride impositions washington much accept last thing germany wants confrontation economic military russia germanys vice chancellor sigmar gabriel said certainly smart create impression ukraine decide russia eu russian government decides washingtons control ukraine whatever part remains secession unacceptable strategic threat russia russian military seize ukraine historically part russia160 russia occupies ukraine nothing washington resort nuclear war160 nato countries existence stake agree option putin take ukraine back whenever wants turn back west declining corrupt entity mired depression looting capitalist class160 21st century belongs east china india160 enormous expanse russia sits populous countries russia rise power east reason russia beg west acceptance bases us foreign policy brzezinski wolfowitz doctrines state washington must prevent rise russia160 washington good toward russia hamper russia every opportunity long washington controls europe russia prospects part west unless russia becomes washingtons puppet state like germany britain france article first appeared strategic culture foundation | 700 |
<p />
<p>The Enduring Mystique of the Marshall Plan</p>
<p>Amidst all the stirring political upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East the name “Marshall Plan” keeps being repeated by political figures and media around the world as the key to rebuilding the economies of those societies to complement the political advances, which hopefully will be somewhat progressive. But caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.</p>
<p>During my years of writing and speaking about the harm and injustice inflicted upon the world by unending United States interventions, I’ve often been met with resentment from those who accuse me of chronicling only the negative side of US foreign policy and ignoring the many positive sides. When I ask the person to give me some examples of what s/he thinks show the virtuous face of America’s dealings with the world in modern times, one of the things mentioned — almost without exception — is The Marshall Plan. This is usually described along the lines of: “After World War II, the United States unselfishly built up Europe economically, including our wartime enemies, and allowed them to compete with us.” Even those today who are very cynical about US foreign policy, who are quick to question the White House’s motives in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, have little problem in accepting this picture of an altruistic America of the period 1948-1952. But let’s have a look at the Marshall Plan outside the official and popular versions.</p>
<p>After World War II, the United States, triumphant abroad and undamaged at home, saw a door wide open for world supremacy. Only the thing called “communism” stood in the way, politically, militarily, and ideologically. The entire US foreign policy establishment was mobilized to confront this “enemy”, and the Marshall Plan was an integral part of this campaign. How could it be otherwise? Anti-communism had been the principal pillar of US foreign policy from the Russian Revolution up to World War II, pausing for the war until the closing months of the Pacific campaign, when Washington put challenging communism ahead of fighting the Japanese. This return to anti-communism included the dropping of the atom bomb on Japan as a warning to the Soviets.[1]</p>
<p>After the war, anti-communism continued as the leitmotif of American foreign policy as naturally as if World War II and the alliance with the Soviet Union had not happened. Along with the CIA, the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, the Council on Foreign Relations, certain corporations, and a few other private institutions, the Marshall Plan was one more arrow in the quiver of those striving to remake Europe to suit Washington’s desires:</p>
<p>1. Spreading the capitalist gospel — to counter strong postwar tendencies towards socialism.</p>
<p>2. Opening markets to provide new customers for US corporations — a major reason for helping to rebuild the European economies; e.g., a billion dollars of tobacco at today’s prices, spurred by US tobacco interests.</p>
<p>3. Pushing for the creation of the Common Market and NATO as integral parts of the West European bulwark against the alleged Soviet threat.</p>
<p>4. Suppressing the left all over Western Europe, most notably sabotaging the Communist Parties in France and Italy in their bids for legal, non-violent, electoral victory. Marshall Plan funds were secretly siphoned off to finance this endeavor, and the promise of aid to a country, or the threat of its cutoff, was used as a bullying club; indeed, France and Italy would certainly have been exempted from receiving aid if they had not gone along with the plots to exclude the communists from any kind of influential role.</p>
<p>The CIA also skimmed large amounts of Marshall Plan funds to covertly maintain cultural institutions, journalists, and publishers, at home and abroad, for the heated and omnipresent propaganda of the Cold War; the selling of the Marshall Plan to the American public and elsewhere was entwined with fighting “the red menace”. Moreover, in its covert operations, CIA personnel at times used the Marshall Plan as cover, and one of the Plan’s chief architects, Richard Bissell, then moved to the CIA, stopping off briefly at the Ford Foundation, a long time conduit for CIA covert funds. One big happy family.</p>
<p>The Marshall Plan imposed all kinds of restrictions on the recipient countries, all manner of economic and fiscal criteria which had to be met, designed for a wide open return to free enterprise. The US had the right to control not only how Marshall Plan dollars were spent, but also to approve the expenditure of an equivalent amount of the local currency, giving Washington substantial power over the internal plans and programs of the European states; welfare programs for the needy survivors of the war were looked upon with disfavor by the United States; even rationing smelled too much like socialism and had to go or be scaled down; nationalization of industry was even more vehemently opposed by Washington. The great bulk of Marshall Plan funds returned to the United States, or never left, to purchase American goods, making American corporations among the chief beneficiaries.</p>
<p>The program could be seen as more a joint business operation between governments than an American “handout”; often it was a business arrangement between American and European ruling classes, many of the latter fresh from their service to the Third Reich, some of the former as well; or it was an arrangement between Congressmen and their favorite corporations to export certain commodities, including a lot of military goods. Thus did the Marshall Plan help lay the foundation for the military industrial complex as a permanent feature of American life.</p>
<p>It is very difficult to find, or put together, a clear, credible description of how the Marshall Plan played a pivotal or indispensable role in the recovery in each of the 16 recipient nations. The opposing view, at least as clear, is that the Europeans — highly educated, skilled and experienced — could have recovered from the war on their own without an extensive master plan and aid program from abroad, and indeed had already made significant strides in this direction before the Plan’s funds began flowing. Marshall Plan funds were not directed primarily toward the urgently needed feeding of individuals or rebuilding their homes, schools, or factories, but at strengthening the economic superstructure, particularly the iron, steel and power industries. The period was in fact marked by deflationary policies, unemployment and recession. The one unambiguous outcome was the full restoration of the propertied class.[2]</p>
<p>The rising up of the people … and the conservative mind</p>
<p>James Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan’s first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H.W. Bush. He was also Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan and Secretary of State under Bush. Thus, by establishment standards and values, inside marble-columned institutions, Baker is a man to be taken seriously when it comes to affairs of state. Here he is on February 3, during an interview by our favorite TV station, our very own shining beacon of truth, Fox News:</p>
<p>We want to see the people in the Middle East have a chance at democracy and free markets … I’m sorry, democracy and human rights.[3]</p>
<p>Baker has a record of speaking his mind, whether Freudian-slip-like or not. When he was Secretary of State, on an occasion when the Middle East was being discussed at a government meeting, and Jewish-American influence was mentioned, Baker was reported to have said “Fuck the Jews! They don’t vote for us anyway.”[4]</p>
<p>They couldn’t resist, could they?</p>
<p>News flash: “Judge Mustafa Abdel Jallil, the Libyan justice minister who resigned last week in protest over the use of force against unarmed civilians, said he has proof that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ordered the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988. He would not disclose details of the alleged evidence.”[5]</p>
<p>Hmmm, let me guess now why he wouldn’t disclose details of the alleged evidence … hmmm … Ah, I know — because it doesn’t exist! How could Gadhafi’s many enemies in Libya resist kicking him like this when he’s down? Or perhaps the honorable judge is simply protecting himself from a future international criminal tribunal for his years of service to the Libyan state? If you read any more of such nonsense — and you will — reach for some of the antidote I’ve been providing for more than 20 years.[6]</p>
<p>The empire’s deep dark secret</p>
<p>“In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should have his head examined,” declared US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on February 25.</p>
<p>Remarkable. Every one of the many wars the United States has engaged in since the end of World War II has been presented to the American people, explicitly or implicitly, as a war of necessity, not a war of choice; a war urgently needed to protect American citizens, American allies, vital American “interests”, freedom, or democracy. Here is President Obama speaking of Afghanistan: “But we must never forget this is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity.”[7]</p>
<p>This being the case, how can a future administration say it will not go to war if any of these noble causes is seriously threatened? The answer is that these noble causes are irrelevant. The United States goes to war where and when it wants, and if a noble cause is not self-evident, the government, with indispensable help from the American media, will manufacture it. Secretary Gates is now admitting that there is choice involved. Well, Bob, thanks for telling us. You were Bush’s Secretary of Defense as well, and before that, 26 years in the CIA and the National Security Council. You sure know how to keep a secret.</p>
<p />
<p /> | false | 1 | enduring mystique marshall plan amidst stirring political upheavals north africa middle east name marshall plan keeps repeated political figures media around world key rebuilding economies societies complement political advances hopefully somewhat progressive caveat emptor let buyer beware years writing speaking harm injustice inflicted upon world unending united states interventions ive often met resentment accuse chronicling negative side us foreign policy ignoring many positive sides ask person give examples thinks show virtuous face americas dealings world modern times one things mentioned almost without exception marshall plan usually described along lines world war ii united states unselfishly built europe economically including wartime enemies allowed compete us even today cynical us foreign policy quick question white houses motives afghanistan iraq elsewhere little problem accepting picture altruistic america period 19481952 lets look marshall plan outside official popular versions world war ii united states triumphant abroad undamaged home saw door wide open world supremacy thing called communism stood way politically militarily ideologically entire us foreign policy establishment mobilized confront enemy marshall plan integral part campaign could otherwise anticommunism principal pillar us foreign policy russian revolution world war ii pausing war closing months pacific campaign washington put challenging communism ahead fighting japanese return anticommunism included dropping atom bomb japan warning soviets1 war anticommunism continued leitmotif american foreign policy naturally world war ii alliance soviet union happened along cia rockefeller ford foundations council foreign relations certain corporations private institutions marshall plan one arrow quiver striving remake europe suit washingtons desires 1 spreading capitalist gospel counter strong postwar tendencies towards socialism 2 opening markets provide new customers us corporations major reason helping rebuild european economies eg billion dollars tobacco todays prices spurred us tobacco interests 3 pushing creation common market nato integral parts west european bulwark alleged soviet threat 4 suppressing left western europe notably sabotaging communist parties france italy bids legal nonviolent electoral victory marshall plan funds secretly siphoned finance endeavor promise aid country threat cutoff used bullying club indeed france italy would certainly exempted receiving aid gone along plots exclude communists kind influential role cia also skimmed large amounts marshall plan funds covertly maintain cultural institutions journalists publishers home abroad heated omnipresent propaganda cold war selling marshall plan american public elsewhere entwined fighting red menace moreover covert operations cia personnel times used marshall plan cover one plans chief architects richard bissell moved cia stopping briefly ford foundation long time conduit cia covert funds one big happy family marshall plan imposed kinds restrictions recipient countries manner economic fiscal criteria met designed wide open return free enterprise us right control marshall plan dollars spent also approve expenditure equivalent amount local currency giving washington substantial power internal plans programs european states welfare programs needy survivors war looked upon disfavor united states even rationing smelled much like socialism go scaled nationalization industry even vehemently opposed washington great bulk marshall plan funds returned united states never left purchase american goods making american corporations among chief beneficiaries program could seen joint business operation governments american handout often business arrangement american european ruling classes many latter fresh service third reich former well arrangement congressmen favorite corporations export certain commodities including lot military goods thus marshall plan help lay foundation military industrial complex permanent feature american life difficult find put together clear credible description marshall plan played pivotal indispensable role recovery 16 recipient nations opposing view least clear europeans highly educated skilled experienced could recovered war without extensive master plan aid program abroad indeed already made significant strides direction plans funds began flowing marshall plan funds directed primarily toward urgently needed feeding individuals rebuilding homes schools factories strengthening economic superstructure particularly iron steel power industries period fact marked deflationary policies unemployment recession one unambiguous outcome full restoration propertied class2 rising people conservative mind james baker served chief staff president ronald reagans first administration final year administration president george hw bush also secretary treasury reagan secretary state bush thus establishment standards values inside marblecolumned institutions baker man taken seriously comes affairs state february 3 interview favorite tv station shining beacon truth fox news want see people middle east chance democracy free markets im sorry democracy human rights3 baker record speaking mind whether freudiansliplike secretary state occasion middle east discussed government meeting jewishamerican influence mentioned baker reported said fuck jews dont vote us anyway4 couldnt resist could news flash judge mustafa abdel jallil libyan justice minister resigned last week protest use force unarmed civilians said proof libyan leader moammar gadhafi ordered bombing pan flight 103 lockerbie scotland dec 21 1988 would disclose details alleged evidence5 hmmm let guess wouldnt disclose details alleged evidence hmmm ah know doesnt exist could gadhafis many enemies libya resist kicking like hes perhaps honorable judge simply protecting future international criminal tribunal years service libyan state read nonsense reach antidote ive providing 20 years6 empires deep dark secret opinion future defense secretary advises president send big american land army asia middle east africa head examined declared us secretary defense robert gates february 25 remarkable every one many wars united states engaged since end world war ii presented american people explicitly implicitly war necessity war choice war urgently needed protect american citizens american allies vital american interests freedom democracy president obama speaking afghanistan must never forget war choice war necessity7 case future administration say go war noble causes seriously threatened answer noble causes irrelevant united states goes war wants noble cause selfevident government indispensable help american media manufacture secretary gates admitting choice involved well bob thanks telling us bushs secretary defense well 26 years cia national security council sure know keep secret | 919 |
<p>U.S. homebuilding fell for a second straight month in August as a rebound in the construction of single-family houses was offset by persistent weakness in the volatile multifamily home segment.</p>
<p>The report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday also showed building permits racing to a seven-month high in August. However, permits for single-family homebuilding, which accounts for the largest share of the housing market, dropped.</p>
<p>The mixed readings suggested housing could remain a drag on economic growth in the third quarter. Homebuilding has been treading water for much of this year amid shortages of land and skilled labor as well as rising costs of building materials.</p>
<p>Housing starts slipped 0.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.18 million units, the Commerce Department said. Starts for July were revised higher by 35,000 units. Building permits surged 5.7 percent to a rate of 1.30 million units in August, the highest level since January.</p>
<p>The data suggested limited impact on permits from Hurricane Harvey, which lashed Texas in late August and caused unprecedented flooding in Houston. The Commerce Department said the response rate from areas affected by the storm “was not significantly lower.”</p>
<p>Harvey, however, appeared to have held down home completions, which tumbled 10.2 percent to a 10-month low. The percentage drop in completions was the largest since April 2013. Completions in the South fell 22.2 percent, the biggest drop in seven years.</p>
<p>Homebuilding could slump further in September in the aftermath of Harvey and Hurricane Irma, which struck Florida. According to Census Bureau data, the areas in Texas and Florida that were devastated by the storms accounted for about 13 percent of permits issued in the nation last year.</p>
<p>Though activity could pick up as the hurricane-ravaged communities rebuild, the dearth of labor could curb the pace of increase in homebuilding. A survey Monday showed confidence among homebuilders fell in September amid concerns that the hurricanes could worsen the labor shortages and make building materials more expensive.</p>
<p>“With the pace of housing starts in July and August retreating, and a likely depressed September, we now anticipate that housing starts will fail to expand much, if at all, in the third quarter,” said Kristin Reynolds, a U.S. economist at IHS Markit in Lexington, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Economists had forecast housing starts rising to a 1.18 million-unit pace last month. Investment in homebuilding contracted in the second quarter at its steepest pace in nearly seven years, leading to housing subtracting 0.26 percentage point from gross domestic product growth.</p>
<p>IMPORT PRICES RISE</p>
<p>The data is unlikely to change expectations that the Federal Reserve will announce on Wednesday a plan to start unwinding its $4.2 trillion portfolio of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Fed officials were scheduled to start a two-day meeting later on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The PHLX index of housing stocks was flat in line with a broadly unchanged U.S. stock market. Shares in the nation’s largest homebuilder, D.R. Horton, slipped 0.24 percent. The dollar was trading lower against basket of currencies. Prices for U.S. Treasuries fell marginally.</p>
<p>Policymakers could, however, take comfort from signs that inflation is picking up after retreating in recent months. In a separate report on Tuesday, the Labor Department said import prices jumped 0.6 percent in August amid increases in the cost of petroleum products and a range of other goods.</p>
<p>August’s increase in import prices was the largest in seven months and followed a 0.1 percent dip in July. In the 12 months through August, import prices surged 2.1 percent after rising 1.2 percent in July. Data last week showed a broad increase in consumer prices in August.</p>
<p>Despite the recent weakness, housing continues to be supported by a labor market that is near full employment. In addition, mortgage rates remain close to historic lows.</p>
<p>Homebuilding rose 1.4 percent in August on a year-on-year basis.</p>
<p>Single-family homebuilding jumped 1.6 percent to a rate of851,000 units in August. Single-family permits, however, fell 1.5 percent to a 800,000-unit pace. With permits lagging starts, single-family homebuilding could decline in the months ahead.</p>
<p>“We suspect single-family starts are set to slow,” said Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Hurricanes Harvey and Irma will also likely slow starts in coming months, as resources are redirected toward repairs and rebuilding efforts.”</p>
<p>Groundbreaking on single-family housing projects has cooled since vaulting to near a 9-1/2-year high in February. Last month, single-family starts rose in the South and West, but fell in the Midwest and Northeast.</p>
<p>Starts for the volatile multi-family housing segment tumbled 6.5 percent to a rate of 329,000 units. Multi-family permits vaulted 19.6 percent to a 500,000-unit pace in August.</p> | false | 1 | us homebuilding fell second straight month august rebound construction singlefamily houses offset persistent weakness volatile multifamily home segment report commerce department tuesday also showed building permits racing sevenmonth high august however permits singlefamily homebuilding accounts largest share housing market dropped mixed readings suggested housing could remain drag economic growth third quarter homebuilding treading water much year amid shortages land skilled labor well rising costs building materials housing starts slipped 08 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate 118 million units commerce department said starts july revised higher 35000 units building permits surged 57 percent rate 130 million units august highest level since january data suggested limited impact permits hurricane harvey lashed texas late august caused unprecedented flooding houston commerce department said response rate areas affected storm significantly lower harvey however appeared held home completions tumbled 102 percent 10month low percentage drop completions largest since april 2013 completions south fell 222 percent biggest drop seven years homebuilding could slump september aftermath harvey hurricane irma struck florida according census bureau data areas texas florida devastated storms accounted 13 percent permits issued nation last year though activity could pick hurricaneravaged communities rebuild dearth labor could curb pace increase homebuilding survey monday showed confidence among homebuilders fell september amid concerns hurricanes could worsen labor shortages make building materials expensive pace housing starts july august retreating likely depressed september anticipate housing starts fail expand much third quarter said kristin reynolds us economist ihs markit lexington massachusetts economists forecast housing starts rising 118 millionunit pace last month investment homebuilding contracted second quarter steepest pace nearly seven years leading housing subtracting 026 percentage point gross domestic product growth import prices rise data unlikely change expectations federal reserve announce wednesday plan start unwinding 42 trillion portfolio treasury bonds mortgagebacked securities fed officials scheduled start twoday meeting later tuesday phlx index housing stocks flat line broadly unchanged us stock market shares nations largest homebuilder dr horton slipped 024 percent dollar trading lower basket currencies prices us treasuries fell marginally policymakers could however take comfort signs inflation picking retreating recent months separate report tuesday labor department said import prices jumped 06 percent august amid increases cost petroleum products range goods augusts increase import prices largest seven months followed 01 percent dip july 12 months august import prices surged 21 percent rising 12 percent july data last week showed broad increase consumer prices august despite recent weakness housing continues supported labor market near full employment addition mortgage rates remain close historic lows homebuilding rose 14 percent august yearonyear basis singlefamily homebuilding jumped 16 percent rate of851000 units august singlefamily permits however fell 15 percent 800000unit pace permits lagging starts singlefamily homebuilding could decline months ahead suspect singlefamily starts set slow said mark vitner senior economist wells fargo securities charlotte north carolina hurricanes harvey irma also likely slow starts coming months resources redirected toward repairs rebuilding efforts groundbreaking singlefamily housing projects cooled since vaulting near 912year high february last month singlefamily starts rose south west fell midwest northeast starts volatile multifamily housing segment tumbled 65 percent rate 329000 units multifamily permits vaulted 196 percent 500000unit pace august | 513 |
<p>By Ned Parker, Stephen Grey, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Roman Anin, Brad Brooks and Christine Murray</p>
<p>PANAMA CITY/TORONTO, Nov 17 (Reuters) – In the spring of 2007, a succession of foreigners, many from Russia, arrived at Panama City airport to be greeted by a chauffeur who whisked them off in a white Cadillac with a Donald Trump logo on the side.</p>
<p>The limousine belonged to a business run by a Brazilian former car salesman named Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, who was offering the visitors a chance to invest in Trump’s latest project – a 70-floor tower called the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower. It was the future U.S. president’s first international hotel venture, a complex including residential apartments and a casino in a waterfront building shaped like a sail.</p>
<p>“Mr Nogueira was an outgoing and lively young man,” remembered Justine Pasek, who was crowned Miss Universe by Donald Trump in 2002 and was acting in 2007 as a spokesperson for Nogueira’s company, Homes Real Estate Investment &amp; Services. “Everybody was so impressed with Homes as they seemed to be riding the top of the real estate boom at the time,” she said.</p>
<p>One of those Nogueira set out to impress was Ivanka, Trump’s daughter. In an interview with Reuters, Nogueira said he met and spoke with Ivanka “many times” when she was handling the Trump Organization’s involvement in the Panama development. “She would remember me,” he said.</p>
<p>Ivanka was so taken with his sales skills, Nogueira said, that she helped him become a leading broker for the development and he appeared in a video with her promoting the project.</p>
<p>A Reuters investigation into the financing of the Trump Ocean Club, in conjunction with the American broadcaster NBC News, found Nogueira was responsible for between one-third and one-half of advance sales for the project. It also found he did business with a Colombian who was later convicted of money laundering and is now in detention in the United States; a Russian investor in the Trump project who was jailed in Israel in the 1990s for kidnap and threats to kill; and a Ukrainian investor who was arrested for alleged people-smuggling while working with Nogueira and later convicted by a Kiev court.</p>
<p>Three years after getting involved in the Trump Ocean Club, Nogueira was arrested by Panamanian authorities on charges of fraud and forgery, unrelated to the Trump project. Released on $1.4 million bail, he later fled the country.</p>
<p>He left behind a trail of people who claim he cheated them, including over apartments in the Trump project, resulting in at least four criminal cases that eight years later have still to be judged.</p>
<p>Nogueira, 43, denies the charges and told Reuters in an email: “I am no Angel but not Devil either.”</p>
<p>Ivanka Trump declined to comment on her dealings with Nogueira. A White House spokesman referred questions to the Trump Organization. Alan Garten, the organization’s chief legal officer, said: “No one at the Trump Organization, including the Trump family, has any recollection of ever meeting or speaking with this individual.”</p>
<p>Trump put his name to the development and stood to make up to $75 million from it, according to a bond prospectus for the project. He did not exert management control over the construction and was under no direct legal obligation to conduct due diligence on other people involved.</p>
<p>Still, some legal experts say the episode raises questions about the steps Trump took to check the source of any income from there. Arthur Middlemiss, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan and a former head of JPMorgan’s global anti-corruption program, said that since Panama was “perceived to be highly corrupt,” anyone engaged in business there should conduct due diligence on others involved in their ventures. If they did not, he said, there was a potential risk in U.S. law of being liable for turning a blind eye to wrongdoing.</p>
<p>Jimmy Gurule, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and a former under-secretary for enforcement at the U.S. Treasury Department, agreed. He also said any businessman should avoid working with “anyone with a potential link to criminality” simply as a matter of good ethics.</p>
<p>Reuters could not determine what due diligence Trump carried out in relation to the Ocean Club project.</p>
<p>The White House referred Reuters questions about the Ocean Club development to the Trump Organization. Garten said the Trump Organization’s role in the project “was at all times limited to licensing its brand and providing management services. As the company was not the owner or developer, it had no involvement in the sale of any units at the property.”</p>
<p>He said the Trump Organization “never had any contractual relationship or significant dealings” with Nogueira.</p>
<p>Nine former business partners or employees of Nogueira interviewed by Reuters accused him of cheating them and his clients. Two of the nine have taken legal action against Nogueira. The cases have yet to be judged.</p>
<p>When first approached by Reuters, Nogueira declined to answer questions. Writing on October 4, he said in an email: “Anything I would say could also damage a lot of important and powerful people. I am not sure I should do that.”</p>
<p>Later, Nogueira agreed to meet. In a lengthy interview, he described his contacts with the Trump family and his role in the Ocean Club project. He said he only learned after the Ocean Club project was almost complete that some of his partners and investors in the Trump project were criminals, including some with what he described as connections to the “Russian mafia.” He said he had not knowingly laundered any illicit money through the Trump project, although he did say he had laundered cash later in other schemes for corrupt Panamanian officials.</p>
<p>It was not his job to check the source of money that investors used to buy units in the Trump Ocean Club, Nogueira said. “I didn’t know the money was coming from anything illegal. As long as they were doing wire transfers and not cash, I wasn’t worried about the source of it.”</p>
<p>Nogueira said that no one asked him about the source of funds. “Nobody ever asked me. The banks didn’t ask. The developers didn’t ask. The Trump Organization didn’t ask me. Nobody asked me: ‘Who are the customers? Where did the money come from?'”</p>
<p>It is unclear how much, if any, laundered money went into the Trump project.</p>
<p>Global Witness, an anti-corruption watchdog, says in an independently-produced report out today, that Panama in the 2000s presented particular challenges for property developers because of its then reputation for corruption.</p>
<p>The ultimate sources of cash for other Trump real estate projects where Trump has licensed his name have drawn scrutiny this year. In March, a Reuters review found that at least 63 individuals with Russian passports or addresses had bought $98.4 million worth of property in seven Trump-branded luxury towers in southern Florida.</p>
<p>The buyers included politically-connected businessmen and people from the second and third tiers of Russian power. Responding to that story, Garten, the Trump Organization’s counsel, said the scrutiny of Trump’s business ties with Russia was misplaced and that the story was “overblown.”</p>
<p>HIGH LIVING</p>
<p>Donald Trump’s involvement in the Ocean Club began in 2005, when local developer Roger Khafif traveled to Trump Tower in New York to pitch the idea of a Trump project in Panama. Khafif said he told the American tycoon that Trump would need only to license his name and provide hotel management. This way of doing business freed Trump from the burden of taking a stake or making a personal guarantee.</p>
<p>In an interview with Reuters, Khafif recalled that Trump wanted to use the Panama project as a “baby” for his daughter Ivanka, who had just joined the Trump Organization, to gain experience in the property business.</p>
<p>The plan was for Newland International Properties Corp, where Khafif was president and which owned the development, to finance construction with a bond underwritten by Bear Stearns, the U.S. investment bank. The bank, which collapsed in 2008, was acquired by JPMorgan (NYSE:), which declined to comment.</p>
<p>To sell the bond, the developer needed to prove it could sell the apartments. This was where Nogueira came in. The Brazilian had arrived in Panama in the mid-2000s from Spain, where he had worked as a car salesman.</p>
<p>He had already had a brush with the law. In September 2005, in an official notice posted on the internet, the Spanish economy ministry said it had opened proceedings to fine Nogueira for an alleged “serious violation” of the country’s money-laundering laws. The proceedings were terminated about nine months later after officials could not determine Nogueira’s whereabouts. The ministry declined to comment. Nogueira said it was a trivial incident, caused by him taking too much of his own cash through an airport.</p>
<p>Once in Panama, Nogueira became renowned for his friendships with politicians, his love of Aston Martin sports cars and expensive watches and, as one former associate recalled, for “never wearing the same shoes – no matter how expensive – for more than three months.”</p>
<p>He said he first got involved with the Trump Ocean Club project at an early sales meeting in 2006 in Panama arranged by Khafif, whom he knew already. Ivanka Trump and other real estate brokers were there, he said. He remembered listening as a minimum price of $120,000 for condominiums was discussed.</p>
<p>Nogueira said he stood up and said the price was at the level charged in ordinary developments. “Here, it is Trump selling. You have to give a value to that name. Make it $220,000!”</p>
<p>He said Ivanka replied: “Can you sell it?”</p>
<p>Nogueira said he asked for a week to prove himself. And within a week he managed to collect deposits on over 100 apartments, and after that Khafif made him a leading broker, working on a 5 percent commission of gross sales, he said.</p>
<p>Asked about Nogueira’s account of this meeting, Khafif said that “most of what he said was true.” Khafif said he remembered Nogueira meeting Ivanka “a couple of times.”</p>
<p>Nogueira said that in the months that followed he discussed promotion and sales with Ivanka in Panama, Miami and New York. He said he also joined a group that traveled with Ivanka on a private chartered jet to look at a potential site for another Trump project in Cartagena, Colombia.</p>
<p>While Donald Trump was not the owner of the Panama project, the Trump Organization participated in many details down to “choosing the furniture and fittings,” said Nogueira. Day-to-day the project was assigned to Ivanka, he said, adding: “I spoke to her a lot of times, a lot of times.” He also met Donald Jr. and Eric Trump.</p>
<p>Ivanka Trump did not respond to requests for comment about Nogueira. Garten, the Trump Organization’s counsel, described contact between Nogueira and the Trumps as “meaningless.” He said such meetings and events “may have been memorable” for Nogueira, but for Ivanka and the rest of the Trump family it would have been “just one of literally hundreds of public appearances they were asked to make that year.”</p>
<p>Ivanka and Trump’s sons appeared in public at launch events for the tower, made promotional videos for the project and managed the Trump involvement.</p>
<p>Nogueira said that one video was commissioned by him. Ivanka helped arrange access to Trump Tower in New York for some sequences. “In this video we made, I was talking and she was talking.”</p>
<p>When the Spanish-language TV channel Univision, in an article published in 2011, first noted Nogueira’s role in the Trump project, Eric Trump responded that Nogueira had been an unaffiliated salesman. “I looked and I’ve never heard the name, nor does it appear in our database. What I found out was owns a real estate agency in Panama that sells apartments in our building as a third party,” he told the channel.</p>
<p>Asked this month about Eric Trump’s statement in response to the Univision report, the Trump Organization said the company never had any ties to Nogueira or awareness of him.</p>
<p>Despite being a third party, Nogueira and his partners played a major part in the Trump project’s success, according to interviews with former key staff at Homes, developers, investors and lawyers, and an analysis of Panama corporate records and other public documents.</p>
<p>Homes accounted for up to half of the 666 apartment sales in advance of the bond prospectus, people involved in the project told Reuters.</p>
<p>Eleanora Michailov, a Russian who settled in Canada, was Nogueira’s international sales director. She recalled that Nogueira handled the sale of a third of the building, about 200 apartments. Another Homes sales agent, Jenny Levy, a relative by marriage to the developer, Khafif, said she alone sold 30 apartments.</p>
<p>“We sold half the building, baby! Homes sold half,” Levy said in a phone interview. Nogueira said that he and his agents across the world sold between 350 to 400 apartment and hotel units.</p>
<p>Khafif, president and co-owner of the developer, Newland, said he was unsure of the exact number, but Nogueira had probably sold up to 300 units. “Everybody was lining up to work with him … During those days he was the hottest real estate agency in town,” he said.</p>
<p>Homes found a ready market in Russia. “Russians like to show off,” said Khafif, who went on several sales trips to Moscow. “For them, Trump was the Bentley” of real estate brands.</p>
<p>Michailov said investors in the Ocean Club were asked to pay 10 percent up front for one of the apartments; she said the average price was about $350,000. Buyers had to pay a total of 30 percent within a year, according to the bond prospectus, and Homes organized the investment by setting up Panamanian companies for customers to enter pre-sales agreements with Khafif’s company, Newland.</p>
<p>In 2006 and 2007, Panama corporate records show, at least 131 holding companies with various combinations of the words “Trump” and “Ocean” in their name – for example, the Trump Ocean 1806 Investment Corp – were registered in Panama for pre-sales deals, and mostly by the Homes group.</p>
<p>In many cases the identity of the buyers was not clear. Nogueira and other Homes staff involved said Panamanian law at that time imposed no obligation to verify the identity of owners.</p>
<p>But listed as director of four Trump Ocean investment companies was Igor Anopolskiy, who in 2007 was Homes Real Estate’s representative in Kiev. Police records state he was arrested in March of that year for suspected people trafficking. Released a year later on bail, he was re-arrested in 2013, and in 2014 a Ukraine court handed Anopolskiy a five-year suspended jail sentence with three years probation for offenses including people smuggling and forgery, unrelated to the Trump project.</p>
<p>Interviewed in Kiev, Anopolskiy blamed the case on police corruption and denied committing any crime.</p>
<p>It was a Colombian businessman named David Murcia Guzman who triggered Nogueira’s downfall. Murcia was indicted in November 2008 for money laundering, first in Colombia and then in the United States. Murcia was sentenced to nine years in prison in the United States for conspiracy to launder drug money. After serving six years, he is expected to be deported to Colombia, his attorney, Robert Abreu, said. Colombia’s government said Murcia will serve a 22-year prison term upon his return for offenses including money laundering.</p>
<p>Murcia did not get permission from U.S. authorities to respond to Reuters’ questions.</p>
<p>Within days of Murcia’s indictment, the spotlight turned to Nogueira. Roniel Ortiz, a former lawyer for both Nogueira and Murcia, said Nogueira had offered to wash Murcia’s money by buying apartments on his behalf. Murcia “could not take his money to a bank,” Ortiz said, so Nogueira “offered to see how he could help.”</p>
<p>Ortiz said he did not know how much, if any, of Murcia’s money was used in the Trump project. Nogueira said Murcia gave him $1 million to invest in Panamanian property, which Nogueira used to pay the deposit on up to ten Trump apartments among other investments. Nogueira added: “He was not a bad guy. I don’t believe everything in those charges was true.”</p>
<p>In 2013 Nogueira, in conversations secretly recorded by a former business partner, said he had performed money laundering as a service, moving tens of millions of dollars mainly through contacts in Miami and the Bahamas. “More important than the money from real estate was being able to launder the drug money – there were much larger amounts involved,” he said in the recording. “When I was in Panama I was regularly laundering money for more than a dozen companies.”</p>
<p>The recordings were heard by Reuters and authenticated by five people who know Nogueira.</p>
<p>Speaking to Reuters, Nogueira said he could not recall making such claims and denied laundering cash through the Trump project or handling drugs money. He said that later, after his real estate business had collapsed in 2009, he had been involved in handling cash from corrupt officials and politicians, and was involved in corrupt schemes to sell Panamanian visas.</p>
<p>THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION</p>
<p>In the story of Panama’s Trump Ocean Club, a high point for many of those involved was a warm, cloudless night in early 2007.</p>
<p>The setting was Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Florida. Spilling out of Lamborghinis and Porsches onto the welcoming carpet were the sales people, clients and potential clients whose acumen and cash would make it possible – within a month – to break ground on the project’s building site in Panama City.</p>
<p>Entertained with drinks, music and jokes from American TV celebrity Regis Philbin, the guests got to meet and greet Trump and his children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka. The event was organized to celebrate a successful sales campaign – and to solicit more sales.</p>
<p>The Trump Organization did not comment about the party. Philbin told Reuters he couldn’t recall the event because it was 10 years ago. “I used to be with him [Trump] a lot,” Philbin said. “I was good friends with him.”</p>
<p>Nogueira said he was at the party and there met Donald Trump for “the first and only time.” He recalled: “They introduced me and said, ‘That’s the guy selling Panama,’ and he thanked me. We just talked for two or three minutes.”</p>
<p>Besides Nogueira, the guests included people involved with the project as investors or salesmen, some of Russian or former Soviet Union origin. Among them, in the delegation from Homes and wearing a dark suit, was Alexander Altshoul, born in Belarus. “Russians like their brand names,” Altshoul told Reuters, explaining why investors were attracted to Trump. “The moment was right, they were speculating. Many people hoped to get profits.”</p>
<p>Altshoul, who holds Canadian citizenship, was listed on the Homes company website in 2007 as a “partner” and an “owner” of the firm. He became involved in Homes after moving to Panama from Toronto and investing with family and friends in the Trump project, paying deposits on 10 apartments and one hotel unit.</p>
<p>Among his partners in that investment, according to Altshoul and Panamanian corporate records, was a Muscovite named Arkady Vodovosov, a relative of Altshoul. In 1998, Vodovosov was sentenced to five years in prison in Israel for kidnap and threats to kill and torture, court records state.</p>
<p>Contacted by telephone, Vodovosov said inquiries about his involvement with the Trump project were nonsense. “We were in Panama for a very short time, and got out of there a long time ago,” he said, declining to answer further questions.</p>
<p>Altshoul attended the Mar-a-Lago party with another Homes partner, Stanislau Kavalenka, recalled people who were there. Kavalenka was also a Canadian émigré from the former Soviet Union.</p>
<p>At different times, Altshoul and Kavalenka each faced accusations of having connections to organized crime, but the charges were dropped. In Altshoul’s case, police in Toronto filed charges in April 2007, at the time he was promoting the Trump project. He was accused of involvement in a mortgage fraud scheme, unrelated to the Panama project, that involved sending funds through Latvia. The criminal case was dropped a year later.</p>
<p>In a statement, the Canadian government said it was “duty bound to withdraw charges where there is no reasonable prospect of conviction or if it is not in the public interest to proceed.” It did not elaborate further on the case. Altshoul said the decision showed he was innocent.</p>
<p>In 2004, Canadian prosecutors had accused Kavalenka of pimping and kidnapping Russian prostitutes. That case was dropped in 2005 after the alleged prostitutes, who were the main witnesses, did not show up in court. Kavalenka’s whereabouts are unknown. He did not respond to questions about his role in the Trump project sent to him through his family in Canada.</p>
<p>Nogueira said Altshoul and Kavalenka had joined Homes together, first as customers and later as partners. Altshoul told him he had had some difficulties “but they were solved, and it wasn’t my problem,” Nogueira said. Nogueira also said that after he read of Kavalenka’s Toronto case on Google (NASDAQ:), Kavalenka told him: “I was running some girls. That’s how I made money. But I was cleared.”</p>
<p>SOLD “LIKE HOT CAKES”</p>
<p>In the months after the Mar-a-Lago party, the prospects for everyone involved in the Trump Ocean Club looked rosy. In the midst of a global property boom and a successful pitch, sales had exceeded all expectations.</p>
<p>A bond prospectus was issued in November 2007, enabling the raising of construction funds. By the end of June that year, the prospectus declared, the project had “pre-sold approximately 64 percent of the building’s condominium and commercial units,” guaranteeing receipts on completion of the project of at least $278.7 million.</p>
<p>Trump said later, in a promotional video ahead of the 2011 opening, that the project sold “like hot cakes.”</p>
<p>But not all the money collected in the pre-sales campaign would go on to fund the project. Nine former business partners or employees of Nogueira interviewed by Reuters alleged that, at the Ocean Club and at other developments, Nogueira either failed to pass on all the deposits he collected to the project’s developers, or sometimes sold the same apartment to more than one client, with the result that, on completion of the project, some clients had no clear claim on a property.</p>
<p>Exactly how many apartments were double-sold is unknown. Michailov said up to 10 out of 80 apartments in the Trump tower that she had sold were also sold by Nogueira to others. Lawsuits in Panama and separate written complaints seen by Reuters record at least six instances of alleged fraud by Nogueira, in the Trump project and in other Panama construction projects. Two of the complaints seen by Reuters were in the “Panama Papers,” documents from a local law firm that were leaked to the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.</p>
<p>Ortiz, the former lawyer for Murcia and Nogueira, said of the Trump-branded project: “When the building was completed and people arrived to seek out their apartments, they ran into each other – two, three people who were fighting for the same apartment.”</p>
<p>Complaints against Nogueira, including allegations of fraud in Trump Ocean Club sales, resulted in four criminal cases against him in Panama and culminated in his arrest on fraud charges in May 2009.</p>
<p>Nogueira said double-sales occurred because of changes in the building specifications or clerical error. He said he never deliberately sold an apartment twice. He said that not everyone lost money from their investments, and most who did lost out because of poor or unlucky investment decisions. “If you are looking to make easy money from speculation then you have to accept there is a risk,” he said.</p>
<p>Released on bail for $1.4 million, he continued to live in Panama until 2012 when, despite a ban on leaving the country, he fled to his native country, Brazil, before moving on again. Karen Kahn, a federal prosecutor based in Sao Paulo, said Nogueira is under a federal investigation for international money laundering, an inquiry triggered by several large bank transfers that arrived in his accounts from Panama.</p>
<p>Declining to disclose where he is living now, Nogueira agreed to meet Reuters and NBC News on November 13 at a neutral location, on condition it would not be revealed. Nogueira said an arrest warrant was outstanding against him in Panama. “Of course right now, I can be considered by the justice system to be fugitive. But there are two sides to everything.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t only alleged fraud that cost investors. After the global property crash of 2008, any chance of quick profit on the Trump Panama venture vanished.</p>
<p>By the time the Trump Ocean Club project was complete in 2011, many investors had withdrawn and lost their deposits rather than stump up the 70 percent balance. Bond holders lost, too, after Khafif’s company, Newland, defaulted on payments and the bond was restructured.</p>
<p>There was one person who still profited: Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Whatever the losses investors might suffer, under Trump’s licensing deal, detailed originally in the bond prospectus, the future U.S. president was guaranteed to receive payment. Court records from Newland’s bankruptcy in 2013 indicate Trump agreed to reduce his fee, but that he still earned between $30 million and $50 million from lending his name to the project.</p>
<p>(By Ned Parker, Stephen Grey, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Roman Anin, Brad Brooks and Christine Murray. Ned Parker reported in New York and Toronto; Stephen Grey in London; Stefanie Eschenbacher and Christine Murray in Panama City; Brad Brooks in Americana, Brazil)</p> | false | 1 | ned parker stephen grey stefanie eschenbacher roman anin brad brooks christine murray panama citytoronto nov 17 reuters spring 2007 succession foreigners many russia arrived panama city airport greeted chauffeur whisked white cadillac donald trump logo side limousine belonged business run brazilian former car salesman named alexandre ventura nogueira offering visitors chance invest trumps latest project 70floor tower called trump ocean club international hotel tower future us presidents first international hotel venture complex including residential apartments casino waterfront building shaped like sail mr nogueira outgoing lively young man remembered justine pasek crowned miss universe donald trump 2002 acting 2007 spokesperson nogueiras company homes real estate investment amp services everybody impressed homes seemed riding top real estate boom time said one nogueira set impress ivanka trumps daughter interview reuters nogueira said met spoke ivanka many times handling trump organizations involvement panama development would remember said ivanka taken sales skills nogueira said helped become leading broker development appeared video promoting project reuters investigation financing trump ocean club conjunction american broadcaster nbc news found nogueira responsible onethird onehalf advance sales project also found business colombian later convicted money laundering detention united states russian investor trump project jailed israel 1990s kidnap threats kill ukrainian investor arrested alleged peoplesmuggling working nogueira later convicted kiev court three years getting involved trump ocean club nogueira arrested panamanian authorities charges fraud forgery unrelated trump project released 14 million bail later fled country left behind trail people claim cheated including apartments trump project resulting least four criminal cases eight years later still judged nogueira 43 denies charges told reuters email angel devil either ivanka trump declined comment dealings nogueira white house spokesman referred questions trump organization alan garten organizations chief legal officer said one trump organization including trump family recollection ever meeting speaking individual trump put name development stood make 75 million according bond prospectus project exert management control construction direct legal obligation conduct due diligence people involved still legal experts say episode raises questions steps trump took check source income arthur middlemiss former assistant district attorney manhattan former head jpmorgans global anticorruption program said since panama perceived highly corrupt anyone engaged business conduct due diligence others involved ventures said potential risk us law liable turning blind eye wrongdoing jimmy gurule professor law university notre dame indiana former undersecretary enforcement us treasury department agreed also said businessman avoid working anyone potential link criminality simply matter good ethics reuters could determine due diligence trump carried relation ocean club project white house referred reuters questions ocean club development trump organization garten said trump organizations role project times limited licensing brand providing management services company owner developer involvement sale units property said trump organization never contractual relationship significant dealings nogueira nine former business partners employees nogueira interviewed reuters accused cheating clients two nine taken legal action nogueira cases yet judged first approached reuters nogueira declined answer questions writing october 4 said email anything would say could also damage lot important powerful people sure later nogueira agreed meet lengthy interview described contacts trump family role ocean club project said learned ocean club project almost complete partners investors trump project criminals including described connections russian mafia said knowingly laundered illicit money trump project although say laundered cash later schemes corrupt panamanian officials job check source money investors used buy units trump ocean club nogueira said didnt know money coming anything illegal long wire transfers cash wasnt worried source nogueira said one asked source funds nobody ever asked banks didnt ask developers didnt ask trump organization didnt ask nobody asked customers money come unclear much laundered money went trump project global witness anticorruption watchdog says independentlyproduced report today panama 2000s presented particular challenges property developers reputation corruption ultimate sources cash trump real estate projects trump licensed name drawn scrutiny year march reuters review found least 63 individuals russian passports addresses bought 984 million worth property seven trumpbranded luxury towers southern florida buyers included politicallyconnected businessmen people second third tiers russian power responding story garten trump organizations counsel said scrutiny trumps business ties russia misplaced story overblown high living donald trumps involvement ocean club began 2005 local developer roger khafif traveled trump tower new york pitch idea trump project panama khafif said told american tycoon trump would need license name provide hotel management way business freed trump burden taking stake making personal guarantee interview reuters khafif recalled trump wanted use panama project baby daughter ivanka joined trump organization gain experience property business plan newland international properties corp khafif president owned development finance construction bond underwritten bear stearns us investment bank bank collapsed 2008 acquired jpmorgan nyse declined comment sell bond developer needed prove could sell apartments nogueira came brazilian arrived panama mid2000s spain worked car salesman already brush law september 2005 official notice posted internet spanish economy ministry said opened proceedings fine nogueira alleged serious violation countrys moneylaundering laws proceedings terminated nine months later officials could determine nogueiras whereabouts ministry declined comment nogueira said trivial incident caused taking much cash airport panama nogueira became renowned friendships politicians love aston martin sports cars expensive watches one former associate recalled never wearing shoes matter expensive three months said first got involved trump ocean club project early sales meeting 2006 panama arranged khafif knew already ivanka trump real estate brokers said remembered listening minimum price 120000 condominiums discussed nogueira said stood said price level charged ordinary developments trump selling give value name make 220000 said ivanka replied sell nogueira said asked week prove within week managed collect deposits 100 apartments khafif made leading broker working 5 percent commission gross sales said asked nogueiras account meeting khafif said said true khafif said remembered nogueira meeting ivanka couple times nogueira said months followed discussed promotion sales ivanka panama miami new york said also joined group traveled ivanka private chartered jet look potential site another trump project cartagena colombia donald trump owner panama project trump organization participated many details choosing furniture fittings said nogueira daytoday project assigned ivanka said adding spoke lot times lot times also met donald jr eric trump ivanka trump respond requests comment nogueira garten trump organizations counsel described contact nogueira trumps meaningless said meetings events may memorable nogueira ivanka rest trump family would one literally hundreds public appearances asked make year ivanka trumps sons appeared public launch events tower made promotional videos project managed trump involvement nogueira said one video commissioned ivanka helped arrange access trump tower new york sequences video made talking talking spanishlanguage tv channel univision article published 2011 first noted nogueiras role trump project eric trump responded nogueira unaffiliated salesman looked ive never heard name appear database found owns real estate agency panama sells apartments building third party told channel asked month eric trumps statement response univision report trump organization said company never ties nogueira awareness despite third party nogueira partners played major part trump projects success according interviews former key staff homes developers investors lawyers analysis panama corporate records public documents homes accounted half 666 apartment sales advance bond prospectus people involved project told reuters eleanora michailov russian settled canada nogueiras international sales director recalled nogueira handled sale third building 200 apartments another homes sales agent jenny levy relative marriage developer khafif said alone sold 30 apartments sold half building baby homes sold half levy said phone interview nogueira said agents across world sold 350 400 apartment hotel units khafif president coowner developer newland said unsure exact number nogueira probably sold 300 units everybody lining work days hottest real estate agency town said homes found ready market russia russians like show said khafif went several sales trips moscow trump bentley real estate brands michailov said investors ocean club asked pay 10 percent front one apartments said average price 350000 buyers pay total 30 percent within year according bond prospectus homes organized investment setting panamanian companies customers enter presales agreements khafifs company newland 2006 2007 panama corporate records show least 131 holding companies various combinations words trump ocean name example trump ocean 1806 investment corp registered panama presales deals mostly homes group many cases identity buyers clear nogueira homes staff involved said panamanian law time imposed obligation verify identity owners listed director four trump ocean investment companies igor anopolskiy 2007 homes real estates representative kiev police records state arrested march year suspected people trafficking released year later bail rearrested 2013 2014 ukraine court handed anopolskiy fiveyear suspended jail sentence three years probation offenses including people smuggling forgery unrelated trump project interviewed kiev anopolskiy blamed case police corruption denied committing crime colombian businessman named david murcia guzman triggered nogueiras downfall murcia indicted november 2008 money laundering first colombia united states murcia sentenced nine years prison united states conspiracy launder drug money serving six years expected deported colombia attorney robert abreu said colombias government said murcia serve 22year prison term upon return offenses including money laundering murcia get permission us authorities respond reuters questions within days murcias indictment spotlight turned nogueira roniel ortiz former lawyer nogueira murcia said nogueira offered wash murcias money buying apartments behalf murcia could take money bank ortiz said nogueira offered see could help ortiz said know much murcias money used trump project nogueira said murcia gave 1 million invest panamanian property nogueira used pay deposit ten trump apartments among investments nogueira added bad guy dont believe everything charges true 2013 nogueira conversations secretly recorded former business partner said performed money laundering service moving tens millions dollars mainly contacts miami bahamas important money real estate able launder drug money much larger amounts involved said recording panama regularly laundering money dozen companies recordings heard reuters authenticated five people know nogueira speaking reuters nogueira said could recall making claims denied laundering cash trump project handling drugs money said later real estate business collapsed 2009 involved handling cash corrupt officials politicians involved corrupt schemes sell panamanian visas russian connection story panamas trump ocean club high point many involved warm cloudless night early 2007 setting maralago trumps private club florida spilling lamborghinis porsches onto welcoming carpet sales people clients potential clients whose acumen cash would make possible within month break ground projects building site panama city entertained drinks music jokes american tv celebrity regis philbin guests got meet greet trump children donald jr eric ivanka event organized celebrate successful sales campaign solicit sales trump organization comment party philbin told reuters couldnt recall event 10 years ago used trump lot philbin said good friends nogueira said party met donald trump first time recalled introduced said thats guy selling panama thanked talked two three minutes besides nogueira guests included people involved project investors salesmen russian former soviet union origin among delegation homes wearing dark suit alexander altshoul born belarus russians like brand names altshoul told reuters explaining investors attracted trump moment right speculating many people hoped get profits altshoul holds canadian citizenship listed homes company website 2007 partner owner firm became involved homes moving panama toronto investing family friends trump project paying deposits 10 apartments one hotel unit among partners investment according altshoul panamanian corporate records muscovite named arkady vodovosov relative altshoul 1998 vodovosov sentenced five years prison israel kidnap threats kill torture court records state contacted telephone vodovosov said inquiries involvement trump project nonsense panama short time got long time ago said declining answer questions altshoul attended maralago party another homes partner stanislau kavalenka recalled people kavalenka also canadian émigré former soviet union different times altshoul kavalenka faced accusations connections organized crime charges dropped altshouls case police toronto filed charges april 2007 time promoting trump project accused involvement mortgage fraud scheme unrelated panama project involved sending funds latvia criminal case dropped year later statement canadian government said duty bound withdraw charges reasonable prospect conviction public interest proceed elaborate case altshoul said decision showed innocent 2004 canadian prosecutors accused kavalenka pimping kidnapping russian prostitutes case dropped 2005 alleged prostitutes main witnesses show court kavalenkas whereabouts unknown respond questions role trump project sent family canada nogueira said altshoul kavalenka joined homes together first customers later partners altshoul told difficulties solved wasnt problem nogueira said nogueira also said read kavalenkas toronto case google nasdaq kavalenka told running girls thats made money cleared sold like hot cakes months maralago party prospects everyone involved trump ocean club looked rosy midst global property boom successful pitch sales exceeded expectations bond prospectus issued november 2007 enabling raising construction funds end june year prospectus declared project presold approximately 64 percent buildings condominium commercial units guaranteeing receipts completion project least 2787 million trump said later promotional video ahead 2011 opening project sold like hot cakes money collected presales campaign would go fund project nine former business partners employees nogueira interviewed reuters alleged ocean club developments nogueira either failed pass deposits collected projects developers sometimes sold apartment one client result completion project clients clear claim property exactly many apartments doublesold unknown michailov said 10 80 apartments trump tower sold also sold nogueira others lawsuits panama separate written complaints seen reuters record least six instances alleged fraud nogueira trump project panama construction projects two complaints seen reuters panama papers documents local law firm leaked süddeutsche zeitung international consortium investigative journalists ortiz former lawyer murcia nogueira said trumpbranded project building completed people arrived seek apartments ran two three people fighting apartment complaints nogueira including allegations fraud trump ocean club sales resulted four criminal cases panama culminated arrest fraud charges may 2009 nogueira said doublesales occurred changes building specifications clerical error said never deliberately sold apartment twice said everyone lost money investments lost poor unlucky investment decisions looking make easy money speculation accept risk said released bail 14 million continued live panama 2012 despite ban leaving country fled native country brazil moving karen kahn federal prosecutor based sao paulo said nogueira federal investigation international money laundering inquiry triggered several large bank transfers arrived accounts panama declining disclose living nogueira agreed meet reuters nbc news november 13 neutral location condition would revealed nogueira said arrest warrant outstanding panama course right considered justice system fugitive two sides everything wasnt alleged fraud cost investors global property crash 2008 chance quick profit trump panama venture vanished time trump ocean club project complete 2011 many investors withdrawn lost deposits rather stump 70 percent balance bond holders lost khafifs company newland defaulted payments bond restructured one person still profited donald trump whatever losses investors might suffer trumps licensing deal detailed originally bond prospectus future us president guaranteed receive payment court records newlands bankruptcy 2013 indicate trump agreed reduce fee still earned 30 million 50 million lending name project ned parker stephen grey stefanie eschenbacher roman anin brad brooks christine murray ned parker reported new york toronto stephen grey london stefanie eschenbacher christine murray panama city brad brooks americana brazil | 2,421 |
<p>House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley hesitated when asked about his party’s core message to voters.</p>
<p>“That message is being worked on,” the New York congressman said in an interview this past week. “We’re doing everything we can to simplify it, but at the same time provide the meat behind it as well. So that’s coming together now.”</p>
<p>The admission from the No. 4 House Democrat — that his party lacks a clear, core message even amid Republican disarray — highlights the Democrats’ dilemma eight months after President Donald Trump and the GOP dominated last fall’s elections, in part, because Democrats lacked a consistent message.</p>
<p>The soul-searching comes as Democrats look to flip at least 24 GOP-held seats necessary for a House majority and cut into Republican advantages in U.S. statehouses in the 2018 midterm elections.</p>
<p>Yet with a Russia scandal engulfing the White House, a historically unpopular health-care plan wrenching Capitol Hill and no major GOP legislative achievement, Democrats are still struggling to tell voters what their party stands for.</p>
<p>Some want to rally behind calls to impeach the Republican president as new evidence indicates possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. Democratic leaders are reluctant to pursue that approach as it only energizes the GOP base.</p>
<p>Others want Democrats to focus on the GOP’s plans to strip health insurance from millions of Americans. And still others say those arguments can be fashioned into a simplified brand.</p>
<p>“The Democratic Party needs to up its game,” national Party Chairman Tom Perez said in a speech this week. “What I hear most from people is, ‘Tom, we not only need to organize, but we need to articulate clearly what we stand for.'”</p>
<p>For now, at least, Democrats are waging a tug-of-war largely between the Russia investigation and the GOP’s attempts to gut the 2010 Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>Several liberal groups that had been laser-focused on health care have intensified calls for impeachment in recent weeks, including MoveOn.org, Indivisible and Ultraviolet.</p>
<p>“We need to be talking about impeachment constantly,” said Scott Dworkin, co-founder of the recently formed Democratic Coalition Against Trump. He warned on Twitter, “If you’re an elected Dem &amp; you’re not talking impeachment or 25th amendment then find a new party.”</p>
<p>Yet one of the left’s favorites, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is focusing almost exclusively on health care.</p>
<p>Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, said in an interview that “there should not be a rush to judgment” after emails released by Donald Trump’s son this week revealed that Trump’s top advisers held a meeting with a lawyer they were told represented the Russian government.</p>
<p>Sanders sidestepped questions about impeachment, warning instead that “many, many thousands of Americans” will die every year if the GOP health care plan becomes law. Sanders has hosted swing state rallies focused on health care in West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Ohio in recent weeks and was in Iowa on Saturday.</p>
<p>Democratic operative Zac Petkanas, who led Hillary Clinton’s campaign war room, agrees that this week’s developments in the Russia investigation shouldn’t change the party’s focus heading into 2018.</p>
<p>“Candidates need to be saying the word ‘health care’ five times for every time they say the word ‘Russia,'” Petkanas said. He added, “I think it’s a fundamental mistake to make this election a referendum on impeachment.”</p>
<p>It’s not that easy for some elected officials, like Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., who says concerns about Russia have caught up to health care as a priority among his constituents. He described the Russian developments as “a threat to our foundation of democracy” that demands attention.</p>
<p>“Congress has to be able to walk and chew gum. We have to be able to do both,” Kennedy said.</p>
<p>Democrats are naturally playing defense given generations of victories that expanded the role of government, from the social safety net of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to Lyndon Johnson’s landmark civil rights legislation to Obama’s health care law.</p>
<p>But many Democrats outside Washington insist they must go beyond opposing Trump and his policies if they expect to make major gains in 2018 and beyond.</p>
<p>“Democrats would make a mistake if we thought pounding Trump and not having an authentic message of our own is a winning strategy,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper. “The message of Democrats has to be about issues that matter to people at their kitchen table.”</p>
<p>In South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Democrats don’t have to retreat from their opposition to Trump, including talking about Russia, but they must tie it all together with a consistent theme that goes beyond day-to-day news cycles.</p>
<p>“It’s very simple,” he said. “We exist to help people go about their lives, to protect their rights and freedoms and opportunities.”</p>
<p>Jason Crow, a Democrat running for Congress in a Colorado swing district, said voters regularly ask him about the Russia story, which “goes to the core of our institutions and our faith in government.” But he’s anchoring his pitch on issues that “are real and immediate to people’s lives: going to college, paying the bills, financing a house, whether they can go and get the health care they need right now in an affordable and accessible way.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Crowley said voters may have to wait a few more months before they hear national Democrats’ new message.</p>
<p>“We’re all working on that,” Crowley said. “We’re hoping to have this up and running and out by this fall.”</p> | false | 1 | house democratic caucus chairman joe crowley hesitated asked partys core message voters message worked new york congressman said interview past week everything simplify time provide meat behind well thats coming together admission 4 house democrat party lacks clear core message even amid republican disarray highlights democrats dilemma eight months president donald trump gop dominated last falls elections part democrats lacked consistent message soulsearching comes democrats look flip least 24 gopheld seats necessary house majority cut republican advantages us statehouses 2018 midterm elections yet russia scandal engulfing white house historically unpopular healthcare plan wrenching capitol hill major gop legislative achievement democrats still struggling tell voters party stands want rally behind calls impeach republican president new evidence indicates possible collusion trumps campaign russian government democratic leaders reluctant pursue approach energizes gop base others want democrats focus gops plans strip health insurance millions americans still others say arguments fashioned simplified brand democratic party needs game national party chairman tom perez said speech week hear people tom need organize need articulate clearly stand least democrats waging tugofwar largely russia investigation gops attempts gut 2010 affordable care act several liberal groups laserfocused health care intensified calls impeachment recent weeks including moveonorg indivisible ultraviolet need talking impeachment constantly said scott dworkin cofounder recently formed democratic coalition trump warned twitter youre elected dem amp youre talking impeachment 25th amendment find new party yet one lefts favorites vermont sen bernie sanders focusing almost exclusively health care sanders independent caucuses senate democrats said interview rush judgment emails released donald trumps son week revealed trumps top advisers held meeting lawyer told represented russian government sanders sidestepped questions impeachment warning instead many many thousands americans die every year gop health care plan becomes law sanders hosted swing state rallies focused health care west virginia kentucky pennsylvania ohio recent weeks iowa saturday democratic operative zac petkanas led hillary clintons campaign war room agrees weeks developments russia investigation shouldnt change partys focus heading 2018 candidates need saying word health care five times every time say word russia petkanas said added think fundamental mistake make election referendum impeachment easy elected officials like rep joe kennedy iii dmass says concerns russia caught health care priority among constituents described russian developments threat foundation democracy demands attention congress able walk chew gum able kennedy said democrats naturally playing defense given generations victories expanded role government social safety net franklin roosevelts new deal lyndon johnsons landmark civil rights legislation obamas health care law many democrats outside washington insist must go beyond opposing trump policies expect make major gains 2018 beyond democrats would make mistake thought pounding trump authentic message winning strategy said ohio democratic party chairman david pepper message democrats issues matter people kitchen table south bend indiana mayor pete buttigieg said democrats dont retreat opposition trump including talking russia must tie together consistent theme goes beyond daytoday news cycles simple said exist help people go lives protect rights freedoms opportunities jason crow democrat running congress colorado swing district said voters regularly ask russia story goes core institutions faith government hes anchoring pitch issues real immediate peoples lives going college paying bills financing house whether go get health care need right affordable accessible way meanwhile crowley said voters may wait months hear national democrats new message working crowley said hoping running fall | 544 |
<p><a href="" type="internal">The Faith Angle Forum</a>&#160;is a semi-annual conference which brings together a select group of 20 nationally respected journalists with 3-5 distinguished scholars on areas of religion, politics &amp; public life.</p>
<p>“Terror in the Name of God:&#160;Its Causes, its Sources”</p>
<p>South Beach Miami, Florida</p>
<p>Speakers:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Dr. Jessica Stern</a>, Research Professor at Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Imam Abdullah Antepli</a>, Chief Representative of Muslim Affairs, Duke University and Senior Fellow, Duke Office of Civic Engagement</p>
<p><a href="http://eppc.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/01064050/1-Tuesday-15-Terror-in-the-name-of-God-its-causes-its-Sources-Dr.-Jessica-Stern.mp3" type="external">Stern presentation audio</a> | <a href="http://eppc.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/01064050/1-Tuesday-15-Terror-in-the-name-of-God-its-causes-its-Sources-Imam-Abdullah-Antepli.mp3" type="external">Antepli presentation audio</a></p>
<p><a href="http://eppc.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/01064050/1-Tuesday-15-Terror-in-the-name-of-God-its-causes-its-Sources-Dr.-Jessica-Stern-and-Imam-Abdullah-Antepli-Q-and-A-part-1.mp3" type="external">Q &amp; A audio part 1</a> | <a href="http://eppc.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/01064050/1-Tuesday-15-Terror-in-the-name-of-God-its-causes-its-Sources-Dr.-Jessica-Stern-and-Imam-Abdullah-Antepli-Q-and-A-part-2.mp3" type="external">Q &amp; A audio part 2</a></p>
<p>List of participants found <a href="#list" type="external">here</a>:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Michael Cromartie, Moderator</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome again.</p>
<p>Now, we’ve saved the most sobering for the last, “Terror in the Name of God,” and we have two of the leading people in the country on this topic.&#160; You’ve seen from her bio, Dr. Jessica Stern, her Ph.D. is from Harvard University.&#160; I hope you notice in her bio, at the last paragraph, it says she was included in the Time magazine series “Profiling 100 People with Bold New Ideas.”</p>
<p>The film The Peacemaker, starring Nicole Kidman and George Clooney, is based on a fictional account of her work at the National Security Council.</p>
<p>So did Nicole Kidman play you?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yes.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Yes, indeed.&#160; Congratulations, that’s wonderful.&#160; But she also has written a very important book called, Terror in the Name of God:&#160; Why Militants Kill. &#160;She has a new book out now called Denial: A Memoir of Terror.</p>
<p>So when this topic came up at our advisors’ lunch, post-San Bernardino, I said you know the best person we could get would be Dr. Jessica Stern, and I was delighted when she said she could join us.&#160; So, Dr. Stern, thank you so much for being at this Faith Angle Forum on this very sobering topic.&#160; Welcome.</p>
<p>Dr. Jessica Stern, Boston University</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN: Thank you so much.&#160; I am so glad I finally got to come here.&#160; It’s been a thrilling experience, and thank you all.&#160; I found the conversation really enlightening in all ways.</p>
<p>So I think to begin with, I should try to define religious terrorism, what does that mean?&#160; What is “Terror in the Name of God?”&#160; I’ll start by telling you how I would define “terrorism.” There are hundreds of definitions in the literature.&#160; For me, it’s about violence, or the threat of violence, aimed at noncombatants, with the aim of influencing an audience, usually to change its policy.</p>
<p>A central feature of terrorism is that it involves deliberately targeting noncombatants, which means that it’s a violation of the Judeo-Christian just war tradition, as well as the Islamic just war tradition, by definition.&#160; However, it could, in fact often does, satisfy the jus ad bellum requirement.&#160; So it’s always a violation of jus in bello, but it may be for a just cause, and that’s important to remember:&#160; Unjust means, possibly for a just cause.</p>
<p>Who is the audience?&#160; Well, the audience includes the people who sympathize with the victims.&#160; Right now, we are a big part of ISIS’s audience.&#160; But the audience often includes those who sympathize with the terrorists, and it’s also the terrorists themselves.&#160;So I think that we need to see terrorism as partly solipsistic.&#160; It’s a form of theater.&#160; It’s psychological warfare, aimed at an audience that sympathizes with “enemy” victims. But the audience often includes the perpetrators and those who sympathize with them.</p>
<p>What makes it religious?&#160; And I see Jamie Smith right across from me, and I know you’re going to have some views.&#160; Again, there are many ways to differentiate religious terrorists from nonreligious terrorists.&#160; For me, it’s about what they say about the motivations for their violence.</p>
<p>So while the IRA was of a different religion from its enemy, the IRA terrorists didn’t say that they were fighting for religious reasons – so I would not refer to them as religious terrorists.&#160; But many Identity Christians, some Hindu Nationalists, ISIS, right now, the group we’re all talking about all the time, they say they’re killing people for religious reasons.&#160; And so I put them in the category of religious terrorists, even though I’m going to try to persuade you that their goals are not wholly religious. They describe their objectives in religious terms, and refer to religious texts to justify their actions, but in my view, they seek political power and territory as much as they seek religious goals.&#160; And religion isn’t necessarily critical to their recruitment drives.</p>
<p>I’ve spent a lot of time talking to religious terrorists in Indonesia, Israel, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, and the United States.&#160; There are people who claim to be killing in the name of their God all over the world, across religions.&#160; There are even Buddhist terrorists.&#160; Every religion produces terrorists.</p>
<p>And I should say at the outset, I’m not an expert on Islam. And I don’t specialize in Islamist terrorists.&#160;&#160; My last book was about ISIS.&#160; But I study terrorists across religions. There are disadvantages to not specializing in Islamist terrorists — you know, certainly, writing a book on ISIS. But there are also advantages. I can see the tricks that religious terrorists play.&#160; And much of what ISIS does is similar to what Identity Christians do.&#160; That said, at this point in history, only the jihadis are able to recruit large numbers.&#160; ISIS has created a compelling ideology for youth who want to remake society and reinvent themselves, not just among Muslims. Forty percent of those who’ve been arrested in the United States, in connection with ISIS-related crimes are converts.</p>
<p>So it is an ideology that is appealing, and that’s something that we need to address.&#160; Why are jihadis so much more successful than for example, Identity Christians or the grandson of Meir Kahane, in Israel, who thinks the Israeli government isn’t Jewish-enough, and wants to destroy that government.&#160; Why are these terrorists flops in comparison with jihadis?</p>
<p>I think jihadis are significantly more successful than other religious terrorists because of a crisis of governance in Muslim-majority States, and the narrative of humiliation.&#160; Islamic civilization was once the greatest on earth.&#160; That is no longer the case, and jihadi leaders such as Zawahiri have interpreted this as a source of humiliation, and blame the West for that humiliation.&#160; And I believe the West is partly to blame for the crisis of governance in Iraq, which, along with the civil war in Syria, led to the rise of ISIS. I don’t blame the rise of ISIS on the United States by any means, but I think it’s important that we recognize that we played a role. We are largely responsible for what happened in Iraq as a result of our invasion.&#160; We left Iraq in the hands of a known, anti-Sunni leader.</p>
<p>Dr. Jessica Stern</p>
<p>Let me just say a little bit about how I first came to study this phenomenon.&#160; The first religious terrorist I ever spent time with was an Identity Christian. I started emailing him, and I was asking him questions about his spirituality.&#160; He had just gotten out of prison.&#160;He had been involved in a cult that aimed to take down the Zionist-occupied government. He was actually surprised how interested I was in his spirituality, and I was very surprised by how spiritual he seemed.&#160; He said that he joined a religious fellowship in rural Arkansas.&#160; The group didn’t start out violent.&#160; But the leader had a revelation that the end times were imminent.&#160; They began preparing, they felt they were in the times of Tribulation.</p>
<p>They began preparing for the end times.&#160; They had an idea that if they carried out acts of violence against “mud people,” that the Messiah would return more quickly.&#160; So they actually felt that by “purifying” the world of “mud-people,” homosexuals, Jews, they could influence on the timing of the Messiah.&#160; They saw violence as a form of worship.</p>
<p>The same is true of ISIS. ISIS relies on religious texts.&#160; The President won’t call jihadis Islamists.&#160; He certainly won’t call them Muslim.&#160; I will.&#160;They are relying on these texts, but so do Identity Christians.&#160; So did Kerry Noble, one of the leaders of the Identity Christian cult I just mentioned. I said to him, “Christians typically ascribe the qualities of light and love to God, and try to manifest those qualities in their own lives.”&#160; And he agreed.</p>
<p>“But the scriptures describe another aspect of God,” he told me.&#160; “The Lord God is a man of war.”&#160; He’s quoting.&#160; I don’t have the references– somebody will know where these come from.&#160; “If I wet my glittering sword, I will render vengeance on my enemies.&#160; I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh.”</p>
<p>So their hermeneutics were, I believe, dictated by their apocalyptic expectation and their politics, just as ISIS’s are. I think Rabbi Sacks would say that ISIS and other religious terrorists are misreading the texts.&#160; I’m not qualified to say whether it’s a misreading of the text.&#160; It’s in the text.</p>
<p>But religious texts are filled with contradictions.&#160;&#160; These guys find a way to ignore the parts of the texts that promote peace, and focus instead on the parts of the text that justify what they want to do.&#160; We only need to remember that abolitionists referred to the Bible to justify the abolition of slavery.&#160; And those who supported slavery also justified it with reference to the text.</p>
<p>So what about ISIS?&#160; ISIS sees itself as purifying Islam. A good example is its “re-institution of slavery.”&#160; That’s how it refers to its use of sexual slavery.</p>
<p>It calls the re-institution of slavery “a means for improving the moral life of its fighters,” and “a way to fulfill one of the signs of the hour, indicating the imminence of the end time.”&#160; By sexually enslaving Yazidi girls, ISIS claims to believe that it’s revivifying Islam, offering its followers a version of Islam that was practiced by the Salaf, the first three generations of Muslims, their pious predecessors, which is unencumbered by hermeneutics or the accretions of historical practice.</p>
<p>I think it’s important for us to remember that at the time these texts were written, slavery was a common practice throughout the world.&#160; And of course, we can find reference to slavery in the Bible.&#160; I won’t bother quoting for you, but I’m sure you know.</p>
<p>Slavery, of course, is abolished throughout the world, but it’s still practiced throughout the world.&#160; It’s a billion-dollar business. Should we refer to the practice of slavery today, as Christian or Jewish because slavery is mentioned in Christian and Jewish texts, and some Christians and Jews are making money through human trafficking?&#160; I don’t think so.</p>
<p>This is my view, and I realize that there will be other views in the room, and I look forward to the debate.&#160; If you look at what ISIS says about slavery, I think it’s important to realize that they inadvertently admit that the practice is instrumental.&#160; They say that they realize that some young men cannot afford wives, and that they might be tempted to have sex with a family housemaid, and that therefore, this is their way of allowing those young men — I think it’s part of their recruitment strategy — to have sex.&#160; It’s one of the incentives they offer.&#160; Sex&#160; with a slave&#160; doesn’t count as premarital sex.&#160; Raping a slave is not a sin, according to ISIS’s scholars.&#160; But if you read closely, it really does look instrumental, as well as religious, their interpretation of religion.</p>
<p>So what does ISIS want?&#160; It wants two very different and contradictory things.&#160; On the one hand, it wants to run its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, now in Libya.&#160; It has provinces now, in many parts of the world:&#160; In Egypt, in the Caucusus; it’s in Afghanistan; in Libya, of course; in Saudi Arabia.&#160;It wants to run its state.&#160; It likes to refer to itself as a “state.”&#160; But it also wants to goad the West into sending in ground forces for a final battle at Dabiq.&#160; And I have to say, when I first started looking at the apocalyptic narrative, I was really taken aback.</p>
<p>I didn’t expect that it would be as convoluted and well-articulated as the Christian Identity cult that I was talking about.&#160; The name of their online magazine, which I urge all of you to look at, if not read, is “Dabiq.”&#160; That’s the name of the town where they anticipate they willfight out this final battle with the West. So these are clearly contradictory goals.</p>
<p>Dr. Jessica Stern</p>
<p>I’ve been troubled by this contradiction in studying ISIS, you know it’s hard to figure out, this doesn’t make sense.&#160; But there is one goal that ISIS is pursuing that would further both of these agendas, and that is to make Muslims in the West feel unsafe.&#160; They say they want to destroy the “gray zone” of moderate Islam.&#160;And for this reason, I do believe that Trump is falling into a trap.&#160; He is helping to destroy that gray zone by making Muslims in the West feel unsafe.&#160; If ISIS attacks in the West, it goads us into attacking it in Syria.&#160; But ISIS’s leaders hope that these attacks in the West will ultimately make Western Muslims feel unsafe, and they hope, more vulnerable to being recruited to ISIS’s side.The more ISIS can increase prejudice against Muslims in the West, the more it can actually pursue both parts of its agenda.</p>
<p>What’s different about ISIS? ISIS, like most terrorist groups that aim to succeed and persist over time, has to attract capital, labor, and brand. ISIS is very good at this. Why are these other groups that I mentioned flops?</p>
<p>They cannot attract capital.&#160; They cannot attract labor.&#160; Their narrative, their ideology, is not appealing to a broader group, and they don’t have a good brand.&#160; ISIS has all three.</p>
<p>Where does it get capital?&#160; You know it gets capital from exporting oil.&#160; Who buys the oil?&#160; Well, Assad is one of the major consumers of that oil. The oil is getting through the Turkish border.&#160;A lot of people, as often happens in civil wars, are getting rich off this conflict.&#160; It’s also selling Captagon, an amphetamine.&#160; It’s also using that amphetamine, while it is fighting.&#160; Its involved in currency trade.&#160;It is taxing the sale of antiquities.&#160; It is taxing refugee flows..&#160; We would call it “extortion.”&#160; They call it “taxing.”</p>
<p>Also, it earns a lot of money from extorting the population trapped on the territory it controls.&#160; So it needs territory, partly as a source of finances.&#160; What about its brand?&#160; This group is better than any group in history at branding itself, and it is very active, as I’m sure many of you know, on social media, but that’s just how it spreads its branding and marketing.</p>
<p>It also has a compelling narrative.&#160; It’s very good at magazine layout, filming.&#160; They have professionals who do these films.&#160; The films are stories, they’re not just an old man droning on, which would be Zawahiri, who is very boring.</p>
<p>Part of their brand is brutality.&#160; And they are following a recipe that dictates that brutality is a good way to polarize Muslim against Muslim, Sunni against Shiite; to polarize the West against itself.&#160; And, of course, the Western governments against Muslim-majority states.</p>
<p>To attract labor, terrorists offer three kinds of incentives:&#160; spiritual incentives, emotional incentives, and financial incentives.&#160; To attract this labor. ISIS, is first of all, capitalizing on the disenfranchisement of Sunni Arabs in the territory it controls.&#160; And this is an area where I do believe the West has played a significant role.</p>
<p>We fired all the Baathists.&#160; They suddenly found themselves without jobs, with weapons.&#160; Some of them spent time in U.S. detention facilities, where Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, was busy creating a jihadi organization. The U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are a very important part of the story of how ISIS evolved into the group it is today.</p>
<p>ISIS also attracts foreign labor.&#160; We’ve never seen a group this capable of attracting foreign fighters, doctors, engineers.&#160; There is this spiritual incentive, the opportunity to live in what ISIS calls “the only Sharia-based State.”</p>
<p>Dr. Jessica Stern</p>
<p>There is the humanitarian incentive, the opportunity to help Syrians who are suffering.&#160; There’s the attraction to violence.&#160; It seems impossible now that we wouldn’t see psychopaths over-represented in ISIS. &#160;That doesn’t mean they’re all psychopaths, but certainly some of the people joining would have to be attracted to violence for its own sake.</p>
<p>It’s an opportunity to re-create oneself.&#160; I think that the narrative, in some ways, has things in common with what happened in the ’60s and ’70s.&#160; Rather than “Make Love Not War,” it’s “Make War, Not Love,” but it’s a dangerous fad.&#160; It’s a faddish narrative among young people.</p>
<p>Fortunately, in the United States, it’s not very faddish.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Why is that attractive?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Because of the level of frustration, especially in Muslim-majority states.&#160; I think that we — why is it attractive in the West?&#160; There are two different questions:&#160; Why is it attractive —</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; You’re saying “Make Love, Not War,” but I don’t get “Make War, Not Love.”</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Well, that’s why you’re not —</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; You’re not the recruit they want.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I didn’t mean to interrupt you, but there are so many incredible studies showing the patterns of attraction to gangs in the United States, and the attraction to terrorist organizations like ISIS.&#160; There are almost very identical character traits and personal background and mental health situations.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.&#160; Yes.&#160; I think for those in the West that is how we should understand it.&#160; I’m involved in a big study at Children’s Hospital in Boston, and we’ve been interviewing Somali refugee youth.&#160; And we find a correlation between delinquency, including support for violent extremism, and trauma exposure, social marginalization, and mental health issues.</p>
<p>Strong bonds inside the community, as well as with the country, are protective.&#160; Ignorance about Islam is hypothesized to make youth significantly more vulnerable.&#160; So I think we need to bear in mind that ISIS poses a threat mainly to the region, secondarily, to the countries close to Iraq and Syria, primarily to Muslims, and only at the bottom, the United States.&#160; The biggest threat to us, is the lone wolf Western recruit, who is very much like a kid who would join a gang.</p>
<p>I have some ideas and some things we’re doing to help address that, but I’m going to stop here, so we can talk about that.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Thank you.</p>
<p>(Applause)</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Thank you, Dr. Stern.&#160; Thank you very much.&#160; Ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned to you, we have a lunch twice a year to talk about future topics. &#160;Our good friend and colleague, Jeffrey Goldberg, when we talked about this topic, said, “You must get this young Imam down at Duke University.”</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; “Young?”&#160; Thank you.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Yes.&#160; He said the word “young.”&#160; “Imam Abdullah” he said, “is not only having an important impact at Duke, and teaching at Duke Divinity School, where he’s the Chief Representative of Muslim Affairs, and serves on the faculty there,” but Jeffrey said “he’s become a great source for me, in trying to understand this phenomenon.”</p>
<p>And in fact, Abdullah flies around the world trying to de-radicalize some of these young lone wolfs that Professor Stern has just told us about. So Imam Abdullah, we’re so grateful that you could join us.&#160; You have a lot to live up to because Jeff Goldberg has been singing your praises now for some time.</p>
<p>Imam Abdullah Antepli, Duke University</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And I feel the pressure.&#160; Good morning everybody.</p>
<p>It’s absolutely a pleasure, and an honor to be here.&#160; I learned so much already in a day and-a-half, and I’m looking forward to learning the remaining time of the conference.&#160; The brief, but very kind introduction that Michael told you, also reflects that I have two honorific titles given to me by my students at Duke University.</p>
<p>They call me two titles:&#160; One is “Turkish Delight Imam.”</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>Which explains my thick Turkish accent.&#160; And my Turkish accent is often a source of humor, both at home and campus.&#160; One of the funniest one, is on the day of Eid Ul Fitr, which is like a Muslim Christmas at the end of Ramadan.&#160; I was invited by a Jewish community.</p>
<p>A significant part of my calling and my time, lately, I’m spending trying to improve Jewish/Muslim relations in the United States, but also in the Middle East as well, which I believe the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is one of the main causes and sources of the virus that ISIS and Al Qaeda and all these evil people represent.&#160; That’s one of the sources, if you can put a lit on,&#160; it will be huge because this never ending conflict keep re-inserting “ West is at war with Islam” phenomenon&#160;&#160; So I never miss any opportunity to talk to Jews.</p>
<p>When I went there, I said, “I brought the greetings of the Muslim community.&#160; We just celebrated Eid Ul Fitr, and I wish many of them could have been here, but they are still celebrating Eid Ul Fitr.”&#160; I will never forget.</p>
<p>One of the gentlemen in the front said, “What?&#160; You celebrated Adolf Hitler?”</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; So if I say anything that sounds painfully wrong, check the spelling.&#160; And this also says so much about our communication issues; the way we talk about each other, the way we hear one another.</p>
<p>Of course my second honorific title, is “Blue Devil Imam,” which if you know anything about Islamic theology, we may do all sorts of weird things, but we don’t do devil business.&#160; I am the only Imam on the face of Earth, who is given permission to pray for the devils.&#160; And I do it five times a day, and once a week after the worship prayer on Friday, on Juma’h.</p>
<p>There are 150 Muslim blue devils.&#160; After the worship prayer, I say, “Glory be to devils are mean, and may God destroy its enemies,” the UNC of course, and there is —</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And there is always someone in the audience, who has no idea what’s going on and completely terrified.&#160; God forbid if ISIS gets it on the video, and says “Oh, look.&#160; American Muslims are praying for the devils.”&#160; That’s not the case.</p>
<p>What I will do in my 25 minutes, is not to talk about terror in the name of God, but more specific I will talk about terror in the name of Allah.&#160; The Muslim terrorism, terror in the name of Islam, the way it’s been presented and done.&#160; But before we move into this, there are two very unhelpful, extremely reductionist, simplistic forces dominating this conversation about Muslim terrorism that I would like us, I invite us to distance ourselves.</p>
<p>There’s so much brain power experience, people have written extensively about this topic.&#160; I really hope we can go beyond the talking points on this cheap reductionist too almost propaganda-ish extreme of the poll.&#160; On one side, mostly apologetic Muslims and their liberal, progressive sort of allies and naive supporters.</p>
<p>One voice, is to me, very, very problematic, misleading, and it can potentially be harmful.&#160; Islam is a religion of peace.&#160; ISIS has nothing to do with Islam.&#160; To me, saying Islam is a religion of peace, is like as misleading, it makes me as uncomfortable as if somebody says, “Islam hates us.”</p>
<p>No religion is essentially one thing.&#160; If somebody comes and says, “Christianity is this, Judaism is this,” you should run away from that person.&#160; And a religion of 2,000 years old and millions of members, it cannot be essentially one thing.&#160;It cannot be essentially evil or good.&#160; To say Islam is a religion of peace, and all the shenanigans, destruction, savagery, and barbarism happening in the name of Islam, all these evil organizations like Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, has nothing to do with Islam, despite all the things that have been happening.&#160; To me, it’s really silly to say the least, and therefore I have no patience, especially I guess if you are a Muslim, you have less patience with your own kind.</p>
<p>If one more person says, “This has nothing to do with Islam,” I want to pull my hair and scream.</p>
<p>On the other extreme, people getting on the wagon and buying the cheap propaganda after 9-11 and saying, this ISIS terror in the name of Islam is the only authentic expression of Islam.&#160; If you take this religion very seriously, if you take this religion by its book, if you take this religion by its own resources and expression, you get ISIS.&#160; And anything and everything else, is only the watered down, sugar coated, moderated, diluted version of the religion.</p>
<p>It’s unbelievable.&#160; I mean there are so many credible voices in the media, in academia, basically debating this is all about Islam.&#160; So the reality is much more complex than these two extreme dominant simplistic and reductionist voices, and that’s what I’m going to try to summarize in my remaining 19 and-a-half minutes.&#160; But I’m really hoping you will push me back on both fronts, as well as the historical and theological evidence that I will provide.&#160;But ISIS is Islamic in the sense there is no one Islam.&#160; ISIS or Al Qaeda, is an expression of Islam.&#160; And I’m quite aware that this is on record.</p>
<p>ISIS, or similar organizations of terror in the name of Allah, is an expression of Islam, but there are three main Islams that I’m really hoping, anyone who will make an intelligent argument about this, will see that ISIS, or terror in the name of Allah, is an expression, a slice of these three different categories of Islam. &#160;There are three main categories in every religion, but again, I’m going to focus only on this one.&#160; I think Dr. Stern made a beautiful job in explaining how this resembles, this challenge resembles in every faith tradition.</p>
<p>So the first Islam, is Islam as religion.&#160; Islamist theology, Islamist belief system.&#160; Islam in its self-imagination as an abstract theological belief system.&#160; The way the Qur’an, the way the Prophet Muhammad and his sayings, and his examples represent.</p>
<p>It’s like Christianity as a religion, Judaism as religion, Buddhism as a religion.&#160; So the problem that we are discussing, definitely has its roots and connection to this first Islam.&#160; But I think we are spending way overtime trying to understand both the problem, as well as the solution, in this first category.</p>
<p>But there are many other Islams.&#160; The second Islam, how does that Islam in theory and the belief system, Islam as religion, manifest itself in the human experience?&#160; Islam as Muslims, Islam as people, Islam as it’s been lived.&#160; And you cannot take Islam at its cultural expression and say this has nothing to do with the religion of Islam.&#160;Ultimately, Islam is what Muslims do.&#160; Christianity is what Christians do.&#160; Judaism is what Jews do.</p>
<p>Imam Abdullah Antepli</p>
<p>And when we talk about the second Islam, Islam as Muslims, we are talking about 1.6, 1.7 billion people on the face of Earth, from Indonesia to Argentina, from China to Iceland and Canada.&#160; And the uniqueness of the American Muslim community, is because of our immigration patterns, because of the way in which these Muslims came here, the 6 or 7 million Muslims living in the United States, they represent the entire ethnic, linguistic, racial, sectarian diversity of the entire Muslim world.</p>
<p>The Muslims that we have, almost everybody is here.&#160; You come to my campus on a Friday prayer, you’ll see 150 Muslims praying, even that small pool, you have Chinese Muslims, you have Indonesian Muslims, you have German Muslims, Pakistani, Turkish, Arab, everybody is here.&#160; That’s another unique experience that unfortunately, in the heat of post 9-11 conversations, the very impressive reality of&#160; American Muslims are often get lost.</p>
<p>The third Islam, in addition to Islam as religion and belief system, in addition to Islam as Muslims, third Islam is Islam as history .This is one of the most-trickiest expressions of Islam. You will never understand the first Islam, Islam as religion of today, and you will never be able to understand, as Muslims of today unless you study this third Islam.</p>
<p>You will not be able to look into the Muslim majority societies, and make intelligent arguments unless&#160; you study, at least the first couple of centuries of Islamic history.&#160; What kind of history or histories gave birth to the present-day situation?&#160; What kind of histories gave birth to the present economic, social, political, and yes, terror/security-related issues as well?</p>
<p>So what I’m arguing, is terror in the name of Allah, is an Islamic expression.&#160; But it’s the slice of these three historical, cultural, social, economic, and political, as well as theological and religious expressions.&#160; And depending on the region and time, and depending on the organization that evolved.&#160; Depending on how, mostly the West and the Muslim societies respond to this, the percentage of theology, cultural, and political economic realities, change in the creation of these evil people, doing evil things, in the name of Islam.&#160; And the historical developments matter.&#160; Maybe in the Q&amp;A session, when we talk about different terrorist organizations, like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boca Haram, we can give more details.</p>
<p>From the remaining arguments, I want to build — and I want to go from history, to cultural, and to theology, because unfortunately we start with theology.&#160; We start with the text in the Quran.&#160; We start with the historical, textual, scriptural proof that ISIS and other organizations start, yes, and this is absolutely within Islam.</p>
<p>As much as these people despise me, disgust me, they turn my stomach upside down, I cannot say they are not Muslims.&#160; They are.&#160; And I cannot say their arguments have no basis in Islamic tradition.&#160; They do.</p>
<p>But it is much more than seeing this as the most authentic expression of Islam, as I said.&#160; I want to build my arguments the Native American analogy.&#160; I love this Native American story.</p>
<p>The Native American elder invites the little kids in the tribe, and says, “As you grow up, there are two wolves in you.”</p>
<p>There are two wolves in you, W-O-L-F.&#160; Turks cannot pronounce W and they cannot pronounce V either.&#160; In Turkish, there’s no W or V, something in between.&#160; So bear with me.</p>
<p>“There are two wolves” — I don’t know if you heard the story.&#160; And of course the kids say, and the elders say, “One of them is evil, and one of them is a good wolf.&#160; And this good and evil wolf will always fight with each other in you, always.”</p>
<p>And kids immediately say, “Which wolf will win?&#160; Which wolf will win this fight?”</p>
<p>An elder says “Whichever you feed.&#160; Whichever you nurture.&#160; Whichever you empower and facilitate.&#160; Whichever you give attention to.”</p>
<p>So again, going back to my distaste in these extreme voices, we have to acknowledge that there are good and bad wolves in each and every one of us, and there are good and bad wolves in each and every one of our religions.</p>
<p>There are bad wolves in Koran.&#160; There are voices in the name of God demanding and asking violence and destruction, but also there are voices, as you always here in the interfaith conversations, “God created you from a man and woman, divided into tribes, God loves everybody.”</p>
<p>So there is the very essence of the sacred is ambivalent.&#160; And there are ambivalent elements in all of our religions, including Islam.&#160; And when a good wolf is nurtured, which is overwhelming majority of the Muslim history and Christian history, and the Jewish history, etc.&#160;But when the bad wolf is nurtured, when the bad wolf is fed, when the evil wolf is given opportunity to grow that’s what you see, in the form of ISIS, in the form of Al Qaeda, in the form of other terrorist organizations.</p>
<p>I want to, at the risk of becoming a boring Duke University history professor, please bear with me for seven-and-a-half minutes and let me take you on a historical journey.&#160; How this bad wolf in Islam has been fed for so long, has been fed so much, and faced no real resistance that we have the kind of monster that we are dealing with in this situation.</p>
<p>You can basically take all these evil organizations conducting terror in the name of Islam,&#160; Again, I’ve been saying this all along publicly, not because I’m here, and not because I’m trying to convince your hearts.&#160; But if you look all the terrorist organizations from Nigeria to Afghanistan, to other places, you can absolutely trace the ideological, religious and theological roots to one major cancerous event:&#160; Wahhabism.</p>
<p>Wahhabism is a 19th century reformation movement in Islam.&#160; It’s quite ironic that one of the modern interpretations and modern reformations in Islam — we had our own reformation, but it’s in the form of Wahhabism — it is quite despicable and regretful quite honestly.&#160; And very literalist and potential for violent interpretation of Islam, emerged in the 19th Century by Imam Abdul Wahhab in Saudi Arabia, in direct response to European colonialism and the disintegration and fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire.</p>
<p>So as the Muslim civilizations were collapsing, like many people in the West, because we are a healthy society, we are a healthy civilization — we got out of our Dark Ages, and we are somewhat functional communities.&#160; When they think of civilizational decline and collapse, they think when the civilizations declined, as only the stock market collapse.&#160; As if only the roads collapsed.</p>
<p>That’s not the case.&#160; The real deterioration and destruction happens inside with your world view.&#160; And when the civilization finally collapses, which took place when Islam and the Muslim civilizations — by the end of the 19th Century.&#160; At the beginning of the 20th Century, that civilization collapsed in its internal resources destroyed as well, it lost its soft power as well.</p>
<p>Wahhabism, as a reformist movement, emerged within the Sunni Islam.&#160; And when it came out into existence, almost all Sunni traditions rejected and declared it as non-Sunni, as a heresy, as something that is not consistent with the main stream theology.</p>
<p>But regretful for two main reasons:&#160; This cancerous ideology has been successful over time at capturing the imagination of many societies&#160; of the Sunni world and even Shia wors as well, and becoming extremely successful in infiltrating almost the entire global Muslim community, including the United States.</p>
<p>In the past, there have been many similar abnormal movements emerge in Islam, like if you know a little bit about Islamic history, Khawarij ( in the 1st Century of Islam.&#160; Or if you know anything about the Assassins or the Hashashin.&#160; There have been, like crazy movements in the name of religion, but it was the Muslim institutions that theologically defeated these movements.</p>
<p>Imam Abdullah Antepli</p>
<p>And it was the health of the Muslim societies that they were able to marginalize these fringe crazy movements over time, and get rid of this cancer before this tumor becomes the mainstream.&#160; But it was for the first time in the Wahhabism that this cancer struck the body when the Muslim institutions who would otherwise counter and defeat this ideology, was destroyed by the European colonial establishments.&#160; This is not, again blaming the West for the problem, but this is exactly what happened.</p>
<p>The colonial powers, when they came they were so dismayed by the de-central nature of the Muslim institutions, like when the British came to India, when they saw there is no Church of England, they couldn’t believe it.&#160; How come there’s Church of England?&#160;Then how do you control the religion?&#160; How do you basically make sure they don’t pose a threat to your regime?&#160; So they didn’t only come, and suck the blood out of the Muslim world.&#160; They came, they introduced their religious institutions, their economic structure, banking structure, educational structure.</p>
<p>So when Wahhabism was spreading like a cancer, the Muslim institutions were completely destroyed, or so weak — but it’s not only that.&#160; Also the internal decay, internal deterioration of Muslim civilization for a very long time made it impossible to fight against this abnormal reformation. &#160;The body was not healthy enough to fight yo begin with.</p>
<p>When I went to Bangladesh, when I saw a Hadith book, in the 9th Century written in Muslim Spain, it’s incredible.&#160; Look at the Muslim civilizations when it’s in dynamic years.&#160; The Hadith book, the sayings of the Prophet written in Muslim Spain, in three years it reached to Calcutta, and translated into Bengali in three years.</p>
<p>An unbelievable speed of ideas, unbelievable dynamism of Muslim civilizations.&#160; But by the time of the 19th Century, the earliest Hadith book, written and taught in the madrasas was 200 to 300 years old.&#160; If you are going to understand the Muslim world, unimpressive picture, the real starvation is not economic, social, political, but also cultural and inteleectual.</p>
<p>Just to give you one more example, which will, I think supplement.&#160; The number of books translated into and from Spanish in one year, is more than the number of books translated into and from Arabic in 100 years.</p>
<p>If you go to United Development Index, and if you look at the paper consumption and books, or research or number of patents, etc., there’s an incredible, incredible unhealthy, intellectual and cultural life in the Muslim majority of the world, which makes resisting ideologies as sick as, like Wahhabism, as despicable as Wahhabism,&#160; incredibly difficult.&#160;And their success today, depends on two things.&#160; And none of the evil or the distorted violent extremist groups, Muslim groups in the past, they never became a state religion, like Wahhabism.</p>
<p>Another unintentional, I assume and I hope, the British colonial inheritance that we have received, is Saudi Arabia inherited Wahhabism as their state official ideology.&#160; And for the first time, a very literalist and violent ideology became a state religion, and met with billions of dollars of oil money.</p>
<p>And for the longest time since they weren’t posing any threat to the West, because of my enemy’s, enemies are my friends because of economic interest unfortunately, quite honestly in the puzzle of this whole terrorism and Wahhabi contribution, Wahhabi ideological and theological contributions, ongoing contributions to this terrorism problem, I am beyond belief&#160; And completely lost, if anybody can tell me, why we are not going after this ideology?</p>
<p>Why we are not going to the heart of the matter?&#160; Why we are not trying to dry the wetland of Saudi establishment, or — I’m not saying regime change, but at least we should limit the kind of Wahhabi influence taking place and constantly pumping free literature, zealous missionaries all around the world.&#160; So one thing, this ideology had a free market to export the ideology, it got billions of dollars of money.</p>
<p>The second thing — I will jump to my conclusion so that we can have a meaningful conversation.&#160; What’s the respectful way to say something hit the fan?</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; The real thing hit the fan, is in 1980s in Afghanistan.&#160; When Afghanistan was invaded by Soviet Russia.&#160; This cancer, which was mainly destroying Islam in a theological sense, learned how to fight, how to kill, and partially, by our help.</p>
<p>By our help, I have a lot of examples and it’s not conspiracy I think its public knowledge now, the way in which we took this ideology, and took so many men, and allowed and enabled this ideology in Afghanistan to defeat our mutual enemy.&#160; If you look, the way this cancer spread — religious violence is not new.&#160; Violence in the name of Islam, terror in the name of Islam is new.</p>
<p>But in this modern expression, the real violence took its muscles and violent capability in those 10 to 12 years of war in Afghanistan against Soviet Russia, where this violent ideology, extremist ideology, deeply anti semitic, deeply anti-western ideology, also learned military muscles, and learned how to fight, how to kill.</p>
<p>And when we won the war, and the Soviets left, we basically left these people all to their own.&#160; It’s so interesting.&#160; I go to southern Philippines Mindanao, where Muslim terrorists are trying to establish a Sharia state there, it’s a small number.&#160; And I am trying to implement the de-radicalization program in the prison with the captured terrorists.</p>
<p>And when I said, “How did you learn this Islam?&#160; Where did you get it from?”</p>
<p>Answer:&#160; “I learned it from Ahmad.”</p>
<p>Question:&#160; “Ahmad learned it from where?”</p>
<p>Answer:&#160; “He spent five years in Afghanistan.&#160; He was fighting for our religion.”</p>
<p>The cancer&#160; spread globally after Afghan wars of 1980s.</p>
<p>I took you to the Valley of Hopelessness, but I cannot leave you there.&#160; We have to climb up to mountaintop of hope and inspiration.&#160; I believe, as a functioning democracy, and a superpower, and a wealthy economy, we still have most of what we need, to undermine this cancer and really treat this as a cancer model, and limit its resources, dry its ideological zeal and other resources.</p>
<p>And with the kind of more sophisticated 21st Century Marshall plans — because if we cannot help these areas where this cancer is infected, if only what we do is military solutions, if we only act as if all we know is a hammer and everything is a nail, this problem will only spread.&#160; We will hammer them down in Afghanistan, and they will show their evil face in Iraq.&#160; We will hammer them in Iraq, they will show in Somalia, they will show in Mali.</p>
<p>Imam Abdullah Antepli</p>
<p>The military has a role to play.&#160; There’s a way in which those who are killing people with weapons — of course we should go after, and if necessary kill them, and prosecute them, and lock them up.&#160; But what you are fighting, is an evil ideology, which has roots in Islamic theology, in Muslim cultures.&#160;But the way in this theology and Muslim culture shaped through historical events, which we are partially involved, and played a partial role in creating this cancer.&#160; Therefore, we cannot put an ideology down by military muscles.&#160; Therefore, we cannot put a bullet through an ideology.</p>
<p>A bad religion, an evil religion, and bad ideology can only be cured and win and defeated by good ideology, and a good religion, and good social structure.&#160; Until, unless these societies, who are deeply broken in every possible sense:&#160; economically, socially, politically, religiously, culturally; until unless these societies don’t gain their help, this problem will not go away, it will grow.</p>
<p>We have been so far, only looking for military solutions, and today we have more terrorists than 15 years ago.&#160; We have more safe spaces producing this cancer than 15 years ago.&#160; Every terrorist we kill, we produce five to ten more terrorists.</p>
<p>I think the greatest rabbi and the philosopher of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein, said the definition of insanity is to keep trying the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.&#160; So I think our real conversation, like any other 12-step initiative says, what we have been trying is not working and therefore we have to — I love — I will end with this one.</p>
<p>Psalms 96 and 98.&#160; Psalms is also a holy text for Islam.&#160; We believe it’s reveal to Prophet David.&#160; God says to David in Psalms 96 and 98:</p>
<p>“Sing me some new songs.”&#160; “Shir Hadash.”&#160; “Sing me some new songs”</p>
<p>If you look, why God revealed that text to David, because things were so messed up.&#160; And God is saying, the old songs that we have been singing, jumping into our simplistic, reductionist sound bytes and relying on our military muscles, is not working.&#160; It is fueling the fire, if anything, and the problem is growing.</p>
<p>We have to, as humanity at large and American people in particular, we have to, and we have most of what we need again. We can come up with 21st century version fo Marshall plans and help these broken socities to regain their health. What we don’t have, is the willpower.&#160; We don’t have at large as a society, to say we are going to sing a different song and defeat this enemy, and we will.&#160; Thank you very much.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Thank you.</p>
<p>(Applause)</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; I have a long list.&#160; Carl Cannon, you’re up first.&#160; And Graeme Wood, you did not raise your hand, but you just finished a book on ISIS, and so I’m going to call on you.&#160; Carl you’re up first, and then Graeme.&#160; And then I have others.</p>
<p>Carl Cannon, RealClearPolitics.com</p>
<p>CARL CANNON, RealClearPolitics.com:&#160; Yes.&#160; For Professor Stern, but either one of you, or both.&#160; You said something that interested me.&#160; I think you said 40 percent of the Americans arrested for terrorism were Muslim converts.</p>
<p>And my question is, are they people who were attracted, typically to Islam, and then for tactical reasons are funneled into terrorism as cannon fodder because they’re expendable and naïve, or are they attracted to the violence and Islam is incidental to it?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I will only tell you, the latest case study that I have been working on.&#160; The story itself will answer almost all of your questions.&#160; There is no one story, like almost every one, single of them, all of the above, and even a different thing.</p>
<p>For years, in North Carolina, I had been working to improve — home-grown terrorism and radicalization can only be solved if the Muslim community and the law enforcement learn how to work together.&#160; If the law enforcement will learn how to treat the Muslim community as part of the solution, not as part of the problem, and the Muslim community learns how to trust the law enforcement.</p>
<p>So we have come a long way.&#160; We have built enough trust that now, FBI and other local and federal law enforcement, when they see a case, which is so absurd, which means when somebody who is potentially radicalized, is so young, so ridiculously naive and misled, they call us, and mostly me, to intervene and help.</p>
<p>The latest story, and I have to be very careful not to reveal anything to violate the privacy of the family.&#160; A white kid, 12 years-old, a Catholic mother and a Protestant father.&#160; Never met a Muslim, never stepped into a mosque.</p>
<p>I’m not going to psychoanalyze the kid’s background and family structure, but at the age of 12, he starts watching YouTube videos of the ISIS propaganda.&#160; ISIS tweets 80,000 times a day almost.&#160; But there’s a very sophisticated, in terms of what to do, in terms of — we have to really talk about their capability, of this incredible, successful, as Dr. Stern said, messaging and branding, and trying to appeal to certain kinds of thrill seekers.</p>
<p>At the age of 13, he converted to ISIS Islam, without even meeting one Muslim, ever, in the United States.&#160; At the age of 14, he was talking to a Syrian Jihadi, ISIS — that’s what he thought, but he was talking to an FBI informant, making plans to go to Syria, to fight in ISIS.</p>
<p>And the FBI came.&#160; And I said, this is so bizarre.&#160; But if that boy was an 18-year-old Pakistani-American or Arab-American or Turkish-American, they would have never come to us.</p>
<p>They would send more informants to see how far he will go.&#160; And then he will — this was like many cases.&#160; We have nine cases brought to us, as a community, and we have a 100 percent success rate.</p>
<p>We intervened.&#160; The results are different.&#160; This kid, after we said you have to — I said, I’m not going to tell you not to go ISIS, but I am going to tell you, if you’re going to accept Islam, accept and reject it, as it is.</p>
<p>So we conducted our, like basic information about mainstream Muslim theology.&#160; He’s been to the mosques.&#160; It’s so interesting, after six months of learning what Islam is, in all its complexity, including the ISIS version of Islam, he said, “I’m not interested, this is so boring.”</p>
<p>(Laughter)&#160;</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; He didn’t even want to remain as a Muslim anymore.&#160; It is so bizarre and interesting, but almost 50 percent of the people going, I heard it’s even higher, recent converts, and getting their conversion zeal buy into this idea that the West is at war with Islam, and the dignity and honor of Islam has been stabbed, and we have to go and defend our brothers and sisters in the Muslim world.</p>
<p>That’s their only selling message, and it’s working because Muslim societies are in some deep trouble.&#160; Deep, deep, deep pain, and ISIS gives a very black and white, very reductionist, simple answer to all the miseries in the Muslim world.&#160; And some people, who are recent converts are attracted to this.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; I’ve been talking at a great length to a young man, who had been at Columbia University.&#160; And he started a website — he converted — it turned into, essentially, Inspire Magazine, which is the magazine put out by Al Qaeda, in the Arabian Peninsula, that had the recipe “How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom,” which the Boston Marathon bombers followed.</p>
<p>He had read my book, “Terror in the Name of God,” when he was in prison, and he felt that I understood him, and he tried to get the prison authorities to have me come talk to him.&#160; Anyway, he’s out of prison now.&#160; He actually started out with a very left-leaning ideology.</p>
<p>And this is not common, I think, but people come from all kinds of ideologies.&#160; He was against globalization, and he still is, but he’s now interested in getting involved in playing a role in counter-radicalization, which I think is great.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Graeme Wood?</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD, The Atlantic:&#160; Thank you.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Graeme, when does your book come out?</p>
<p>Graeme Wood, The Atlantic</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; I’ve got a book that’s coming out on ISIS that I hope will be worthy of Jessica’s example.&#160; Later this year, so possibly as early as the fall, but thank you both for very stimulating comments.&#160; I’ve got questions for both of you.</p>
<p>Jessica, I wonder if you might say some more about what you alluded to at the beginning, of ISIS using some familiar tricks, things that you’ve seen before, in the use of religious rhetoric for, perhaps insincere ways.&#160; Because you mentioned a few tensions or contradictions within the way that ISIS operates.&#160; One of them, the difference between the instrumental use of slavery, and on the other extreme, would be the inherent value of it, or the divine command to practice slavery.&#160; The contradiction between the desire to build a state, and the desire to bring about the apocalypse, which would presumably destroy all states.</p>
<p>And then there are other contradictions that I think are also sometimes adduced, like the difference between the religious origin and the political origin of ISIS, or of groups like it, or the difference between the lack of religious practice, or even the sinfulness of fighters, and their apparent religiousness now, or claims to be religious.</p>
<p>What has struck me, in some of the conversations that I’ve had with ISIS supporters, is that they don’t view any of these things as contradictions.&#160; They don’t view any of them as undermining their religious sincerity, or the religious nature of their organization.&#160; So I wonder if some of the conversation that we collectively have had about the religious nature of ISIS, versus the nonreligious nature of ISIS; if ISIS is willing to accept those contradictions, and to admit that its fighters have had sinful pasts, and have improved themselves to the point of being fighters in the name of God, whether this conversation might not actually be one that’s necessary to have at all.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Um-hm.</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; I’ve got a second question for Blue Devil Imam, as well, but —</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Go for it before you forget.</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; Okay.&#160; So I was first of all, very interested in your comparison with the Reformation, and I wonder if you might say more about that.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Sure.</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; And also your eagerness not to essentialize Islam, not to say Islam is a religion of war, Islam is a religion of peace.&#160; The Reformation comparison is one that I’m curious about, in part, because a lot of the Catholic polemics against Luther analogized him to Muslims.</p>
<p>ADULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160;Sure.</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; And said, “Look, he is proposing a kind of religion that is headless, that has no central authority.” But while you seem to be unwilling to essentialize Islam, you seem to be very willing to essentialize Wahhabism, which if you call it cancerous, violent and so forth.&#160; So if we were to extend the analogy further, I think we would, rightly, be careful about essentializing Protestantism, say.&#160; So I wonder if you might speak about whether Wahhabism also has this capacity to have — a peaceful Wahhabism, whether it can — rather than trying to eliminate it or oppose it inherently, we might see, after a few hundred more years of Wahhabism, a nice Wahhabism that we could all live with.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Excellent questions.&#160; That’s the hope.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Professor Stern first.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; I want to be clear.&#160; I didn’t mean to imply that anybody is insincere, any of the religious terrorists are insincere.&#160; I think that the reasons for the spread of this ideology have more to do with political, and economic factors, and cultural factors, and a crisis in Muslim-majority states, than with the religion, per se.&#160; So I’m not questioning their sincerity, although clearly some of the locals, who have escaped are saying, “I joined this fighting force because they paid more than Nusra,” or “We know that those who were fighting on the U. S. side during the surge were promised jobs in the Maliki regime, and didn’t get those jobs became ripe for the picking for reasons of security, not necessarily because they buy into the ideology.</p>
<p>So I think it’s complicated.&#160; I think some are very sincere in their beliefs, but many who are there, who join, do so for other reasons.&#160; I mean they are going after gamers, for example.&#160; You know when we look at how they’re able to attract young people, they have “Call of Duty” films.&#160; Kids are joining for many, many different reasons and ideology is just one of them.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Can I add to that question also?&#160; I have never seen, as any Imam, way too many sinners come to my office, or I find out about them through law enforcement.&#160; I recently had been working with the police department, with a group of pedophiles, who have in the name of religion, often Christianity, some raped so many boys and girls for over decades.</p>
<p>And I was so appalled at their rationalization of this, like despicable, disgusting.&#160; I have never seen a sinner who hasn’t rationalized his sin, either a domestic violent abuser husband, or a pedophile, or a terrorist.&#160; Therefore, I would give very little credit to people who rape, who burn people alive, who destroy innocent lives.</p>
<p>What they say, and the way they rationalize these apparent contradictions, and not see themselves as sinners, in my mind they have no credibility because sin by itself is forcing people to rationalize it.&#160; Otherwise they will not repeat it.&#160; They will ask forgiveness for it.</p>
<p>Therefore, I would not dismiss it, but I think this is a sinner rationalization going on, not anything authentic, not anything scholarly or intellectual is taking place.&#160; If we are going to see the peaceful Wahhabism that’s the hope.&#160; And I’m not — do you want to know my third title?</p>
<p>When people hear me speak, they say, “Are you an Imam?”</p>
<p>Imam Abdullah Antepli</p>
<p>I say, “Yes.”</p>
<p>They say, “No, no.&#160; There’s a southern Baptist preacher in you.”</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Maybe my southern Baptist zeal might have sounded like I’m essentializing Wahhabism.&#160; That’s the hope.&#160; I’m not advocating wiping out the whole Wahhabism.&#160; I believe every evil theology in the healthy context, it sort of tames itself, and domesticates itself, and becomes a healthy community.</p>
<p>If you look to previous examples that I gave, in the 1st Century of Islam, they became normal over time, when the institutions defeated their violent elements and when the overall health of the society absorbed and digested them, and they became incredible intellectuals later on.</p>
<p>The Assassins that are now Ismaili community, a sect of Shia Islam, who were serial Assassins, and now one of the best, and most organized intellectual, cultural, economic Muslim community, the Aga Khan community.&#160; That’s their sources.&#160; They evolved and changed.</p>
<p>Protestantism, if it wasn’t through certain helpful historical — it could have turned into ISIS.&#160; It could have been a Christian ISIS, but thank God it didn’t.&#160; But Wahhabism, unfortunately got out of control.&#160; Wahhabism really became cancerous and it metastasized.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Mr. Imam, could you, in 25 words or less, I mean, not assume that everyone knows what Wahhabism is, and give a short definition of its roots?&#160; It’s rooted in Saudi Arabia?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Yes.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Just a short definition of Wahhabism.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; It’s a movement against — there are so many movements.&#160; When Muslim civilizations were collapsing, there were many answers by the Muslim scholars and movements.&#160; Why are we losing?&#160; Why are we collapsing?</p>
<p>Why, are we these people who, a couple of hundred years ago, in Dark Ages, and now coming and taking our land and insulting us, and breaking, stabbing our honor?</p>
<p>The Wahhabi ideology is “an” answer to this Muslim civilization collapse is because we lost our religion.&#160; Because we didn’t keep the originality of our religion.&#160; We were perpetual sinners.</p>
<p>We have to go back to the salaf, the Prophet and the immediate companions of the Prophet, and everything else in between is questionable, if not rejectionable.&#160; We have to go back and understand and live according to — basically rejection of tradition.&#160; It’s reformist.</p>
<p>It’s incredibly reformist.&#160; It’s rejecting 1400 years of Muslim history, and it’s saying we are going to go and implement the way the first 100 year Muslims lived, and we are going to — that’s why when you see the ISIS destroying those beautiful ancient artifacts, which was religiously protected by previous Muslims for generations.&#160; When you see them killing Yazidis and Iraqi Christians who were kept and protected and supported for many years.&#160; That’s why they say, no, we have to go back and create a pure Muslim state.&#160; That’s the ideological zeal.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; I wanted to get that.&#160; That’s very important. And if everyone saw Graeme Woods’ essay in The Atlantic, over a year ago, called, “What ISIS Really Wants,” which is now becoming his book.&#160; Graeme has a wonderful overview of all these different varieties —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; The tone of anger and frustration that you see from me about Wahhabism, part of my State Department de-radicalization program is all in East Africa now.&#160; After 9-11, all the Wahhabi missionary free literature, billions of dollars of toxic, pure hate literature used to come to the United States.&#160; It was flooding all of our prison system.</p>
<p>After 9-11, thank God, Alhamdulillah, Baruch Hashem, it doesn’t come here anymore, but now they’re channeling all of it to East Africa, to Central Asia, to Southeast Asia.&#160; We have to do everything we can to at least in the ideological ground, minimize the impact and destruction.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Graeme, quickly?</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; You mentioned the Kharijites as a previous example of [muslim extremism].&#160; The early Wahhabis and the Kharijites were basically defeated militarily.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Yes.</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; So it wasn’t a matter of countering violent extremism through giving other forms of Islam, nurturing the other wolf.&#160; It was a matter of attacking that other wolf.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I respectfully disagree.&#160; They were militarily defeated by the violent elements, those who were killing people.&#160; They were defeated militarily, but ideological poison was treated by the overall health of the Muslim institutions reacting to what they are claiming, saying this kind of interpretation, literalists understand, it has no place in the Muslim tradition.&#160; You cannot confine Islam to the understanding of the first 100 years.&#160; Yes, you’re absolutely right.&#160; Both assassins, [khawarij], and many other violent militant groups , they were defeated on the battleground.</p>
<p>But it didn’t end there.&#160; If you look, there’s an incredible amount of cultural and theological being work done.&#160; Oceans of literature have been produced to undermine their ideological and theological framework.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; So I just feel the need to say that Saudi Arabia is at the cutting edge in counter-radicalization.&#160; Saudi Arabia, there’s a letter that’s in your paper from a senior member of the royal family.&#160; I think he’s actually the Minister of Interior.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Your paper is the Washington Post?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Your paper.&#160; Kathleen’s paper.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Really resentful that the President accused the Saudis of free riding.&#160; I don’t think we should — we need to rely on Saudi Arabia to help in this fight.&#160; They are a critical part of it.&#160; They are most threatened by ISIS.</p>
<p>So I think it’s important that we not demonize.&#160; I mean ISIS presents a threat to the entire world.&#160; Saudi Arabia is number one beyond the region that is threatened.&#160; I just wanted to add that.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; That’s very helpful. Let me jump in.&#160; I’m going to call on Mort Kondracke.&#160; I’ve got you, and others on the list, and we’re going to be taking a break in a minute, but Mort is up next, and then after Mort, someone who’s not raised their hand is Fred Barnes.</p>
<p>And Fred, you had a wonderful question the other day, before the conference, for this panel.&#160; If you won’t repeat it, I will.&#160; If you remember our conversation.</p>
<p>FRED BARNES:&#160; Not right off.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Not right off.&#160; Well then I’ll ask it for you.</p>
<p>FRED BARNES:&#160; You’re free to ask it for me.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Well, no, Fred’s question quite simply, was okay, I get it, but why murder innocent people who have nothing to do with any of this?&#160; You work with them, you know them, and you go shoot them.&#160; That was your question?&#160; I mean can somebody just quickly explain?&#160; These are innocent people working in San Bernardino.&#160; They didn’t harm anybody.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Oh, in California?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Yeah, in California.&#160; And Fred said to me, I can’t wait for that panel, because I understand some of this, but to go and just find these innocent people and shoot them.&#160; Can somebody please explain that in 25 words or less, before Mort asks the same question.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Well, there is no rational explanation to that kind of barbarism.&#160; But I think, if I had to give it a try, ISIS thrives on fame and publicity.&#160; They count re-tweets, they count “likes.”</p>
<p>They thrive in that kind of — they recruit in an effort to be able to sensationally — that’s what terror in Arabic means; pumping fear into the hearts and minds of people.&#160; And they will do everything they can, they will do everything they can.</p>
<p>Look, a good example would be, on their way to Jerusalem, why did the Crusaders kill everybody?&#160; Christian, Jew, Muslim.&#160; My home town is on the Syrian border, southeastern part of Turkey.&#160; It was one of the major paths of Crusaders.</p>
<p>They ate babies alive, like the kind of cruelty.&#160; They sort of chop people into pieces and display their organs.&#160; Any organization that thrives in pumping fear into the hearts and minds of people, there is no limit to human genius in that regard.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Mort Kondrake, can you pull the mic over?</p>
<p>Mort Kondracke, Roll Call</p>
<p>MORT KONDRACKE, Roll Call:&#160; I have two items here.&#160; So I asked Jessica this question at dinner the other night, and I’ll ask you.&#160; Donald Trump says they hate us.&#160; A lot of them hate us.&#160; What percentage of the Muslims in the world, hate us?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Who are “they” and who are “us”?&#160; I mean I don’t —</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; Well, he’s talking about the United States and he’s talking about —</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Mort is now speaking for Donald Trump.</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; Yes. &#160;The first and only time.&#160; He’s saying that around the world, Muslims hate us, in general.&#160; How many?&#160; A lot of them.&#160; A lot of them.&#160; So what percentage of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; God knows.</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; — spend any time of their day hating America?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I don’t know.&#160; And anybody who says and gives a precise percentage would be lying.&#160; But I know it’s very small.&#160; I know it very — many people who are so angry with our policies, angry with our foreign policies, economic policies, as a result they sit on a pile of anger and frustration.&#160; Even them when they are “Death to America” with right hand, with the left hand they are saying “Give me visa.”</p>
<p>&#160;(Laughter)</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; So are there any data on this?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; No.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; There are no good data on the subject.&#160; I mean I’ve seen —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Do you remember the Gallup, “Who Speaks on Behalf of Islam”?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah, yes.&#160; Dalia Mogahed.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Dalia Mogahed?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; They were quite precise data there.&#160; I don’t have it now.</p>
<p>Wajahat Ali, Al Jazeera America</p>
<p>WAJAHAT ALI, Al Jazeera America:&#160; In 2009, Gallup did a poll of one billion Muslims, extensive.&#160; I think they spent seven years.</p>
<p>And then subsequently, it was written into a book by John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, “What Muslims Really Think.”&#160; But, I think it’s very telling.</p>
<p>Pardon me for this small interlude, but they said there are two major grievances that Muslims that they polled have against America:&#160; (1) the hypocrisy of the U.S. foreign policy compared to U.S. values; so it wasn’t just the U.S. foreign policy, but it was the hypocrisy between the U.S. foreign policy and values;</p>
<p>The second thing, which was very fascinating, which for some strange reason, people don’t pick up on, which I think is really illuminating was (2) the disrespectful depiction of Islam and Muslims in U.S. media.</p>
<p>When it came to overall thoughts about the United States, the overwhelming majority of Muslims respect the United States for its freedoms, its values, its technology, also its education.&#160; It’s a really good book.&#160; It was released in 2009.</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; Okay.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Could you repeat the book again?</p>
<p>FRED BARNES:&#160; “What a Billion Muslims Really Think” and it was based on the 2009 Gallup Poll of “one billion” Muslims.&#160; I think they spent seven years on that poll and the book was written by John Esposito, of Georgetown, and Dalia Mogahed.</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; So I suggested to Jessica that she write an op-ed piece because of what Trump has said, and because there is mass confusion in the United States about his assertion.</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER:&#160; I need to stop you right there because that’s my column today.</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; Oh, it is?&#160; Okay.</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; And what data did you cite?</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER:&#160; I’m citing these two people right here.</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>MORT KONDRAKE:&#160; Good for you.&#160; Okay.&#160; So my second question is then, you started to say, as opposed to hammering ISIS that we’ve got to have a Marshall Plan.&#160; We’ve got to deal with Wahhabism.&#160; Have you laid out the agenda of what a smart U.S. President would do?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Well, I’m an educator.&#160; Every pony has a trick.&#160; My trick is education.&#160; All the outline, agenda, and plan, is involved in education.</p>
<p>But in the long term, there needs to be a large scale of education campaign, both in the Muslim world, as well as in the United States, but I am not a politician.&#160; I’m not a policymaker.&#160; Not yet, at least.&#160; When I get to that level — but there are so many incredibly bright minds, who are really putting out so many impressive plans.</p>
<p>I highly encourage you to look at what ISPU has been doing, for example, in terms of specifically de-radicalization, what can we do in the short term and in the long run?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; On this point, Tom — Tom wanted to jump in on this point.</p>
<p>Tom Gjelten, NPR</p>
<p>TOM GJELTEN, NPR:&#160; Jessica mentioned Dalia Mogahed, who used to be with Gallup, and now she’s with another organization, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.&#160; Is today March 15?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Yes.</p>
<p>TOM GJELTEN:&#160; They have a poll that just came out that is just released today of American Muslims, only of American Muslims.&#160; Just very quickly, some of the key findings.&#160; Here’s one that’s interesting.</p>
<p>Muslims are as likely as Protestants to have a strong American identity.&#160; Eighty-five percent Muslims, eighty-four percent Protestants.&#160; They are also as likely as other Americans to identify strongly with their faith.&#160; Eighty-nine percent of Muslims, eighty-four percent of Jews, ninety-five percent of Catholics and Protestants.</p>
<p>But here’s the most interesting one, I thought.&#160; The percentage of Muslims who are satisfied with the direction the country is going, is almost double the level of optimism shown by Jews.&#160; The second most satisfied religious group, sixty-three percent of American Muslims are satisfied with the way the country is going, versus thirty-eight percent of Jews.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Muslims are the least likely faith group to be politically engaged.&#160; Only sixty percent of Muslims who reported they could legally vote, were registered to do so, compared with at least eighty-six percent of Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.&#160; There are a lot of other findings in here.&#160; It’s the ISPU American Muslim Poll just released today.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Thank you, Tom.</p>
<p>(Break)</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Dr. Stern’s new book is called “ISIS; The State of Terror.”&#160; Here, we have copies.&#160; So just have a look.&#160; You can find it on Amazon.com.</p>
<p>Some of you have asked me a couple times about that three-minute talk that Jamie Smith gave on “How Augustine Can Save Your Life” and so I’m going to repeat it again.&#160; It’s on Vimeo at Laity Lodge Box Canyon.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Ladies and gentlemen, here we are.&#160; Let’s see, I think Miranda Kennedy and then Napp.&#160; So the mic’s are over there for the two of you.&#160; We’re back in on it now.&#160; And you’re on the list, Shannon.</p>
<p>Miranda Kennedy, NPR</p>
<p>MIRANDA KENNEDY, NPR:&#160; If Kathleen would stop laughing, we could talk about ISIS some more.</p>
<p>No, I was just curious about Saudi Arabia, but I was going to ask both of you what you think we, the U.S. should do about Saudi Arabia, but I feel like I know now, what you think we should do.&#160; That we should cooperate more.&#160; We should continue cooperating with Saudi Arabia.&#160; Is that right?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Let me do this.&#160; I meant to make this announcement.&#160; What I would like to do, we have such a long list, is write down that question.</p>
<p>What I’m going to do is get a few people in the queue and we’ll add up the questions.&#160; So Miranda’s question and then Napp Nazworth.&#160; Let me get about three or four on, and then we can answer them, and then we can keep moving that way.&#160; Because there are so many of you on the list.</p>
<p>And then Napp, follow her question up with a question.&#160; You’re next.</p>
<p>MIRANDA. KENNEDY:&#160; Okay.&#160; Well, I didn’t finish.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Oh.&#160; Well, I thought you were.&#160; Oh.</p>
<p>MIRANDA KENNEDY:&#160; No, no.&#160; I was just making sure I understood her perspective, but it doesn’t have to be a long one.&#160; I just was asking before.&#160; I’d like to know what you think we should do specifically about Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>Napp Nazworth, The Christian Post</p>
<p>NAPP NAZWORTH, The Christian Post:&#160; So I just appreciated what you said about that.&#160; It’s not your position to say what, is the theologically-correct position.&#160; And then Abdullah said that you thought that saying “Islam is a religion of peace,” is overly simplistic and it reminded me of this —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And not true.</p>
<p>NAPP NAZWORTH:&#160; And not true, okay.&#160; It reminded me of a debate two years ago at Faith Angle Forum.&#160; We had Elliott Abrams sitting where you are.&#160; Michael Gerson was somewhere down there, and they were debating whether it’s appropriate for presidents to make the statement that Islam is a religion of peace.&#160; And so the issue for me, is I want the peaceful Muslims to win, right?</p>
<p>What the Koran says, is you know not important to me.&#160; What is important to me, is that the peaceful Muslims win.&#160; Meaning, you know that teenage Muslim, is deciding no, do I like the radicals or do I like the peaceful?&#160; I want him to go with the peaceful ones, right?</p>
<p>So for us non-Muslims, how do we encourage that?&#160; How do we help that happen, because we really have a big interest in the peaceful ones winning, right?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; These are actually two very good questions so let’s answer these, and then we’ll keep moving.&#160; First Saudi Arabia, and then Napp.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Please.&#160; You are more charitable on Saudi Arabia than I am.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Well, good.&#160; Let’s hear that.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; I get uncomfortable when we come up with univariate explanations for terrorism.&#160; So I was reacting out of discomfort.&#160; I think it’s —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; We are friends.&#160; You can be comfortable.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; And I also think it doesn’t — I think we actually really need Saudi Arabia to — this is as Bernie Haykel says, “untamed” Wahhabism.&#160; He doesn’t say it’s Wahhabism.&#160; He says it is “untamed Wahhabism.”&#160; As a woman, obviously, I am not comfortable.&#160; Well, as a human being I’m not remotely comfortable with Wahhabism, but I don’t think it’s helpful to demonize a country that we really need in this fight.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I don’t disagree with you, when you say we need Saudi Arabia in defeating ISIS, but I think we have to exercise caution here.&#160; we have to cooperate with Saudi Arabia, with very open eye and critical eye, and we have to exercise tough love.&#160; A religious establishment is in the hands of untamed Wahhabism.&#160; A religious establishment is in the hands of people who are pumping this ideology all over the world.</p>
<p>And therefore, as we did with communism and other ideologies, who we thought were not kosher, I think we should have the same kind of skepticism and filtering.&#160; Saudi Arabia beheads more people than ISIS every year.&#160; Women cannot drive.</p>
<p>Nine year old girls are allowed to marry because of a sickening despicable ideology which is the official religion.&#160; And I think again when we cooperate with a state, I think it should be in harmony with our ethical moral values.&#160; It shouldn’t be only just solving problems and fixing issues and turning a blind eye on their gross human rights violations.&#160; This is a consistent, I think innate hypocrisy in our foreign policy, if we keep doing this.</p>
<p>Plus, these guys are still pumping this bad ideology to all over the world.&#160; Part of our engagement with Saudi Arabia should be twisting their arms and making them stop.&#160; And to your question, in terms of politicians, you know, if you say, a week after 9-11, trying to drop the temperature, I mean then maybe there’s some wisdom there.</p>
<p>Especially if you are a Republican, if you understand American society is very vulnerable and there is a hate, an uncontrolled hate, and violence could take place against Islam and Muslims.&#160; In that particular sense, it’s somewhat understandable, but just to score political points, to be cheesy, to stick to these stereotypes and sound bites, I think it’s not very helpful.</p>
<p>For peace loving Christians supporting peace loving Muslims, you know one of the biggest influences on me, after I came to the United States, was reading Abraham Joshua Heschel.&#160; This man, what he did as a nonblack for the civil rights movement, it’s an incredible American story.&#160; In the context of American civil rights struggles, he said something really profound.</p>
<p>He said, there are few people who are guilty.&#160; ISIS is guilty.&#160; This politician is guilty, etc.&#160; But as he says in that context, again, all of us are responsible.</p>
<p>We arrive to this point together, and we can only bounce back together.&#160; What peace-loving Jews, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims can do?&#160; Feeling that sense of responsibility and fighting the fight, and not being a moderate lazy person.</p>
<p>Part of the problem is these crazies are so active, so hardworking, so determined.&#160; The forces who are trying to divide us are working day and night.&#160; There is one group in Lynchburg, Virginia.&#160; Every week they are sending me literature that God will barbeque me in the dungeons of hell.</p>
<p>But every week, I admire the consistency, like hard work.&#160; Unbelievable that they never give up.&#160; I always respond, saying, “Look, even if you want me to convert to your brand of Christianity, don’t you think there’s a marketing problem here?”</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; You should be talking to me.&#160; But I admire the consistency.&#160; Most peace loving Christians, like most peace loving Muslims and Jews and Hindus, regretfully, they are moderate peace loving, but they are lazy, my friend.</p>
<p>They are inactive.&#160; And they don’t understand how their laziness, silence, and inactivity, is empowering the fringe crazies in their communities.&#160; The problem is not these crazies and violent people.&#160; The problem is the choir that we preach.</p>
<p>They understand they are peaceful, but they don’t act.&#160; They don’t pay.&#160; They are not motivated.&#160; They are not mobilized.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Kathleen Parker?&#160; Kathleen, and then Will Saletan, and Shannon, and Clare, and Mindy, and Jamie, and Andrew, and Daniel.</p>
<p>Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER, The Washington Post:&#160; This question is directed to Jessica, but I welcome your thoughts, as well.&#160; Very early in your comments, you said that you would call ISIS Islamic or Islamist, and that the President refuses to.</p>
<p>And you hear a lot of criticism about that from the right and the republican party, that you can’t fight an enemy that you won’t name, or you can’t deal with a problem that you can’t identify, and I’m not sure that logic follows, but you are willing to call it, recognize that it is based on Islamic texts, etc., to limited degrees, or selective degrees.&#160; So my question is how important do you think it is to identify ISIS as motivated, in part, by the texts?&#160; I understand that the President can’t every time he mentions it, explain all the nuances, but he has just declined simply to — I think that it’s probably because he doesn’t want to alienate good Muslims, moderate Muslims, who might otherwise be on board.</p>
<p>But anyway, I welcome your thoughts on the naming aspect, and then if we were to be more open about it, if the President were to be more specific, would that help in any way, other than political in this country?&#160; Would it help in our efforts to combat ISIS?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Let’s get Will on, and then we’ll answer those two.</p>
<p>Will Saletan, Slate</p>
<p>WILL SALETAN, Slate:&#160; Kathleen, thanks for taking my first question.&#160; So I’ve got two more.&#160; No, no, Kathleen’s question was exactly the question, the first question I wanted to ask.</p>
<p>And actually, just to follow up on it, I wanted to just press Abdullah on whether, you know the Republican criticism of the violent extremism framework is that it’s too vague.&#160; Do you think that way of framing the issue actually impedes addressing the problem, or is that just cosmetic?&#160; Is that just an umbrella term and within it that they are doing an adequate job of confronting these —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Can you please define that Republican framework for me?</p>
<p>WILL SALETAN:&#160; Oh, just what Kathleen was saying, the objection is that by talking about — that we won’t name the problem.&#160; The Ted Cruz version:&#160; if you don’t name the problem, you can’t address it.</p>
<p>Now, your criticism is much more complicated and specific, but it’s on a similar point.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Sure.</p>
<p>WILL SALETAN:&#160; Wahhabism, right.&#160; So do you think this violent extremism framework, is just superficial, an umbrella term, and within it they’re doing an adequate job of addressing the problem, or do you think that refusal to call it Islam, is part of failing to address the specific problem of Wahhabism?</p>
<p>And then if you want to, if you feel like talking about, I’m sure a bunch of us in this room would love to hear about your de-radicalization methods, and what kind of conversations do you have with these people, what’s effective?&#160; That may be too long to deal with, but I’m just curious about it.</p>
<p>And one thing that really struck me in your remarks is some of the language that you used here, and I don’t know, not having heard you before, “despicable, disgusting, sickening, turns your stomach.”&#160; Is that something that used for every audience?&#160; Is that something that you do to make clear to non-Muslims that Muslims do object to this?&#160; Do you think that non-Muslims don’t hear this enough from Muslims, particularly in this country?</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; So both of those questions are related, so let’s stay on those two, and then we’ll to go to two more.&#160; Kathleen’s and Will’s.</p>
<p>So Jessica, your comments on Kathleen’s critique of the President.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I mean I understand why, and you understand why the President refuses to call this group Islamist, and why he uses “CVE.”&#160; I mean Muslims interpret CVE as —</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; What is CVE?</p>
<p>Dr. Jessica Stern</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Countering Violent Extremism, rather than Countering Islamist Terrorism or Islamist Violent Extremism.&#160; Unfortunately what it means, is Muslims objet to any — many Muslims object to any kind of CVE, now because it’s a weasel-y term for going after Muslim terrorists.&#160; I think it’s important to call it by its name, and not for Ted talk reasons, but I just — why not?</p>
<p>I don’t know, I mean everybody knows what we’re talking about, so I don’t know that it makes that big a difference politically.&#160; I think it’s silly, frankly.&#160; I’m curious what you —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Well, thank you for giving words to my frustration.&#160; What should we call this problem?&#160; What’s the name, and what’s the word?&#160; It feels like Hillary Clinton emails, over and over and over.&#160; You remember what Bernie Sanders said about them.</p>
<p>Like part of me says it’s not important — let’s deal with the real issue.&#160; These people are calling on each other, not to solve the problem or come up with the helpful term, but to basically stab at each other, score political points against each other, which is quite regrettable, which is another manifestation of the deep destructive polarization in our political life.</p>
<p>Every issue is a point to attack my political opponent.&#160; Every issue, including this one, as if we name it this way or that way will make any difference.&#160; Instead of talking about our substantial issues.</p>
<p>But I think we should call it as is.&#160; It’s a manifestation of Islam.&#160; It’s an expression of Islam in the way that I said.</p>
<p>It has roots in ideology and theology in Muslim cultures and histories, which our western policies and foreign policies and economic policies have contributed to — our invasions of those countries.&#160; Israeli/Palestinian conflict.&#160; These are contributing factors.&#160; In that sense, a slice of it, it’s an expression of Islam, but it’s not the authentic expression of Islam.</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER:&#160; So I should rewrite my lead to say both Donald Trump and Barack Obama are helping ISIS?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; In some ways, yeah.&#160; I’m sure.&#160; I’m hoping not intentionally.&#160; But more Muslims should say — more Muslims should stop becoming naïve, unhelpful, apologetic.&#160; More Muslims should stop this nonsense of&#160;&#160; “This has nothing to do with Islam”.</p>
<p>I understand why Obama, as a politician, as a non-Muslim is not saying this, but more Muslims confidently should say, yes these people are Muslim and they claim to do everything they do in the name of Islam.&#160; It’s an expression of Islam, which has its roots in Islamic history and Islamic facts.</p>
<p>But it’s evil, it’s perverted, it’s twisted.&#160; We should fight against it.&#160; I don’t understand that Muslim defensiveness that’s very common.&#160; “It has nothing to do with Islam”, really?!?.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Are you willing to go on T.V. and talk about this soon?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Sure.&#160; If I can ever get invited to FOX T.V.</p>
<p>(Laughter)</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Well, because if one of the first things we hear after San Bernardino, is “Where are the moderate Muslims who are condemning, or why are they so quiet?&#160; Why are they so intimidated?&#160; Where are they?&#160; Where are they?”</p>
<p>And I’m going to say, well, call my friend in Durham.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Here we are.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Here you are.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And there are so many of them.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Are there?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; There are so many.&#160; There are so many of us.&#160; That’s another question.&#160; Why after 14 years, so much effort by Muslim community in the United States, doing everything they can, almost at the expense of their own well-being?</p>
<p>After 15 years, overwhelming majority of Americans are still saying, “Where are the moderate Muslims?”&#160; This is a one million dollar problem.&#160; Maybe as a question, we should discuss.</p>
<p>I think partially because Muslim community is working hard, but not working smart.&#160; And they need your help. American society at large, they are so lazy they don’t want to diversify their sources of information.&#160; They are sticking with whatever they know, and they don’t go one extra mile to see.&#160; It’s amazing.</p>
<p>Like most of the conversations about Islam and Muslims are happening in the absence of Islam and Muslims.&#160; Muslims are not in the room.&#160; They are not at the microphone.&#160; This is an exceptional and admirable invitation, which I’m really grateful.&#160; I hope we are deserving of that trust.</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER:&#160; May I just say one more thing?&#160; So I understand that it’s silly not to name it, that we may as well name it, I get that, but would it help in any way, to name Islam as the problem?&#160; An aspect of Islam as the problem.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I think it would.</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER:&#160; You do?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I think it would. &#160;I think he should call it.&#160; He shouldn’t be too scared. he should have the courage.&#160; And yeah, some Muslims might be defensive and angry, but he should also provide that complexity.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And some Muslims, like me and Wajahat and others, by articulating why this is an expression of Islam, but an unacceptable wrong expression.&#160; It should be defeated.&#160; It could help as well.&#160; I think it would.</p>
<p>KATHLEEN PARKER:&#160; All right.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; And just quickly on this, and then Shannon, you’re next, and then Clare, and then Mindy.</p>
<p>Erica Grieder, Texas Monthly</p>
<p>ERICA GRIEDER, Texas Monthly:&#160; Yes, sir.&#160; And just to ask a quick technical question, following up on this discussion.&#160; I’ve been trying to use the phrase that is precise and accurate, in my writing about it, and I think we all try for that as journalists.</p>
<p>What I’ve been using thus far, at this point, is “radical Islamist terrorism.”&#160; Is there a more precise phrase that either of you would suggest?&#160; That captures not as much nuance and context.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Do you have a precise phrase that would be better?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I think using “Muslim” more than religion, Islam, is helpful.&#160; Muslim terrorists.&#160; This is the accurate description.</p>
<p>And to be consistent.&#160; To call every terrorist with their religious affiliation or jihadi ideology or jihadi terrorist, also you could say this.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Shannon and then Clare Duffy?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I didn’t get a chance to answer Will’s question though.&#160; I think the whole Republican question in this recent exchange answered, but in terms of my honest emotional cry, vis a vis this reality, is not a PR campaign.&#160; I’m not trying to message it.&#160; It’s my original authentic sincere really sincere emotions.</p>
<p>You know it affects my life, my friend.&#160; Every morning my wife and I, before we send our children to school, we check the headlines, to see if it is safe to send our children to school.&#160; Every day I am hoping my wife will text me when she comes from hospital to home, because we live in a very interesting world.</p>
<p>The reality that’s seven or eight hours ahead of us, is affecting our daily life.&#160; Just a couple of days ago, again, if I can be a little bit personal.&#160; I have a 14-year-old daughter.&#160; She and a friend are going through a bitter breakup.&#160; They are very very close friends, have nothing to do with religion, nothing at all.</p>
<p>So in the heat of these 14-year-old teenagers fighting and arguing and ending their friendship, her friend said, “I hope Trump will win, and you will disappear.”&#160; And it’s painful to be a father of a 14-year-old, seeing your daughter is going through what she’s going through.&#160; So it’s affecting us.</p>
<p>And to think that Muslims don’t see this and are not pained by it, and not even caring about it, it’s just regretful.&#160; It shows a kind of lack of common sense as a result of very unhealthy biased media and otherwise presentation of the problem.</p>
<p>UNIDENTIFIED PERSON:&#160; As far as, when your daughter was told, I hope Donald Trump wins and —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; You will disappear.&#160; “I hope Trump will win, and you will disappear.”&#160; So in the mind of a 14-year-old, average American girl, it went to that level of toxicity that she’s trying to hurt my daughter.&#160; I hope she doesn’t mean it, but that tells you how deep the problem is sinking.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; So but Will’s question was what?&#160; Kind of a description of your de-radicalization work.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And quite honestly, I cannot talk about that on the record.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.</p>
<p>Shannon Bream, Fox News</p>
<p>SHANNON BREAM, Fox News:&#160; So many of the groups that were mentioned today, operate from a place of exterminating any dissent from what they believe or completely annihilating groups that have nothing in common with them, not just dissent, but completely in conflict with them.&#160; And I keep thinking about our conversation yesterday about secularism, secularity, about this concept of having space for competing, beliefs, no belief at all.</p>
<p>But the concept of you don’t go back from that once you know what’s out there, and I wonder about that concept being leveraged as a tool against these groups, and their attempts to stifle anything in their way that’s not in complete agreement with them.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Yeah.&#160; Interesting.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Abdullah, let’s do this.&#160; Let’s write that question down, and then Clare, get yours in, and then we’ll keep going.</p>
<p>Clare Duffy, NBC Nightly News</p>
<p>CLARE DUFFY, NBC Nightly News:&#160; I’m actually good because mine was Will’s on de-radicalization.&#160; So we’ll take that up later.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay, good.&#160; Okay.&#160; Let’s answer Shannon’s question and then after Shannon, we’ll go to Mindy.&#160; And then, Tom, you had an intervention earlier, but you’re still on the list.</p>
<p>TOM GJELTEN:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I’m still on it.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; And you want to be on that list, don’t you?&#160; Yes, indeed.&#160; You’re on it.&#160; And Andrew, I’ve got you and Jamie.&#160; And yes, I’ve got you, Wajahat.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Jessica, do you want to take on Shannon?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I think “secularity three” is very very offensive to ISIS.&#160; They are going after number one, Shiites, but number two, also Sunni Muslims who don’t accept their interpretation of Islam.&#160; They publicize their massacres of Shiites.</p>
<p>They generally do not publicize their massacres of Sunni’s — that’s not part of their brand.&#160; They want to be seen as the vanguard of Sunni Islam.&#160; But that’s right.&#160; Secularity three is their enemy.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Also, I think Jamie said, if you get a cable, their radicalism is finished.&#160; Part of what we do in the radicalization program is to figuratively provide a cable, to get a variety of interpretations —</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Provide a what?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Figuratively provide them a cable.&#160; Jamie said yesterday, if you have a cable, you can’t be radical anymore.&#160; Cable TV, yeah.&#160; And I think Graeme and I, we were talking during the break, all you can do, is to put a doubt in their mind.&#160; And then all that absolutist, essentialist black and white world shatters automatically.&#160; Yeah.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Mindy Belz and then Tom and Jamie.&#160; Mindy?</p>
<p>Mindy Belz, WORLD Magazine</p>
<p>MINDY BELZ, WORLD Magazine:&#160; I’ll try to be quick.&#160; Thank you.&#160; That story makes me sad about your daughter, and it reminds me, in 2007/2008 a couple of fathers in Bagdad told me that they were packing pajamas in the backpacks of their children when they went to school, because they weren’t sure it would be safe enough for them to come home.&#160; And so I just appreciate what you’ve said, and it is a joint problem that we have.</p>
<p>That being said, what I wanted to ask both of you, is, coming from a perspective of following what’s been happening with the Christians and the Yazidi and other religious minorities in Iraq and in Syria.&#160;&#160; The action yesterday in the House to declare that genocide, and it does seem that at the end of whatever day this ends, the Muslims who have been hurt so much, will be able to go back and rebuild their societies or have the potential to.</p>
<p>It seems unlikely that the Christians and the Yazidi population, just those two, will have that same opportunity in Iraq, especially.&#160; And so I just wonder what you all think, if there should be protection for those groups, for the indigenous Iraqi and indigenous Yazidi population.</p>
<p>My second question, I think is related, but it’ll sound a little bit different, but I think it’s important to talk about the Iraq, the head of Iraqi intelligence has said there are, they estimate between 100 and 160 former Saddam Hussein regime officers that are behind the structure of ISIS that are giving it, its organizational heft —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Those numbers are very high.&#160; Much more higher than&#160; —</p>
<p>MINDY BELZ:&#160; Okay.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; — 160 —</p>
<p>MINDY BELZ:&#160; That’s what I wonder, because we hadn’t discussed that.&#160; And we saw the guy, who was captured last week.&#160; Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri.&#160; The Vice President of the United States, you know one of the few in the deck of cards United States never caught, still apparently is operating somehow behind the scenes, and giving ISIS some lift.</p>
<p>It seems to me that is something that you don’t want to hear about in Washington, because it makes Republicans and the Democrats look bad for different reasons.&#160; I mean, if in fact ISIS took over and you had a Saddam Hussein left, a holdover regime installed in Bagdad somehow, you would have, even that basic premise in which we went to war there, would be undone.&#160; And it certainly makes the menace look more deep-rooted.&#160; And so I just wonder if you can speak to that issue of what the Saddam Hussein regime’s role is in ISIS, and —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I think, Jessica can speak to that much better —</p>
<p>MINDY BELZ:&#160; Okay.&#160; And then philosophically what that might mean too.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Absolutely.&#160; I fully hear, and share your pain about the death and destruction of ancient Christian and non-Muslim, Yazidi, and otherwise communities.&#160; But unfortunately this is a tsunami, it kills and destroys everybody.&#160; They don’t only destroy Christian and Yazidi, as you know.&#160; They destroy anybody and everybody, as Shannon said, who, is not part of them.</p>
<p>You are either with me or against me.&#160; And if you are not with me, they destroy them.&#160; One would think and hope, the happy ending story of this will be restoration of these societies, and that restoration will also include the full acknowledgement of the right of return of these ethnic and religious minorities.</p>
<p>And their rights and their properties will be compensated in line, and in an equal level with the Muslim population.&#160; But I think you are very right, it’s very unlikely that most of these people —</p>
<p>I visited, I told you, a group of Christian Arabs — just to form solidarity and give my own apology to them — in the Los Angeles area.&#160; Most, probably they are going to stay here for a long time.&#160; And by the time things are restored there, it will be very difficult for them to go back there, but you are absolutely right.</p>
<p>And there is — so much scholarly work is going on.&#160; That basic brain team and the infrastructure of the ISIS, is the former Baath Party, or former Iraqi, Saddam Hussein’s army people, who were basically fired the day after we arrived there in 2003 by Rumsfeld.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I think you’re right.&#160; It makes both administrations look bad.&#160; It makes the Bush administration look bad for responding to 9-11 by attacking Iraq, and by leaving Sunnis disenfranchised in the hands of a sectarian leader.&#160; It also makes the Obama administration look bad for not just removing troops, but removing diplomats.</p>
<p>I think Obama just wanted to wash his hands of the problem, and these sectarian tensions built.&#160; And Sunnis, in the minority, had largely been in control since 1920, were suddenly, completely unsafe and ripe for the picking, including most importantly, military and intelligence personnel with great skills.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Not seeing the American invasion of Iraq, and its partial role in partial contribution to the creation of the ISIS, is really to me, dishonest.&#160; So many ISIS conversations are talked as if our invasion of this country has nothing to do with it.&#160; You hear speech after speech as if that 2003 invasion played no role, not even a partial role.</p>
<p>This is unthinkable.&#160; If you’re going to talk about this problem, which is regional, it has its historical, theological roots — but again, it emerged partially as a result of our unwise decisions.</p>
<p>MINDY BELZ:&#160; Actually, I do want to add that the person who formed the group that became ISIS was initially a secular thug.&#160; He was an ordinary criminal, whose mother thought she was going to save him – Jordanian — thought she would save him from a life of crime, by having him study Islam.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Islam he discovered was not a religion of peace, but a religion that justified his continuing criminal activity.&#160; And his skill at criminal activity is one of the reasons this organization is so wealthy.</p>
<p>UNIDENTIFIED PERSON:&#160; Who is that guy?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Zarqawi.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Okay.&#160; Tom, you’re up next. Tom Gjelten.</p>
<p>Tom Gjelten, NPR</p>
<p>TOM GJELTEN, NPR:&#160; This goes back to the question about whether there’s sort a&#160; peaceful version of the Wahhabi movement that might be part of the solution.&#160; There are two groups you didn’t mention, Abdullah.&#160; One is the Salafis, particularly the — I think it’s called the Quietists, the Salafis who are Quietists, who you know believe in sort of extreme Islam, but keeping to themselves.</p>
<p>And then, more important, the Islamists.&#160; I mean Jessica used the word “Islamist,” in describing ISIS.&#160; You did not call them an Islamist group, but the political Islam, and specifically Muslim Brotherhood, who according to my understanding, have for the most part of their history, have eschewed violence.</p>
<p>Now, in Turkey, you have an Islamist party in power.&#160; You have an Islamist party in power in Tunisia, you know what do you think of the potential of political Islam movement, the Islamists, to counter ISIS?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Great question.&#160; Yes, I was rushing through my notes, and I skipped that part.&#160; That’s an important one.&#160; I want to give a shout out to Shadi Hamid from the Brookings Institute.&#160; If you really want to understand political Islam.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; We had him here.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; We had?&#160; Okay.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; About one year ago.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I really hope you will read what he writes.&#160; I think he is one of the best scholar of political Islam and some of his colleagues at Brookings Institute as well.&#160; He is advocating, I think, very constructive and meaningful, as someone who knows the topic, saying not all Salafis are bad.&#160; Not all political Islamists are bad.</p>
<p>There is a way in which we should be able to work some parts, or some forms of political Islamism.&#160; So his ideas, or his opinions, they pretty much reflect mine, as well.&#160; We can do so much in, investing in healthy partnership with the more peaceful, more engaging, more constructive parts of political Islamists and the Salafis, and this will also help, also root out and weed out the violent elements of Wahhabism, as well.</p>
<p>But Wahhabism poisoned political Islam, Wahhabism poisoned political Salafism as well.&#160; The way in which this poison untamed wahhabism, wahhabism with a small W.&#160; The way it infiltrated, it affected Brotherhood, it affected Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, India, and it affected political Islam in Turkey, as well.</p>
<p>You can really easily trace the theological and ideological arguments in those as well, but those camps are not totally violent and untamed, as Wahhabism.&#160; So they are low-hanging fruits that we should engage with, absolutely.</p>
<p>UNIDENTIFIED PERSON:&#160; Who is Brookings’ person?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Shadi Hamid.</p>
<p>UNIDENTIFIED PERSON:&#160; He’s got a new book coming out very shortly.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; In the last couple of weeks, he wrote phenomenal three or four articles.&#160; Understanding the role of political Islam in this context is really phenomenal.&#160; I highly encourage you to read it.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Quickly, on this point, Andrew, a short intervention, and then we have Wajahat, and then Jamie.</p>
<p>Andrew Miller, The Economist</p>
<p>ANDREW MILLER, The Economist:&#160; My question was on the domestic inflection, the same question, actually, to do with nonviolent extremism, which has been a kind of — well, how, or whether to enlist nonviolent extremists and throw it against violent extremism has been a big live question in Britain and other European countries.&#160; And I wanted to ask you about that because the distinction –I understand from my reporting in Britain that the security services are very keen on nonviolent extremists.&#160; They actually like them, and even if they — these are people who reject the basic tenets of Western democracy and don’t really recognize the ultimate authority of the British government, but nevertheless oppose violence.&#160; And the security people tend to regard them as potentially very useful allies.&#160; Whereas, the government has been under increasing pressure to renounce them all together and denounce all forms of extremism, without making the distinction as to whether they are potentially actually violent or not.&#160; And I wondered, both of you, whether you have a — again, this is sort of a domestic version of Tom’s question, I think.&#160; I’m sure in America as well.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Thank you.</p>
<p>ANDREW MILLER:&#160; What do you think?&#160; You know, how would you make that judgment?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Well, that’s a phenomenal question, but again, there’s a large scale of education that needs to be done.&#160; There are many people in the law enforcement, they find visible expressions of Islam as a form of extremism.</p>
<p>The NYPD, when they were surveiling Yale Muslim Student Association, NYU Muslim student association, they were recording the number of times they prayed, the length of their beard, the type of their hijab — this is so ridiculous.&#160; So when we talk about nonviolent extremism, we should not equate any religiosity, or piety, or level of practice, with extremism, which unfortunately, is so grossly taking place when it comes to&#160; Islam, in the Muslim communities.</p>
<p>If you are eating only halal, if you only shop from a Muslim butcher, etc., like this is unacceptable, but there is absolutely a problem with nonviolent extremism, if a significant number of violent extremists are coming from one pool of people, I think we should absolutely surveil them, look for them, at least make sure, as long as they remain nonviolent, and not advocating for violence, with the First Amendment, there’s nothing much you can do.</p>
<p>But I think we should absolutely critically, basically watch them, whether or not they are doing anything to turn that nonviolent extremism into violent extremism.&#160; Have you ever studied them?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; I understand your question.&#160; You want to know if they can be utilized to fight violent extremism.</p>
<p>ANDREW MILLER:&#160; And they have in London (inaudible) —</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I mean I think a more useful approach, and this is what’s done with neo-Nazis in Scandinavia, is to use former violent extremists.&#160; I think that people who were not — it’s not all about ideology.&#160; So I think people who bought into the entire approach and left it, I think that is a better approach.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; They need to be lifted up.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; I’ll give you one example.&#160; For example, there are some scholars like Yasir Qadhi, who studied in Medina, Saudi Arabia, in the heart-bed of Wahhabi Salafi ideology.&#160; And pretty much, he’s not extremist, but people who are credible in that world they are doing phenomenally, wonderful job, like him.&#160; He’s doing an admirable job in countering any form of extremism, violent or nonviolent, or violent, of course, extremism.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Wajahat?&#160; Here we are.</p>
<p>Wajahat Ali, Al Jazeera America</p>
<p>WAJAHAT ALI:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I think my question has to do with the nature of terrorism and moving forward.&#160; Two questions, perhaps.&#160; First, is Syria.</p>
<p>You know we’re entering the sixth year of the war, more than 300,000 people have been killed, and it seems that with the refugee crisis, and with the civil war, even though Russia says it’s going to back out now, interesting developments, it seems to be a hot bed for extremism.&#160; And the people who go to Syria, many of them, I mean, there’s different profiles for the violent extremists ISIS recruits, they say they’re going to implement justice.</p>
<p>They want fairness, and justice, and peace in Syria.&#160; In fact, it seems like very noble, when they try to rationalize their actions.&#160; So how can we contain, if you will, any sort of violent extremism, or radicalization, whatever you want to call it, while we still have the Syria conflict ongoing, number one.</p>
<p>Number two, it seems that our future reality will see asymmetrical urban warfare.&#160; What happened in Paris, in San Bernardino, unfortunately, it seems it’ll be the norm.&#160; I hope I’m wrong, but with a globalized world, and how everything is going, I don’t see that as being a rare occurrence.&#160; I think we, unfortunately, are going to be seeing that for the rest of our lives.</p>
<p>If that is the case, how do we then inoculate ourselves, as an American society, from being terrified?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; One has to love Wajahat.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Yeah.&#160; He puts the strong questions.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Absolutely.&#160; So if we do our first point, I think that was my ending point.&#160; Until and unless these safe zones producing this cancer, producing these crazies, until and unless these deeply economically, socially, politically, culturally, and religiously broken societies with external help, they cannot do it by themselves; Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan.&#160; Name it, or East Africa, Nigeria, certain parts of Nigeria.</p>
<p>We have to find out a way, as a global community.&#160; Not only for self-interest but also&#160; for ethical moral reasons, because we played a role in the creation of these problems.&#160; So ethical moral reasons and also self-interest, because the violence and the kind of evil produced there is coming and affecting us.</p>
<p>We have to do everything we can.&#160; There are many creative Marshall plans and there are so many smart people in D.C. talking about this.&#160; I’m not going to go into details.</p>
<p>The second one, until and unless we don’t put a lid into this toxicity or limit it, we are going to continue to live in fear and in terror, absolutely.&#160; There is no guarantee, similar events like Paris and San Bernardino will not happen.&#160; There is nothing in the modern world.</p>
<p>If you listen to the people, the time these lone wolves decide and act is only two hours, three hours sometimes.&#160; When they get really radicalized and then they have the means to go, and basically kill people, there is very little with the available technology and the defense and security mechanisms, to interfere between his decision or her decision, and then doing that in the two hours.</p>
<p>This is something that we are not prepared.&#160; We have to dry the wetlands.&#160; And not only focus killing the mosquitos.</p>
<p>WAJAHAT ALI:&#160; I mean the second question, in particular, you know, because unfortunately, I think this is going to be a recurrence for the rest of my life, maybe in my child’s life.&#160; Globalization, the way people get recruited, the flowing of money and arms.&#160; The way you know, you can have a very peaceful society, and there’s one person who pops up, regardless if you want to call them Muslim violent extremists, or whatever.</p>
<p>How do we, as a society, then if you studied this, American society, which is right now being paralyzed by fear and division and anger and racial hysteria, can we inoculate ourselves against the feeling of terror that will inevitably happen as a result of another plot?</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; There is a theory called “terror management theory” that anytime it comes out of the recognition that we all have to, unlike other animals, human beings are forced to live with the knowledge of their own demise, even if they haven’t had a near death experience.&#160; And that we try, we have a world view and that world view is strengthened any time we are reminded of our mortality unconsciously.</p>
<p>And if our world view is racist, when we are reminded of our mortality, we become more racist.&#160; If we’re xenophobic, we become more xenophobic.&#160; This is a real problem for us, because I agree with you.&#160; We will have more lone wolf attacks.</p>
<p>I think it’s very important for all of us to realize that the main problem is for government officials.&#160; For individuals, the risk of getting caught up in a terror strike is vanishingly small.&#160; But also, to remember what terror management theory teaches us, these experiments have been done thousands of times all over the world, including in Iran, and just be aware of how we might react in a counterproductive way.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; If I can also add?&#160; Fear reveals the worst of anybody and everybody.&#160; And if we can invest in our immune system as a society, and know how to manage, not allowing fear to unleash the bad wolf in us.&#160; And if we can come up with a collective spiritual discipline where we acknowledge the fear, but not allowing to be overcome by the fear, not operating from a frame of reference, purely for fear, that will absolutely diminish the potential damage of that bad wolf in us.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Jamie Smith?&#160; Jamie Smith is next, and then James Hunter.</p>
<p>JAMIE SMITH:&#160; I do wonder if there’s to be a fascinating conversation about whether exclusive humanism has the resources to overcome fear.&#160; That would be — I just think, if all you have is the resources of the imminent frame, I’m not sure who could tell you, “be not afraid.”&#160; But that’s a different point.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Next year’s.&#160; Maybe next year’s conversation.</p>
<p>Dr. Jamie Smith, Calvin College</p>
<p>JAMIE SMITH, Calvin College:&#160; I think this question is for Imam Abdullah.&#160; I’m intrigued and thinking a lot about your point that bad ideology is challenged and rolled back by good ideology.</p>
<p>But then that makes me wonder, how much is our — and in particular, it sounded like to me, in other words, healthy Islam, healthy Muslims countering cancerous Muslims, right?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Healthy global societies and healthy global policies countering unhealthy ones.</p>
<p>JAMIE SMITH:&#160; So what if, though, American foreign policy and diplomatic strategies and counterterrorism strategies are, let’s say by default almost, informed by kind of secular-two-ist ideologies, then the ideology that they’re going to try to counter Wahhabism with, would be sort of democratic liberalism, which might actually be fueled by “religion as herpes,” kind of ideology, right?</p>
<p>In which case, that’s not going to be very effective, because it is demonizing Islam, it is demonizing religion as such.&#160; We’re going to get you to stop being Muslim terrorists by becoming liberals.</p>
<p>A, I would be intrigued if anybody knows whether that is kind of the default sort of policy mentality and if secondly, though, doesn’t this mean that really Muslims have responsibility — I’m just wondering, what can the United States do, if its face isn’t seen as Muslim in having that kind of fight?&#160; That ideological kind of fight.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Sure.&#160; I think your first question is very profound.&#160; It all depends on the type of secularism.&#160; If it’s French type, that’s exactly what happened in the 1920s and ’30s in Turkey.</p>
<p>A French secularist idelogy founded the Turkish republic, and basically according to this form of secularism, Islam should&#160; be confined to the four walls of the mosque.&#160; Anything beyond is unacceptable.&#160; And you see the result.</p>
<p>But if it’s an improved and even more evolved version of the Anglo-Saxon secularism that we discussed yesterday, that, in itself gives their religion to thrive and reveal the best of its self anyways.&#160; Look what America is doing to American Islam.</p>
<p>If you pay attention to American Islam, as a reality, not in its perception, it’s incredible how the overall health and religion — frankly, Anglo Saxon secularism — is enabling Muslims, without even any external help, revealing the best of their selves and even reviving their religious thought, religious understanding.&#160; In the Georgetown study of top 500 Muslims, American Muslims are the most exceedingly well represented within that 500.</p>
<p>Why?&#160; Because they produce knowledge in English and they’re in a context with so many civil liberties where they can actually produce religious knowledge&#160; Where they will not be bothered and opressed.&#160; Ideas are not limited or challenged with that type of French secularism.</p>
<p>Sermons of American Imams, Wajahat’s talks, are downloaded all around the world.&#160; The people are responding to something that they cannot have it in their own society.&#160; I don’t know if you have any thoughts to the first one, but I’ll just answer the second one as well.</p>
<p>The second one is a little bit tough.&#160; Can you rephrase it again, it was –?</p>
<p>JAMIE SMITH:&#160; Yeah.&#160; I’m just, I’m wondering, and this is mostly out of ignorance, but I have this distant impression, at least, that some of the conversation about counterterrorism, the hearts and mind strategy, is effectively driven by an engine that assumes we need to make people liberals, so that they won’t be extremists and terrorists.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Right.&#160; They won’t be backwards.</p>
<p>JAMIE SMITH:&#160; Right.&#160; And I have a hunch that’s loaded with a particular kind of secularist or exclusive humanist kind of take on that and it just seems to me that is such a starkly other ideology.&#160; In contrast to what you were suggesting, which would be a counterterrorism ideological battle, where it is the articulation of a winsome, inviting, full Islamic world view, and understanding that is sort of a meeting of apples and apples, rather than apples and oranges.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Sure.&#160; And you were asking what we can do as an American.&#160; One of the confessional fantasies of Islam, in the heavens, friends will sit down and watch episodes from the world.&#160; Whether it’s going to happen literally or not … but you and I, basically will sip some tea and maybe heavenly wine in our mansion in paradise and watch historical episodes..</p>
<p>This happened in the history of Islam, with the other violent extremism.&#160; How, when something bursts as a cancerous tumor, how collective health of the society shrank that tumor, and ultimately turned them — it didn’t wipe them out, but that community turned them into the heart of a civilization and they evolved into something much more constructive.&#160; They shed their evil and violent elements and they became like an added diversity to the intellectual core of the society.</p>
<p>What we can do, is — the main selling message of these evil people, terrorist organizations is :&#160; “West is at war with Islam.”&#160; “West Judeo Christian civilization is further stabbing the honor of Islam, humiliating the Ummah.”&#160; We can do a lot to undermine this main point of theirs.</p>
<p>Undermining this, pulling the rug under their feet, by not doing that.&#160; By not even appearing doing that.&#160; By controlling the crazies on our side, not necessarily giving more ammunition that we should to these evil people.&#160; In their perception of, West is at war with Islam.</p>
<p>Also we can do a lot with our humility, acknowledging our partial role, of our foreign policy, supporting dictators, invading countries based on wrong assumptions, etc., we can do a lot.&#160; I mean I can go over and over.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; James Hunter</p>
<p>Dr. James Hunter, University of Virginia</p>
<p>JAMES HUNTER, University of Virginia:&#160; Great.&#160; Thank you.&#160; So successful movements in history are effective at controlling the means of cultural production.&#160; And we know that ISIS is very good at social media and other communications technologies and strategies.&#160; But I want to know about the intergenerational dimension of this.</p>
<p>I mean if you look at, again historically, at world-changing cultural movements, education is always a part of it, it is always about the formation of the young, and this ties in a bit with yesterday afternoon’s conversation about character.</p>
<p>Because it’s not simply about knowledge.&#160; It’s about the formation of human beings into the incarnation of what they want to produce.&#160; And so I wanted to ask about the madrassas and their role in ISIS, or in other radical Muslim terrorist organizations.&#160; What can you say about that?&#160; I just would like to learn.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Wonderful.&#160; I think you are saying two profound things, James.&#160; One, the issue that we are facing in the form of Muslim terrorism, terror in the name of Allah.&#160; In many ways, it may look like archival medieval, it may look like and smell very old fashioned, but it isn’t.&#160; It really, it’s a very modern phenomenon.&#160; It’s built in a modern way.</p>
<p>Its sources and its strength is coming from modern strategies, as you said, using social media, etc., so it’s very difficult to go after in an archival old fashioned style.&#160; Like FBI is coming to these Imams and asking them to help them, to find what the radicalization — first, ask whether or not, if they have a social media account, if they are functioning within that parameter.</p>
<p>Again, most of our law enforcement surveillance is about surveilling Muslim communities, where they have never produced, or produced very little terrorists.&#160; Ninety-nine percent of the radicalization is taking place online.&#160; Developing, forming partnership with the Muslim community and developing online tools — that’s what Wajahat’s company and several others are successful trying to do — to develop modern strategies to this modern problem, which is very important.</p>
<p>The madrasas, again, another shout out, my former colleague at Duke, now he’s in Notre Dame, Ebrahim Moosa.</p>
<p>He’s a South African, now American, really remarkable scholar of Islam, who studied in the madrasas in India and Pakistan.&#160; He recently came out after seven years of research took book called “What is a Madrasa?”&#160; But in short, he acknowledged the role of primitive archival frozen intellectual and scholarly thought in the Muslim world.&#160; And how they are indirectly contributing to the extremism and violence in a very sophisticated.&#160; And in what ways reformation of madrasas and religious education and religious teaching can basically help the bigger goal that we are discussing in defeating this cancer.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; I’d like to add something here.&#160; I think there are a number of ways.&#160; The education of children is critically important.&#160; If we look at the Somali refugee community, the parents — and I’ve been studying this community with a group of psychologists for years —&#160; they were initially offering social services, and then when Al- Shabaab started recruiting them, they recruited me to be involved.</p>
<p>But we see that time on the Internet is definitely a risk factor.&#160; I forgot to mention that as a risk factor.&#160; The parents, and we see this also with the children of guest workers in Europe, the parents in this case, don’t necessarily speak English.&#160; They certainly don’t speak Internet.</p>
<p>And we see moms who think, oh, my kid’s inside, my kid is safe, and the kid is on the Internet.&#160; So that is a major risk factor.</p>
<p>Also, again thinking about education of children, ISIS is using children to kill people.&#160; They&#160; have a whole kind of technology of creating — I think eroding empathy, actually.&#160; Creating what we might call secondary psychopathy, creating people who actually get used to violence.</p>
<p>In fact, when people develop secondary psychopathy that’s a protection against posttraumatic stress disorder, it turns out.&#160; That’s a big part of what they’re doing, creating a new human being.&#160; Of course, the Soviets also had a fantasy they were going to create a new human being.&#160; They’re like the Khmer Rouge in this way.</p>
<p>About the madrasas.&#160; Here, I do want to talk about the Wahhabi influence.&#160; I have spent a lot of time studying the role of madrassas in Pakistan.&#160; Another issue that I think needs to be raised.&#160; It’s not just the spread of a foreign Islam among Somalis, they complain about it too, and South Asia, but the sexual abuse of little boys.&#160; They have the same problem —</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; And girls.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; — and girls — as we’ve seen in the Catholic Church.&#160; It just hasn’t been covered yet.&#160; Also I think the role of pederasty, we’re going to find out is important.&#160; There’s a reason why this narrative of humiliation resonates with some young boys.&#160; And I think this is part of it.</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; Absolutely.&#160; The madrasas that you should watch, is madrasas in large parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, in some places in India, Southern Philippines, where there’s no government control.</p>
<p>For better or worse, as a result of colonial impact, most madrasas in most societies like Turkey, Egypt, and other places, it’s under strict government control.&#160; And in there, there are so many problems, but religious violence is not one of them.</p>
<p>But in places that I just mentioned, there’s no government control, and these terrorist organizations are running the show.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Graeme Wood, you’ll have the final intervention.&#160; And by the way, name the name of your book.&#160; It’s going to be what?</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; The title’s not out yet.&#160; But I can endorse fully Ebrahim Moosa’s book as well, “What is a Madrasa?”&#160; But if you’re curious about the role of madrasas, he also wrote a really good outlook piece for the Washington Post, on exactly that topic.</p>
<p>In the discussions that I’ve had with ISIS supporters, though, and with people who have known them, overwhelmingly the story told about madrasas and mosques is that the people you should look for, are the people who were expelled from those institutions, rather than the people who excelled in them.&#160; So the stories of people who have been so ornery in their own view of how things should be that they were viewed as unteachable.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Right.&#160; So they were kicked out?</p>
<p>Grame Wood</p>
<p>GRAEME WOOD:&#160; Yeah.&#160; They would say, “No, I’ve been reading on the Internet.”</p>
<p>“You should be praying like this.”</p>
<p>And the others in the mosque would be there for a much longer period, or in the madrassa, who were trying to teach them, would say, “We see things in a different way, and you seem to be incorrigible.”</p>
<p>So that’s the relationship that I’ve seen most frequently between institutions like mosques and madrassas and ISIS recruits.</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; I think that’s true for ISIS.&#160; I think some of the South Asian jihadi groups have used — a small percentage, I want to be clear — a small percentage of extremist madrassas have functioned as kind of factories.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Final word?</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; A related topic on to this is also we should look into people who kicked out of certain mosques and certain communities.</p>
<p>The same phenomena which Graeme beautifully articulated.&#160; Also, there’s an interesting study, James, the level of religious knowledge among many of these terrorists is incredibly shallow.&#160; There are so many good studies.</p>
<p>The kids who joined from UK to ISIS, before they left for Syria, the books that they bought —</p>
<p>JESSICA STERN:&#160; “Koran for Dummies.”</p>
<p>ABDULLAH ANTEPLI:&#160; — “Koran for Dummies,” “Islamic History for Idiots,” “Idiot Guide of Islamic History,” or something like that — those were the books they were reading on their way to Syria, to fight for jihad.&#160; There’s a very shallow, many of them are not — they externally look as if they are from 7th Century scholarship, but internally very few of them are functioning in a scholarly — not all.</p>
<p>MICHAEL CROMARTIE:&#160; Ladies and gentlemen, join me in thanking both of our speakers.</p>
<p>(Applause)</p>
<p>PARTICIPANTS</p>
<p>Wajahat Ali,&#160;Al Jazeera America</p>
<p>Fred Barnes,&#160;The Weekly Standard</p>
<p>Mindy Belz,&#160;WORLD Magazine</p>
<p>Shannon Bream,&#160;Fox News</p>
<p>Carl Cannon,&#160;RealClearPolitics.com</p>
<p>Clare Duffy,&#160;NBC Nightly News</p>
<p>Paul Edwards,&#160;Deseret News</p>
<p>Tom Gjelten,&#160;NPR</p>
<p>Erica Grieder,&#160;Texas Monthly</p>
<p>Miranda Kennedy,&#160;NPR</p>
<p>Morton Kondracke,&#160;Roll Call &amp; Congressional Quarterly</p>
<p>Daniel Lippman,&#160;Politico</p>
<p>Andrew Miller,&#160;The Economist</p>
<p>Napp Nazworth,&#160;The Christian Post</p>
<p>Kathleen Parker,&#160;Washington Post</p>
<p>Kirsten Powers,&#160;The Daily Beast</p>
<p>Naomi Schaefer Riley,&#160;New York Post</p>
<p>Sarah Jane Rothenfluch,&#160;Oregon Public Broadcasting</p>
<p>Will Saletan,&#160;Slate</p>
<p>Graeme Wood,&#160;The Atlantic</p> | false | 1 | faith angle forum160is semiannual conference brings together select group 20 nationally respected journalists 35 distinguished scholars areas religion politics amp public life terror name god160its causes sources south beach miami florida speakers dr jessica stern research professor pardee school global studies boston university imam abdullah antepli chief representative muslim affairs duke university senior fellow duke office civic engagement stern presentation audio antepli presentation audio q amp audio part 1 q amp audio part 2 list participants found 160 michael cromartie moderator michael cromartie ladies gentlemen welcome weve saved sobering last terror name god two leading people country topic160 youve seen bio dr jessica stern phd harvard university160 hope notice bio last paragraph says included time magazine series profiling 100 people bold new ideas film peacemaker starring nicole kidman george clooney based fictional account work national security council nicole kidman play jessica stern160 yes michael cromartie160 yes indeed160 congratulations thats wonderful160 also written important book called terror name god160 militants kill 160she new book called denial memoir terror topic came advisors lunch postsan bernardino said know best person could get would dr jessica stern delighted said could join us160 dr stern thank much faith angle forum sobering topic160 welcome dr jessica stern boston university jessica stern thank much160 glad finally got come here160 thrilling experience thank all160 found conversation really enlightening ways think begin try define religious terrorism mean160 terror name god160 ill start telling would define terrorism hundreds definitions literature160 violence threat violence aimed noncombatants aim influencing audience usually change policy central feature terrorism involves deliberately targeting noncombatants means violation judeochristian war tradition well islamic war tradition definition160 however could fact often satisfy jus ad bellum requirement160 always violation jus bello may cause thats important remember160 unjust means possibly cause audience160 well audience includes people sympathize victims160 right big part isiss audience160 audience often includes sympathize terrorists also terrorists themselves160so think need see terrorism partly solipsistic160 form theater160 psychological warfare aimed audience sympathizes enemy victims audience often includes perpetrators sympathize makes religious160 see jamie smith right across know youre going views160 many ways differentiate religious terrorists nonreligious terrorists160 say motivations violence ira different religion enemy ira terrorists didnt say fighting religious reasons would refer religious terrorists160 many identity christians hindu nationalists isis right group talking time say theyre killing people religious reasons160 put category religious terrorists even though im going try persuade goals wholly religious describe objectives religious terms refer religious texts justify actions view seek political power territory much seek religious goals160 religion isnt necessarily critical recruitment drives ive spent lot time talking religious terrorists indonesia israel india lebanon pakistan united states160 people claim killing name god world across religions160 even buddhist terrorists160 every religion produces terrorists say outset im expert islam dont specialize islamist terrorists160160 last book isis160 study terrorists across religions disadvantages specializing islamist terrorists know certainly writing book isis also advantages see tricks religious terrorists play160 much isis similar identity christians do160 said point history jihadis able recruit large numbers160 isis created compelling ideology youth want remake society reinvent among muslims forty percent whove arrested united states connection isisrelated crimes converts ideology appealing thats something need address160 jihadis much successful example identity christians grandson meir kahane israel thinks israeli government isnt jewishenough wants destroy government160 terrorists flops comparison jihadis think jihadis significantly successful religious terrorists crisis governance muslimmajority states narrative humiliation160 islamic civilization greatest earth160 longer case jihadi leaders zawahiri interpreted source humiliation blame west humiliation160 believe west partly blame crisis governance iraq along civil war syria led rise isis dont blame rise isis united states means think important recognize played role largely responsible happened iraq result invasion160 left iraq hands known antisunni leader dr jessica stern let say little bit first came study phenomenon160 first religious terrorist ever spent time identity christian started emailing asking questions spirituality160 gotten prison160he involved cult aimed take zionistoccupied government actually surprised interested spirituality surprised spiritual seemed160 said joined religious fellowship rural arkansas160 group didnt start violent160 leader revelation end times imminent160 began preparing felt times tribulation began preparing end times160 idea carried acts violence mud people messiah would return quickly160 actually felt purifying world mudpeople homosexuals jews could influence timing messiah160 saw violence form worship true isis isis relies religious texts160 president wont call jihadis islamists160 certainly wont call muslim160 will160they relying texts identity christians160 kerry noble one leaders identity christian cult mentioned said christians typically ascribe qualities light love god try manifest qualities lives160 agreed scriptures describe another aspect god told me160 lord god man war160 hes quoting160 dont references somebody know come from160 wet glittering sword render vengeance enemies160 make arrows drunk blood sword shall devour flesh hermeneutics believe dictated apocalyptic expectation politics isiss think rabbi sacks would say isis religious terrorists misreading texts160 im qualified say whether misreading text160 text religious texts filled contradictions160160 guys find way ignore parts texts promote peace focus instead parts text justify want do160 need remember abolitionists referred bible justify abolition slavery160 supported slavery also justified reference text isis160 isis sees purifying islam good example reinstitution slavery160 thats refers use sexual slavery calls reinstitution slavery means improving moral life fighters way fulfill one signs hour indicating imminence end time160 sexually enslaving yazidi girls isis claims believe revivifying islam offering followers version islam practiced salaf first three generations muslims pious predecessors unencumbered hermeneutics accretions historical practice think important us remember time texts written slavery common practice throughout world160 course find reference slavery bible160 wont bother quoting im sure know slavery course abolished throughout world still practiced throughout world160 billiondollar business refer practice slavery today christian jewish slavery mentioned christian jewish texts christians jews making money human trafficking160 dont think view realize views room look forward debate160 look isis says slavery think important realize inadvertently admit practice instrumental160 say realize young men afford wives might tempted sex family housemaid therefore way allowing young men think part recruitment strategy sex160 one incentives offer160 sex160 slave160 doesnt count premarital sex160 raping slave sin according isiss scholars160 read closely really look instrumental well religious interpretation religion isis want160 wants two different contradictory things160 one hand wants run socalled caliphate iraq syria libya160 provinces many parts world160 egypt caucusus afghanistan libya course saudi arabia160it wants run state160 likes refer state160 also wants goad west sending ground forces final battle dabiq160 say first started looking apocalyptic narrative really taken aback didnt expect would convoluted wellarticulated christian identity cult talking about160 name online magazine urge look read dabiq160 thats name town anticipate willfight final battle west clearly contradictory goals dr jessica stern ive troubled contradiction studying isis know hard figure doesnt make sense160 one goal isis pursuing would agendas make muslims west feel unsafe160 say want destroy gray zone moderate islam160and reason believe trump falling trap160 helping destroy gray zone making muslims west feel unsafe160 isis attacks west goads us attacking syria160 isiss leaders hope attacks west ultimately make western muslims feel unsafe hope vulnerable recruited isiss sidethe isis increase prejudice muslims west actually pursue parts agenda whats different isis isis like terrorist groups aim succeed persist time attract capital labor brand isis good groups mentioned flops attract capital160 attract labor160 narrative ideology appealing broader group dont good brand160 isis three get capital160 know gets capital exporting oil160 buys oil160 well assad one major consumers oil oil getting turkish border160a lot people often happens civil wars getting rich conflict160 also selling captagon amphetamine160 also using amphetamine fighting160 involved currency trade160it taxing sale antiquities160 taxing refugee flows160 would call extortion160 call taxing also earns lot money extorting population trapped territory controls160 needs territory partly source finances160 brand160 group better group history branding active im sure many know social media thats spreads branding marketing also compelling narrative160 good magazine layout filming160 professionals films160 films stories theyre old man droning would zawahiri boring part brand brutality160 following recipe dictates brutality good way polarize muslim muslim sunni shiite polarize west itself160 course western governments muslimmajority states attract labor terrorists offer three kinds incentives160 spiritual incentives emotional incentives financial incentives160 attract labor isis first capitalizing disenfranchisement sunni arabs territory controls160 area believe west played significant role fired baathists160 suddenly found without jobs weapons160 spent time us detention facilities baghdadi leader isis busy creating jihadi organization us detention facilities iraq important part story isis evolved group today isis also attracts foreign labor160 weve never seen group capable attracting foreign fighters doctors engineers160 spiritual incentive opportunity live isis calls shariabased state dr jessica stern humanitarian incentive opportunity help syrians suffering160 theres attraction violence160 seems impossible wouldnt see psychopaths overrepresented isis 160that doesnt mean theyre psychopaths certainly people joining would attracted violence sake opportunity recreate oneself160 think narrative ways things common happened 60s 70s160 rather make love war make war love dangerous fad160 faddish narrative among young people fortunately united states faddish michael cromartie160 attractive jessica stern160 level frustration especially muslimmajority states160 think attractive west160 two different questions160 attractive michael cromartie160 youre saying make love war dont get make war love jessica stern160 well thats youre laughter jessica stern160 youre recruit want abdullah antepli160 didnt mean interrupt many incredible studies showing patterns attraction gangs united states attraction terrorist organizations like isis160 almost identical character traits personal background mental health situations jessica stern160 yeah160 yes160 think west understand it160 im involved big study childrens hospital boston weve interviewing somali refugee youth160 find correlation delinquency including support violent extremism trauma exposure social marginalization mental health issues strong bonds inside community well country protective160 ignorance islam hypothesized make youth significantly vulnerable160 think need bear mind isis poses threat mainly region secondarily countries close iraq syria primarily muslims bottom united states160 biggest threat us lone wolf western recruit much like kid would join gang ideas things help address im going stop talk michael cromartie160 okay160 thank applause michael cromartie160 thank dr stern160 thank much160 ladies gentlemen mentioned lunch twice year talk future topics 160our good friend colleague jeffrey goldberg talked topic said must get young imam duke university abdullah antepli160 young160 thank michael cromartie160 yes160 said word young160 imam abdullah said important impact duke teaching duke divinity school hes chief representative muslim affairs serves faculty jeffrey said hes become great source trying understand phenomenon fact abdullah flies around world trying deradicalize young lone wolfs professor stern told us imam abdullah grateful could join us160 lot live jeff goldberg singing praises time imam abdullah antepli duke university abdullah antepli160 feel pressure160 good morning everybody absolutely pleasure honor here160 learned much already day andahalf im looking forward learning remaining time conference160 brief kind introduction michael told also reflects two honorific titles given students duke university call two titles160 one turkish delight imam laughter explains thick turkish accent160 turkish accent often source humor home campus160 one funniest one day eid ul fitr like muslim christmas end ramadan160 invited jewish community significant part calling time lately im spending trying improve jewishmuslim relations united states also middle east well believe israelipalestinian conflict one main causes sources virus isis al qaeda evil people represent160 thats one sources put lit on160 huge never ending conflict keep reinserting west war islam phenomenon160160 never miss opportunity talk jews went said brought greetings muslim community160 celebrated eid ul fitr wish many could still celebrating eid ul fitr160 never forget one gentlemen front said what160 celebrated adolf hitler laughter abdullah antepli160 say anything sounds painfully wrong check spelling160 also says much communication issues way talk way hear one another course second honorific title blue devil imam know anything islamic theology may sorts weird things dont devil business160 imam face earth given permission pray devils160 five times day week worship prayer friday jumah 150 muslim blue devils160 worship prayer say glory devils mean may god destroy enemies unc course laughter abdullah antepli160 always someone audience idea whats going completely terrified160 god forbid isis gets video says oh look160 american muslims praying devils160 thats case 25 minutes talk terror name god specific talk terror name allah160 muslim terrorism terror name islam way presented done160 move two unhelpful extremely reductionist simplistic forces dominating conversation muslim terrorism would like us invite us distance theres much brain power experience people written extensively topic160 really hope go beyond talking points cheap reductionist almost propagandaish extreme poll160 one side mostly apologetic muslims liberal progressive sort allies naive supporters one voice problematic misleading potentially harmful160 islam religion peace160 isis nothing islam160 saying islam religion peace like misleading makes uncomfortable somebody says islam hates us religion essentially one thing160 somebody comes says christianity judaism run away person160 religion 2000 years old millions members essentially one thing160it essentially evil good160 say islam religion peace shenanigans destruction savagery barbarism happening name islam evil organizations like al qaeda hamas hezbollah isis boko haram al shabaab nothing islam despite things happening160 really silly say least therefore patience especially guess muslim less patience kind one person says nothing islam want pull hair scream extreme people getting wagon buying cheap propaganda 911 saying isis terror name islam authentic expression islam160 take religion seriously take religion book take religion resources expression get isis160 anything everything else watered sugar coated moderated diluted version religion unbelievable160 mean many credible voices media academia basically debating islam160 reality much complex two extreme dominant simplistic reductionist voices thats im going try summarize remaining 19 andahalf minutes160 im really hoping push back fronts well historical theological evidence provide160but isis islamic sense one islam160 isis al qaeda expression islam160 im quite aware record isis similar organizations terror name allah expression islam three main islams im really hoping anyone make intelligent argument see isis terror name allah expression slice three different categories islam 160there three main categories every religion im going focus one160 think dr stern made beautiful job explaining resembles challenge resembles every faith tradition first islam islam religion160 islamist theology islamist belief system160 islam selfimagination abstract theological belief system160 way quran way prophet muhammad sayings examples represent like christianity religion judaism religion buddhism religion160 problem discussing definitely roots connection first islam160 think spending way overtime trying understand problem well solution first category many islams160 second islam islam theory belief system islam religion manifest human experience160 islam muslims islam people islam lived160 take islam cultural expression say nothing religion islam160ultimately islam muslims do160 christianity christians do160 judaism jews imam abdullah antepli talk second islam islam muslims talking 16 17 billion people face earth indonesia argentina china iceland canada160 uniqueness american muslim community immigration patterns way muslims came 6 7 million muslims living united states represent entire ethnic linguistic racial sectarian diversity entire muslim world muslims almost everybody here160 come campus friday prayer youll see 150 muslims praying even small pool chinese muslims indonesian muslims german muslims pakistani turkish arab everybody here160 thats another unique experience unfortunately heat post 911 conversations impressive reality of160 american muslims often get lost third islam addition islam religion belief system addition islam muslims third islam islam history one mosttrickiest expressions islam never understand first islam islam religion today never able understand muslims today unless study third islam able look muslim majority societies make intelligent arguments unless160 study least first couple centuries islamic history160 kind history histories gave birth presentday situation160 kind histories gave birth present economic social political yes terrorsecurityrelated issues well im arguing terror name allah islamic expression160 slice three historical cultural social economic political well theological religious expressions160 depending region time depending organization evolved160 depending mostly west muslim societies respond percentage theology cultural political economic realities change creation evil people evil things name islam160 historical developments matter160 maybe qampa session talk different terrorist organizations like isis al qaeda boca haram give details remaining arguments want build want go history cultural theology unfortunately start theology160 start text quran160 start historical textual scriptural proof isis organizations start yes absolutely within islam much people despise disgust turn stomach upside say muslims160 are160 say arguments basis islamic tradition160 much seeing authentic expression islam said160 want build arguments native american analogy160 love native american story native american elder invites little kids tribe says grow two wolves two wolves wolf160 turks pronounce w pronounce v either160 turkish theres w v something between160 bear two wolves dont know heard story160 course kids say elders say one evil one good wolf160 good evil wolf always fight always kids immediately say wolf win160 wolf win fight elder says whichever feed160 whichever nurture160 whichever empower facilitate160 whichever give attention going back distaste extreme voices acknowledge good bad wolves every one us good bad wolves every one religions bad wolves koran160 voices name god demanding asking violence destruction also voices always interfaith conversations god created man woman divided tribes god loves everybody essence sacred ambivalent160 ambivalent elements religions including islam160 good wolf nurtured overwhelming majority muslim history christian history jewish history etc160but bad wolf nurtured bad wolf fed evil wolf given opportunity grow thats see form isis form al qaeda form terrorist organizations want risk becoming boring duke university history professor please bear sevenandahalf minutes let take historical journey160 bad wolf islam fed long fed much faced real resistance kind monster dealing situation basically take evil organizations conducting terror name islam160 ive saying along publicly im im trying convince hearts160 look terrorist organizations nigeria afghanistan places absolutely trace ideological religious theological roots one major cancerous event160 wahhabism wahhabism 19th century reformation movement islam160 quite ironic one modern interpretations modern reformations islam reformation form wahhabism quite despicable regretful quite honestly160 literalist potential violent interpretation islam emerged 19th century imam abdul wahhab saudi arabia direct response european colonialism disintegration fragmentation ottoman empire muslim civilizations collapsing like many people west healthy society healthy civilization got dark ages somewhat functional communities160 think civilizational decline collapse think civilizations declined stock market collapse160 roads collapsed thats case160 real deterioration destruction happens inside world view160 civilization finally collapses took place islam muslim civilizations end 19th century160 beginning 20th century civilization collapsed internal resources destroyed well lost soft power well wahhabism reformist movement emerged within sunni islam160 came existence almost sunni traditions rejected declared nonsunni heresy something consistent main stream theology regretful two main reasons160 cancerous ideology successful time capturing imagination many societies160 sunni world even shia wors well becoming extremely successful infiltrating almost entire global muslim community including united states past many similar abnormal movements emerge islam like know little bit islamic history khawarij 1st century islam160 know anything assassins hashashin160 like crazy movements name religion muslim institutions theologically defeated movements imam abdullah antepli health muslim societies able marginalize fringe crazy movements time get rid cancer tumor becomes mainstream160 first time wahhabism cancer struck body muslim institutions would otherwise counter defeat ideology destroyed european colonial establishments160 blaming west problem exactly happened colonial powers came dismayed decentral nature muslim institutions like british came india saw church england couldnt believe it160 come theres church england160then control religion160 basically make sure dont pose threat regime160 didnt come suck blood muslim world160 came introduced religious institutions economic structure banking structure educational structure wahhabism spreading like cancer muslim institutions completely destroyed weak that160 also internal decay internal deterioration muslim civilization long time made impossible fight abnormal reformation 160the body healthy enough fight yo begin went bangladesh saw hadith book 9th century written muslim spain incredible160 look muslim civilizations dynamic years160 hadith book sayings prophet written muslim spain three years reached calcutta translated bengali three years unbelievable speed ideas unbelievable dynamism muslim civilizations160 time 19th century earliest hadith book written taught madrasas 200 300 years old160 going understand muslim world unimpressive picture real starvation economic social political also cultural inteleectual give one example think supplement160 number books translated spanish one year number books translated arabic 100 years go united development index look paper consumption books research number patents etc theres incredible incredible unhealthy intellectual cultural life muslim majority world makes resisting ideologies sick like wahhabism despicable wahhabism160 incredibly difficult160and success today depends two things160 none evil distorted violent extremist groups muslim groups past never became state religion like wahhabism another unintentional assume hope british colonial inheritance received saudi arabia inherited wahhabism state official ideology160 first time literalist violent ideology became state religion met billions dollars oil money longest time since werent posing threat west enemys enemies friends economic interest unfortunately quite honestly puzzle whole terrorism wahhabi contribution wahhabi ideological theological contributions ongoing contributions terrorism problem beyond belief160 completely lost anybody tell going ideology going heart matter160 trying dry wetland saudi establishment im saying regime change least limit kind wahhabi influence taking place constantly pumping free literature zealous missionaries around world160 one thing ideology free market export ideology got billions dollars money second thing jump conclusion meaningful conversation160 whats respectful way say something hit fan laughter abdullah antepli160 real thing hit fan 1980s afghanistan160 afghanistan invaded soviet russia160 cancer mainly destroying islam theological sense learned fight kill partially help help lot examples conspiracy think public knowledge way took ideology took many men allowed enabled ideology afghanistan defeat mutual enemy160 look way cancer spread religious violence new160 violence name islam terror name islam new modern expression real violence took muscles violent capability 10 12 years war afghanistan soviet russia violent ideology extremist ideology deeply anti semitic deeply antiwestern ideology also learned military muscles learned fight kill war soviets left basically left people own160 interesting160 go southern philippines mindanao muslim terrorists trying establish sharia state small number160 trying implement deradicalization program prison captured terrorists said learn islam160 get answer160 learned ahmad question160 ahmad learned answer160 spent five years afghanistan160 fighting religion cancer160 spread globally afghan wars 1980s took valley hopelessness leave there160 climb mountaintop hope inspiration160 believe functioning democracy superpower wealthy economy still need undermine cancer really treat cancer model limit resources dry ideological zeal resources kind sophisticated 21st century marshall plans help areas cancer infected military solutions act know hammer everything nail problem spread160 hammer afghanistan show evil face iraq160 hammer iraq show somalia show mali imam abdullah antepli military role play160 theres way killing people weapons course go necessary kill prosecute lock up160 fighting evil ideology roots islamic theology muslim cultures160but way theology muslim culture shaped historical events partially involved played partial role creating cancer160 therefore put ideology military muscles160 therefore put bullet ideology bad religion evil religion bad ideology cured win defeated good ideology good religion good social structure160 unless societies deeply broken every possible sense160 economically socially politically religiously culturally unless societies dont gain help problem go away grow far looking military solutions today terrorists 15 years ago160 safe spaces producing cancer 15 years ago160 every terrorist kill produce five ten terrorists think greatest rabbi philosopher 20th century albert einstein said definition insanity keep trying thing expecting different results160 think real conversation like 12step initiative says trying working therefore love end one psalms 96 98160 psalms also holy text islam160 believe reveal prophet david160 god says david psalms 96 98 sing new songs160 shir hadash160 sing new songs look god revealed text david things messed up160 god saying old songs singing jumping simplistic reductionist sound bytes relying military muscles working160 fueling fire anything problem growing humanity large american people particular need come 21st century version fo marshall plans help broken socities regain health dont willpower160 dont large society say going sing different song defeat enemy will160 thank much michael cromartie160 thank applause michael cromartie160 okay160 long list160 carl cannon youre first160 graeme wood raise hand finished book isis im going call you160 carl youre first graeme160 others carl cannon realclearpoliticscom carl cannon realclearpoliticscom160 yes160 professor stern either one both160 said something interested me160 think said 40 percent americans arrested terrorism muslim converts question people attracted typically islam tactical reasons funneled terrorism cannon fodder theyre expendable naïve attracted violence islam incidental abdullah antepli160 tell latest case study working on160 story answer almost questions160 one story like almost every one single even different thing years north carolina working improve homegrown terrorism radicalization solved muslim community law enforcement learn work together160 law enforcement learn treat muslim community part solution part problem muslim community learns trust law enforcement come long way160 built enough trust fbi local federal law enforcement see case absurd means somebody potentially radicalized young ridiculously naive misled call us mostly intervene help latest story careful reveal anything violate privacy family160 white kid 12 yearsold catholic mother protestant father160 never met muslim never stepped mosque im going psychoanalyze kids background family structure age 12 starts watching youtube videos isis propaganda160 isis tweets 80000 times day almost160 theres sophisticated terms terms really talk capability incredible successful dr stern said messaging branding trying appeal certain kinds thrill seekers age 13 converted isis islam without even meeting one muslim ever united states160 age 14 talking syrian jihadi isis thats thought talking fbi informant making plans go syria fight isis fbi came160 said bizarre160 boy 18yearold pakistaniamerican arabamerican turkishamerican would never come us would send informants see far go160 like many cases160 nine cases brought us community 100 percent success rate intervened160 results different160 kid said said im going tell go isis going tell youre going accept islam accept reject conducted like basic information mainstream muslim theology160 hes mosques160 interesting six months learning islam complexity including isis version islam said im interested boring laughter160 abdullah antepli160 didnt even want remain muslim anymore160 bizarre interesting almost 50 percent people going heard even higher recent converts getting conversion zeal buy idea west war islam dignity honor islam stabbed go defend brothers sisters muslim world thats selling message working muslim societies deep trouble160 deep deep deep pain isis gives black white reductionist simple answer miseries muslim world160 people recent converts attracted jessica stern160 ive talking great length young man columbia university160 started website converted turned essentially inspire magazine magazine put al qaeda arabian peninsula recipe make bomb kitchen mom boston marathon bombers followed read book terror name god prison felt understood tried get prison authorities come talk him160 anyway hes prison now160 actually started leftleaning ideology common think people come kinds ideologies160 globalization still hes interested getting involved playing role counterradicalization think great michael cromartie160 graeme wood graeme wood atlantic160 thank michael cromartie160 graeme book come graeme wood atlantic graeme wood160 ive got book thats coming isis hope worthy jessicas example160 later year possibly early fall thank stimulating comments160 ive got questions jessica wonder might say alluded beginning isis using familiar tricks things youve seen use religious rhetoric perhaps insincere ways160 mentioned tensions contradictions within way isis operates160 one difference instrumental use slavery extreme would inherent value divine command practice slavery160 contradiction desire build state desire bring apocalypse would presumably destroy states contradictions think also sometimes adduced like difference religious origin political origin isis groups like difference lack religious practice even sinfulness fighters apparent religiousness claims religious struck conversations ive isis supporters dont view things contradictions160 dont view undermining religious sincerity religious nature organization160 wonder conversation collectively religious nature isis versus nonreligious nature isis isis willing accept contradictions admit fighters sinful pasts improved point fighters name god whether conversation might actually one thats necessary jessica stern160 umhm graeme wood160 ive got second question blue devil imam well laughter abdullah antepli160 go forget graeme wood160 okay160 first interested comparison reformation wonder might say abdullah antepli160 sure graeme wood160 also eagerness essentialize islam say islam religion war islam religion peace160 reformation comparison one im curious part lot catholic polemics luther analogized muslims adullah antepli160sure graeme wood160 said look proposing kind religion headless central authority seem unwilling essentialize islam seem willing essentialize wahhabism call cancerous violent forth160 extend analogy think would rightly careful essentializing protestantism say160 wonder might speak whether wahhabism also capacity peaceful wahhabism whether rather trying eliminate oppose inherently might see hundred years wahhabism nice wahhabism could live abdullah antepli160 excellent questions160 thats hope michael cromartie160 professor stern first jessica stern160 want clear160 didnt mean imply anybody insincere religious terrorists insincere160 think reasons spread ideology political economic factors cultural factors crisis muslimmajority states religion per se160 im questioning sincerity although clearly locals escaped saying joined fighting force paid nusra know fighting u side surge promised jobs maliki regime didnt get jobs became ripe picking reasons security necessarily buy ideology think complicated160 think sincere beliefs many join reasons160 mean going gamers example160 know look theyre able attract young people call duty films160 kids joining many many different reasons ideology one abdullah antepli160 add question also160 never seen imam way many sinners come office find law enforcement160 recently working police department group pedophiles name religion often christianity raped many boys girls decades appalled rationalization like despicable disgusting160 never seen sinner hasnt rationalized sin either domestic violent abuser husband pedophile terrorist160 therefore would give little credit people rape burn people alive destroy innocent lives say way rationalize apparent contradictions see sinners mind credibility sin forcing people rationalize it160 otherwise repeat it160 ask forgiveness therefore would dismiss think sinner rationalization going anything authentic anything scholarly intellectual taking place160 going see peaceful wahhabism thats hope160 im want know third title people hear speak say imam imam abdullah antepli say yes say no160 theres southern baptist preacher laughter abdullah antepli160 maybe southern baptist zeal might sounded like im essentializing wahhabism160 thats hope160 im advocating wiping whole wahhabism160 believe every evil theology healthy context sort tames domesticates becomes healthy community look previous examples gave 1st century islam became normal time institutions defeated violent elements overall health society absorbed digested became incredible intellectuals later assassins ismaili community sect shia islam serial assassins one best organized intellectual cultural economic muslim community aga khan community160 thats sources160 evolved changed protestantism wasnt certain helpful historical could turned isis160 could christian isis thank god didnt160 wahhabism unfortunately got control160 wahhabism really became cancerous metastasized michael cromartie160 mr imam could 25 words less mean assume everyone knows wahhabism give short definition roots160 rooted saudi arabia abdullah antepli160 yes michael cromartie160 short definition wahhabism abdullah antepli160 movement many movements160 muslim civilizations collapsing many answers muslim scholars movements160 losing160 collapsing people couple hundred years ago dark ages coming taking land insulting us breaking stabbing honor wahhabi ideology answer muslim civilization collapse lost religion160 didnt keep originality religion160 perpetual sinners go back salaf prophet immediate companions prophet everything else questionable rejectionable160 go back understand live according basically rejection tradition160 reformist incredibly reformist160 rejecting 1400 years muslim history saying going go implement way first 100 year muslims lived going thats see isis destroying beautiful ancient artifacts religiously protected previous muslims generations160 see killing yazidis iraqi christians kept protected supported many years160 thats say go back create pure muslim state160 thats ideological zeal michael cromartie160 wanted get that160 thats important everyone saw graeme woods essay atlantic year ago called isis really wants becoming book160 graeme wonderful overview different varieties abdullah antepli160 tone anger frustration see wahhabism part state department deradicalization program east africa now160 911 wahhabi missionary free literature billions dollars toxic pure hate literature used come united states160 flooding prison system 911 thank god alhamdulillah baruch hashem doesnt come anymore theyre channeling east africa central asia southeast asia160 everything least ideological ground minimize impact destruction michael cromartie160 okay160 graeme quickly graeme wood160 mentioned kharijites previous example muslim extremism160 early wahhabis kharijites basically defeated militarily abdullah antepli160 yes graeme wood160 wasnt matter countering violent extremism giving forms islam nurturing wolf160 matter attacking wolf abdullah antepli160 respectfully disagree160 militarily defeated violent elements killing people160 defeated militarily ideological poison treated overall health muslim institutions reacting claiming saying kind interpretation literalists understand place muslim tradition160 confine islam understanding first 100 years160 yes youre absolutely right160 assassins khawarij many violent militant groups defeated battleground didnt end there160 look theres incredible amount cultural theological work done160 oceans literature produced undermine ideological theological framework michael cromartie160 okay jessica stern160 feel need say saudi arabia cutting edge counterradicalization160 saudi arabia theres letter thats paper senior member royal family160 think hes actually minister interior michael cromartie160 paper washington post jessica stern160 yeah michael cromartie160 paper160 kathleens paper jessica stern160 really resentful president accused saudis free riding160 dont think need rely saudi arabia help fight160 critical part it160 threatened isis think important demonize160 mean isis presents threat entire world160 saudi arabia number one beyond region threatened160 wanted add michael cromartie160 thats helpful let jump in160 im going call mort kondracke160 ive got others list going taking break minute mort next mort someone whos raised hand fred barnes fred wonderful question day conference panel160 wont repeat will160 remember conversation fred barnes160 right michael cromartie160 right off160 well ill ask fred barnes160 youre free ask michael cromartie160 well freds question quite simply okay get murder innocent people nothing this160 work know go shoot them160 question160 mean somebody quickly explain160 innocent people working san bernardino160 didnt harm anybody jessica stern160 oh california michael cromartie160 yeah california160 fred said cant wait panel understand go find innocent people shoot them160 somebody please explain 25 words less mort asks question abdullah antepli160 well rational explanation kind barbarism160 think give try isis thrives fame publicity160 count retweets count likes thrive kind recruit effort able sensationally thats terror arabic means pumping fear hearts minds people160 everything everything look good example would way jerusalem crusaders kill everybody160 christian jew muslim160 home town syrian border southeastern part turkey160 one major paths crusaders ate babies alive like kind cruelty160 sort chop people pieces display organs160 organization thrives pumping fear hearts minds people limit human genius regard michael cromartie160 okay160 mort kondrake pull mic mort kondracke roll call mort kondracke roll call160 two items here160 asked jessica question dinner night ill ask you160 donald trump says hate us160 lot hate us160 percentage muslims world hate us abdullah antepli160 us160 mean dont mort kondrake160 well hes talking united states hes talking michael cromartie160 mort speaking donald trump mort kondrake160 yes 160the first time160 hes saying around world muslims hate us general160 many160 lot them160 lot them160 percentage worlds 17 billion muslims abdullah antepli160 god knows mort kondrake160 spend time day hating america abdullah antepli160 dont know160 anybody says gives precise percentage would lying160 know small160 know many people angry policies angry foreign policies economic policies result sit pile anger frustration160 even death america right hand left hand saying give visa 160laughter michael cromartie160 data abdullah antepli160 michael cromartie160 good data subject160 mean ive seen abdullah antepli160 remember gallup speaks behalf islam jessica stern160 yeah yes160 dalia mogahed abdullah antepli160 dalia mogahed jessica stern160 yeah abdullah antepli160 quite precise data there160 dont wajahat ali al jazeera america wajahat ali al jazeera america160 2009 gallup poll one billion muslims extensive160 think spent seven years subsequently written book john esposito dalia mogahed muslims really think160 think telling pardon small interlude said two major grievances muslims polled america160 1 hypocrisy us foreign policy compared us values wasnt us foreign policy hypocrisy us foreign policy values second thing fascinating strange reason people dont pick think really illuminating 2 disrespectful depiction islam muslims us media came overall thoughts united states overwhelming majority muslims respect united states freedoms values technology also education160 really good book160 released 2009 mort kondrake160 okay michael cromartie160 could repeat book fred barnes160 billion muslims really think based 2009 gallup poll one billion muslims160 think spent seven years poll book written john esposito georgetown dalia mogahed mort kondrake160 suggested jessica write oped piece trump said mass confusion united states assertion kathleen parker160 need stop right thats column today mort kondrake160 oh is160 okay laughter mort kondrake160 data cite kathleen parker160 im citing two people right laughter mort kondrake160 good you160 okay160 second question started say opposed hammering isis weve got marshall plan160 weve got deal wahhabism160 laid agenda smart us president would abdullah antepli160 well im educator160 every pony trick160 trick education160 outline agenda plan involved education long term needs large scale education campaign muslim world well united states politician160 im policymaker160 yet least160 get level many incredibly bright minds really putting many impressive plans highly encourage look ispu example terms specifically deradicalization short term long run michael cromartie160 point tom tom wanted jump point tom gjelten npr tom gjelten npr160 jessica mentioned dalia mogahed used gallup shes another organization institute social policy understanding160 today march 15 michael cromartie160 yes tom gjelten160 poll came released today american muslims american muslims160 quickly key findings160 heres one thats interesting muslims likely protestants strong american identity160 eightyfive percent muslims eightyfour percent protestants160 also likely americans identify strongly faith160 eightynine percent muslims eightyfour percent jews ninetyfive percent catholics protestants heres interesting one thought160 percentage muslims satisfied direction country going almost double level optimism shown jews160 second satisfied religious group sixtythree percent american muslims satisfied way country going versus thirtyeight percent jews hand muslims least likely faith group politically engaged160 sixty percent muslims reported could legally vote registered compared least eightysix percent jews catholics protestants160 lot findings here160 ispu american muslim poll released today michael cromartie160 thank tom break michael cromartie160 dr sterns new book called isis state terror160 copies160 look160 find amazoncom asked couple times threeminute talk jamie smith gave augustine save life im going repeat again160 vimeo laity lodge box canyon michael cromartie160 ladies gentlemen are160 lets see think miranda kennedy napp160 mics two you160 back now160 youre list shannon miranda kennedy npr miranda kennedy npr160 kathleen would stop laughing could talk isis curious saudi arabia going ask think us saudi arabia feel like know think do160 cooperate more160 continue cooperating saudi arabia160 right michael cromartie160 let this160 meant make announcement160 would like long list write question im going get people queue well add questions160 mirandas question napp nazworth160 let get three four answer keep moving way160 many list napp follow question question160 youre next miranda kennedy160 okay160 well didnt finish michael cromartie160 oh160 well thought were160 oh miranda kennedy160 no160 making sure understood perspective doesnt long one160 asking before160 id like know think specifically saudi arabia napp nazworth christian post napp nazworth christian post160 appreciated said that160 position say theologicallycorrect position160 abdullah said thought saying islam religion peace overly simplistic reminded abdullah antepli160 true napp nazworth160 true okay160 reminded debate two years ago faith angle forum160 elliott abrams sitting are160 michael gerson somewhere debating whether appropriate presidents make statement islam religion peace160 issue want peaceful muslims win right koran says know important me160 important peaceful muslims win160 meaning know teenage muslim deciding like radicals like peaceful160 want go peaceful ones right us nonmuslims encourage that160 help happen really big interest peaceful ones winning right michael cromartie160 actually two good questions lets answer well keep moving160 first saudi arabia napp abdullah antepli160 please160 charitable saudi arabia michael cromartie160 well good160 lets hear jessica stern160 get uncomfortable come univariate explanations terrorism160 reacting discomfort160 think abdullah antepli160 friends160 comfortable jessica stern160 also think doesnt think actually really need saudi arabia bernie haykel says untamed wahhabism160 doesnt say wahhabism160 says untamed wahhabism160 woman obviously comfortable160 well human im remotely comfortable wahhabism dont think helpful demonize country really need fight abdullah antepli160 dont disagree say need saudi arabia defeating isis think exercise caution here160 cooperate saudi arabia open eye critical eye exercise tough love160 religious establishment hands untamed wahhabism160 religious establishment hands people pumping ideology world therefore communism ideologies thought kosher think kind skepticism filtering160 saudi arabia beheads people isis every year160 women drive nine year old girls allowed marry sickening despicable ideology official religion160 think cooperate state think harmony ethical moral values160 shouldnt solving problems fixing issues turning blind eye gross human rights violations160 consistent think innate hypocrisy foreign policy keep plus guys still pumping bad ideology world160 part engagement saudi arabia twisting arms making stop160 question terms politicians know say week 911 trying drop temperature mean maybe theres wisdom especially republican understand american society vulnerable hate uncontrolled hate violence could take place islam muslims160 particular sense somewhat understandable score political points cheesy stick stereotypes sound bites think helpful peace loving christians supporting peace loving muslims know one biggest influences came united states reading abraham joshua heschel160 man nonblack civil rights movement incredible american story160 context american civil rights struggles said something really profound said people guilty160 isis guilty160 politician guilty etc160 says context us responsible arrive point together bounce back together160 peaceloving jews christians hindus muslims do160 feeling sense responsibility fighting fight moderate lazy person part problem crazies active hardworking determined160 forces trying divide us working day night160 one group lynchburg virginia160 every week sending literature god barbeque dungeons hell every week admire consistency like hard work160 unbelievable never give up160 always respond saying look even want convert brand christianity dont think theres marketing problem laughter abdullah antepli160 talking me160 admire consistency160 peace loving christians like peace loving muslims jews hindus regretfully moderate peace loving lazy friend inactive160 dont understand laziness silence inactivity empowering fringe crazies communities160 problem crazies violent people160 problem choir preach understand peaceful dont act160 dont pay160 motivated160 mobilized michael cromartie160 kathleen parker160 kathleen saletan shannon clare mindy jamie andrew daniel kathleen parker washington post kathleen parker washington post160 question directed jessica welcome thoughts well160 early comments said would call isis islamic islamist president refuses hear lot criticism right republican party cant fight enemy wont name cant deal problem cant identify im sure logic follows willing call recognize based islamic texts etc limited degrees selective degrees160 question important think identify isis motivated part texts160 understand president cant every time mentions explain nuances declined simply think probably doesnt want alienate good muslims moderate muslims might otherwise board anyway welcome thoughts naming aspect open president specific would help way political country160 would help efforts combat isis michael cromartie160 okay160 lets get well answer two saletan slate saletan slate160 kathleen thanks taking first question160 ive got two more160 kathleens question exactly question first question wanted ask actually follow wanted press abdullah whether know republican criticism violent extremism framework vague160 think way framing issue actually impedes addressing problem cosmetic160 umbrella term within adequate job confronting abdullah antepli160 please define republican framework saletan160 oh kathleen saying objection talking wont name problem160 ted cruz version160 dont name problem cant address criticism much complicated specific similar point abdullah antepli160 sure saletan160 wahhabism right160 think violent extremism framework superficial umbrella term within theyre adequate job addressing problem think refusal call islam part failing address specific problem wahhabism want feel like talking im sure bunch us room would love hear deradicalization methods kind conversations people whats effective160 may long deal im curious one thing really struck remarks language used dont know heard despicable disgusting sickening turns stomach160 something used every audience160 something make clear nonmuslims muslims object this160 think nonmuslims dont hear enough muslims particularly country michael cromartie160 questions related lets stay two well go two more160 kathleens wills jessica comments kathleens critique president jessica stern160 yeah160 mean understand understand president refuses call group islamist uses cve160 mean muslims interpret cve michael cromartie160 cve dr jessica stern jessica stern160 countering violent extremism rather countering islamist terrorism islamist violent extremism160 unfortunately means muslims objet many muslims object kind cve weasely term going muslim terrorists160 think important call name ted talk reasons dont know mean everybody knows talking dont know makes big difference politically160 think silly frankly160 im curious abdullah antepli160 well thank giving words frustration160 call problem160 whats name whats word160 feels like hillary clinton emails over160 remember bernie sanders said like part says important lets deal real issue160 people calling solve problem come helpful term basically stab score political points quite regrettable another manifestation deep destructive polarization political life every issue point attack political opponent160 every issue including one name way way make difference160 instead talking substantial issues think call is160 manifestation islam160 expression islam way said roots ideology theology muslim cultures histories western policies foreign policies economic policies contributed invasions countries160 israelipalestinian conflict160 contributing factors160 sense slice expression islam authentic expression islam kathleen parker160 rewrite lead say donald trump barack obama helping isis abdullah antepli160 ways yeah160 im sure160 im hoping intentionally160 muslims say muslims stop becoming naïve unhelpful apologetic160 muslims stop nonsense of160160 nothing islam understand obama politician nonmuslim saying muslims confidently say yes people muslim claim everything name islam160 expression islam roots islamic history islamic facts evil perverted twisted160 fight it160 dont understand muslim defensiveness thats common160 nothing islam really michael cromartie160 willing go tv talk soon abdullah antepli160 sure160 ever get invited fox tv laughter michael cromartie160 well one first things hear san bernardino moderate muslims condemning quiet160 intimidated160 they160 im going say well call friend durham abdullah antepli160 michael cromartie160 abdullah antepli160 many michael cromartie160 abdullah antepli160 many160 many us160 thats another question160 14 years much effort muslim community united states everything almost expense wellbeing 15 years overwhelming majority americans still saying moderate muslims160 one million dollar problem160 maybe question discuss think partially muslim community working hard working smart160 need help american society large lazy dont want diversify sources information160 sticking whatever know dont go one extra mile see160 amazing like conversations islam muslims happening absence islam muslims160 muslims room160 microphone160 exceptional admirable invitation im really grateful160 hope deserving trust kathleen parker160 may say one thing160 understand silly name may well name get would help way name islam problem160 aspect islam problem abdullah antepli160 think would kathleen parker160 abdullah antepli160 think would 160i think call it160 shouldnt scared courage160 yeah muslims might defensive angry also provide complexity abdullah antepli160 muslims like wajahat others articulating expression islam unacceptable wrong expression160 defeated160 could help well160 think would kathleen parker160 right michael cromartie160 quickly shannon youre next clare mindy erica grieder texas monthly erica grieder texas monthly160 yes sir160 ask quick technical question following discussion160 ive trying use phrase precise accurate writing think try journalists ive using thus far point radical islamist terrorism160 precise phrase either would suggest160 captures much nuance context michael cromartie160 precise phrase would better abdullah antepli160 think using muslim religion islam helpful160 muslim terrorists160 accurate description consistent160 call every terrorist religious affiliation jihadi ideology jihadi terrorist also could say michael cromartie160 okay160 shannon clare duffy abdullah antepli160 didnt get chance answer wills question though160 think whole republican question recent exchange answered terms honest emotional cry vis vis reality pr campaign160 im trying message it160 original authentic sincere really sincere emotions know affects life friend160 every morning wife send children school check headlines see safe send children school160 every day hoping wife text comes hospital home live interesting world reality thats seven eight hours ahead us affecting daily life160 couple days ago little bit personal160 14yearold daughter160 friend going bitter breakup160 close friends nothing religion nothing heat 14yearold teenagers fighting arguing ending friendship friend said hope trump win disappear160 painful father 14yearold seeing daughter going shes going through160 affecting us think muslims dont see pained even caring regretful160 shows kind lack common sense result unhealthy biased media otherwise presentation problem unidentified person160 far daughter told hope donald trump wins abdullah antepli160 disappear160 hope trump win disappear160 mind 14yearold average american girl went level toxicity shes trying hurt daughter160 hope doesnt mean tells deep problem sinking michael cromartie160 wills question what160 kind description deradicalization work abdullah antepli160 quite honestly talk record michael cromartie160 okay shannon bream fox news shannon bream fox news160 many groups mentioned today operate place exterminating dissent believe completely annihilating groups nothing common dissent completely conflict them160 keep thinking conversation yesterday secularism secularity concept space competing beliefs belief concept dont go back know whats wonder concept leveraged tool groups attempts stifle anything way thats complete agreement abdullah antepli160 yeah160 interesting michael cromartie160 abdullah lets this160 lets write question clare get well keep going clare duffy nbc nightly news clare duffy nbc nightly news160 im actually good mine wills deradicalization160 well take later michael cromartie160 okay good160 okay160 lets answer shannons question shannon well go mindy160 tom intervention earlier youre still list tom gjelten160 yeah160 im still michael cromartie160 want list dont you160 yes indeed160 youre it160 andrew ive got jamie160 yes ive got wajahat abdullah antepli160 jessica want take shannon jessica stern160 yeah160 think secularity three offensive isis160 going number one shiites number two also sunni muslims dont accept interpretation islam160 publicize massacres shiites generally publicize massacres sunnis thats part brand160 want seen vanguard sunni islam160 thats right160 secularity three enemy abdullah antepli160 also think jamie said get cable radicalism finished160 part radicalization program figuratively provide cable get variety interpretations michael cromartie160 provide abdullah antepli160 figuratively provide cable160 jamie said yesterday cable cant radical anymore160 cable tv yeah160 think graeme talking break put doubt mind160 absolutist essentialist black white world shatters automatically160 yeah michael cromartie160 okay160 mindy belz tom jamie160 mindy mindy belz world magazine mindy belz world magazine160 ill try quick160 thank you160 story makes sad daughter reminds 20072008 couple fathers bagdad told packing pajamas backpacks children went school werent sure would safe enough come home160 appreciate youve said joint problem said wanted ask coming perspective following whats happening christians yazidi religious minorities iraq syria160160 action yesterday house declare genocide seem end whatever day ends muslims hurt much able go back rebuild societies potential seems unlikely christians yazidi population two opportunity iraq especially160 wonder think protection groups indigenous iraqi indigenous yazidi population second question think related itll sound little bit different think important talk iraq head iraqi intelligence said estimate 100 160 former saddam hussein regime officers behind structure isis giving organizational heft abdullah antepli160 numbers high160 much higher than160 mindy belz160 okay abdullah antepli160 160 mindy belz160 thats wonder hadnt discussed that160 saw guy captured last week160 izzat ibrahim aldouri160 vice president united states know one deck cards united states never caught still apparently operating somehow behind scenes giving isis lift seems something dont want hear washington makes republicans democrats look bad different reasons160 mean fact isis took saddam hussein left holdover regime installed bagdad somehow would even basic premise went war would undone160 certainly makes menace look deeprooted160 wonder speak issue saddam hussein regimes role isis abdullah antepli160 think jessica speak much better mindy belz160 okay160 philosophically might mean abdullah antepli160 absolutely160 fully hear share pain death destruction ancient christian nonmuslim yazidi otherwise communities160 unfortunately tsunami kills destroys everybody160 dont destroy christian yazidi know160 destroy anybody everybody shannon said part either me160 destroy them160 one would think hope happy ending story restoration societies restoration also include full acknowledgement right return ethnic religious minorities rights properties compensated line equal level muslim population160 think right unlikely people visited told group christian arabs form solidarity give apology los angeles area160 probably going stay long time160 time things restored difficult go back absolutely right much scholarly work going on160 basic brain team infrastructure isis former baath party former iraqi saddam husseins army people basically fired day arrived 2003 rumsfeld jessica stern160 yeah160 think youre right160 makes administrations look bad160 makes bush administration look bad responding 911 attacking iraq leaving sunnis disenfranchised hands sectarian leader160 also makes obama administration look bad removing troops removing diplomats think obama wanted wash hands problem sectarian tensions built160 sunnis minority largely control since 1920 suddenly completely unsafe ripe picking including importantly military intelligence personnel great skills abdullah antepli160 seeing american invasion iraq partial role partial contribution creation isis really dishonest160 many isis conversations talked invasion country nothing it160 hear speech speech 2003 invasion played role even partial role unthinkable160 youre going talk problem regional historical theological roots emerged partially result unwise decisions mindy belz160 actually want add person formed group became isis initially secular thug160 ordinary criminal whose mother thought going save jordanian thought would save life crime study islam unfortunately islam discovered religion peace religion justified continuing criminal activity160 skill criminal activity one reasons organization wealthy unidentified person160 guy jessica stern160 zarqawi michael cromartie160 okay160 tom youre next tom gjelten tom gjelten npr tom gjelten npr160 goes back question whether theres sort a160 peaceful version wahhabi movement might part solution160 two groups didnt mention abdullah160 one salafis particularly think called quietists salafis quietists know believe sort extreme islam keeping important islamists160 mean jessica used word islamist describing isis160 call islamist group political islam specifically muslim brotherhood according understanding part history eschewed violence turkey islamist party power160 islamist party power tunisia know think potential political islam movement islamists counter isis abdullah antepli160 great question160 yes rushing notes skipped part160 thats important one160 want give shout shadi hamid brookings institute160 really want understand political islam michael cromartie160 abdullah antepli160 had160 okay michael cromartie160 one year ago abdullah antepli160 really hope read writes160 think one best scholar political islam colleagues brookings institute well160 advocating think constructive meaningful someone knows topic saying salafis bad160 political islamists bad way able work parts forms political islamism160 ideas opinions pretty much reflect mine well160 much investing healthy partnership peaceful engaging constructive parts political islamists salafis also help also root weed violent elements wahhabism well wahhabism poisoned political islam wahhabism poisoned political salafism well160 way poison untamed wahhabism wahhabism small w160 way infiltrated affected brotherhood affected jamaateislami pakistan india affected political islam turkey well really easily trace theological ideological arguments well camps totally violent untamed wahhabism160 lowhanging fruits engage absolutely unidentified person160 brookings person abdullah antepli160 shadi hamid unidentified person160 hes got new book coming shortly abdullah antepli160 last couple weeks wrote phenomenal three four articles160 understanding role political islam context really phenomenal160 highly encourage read michael cromartie160 quickly point andrew short intervention wajahat jamie andrew miller economist andrew miller economist160 question domestic inflection question actually nonviolent extremism kind well whether enlist nonviolent extremists throw violent extremism big live question britain european countries160 wanted ask distinction understand reporting britain security services keen nonviolent extremists160 actually like even people reject basic tenets western democracy dont really recognize ultimate authority british government nevertheless oppose violence160 security people tend regard potentially useful allies160 whereas government increasing pressure renounce together denounce forms extremism without making distinction whether potentially actually violent not160 wondered whether sort domestic version toms question think160 im sure america well abdullah antepli160 thank andrew miller160 think160 know would make judgment abdullah antepli160 well thats phenomenal question theres large scale education needs done160 many people law enforcement find visible expressions islam form extremism nypd surveiling yale muslim student association nyu muslim student association recording number times prayed length beard type hijab ridiculous160 talk nonviolent extremism equate religiosity piety level practice extremism unfortunately grossly taking place comes to160 islam muslim communities eating halal shop muslim butcher etc like unacceptable absolutely problem nonviolent extremism significant number violent extremists coming one pool people think absolutely surveil look least make sure long remain nonviolent advocating violence first amendment theres nothing much think absolutely critically basically watch whether anything turn nonviolent extremism violent extremism160 ever studied jessica stern160 understand question160 want know utilized fight violent extremism andrew miller160 london inaudible jessica stern160 yeah160 mean think useful approach whats done neonazis scandinavia use former violent extremists160 think people ideology160 think people bought entire approach left think better approach michael cromartie160 need lifted abdullah antepli160 ill give one example160 example scholars like yasir qadhi studied medina saudi arabia heartbed wahhabi salafi ideology160 pretty much hes extremist people credible world phenomenally wonderful job like him160 hes admirable job countering form extremism violent nonviolent violent course extremism michael cromartie160 wajahat160 wajahat ali al jazeera america wajahat ali160 yeah160 think question nature terrorism moving forward160 two questions perhaps160 first syria know entering sixth year war 300000 people killed seems refugee crisis civil war even though russia says going back interesting developments seems hot bed extremism160 people go syria many mean theres different profiles violent extremists isis recruits say theyre going implement justice want fairness justice peace syria160 fact seems like noble try rationalize actions160 contain sort violent extremism radicalization whatever want call still syria conflict ongoing number one number two seems future reality see asymmetrical urban warfare160 happened paris san bernardino unfortunately seems itll norm160 hope im wrong globalized world everything going dont see rare occurrence160 think unfortunately going seeing rest lives case inoculate american society terrified abdullah antepli160 one love wajahat michael cromartie160 yeah160 puts strong questions abdullah antepli160 absolutely160 first point think ending point160 unless safe zones producing cancer producing crazies unless deeply economically socially politically culturally religiously broken societies external help iraq syria pakistan afghanistan160 name east africa nigeria certain parts nigeria find way global community160 selfinterest also160 ethical moral reasons played role creation problems160 ethical moral reasons also selfinterest violence kind evil produced coming affecting us everything can160 many creative marshall plans many smart people dc talking this160 im going go details second one unless dont put lid toxicity limit going continue live fear terror absolutely160 guarantee similar events like paris san bernardino happen160 nothing modern world listen people time lone wolves decide act two hours three hours sometimes160 get really radicalized means go basically kill people little available technology defense security mechanisms interfere decision decision two hours something prepared160 dry wetlands160 focus killing mosquitos wajahat ali160 mean second question particular know unfortunately think going recurrence rest life maybe childs life160 globalization way people get recruited flowing money arms160 way know peaceful society theres one person pops regardless want call muslim violent extremists whatever society studied american society right paralyzed fear division anger racial hysteria inoculate feeling terror inevitably happen result another plot jessica stern160 theory called terror management theory anytime comes recognition unlike animals human beings forced live knowledge demise even havent near death experience160 try world view world view strengthened time reminded mortality unconsciously world view racist reminded mortality become racist160 xenophobic become xenophobic160 real problem us agree you160 lone wolf attacks think important us realize main problem government officials160 individuals risk getting caught terror strike vanishingly small160 also remember terror management theory teaches us experiments done thousands times world including iran aware might react counterproductive way abdullah antepli160 also add160 fear reveals worst anybody everybody160 invest immune system society know manage allowing fear unleash bad wolf us160 come collective spiritual discipline acknowledge fear allowing overcome fear operating frame reference purely fear absolutely diminish potential damage bad wolf us michael cromartie160 jamie smith160 jamie smith next james hunter jamie smith160 wonder theres fascinating conversation whether exclusive humanism resources overcome fear160 would think resources imminent frame im sure could tell afraid160 thats different point abdullah antepli160 next years160 maybe next years conversation dr jamie smith calvin college jamie smith calvin college160 think question imam abdullah160 im intrigued thinking lot point bad ideology challenged rolled back good ideology makes wonder much particular sounded like words healthy islam healthy muslims countering cancerous muslims right abdullah antepli160 healthy global societies healthy global policies countering unhealthy ones jamie smith160 though american foreign policy diplomatic strategies counterterrorism strategies lets say default almost informed kind seculartwoist ideologies ideology theyre going try counter wahhabism would sort democratic liberalism might actually fueled religion herpes kind ideology right case thats going effective demonizing islam demonizing religion such160 going get stop muslim terrorists becoming liberals would intrigued anybody knows whether kind default sort policy mentality secondly though doesnt mean really muslims responsibility im wondering united states face isnt seen muslim kind fight160 ideological kind fight abdullah antepli160 sure160 think first question profound160 depends type secularism160 french type thats exactly happened 1920s 30s turkey french secularist idelogy founded turkish republic basically according form secularism islam should160 confined four walls mosque160 anything beyond unacceptable160 see result improved even evolved version anglosaxon secularism discussed yesterday gives religion thrive reveal best self anyways160 look america american islam pay attention american islam reality perception incredible overall health religion frankly anglo saxon secularism enabling muslims without even external help revealing best selves even reviving religious thought religious understanding160 georgetown study top 500 muslims american muslims exceedingly well represented within 500 why160 produce knowledge english theyre context many civil liberties actually produce religious knowledge160 bothered opressed160 ideas limited challenged type french secularism sermons american imams wajahats talks downloaded around world160 people responding something society160 dont know thoughts first one ill answer second one well second one little bit tough160 rephrase jamie smith160 yeah160 im im wondering mostly ignorance distant impression least conversation counterterrorism hearts mind strategy effectively driven engine assumes need make people liberals wont extremists terrorists abdullah antepli160 right160 wont backwards jamie smith160 right160 hunch thats loaded particular kind secularist exclusive humanist kind take seems starkly ideology160 contrast suggesting would counterterrorism ideological battle articulation winsome inviting full islamic world view understanding sort meeting apples apples rather apples oranges abdullah antepli160 sure160 asking american160 one confessional fantasies islam heavens friends sit watch episodes world160 whether going happen literally basically sip tea maybe heavenly wine mansion paradise watch historical episodes happened history islam violent extremism160 something bursts cancerous tumor collective health society shrank tumor ultimately turned didnt wipe community turned heart civilization evolved something much constructive160 shed evil violent elements became like added diversity intellectual core society main selling message evil people terrorist organizations 160 west war islam160 west judeo christian civilization stabbing honor islam humiliating ummah160 lot undermine main point undermining pulling rug feet that160 even appearing that160 controlling crazies side necessarily giving ammunition evil people160 perception west war islam also lot humility acknowledging partial role foreign policy supporting dictators invading countries based wrong assumptions etc lot160 mean go michael cromartie160 james hunter dr james hunter university virginia james hunter university virginia160 great160 thank you160 successful movements history effective controlling means cultural production160 know isis good social media communications technologies strategies160 want know intergenerational dimension mean look historically worldchanging cultural movements education always part always formation young ties bit yesterday afternoons conversation character simply knowledge160 formation human beings incarnation want produce160 wanted ask madrassas role isis radical muslim terrorist organizations160 say that160 would like learn abdullah antepli160 wonderful160 think saying two profound things james160 one issue facing form muslim terrorism terror name allah160 many ways may look like archival medieval may look like smell old fashioned isnt160 really modern phenomenon160 built modern way sources strength coming modern strategies said using social media etc difficult go archival old fashioned style160 like fbi coming imams asking help find radicalization first ask whether social media account functioning within parameter law enforcement surveillance surveilling muslim communities never produced produced little terrorists160 ninetynine percent radicalization taking place online160 developing forming partnership muslim community developing online tools thats wajahats company several others successful trying develop modern strategies modern problem important madrasas another shout former colleague duke hes notre dame ebrahim moosa hes south african american really remarkable scholar islam studied madrasas india pakistan160 recently came seven years research took book called madrasa160 short acknowledged role primitive archival frozen intellectual scholarly thought muslim world160 indirectly contributing extremism violence sophisticated160 ways reformation madrasas religious education religious teaching basically help bigger goal discussing defeating cancer jessica stern160 id like add something here160 think number ways160 education children critically important160 look somali refugee community parents ive studying community group psychologists years 160 initially offering social services al shabaab started recruiting recruited involved see time internet definitely risk factor160 forgot mention risk factor160 parents see also children guest workers europe parents case dont necessarily speak english160 certainly dont speak internet see moms think oh kids inside kid safe kid internet160 major risk factor also thinking education children isis using children kill people160 they160 whole kind technology creating think eroding empathy actually160 creating might call secondary psychopathy creating people actually get used violence fact people develop secondary psychopathy thats protection posttraumatic stress disorder turns out160 thats big part theyre creating new human being160 course soviets also fantasy going create new human being160 theyre like khmer rouge way madrasas160 want talk wahhabi influence160 spent lot time studying role madrassas pakistan160 another issue think needs raised160 spread foreign islam among somalis complain south asia sexual abuse little boys160 problem abdullah antepli160 girls jessica stern160 girls weve seen catholic church160 hasnt covered yet160 also think role pederasty going find important160 theres reason narrative humiliation resonates young boys160 think part abdullah antepli160 absolutely160 madrasas watch madrasas large parts afghanistan pakistan places india southern philippines theres government control better worse result colonial impact madrasas societies like turkey egypt places strict government control160 many problems religious violence one places mentioned theres government control terrorist organizations running show michael cromartie160 graeme wood youll final intervention160 way name name book160 going graeme wood160 titles yet160 endorse fully ebrahim moosas book well madrasa160 youre curious role madrasas also wrote really good outlook piece washington post exactly topic discussions ive isis supporters though people known overwhelmingly story told madrasas mosques people look people expelled institutions rather people excelled them160 stories people ornery view things viewed unteachable michael cromartie160 right160 kicked grame wood graeme wood160 yeah160 would say ive reading internet praying like others mosque would much longer period madrassa trying teach would say see things different way seem incorrigible thats relationship ive seen frequently institutions like mosques madrassas isis recruits jessica stern160 think thats true isis160 think south asian jihadi groups used small percentage want clear small percentage extremist madrassas functioned kind factories michael cromartie160 final word abdullah antepli160 related topic also look people kicked certain mosques certain communities phenomena graeme beautifully articulated160 also theres interesting study james level religious knowledge among many terrorists incredibly shallow160 many good studies kids joined uk isis left syria books bought jessica stern160 koran dummies abdullah antepli160 koran dummies islamic history idiots idiot guide islamic history something like books reading way syria fight jihad160 theres shallow many externally look 7th century scholarship internally functioning scholarly michael cromartie160 ladies gentlemen join thanking speakers applause participants wajahat ali160al jazeera america fred barnes160the weekly standard mindy belz160world magazine shannon bream160fox news carl cannon160realclearpoliticscom clare duffy160nbc nightly news paul edwards160deseret news tom gjelten160npr erica grieder160texas monthly miranda kennedy160npr morton kondracke160roll call amp congressional quarterly daniel lippman160politico andrew miller160the economist napp nazworth160the christian post kathleen parker160washington post kirsten powers160the daily beast naomi schaefer riley160new york post sarah jane rothenfluch160oregon public broadcasting saletan160slate graeme wood160the atlantic | 10,829 |
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<p>Dar Es Salaam, TANZANIA &#160;— Barely ten months into independence, South Sudan is in a bloody border conflict with Sudan in the north over oil sharing and demarcation issues. The Juba government says Sudan is reluctant to demarcate its border, having lost two thirds of their shared oil as a result of the independence. Juba says it is fighting to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Each side is reportedly arming proxy militias to destabilize the other. Reporter Michael Abraha got hold of South Sudan’s Deputy Information Minister, Mr. Atem Yaak Atem in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where he led a South Sudanese delegation to an East African conference last week (May 1-2) on “National Security and the Right to Information”. Here are excerpts from the interview.</p>
<p>Atem Yaak Atem:&#160;Khartoum fighter planes have been bombing our territories inside South Sudan non-stop for a month. This is unprovoked act against our people. We pushed back Sudanese infantry out of the oil producing border town of Heglig which is considered by some UN member states as a disputed territory. We believe Heglig is inside South Sudan according to the 1956 British colonial map. Still, we decided to pull out to avoid escalation of the war. We want to settle the Heglig matter through diplomacy. But Khartoum has refused to stop bombing us. We have complained to the international community but nobody listened although there was a lot of outcry when we went into a territory which originally belonged to us. I think the international community has not been fair, especially the African Union. Maybe they think that being a weaker party, we do not matter. But justice has nothing to do with might.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;Sudan is contesting the 1956 colonial border because it places almost all of the known oil inside South Sudan. Can a compromise solution be reached?</p>
<p>A:&#160;We in the South are fighting for our national sovereignty and integrity with or without oil, whether it is a desert or not. Our territorial claim is not about oil. Oil is only the motivating factor for the North to take areas rich in oil in the South. But we are talking of legalities. These areas belong to us regardless of whether they have oil or not. Khartoum wants the southern land because of the oil. You know, we have not been greedy. When the independence of the South became a reality, we agreed to give Sudan $2.6 billion US dollars for the next four years so that their economy does not collapse. The North refused to accept anything free from the South and instead wanted to engage in business with the South and it demanded transit fee of $36.00 US per barrel of crude oil transported from the South via pipelines to Port Sudan. This is outrageous. The standard international rate of transit fee is $0.60 US cents per barrel. This is the norm everywhere in the world. The maximum you could reach is $1 a barrel. The Sudanese demand of $36 dollars a barrel amounts to extortion. They are putting impossible conditions so that we would not reach a peaceful agreement. They hope by going to war they will be able to capture all of the oil producing areas and make them part of the North. The Sudanese government has also threatened it would go for a regime change in Juba and bring people to power who would cooperate with it in reuniting the country.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;But the UN and the African Union say both sides are committing acts of aggression. Is that unfair?</p>
<p>A:&#160;I think those making such statement should check their facts again. Recently an American envoy in South Sudan admitted that they did not know that the South had a claim over the oil-rich area of Heglig and these are the people who can sway international public opinion. The African Union has also been misguided by such advisors as Alex Duval who has always been pro-Khartoum. Heglig has always been in the South and it was taken over by Khartoum and made part of it in 2004. The Khartoum government made it part of Kordofan in Sudan.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;Why was President Beshir’s planned visit to Juba last month cancelled?</p>
<p>A:&#160;We invited President Bashir to visit Juba for talks. But this did not materialize. The hardliners within his own party in Khartoum said they had a tipping that if he were to come to the South, the government in Juba would arrest him and hand him over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This is completely irresponsible because in our culture, you don’t invite a guest and mistreat them. There was nothing like that. It was an excuse by the war mongers in the north who want to hamper the peace process. So while we were expecting the visit of President Basher, the Defense Minister, Ibrahim Hussein, who is a known war-monger, launched an air attack inside South Sudan. Then they started moving the infantry and crossed the border using the Southern militia forces as proxies. This was to create a situation which would not permit President Basher to visit Juba.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;Does the UN recognize the 1956 border?</p>
<p>A:&#160;This is embodied in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, of 2005 and the United Nations witnessed and accepted this agreement which recognizes the 1956 as it existed when Britain ended its rule of South and North Sudan in 1956. The 2005 accord was also witnessed by many world leaders including regional leaders in East Africa. Khartoum’s aggression is proof that it had no intention to honor the peace agreement.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;In hindsight, do you think it would have been better to delay declaration of independence until the border was demarcated</p>
<p>A:&#160;It is Sudan which is dragging its feet. If the border is demarcated it is clear that most of the oil areas will fall within South Sudan. There is oil north of the border but in small quantities. But as I said earlier our concern has nothing to do with oil. What we want is our territory.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;Do you believe the people of Sudan were prepared for the split?</p>
<p>A:&#160;When the South became independent, the ruling National Congress Party and their followers in the North were not happy with the outcome because the Khartoum government had not informed the population of the contents of the 2005 peace agreements and the consequences of those agreements. So the ordinary people were not prepared for the outcome of the referendum last year. Some people in the north accused the ruling National Congress Party of allowing the country to split. So now the Sudanese rulers have to find the justification of how to reunite the country by using force. That is why Khartoum is bent on war.</p>
<p>It is clear that most of the oil fields are in the South and the Sudanese economy has lost a lot of revenue. This is why they are calling for general mobilization and unite the people against the South. Normally, in the presence of a common enemy, people forget about petty differences. But the other factor they don’t understand is that this is also uniting the South. The people in the south were naturally concerned about their daily life hoping to benefit from peace dividends – asking why we were not opening new schools, producing our own food, etc. Now their question is how do we defend ourselves from the aggression from the North?”</p>
<p>Q:&#160;What should South Sudan do to ease the situation?</p>
<p>A:&#160;We have been clear about our commitment to peaceful coexistence with the north. We have a lot of things that link us together like the River Nile; that we can trade across the border; that the majority of the people in South speak Arabic and that many of us spent most of our lives in the North studying in schools and colleges or working. The people of the South and North have a lot in common. What caused the split were bad government policies in the north.</p>
<p>The people in the South and North have no real enmity. It is the ruling elite in the North who are inciting the people in there to hit those in the South. Despite the atrocities committed by the government in the North against the people in the South, people have always persisted saying “let’s move on”. But the people in the North seem to think that this is cowardice. But this is not true. The people of the South have been very forgiving all along. Whenever we called for our rights, they have been resorting to use of force whether it was the assassination of our leaders or the massacre of innocent civilians like the massacre of civilians in Juba in 1965 and other places. But things must move on. You can’t keep dwelling in the past. So when we say we want to have friendly relations with the north, we mean it. We want to be friends with all our neighbors. But the political elite in Khartoum do not want this friendship. That is why we accepted to negotiate with the north over border demarcation and the question of water, of oil. All this, we believe, can be resolved through negotiation. Nobody won a military victory over the other.</p>
<p>Q:&#160;Conflicts often hamper democratic processes as this for instance seems to be the case in Eritrea, which is at war with neighboring Ethiopia. Do you fear the conflict with Sudan will delay the constitutional process?</p>
<p>A:&#160;I wouldn’t say the war imposed on us by Khartoum would negatively affect the democratic process. The concern is there. But our people are democratic by nature. South Sudan is a democratic society and it has fully embarked on the path to democracy where freedom of expression is honored and where the government and the leadership are held accountable to the people. Our participation in the just concluded conference in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on “Freedom of Information” was meant to reaffirm our commitment to the principles of the citizens’ right to information. We were invited by the Open Society Initiative for East Africa as a state rather than as individuals representing the media or civil society from South Sudan. The invitation for which I came was extended to the government of the Republic of South Sudan.</p>
<p>Our constitution embodies the right of our people to freedom of expression and media. Many countries in Africa have not endorsed the right to information act already signed by about 90 countries. Now we are going to join the other signatories and will become the 11th African country to do so. Being only 10 months old, it will be a great achievement for us. We do not have national security laws which often hamper media performance. Other countries are trying to repeal restrictive national security laws which we do not have.</p> | false | 1 | dar es salaam tanzania 160 barely ten months independence south sudan bloody border conflict sudan north oil sharing demarcation issues juba government says sudan reluctant demarcate border lost two thirds shared oil result independence juba says fighting protect sovereignty territorial integrity side reportedly arming proxy militias destabilize reporter michael abraha got hold south sudans deputy information minister mr atem yaak atem dar es salaam tanzania led south sudanese delegation east african conference last week may 12 national security right information excerpts interview atem yaak atem160khartoum fighter planes bombing territories inside south sudan nonstop month unprovoked act people pushed back sudanese infantry oil producing border town heglig considered un member states disputed territory believe heglig inside south sudan according 1956 british colonial map still decided pull avoid escalation war want settle heglig matter diplomacy khartoum refused stop bombing us complained international community nobody listened although lot outcry went territory originally belonged us think international community fair especially african union maybe think weaker party matter justice nothing might q160sudan contesting 1956 colonial border places almost known oil inside south sudan compromise solution reached a160we south fighting national sovereignty integrity without oil whether desert territorial claim oil oil motivating factor north take areas rich oil south talking legalities areas belong us regardless whether oil khartoum wants southern land oil know greedy independence south became reality agreed give sudan 26 billion us dollars next four years economy collapse north refused accept anything free south instead wanted engage business south demanded transit fee 3600 us per barrel crude oil transported south via pipelines port sudan outrageous standard international rate transit fee 060 us cents per barrel norm everywhere world maximum could reach 1 barrel sudanese demand 36 dollars barrel amounts extortion putting impossible conditions would reach peaceful agreement hope going war able capture oil producing areas make part north sudanese government also threatened would go regime change juba bring people power would cooperate reuniting country q160but un african union say sides committing acts aggression unfair a160i think making statement check facts recently american envoy south sudan admitted know south claim oilrich area heglig people sway international public opinion african union also misguided advisors alex duval always prokhartoum heglig always south taken khartoum made part 2004 khartoum government made part kordofan sudan q160why president beshirs planned visit juba last month cancelled a160we invited president bashir visit juba talks materialize hardliners within party khartoum said tipping come south government juba would arrest hand international criminal court hague completely irresponsible culture dont invite guest mistreat nothing like excuse war mongers north want hamper peace process expecting visit president basher defense minister ibrahim hussein known warmonger launched air attack inside south sudan started moving infantry crossed border using southern militia forces proxies create situation would permit president basher visit juba q160does un recognize 1956 border a160this embodied comprehensive peace agreement cpa 2005 united nations witnessed accepted agreement recognizes 1956 existed britain ended rule south north sudan 1956 2005 accord also witnessed many world leaders including regional leaders east africa khartoums aggression proof intention honor peace agreement q160in hindsight think would better delay declaration independence border demarcated a160it sudan dragging feet border demarcated clear oil areas fall within south sudan oil north border small quantities said earlier concern nothing oil want territory q160do believe people sudan prepared split a160when south became independent ruling national congress party followers north happy outcome khartoum government informed population contents 2005 peace agreements consequences agreements ordinary people prepared outcome referendum last year people north accused ruling national congress party allowing country split sudanese rulers find justification reunite country using force khartoum bent war clear oil fields south sudanese economy lost lot revenue calling general mobilization unite people south normally presence common enemy people forget petty differences factor dont understand also uniting south people south naturally concerned daily life hoping benefit peace dividends asking opening new schools producing food etc question defend aggression north q160what south sudan ease situation a160we clear commitment peaceful coexistence north lot things link us together like river nile trade across border majority people south speak arabic many us spent lives north studying schools colleges working people south north lot common caused split bad government policies north people south north real enmity ruling elite north inciting people hit south despite atrocities committed government north people south people always persisted saying lets move people north seem think cowardice true people south forgiving along whenever called rights resorting use force whether assassination leaders massacre innocent civilians like massacre civilians juba 1965 places things must move cant keep dwelling past say want friendly relations north mean want friends neighbors political elite khartoum want friendship accepted negotiate north border demarcation question water oil believe resolved negotiation nobody military victory q160conflicts often hamper democratic processes instance seems case eritrea war neighboring ethiopia fear conflict sudan delay constitutional process a160i wouldnt say war imposed us khartoum would negatively affect democratic process concern people democratic nature south sudan democratic society fully embarked path democracy freedom expression honored government leadership held accountable people participation concluded conference dar es salaam tanzania freedom information meant reaffirm commitment principles citizens right information invited open society initiative east africa state rather individuals representing media civil society south sudan invitation came extended government republic south sudan constitution embodies right people freedom expression media many countries africa endorsed right information act already signed 90 countries going join signatories become 11th african country 10 months old great achievement us national security laws often hamper media performance countries trying repeal restrictive national security laws | 916 |
<p>Massive flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey along Texas’ refinery-rich coast could have long-standing and far-reaching consequences for the state’s oil and gas industry and the larger U.S. economy.</p>
<p>The storm’s remnants left much of Houston underwater on Sunday, and the National Weather Service says it’s not over yet: Some parts of Houston and its suburbs could end up with as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain.</p>
<p>With the heavy precipitation expected to last for days, it’s still unclear how bad the damage will be, but there is already evidence of widespread losses. Key oil and gas facilities along the Texas Gulf Coast have temporarily shut down, and flooding in the Houston and Beaumont areas could seriously pinch gasoline supplies. Companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico have evacuated drilling platforms and rigs, crimping the flow of oil and gas.</p>
<p>Experts believe gasoline prices could increase as much as 25 cents a gallon.</p>
<p>Harvey’s toll on air travel in the U.S. is set to extend into Monday, with the tracking service FlightAware.com reporting that more than 1,400 flights already have been canceled. That’s in addition to more than 2,000 canceled over the weekend.</p>
<p>Economy watchers were looking to oil futures markets Sunday night and stock trading in the U.S. Monday morning for further indications of fallout.</p>
<p>Here’s what was known as of Sunday night:</p>
<p>REFINERIES</p>
<p>Nearly a third of U.S. refining capacity sits in low-lying areas along the coast from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Beyond the shutdown of refineries at risk of a direct strike from high winds, there’s the threat of flooding and potential power outages for gasoline supplies.</p>
<p>Refinery outages continued to spread Sunday, with about 2.2 million barrels per day of refining capacity down or being brought down, according to analysts at S&amp;P Global.</p>
<p>Valero Energy Corp., whose two big Corpus Christi refineries escaped damage, said it was working with federal and Texas agencies and its business partners to determine what infrastructure was needed to resume refinery operations.</p>
<p>Even before Harvey hit, the prospect of supply disruptions sent gasoline futures to $1.74 a gallon, their highest level since April, before they retreated to around $1.67 by Friday afternoon. At the pump, experts see gasoline increasing 10 cents to 25 cents a gallon.</p>
<p>Given the strictures faced by the refineries, “This is the dominoes starting to fall,” Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for Gas Buddy, said Sunday. “This is sort of slowly turning out to be the worst-case scenario.”</p>
<p>OIL AND GAS</p>
<p>Companies have evacuated workers from oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Sunday that workers had been removed from 105 of the 737 manned platforms used to pump oil and gas from beneath the Gulf.</p>
<p>The agency estimated that platforms accounting for about 22 percent of oil production and 26 percent of natural gas output in the Gulf had been shut down.</p>
<p>“After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected,” the agency said in a news release. “Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back on line.”</p>
<p>SHIPPING</p>
<p>The shipping industry also is expected to be disrupted by the worst hurricane to hit the Texas coast in more than 50 years. Shipping terminals along the Texas coast shut down as the storm approached. Port operations in Corpus Christi and Galveston closed, and the port of Houston said container terminals and general cargo facilities closed around midday Friday.</p>
<p>Rates increased for carrying freight between the Gulf and the U.S. East Coast.</p>
<p>TRAVEL</p>
<p>More than 1,400 flight cancellations are reported for Monday, according to FlightAware.</p>
<p>Houston’s two airports were closed to all flights except those connected to relief efforts. Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport was not expected to reopen Monday until noon at the earliest. Houston International Airport was scheduled to remain closed until Wednesday morning.</p>
<p>Airlines were offering customers the chance to reschedule trips that would take them to Houston, San Antonio or Austin from Friday through the weekend.</p>
<p>UTILITIES</p>
<p>Researchers at Texas A&amp;M University estimated that the storm would knock out power for at least 1.25 million people in Texas. They said the hardest-hit areas will include Corpus Christi, which is on the coast, and San Antonio, which is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) inland.</p>
<p>INSURANCE</p>
<p>A firm that does forecasts for insurance companies expects wind-damage claims in the low billions of dollars, and possibly reaching as high as $6 billion.</p>
<p>Risk Management Solutions Inc. said storm surges and inland flooding could be an even bigger source of losses. If the firm is correct, that would put homeowners and the government-backed National Flood Insurance Program at risk.</p>
<p>The flood program is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which owes the Treasury about $23 billion in funds borrowed to cover the cost of past disasters, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.</p>
<p>Homeowner policies offered by insurance companies typically don’t cover flood damage, yet a relatively small percentage of homeowners have flood insurance through the federal program.</p>
<p>Property data firm CoreLogic estimated that insured losses for home and commercial properties, as of Friday, would be $1 billion to $2 billion from wind and storm- surge damage.</p> | false | 1 | massive flooding caused tropical storm harvey along texas refineryrich coast could longstanding farreaching consequences states oil gas industry larger us economy storms remnants left much houston underwater sunday national weather service says yet parts houston suburbs could end much 50 inches 13 meters rain heavy precipitation expected last days still unclear bad damage already evidence widespread losses key oil gas facilities along texas gulf coast temporarily shut flooding houston beaumont areas could seriously pinch gasoline supplies companies operating gulf mexico evacuated drilling platforms rigs crimping flow oil gas experts believe gasoline prices could increase much 25 cents gallon harveys toll air travel us set extend monday tracking service flightawarecom reporting 1400 flights already canceled thats addition 2000 canceled weekend economy watchers looking oil futures markets sunday night stock trading us monday morning indications fallout heres known sunday night refineries nearly third us refining capacity sits lowlying areas along coast corpus christi texas lake charles louisiana beyond shutdown refineries risk direct strike high winds theres threat flooding potential power outages gasoline supplies refinery outages continued spread sunday 22 million barrels per day refining capacity brought according analysts sampp global valero energy corp whose two big corpus christi refineries escaped damage said working federal texas agencies business partners determine infrastructure needed resume refinery operations even harvey hit prospect supply disruptions sent gasoline futures 174 gallon highest level since april retreated around 167 friday afternoon pump experts see gasoline increasing 10 cents 25 cents gallon given strictures faced refineries dominoes starting fall patrick dehaan senior petroleum analyst gas buddy said sunday sort slowly turning worstcase scenario oil gas companies evacuated workers oil platforms gulf mexico us bureau safety environmental enforcement said sunday workers removed 105 737 manned platforms used pump oil gas beneath gulf agency estimated platforms accounting 22 percent oil production 26 percent natural gas output gulf shut storm passed facilities inspected agency said news release standard checks completed production undamaged facilities brought back line immediately facilities sustaining damage may take longer bring back line shipping shipping industry also expected disrupted worst hurricane hit texas coast 50 years shipping terminals along texas coast shut storm approached port operations corpus christi galveston closed port houston said container terminals general cargo facilities closed around midday friday rates increased carrying freight gulf us east coast travel 1400 flight cancellations reported monday according flightaware houstons two airports closed flights except connected relief efforts houston bush intercontinental airport expected reopen monday noon earliest houston international airport scheduled remain closed wednesday morning airlines offering customers chance reschedule trips would take houston san antonio austin friday weekend utilities researchers texas aampm university estimated storm would knock power least 125 million people texas said hardesthit areas include corpus christi coast san antonio 140 miles 225 kilometers inland insurance firm forecasts insurance companies expects winddamage claims low billions dollars possibly reaching high 6 billion risk management solutions inc said storm surges inland flooding could even bigger source losses firm correct would put homeowners governmentbacked national flood insurance program risk flood program run federal emergency management agency owes treasury 23 billion funds borrowed cover cost past disasters according recent report us government accountability office homeowner policies offered insurance companies typically dont cover flood damage yet relatively small percentage homeowners flood insurance federal program property data firm corelogic estimated insured losses home commercial properties friday would 1 billion 2 billion wind storm surge damage | 561 |
<p>In the growing public debate about Ebola, both sides are basically right. The administration is right that we are not witnessing an outbreak of Ebola and that such an outbreak is unlikely in our highly developed public-health system. But the administration’s critics are right that we are witnessing serious failures of that system that should be cause for serious alarm and major improvement.</p>
<p>Ideally, this unusual combination of circumstances — a genuine test of our communicable-disease containment and response system in which the danger to the public at large is actually quite small — would be an opportunity to learn some humbling lessons and make some meaningful changes. We have already learned, for instance, that in the case of a serious public-health crisis, our public officials will have a tendency to express vast overconfidence while relying on plans and procedures that demand an unrealistic level of competence from an enormous number of people in a wide variety of circumstances. The president should not have said that it was unlikely that anyone with Ebola would reach our shores, and the CDC director should not have said that essentially any hospital in America can handle Ebola — and more important, his agency should not have believed that and built its response plan on that premise.</p>
<p>This crucial process of learning lessons has been hampered so far by a peculiar attitude that often emerges in our politics in times of crisis and imbues our debates with the wrong approach to learning from failure. The attitude is premised on the bizarre assumption that large institutions are hyper-competent by default, so that when they fail we should seek for nefarious causes. Not only liberals (who are at least pretty consistent about making this ridiculous mistake) but also some conservatives who should know better respond with a mix of outrage and disgust to failures of government to contend effortlessly with daunting emergencies. But do we really expect (or even want) our government to have the power and ability to smooth all of life’s edges and be ready in an instant to address the consequences of, say, <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/199914/obamas-katrina/yuval-levin" type="external">a major hurricane or massive oil spill</a> or deadly disease outbreak? What do we think that government would be doing with that power the rest of the time? What we should want and expect is a government that can respond to unexpected emergencies by calling upon generally plausible prior planning, quickly building up capacity when it is needed, and learning from unavoidable early mistakes.</p>
<p>The most prominent of the arguments from nefarious causes has been the notion that what we’re witnessing now is the result of budget cuts—because surely an adequately funded government would also be omnicompetent. And it is especially appalling that this line of reasoning has been helped along by uncharacteristically foolish <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/12/ebola-vaccine_n_5974148.html" type="external">comments</a> from NIH director Francis Collins. The director of the NIH would of course like the agency to have even more money, and he no doubt wishes his agency had directed more resources to this particular disease in the past. But his agency does have a $30 billion budget (which was doubled, <a href="http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/reforming-nih" type="external">in my view in a rather reckless way</a>, in the late Clinton and early Bush years). And until this year the most severe known outbreak of Ebola had killed a total of 280 people—so it was perfectly reasonable not to treat it as a high priority in a world where, say, malaria kills 600,000 people every year, and it’s not likely that if the NIH had been given more money in recent years it would have directed it to Ebola research. This unexpected outbreak is killing thousands in Africa and could kill many more, and so we are turning our sizable resources to it. That we do not already have a vaccine is not a failure of government. It is a serious problem that our government (with its massive commitment to medical research) and our private pharmaceutical sector are actually pretty well positioned to help address now that it has arisen.</p>
<p>The response of our public health system is certainly another story, but there too there is simply no reason to think budgets are at issue, or that the failures we have witnessed are inexplicable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a public-health agency, and public health is an uneasy combination of two very different things: emergency disease containment and nannyist do-goodism. It is a field that exists to save us from the plague and to tell us to drink less soda. To expect the same agency, and many of the same people, to be very good at both of these missions is a lot to ask, and the CDC is much better at the second than the first. Since (thank God) we don’t experience many plague outbreaks, public health spends most of its time on that second mission: preaching the virtues of green vegetables and contraception. So the CDC is for the most part an agency engaged in a kind of low-grade, often silly social activism much of the time. When we confront a disease outbreak or similar public-health emergency, the CDC turns to the other part of its mission, and has an impressive core of experts and resources to call upon in doing so. But the turn is no simple matter, and the fact is we (thankfully) just haven’t had much experience with public-health emergencies on American soil, so the people charged with handling them haven’t had much practice here. It is not hard to imagine how all of this could lead to failures of the sort we have seen.</p>
<p>The question, then, is whether our public-health system, and our political decision makers, are learning lessons from their poor performance so far. It remains to be seen if senior officials from the president on down will be able to stop saying more than they know. But it does seem as though the CDC is backing off from its expectation that the competence required to deal with Ebola will be very widely available in our health-care system. They’re saying publicly that they will begin to send specialist SWAT teams to any hospital with a likely case of Ebola, but in practice they’re actually doing something better than that: they’re moving patients to a few select hospitals (so far Emory University hospital, which works closely with the CDC in Atlanta, and the NIH’s own specialty hospital in Maryland) where they know the expertise exists. That should continue. There aren’t many such hospitals, but there won’t be many patients at this point either and this should be a sustainable model for the time being.</p>
<p>A second lesson, which I suspect is being slowly internalized by the administration, concerns the importance of containing the disease. But the exact implications of this lesson for policy are not as clear. I agree with <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/390381/restrict-travel-curb-ebola-editors" type="external">NR’s editors</a> that the United States should impose a travel ban (with ample room for case-by-case exceptions) to our shores from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and should have done so weeks ago. The chief argument of opponents of such a ban, which the NR editorial didn’t really take up much, is that a ban would further undermine the economies of the stricken countries and so make it more likely that people, including people with Ebola, would flee those countries and make it more difficult to contain the disease. That’s a serious argument, and a serious worry that policymakers have to balance against the need to close off direct routes of potential transmission into our country. It’s particularly serious because containing Ebola and fighting it where it is must be the top priority of public-health officials. Allowing the disease to spread into densely populated parts of the world beyond the three nations now affected by it would ultimately be at least as dangerous to the United States as keeping passenger travel from those countries open at the moment. Conversations with a variety of public-health officials and journalists and others who have kept a close eye on this crisis have left me persuaded that the pursuit of this balance ultimately points to imposing a travel ban, and that it would be useful and important to do so now. And I think the administration will impose that ban. But it’s not a simple or easy call.</p>
<p>And all of this points to one further lesson that encompasses the rest, and which we probably haven’t really learned yet: not to underestimate this disease and this outbreak. This is really the original mistake, made by public-health officials throughout the world who worked to help the West African nations affected. It, too, was understandable. Past outbreaks of Ebola have all involved a very limited number of people in very contained zones. It was becoming apparent by the beginning of the summer that this one was different, but that’s much easier to see in retrospect than it could have been at the time. And no one really has any experience dealing with an outbreak of this particular disease that begins to grow exponentially as this one has. It is out of control in parts of West Africa, and is going to get much, much worse before it gets better.</p>
<p>The very nature of the debate we are now having, including the debate over the travel ban, is evidence of the fact that we probably have not yet learned not to underestimate this outbreak. We are still thinking about it in terms of a crisis in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone that could reach our shores by the various means that connect us to them. But the real danger, to us and to others, is probably far greater than that. Our greatest worry should not be that the disease could get to the United States from those West African nations but that it will get to Nigeria’s larger population centers or to, say, India or other places with massive population density and weak public-health systems, and from there will become an epidemic throughout the third world. The scale that this outbreak is now likely to reach in West Africa will make it rather difficult to prevent that, raising the risk of a far more colossal human catastrophe than the nightmare we are already witnessing and of a greater threat to the U.S. population.</p>
<p>That has not yet happened, and so it is likely preventable, but what the world is doing at this point in West Africa is probably not sufficient to prevent it. The travel bans imposed by many African nations have been effective (and again, I think we should have a similar one) and the increased commitment of resources and expertise by the United States will surely help, but it does seem unequal to the scope of the task.</p>
<p>We must work to see that our domestic public-health authorities learn lessons from the relatively modest problems they confront. But ultimately, the work of containment and prevention in West Africa, combined with intense efforts to develop treatments and vaccines, is what matters most. We are likely still making the original mistake of this crisis — still underestimating the outbreak.</p>
<p>Yuval Levin is the Hertog Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p> | false | 1 | growing public debate ebola sides basically right administration right witnessing outbreak ebola outbreak unlikely highly developed publichealth system administrations critics right witnessing serious failures system cause serious alarm major improvement ideally unusual combination circumstances genuine test communicabledisease containment response system danger public large actually quite small would opportunity learn humbling lessons make meaningful changes already learned instance case serious publichealth crisis public officials tendency express vast overconfidence relying plans procedures demand unrealistic level competence enormous number people wide variety circumstances president said unlikely anyone ebola would reach shores cdc director said essentially hospital america handle ebola important agency believed built response plan premise crucial process learning lessons hampered far peculiar attitude often emerges politics times crisis imbues debates wrong approach learning failure attitude premised bizarre assumption large institutions hypercompetent default fail seek nefarious causes liberals least pretty consistent making ridiculous mistake also conservatives know better respond mix outrage disgust failures government contend effortlessly daunting emergencies really expect even want government power ability smooth lifes edges ready instant address consequences say major hurricane massive oil spill deadly disease outbreak think government would power rest time want expect government respond unexpected emergencies calling upon generally plausible prior planning quickly building capacity needed learning unavoidable early mistakes prominent arguments nefarious causes notion witnessing result budget cutsbecause surely adequately funded government would also omnicompetent especially appalling line reasoning helped along uncharacteristically foolish comments nih director francis collins director nih would course like agency even money doubt wishes agency directed resources particular disease past agency 30 billion budget doubled view rather reckless way late clinton early bush years year severe known outbreak ebola killed total 280 peopleso perfectly reasonable treat high priority world say malaria kills 600000 people every year likely nih given money recent years would directed ebola research unexpected outbreak killing thousands africa could kill many turning sizable resources already vaccine failure government serious problem government massive commitment medical research private pharmaceutical sector actually pretty well positioned help address arisen response public health system certainly another story simply reason think budgets issue failures witnessed inexplicable centers disease control prevention publichealth agency public health uneasy combination two different things emergency disease containment nannyist dogoodism field exists save us plague tell us drink less soda expect agency many people good missions lot ask cdc much better second first since thank god dont experience many plague outbreaks public health spends time second mission preaching virtues green vegetables contraception cdc part agency engaged kind lowgrade often silly social activism much time confront disease outbreak similar publichealth emergency cdc turns part mission impressive core experts resources call upon turn simple matter fact thankfully havent much experience publichealth emergencies american soil people charged handling havent much practice hard imagine could lead failures sort seen question whether publichealth system political decision makers learning lessons poor performance far remains seen senior officials president able stop saying know seem though cdc backing expectation competence required deal ebola widely available healthcare system theyre saying publicly begin send specialist swat teams hospital likely case ebola practice theyre actually something better theyre moving patients select hospitals far emory university hospital works closely cdc atlanta nihs specialty hospital maryland know expertise exists continue arent many hospitals wont many patients point either sustainable model time second lesson suspect slowly internalized administration concerns importance containing disease exact implications lesson policy clear agree nrs editors united states impose travel ban ample room casebycase exceptions shores guinea liberia sierra leone done weeks ago chief argument opponents ban nr editorial didnt really take much ban would undermine economies stricken countries make likely people including people ebola would flee countries make difficult contain disease thats serious argument serious worry policymakers balance need close direct routes potential transmission country particularly serious containing ebola fighting must top priority publichealth officials allowing disease spread densely populated parts world beyond three nations affected would ultimately least dangerous united states keeping passenger travel countries open moment conversations variety publichealth officials journalists others kept close eye crisis left persuaded pursuit balance ultimately points imposing travel ban would useful important think administration impose ban simple easy call points one lesson encompasses rest probably havent really learned yet underestimate disease outbreak really original mistake made publichealth officials throughout world worked help west african nations affected understandable past outbreaks ebola involved limited number people contained zones becoming apparent beginning summer one different thats much easier see retrospect could time one really experience dealing outbreak particular disease begins grow exponentially one control parts west africa going get much much worse gets better nature debate including debate travel ban evidence fact probably yet learned underestimate outbreak still thinking terms crisis guinea liberia sierra leone could reach shores various means connect us real danger us others probably far greater greatest worry disease could get united states west african nations get nigerias larger population centers say india places massive population density weak publichealth systems become epidemic throughout third world scale outbreak likely reach west africa make rather difficult prevent raising risk far colossal human catastrophe nightmare already witnessing greater threat us population yet happened likely preventable world point west africa probably sufficient prevent travel bans imposed many african nations effective think similar one increased commitment resources expertise united states surely help seem unequal scope task must work see domestic publichealth authorities learn lessons relatively modest problems confront ultimately work containment prevention west africa combined intense efforts develop treatments vaccines matters likely still making original mistake crisis still underestimating outbreak yuval levin hertog fellow ethics public policy center | 912 |
<p />
<p>The soldiers of the US 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division hollered as they made their way into Kuwait. “We won,” they claimed. “It’s over.”</p>
<p>But what exactly did they win?</p>
<p>And is the war really over?</p>
<p>It seems we are once again walking into the same trap, the same nonsensical assumptions of wars won, missions accomplished, troops withdrawn, and jolly soldiers carrying cardboard signs of heart-warming messages like “Lindsay &amp; Austin … Dad’s coming home.”</p>
<p>While much of the media is focused on the logistics of the misleading withdrawal of the “last combat brigade” from Iraq on August 19, some accentuating the fact that the withdrawal is happening two weeks ahead of the August 31 deadline — most of us are guilty of forgetting Iraq and its people. When the economy began to take center stage, we completely dropped the war off our list of grievances.</p>
<p>But this is not about memory, or a way of honoring the dead and feeling compassion for the living. Forgetting wars leads to a complete polarization of discourses, thus allowing the crafters of war to sell the public whatever suits their interests and stratagems.</p>
<p>In an August 22 Washington Post article entitled “Five myths about the Iraq troop withdrawal”, Kenneth M Pollack unravels the first “myth”: “As of this month, the United States no longer has combat troops in Iran.” Pollack claims this idea is “not even close” because “roughly 50,000 American military personnel remain in Iraq, and the majority are still combat troops — they’re just named something else. The major units still in Iraq will no longer be called “brigade combat teams” and instead will be called “advisory and assistance brigades”. But a rose by any other name is still a rose, and the differences in brigade structure and personnel are minimal.</p>
<p>So what if the US army downgrades its military presence in Iraq and re-labels over 50,000 remaining soldiers? Will the US military now stop chasing after perceived terrorist threats? Will it concede an inch of its unchallenged control over Iraqi skies? Will it relinquish power over the country’s self-serving political elite? Will it give up its influence over every relevant aspect of life in the country, from the now autonomous Kurdish region in the north all the way to the border with Kuwait in the south, which the jubilant soldiers crossed while hollering the shrieks of victory?</p>
<p>The Iraq war has been one of the most well-controlled wars the US has ever fought, in terms of its language and discourse. Even those opposed to the war tend to be misguided as to their reasons: “Iraqis need to take charge of their own country”; “Iraq is a sectarian society and America cannot rectify that”; “It is not possible to create a Western-style democracy in Iraq”; “It’s a good thing Saddam Hussein was taken down, but the US should have left straight after”. These ideas might be described as “anti-war”, but they are all based on fallacious assumptions that were fed to us by the same recycled official and media rhetoric.</p>
<p>It’s no wonder that the so-called anti-war movement waned significantly after the election of President Barack Obama. The new president merely shifted military priorities from Iraq to Afghanistan. His government is now re-branding the Iraq war, although maintaining the interventionist spirit behind it. It makes perfect sense that the US State Department is now the one in charge of the future mission in Iraq. The occupation of Iraq, while it promises much violence and blood, is now a political scheme. It requires good public relations.</p>
<p>The State Department will now supervise future violence in Iraq, which is likely to increase in coming months due to the ongoing political standoff and heightened sectarian divisions. An attack blamed on al-Qaeda in an Iraqi army recruitment center on August 17 claimed 61 lives and wounded many. “Iraqi officials say July saw the deaths of more than 500 people, including 396 civilians, making it the deadliest month for more than two years,” reported Robert Tait in Radio Free Europe.</p>
<p>Since the March elections, Iraq has had no government. The political rift in the country, even among the ruling Shi’ite groups, is large and widening. The disaffected Sunnis have been humiliated and collectively abused because of the misguided claim that they were favored by Saddam. Hate is brewing and the country’s internal affairs are being handled jointly by some of the most corrupt politicians the world has ever known.</p>
<p>Washington understands that it needs to deliver on some of Obama’s many campaign promises before the November elections; thus the re-branding campaign, which could hide the fact that the US has no real intention of removing itself from the Iraq’s military or political milieus. But since the current number of military personnel might not be enough to handle the deepening security chaos in the country, the new caretakers at the State Department are playing with numbers.</p>
<p>“State Department spokesman P J Crowley said [a] plan would bring to some 7,000 the total security contractors employed by the government in Iraq, where since the 2003 US invasion private security firms have often been accused of acting above the law,” according to Reuters.</p>
<p>It’s important that we understand the number game is just a game. Many colonial powers in the past controlled their colonies through the use of local forces and minimal direct involvement. Those of us oppose the Iraq war should do so based on the guiding principle that foreign invasions, occupations and interventions in sovereign countries’ affairs are a direct violation of international law. It is precisely the interventionist mindset that must be confronted, challenged, and rejected.</p>
<p>While it is a good thing that that thousands of American dads are now coming home, we must also remember that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi moms and dads never did. Millions of refugees from the US-led invasion are still circling the country and the Middle East.</p>
<p>War is not about numbers and dates. It’s about people, their rights, their freedom and their future. Re-branding the army and the war will provide none of this for grief-stricken and vulnerable Iraqis.</p>
<p>The fact is, no one has won this war. And the occupation is anything but over.</p>
<p /> | false | 1 | soldiers us 4th stryker brigade 2nd infantry division hollered made way kuwait claimed exactly win war really seems walking trap nonsensical assumptions wars missions accomplished troops withdrawn jolly soldiers carrying cardboard signs heartwarming messages like lindsay amp austin dads coming home much media focused logistics misleading withdrawal last combat brigade iraq august 19 accentuating fact withdrawal happening two weeks ahead august 31 deadline us guilty forgetting iraq people economy began take center stage completely dropped war list grievances memory way honoring dead feeling compassion living forgetting wars leads complete polarization discourses thus allowing crafters war sell public whatever suits interests stratagems august 22 washington post article entitled five myths iraq troop withdrawal kenneth pollack unravels first myth month united states longer combat troops iran pollack claims idea even close roughly 50000 american military personnel remain iraq majority still combat troops theyre named something else major units still iraq longer called brigade combat teams instead called advisory assistance brigades rose name still rose differences brigade structure personnel minimal us army downgrades military presence iraq relabels 50000 remaining soldiers us military stop chasing perceived terrorist threats concede inch unchallenged control iraqi skies relinquish power countrys selfserving political elite give influence every relevant aspect life country autonomous kurdish region north way border kuwait south jubilant soldiers crossed hollering shrieks victory iraq war one wellcontrolled wars us ever fought terms language discourse even opposed war tend misguided reasons iraqis need take charge country iraq sectarian society america rectify possible create westernstyle democracy iraq good thing saddam hussein taken us left straight ideas might described antiwar based fallacious assumptions fed us recycled official media rhetoric wonder socalled antiwar movement waned significantly election president barack obama new president merely shifted military priorities iraq afghanistan government rebranding iraq war although maintaining interventionist spirit behind makes perfect sense us state department one charge future mission iraq occupation iraq promises much violence blood political scheme requires good public relations state department supervise future violence iraq likely increase coming months due ongoing political standoff heightened sectarian divisions attack blamed alqaeda iraqi army recruitment center august 17 claimed 61 lives wounded many iraqi officials say july saw deaths 500 people including 396 civilians making deadliest month two years reported robert tait radio free europe since march elections iraq government political rift country even among ruling shiite groups large widening disaffected sunnis humiliated collectively abused misguided claim favored saddam hate brewing countrys internal affairs handled jointly corrupt politicians world ever known washington understands needs deliver obamas many campaign promises november elections thus rebranding campaign could hide fact us real intention removing iraqs military political milieus since current number military personnel might enough handle deepening security chaos country new caretakers state department playing numbers state department spokesman p j crowley said plan would bring 7000 total security contractors employed government iraq since 2003 us invasion private security firms often accused acting law according reuters important understand number game game many colonial powers past controlled colonies use local forces minimal direct involvement us oppose iraq war based guiding principle foreign invasions occupations interventions sovereign countries affairs direct violation international law precisely interventionist mindset must confronted challenged rejected good thing thousands american dads coming home must also remember hundreds thousands iraqi moms dads never millions refugees usled invasion still circling country middle east war numbers dates people rights freedom future rebranding army war provide none griefstricken vulnerable iraqis fact one war occupation anything | 568 |
<p>Health care policy has been front and center in the national political conversation ever since President Obama launched his effort to enact a reform plan with a decidedly government-centric focus. Opponents of what has become known as Obamacare have expended much time and energy informing the public of the law’s significant dangers to the national economy, federal budget, and quality of American health care. And it is clear that effort has succeeded.</p>
<p>Public opinion has consistently run against the Obamacare framework, both during the debate over its enactment by Congress and in the two and half years that have passed since the president signed it into law. Even after the president’s successful reelection effort, opposition to the law remains intense.</p>
<p>But while more Americans are against Obamacare than for it, polls also show that a strong majority of the electorate want the very real problems in the health system fixed–just without the massive expansion of governmental power and spending that characterize Obamacare. This strong impulse for a positive reform agenda could undermine a repeal effort if there is no realistic program being readied to replace Obamacare.</p>
<p>Fortunately for Obamacare’s opponents, much of the work needed to construct a viable alternative was already done many years ago by a band of economists and health policy experts who have long argued that a market-based approach to reform would deliver far better results than one managed by the federal government, as Obamacare would be.</p>
<p>Robert Moffit and I provided an overview of what a market-based reform plan would look like in the spring 2012 issue of National Affairs.[1] The article listed seven key principles for an effective replacement program:</p>
<p>1. Defined Contribution Health Care. What health care needs more than anything is the discipline of a functioning marketplace, and a marketplace only exists if consumers are cost-conscious. That will necessarily mean conversion of today’s open-ended federal subsidies for insurance into “defined contribution” payments that give consumers strong incentives to seek out the best value with the fixed support they get.</p>
<p>2. Continuous Coverage Protection. Today, Americans must switch insurance when they switch jobs. A law passed in 1996 has mainly smoothed out transition problems between job-based plans. Specifically, workers (or their family members) with preexisting conditions cannot be penalized when they sign up with insurance at a new job so long as they have had insurance for a specified period of time. Unfortunately, the law did not adequately extend the same protection for people who transition from job-based coverage to individually purchased insurance. Those gaps need to be filled within a broad commitment to the American people: so long as people remain continuously insured with at least catastrophic insurance, they should never be forced to pay high premiums solely because they develop a costly health condition.</p>
<p>3. A Genuine Partnership with the States. Any solution to the problems of American health care will necessarily entail some uniform national policies. But there should also be plenty of room for states to adopt approaches suited to their needs within a federal framework. States should be given the lead role in insurance regulation, Medicaid reform, and ensuring consumers have sufficient information to make informed choices.</p>
<p>4. Reforming the Tax Treatment of Employer-Paid Premiums. The favorable tax treatment of employer-sponsored health insurance has made this type of coverage far more attractive than alternatives. But relying so heavily on workplace insurance has stifled the individual market. Moreover, because the tax break has no limit, it fuels cost escalation. Fixing American health care will necessarily require reforming this central feature of today’s system.</p>
<p>5. Medicaid Reform. Federal rules limit the states’ ability to implement cost-saving approaches in Medicaid. Moreover, because it is a matching program with more federal money flowing to the most expensive programs, states have a disincentive for cost-cutting. On average, states need to cut nearly $2.50 in combined federal and state Medicaid spending to save $1.00 in state funds, as the first $1.50 gets returned to the federal government. Reform must give states the freedom to implement sensible, market-based reforms.</p>
<p>6. Medicare Reform. Medicare is the largest and most important purchaser of health services in the country. Its dominant fee-for-service insurance option is the primary reason the American system is characterized by fragmented and procedure-driven health care. It will not be possible to improve the efficiency of American health care without Medicare reform. In particular, Medicare must move away from a system of centrally managed price controls and toward a market-driven program with beneficiaries choosing from competing options based on their prices and quality.</p>
<p>7. Spending Cuts to Improve the Deficit Outlook and Offset Costs. Obamacare increases taxes by $1 trillion over a decade to pay for the law’s massive new entitlement spending. This is one of the main reasons for the intense public opposition to the law. The alternative to Obamacare must exhibit much more spending discipline and finance any additional outlays with spending cuts, not tax increases. Indeed, overall, the alternative should provide a net reduction in taxes, spending, and projected future deficits.</p>
<p>These principles simply provide what is needed to begin constructing a workable replacement plan for Obamacare. This paper is an attempt to go deeper into the details of some of the more important design features of a market-based-reform-program plan. The aim is to develop an approach that is both robust enough to solve the very real problems that plague American health care and appealing enough to gain support among a broad coalition of citizens sincerely open to a viable alternative to Obamacare.</p>
<p>Targeted Reform of the Tax Treatment of Employer-Paid Health Insurance</p>
<p>The vast majority of working-age Americans (and their dependents) get their health insurance through their employers. The reason is simple: employer-paid premiums do not count as taxable income to workers for purposes of federal income and payroll taxes, thus making job-based coverage for health insurance far preferable to the alternatives.</p>
<p>From a certain perspective, this policy of encouraging widespread adoption of employer-sponsored insurance has worked remarkably well: some 156 million Americans under the age of 65 get their private-sector health insurance from their employers.[2] And this insurance is generally popular with workers, for good reason. It is why most Americans have ready access to a broad and high-quality network of physician clinics and hospitals.</p>
<p>But the favorable tax treatment of job-based insurance is far from a benign policy. It is one of the most important sources of the significant problems that have plagued American health care for decades.</p>
<p>For starters, because the federal tax break is conferred without limit, it encourages high-cost health care. The most expensive employer plans enjoy the largest federal tax breaks, and workers have an inflated preference for getting paid with health insurance rather than cash because the former is tax exempt while the latter is not.</p>
<p>For middle- and upper-class families, this is no small matter. For a family facing a 40 percent marginal tax rate on income (25 percent for income taxes, and 15 percent for payroll taxes), the implicit value of the federal tax break for health care is worth more than $5,000 on a $13,000 employer-sponsored plan. Moreover, the value of the tax break generally rises with salaries because higher-paid workers tend to face higher marginal tax rates–and thus save more when their employer plan is conferred tax-free.</p>
<p>The worst side-effect of exempting employer-paid premiums from taxation is that it has undermined any chance for a vibrant individual health insurance market to emerge in the United States. Workers are so much better off enrolled in employer plans that they only enter the individual market if they do not work or work at firms that do not sponsor plans. With much smaller numbers of enrollees, the premiums in the subdivided market are highly sensitive to the risk profile of the participants, and therefore more volatile (and sometimes much higher) than the premiums charged for employer coverage.</p>
<p>Heavy reliance on employer-based insurance is also a primary reason for large numbers of uninsured Americans. Workers who are in between jobs often go without insurance until they can find new work (even though they usually have the option to stay on their former employer’s plan for up to 18 months). Consequently, very large numbers of Americans experience short spells without insurance–spells that could be eliminated if Americans owned their insurance and retained it even when they were out of work, much as they do today with car insurance.</p>
<p>This phenomenon of going uninsured for temporary periods of unemployment is so common that it distorts our understanding of the uninsured. When the US Census Bureau reports that there are 50 million uninsured (as it did in 2010), most people tend to think there is a large, permanent class of Americans who go without coverage on a permanent basis.</p>
<p>But this is not true. The uninsured is a very dynamic group that is constantly changing as people move into and out of coverage based on their employment status. A recent study found that the number of uninsured individuals who went without coverage between 2004 and 2007 was just 12 million.[3] It is this group that might be considered the permanently uninsured.</p>
<p>The study also found, however, that a much larger group of people–some 89 million–experienced at least one month without insurance during this four-year period. It is this group that swells the official measures of the uninsured–even though the vast majority of them are just as likely to have had insurance at any given point in time. The large number of Americans who vacillate between having coverage and lacking coverage is an indication that the job-based insurance system does not work for many millions of lower-wage workers who are employed in industries and firms that may or may not sponsor a health plan.</p>
<p>The problems with excessive reliance on job-based health insurance have been known for many years, but the policy has been extremely hard to change because of the political difficulty of disrupting coverage for so many middle-class and upper-middle-class Americans who are insured through work. For them, job-based insurance is entirely satisfactory and stable. They support the concept of health care reform because they see the problems that plague the broader system. But they are very reluctant to embrace any kind of reform approach that might disrupt their job-based coverage because it provides them with ready access to a broad network of physicians and hospitals.</p>
<p>A possible solution is reforming the tax treatment of insurance. Instead of attempting wholesale change, such as Senator John McCain’s 2008 proposal to eliminate the current tax break altogether and replace it with a universal credit, it would be far easier politically to alter the tax treatment just for the segments of the marketplace that are not being served well by today’s arrangements.</p>
<p>This would mean adjusting the tax treatment of health insurance for those who work in smaller firms (perhaps defined as those with less than 50 or 100 workers) and are therefore more likely to experience episodic coverage, or lack of coverage, over time. For these workers, it would be far better to get a refundable tax credit that they can use to buy insurance that they keep even as their life circumstances change.</p>
<p>The value of the credit for these workers should be set at something approximating the current value of the tax preference for an average premium employer plan. For families, this would mean a tax credit in the range of about $5,000, and for individuals, about $2,500. After a year, these amounts could be indexed to grow with some measure of inflation, such as the medical consumer price index.</p>
<p>These credits should also be extended to people with no attachment to the workplace at all. This would eliminate the discriminatory feature of today’s system that penalizes those who buy insurance outside the employer system.</p>
<p>For workers in larger employer plans, however, the current tax exemption for employer-paid premiums would remain in place so as to minimize disruption of these plans. But, to improve cost discipline in these plans, it would be important to place an upper limit on the value of the tax preference, perhaps at plans priced at the 75th percentile in terms of expense.[4]</p>
<p>This would encourage the continuation of this employer-sponsored insurance, but with new incentives for cost control. Applying this kind of “tax cap” to the tens of millions of workers in large employer plans would have an important effect on the entire health system, as workers who are currently largely indifferent to the cost of their plans would have a newly acquired interest in enrolling in plans with premiums that fall below the “tax cap” threshold.</p>
<p>The Role of the States in Facilitating a Functioning Marketplace</p>
<p>Some suggest that the state-based “exchanges” in Obamacare are a nod toward market-based reform because, in theory at least, the exchanges are supposed to facilitate informed consumer choice of health plans. And it is certainly true that a properly run exchange could aid in the transparency of the marketplace and ease the enrollment and premium-payment process for consumers. These features of a theoretical exchange might make local health insurance markets run more smoothly than they otherwise would–but, it is important to keep in mind that the exchanges created in Obamacare will not exist in an apolitical vacuum.</p>
<p>The fundamental struggle is over how to allocate scarce health care resources. Should the federal government do so through regulation, tax collection, and spending programs? Or should consumers call the shots in a functioning marketplace? Every reform idea is judged by whether it pushes the overall system more toward one side or the other of this crucial policy divide.</p>
<p>And so, which is it with the Obamacare exchanges? Are they the foundations for a market-driven system? Or are they new bureaucratic structures that will bring under government control portions of the health system that currently lie outside of the government’s reach?</p>
<p>Under the law, the federal government will provide massive new subsidization for health insurance for those with incomes between 135 and 400 percent of the poverty line–but only if they get their insurance through the Obamacare exchanges. This will provide a powerful incentive for millions of Americans to get their insurance in the exchanges. And when they do, the federal government has the legal discretion to impose any number of different regulatory requirements on insurance plans being offered, including what premiums can be charged. Most importantly, the law allows the federal government–working with the states–to block some insurers from participating in the exchanges. In effect, the federal government has the power to put insurers out of business.</p>
<p>The federal government is currently playing down this immense power and deferring to the states in the hope that they will become more cooperative in building the first iterations of these agencies for the 2014 launch year. But this “hands off” approach will almost certainly end at the first sign of a budget crisis. Then, the government will very likely begin considering the same options to control costs that have been under review in Massachusetts, including imposition of Medicare’s regulated-payment systems on all of the insurance offered and purchased in the exchanges.</p>
<p>This approach to c ost control is favored by some politicians because it creates the impression that it is only the “providers”–not the beneficiaries–that will see cuts from the changes. Extending the Medicare payment regulations into the exchanges would represent a very large step toward an “all payer” health system and a similarly large step away from a market-driven system in which pricing must be free to float to send the proper signals to consumers.</p>
<p>By contrast, a genuine market-based reform will set in motion changes that will not be easily hijacked for a government takeover of the health system. Instead of blindly embracing the exchange concept, pro-market reformers should approach the question of the state role in reform from a functional rather than an organizational perspective. In other words, what do states need to do for a thriving, adaptable marketplace to emerge? From this perspective, two critical roles for the states stand out.</p>
<p>First, the states must implement a small number of changes to create what might be called “continuous coverage protection.” The idea is to guarantee that the premiums of all Americans who stay in continuous insurance coverage (defined as having at least catastrophic insurance protection) will not be adjusted based on changes in their health status. This would require states to change how they regulate insurance for people moving from larger employer plans to the individual or small-group market. Insurers in these markets would be required to offer coverage to people who have stayed continuously insured for the required period of time, without exclusions for preexisting conditions, and at standard rates based on age and residence.</p>
<p>With these changes, more Americans with expensive health costs would be entering the state-regulated insurance markets. Under current rules, states often allow insurers to pass expectations of high costs directly to the higher-risk consumers in the form of higher premiums. This would no longer be allowed under the proposed framework, so states would need to work with the federal government to provide more direct subsidies to the insurance plans from high-risk pools to keep overall premiums from rising precipitously.</p>
<p>Most states have high-risk pools that could be leveraged and enlarged (with federal money) to cover the added expense associated with this change. States would then need to work with insurers to establish a system to identify the truly high-risk cases among the state’s insured population. To prevent abuse, states would need to create disincentives for excessive referrals for high-risk funding, perhaps by penalizing insurers for seeking subsidization for people who are found unqualified.</p>
<p>The second important role for the states would be reducing the burden that citizens eligible for the tax credit will face when they want to find and sign up for coverage. Specifically, states would need to establish a process by which individuals could make their selection of health insurance, and the state would forward those selections to the federal government so that the credits could be paid directly to the insurance plans chosen.</p>
<p>Under Obamacare, this process is assigned to a bureaucracy–the state exchanges. But there is no reason a state could not handle this process without ever building a new bureaucracy. For instance, private vendors already facilitate the choice of health insurance in the private market. States could leverage that capacity to build platforms tailored to tax-credit individuals.</p>
<p>Moreover, states could approach the task of aiding consumer choice by focusing strictly on the transparency and accessibility of the information available to consumers. The states could work with all licensed insurers and brokers to require the standardization of comparison information and then require insurers as well as employers not offering insurance to participate in the broad distribution of that information to the tax-credit-eligible public.</p>
<p>The Role of Default Insurance</p>
<p>As mentioned, a critical component of a market-based reform plan is the promise of continuous-coverage protection. The idea is to use the principle of the marketplace to provide strong incentives to stay insured. Under this concept, anyone who retained at least catastrophic insurance coverage without significant interruption could not be charged higher premiums based on deteriorating health status. In other words, someone who stayed insured could not be penalized with higher premiums just because he or she got sick.</p>
<p>Today, the law protects people from this kind of problem when they move from one job-based insurance plan to another. But there are cracks in the system when workers leave employer-sponsored plans and try to get insurance in the individual market. The number of people faced with this situation is large enough to resonate politically. Many millions of middle-class Americans have good, secure insurance today, but worry that they too could one day have a preexisting condition and face exorbitant premiums.</p>
<p>Fixing the regulatory portion of this problem is relatively straightforward. The challenge is establishing updated federal rules that allow the continuously insured to go directly from an employer plan to an individually owned product without a preexisting condition being held against them.[5]</p>
<p>Of course, for the marketplace to function properly, it must be the case that someone whodoes notretain continuous insurance protection can face higher premiums based on his or her health risk. Otherwise, the insurance market would suffer from the same problems experienced in those states that required insurers to sell their policies to all comers, including new market entrants. These states experienced severe adverse selection in their insurance systems, with the sick signing up for coverage at high rates and the healthy purchasing insurance only when they knew they would need to use it.[6]</p>
<p>Consequently, a market-based approach not only needs to address the issue of preexisting conditions with sensible protections for the continuously insured, it must also provide a realistic avenue for staying continuously insured, even for low-wage households that are most susceptible to being uninsured.</p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, the reform approach advocated here would address this issue by providing anyone without a large employer health plan with a refundable tax credit that could be used only to secure health insurance coverage. This policy is, for all intents and purposes, a universal plan for insurance coverage, because every American household would either be in a large employer plan or get the refundable credit.[7] Thus, there would be no reason for anyone to have a break in coverage.</p>
<p>Yet even with a widely available tax credit for insurance, some portion of the population would likely still go uninsured, for a variety of reasons (this is often the case with other programs like Medicaid, in which eligible individuals fail to sign up in large numbers). There are a couple of reasons for this phenomenon: some people are hard to reach in terms of public information campaigns, and others tend not to make significant changes to their life arrangements without a clear need and direct, personal intervention.</p>
<p>It is possible, however, to boost insurance coverage among the hard-to-reach population without resorting to coercive mandates or requirements. Under the framework proposed here, this could be done through what might be called “default insurance.” States would be responsible for designating several insurance plans as default options to which persons who are eligible for a refundable tax credit would be assigned (on a random basis) if they failed to sign up for coverage on their own.</p>
<p>The key to making this concept work is that the premiums for default insurance would need to be set to the value of the tax credit so that persons who were assigned to such plans would not be charged any additional premium. And to keep the premiums equal to the credits, the insurance plans must be given the authority to set their u p-front deductibles accordingly so that the cost of the coverage does not exceed the federal credit.</p>
<p>This approach would of course mean that persons assigned to default plans would likely get catastrophic insurance coverage, with a larger-than-normal deductible. Nonetheless, they would have insurance to protect them against high medical expenses, which is the primary need and benefit of health coverage. Most importantly, those who were assigned to a default plan would retain the continuous coverage designation, and thus be protected against getting risk rated later based on their health status.</p>
<p>This approach would not preclude those who are initially assigned to a default plan from later switching to a plan of their choosing, or from dropping out of the insurance system altogether. The default concept is simply a way to approximate universal enrollment in insurance in a voluntary, consumer-driven marketplace.</p>
<p>A State Option for Medicaid Reform</p>
<p>Today, participants in Medicaid are not integrated into the insurance system through which other working-age Americans get their coverage.[8] This separation of Medicaid from the rest of the insurance marketplace is one of the most serious defects of today’s arrangements.</p>
<p>For one thing, it has led to the separation of the Medicaid population from mainstream medical-service delivery systems in many communities. Medicaid pays far below commercial rates and is therefore less attractive to physicians and hospitals. Medicaid participants are thus forced to get their care from a narrow set of willing providers, which leads far too often to substandard care.</p>
<p>Medicaid’s isolation from the rest of commercial insurance for the working-age population also impedes welfare reform. Today, when people with low incomes move up the wage scale, they might reach a point where they earn too much to stay on Medicaid. When this happens, they generally cannot keep the plans they have by paying the premiums themselves. Instead, they have to find new insurance coverage, presumably through their workplace.</p>
<p>But, of course, some employers do not offer coverage, and those that do often offer coverage that is less generous than Medicaid. Thus, not only can getting a better-paying job result in discontinuity in insurance, it can also mean a reduction in the value of health coverage–a reduction that could exceed the additional cash compensation from the better-paying job. This is a tremendous disincentive to taking a higher-paying job, and thus also a hindrance to reducing welfare dependence.</p>
<p>The problem is further complicated by the lack of state flexibility regarding Medicaid. Today, the federal government enforces a series of rules that limit states’ ability to use Medicaid resources more creatively to build a seamless statewide insurance system. The federal rules are a predictable byproduct of Medicaid’s system of federal-matching payments. On average, the federal government pays 57 percent of Medicaid costs, with the states paying for the balance. That inevitably leads the bureaucracy overseeing the program to implement rules intended to protect the federal government from unnecessary or wasteful expenditures.</p>
<p>Moreover, because the federal government pays more than half of each dollar spent in most states, states have much less incentive to pursue cost-cutting efforts because they lose federal funding with each dollar that is cut. So, for instance, in a state where the federal government is paying for 60 percent of Medicaid costs, the state legislature has to cut $2.50 in combined federal and state Medicaid funding to reduce the state’s costs by $1.00. This is because the first $1.50 in savings goes back to the federal government, not the state.</p>
<p>Fixing these problems requires fundamental reform at both the federal and state levels of government. For starters, the federal government should make all Medicaid participants eligible for the same refundable tax credit provided to small-business workers and other individuals who are not enrolled in large employer plans. This tax credit would form the foundation of their health care assistance, and would allow them to enroll in the same health insurance plans as other state residents. Importantly, the Medicaid participants would stay enrolled in these plans even if they go off Medicaid when they move into higher-paying jobs at small businesses.</p>
<p>Of course, the tax credit would be worth less than Medicaid coverage, and low-income families are not likely to have enough resources to pay large premiums for coverage themselves. Thus, the federal tax credit will need to be supplemented with a reformed Medicaid program that would be converted into a premium support payment for participants.</p>
<p>Implementing this reform would require changing the basis upon which the federal government makes payments to the states. Instead of matching payments, the federal government should make fixed, per capita payments to the states for coverage.[9] The per capita amounts would be tied to historical spending in the states, with the amount paid by the federal government in the form of tax credits deducted from the total. In the years after the first year, the per capita amounts would grow with an agreed-upon index, perhaps measuring medical inflation.</p>
<p>The per capita payments can be calibrated to be budget neutral for the federal government in year one (the tax credits paid to Medicaid-eligible participants must be counted as part of the federal Medicaid spending commitment). In other words, aggregate federal payments to the states would be equal to expected federal spending if the matching system had been retained. After the first year, some savings would accrue to the federal government as the per capita payments would grow more slowly than Medicaid spending is expected to grow under current baseline projections.</p>
<p>Moving toward per capita payments would remove the distorting effects of today’s matching system and provide budgetary predictability at the federal and state levels of government. It would also allow the federal government to give the states total discretion over the design of the program, because states could no longer increase the federal share of program spending with state-only actions.</p>
<p>States, for their part, should use this redesign of Medicaid at the federal level to put the program’s participants into the same market-driven insurance system as everyone else. This would immediately improve access to care for the participants and also dramatically reduce the constant churning through insurance that causes so much of today’s uninsured problem. The states would have wide discretion over how to accomplish this, including full authority to establish required benefits and other special rules that might apply to the Medicaid population. They would also establish the amounts of additional premium assistance provided through Medicaid, and how that assistance would be phased down as incomes rise.</p>
<p>States could also enroll Medicaid-eligible residents who fail to come forward to sign up for coverage in the same default insurance plans that apply to other tax-credit-eligible individuals. The premium for the Medicaid- eligible population would equal the combined value of the federal tax credit and the state-administered Medicaid payment. Enrolling the Medicaid-eligible population in default insurance would greatly reduce the ranks of the uninsured and broaden the population that would be protected against the costs of developing an expensive health condition.</p>
<p>Spending Discipline to Offset Costs and Improve the Budget Outlook</p>
<p>A credible replacement program will cost far less than Obamacare, but it will not be free. In particular, the proposal to provide a refundable tax credit to individuals who are not attached to an employer plan or who work for a small firm will result in some additional outlays as the amount of the credit will exceed the tax liability for many low-wage workers and thus will be assigned to the spending side of the governme nt ledger. In addition, extending continuous coverage protection to persons who stay insured will necessarily mean providing some mechanism for subsidizing coverage for people who are high risks and get their insurance in the individual market at standard rates.</p>
<p>Today, the cost of providing insurance to high-risk enrollees is often shouldered by the enrollees themselves. When that option is negated, as it would be under this proposal, an alternative source of funding becomes necessary to cover the costs. One approach would be to increase funding for high-risk pools (at least during a temporary transition period) and allow states to use them to directly subsidize insurance premiums for people who are high risks but pay only standard rates because of the continuous coverage protection guarantee. After a period of time, as the number of individual-market insurance enrollees rises, the direct subsidies can be phased out as the high cost of a few enrollees can be spread over a larger number of healthy participants.</p>
<p>Estimating the expenditures of these two programs is difficult. However, based on prior proposals, it is likely that federal expenses would rise by approximately $30 to $40 billion per year–well below the $200 billion (and rising) annual expense of Obamacare when fully implemented.</p>
<p>It is important to emphasize also that any proposed replacement health care system will need to differ markedly from Obamacare by providing a net tax and spending cut, rather than tax and spending increases. And the spending cuts must come from outside of the Medicare program, as the debate during the 2012 presidential campaign demonstrated. These are absolute requirements for securing the support of the political coalition needed to replace Obamacare with an alternative program. Moreover, the spending cuts will need to be larger than the tax cut to reduce projected federal deficits too.</p>
<p>How can this be done? For starters, there are offsets already built into the base policies of the replacement program described in this paper. Specifically, the upper limit on the tax preference for employer-paid premiums in large firms has the potential to generate substantial new revenue, depending on where the thresholds are established and the mechanism by which they rise each year after the first. The threshold and indexing mechanism can be adjusted as necessary to ensure that the tax take from this provision is close to, but does not exceed, the tax loss associated with extending tax credits to small-business workers and other individuals.[10]</p>
<p>This proposal would also reduce future federal Medicaid spending by increasing both the refundable tax credits and the new per capita Medicaid payments from the federal government to the states at rates that fall below projected baseline Medicaid spending growth. Additional cuts will be necessary, however. One option would be to cut Medicaid payments to the states for disproportionate hospital payments (DSH). Today, the Medicaid program spends about $10 billion per year in payments to the states, notionally to provide subsidies to institutions caring for large numbers of uninsured citizens. Obamacare made cuts in this program, on the grounds that the law reduced the uninsured population and thus the need for the subsidies.</p>
<p>This same rationale could be used to retain the Obamacare cuts and to deepen them. Elimination of the Medicaid DSH payments in their entirety would generate about $10 to $11 billion per year initially, and lesser amounts in later years.[11]</p>
<p>Federal spending could also be substantially reduced by altering how the government establishes its contribution to health insurance for federal workers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Today, that contribution is tied to a percentage of the premium charged by a plan chosen by an individual worker, up to a limit. This approach is inconsistent with the defined contribution philosophy for reform because the government’s contribution for federal workers goes up when a worker selects a more expensive plan, thus undermining the incentives for cost control.</p>
<p>Converting the government contribution to a fixed amount that is the same regardless of what plan is chosen by an individual worker would have much better incentive effects. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that converting the government contribution into an indexed voucher would generate $15 billion in savings at the end of the decade.[12] These savings would include some reduced payroll expenses for federal agencies that could only be captured by lowering the total caps on overall discretionary spending.</p>
<p>It is important to note that the proposal offered here for reforming the FEHBP differs from the CBO’s estimate in that it would tie the federal government contribution more closely to the average premium charged by the competing plans, or perhaps some weighted average of the lowest two or three premiums. The cost savings are thus less certain, but it is quite plausible that a reform approach would generate $5 to $10 billion annually in savings after a few years of implementation.</p>
<p>Additional savings could be achieved by adjusting how the government subsidizes insurance for retired military personnel who are also eligible for Medicare. Under the TRICARE for Life program, the military provides additional insurance for retirees on Medicare, paying for the cost-sharing that Medicare does not cover. In an unmanaged insurance system like traditional Medicare, if there is no cost-sharing, then beneficiaries have no incentive not to use more services. That drives up costs for both the military and Medicare. Instituting modest cost-sharing amounts would reduce costs by about $3 billion annually in the US Department of Defense. Additional savings would also occur in Medicare, but those savings would need to be dedicated entirely to deficit reduction, and not to the costs of an Obamacare replacement program.</p>
<p>Conclusion</p>
<p>Despite the outcome of the presidential election, opposition to Obamacare remains intense. But it will not be possible to repeal Obamacare without also advancing a credible replacement program. This paper, along with the earlier paper providing the broad framework, is an attempt to help those who want to repeal Obamacare think through the practical details of building a market-based reform plan that is both politically viable and up to the task of solving the very real problems in the health care system.</p>
<p>There is no question that even this kind of a reform plan will entail significant controversy. Nothing as important as health care reform can be achieved without political risk. But the potential rewards are great as well. The public is dissatisfied with Obamacare’s overreach, and remains open to credible alternative ideas. Obamacare’s opponents should take advantage of this opening to present a fully developed alternative program. If they do so, they may yet have the opportunity to move health policy away from Obamacare and toward a consumer-driven system.</p>
<p>James C. Capretta is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a visiting scholar at AEI.</p>
<p>Notes 1. James C. Capretta and Robert E. Moffit, “How to Replace Obamacare,”National Affairs, no. 11 (Spring 2012), <a href="http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-replace-obamacare" type="external">www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-replace-obamacare</a>. 2. US Census Bureau,Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010, September 2011, Table C-3, <a href="http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-239.pdf" type="external">www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-239.pdf</a>. 3. Pamela Farley Short et al., “New Estimates of Gaps and Transitions in Health Insurance,”Medical Care Research and Review, August 3, 2012, <a href="" type="external">www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/In the Literature/20 12/Aug/1619_Short_new_estimates_gaps_hlt_ins_MCRR_07_24_2012_ITL_src.pdf</a>. 4. This proposal differs from the “high-cost insurance tax” contained in Obamacare. That provision imposes an excise tax on insurance plans or employers that sponsor insurance coverage with premiums above a certain threshold. The proposal offered here would require that any employer-paid insurance premiums above the specified threshold be counted as taxable income to the worker. This would ensure that higher-wage workers pay more in taxes on their health insurance than low-wage workers because of their higher marginal tax rates. 5. The concept of continuous coverage protection is described in more detail in James C. Capretta and Tom Miller, “How to Cover Pre-Existing Conditions,”National Affairs, no. 4 (Summer 2010), <a href="http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-cover-pre-existing-conditions" type="external">www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-cover-pre-existing-conditions</a>. 6. Leigh Wachenheim and Hans Leida,The Impact of Guaranteed Issue and Community Rating Reforms on States’ Individual Insurance Markets(Milliman, March 2012), <a href="http://www.ahipcoverage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Updated-Milliman-Report.pdf" type="external">www.ahipcoverage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Updated-Milliman-Report.pdf</a>. 7. Illegal immigrants would not be eligible for the refundable credit. 8. Medicaid has a large and diverse population of enrollees. Approximately one-third of enrollees are elderly and disabled, but they account for about two-thirds of Medicaid spending. The other two-thirds are working-age people and their families (very often, low-income women and children). The reforms discussed in this section are aimed at the enrollees who are not disabled or elderly and are enrolled in Medicaid for access to primary and acute medical care, not long-term care services. 9. Here, again, the reform applies to the nondisabled, nonelderly on Medicaid. 10. Though much of the cost of a refundable tax credit would show up on the outlay side of the federal budget, some would also reduce revenue. 11. Congressional Budget Office,Medicaid Spending and Enrollment Detail for CBO’s March 2012 Baseline, March 2012, <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/43059_Medicaid.pdf" type="external">www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/43059_Medicaid.pdf</a>, and Congressional Budget Office,Letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Douglas Elmendorf, March 20, 2010, <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/113xx/doc11379/amendreconprop.pdf" type="external">www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/113xx/doc11379/amendreconprop.pdf</a>. 12. Congressional Budget Office,Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options, March 2011, Mandatory Spending–Option 15, <a href="http://cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/120xx/doc12085/03-10-reducingthedeficit.pdf" type="external">http://cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/120xx/doc12085/03-10-reducingthedeficit.pdf</a>.</p> | false | 1 | health care policy front center national political conversation ever since president obama launched effort enact reform plan decidedly governmentcentric focus opponents become known obamacare expended much time energy informing public laws significant dangers national economy federal budget quality american health care clear effort succeeded public opinion consistently run obamacare framework debate enactment congress two half years passed since president signed law even presidents successful reelection effort opposition law remains intense americans obamacare polls also show strong majority electorate want real problems health system fixedjust without massive expansion governmental power spending characterize obamacare strong impulse positive reform agenda could undermine repeal effort realistic program readied replace obamacare fortunately obamacares opponents much work needed construct viable alternative already done many years ago band economists health policy experts long argued marketbased approach reform would deliver far better results one managed federal government obamacare would robert moffit provided overview marketbased reform plan would look like spring 2012 issue national affairs1 article listed seven key principles effective replacement program 1 defined contribution health care health care needs anything discipline functioning marketplace marketplace exists consumers costconscious necessarily mean conversion todays openended federal subsidies insurance defined contribution payments give consumers strong incentives seek best value fixed support get 2 continuous coverage protection today americans must switch insurance switch jobs law passed 1996 mainly smoothed transition problems jobbased plans specifically workers family members preexisting conditions penalized sign insurance new job long insurance specified period time unfortunately law adequately extend protection people transition jobbased coverage individually purchased insurance gaps need filled within broad commitment american people long people remain continuously insured least catastrophic insurance never forced pay high premiums solely develop costly health condition 3 genuine partnership states solution problems american health care necessarily entail uniform national policies also plenty room states adopt approaches suited needs within federal framework states given lead role insurance regulation medicaid reform ensuring consumers sufficient information make informed choices 4 reforming tax treatment employerpaid premiums favorable tax treatment employersponsored health insurance made type coverage far attractive alternatives relying heavily workplace insurance stifled individual market moreover tax break limit fuels cost escalation fixing american health care necessarily require reforming central feature todays system 5 medicaid reform federal rules limit states ability implement costsaving approaches medicaid moreover matching program federal money flowing expensive programs states disincentive costcutting average states need cut nearly 250 combined federal state medicaid spending save 100 state funds first 150 gets returned federal government reform must give states freedom implement sensible marketbased reforms 6 medicare reform medicare largest important purchaser health services country dominant feeforservice insurance option primary reason american system characterized fragmented proceduredriven health care possible improve efficiency american health care without medicare reform particular medicare must move away system centrally managed price controls toward marketdriven program beneficiaries choosing competing options based prices quality 7 spending cuts improve deficit outlook offset costs obamacare increases taxes 1 trillion decade pay laws massive new entitlement spending one main reasons intense public opposition law alternative obamacare must exhibit much spending discipline finance additional outlays spending cuts tax increases indeed overall alternative provide net reduction taxes spending projected future deficits principles simply provide needed begin constructing workable replacement plan obamacare paper attempt go deeper details important design features marketbasedreformprogram plan aim develop approach robust enough solve real problems plague american health care appealing enough gain support among broad coalition citizens sincerely open viable alternative obamacare targeted reform tax treatment employerpaid health insurance vast majority workingage americans dependents get health insurance employers reason simple employerpaid premiums count taxable income workers purposes federal income payroll taxes thus making jobbased coverage health insurance far preferable alternatives certain perspective policy encouraging widespread adoption employersponsored insurance worked remarkably well 156 million americans age 65 get privatesector health insurance employers2 insurance generally popular workers good reason americans ready access broad highquality network physician clinics hospitals favorable tax treatment jobbased insurance far benign policy one important sources significant problems plagued american health care decades starters federal tax break conferred without limit encourages highcost health care expensive employer plans enjoy largest federal tax breaks workers inflated preference getting paid health insurance rather cash former tax exempt latter middle upperclass families small matter family facing 40 percent marginal tax rate income 25 percent income taxes 15 percent payroll taxes implicit value federal tax break health care worth 5000 13000 employersponsored plan moreover value tax break generally rises salaries higherpaid workers tend face higher marginal tax ratesand thus save employer plan conferred taxfree worst sideeffect exempting employerpaid premiums taxation undermined chance vibrant individual health insurance market emerge united states workers much better enrolled employer plans enter individual market work work firms sponsor plans much smaller numbers enrollees premiums subdivided market highly sensitive risk profile participants therefore volatile sometimes much higher premiums charged employer coverage heavy reliance employerbased insurance also primary reason large numbers uninsured americans workers jobs often go without insurance find new work even though usually option stay former employers plan 18 months consequently large numbers americans experience short spells without insurancespells could eliminated americans owned insurance retained even work much today car insurance phenomenon going uninsured temporary periods unemployment common distorts understanding uninsured us census bureau reports 50 million uninsured 2010 people tend think large permanent class americans go without coverage permanent basis true uninsured dynamic group constantly changing people move coverage based employment status recent study found number uninsured individuals went without coverage 2004 2007 12 million3 group might considered permanently uninsured study also found however much larger group peoplesome 89 millionexperienced least one month without insurance fouryear period group swells official measures uninsuredeven though vast majority likely insurance given point time large number americans vacillate coverage lacking coverage indication jobbased insurance system work many millions lowerwage workers employed industries firms may may sponsor health plan problems excessive reliance jobbased health insurance known many years policy extremely hard change political difficulty disrupting coverage many middleclass uppermiddleclass americans insured work jobbased insurance entirely satisfactory stable support concept health care reform see problems plague broader system reluctant embrace kind reform approach might disrupt jobbased coverage provides ready access broad network physicians hospitals possible solution reforming tax treatment insurance instead attempting wholesale change senator john mccains 2008 proposal eliminate current tax break altogether replace universal credit would far easier politically alter tax treatment segments marketplace served well todays arrangements would mean adjusting tax treatment health insurance work smaller firms perhaps defined less 50 100 workers therefore likely experience episodic coverage lack coverage time workers would far better get refundable tax credit use buy insurance keep even life circumstances change value credit workers set something approximating current value tax preference average premium employer plan families would mean tax credit range 5000 individuals 2500 year amounts could indexed grow measure inflation medical consumer price index credits also extended people attachment workplace would eliminate discriminatory feature todays system penalizes buy insurance outside employer system workers larger employer plans however current tax exemption employerpaid premiums would remain place minimize disruption plans improve cost discipline plans would important place upper limit value tax preference perhaps plans priced 75th percentile terms expense4 would encourage continuation employersponsored insurance new incentives cost control applying kind tax cap tens millions workers large employer plans would important effect entire health system workers currently largely indifferent cost plans would newly acquired interest enrolling plans premiums fall tax cap threshold role states facilitating functioning marketplace suggest statebased exchanges obamacare nod toward marketbased reform theory least exchanges supposed facilitate informed consumer choice health plans certainly true properly run exchange could aid transparency marketplace ease enrollment premiumpayment process consumers features theoretical exchange might make local health insurance markets run smoothly otherwise wouldbut important keep mind exchanges created obamacare exist apolitical vacuum fundamental struggle allocate scarce health care resources federal government regulation tax collection spending programs consumers call shots functioning marketplace every reform idea judged whether pushes overall system toward one side crucial policy divide obamacare exchanges foundations marketdriven system new bureaucratic structures bring government control portions health system currently lie outside governments reach law federal government provide massive new subsidization health insurance incomes 135 400 percent poverty linebut get insurance obamacare exchanges provide powerful incentive millions americans get insurance exchanges federal government legal discretion impose number different regulatory requirements insurance plans offered including premiums charged importantly law allows federal governmentworking statesto block insurers participating exchanges effect federal government power put insurers business federal government currently playing immense power deferring states hope become cooperative building first iterations agencies 2014 launch year hands approach almost certainly end first sign budget crisis government likely begin considering options control costs review massachusetts including imposition medicares regulatedpayment systems insurance offered purchased exchanges approach c ost control favored politicians creates impression providersnot beneficiariesthat see cuts changes extending medicare payment regulations exchanges would represent large step toward payer health system similarly large step away marketdriven system pricing must free float send proper signals consumers contrast genuine marketbased reform set motion changes easily hijacked government takeover health system instead blindly embracing exchange concept promarket reformers approach question state role reform functional rather organizational perspective words states need thriving adaptable marketplace emerge perspective two critical roles states stand first states must implement small number changes create might called continuous coverage protection idea guarantee premiums americans stay continuous insurance coverage defined least catastrophic insurance protection adjusted based changes health status would require states change regulate insurance people moving larger employer plans individual smallgroup market insurers markets would required offer coverage people stayed continuously insured required period time without exclusions preexisting conditions standard rates based age residence changes americans expensive health costs would entering stateregulated insurance markets current rules states often allow insurers pass expectations high costs directly higherrisk consumers form higher premiums would longer allowed proposed framework states would need work federal government provide direct subsidies insurance plans highrisk pools keep overall premiums rising precipitously states highrisk pools could leveraged enlarged federal money cover added expense associated change states would need work insurers establish system identify truly highrisk cases among states insured population prevent abuse states would need create disincentives excessive referrals highrisk funding perhaps penalizing insurers seeking subsidization people found unqualified second important role states would reducing burden citizens eligible tax credit face want find sign coverage specifically states would need establish process individuals could make selection health insurance state would forward selections federal government credits could paid directly insurance plans chosen obamacare process assigned bureaucracythe state exchanges reason state could handle process without ever building new bureaucracy instance private vendors already facilitate choice health insurance private market states could leverage capacity build platforms tailored taxcredit individuals moreover states could approach task aiding consumer choice focusing strictly transparency accessibility information available consumers states could work licensed insurers brokers require standardization comparison information require insurers well employers offering insurance participate broad distribution information taxcrediteligible public role default insurance mentioned critical component marketbased reform plan promise continuouscoverage protection idea use principle marketplace provide strong incentives stay insured concept anyone retained least catastrophic insurance coverage without significant interruption could charged higher premiums based deteriorating health status words someone stayed insured could penalized higher premiums got sick today law protects people kind problem move one jobbased insurance plan another cracks system workers leave employersponsored plans try get insurance individual market number people faced situation large enough resonate politically many millions middleclass americans good secure insurance today worry could one day preexisting condition face exorbitant premiums fixing regulatory portion problem relatively straightforward challenge establishing updated federal rules allow continuously insured go directly employer plan individually owned product without preexisting condition held them5 course marketplace function properly must case someone whodoes notretain continuous insurance protection face higher premiums based health risk otherwise insurance market would suffer problems experienced states required insurers sell policies comers including new market entrants states experienced severe adverse selection insurance systems sick signing coverage high rates healthy purchasing insurance knew would need use it6 consequently marketbased approach needs address issue preexisting conditions sensible protections continuously insured must also provide realistic avenue staying continuously insured even lowwage households susceptible uninsured mentioned earlier reform approach advocated would address issue providing anyone without large employer health plan refundable tax credit could used secure health insurance coverage policy intents purposes universal plan insurance coverage every american household would either large employer plan get refundable credit7 thus would reason anyone break coverage yet even widely available tax credit insurance portion population would likely still go uninsured variety reasons often case programs like medicaid eligible individuals fail sign large numbers couple reasons phenomenon people hard reach terms public information campaigns others tend make significant changes life arrangements without clear need direct personal intervention possible however boost insurance coverage among hardtoreach population without resorting coercive mandates requirements framework proposed could done might called default insurance states would responsible designating several insurance plans default options persons eligible refundable tax credit would assigned random basis failed sign coverage key making concept work premiums default insurance would need set value tax credit persons assigned plans would charged additional premium keep premiums equal credits insurance plans must given authority set u pfront deductibles accordingly cost coverage exceed federal credit approach would course mean persons assigned default plans would likely get catastrophic insurance coverage largerthannormal deductible nonetheless would insurance protect high medical expenses primary need benefit health coverage importantly assigned default plan would retain continuous coverage designation thus protected getting risk rated later based health status approach would preclude initially assigned default plan later switching plan choosing dropping insurance system altogether default concept simply way approximate universal enrollment insurance voluntary consumerdriven marketplace state option medicaid reform today participants medicaid integrated insurance system workingage americans get coverage8 separation medicaid rest insurance marketplace one serious defects todays arrangements one thing led separation medicaid population mainstream medicalservice delivery systems many communities medicaid pays far commercial rates therefore less attractive physicians hospitals medicaid participants thus forced get care narrow set willing providers leads far often substandard care medicaids isolation rest commercial insurance workingage population also impedes welfare reform today people low incomes move wage scale might reach point earn much stay medicaid happens generally keep plans paying premiums instead find new insurance coverage presumably workplace course employers offer coverage often offer coverage less generous medicaid thus getting betterpaying job result discontinuity insurance also mean reduction value health coveragea reduction could exceed additional cash compensation betterpaying job tremendous disincentive taking higherpaying job thus also hindrance reducing welfare dependence problem complicated lack state flexibility regarding medicaid today federal government enforces series rules limit states ability use medicaid resources creatively build seamless statewide insurance system federal rules predictable byproduct medicaids system federalmatching payments average federal government pays 57 percent medicaid costs states paying balance inevitably leads bureaucracy overseeing program implement rules intended protect federal government unnecessary wasteful expenditures moreover federal government pays half dollar spent states states much less incentive pursue costcutting efforts lose federal funding dollar cut instance state federal government paying 60 percent medicaid costs state legislature cut 250 combined federal state medicaid funding reduce states costs 100 first 150 savings goes back federal government state fixing problems requires fundamental reform federal state levels government starters federal government make medicaid participants eligible refundable tax credit provided smallbusiness workers individuals enrolled large employer plans tax credit would form foundation health care assistance would allow enroll health insurance plans state residents importantly medicaid participants would stay enrolled plans even go medicaid move higherpaying jobs small businesses course tax credit would worth less medicaid coverage lowincome families likely enough resources pay large premiums coverage thus federal tax credit need supplemented reformed medicaid program would converted premium support payment participants implementing reform would require changing basis upon federal government makes payments states instead matching payments federal government make fixed per capita payments states coverage9 per capita amounts would tied historical spending states amount paid federal government form tax credits deducted total years first year per capita amounts would grow agreedupon index perhaps measuring medical inflation per capita payments calibrated budget neutral federal government year one tax credits paid medicaideligible participants must counted part federal medicaid spending commitment words aggregate federal payments states would equal expected federal spending matching system retained first year savings would accrue federal government per capita payments would grow slowly medicaid spending expected grow current baseline projections moving toward per capita payments would remove distorting effects todays matching system provide budgetary predictability federal state levels government would also allow federal government give states total discretion design program states could longer increase federal share program spending stateonly actions states part use redesign medicaid federal level put programs participants marketdriven insurance system everyone else would immediately improve access care participants also dramatically reduce constant churning insurance causes much todays uninsured problem states would wide discretion accomplish including full authority establish required benefits special rules might apply medicaid population would also establish amounts additional premium assistance provided medicaid assistance would phased incomes rise states could also enroll medicaideligible residents fail come forward sign coverage default insurance plans apply taxcrediteligible individuals premium medicaid eligible population would equal combined value federal tax credit stateadministered medicaid payment enrolling medicaideligible population default insurance would greatly reduce ranks uninsured broaden population would protected costs developing expensive health condition spending discipline offset costs improve budget outlook credible replacement program cost far less obamacare free particular proposal provide refundable tax credit individuals attached employer plan work small firm result additional outlays amount credit exceed tax liability many lowwage workers thus assigned spending side governme nt ledger addition extending continuous coverage protection persons stay insured necessarily mean providing mechanism subsidizing coverage people high risks get insurance individual market standard rates today cost providing insurance highrisk enrollees often shouldered enrollees option negated would proposal alternative source funding becomes necessary cover costs one approach would increase funding highrisk pools least temporary transition period allow states use directly subsidize insurance premiums people high risks pay standard rates continuous coverage protection guarantee period time number individualmarket insurance enrollees rises direct subsidies phased high cost enrollees spread larger number healthy participants estimating expenditures two programs difficult however based prior proposals likely federal expenses would rise approximately 30 40 billion per yearwell 200 billion rising annual expense obamacare fully implemented important emphasize also proposed replacement health care system need differ markedly obamacare providing net tax spending cut rather tax spending increases spending cuts must come outside medicare program debate 2012 presidential campaign demonstrated absolute requirements securing support political coalition needed replace obamacare alternative program moreover spending cuts need larger tax cut reduce projected federal deficits done starters offsets already built base policies replacement program described paper specifically upper limit tax preference employerpaid premiums large firms potential generate substantial new revenue depending thresholds established mechanism rise year first threshold indexing mechanism adjusted necessary ensure tax take provision close exceed tax loss associated extending tax credits smallbusiness workers individuals10 proposal would also reduce future federal medicaid spending increasing refundable tax credits new per capita medicaid payments federal government states rates fall projected baseline medicaid spending growth additional cuts necessary however one option would cut medicaid payments states disproportionate hospital payments dsh today medicaid program spends 10 billion per year payments states notionally provide subsidies institutions caring large numbers uninsured citizens obamacare made cuts program grounds law reduced uninsured population thus need subsidies rationale could used retain obamacare cuts deepen elimination medicaid dsh payments entirety would generate 10 11 billion per year initially lesser amounts later years11 federal spending could also substantially reduced altering government establishes contribution health insurance federal workers federal employees health benefits program fehbp today contribution tied percentage premium charged plan chosen individual worker limit approach inconsistent defined contribution philosophy reform governments contribution federal workers goes worker selects expensive plan thus undermining incentives cost control converting government contribution fixed amount regardless plan chosen individual worker would much better incentive effects congressional budget office cbo estimated converting government contribution indexed voucher would generate 15 billion savings end decade12 savings would include reduced payroll expenses federal agencies could captured lowering total caps overall discretionary spending important note proposal offered reforming fehbp differs cbos estimate would tie federal government contribution closely average premium charged competing plans perhaps weighted average lowest two three premiums cost savings thus less certain quite plausible reform approach would generate 5 10 billion annually savings years implementation additional savings could achieved adjusting government subsidizes insurance retired military personnel also eligible medicare tricare life program military provides additional insurance retirees medicare paying costsharing medicare cover unmanaged insurance system like traditional medicare costsharing beneficiaries incentive use services drives costs military medicare instituting modest costsharing amounts would reduce costs 3 billion annually us department defense additional savings would also occur medicare savings would need dedicated entirely deficit reduction costs obamacare replacement program conclusion despite outcome presidential election opposition obamacare remains intense possible repeal obamacare without also advancing credible replacement program paper along earlier paper providing broad framework attempt help want repeal obamacare think practical details building marketbased reform plan politically viable task solving real problems health care system question even kind reform plan entail significant controversy nothing important health care reform achieved without political risk potential rewards great well public dissatisfied obamacares overreach remains open credible alternative ideas obamacares opponents take advantage opening present fully developed alternative program may yet opportunity move health policy away obamacare toward consumerdriven system james c capretta fellow ethics public policy center visiting scholar aei notes 1 james c capretta robert e moffit replace obamacarenational affairs 11 spring 2012 wwwnationalaffairscompublicationsdetailhowtoreplaceobamacare 2 us census bureauincome poverty health insurance coverage united states 2010 september 2011 table c3 wwwcensusgovprod2011pubsp60239pdf 3 pamela farley short et al new estimates gaps transitions health insurancemedical care research review august 3 2012 wwwcommonwealthfundorgmediafilespublicationsin literature20 12aug1619_short_new_estimates_gaps_hlt_ins_mcrr_07_24_2012_itl_srcpdf 4 proposal differs highcost insurance tax contained obamacare provision imposes excise tax insurance plans employers sponsor insurance coverage premiums certain threshold proposal offered would require employerpaid insurance premiums specified threshold counted taxable income worker would ensure higherwage workers pay taxes health insurance lowwage workers higher marginal tax rates 5 concept continuous coverage protection described detail james c capretta tom miller cover preexisting conditionsnational affairs 4 summer 2010 wwwnationalaffairscompublicationsdetailhowtocoverpreexistingconditions 6 leigh wachenheim hans leidathe impact guaranteed issue community rating reforms states individual insurance marketsmilliman march 2012 wwwahipcoveragecomwpcontentuploads201203updatedmillimanreportpdf 7 illegal immigrants would eligible refundable credit 8 medicaid large diverse population enrollees approximately onethird enrollees elderly disabled account twothirds medicaid spending twothirds workingage people families often lowincome women children reforms discussed section aimed enrollees disabled elderly enrolled medicaid access primary acute medical care longterm care services 9 reform applies nondisabled nonelderly medicaid 10 though much cost refundable tax credit would show outlay side federal budget would also reduce revenue 11 congressional budget officemedicaid spending enrollment detail cbos march 2012 baseline march 2012 wwwcbogovsitesdefaultfilescbofilesattachments43059_medicaidpdf congressional budget officeletter house speaker nancy pelosi douglas elmendorf march 20 2010 wwwcbogovsitesdefaultfilescbofilesftpdocs113xxdoc11379amendreconproppdf 12 congressional budget officereducing deficit spending revenue options march 2011 mandatory spendingoption 15 httpcbogovsitesdefaultfilescbofilesftpdocs120xxdoc120850310reducingthedeficitpdf 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<p>The German national character is risk-averse: stability, prosperity and security tend to be the things Germans would vote for. And if Merkel is perceived to deliver them, she will remain in power, says former MI5 intelligence officer Annie Machon.</p>
<p>While Germans are casting their votes for members of parliament, who will occupy at least 598 seats in the Bundestag for the next four years, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ruling Christian Democrat/Christian Social Union alliance are favored to win the German parliamentary elections.</p>
<p>RT spoke to former UK intelligence officer Machon to discuss this issue.&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>RT: There was much scare-mongering about possible Russian meddling in the German election, of which not a trace has been detected. Why was this made a big issue?</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/404091-alt-right-influence-german-election/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Annie Machon: I am not at all surprised that Russia is being accused yet again of trying to hack or interfere in an election in a Western country. It seems to be a sort of fashion of this year and last year. I think it is interesting, though, every time the elites of whichever country feels that there might be some sort of populist revolt or vote against what the elites think they should be voting for, they almost pro-actively say, ‘There must be Russia interfering in these elections’ because they might get the result they don’t want. But it is crazy because we have seen time and again, there is no evidence of Russian hacking. There were assertions about Brexit, there were assertions in France. Emmanuel Macron during the election said, ‘We’ve been hacked.’ And then the French intelligence agencies went off to investigate and said, ‘There is no evidence of hacking.’ Similarly, we’ve seen Merkel in the run-up to the federal election saying, ‘They are going to hack German elections, too.’ So, she sent off the BND and BFV to investigate and they came back saying, ‘There is absolutely no evidence of Russian hacking.’ Merkel wanted a different result and told them to go and find different information. This is how crazy it is getting. As soon as any powers in any Western country think, ‘Actually, we might not get a result we want, let’s blame the Russians.’ And they are doing that preemptively now as well. It is ridiculous.</p>
<p>RT: Merkel is on the way to securing her fourth term despite the migrant crisis and Germany’s spate of terrorist attacks. What makes her so resilient?</p>
<p>AM: I would put that down to the case of German national character being fairly risk-averse. Some of the vox pops that I heard seem to indicate that actually ‘change is a risk’ and it would be ‘good not to have change.’ Stability, prosperity and security tend to be the things they would vote for, and if she is perceived to deliver them, then she will remain in power.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/404354-german-elections-2017-updates/" type="external" /></p>
<p>I would suggest that security is a slightly tricky issue for her at the moment. Because not only have we had a whole range of increased and diverse terrorist-type attacks in Germany over the last couple of years, but also don’t forget, only four years ago, we had the Snowden disclosures, which, on the opposite side of security showed how the German intelligence agencies were complicit with breaking the German constitution in order to support and aid the American intelligence agencies, which caused a massive scandal back then. And I think that is going to feed into some support for other fringe parties, most notably the Pirate Party, which advocates privacy and internet freedoms.</p>
<p>RT: Merkel’s main rival is Martin Schulz, whose party has also been the CDU’s junior partner, which seems to tie his hands in terms of his ability to criticize her. Has he managed to present himself as a clear alternative?</p>
<p>AM: I don’t think there is a clear divide between the two of them. He was obviously the favorite contender when he put his hat into the ring to succeed Merkel, to have a chance of toppling her. But I don’t think he will at this stage. &#160;</p>
<p>I think the position of Germany will not change a lot, unfortunately. All the other Europeans are waiting for the change, are expecting something new. I don’t expect any revolution from this election. I think it will go on with the same thing, the same ideas. Change can be brought by the increase of the AfD (Alternative for Germany). I am sure they will probably reach 12-15 percent. In that sense, it is a change. But the main politics will not change because if you see the campaign – you have the same parties, you have the same ideas, you have the same people as usual. And these people will stay after the elections as the usual leaders of Germany. Even if the AfD is growing, it will not be able to change the balance of the German political powers. – Guy Mettan, executive director of Swiss press club</p>
<p>RT: The main intrigue is which party will finish third; the polls are giving the AfD high chances. Do you think they could go as far as getting double digits?</p>
<p>AM: I think the polls are indicating they have a very good chance. And also, when you are doing polling on those sorts of parties, you tend to get the sort of shy voter not really disclosing that they intend to vote for a party that is seen to be slightly unacceptable socially. I think they may well end up with more votes than is currently being polled. And this is a knee-jerk reaction to the immigration issue. Most people would applaud the humanitarian reason behind Merkel’s intervention and inviting all the immigrants in, as well as her pragmatic approach in saying: ‘We are an aging population, we need some new young workers coming into our country.’ It has caused discontent, it has caused resentment. Most notably in what used to be Eastern Germany. Because whether it is true or not, there have been a number of commentaries and a number of headlines saying that East Germans, the Ostees, felt that they weren’t integrated successfully when Germany was reunified 27 years ago. They feel resentment that actually so much effort is being put into integrating the new immigrants. Whether that is true or not, or it is just a perception, it could be very damaging to Merkel.</p> | false | 1 | german national character riskaverse stability prosperity security tend things germans would vote merkel perceived deliver remain power says former mi5 intelligence officer annie machon germans casting votes members parliament occupy least 598 seats bundestag next four years chancellor angela merkel ruling christian democratchristian social union alliance favored win german parliamentary elections rt spoke former uk intelligence officer machon discuss issue160160160 rt much scaremongering possible russian meddling german election trace detected made big issue read annie machon surprised russia accused yet trying hack interfere election western country seems sort fashion year last year think interesting though every time elites whichever country feels might sort populist revolt vote elites think voting almost proactively say must russia interfering elections might get result dont want crazy seen time evidence russian hacking assertions brexit assertions france emmanuel macron election said weve hacked french intelligence agencies went investigate said evidence hacking similarly weve seen merkel runup federal election saying going hack german elections sent bnd bfv investigate came back saying absolutely evidence russian hacking merkel wanted different result told go find different information crazy getting soon powers western country think actually might get result want lets blame russians preemptively well ridiculous rt merkel way securing fourth term despite migrant crisis germanys spate terrorist attacks makes resilient would put case german national character fairly riskaverse vox pops heard seem indicate actually change risk would good change stability prosperity security tend things would vote perceived deliver remain power read would suggest security slightly tricky issue moment whole range increased diverse terroristtype attacks germany last couple years also dont forget four years ago snowden disclosures opposite side security showed german intelligence agencies complicit breaking german constitution order support aid american intelligence agencies caused massive scandal back think going feed support fringe parties notably pirate party advocates privacy internet freedoms rt merkels main rival martin schulz whose party also cdus junior partner seems tie hands terms ability criticize managed present clear alternative dont think clear divide two obviously favorite contender put hat ring succeed merkel chance toppling dont think stage 160 think position germany change lot unfortunately europeans waiting change expecting something new dont expect revolution election think go thing ideas change brought increase afd alternative germany sure probably reach 1215 percent sense change main politics change see campaign parties ideas people usual people stay elections usual leaders germany even afd growing able change balance german political powers guy mettan executive director swiss press club rt main intrigue party finish third polls giving afd high chances think could go far getting double digits think polls indicating good chance also polling sorts parties tend get sort shy voter really disclosing intend vote party seen slightly unacceptable socially think may well end votes currently polled kneejerk reaction immigration issue people would applaud humanitarian reason behind merkels intervention inviting immigrants well pragmatic approach saying aging population need new young workers coming country caused discontent caused resentment notably used eastern germany whether true number commentaries number headlines saying east germans ostees felt werent integrated successfully germany reunified 27 years ago feel resentment actually much effort put integrating new immigrants whether true perception could damaging merkel | 521 |
<p>What can be done about these threats to the classic Anglo-American understanding of “universal and inalienable human rights”—which is to say, to the political morality that was instrumental in the defeat of Nazism and Communism?</p>
<p>The easier part of my prescription touches on the new “reproductive rights” agenda pushed at Cairo, and certain to return to the fore at Beijing. This, it can be simply and forcefully urged, is an act of cultural imperialism of the first chop—Planned Parenthood of New York, embodying the mores of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, telling everybody else in the world what to do and enlisting coercive state power in its cause. The “rights” proposed by the Libertine Party are so inherently implausible, however, and the offense they give to a variety of moral systems is so comprehensive, that, as Cairo demonstrated, an effective resistance movement capable of meeting the attack of the Lifestyle Left can be mounted. That movement will have its work cut out for it, especially while some of the Clinton Administration’s zaniest characters remain at the throttle of U.S. “global affairs” policy. But the resistance has shown that it can win, and we can only hope that it continues to do so, especially at the Beijing consistory in September.</p>
<p>The harder part of my prescription involves the unavoidable question of reforming the international definition of “human rights.” Here, I propose that we conduct something of a strategic retreat. The Universal Declaration is under attack today from those who, like the Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, dismiss it as the product of an era when the West was writing the rules of international public life. The charge is replicated in certain activist Islamic circles. In these political circumstances, it may be thought foolhardy to agree to a serious and comprehensive re-examination of the Universal Declaration.</p>
<p>But I think a case can be made that, to borrow an image from poker, we should see Ambassador Mahbubani and raise him. In other words, the West should revisit the mistakes it made in 1948, and fight the fight that it declined to carry to a satisfactory conclusion then: that is, to identify certain basic and inalienable immunities of persons and communities from coercive state power, and insist that these, and nothing other than these, are “basic, universal, and inalienable ‘human rights.'”4</p>
<p>How might this be done?</p>
<p>Some eighteen years ago, the distinguished sociologist Peter L. Berger, writing in Commentary, proposed that a distinction be made between “those notions of human rights that emerge exclusively from a Western view of the world, and which will only be plausible to those sharing this view, and those notions of human rights that derive their warrant from a wider consensus.” The first step in drawing that distinction was to distinguish “those rights that derive from the specifically Western values of liberty and equality from those that pertain to the human condition as such.”</p>
<p>Berger then outlined, along an empirical via negativa, a scheme of “fundamental human rights” by listing a series of gross depredations that would be morally condemned by all the major world cultures, especially those with deep religious roots:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Genocide; the massacre of large numbers of innocent people by their own government or by alien conquerors; the deliberate abandonment of entire sections of a population to starvation; the systematic use of terror (including torture) as government policy; the expulsion of large numbers of people from their homes; enslavement through various forms of forced labor; the forced separation of families (including the taking away of children from their parents by actions of government); the deliberate desecration of religious symbols and the persecution of those adhering to them; the destruction of institutions that embody ethnic identity. [Commentary, September 1977]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In condemning these widespread abuses, Berger argued, the West would appeal to moral warrants deeply embedded in non-Western cultural and religious systems: and thus to an international moral consensus that would be proof against the charges of “cultural imperialism.”</p>
<p>Such a reconception of “basic human rights” could also help facilitate a kind of “development of doctrine” (to borrow a theological term) in other cultures. I recently heard a Chinese scholar suggest that the seemingly Western concept of “the dignity of the human person” had achieved a new cultural grip in some Confucian circles in the People’s Republic of China, precisely because the awfulness of the Beijing regime had compelled a certain “stretching” of traditional moral understandings in which the claims of individuals were usually regarded as subordinate to the demands of public order. Why couldn’t such a development, legitimated by an evolving Confucian moral anthropology, eventually support an understanding of civil liberties that would be parallel to, if not identical with, Western notions of the minimal conditions of civil society?</p>
<p>Such a strategy of “emergent understanding” should not, however, lead the West to ignore the fact that certain moral claims first adumbrated in the West have a universal validity. Thus, if religious freedom is the first of human rights, then the moral claim embedded in the notion of “religious freedom” is as valid in Shanghai, Riyadh, and Mogadishu as in Washington and London. If the very nature of human personhood precludes treating women as property for the purposes of marriage, then that is true in Khartoum as well as in Baltimore and Coventry. If the notion of the equality of persons before the law rests on certain irreducible features of humanness, then the equality of persons before the law should be recognized in Singapore as well as in the Cook County Courthouse or the Old Bailey. Moreover, the West ought to be prepared to argue that these moral claims are true, no matter how different may be the social and political forms developed in different societies to embody the universal principles of religious freedom, freedom to marry, and legal equality.</p>
<p>But why, some will ask, should we bother? The history of the twentieth century shouts the answer. We should bother because in international life, as in national economies, there is at work a Gresham’s Law, in which bad money drives out good. The world can stand a certain debasing of the currency of international political discourse and exchange, but only so much.</p>
<p>The twentieth century is replete with examples of what happens, “on the ground,” when corrosive ideas—especially those that deny to the individual human person his distinctive and inalienable dignity and worth—remain unchallenged. If the freedom for which the English-speaking peoples have contended so bravely in the past is to survive, we dare not enter the twenty-first century without having learned this hard lesson of the twentieth.</p>
<p>It has unfortunately been reduced to a cliché, but Richard Weaver’s aphorism that “ideas have consequences” is one of the central truths of our age. That is why we ought to defend, boldly, the classic Anglo-American understanding of “universal and inalienable human rights.”</p>
<p>That defense requires two strategies today, most particularly in confronting the U.N. system. First, there must be vigorous resistance to the unholy alliance of the old Socialist Left and the new Lifestyle Left and their attempted takeover of the “social development” aspects of the U.N. system. And second, new (in reality, old) arguments must be pressed on behalf of the priority of basic civil liberties in the construction of a humane and decent society: arguments that will meet the charge of “cultural imperialism” by demonstrating the possibility of a universal moral discourse based on the fundamental dictates of a universal moral reason.</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | false | 1 | done threats classic angloamerican understanding universal inalienable human rightswhich say political morality instrumental defeat nazism communism easier part prescription touches new reproductive rights agenda pushed cairo certain return fore beijing simply forcefully urged act cultural imperialism first chopplanned parenthood new york embodying mores manhattans upper west side telling everybody else world enlisting coercive state power cause rights proposed libertine party inherently implausible however offense give variety moral systems comprehensive cairo demonstrated effective resistance movement capable meeting attack lifestyle left mounted movement work cut especially clinton administrations zaniest characters remain throttle us global affairs policy resistance shown win hope continues especially beijing consistory september harder part prescription involves unavoidable question reforming international definition human rights propose conduct something strategic retreat universal declaration attack today like singaporean diplomat kishore mahbubani dismiss product era west writing rules international public life charge replicated certain activist islamic circles political circumstances may thought foolhardy agree serious comprehensive reexamination universal declaration think case made borrow image poker see ambassador mahbubani raise words west revisit mistakes made 1948 fight fight declined carry satisfactory conclusion identify certain basic inalienable immunities persons communities coercive state power insist nothing basic universal inalienable human rights4 might done eighteen years ago distinguished sociologist peter l berger writing commentary proposed distinction made notions human rights emerge exclusively western view world plausible sharing view notions human rights derive warrant wider consensus first step drawing distinction distinguish rights derive specifically western values liberty equality pertain human condition berger outlined along empirical via negativa scheme fundamental human rights listing series gross depredations would morally condemned major world cultures especially deep religious roots 160 160 genocide massacre large numbers innocent people government alien conquerors deliberate abandonment entire sections population starvation systematic use terror including torture government policy expulsion large numbers people homes enslavement various forms forced labor forced separation families including taking away children parents actions government deliberate desecration religious symbols persecution adhering destruction institutions embody ethnic identity commentary september 1977 160 condemning widespread abuses berger argued west would appeal moral warrants deeply embedded nonwestern cultural religious systems thus international moral consensus would proof charges cultural imperialism reconception basic human rights could also help facilitate kind development doctrine borrow theological term cultures recently heard chinese scholar suggest seemingly western concept dignity human person achieved new cultural grip confucian circles peoples republic china precisely awfulness beijing regime compelled certain stretching traditional moral understandings claims individuals usually regarded subordinate demands public order couldnt development legitimated evolving confucian moral anthropology eventually support understanding civil liberties would parallel identical western notions minimal conditions civil society strategy emergent understanding however lead west ignore fact certain moral claims first adumbrated west universal validity thus religious freedom first human rights moral claim embedded notion religious freedom valid shanghai riyadh mogadishu washington london nature human personhood precludes treating women property purposes marriage true khartoum well baltimore coventry notion equality persons law rests certain irreducible features humanness equality persons law recognized singapore well cook county courthouse old bailey moreover west ought prepared argue moral claims true matter different may social political forms developed different societies embody universal principles religious freedom freedom marry legal equality ask bother history twentieth century shouts answer bother international life national economies work greshams law bad money drives good world stand certain debasing currency international political discourse exchange much twentieth century replete examples happens ground corrosive ideasespecially deny individual human person distinctive inalienable dignity worthremain unchallenged freedom englishspeaking peoples contended bravely past survive dare enter twentyfirst century without learned hard lesson twentieth unfortunately reduced cliché richard weavers aphorism ideas consequences one central truths age ought defend boldly classic angloamerican understanding universal inalienable human rights defense requires two strategies today particularly confronting un system first must vigorous resistance unholy alliance old socialist left new lifestyle left attempted takeover social development aspects un system second new reality old arguments must pressed behalf priority basic civil liberties construction humane decent society arguments meet charge cultural imperialism demonstrating possibility universal moral discourse based fundamental dictates universal moral reason george weigel distinguished senior fellow ethics public policy center washington dc holds eppcs william e simon chair catholic studies | 680 |
<p>GREEN BAY — The <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Green_Bay_Packers/" type="external">Green Bay Packers</a> got a huge lift Tuesday when cornerback Davon House returned to practice.</p>
<p>House was a free-agent acquisition this offseason expected to challenge for Green Bay’s No. 1 cornerback job. But House injured his hamstring on Aug. 5 and has been out ever since.</p>
<p>“He looked good. He looked good,” Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said of House. “I was pleased with what he did.”</p>
<p>House played in Green Bay from 2011-14, so he has tremendous familiarity with the defense and the coaching staff. Third-year players Damarious Randall and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Quinten-Rollins/" type="external">Quinten Rollins</a> are trying to rebound from brutal 2016 seasons and rookie second-round draft pick Kevin King has had an up-and-down summer.</p>
<p>So, the Packers are clearly looking for House to provide some stability to an otherwise uncertain positional group.</p>
<p>“There’s naturally going to be some rust, being away for however many weeks he was and not being in football-type shape,” Whitt said. “Hopefully, we have enough time to knock all of that off and get him ready for when games matter.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Green Bay is dangerously thin at outside linebacker, and had former <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/San-Francisco-49ers/" type="external">San Francisco 49ers</a> Pro Bowler Ahmad Brooks in for a visit Tuesday.</p>
<p>Brooks, 33, isn’t the Pro-Bowl player he once was. But he’s had at least 5.0 sacks for eight straight seasons and has 53.5 career sacks.</p>
<p>“Tough. Tough. Physically imposing,” Packers linebackers coach Winston Moss said of Brooks. “A rusher. Can play very, very well versus the run. Can play stout versus the tight end. He can do everything that we would ask him to do in our scheme.”</p>
<p>The Packers have high-level – and highly compensated – starters in <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Nick-Perry/" type="external">Nick Perry</a> and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Clay-Matthews/" type="external">Clay Matthews</a>. But reserves Jayrone Elliott and Kyler Fackrell have both had disappointing training camps.</p>
<p>In addition, Matthews is battling a groin injury, while Perry suffered an ankle injury in the third preseason game. Both are expected to be ready for the season opener, but each player has extremely long injury histories.</p>
<p>By signing Brooks, the Packers could add a player who is familiar with their base 3-4 defense and provide help immediately.</p>
<p>“He can play to the tight-end side, he can play to the open-end side,” Moss said. “He can play the outside linebacker, he can play the elephant. If he were to be placed on our roster – however that decision goes down – he could come right in and fit right in.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Detroit made quarterback <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Matthew_Stafford/" type="external">Matthew Stafford</a> the highest-paid player in NFL history Monday when they signed him to a five-year, $135 million contract extension. That’s an average of $27 million per season.</p>
<p>One of the great beneficiaries of that deal could be Green Bay’s <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Aaron_Rodgers/" type="external">Aaron Rodgers</a>.</p>
<p>Rodgers signed a five-year, $110 million extension in 2013 – an average of $22 million per year. The case can certainly be made that Rodgers is now underpaid, and there’s a chance his next contract could make him the NFL’s first $200 million man.</p>
<p>“I’m happy for Matt. I mean, Matt and I have battled over the years,” Rodgers said. “I really respect him as a player. I love watching him throw. He can do it from a number of different platforms and arm angles. It’s fun to watch.</p>
<p>“I think he’s one of the good guys in the league at quarterback. When it comes to how that affects my own status, nothing’s changed. I have this year and two more years to play, and that stuff takes care of itself.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Packers head coach <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mike_McCarthy/" type="external">Mike McCarthy</a> has called the plays for the majority of his 11 seasons in Green Bay. But McCarthy lets his offensive coordinator handle play-calling duties in the final preseason game.</p>
<p>That means Edgar Bennett will handle that job Thursday when the Packers host the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/los-angeles-rams/" type="external">Los Angeles Rams</a>.</p>
<p>“It’s exciting to get that opportunity, one that I certainly appreciate having that opportunity from coach McCarthy so I’m excited about it,” Bennett said. “Anytime you get an opportunity to get more experience in an area, it’s unique and I’m excited about it.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Packers second-year defensive end Dean Lowry hyperextended his knee in Green Bay’s second preseason game and missed nine days. But Lowry was back at practice Tuesday and fully expects to play in the regular-season opener.</p>
<p>“I was engaged with the center on that play and the guard came and hit me in pass protection,” Lowry said. “I tried to plant my left foot and then my knee kind of extended outward. After watching it, I think I dodged a bullet.”</p>
<p>The Packers dodged a bullet, as well.</p>
<p>Green Bay’s depth up front is suspect, as rookie Montravius Adams has been sidelined with a foot injury since the second day of training camp. So, getting Lowry back at full strength is critical.</p>
<p>“I thought Dean was making strides in the right direction,” Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said. “His arrow is pointing up. He hasn’t been out that long, so hopefully he’ll pick right back up where he left off. It’s not like he’s missed a month or whatever.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>One of the Packers’ most improved players this summer has been second-year wide receiver Trevor Davis.</p>
<p>Davis has four receptions for 51 yards and is averaging 24.4 yards per punt return. Davis has also fumbled away a punt, something that cost him that job in 2016.</p>
<p>“Trevor’s had a fantastic camp for us, a guy who runs an incredible time on the clock, didn’t play maybe as fast last year,” Rodgers said of Davis. “This year he’s playing fast because he’s thinking less, he’s confident, he’s obviously done a great job for us on the punt return team, but he’s become a legitimate receiver.</p>
<p>“So, I’m really happy about the strides he’s made and that’s a prime example of a guy who’s probably a little more focused this year and the mental part has come a lot easier than it did last year, which is natural.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Moss admitted that fourth-round outside linebacker Vince Biegel won’t be able to help much for a while. Biegel has been on the PUP list all of training camp with a broken foot, and even if he makes the 53-man roster, it’s doubtful he could contribute much early.</p>
<p>“We’re not going to ask him to do anything that he cannot do before he’s ready to,” Moss said. “We would all love for him be in game-ready, be in season-ready condition, but that’s not the case. But we’ll take it a day at a time, we’ll take it a week at a time, and whatever it takes.</p>
<p>“If he’s on the 53, we’ll work with whatever process and whatever measures it’s going to take for him to evolve into getting into condition, getting into shape, getting his techniques honed down. Or if he’s put on the PUP, then we’ll deal with that as it comes.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Packers general manager <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ted_Thompson/" type="external">Ted Thompson</a> makes the final call on the 53-man roster. So, what is Thompson looking for during Thursday’s final preseason game?</p>
<p>“Kind of like it always is with me is, I’m trying to watch the whole thing,” Thompson said. “Sometimes I’m on the field, sometimes I’m up in the booth. In both instances, you’re looking for how they get along, how they meld with everybody else.</p>
<p>“The personalities. I always think that’s important, even though everybody’s got a little different twist on how they’re going to play or react. But we look forward to see them compete and get after it. I’m sure they’re ready to go, too.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Packers No. 2 quarterback Brett Hundley has had an impressive summer. Hundley has completed 37-of-55 passes (67.3 percent) for 383 yards, thrown two touchdowns and been intercepted once. That’s a passer rating of 91.7.</p>
<p>With Rodgers entrenched for potentially several more years, Hundley will likely have to go elsewhere for a chance to start. Hundley will enter the final year of his contract in 2018, so the Packers would love to try trading him this offseason.</p>
<p>Hundley’s impressive summer should have helped his stock.</p>
<p>“Brett, when he gets in his rhythm and he’s moving around well he’s really showed a lot,” Rodgers said of Hundley. “He’s just playing really well.”</p> | false | 1 | green bay green bay packers got huge lift tuesday cornerback davon house returned practice house freeagent acquisition offseason expected challenge green bays 1 cornerback job house injured hamstring aug 5 ever since looked good looked good packers cornerbacks coach joe whitt said house pleased house played green bay 201114 tremendous familiarity defense coaching staff thirdyear players damarious randall quinten rollins trying rebound brutal 2016 seasons rookie secondround draft pick kevin king upanddown summer packers clearly looking house provide stability otherwise uncertain positional group theres naturally going rust away however many weeks footballtype shape whitt said hopefully enough time knock get ready games matter green bay dangerously thin outside linebacker former san francisco 49ers pro bowler ahmad brooks visit tuesday brooks 33 isnt probowl player hes least 50 sacks eight straight seasons 535 career sacks tough tough physically imposing packers linebackers coach winston moss said brooks rusher play well versus run play stout versus tight end everything would ask scheme packers highlevel highly compensated starters nick perry clay matthews reserves jayrone elliott kyler fackrell disappointing training camps addition matthews battling groin injury perry suffered ankle injury third preseason game expected ready season opener player extremely long injury histories signing brooks packers could add player familiar base 34 defense provide help immediately play tightend side play openend side moss said play outside linebacker play elephant placed roster however decision goes could come right fit right detroit made quarterback matthew stafford highestpaid player nfl history monday signed fiveyear 135 million contract extension thats average 27 million per season one great beneficiaries deal could green bays aaron rodgers rodgers signed fiveyear 110 million extension 2013 average 22 million per year case certainly made rodgers underpaid theres chance next contract could make nfls first 200 million man im happy matt mean matt battled years rodgers said really respect player love watching throw number different platforms arm angles fun watch think hes one good guys league quarterback comes affects status nothings changed year two years play stuff takes care packers head coach mike mccarthy called plays majority 11 seasons green bay mccarthy lets offensive coordinator handle playcalling duties final preseason game means edgar bennett handle job thursday packers host los angeles rams exciting get opportunity one certainly appreciate opportunity coach mccarthy im excited bennett said anytime get opportunity get experience area unique im excited packers secondyear defensive end dean lowry hyperextended knee green bays second preseason game missed nine days lowry back practice tuesday fully expects play regularseason opener engaged center play guard came hit pass protection lowry said tried plant left foot knee kind extended outward watching think dodged bullet packers dodged bullet well green bays depth front suspect rookie montravius adams sidelined foot injury since second day training camp getting lowry back full strength critical thought dean making strides right direction packers defensive line coach mike trgovac said arrow pointing hasnt long hopefully hell pick right back left like hes missed month whatever one packers improved players summer secondyear wide receiver trevor davis davis four receptions 51 yards averaging 244 yards per punt return davis also fumbled away punt something cost job 2016 trevors fantastic camp us guy runs incredible time clock didnt play maybe fast last year rodgers said davis year hes playing fast hes thinking less hes confident hes obviously done great job us punt return team hes become legitimate receiver im really happy strides hes made thats prime example guy whos probably little focused year mental part come lot easier last year natural moss admitted fourthround outside linebacker vince biegel wont able help much biegel pup list training camp broken foot even makes 53man roster doubtful could contribute much early going ask anything hes ready moss said would love gameready seasonready condition thats case well take day time well take week time whatever takes hes 53 well work whatever process whatever measures going take evolve getting condition getting shape getting techniques honed hes put pup well deal comes packers general manager ted thompson makes final call 53man roster thompson looking thursdays final preseason game kind like always im trying watch whole thing thompson said sometimes im field sometimes im booth instances youre looking get along meld everybody else personalities always think thats important even though everybodys got little different twist theyre going play react look forward see compete get im sure theyre ready go packers 2 quarterback brett hundley impressive summer hundley completed 37of55 passes 673 percent 383 yards thrown two touchdowns intercepted thats passer rating 917 rodgers entrenched potentially several years hundley likely go elsewhere chance start hundley enter final year contract 2018 packers would love try trading offseason hundleys impressive summer helped stock brett gets rhythm hes moving around well hes really showed lot rodgers said hundley hes playing really well | 792 |
<p>The gold market is being manipulated. Why?</p>
<p>This article establishes that the price of gold and silver in the futures markets in which cash is the predominant means of settlement is inconsistent with the conditions of supply and demand in the actual physical or current market where physical bullion is bought and sold as opposed to transactions in uncovered paper claims to bullion in the futures markets. The supply of bullion in the futures markets is increased by printing uncovered contracts representing claims to gold. This artificial, indeed fraudulent, increase in the supply of paper bullion contracts drives down the price in the futures market despite high demand for bullion in the physical market and constrained supply. We will demonstrate with economic analysis and empirical evidence that the bear market in bullion is an artificial creation.</p>
<p>The law of supply and demand is the basis of economics. Yet the price of gold and silver in the Comex futures market, where paper contracts representing 100 troy ounces of gold or 5,000 ounces of silver are traded,&#160;is inconsistent with the actual supply and demand conditions in the physical market for bullion. For four years the price of bullion has been falling in the futures market despite rising demand for possession of the physical metal and supply constraints.</p>
<p>We begin with a review of basics. The vertical axis measures price. The horizontal axis measures quantity. Demand curves slope down to the right, the quantity demanded increasing as price falls.&#160; Supply curves slope upward to the right, the quantity supplied rising with price. &#160; The intersection of supply with demand determines price. (Graph 1)</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-27731" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-1-300x269.png" alt="Supply and demand curves" width="300" height="269" srcset="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-1-300x269.png 300w, https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-1-150x135.png 150w, https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-1.png 379w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /&gt;</p>
<p>A change in quantity demanded or in the quantity supplied refers to a movement along a given curve.&#160; A change in demand or a change in supply refers to a shift in the curves.&#160; For example, an increase in demand (a shift to the right of the demand curve) causes a movement along the supply curve (an increase in the quantity supplied).</p>
<p>Changes in income and changes in tastes or preferences toward an item can cause the demand curve to shift. For example, if people expect that their fiat currency is going to lose value, the demand for gold and silver would increase (a shift to the right).</p>
<p>Changes in technology and resources can cause the supply curve to shift. New gold discoveries and improvements in gold mining technology would cause the supply curve to shift to the right. Exhaustion of existing mines would cause a reduction in supply (a shift to the left).</p>
<p>What can cause the price of gold to fall?&#160; Two things: The demand for gold can fall, that is, the demand curve could shift to the left, intersecting the supply curve at a lower price. The fall in demand results in a reduction in the quantity supplied. A fall in demand means that people want less gold at every price. (Graph 2)</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-27732" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-2-300x278.png" alt="Supply and demand curves, shift in demand" width="300" height="278" srcset="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-2-300x278.png 300w, https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-2-150x139.png 150w, https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-2.png 368w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /&gt;</p>
<p>Alternatively, supply could increase, that is, the supply curve could shift to the right, intersecting the demand curve at a lower price. The increase in supply results in an increase in the quantity demanded.&#160; An increase in supply means that more gold is available at every price. (Graph 3)</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-27733" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-3-300x261.png" alt="Supply and demand curves, shift in supply" width="300" height="261" srcset="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-3-300x261.png 300w, https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-3-150x131.png 150w, https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Roberts-Kranzler-3.png 381w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /&gt;</p>
<p>To summarize: a decline in the price of gold can be caused by a decline in the demand for gold or by an increase in the supply of gold.</p>
<p>A decline in demand or an increase in supply is not what we are observing in the gold and silver physical markets. The price of bullion in the futures market has been falling as demand for physical bullion increases and supply experiences constraints.&#160; What we are seeing in the physical market indicates a rising price.&#160; Yet in the futures market in which almost all contracts are settled in cash and not with bullion deliveries, the price is falling.</p>
<p>For example, on July 7, 2015, the U.S. Mint said that due to a “significant” increase in demand, it had sold out of Silver Eagles (one ounce silver coin) and was suspending sales until some time in August. The premiums on the coins (the price of the coin above the price of the silver) rose, but the spot price of silver fell 7 percent to its lowest level of the year (as of July 7).</p>
<p>This is the second time in 9 months that the U.S. Mint could not keep up with market demand and had to suspend sales.&#160; During the first 5 months of 2015, the U.S. Mint had to ration sales of Silver Eagles. According to Reuters, since 2013 the U.S. Mint has had to ration silver coin sales for 18 months. In 2013 the Royal Canadian Mint announced the rationing of its Silver Maple Leaf coins: “We are carefully managing supply in the face of very high demand.&#160; . . .&#160; Coming off strong sales volumes in December 2012, demand to date remains very strong for our Silver Maple Leaf and Gold Maple Leaf bullion coins.”&#160; During this entire period when mints could not keep up with demand for coins, the price of silver consistently fell on the Comex futures market. On July 24, 2015 the price of gold in the futures market fell to its lowest level in 5 years despite an increase in the demand for gold in the physical market. On that day U.S. Mint sales of Gold Eagles (one ounce gold coin) were the highest in more than two years, yet the price of gold fell in the futures market.</p>
<p>How can this be explained?&#160; The financial press says that the drop in precious metals prices unleashed a surge in global demand for coins. This explanation is nonsensical to an economist. Price is not a determinant of demand but of quantity demanded. A lower price does not shift the demand curve.&#160; Moreover, if demand increases, price goes up, not down.</p>
<p>Perhaps what the financial press means is that the lower price resulted in an increase in the quantity demanded.&#160; If so, what caused the lower price? In economic analysis, the answer would have to be an increase in supply, either new supplies from new discoveries and new mines or mining technology advances that lower the cost of producing bullion.</p>
<p>There are no reports of any such supply increasing developments.&#160; To the contrary, the lower prices of bullion have been causing reductions in mining output as falling prices make existing operations unprofitable.</p>
<p>There are abundant other signs of high demand for bullion, yet the prices continue their four-year decline on the Comex. Even as massive uncovered shorts (sales of gold contracts that are not covered by physical bullion) on the bullion futures market are driving down price, strong demand for physical bullion has been depleting the holdings of GLD, the largest exchange traded gold fund. Since February 27, 2015, the authorized bullion banks (principally JPMorganChase, HSBC, and Scotia) &#160; have removed 10 percent of GLD’s gold holdings.&#160; Similarly, strong demand in China and India has resulted in a 19% increase of purchases from the Shanghai Gold Exchange, a physical bullion market, during the first quarter of 2015. Through the week ending July 10, 2015, purchases from the Shanghai Gold Exchange alone are occurring at an annualized rate approximately equal to the annual supply of global mining output.</p>
<p>India’s silver imports for the first four months of 2015 are 30% higher than 2014. In the first quarter of 2015 Canadian Silver Maple Leaf sales increased 8.5% compared to sales for the same period of 2014. Sales of Gold Eagles in June, 2015, were more than triple the sales for May. During the first 10 days of July, Gold Eagles sales were 2.5 times greater than during the first 10 days of June.</p>
<p>Clearly the demand for physical metal is very high, and the ability to meet this demand is constrained.&#160; Yet, the prices of bullion in the futures market have consistently fallen during this entire period. The only possible explanation is manipulation.</p>
<p>Precious metal prices are determined in the futures market, where paper contracts representing bullion are settled in cash, not in markets where the actual metals are bought and sold.&#160; As the Comex is predominantly&#160; a cash settlement market, there is little risk in uncovered contracts (an uncovered contract is a promise to deliver gold that the seller of the contract does not possess).&#160; This means that it is easy to increase the supply of gold in the futures market where price is established simply by printing uncovered (naked) contracts.&#160; Selling naked shorts is a way to artificially increase the supply of bullion in the futures market where price is determined. The supply of paper contracts representing gold increases, but not the supply of physical bullion.</p>
<p>As we have documented on a number of occasions ( <a href="http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2014/12/22/lawless-manipulation-bullion-markets-public-authorities-paul-craig-roberts-dave-kranzler/" type="external">see here</a>, for example), the prices of bullion are being systematically driven down by the sudden appearance and sale during thinly traded times of day and night of uncovered future contracts representing massive amounts of bullion.&#160; In the space of a few minutes or less massive amounts of gold and silver shorts are dumped into the Comex market, dramatically increasing the supply of paper claims to bullion.&#160; If purchasers of these shorts stood for delivery, the Comex would fail.&#160; Comex bullion futures are used for speculation and by hedge funds to manage the risk/return characteristics of metrics like the Sharpe Ratio. The hedge funds are concerned with indexing the price of gold and silver and not with the rate of return performance of their bullion contracts.</p>
<p>A rational speculator faced with strong demand for bullion and constrained supply would not short the market.&#160; Moreover, no rational actor who wished to unwind a large gold position would dump the entirety of his position on the market all at once.&#160; What then explains the massive naked shorts that are hurled into the market during thinly traded times?</p>
<p>The bullion banks are the primary market-makers in bullion futures. They are also clearing members of the Comex, which gives them access to data such as the positions of the hedge funds and the prices at which stop-loss orders are triggered. They time their sales of uncovered shorts to trigger stop-loss sales and then cover their short sales by purchasing contracts at the price that they have forced down, pocketing the profits from the manipulation</p>
<p>The manipulation is obvious. The question is why do the authorities tolerate it?</p>
<p>Perhaps the answer is that a free gold market serves both to protect against the loss of a fiat currency’s purchasing power from exchange rate decline and inflation and as a warning that destabilizing systemic events are on the horizon.&#160; The current round of on-going massive short sales compressed into a few minutes during thinly traded periods began after gold hit $1,900 per ounce in response to the build-up of troubled debt and the Federal Reserve’s policy of Quantitative Easing.&#160; Washington’s power is heavily dependent on the role of the dollar as world reserve currency. The rising dollar price of gold indicated rising discomfort with the dollar.&#160; Whereas the dollar’s exchange value is carefully managed with help from the Japanese and European central banks, the supply of such help is not unlimited. If gold kept moving up, exchange rate weakness was likely to show up in the dollar, thus forcing the Fed off its policy of using QE to rescue the “banks too big to fail.”</p>
<p>The bullion banks’ attack on gold is being augmented with a spate of stories in the financial media denying any usefulness of gold. On July 17 the Wall Street Journal declared that honesty about gold requires recognition that gold is nothing but a pet rock. Other commentators declare gold to be in a bear market despite the strong demand for physical metal and supply constraints, and some influential party is determined that gold not be regarded as money.</p>
<p>Why a sudden spate of claims that gold is not money?&#160; Gold is considered a part of the United States’ official monetary reserves, which is also the case for central banks and the IMF. The IMF accepts gold as repayment for credit extended. The US Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency classifies gold as a currency, as can be seen in the OCC’s latest quarterly report on bank derivatives activities in which the OCC places gold futures in the foreign exchange derivatives classification.</p>
<p>The manipulation of the gold price by injecting large quantities of freshly printed uncovered contracts into the Comex market is an empirical fact. The sudden debunking of gold in the financial press is circumstantial evidence that a full-scale attack on gold’s function as a systemic warning signal is underway.</p>
<p>It is unlikely that regulatory authorities are unaware of the fraudulent manipulation of bullion prices. The fact that nothing is done about it is an indication of the lawlessness that prevails in US financial markets.</p> | false | 1 | gold market manipulated article establishes price gold silver futures markets cash predominant means settlement inconsistent conditions supply demand actual physical current market physical bullion bought sold opposed transactions uncovered paper claims bullion futures markets supply bullion futures markets increased printing uncovered contracts representing claims gold artificial indeed fraudulent increase supply paper bullion contracts drives price futures market despite high demand bullion physical market constrained supply demonstrate economic analysis empirical evidence bear market bullion artificial creation law supply demand basis economics yet price gold silver comex futures market paper contracts representing 100 troy ounces gold 5000 ounces silver traded160is inconsistent actual supply demand conditions physical market bullion four years price bullion falling futures market despite rising demand possession physical metal supply constraints begin review basics vertical axis measures price horizontal axis measures quantity demand curves slope right quantity demanded increasing price falls160 supply curves slope upward right quantity supplied rising price 160 intersection supply demand determines price graph 1 ltimg classaligncenter sizemedium wpimage27731 srchttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler1300x269png altsupply demand curves width300 height269 srcsethttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler1300x269png 300w httpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler1150x135png 150w httpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler1png 379w sizesmaxwidth 300px 100vw 300px gt change quantity demanded quantity supplied refers movement along given curve160 change demand change supply refers shift curves160 example increase demand shift right demand curve causes movement along supply curve increase quantity supplied changes income changes tastes preferences toward item cause demand curve shift example people expect fiat currency going lose value demand gold silver would increase shift right changes technology resources cause supply curve shift new gold discoveries improvements gold mining technology would cause supply curve shift right exhaustion existing mines would cause reduction supply shift left cause price gold fall160 two things demand gold fall demand curve could shift left intersecting supply curve lower price fall demand results reduction quantity supplied fall demand means people want less gold every price graph 2 ltimg classaligncenter sizemedium wpimage27732 srchttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler2300x278png altsupply demand curves shift demand width300 height278 srcsethttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler2300x278png 300w httpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler2150x139png 150w httpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler2png 368w sizesmaxwidth 300px 100vw 300px gt alternatively supply could increase supply curve could shift right intersecting demand curve lower price increase supply results increase quantity demanded160 increase supply means gold available every price graph 3 ltimg classaligncenter sizemedium wpimage27733 srchttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler3300x261png altsupply demand curves shift supply width300 height261 srcsethttpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler3300x261png 300w httpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler3150x131png 150w httpswwwforeignpolicyjournalcomwpcontentuploads201507robertskranzler3png 381w sizesmaxwidth 300px 100vw 300px gt summarize decline price gold caused decline demand gold increase supply gold decline demand increase supply observing gold silver physical markets price bullion futures market falling demand physical bullion increases supply experiences constraints160 seeing physical market indicates rising price160 yet futures market almost contracts settled cash bullion deliveries price falling example july 7 2015 us mint said due significant increase demand sold silver eagles one ounce silver coin suspending sales time august premiums coins price coin price silver rose spot price silver fell 7 percent lowest level year july 7 second time 9 months us mint could keep market demand suspend sales160 first 5 months 2015 us mint ration sales silver eagles according reuters since 2013 us mint ration silver coin sales 18 months 2013 royal canadian mint announced rationing silver maple leaf coins carefully managing supply face high demand160 160 coming strong sales volumes december 2012 demand date remains strong silver maple leaf gold maple leaf bullion coins160 entire period mints could keep demand coins price silver consistently fell comex futures market july 24 2015 price gold futures market fell lowest level 5 years despite increase demand gold physical market day us mint sales gold eagles one ounce gold coin highest two years yet price gold fell futures market explained160 financial press says drop precious metals prices unleashed surge global demand coins explanation nonsensical economist price determinant demand quantity demanded lower price shift demand curve160 moreover demand increases price goes perhaps financial press means lower price resulted increase quantity demanded160 caused lower price economic analysis answer would increase supply either new supplies new discoveries new mines mining technology advances lower cost producing bullion reports supply increasing developments160 contrary lower prices bullion causing reductions mining output falling prices make existing operations unprofitable abundant signs high demand bullion yet prices continue fouryear decline comex even massive uncovered shorts sales gold contracts covered physical bullion bullion futures market driving price strong demand physical bullion depleting holdings gld largest exchange traded gold fund since february 27 2015 authorized bullion banks principally jpmorganchase hsbc scotia 160 removed 10 percent glds gold holdings160 similarly strong demand china india resulted 19 increase purchases shanghai gold exchange physical bullion market first quarter 2015 week ending july 10 2015 purchases shanghai gold exchange alone occurring annualized rate approximately equal annual supply global mining output indias silver imports first four months 2015 30 higher 2014 first quarter 2015 canadian silver maple leaf sales increased 85 compared sales period 2014 sales gold eagles june 2015 triple sales may first 10 days july gold eagles sales 25 times greater first 10 days june clearly demand physical metal high ability meet demand constrained160 yet prices bullion futures market consistently fallen entire period possible explanation manipulation precious metal prices determined futures market paper contracts representing bullion settled cash markets actual metals bought sold160 comex predominantly160 cash settlement market little risk uncovered contracts uncovered contract promise deliver gold seller contract possess160 means easy increase supply gold futures market price established simply printing uncovered naked contracts160 selling naked shorts way artificially increase supply bullion futures market price determined supply paper contracts representing gold increases supply physical bullion documented number occasions see example prices bullion systematically driven sudden appearance sale thinly traded times day night uncovered future contracts representing massive amounts bullion160 space minutes less massive amounts gold silver shorts dumped comex market dramatically increasing supply paper claims bullion160 purchasers shorts stood delivery comex would fail160 comex bullion futures used speculation hedge funds manage riskreturn characteristics metrics like sharpe ratio hedge funds concerned indexing price gold silver rate return performance bullion contracts rational speculator faced strong demand bullion constrained supply would short market160 moreover rational actor wished unwind large gold position would dump entirety position market once160 explains massive naked shorts hurled market thinly traded times bullion banks primary marketmakers bullion futures also clearing members comex gives access data positions hedge funds prices stoploss orders triggered time sales uncovered shorts trigger stoploss sales cover short sales purchasing contracts price forced pocketing profits manipulation manipulation obvious question authorities tolerate perhaps answer free gold market serves protect loss fiat currencys purchasing power exchange rate decline inflation warning destabilizing systemic events horizon160 current round ongoing massive short sales compressed minutes thinly traded periods began gold hit 1900 per ounce response buildup troubled debt federal reserves policy quantitative easing160 washingtons power heavily dependent role dollar world reserve currency rising dollar price gold indicated rising discomfort dollar160 whereas dollars exchange value carefully managed help japanese european central banks supply help unlimited gold kept moving exchange rate weakness likely show dollar thus forcing fed policy using qe rescue banks big fail bullion banks attack gold augmented spate stories financial media denying usefulness gold july 17 wall street journal declared honesty gold requires recognition gold nothing pet rock commentators declare gold bear market despite strong demand physical metal supply constraints influential party determined gold regarded money sudden spate claims gold money160 gold considered part united states official monetary reserves also case central banks imf imf accepts gold repayment credit extended us treasurys office comptroller currency classifies gold currency seen occs latest quarterly report bank derivatives activities occ places gold futures foreign exchange derivatives classification manipulation gold price injecting large quantities freshly printed uncovered contracts comex market empirical fact sudden debunking gold financial press circumstantial evidence fullscale attack golds function systemic warning signal underway unlikely regulatory authorities unaware fraudulent manipulation bullion prices fact nothing done indication lawlessness prevails us financial markets | 1,283 |
<p>Two former aides in the George W. Bush administration have collaborated again, this time on the new book, <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/redirect/amazon.p?j=0802458572" type="external">City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era</a>.</p>
<p>Michael Gerson is former policy adviser and chief speechwriter to President Bush. Peter Wehner is former deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. Gerson is now a nationally syndicated columnist and Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.</p>
<p>Wehner talks City of Man, St. Paul, Jesus as philosopher, and the fierce urgency right now with National Review Online’s Kathryn Jean Lopez.</p>
<p>KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: Has the City of Man rejected the City of God?</p>
<p>PETER WEHNER: Well, the City of Man will never fully reflect the values of the City of God — and in some instances it will actively oppose them. That has been part of Christian teaching since Jesus walked the earth. Those who attempt to usher in the Kingdom of God in this world have often left it in much worse shape than they found it. We should reject utopianism in all its variations and manifestations; it often leads to shattered hopes and shattered lives, to prison camps and gulags.</p>
<p>At the same time, some forms of government express principles that more closely approximate the values of the City of God than do others. Our book is based on an explicit assumption: Politics matters because political acts have profound human consequences. It makes a huge difference whether people live in freedom or servitude, whether the state is a guardian or an enemy of human dignity.</p>
<p>So the two cities are always in tension — and the challenge is to fight for principles that further human flourishing and human excellence without succumbing to fanciful hopes and utopian dreams.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Why is the City of Man relevant to someone following politics in October 2010?</p>
<p>WEHNER: Because the relationship between faith and politics is a perennial one; it mattered at the American founding and it matters to this day. It’s a topic every generation needs to come to terms with. And the outcome of that grappling can have profound effects, for good or for ill.</p>
<p>I also believe it’s important for people of faith to think through first principles, such as what the role and purpose of the state should be in our lives. We devote an entire chapter to that subject, which certainly has bearing on politics in 2010.</p>
<p>In politics, it’s quite easy to become reactive, to deal with issues as they arise. Having served in the Reagan administration and the Bush White House, I understand all that. You don’t have the luxury of conducting college seminars when you’re at the center of political power. You have to deal with events as they come.</p>
<p>At the same time, it’s important to step back and to think through, in a careful way, core principles — for example, to think about how order, justice, virtue, and prosperity might manifest themselves in the era in which we live. And for Christians it’s important to reflect on what Augustine called a “theology of history,” which helps us place ourselves and our political debates within the right context.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: How much of City of Man comes from lived political experience, especially in the White House?</p>
<p>WEHNER: A fair amount of it does, actually. Mike and I have been close to political power, and I think we can testify to both the good and the bad of politics, to its possibilities and its limitations.</p>
<p>A quick story that bears on this. We were working in the White House when the 9/11 attacks occurred; in fact, I attended the 7:30 a.m. senior staff meeting that morning and sent an e-mail to Mike reporting on what transpired. I began my e-mail this way: “Very little of note happened.” Four minutes later American Airlines Flight 11 flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. We use that episode to segue into a discussion on why the moral duties placed on individuals are, in important respects, different from the ones placed on the state. None of us was in a mood to turn the other cheek in the aftermath of 9/11 — and we explain why that didn’t violate our consciences as Christians.</p>
<p>I want to add one other thing: For me, it’s been an ongoing challenge to engage in spirited and intense debates, ones that I care deeply about, without dehumanizing the opposition or becoming uncivil. I’ve tried to stay on the right side of that line over the years, but it can be tough — and I’m sure some of those on the receiving end of my commentaries would argue that from time to time I’ve crossed the line. I’ll leave that to others to decide; my point is simply that the temptation is real and that, as a Christian, you need to try to guard against it. We’re candid about that in City of Man, and we offer some specific thoughts on how to deal with it.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: “Christians have often done politics poorly. So do most other groups in our democracy. The answer is to do politics better. Political engagement is not a luxury. The fighting of raging fires requires not contemplation but a fire extinguisher. Urgency can involve errors, and these should be admitted and corrected. But, as G. K. Chesterton said, ‘Even a bad shot is dignified when he accepts a duel.'” Did you two have anything specific in mind when you wrote that?</p>
<p>WEHNER: We did. James Davison Hunter wrote a recent, well-received book, To Change the World, in which he argues that Christians should be “silent for a season” and “learn how to enact their faith in public through acts of shalom rather than to try again to represent it publicly through law, policy, and political mobilization.”</p>
<p>Professor Hunter is a serious scholar and a thoughtful man; I agree with many parts of his book. But I think he’s quite wrong in counseling Christians to be “silent for a season.” Mike and I argue that at any given moment in a democracy, great issues of justice and morality are at stake. The idea that people of faith can take a sabbatical from politics to collect their thoughts and lick their wounds is a form of irresponsibility. It is, in fact, an idea that could only be embraced by comfortable Christians. Especially for the poor and the vulnerable, there is no sabbatical from the failures of politics.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: What’s “the new era”? What marks its beginning? What are the signs of it?</p>
<p>WEHNER: In important respects, the old model, as embodied in the religious right, is passing away. Some of its key figures — people such as D. James Kennedy and Jerry Falwell — have literally passed from the scene. Others, like Pat Robertson and James Dobson, are less influential than they were. So there is a generational shift that’s occurring.</p>
<p>But we also know from survey data that many Christians who are politically and theologically conservative have turned against the brand of politics practiced by religious-right leaders. Many conservative Christians are looking for a new model of social engagement; they want their leaders to display a lighter touch, a less desperate and anxious spirit, and a more gracious tone.</p>
<p>Focus on the Family is an interesting illustration of this point. Jim Daly has replaced James Dobson — and Daly has said that, for him, it’s more about having a conversation with people than it is confrontation with them. There’s certainly a difference in approach between Daly and Dobson.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: So what is “the religious right” today? Does it exist? Should it exist?</p>
<p>WEHNER: It’s probably best to disaggregate several things. Conservative Christians remain politically potent and engaged. We don’t see any signs of a full-scale withdrawal from politics and the culture. Yet a redefinition of sorts is occurring. Institutionally and generationally, we’re seeing a passing of the baton. Evangelical Christians who share many of the stands of the “religious right” on policy matters don’t want to associated with the tone and approach we saw during its heyday. They don’t like it when people say, as one prominent pastor did, that “what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to evangelical Christians.” Many of them are uncomfortable with a Christian “scorecard.” And they certainly don’t like it when Jerry Falwell declared, with Pat Robertson, that 9/11 was God’s judgment on America. That is a theological error, a category error, that we think is significant and, for many people, alienating. Now, many of these things happened years ago — but over time these things add up.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: What exactly is political theology? And whose political theology rules?</p>
<p>WEHNER: It’s a shorthand description for how people of faith view politics. As for whose political theology rules: It’s an open question, which is one of the reasons Mike and I wrote City of Man. We wanted to offer up our views on what some of the precepts and principles ought to be in sorting through that question. We haven’t written a definitive account by any means — but we do think we’ve laid out some useful thoughts on how religious believers can better understand their obligations as citizens of a modern constitutional republic.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: I’ve seen City of Man described as an evangelical book, but you sure do quote a lot of Catholics. To what extent is it a book for anyone who takes religion seriously?</p>
<p>WEHNER: We sure do quote a lot of Catholics, and that’s not accidental. There are obviously important theological differences between Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism. But the Catholic Church has a great deal to teach evangelicals when it comes to how to engage politics and the culture — to do so in a way that’s both effective and faithful.</p>
<p>Among the things evangelicals can learn from Catholics is that instead of serially reacting to issues as they arise, it’s crucial to stand back and analyze how we should approach politics based on a cohesive Christian worldview. Catholicism has helped deepen our nation’s understanding about the proper role of government based on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity with the poor. The encyclicals of John Paul II were extraordinarily impressive documents, both theologically and politically. They had a formative influence on Mike and on me. Our view is that the Catholic Church, while a flawed institution, has shown an impressive understanding of the proper role of government and the relationship between Christianity and politics.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: “Politics and governing are fraught with temptations and dangers. There are plenty of people who bring dishonor to the enterprise. But there is also something ennobling about it when done properly.” I couldn’t help but think of these coming elections when reading that. Does the Tea Party get that in a renewing way?</p>
<p>WEHNER: I hope so. The Tea Party has been a positive and powerful force in American politics. It’s evidence of a broader, organic, and powerful uprising against contemporary liberalism. The Tea Party movement is composed of people who want to stop, and then roll back, the Obama agenda. And I think that’s all to the good. Skepticism toward government is warranted and legitimate; that’s especially the case now.</p>
<p>At the same time, contempt and outright hostility toward government can be unwarranted and counterproductive. We’ve seen government policies succeed on an array of issues, from crime and welfare to progress on education to the surge in Iraq. It was Burke, who in many ways was the founder of modern conservatism, who said that God instituted government as a means of human improvement. He was also a great advocate of reform — and a great champion of political parties, by the way. The Tea Party movement would be helped if the spirit of Burke animated it.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Is there some kind of awakening going on?</p>
<p>WEHNER: I don’t think so. What we are seeing is actually a fascinating phenomenon: Theologically conservative evangelical and Pentecostal churches are growing at the very same time that the number of secular Americans — those who claim not to believe in God or at least to have no religious preference — is also rising. This makes for a complicated situation — rising secularism and rising orthodoxy. Tim Keller — an exceptional minister, an outstanding theological mind, and good friend of ours — writes about this in the foreword to our book.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: You write an awful lot about family. On one level are you tempted to get everyone to stop debating politics and watching Fox News and take care of that instead? Because only then will we get the rest right?</p>
<p>WEHNER: No; in fact, we argue more nearly the opposite. Obviously it’s crucial to strengthen the institution of the family; so many contemporary social problems are the product of the breakup of the American family. But one of the ways you ameliorate the problems caused by family breakdown is through politics, through wise government policies.</p>
<p>One of the arguments we make in City of Man is that public policies in the area of crime, welfare, and drug use helped improve the lives of people in ways that were significant. New York City under Mayor Giuliani was transformed in important ways. And it didn’t happen by accident or by disengaging; it happened because lawmakers put into effect policies that made a world of difference. Wise reforms can be a moral enterprise.</p>
<p>This works the other way as well. The first “no fault” divorce law was signed into law in 1970 by Ronald Reagan, who was then governor of California. Within just seven years, 47 out of 50 states had repealed fault grounds for divorce. This amounted to a revolution in social policy; in less than a decade, the entire legal divorce structure was fundamentally changed. The way Americans viewed divorce changed as well. Prof. William Galston, a top domestic adviser to President Clinton and a man for whom I have great regard, concluded that the switch in the law led to a measurable increase in the divorce rate. So laws matter and politics matter, including when it comes to the family.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: How has the abortion debate changed? How might it continue to?</p>
<p>WEHNER: It has, and in City of Man we argue that this ranks among the great achievements of the religious right. After Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, the New York Times editorialized that the abortion debate was now settled. It absolutely was not, in large measure because of the religious right. Given the cultural forces arrayed against pro-life Americans — from the legal system to elite culture, to a broad social ethic of autonomy and convenience — this is a remarkable achievement. Consider this: In 2009, more than 50 percent of Americans called themselves “pro-life” — the first time a majority of adults in America identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question 15 years ago.</p>
<p>This debate will continue to favor those championing a culture of life, in part because science and medical technology are friends of the pro-life movement. It’s impossible to see a sonogram and deny the humanity of an unborn child.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: How does the Left misunderstand religion and politics?</p>
<p>WEHNER: They assume religion is, in every instance, a negative influence on politics. That’s just empirically wrong. And many of those comprising the Left not only disdain religion in general and Christianity in particular, they believe religious arguments and motivations are themselves illegitimate. They argue they ought to have no place in democratic discourse. This view would of course eviscerate some of the most powerful and important arguments that can be made on behalf of human rights and human dignity. Can you imagine the abolition and civil-rights movements — or the Declaration of Independence — stripped of religious influence?</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Having some Washington experience as you do: What’s the best recipe for getting the religion and politics mix right, in a real, practical way?</p>
<p>WEHNER: It’s a complicated question. The short answer, I think, is historical awareness, Biblical and constitutional grounding, reflection, and study, and a willingness to examine and re-examine our views in light of shifting circumstances. And let me speak for myself here: It’s important to approach this issue with the recognition that my faith is more important than my politics; doing so helps prevent religion from being used as a means to serve narrow political ends.</p>
<p>The author Sheldon Vanauken was caught up in the antiwar movement in the 1960s. Christ, he wrote, would surely want him to oppose what appeared to Vanauken to be an unjust war. “But the Movement,” he said, “whatever its ideals, did a good deal of hating.” And that isn’t quite what Jesus had in mind. The mortal danger of social action, Vanauken warned, was making God secondary, which in the end is to make Him nothing at all. Those words, that warning, have stayed with me from the moment I read them.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Are there any politicians on the scene now who especially seem to get this right?</p>
<p>WEHNER: Let me mention two individuals for whom I have worked: George W. Bush and William Bennett.</p>
<p>President Bush showed deep human sympathy for those suffering and in need — and he used the power of his office to do something about it. I think history will say about Bush that he liberated millions of people in foreign lands and, through his AIDS and malaria initiatives, saved millions of lives. As president, he respected different religious faiths and understood their power to do good even as he was deeply committed to pluralism and tolerance. He showed that in the aftermath of 9/11, with his outreach to Muslim Americans. And George W. Bush is also a man of grace. When a senior aide left the White House and later wrote a book that was a betrayal, the president pulled aside his key advisers and told them to show grace, not retribution, for this particular person. Not many presidents — in fact, not many individuals — would have done such a thing.</p>
<p>Bill Bennett has been a mentor and close personal friend since the 1980s. He’s a deeply committed conservative, as you know — but when Pat Robertson sent out a letter in 1987, declaring “The Christians have won!” Bill rightly criticized Robertson. He knew this was dangerous stuff. Bill’s a man of great intellect and learning — and political courage, too. Over the years he’s made powerful and compelling arguments, informed by his Catholic faith, in defense of tradition and virtue. He’s withstood withering criticisms. But he never bent; he held shape.</p>
<p>Neither man is perfect; none of us is. But I’ve been able to observe them up close in some pretty challenging circumstances — and I’ve learned a great deal from them. In some respects they’re very different individuals. But I admire the heck out of both men. And they walked the faith/politics tightrope pretty well.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Why are you so fond of the Founders in this respect?</p>
<p>WEHNER: Because they provided brilliant insights into these matters. What emerged from their thinking was this central insight: While government ought to be respectful of religion, it should not get into the business of endorsing or favoring one religion over another. America was not founded as a Christian nation precisely because the Founders were informed by a Jewish and Christian understanding of human nature. Since people are autonomous moral beings created in God’s image, freedom of conscience is essential to their dignity. At least where the federal government was concerned, the Founders asserted that citizens should be subject to God and their conscience, not to the state. Historically, this disestablishment of religion has served the Christian faith well, preserving it from being corrupted and tainted by political power.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Why did you find yourselves writing a lot about St. Paul?</p>
<p>WEHNER: More than any other New Testament figure, he laid out a Christian view of the purpose of government — to restrain evil and promote justice. Rulers are God’s servants, St. Paul wrote; civil government itself was established by God. Christ Himself did not lay out a political philosophy per se; it was left to St. Paul, among others, to interpret Christian ideals in the context of his time, which of course was during the reign of the Roman empire. As a Christian you cannot engage the issue of politics and the role of government without dealing with St. Paul’s thinking.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Did George Bush get a bad rap for naming Jesus as his favorite philosopher?</p>
<p>WEHNER: I think so. His answer was much more personal than theological. But Jesus articulated a view of ethics, human nature, and human dignity that left an important, and I think quite positive, imprint on President Bush — to say nothing of the Western political tradition. The words and example of Jesus helped shape President Bush’s views in valuable ways. You could do a whole lot worse than Jesus as your favorite philosopher, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Who is yours? You quote more than a few in the book.</p>
<p>WEHNER: I’m partial to Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, and Edmund Burke — each of whom was not strictly a philosopher; they were also statesmen. They were individuals of action as well as reflection. And they each, in their own ways, based their political views on a deep understanding of the human condition and the importance of justice. “Justice is the end of government,” Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers. That’s right — and figuring out how to advance justice in the real world, in the rough and tumble of politics, is a difficult and endlessly fascinating thing. I also think Martin Luther King Jr. was one of our nation’s most eloquent and effective advocates for the American ideal. His “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a masterpiece of American political and moral thought.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Did you and Gerson disagree at all during the course of writing this book?</p>
<p>WEHNER: Not really. Mike and I are very close friends, and we were colleagues in the White House. In our political commentaries, we sometimes emphasize different things and come at things from slightly different perspectives. But our views align for the most part — and in writing this book, we didn’t encounter disagreements of any sort, really. That may be in part because this is a subject we’ve talked about and wrestled with many times over the years. I hope we’ve refined each other’s thinking during that time. And Mike has been a person who I’ve often gone to for wisdom and counsel on these matters, not to mention other matters, and he’s never let me down.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Why is it a worthwhile and important book now? Who is the audience for this?</p>
<p>WEHNER: First and foremost, it’s addressed to people who care about what will emerge in the wake of the religious right — people who are interested in the principles that ought to guide our engagement. How can religious people exercise influence while maintaining their integrity? What tone should they be known for? Which causes and issues, both at home and abroad, ought to be part of the new agenda? Those are the kinds of issues we take up — and we think they’ll interest readers. But more broadly our audience is anyone interested in how political theology affects American politics.</p>
<p>LOPEZ: Is there anything in this book that’s controversial? That you hope will get debated or otherwise talked about in the short or long term?</p>
<p>WEHNER: I suppose that we learn from some of the mistakes of the religious right.</p>
<p>Mike and I argue that despite some significant contributions — the role it played in ending evangelical Christianity’s political isolation, its strong stand on behalf of the unborn, and its firm support for Israel, among others — the religious right committed some serious theological errors. They include the belief that America is the “new Israel” — a covenant community on the model of ancient Israel. We disagree with those who believe that the Scriptures provide a governing blueprint. The religious right was also seen by many as an appendage to a political party, in a way that hurt Christianity itself. Beyond that, the apocalyptic tone sometimes employed by leading religious and political leaders revealed, I think, a belief that everything hinged on the success or failure of a particular political movement. In 2008, an influential religious and political figure put it this way: “The future of our children and grandchildren hangs in the balance….Will they inherit an America based on our Judeo-Christian heritage or will they inherit a secular, godless society where individual responsibility and freedom have disappeared?”</p>
<p>One of the things I’ve learned from wiser people than myself is that, as Christians, our job is to be faithful, not necessarily to be successful. That ultimately rests with the Lord, who is the author of history and not indifferent to what unfolds. I’ll grant you that this isn’t always easy to remember; in the intensity of the moment, our vision can become blurred. We can lose our way. And we can hold too tightly to the things of this world. But if we can keep our eyes fixed on the true object of our faith, we can avoid a lot of errors and missteps along the way. And from time to time we can do some real good, too.</p> | false | 1 | two former aides george w bush administration collaborated time new book city man religion politics new era michael gerson former policy adviser chief speechwriter president bush peter wehner former deputy assistant president director white house office strategic initiatives gerson nationally syndicated columnist wehner senior fellow ethics public policy center wehner talks city man st paul jesus philosopher fierce urgency right national review onlines kathryn jean lopez kathryn jean lopez city man rejected city god peter wehner well city man never fully reflect values city god instances actively oppose part christian teaching since jesus walked earth attempt usher kingdom god world often left much worse shape found reject utopianism variations manifestations often leads shattered hopes shattered lives prison camps gulags time forms government express principles closely approximate values city god others book based explicit assumption politics matters political acts profound human consequences makes huge difference whether people live freedom servitude whether state guardian enemy human dignity two cities always tension challenge fight principles human flourishing human excellence without succumbing fanciful hopes utopian dreams lopez city man relevant someone following politics october 2010 wehner relationship faith politics perennial one mattered american founding matters day topic every generation needs come terms outcome grappling profound effects good ill also believe important people faith think first principles role purpose state lives devote entire chapter subject certainly bearing politics 2010 politics quite easy become reactive deal issues arise served reagan administration bush white house understand dont luxury conducting college seminars youre center political power deal events come time important step back think careful way core principles example think order justice virtue prosperity might manifest era live christians important reflect augustine called theology history helps us place political debates within right context lopez much city man comes lived political experience especially white house wehner fair amount actually mike close political power think testify good bad politics possibilities limitations quick story bears working white house 911 attacks occurred fact attended 730 senior staff meeting morning sent email mike reporting transpired began email way little note happened four minutes later american airlines flight 11 flew north tower world trade center use episode segue discussion moral duties placed individuals important respects different ones placed state none us mood turn cheek aftermath 911 explain didnt violate consciences christians want add one thing ongoing challenge engage spirited intense debates ones care deeply without dehumanizing opposition becoming uncivil ive tried stay right side line years tough im sure receiving end commentaries would argue time time ive crossed line ill leave others decide point simply temptation real christian need try guard candid city man offer specific thoughts deal lopez christians often done politics poorly groups democracy answer politics better political engagement luxury fighting raging fires requires contemplation fire extinguisher urgency involve errors admitted corrected g k chesterton said even bad shot dignified accepts duel two anything specific mind wrote wehner james davison hunter wrote recent wellreceived book change world argues christians silent season learn enact faith public acts shalom rather try represent publicly law policy political mobilization professor hunter serious scholar thoughtful man agree many parts book think hes quite wrong counseling christians silent season mike argue given moment democracy great issues justice morality stake idea people faith take sabbatical politics collect thoughts lick wounds form irresponsibility fact idea could embraced comfortable christians especially poor vulnerable sabbatical failures politics lopez whats new era marks beginning signs wehner important respects old model embodied religious right passing away key figures people james kennedy jerry falwell literally passed scene others like pat robertson james dobson less influential generational shift thats occurring also know survey data many christians politically theologically conservative turned brand politics practiced religiousright leaders many conservative christians looking new model social engagement want leaders display lighter touch less desperate anxious spirit gracious tone focus family interesting illustration point jim daly replaced james dobson daly said conversation people confrontation theres certainly difference approach daly dobson lopez religious right today exist exist wehner probably best disaggregate several things conservative christians remain politically potent engaged dont see signs fullscale withdrawal politics culture yet redefinition sorts occurring institutionally generationally seeing passing baton evangelical christians share many stands religious right policy matters dont want associated tone approach saw heyday dont like people say one prominent pastor nazi germany jews liberal america evangelical christians many uncomfortable christian scorecard certainly dont like jerry falwell declared pat robertson 911 gods judgment america theological error category error think significant many people alienating many things happened years ago time things add lopez exactly political theology whose political theology rules wehner shorthand description people faith view politics whose political theology rules open question one reasons mike wrote city man wanted offer views precepts principles ought sorting question havent written definitive account means think weve laid useful thoughts religious believers better understand obligations citizens modern constitutional republic lopez ive seen city man described evangelical book sure quote lot catholics extent book anyone takes religion seriously wehner sure quote lot catholics thats accidental obviously important theological differences catholicism evangelical protestantism catholic church great deal teach evangelicals comes engage politics culture way thats effective faithful among things evangelicals learn catholics instead serially reacting issues arise crucial stand back analyze approach politics based cohesive christian worldview catholicism helped deepen nations understanding proper role government based principles subsidiarity solidarity poor encyclicals john paul ii extraordinarily impressive documents theologically politically formative influence mike view catholic church flawed institution shown impressive understanding proper role government relationship christianity politics lopez politics governing fraught temptations dangers plenty people bring dishonor enterprise also something ennobling done properly couldnt help think coming elections reading tea party get renewing way wehner hope tea party positive powerful force american politics evidence broader organic powerful uprising contemporary liberalism tea party movement composed people want stop roll back obama agenda think thats good skepticism toward government warranted legitimate thats especially case time contempt outright hostility toward government unwarranted counterproductive weve seen government policies succeed array issues crime welfare progress education surge iraq burke many ways founder modern conservatism said god instituted government means human improvement also great advocate reform great champion political parties way tea party movement would helped spirit burke animated lopez kind awakening going wehner dont think seeing actually fascinating phenomenon theologically conservative evangelical pentecostal churches growing time number secular americans claim believe god least religious preference also rising makes complicated situation rising secularism rising orthodoxy tim keller exceptional minister outstanding theological mind good friend writes foreword book lopez write awful lot family one level tempted get everyone stop debating politics watching fox news take care instead get rest right wehner fact argue nearly opposite obviously crucial strengthen institution family many contemporary social problems product breakup american family one ways ameliorate problems caused family breakdown politics wise government policies one arguments make city man public policies area crime welfare drug use helped improve lives people ways significant new york city mayor giuliani transformed important ways didnt happen accident disengaging happened lawmakers put effect policies made world difference wise reforms moral enterprise works way well first fault divorce law signed law 1970 ronald reagan governor california within seven years 47 50 states repealed fault grounds divorce amounted revolution social policy less decade entire legal divorce structure fundamentally changed way americans viewed divorce changed well prof william galston top domestic adviser president clinton man great regard concluded switch law led measurable increase divorce rate laws matter politics matter including comes family lopez abortion debate changed might continue wehner city man argue ranks among great achievements religious right roe v wade decided 1973 new york times editorialized abortion debate settled absolutely large measure religious right given cultural forces arrayed prolife americans legal system elite culture broad social ethic autonomy convenience remarkable achievement consider 2009 50 percent americans called prolife first time majority adults america identified prolife since gallup began asking question 15 years ago debate continue favor championing culture life part science medical technology friends prolife movement impossible see sonogram deny humanity unborn child lopez left misunderstand religion politics wehner assume religion every instance negative influence politics thats empirically wrong many comprising left disdain religion general christianity particular believe religious arguments motivations illegitimate argue ought place democratic discourse view would course eviscerate powerful important arguments made behalf human rights human dignity imagine abolition civilrights movements declaration independence stripped religious influence lopez washington experience whats best recipe getting religion politics mix right real practical way wehner complicated question short answer think historical awareness biblical constitutional grounding reflection study willingness examine reexamine views light shifting circumstances let speak important approach issue recognition faith important politics helps prevent religion used means serve narrow political ends author sheldon vanauken caught antiwar movement 1960s christ wrote would surely want oppose appeared vanauken unjust war movement said whatever ideals good deal hating isnt quite jesus mind mortal danger social action vanauken warned making god secondary end make nothing words warning stayed moment read lopez politicians scene especially seem get right wehner let mention two individuals worked george w bush william bennett president bush showed deep human sympathy suffering need used power office something think history say bush liberated millions people foreign lands aids malaria initiatives saved millions lives president respected different religious faiths understood power good even deeply committed pluralism tolerance showed aftermath 911 outreach muslim americans george w bush also man grace senior aide left white house later wrote book betrayal president pulled aside key advisers told show grace retribution particular person many presidents fact many individuals would done thing bill bennett mentor close personal friend since 1980s hes deeply committed conservative know pat robertson sent letter 1987 declaring christians bill rightly criticized robertson knew dangerous stuff bills man great intellect learning political courage years hes made powerful compelling arguments informed catholic faith defense tradition virtue hes withstood withering criticisms never bent held shape neither man perfect none us ive able observe close pretty challenging circumstances ive learned great deal respects theyre different individuals admire heck men walked faithpolitics tightrope pretty well lopez fond founders respect wehner provided brilliant insights matters emerged thinking central insight government ought respectful religion get business endorsing favoring one religion another america founded christian nation precisely founders informed jewish christian understanding human nature since people autonomous moral beings created gods image freedom conscience essential dignity least federal government concerned founders asserted citizens subject god conscience state historically disestablishment religion served christian faith well preserving corrupted tainted political power lopez find writing lot st paul wehner new testament figure laid christian view purpose government restrain evil promote justice rulers gods servants st paul wrote civil government established god christ lay political philosophy per se left st paul among others interpret christian ideals context time course reign roman empire christian engage issue politics role government without dealing st pauls thinking lopez george bush get bad rap naming jesus favorite philosopher wehner think answer much personal theological jesus articulated view ethics human nature human dignity left important think quite positive imprint president bush say nothing western political tradition words example jesus helped shape president bushs views valuable ways could whole lot worse jesus favorite philosopher thats sure lopez quote book wehner im partial abraham lincoln james madison edmund burke strictly philosopher also statesmen individuals action well reflection ways based political views deep understanding human condition importance justice justice end government madison wrote federalist papers thats right figuring advance justice real world rough tumble politics difficult endlessly fascinating thing also think martin luther king jr one nations eloquent effective advocates american ideal letter birmingham jail masterpiece american political moral thought lopez gerson disagree course writing book wehner really mike close friends colleagues white house political commentaries sometimes emphasize different things come things slightly different perspectives views align part writing book didnt encounter disagreements sort really may part subject weve talked wrestled many times years hope weve refined others thinking time mike person ive often gone wisdom counsel matters mention matters hes never let lopez worthwhile important book audience wehner first foremost addressed people care emerge wake religious right people interested principles ought guide engagement religious people exercise influence maintaining integrity tone known causes issues home abroad ought part new agenda kinds issues take think theyll interest readers broadly audience anyone interested political theology affects american politics lopez anything book thats controversial hope get debated otherwise talked short long term wehner suppose learn mistakes religious right mike argue despite significant contributions role played ending evangelical christianitys political isolation strong stand behalf unborn firm support israel among others religious right committed serious theological errors include belief america new israel covenant community model ancient israel disagree believe scriptures provide governing blueprint religious right also seen many appendage political party way hurt christianity beyond apocalyptic tone sometimes employed leading religious political leaders revealed think belief everything hinged success failure particular political movement 2008 influential religious political figure put way future children grandchildren hangs balancewill inherit america based judeochristian heritage inherit secular godless society individual responsibility freedom disappeared one things ive learned wiser people christians job faithful necessarily successful ultimately rests lord author history indifferent unfolds ill grant isnt always easy remember intensity moment vision become blurred lose way hold tightly things world keep eyes fixed true object faith avoid lot errors missteps along way time time real good | 2,198 |
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<p>The Federal Reserve’s announcement on December 18 that beginning in January its monthly purchases of mortgage-backed financial instruments and US Treasury bonds would each be cut by $5 billion is puzzling, as is the financial press’s account of the market’s response.</p>
<p>The Federal Reserve conveys a contradictory message.&#160; The Fed says that improvements in employment and the economy justify cutting back on bond purchases.</p>
<p>Yet the Fed emphasizes that it is maintaining its commitment to record low interest rates “well past the time that the unemployment rate declines below 6.5 percent, especially if projected inflation continues to run below the [Open Market] Committee’s 2 percent longer-run goal. When the Committee decides to begin to remove policy accommodation it will take a balanced approach consistent with its longer-run goals of maximum employment and inflation of 2 percent.”</p>
<p>The last sentence in the quote states that the Fed does not regard its announced reduction in bond purchases as less accommodation or as a move toward tightening. In other words, the Fed is saying that tapering does not mean less accommodation.</p>
<p>To put it another way, the Fed is saying that the economy is doing well enough not to require the same amount of monthly bond purchases, but is not doing well enough to stand any change in the near zero nominal federal funds rate.&#160; The implication is that the Fed either does not think that a reduction in purchases will result in a rise in long-term interest rates or that such a rise will not derail the economy as long as the Fed keeps short-term rates at or near zero. If the $10 billion decrease in monthly bond demand results in higher long-term interest rates, what good does it do to keep the federal funds rate at zero? If the $10 billion monthly bond purchases were not needed as part of the accommodation policy, why was the Fed purchasing them?</p>
<p>Possibly the Fed thinks that Congress has taken steps to reduce the federal deficit, which would result in a reduced supply of bonds to match the Fed’s reduced demand for bonds, but the Fed’s statement makes no reference to federal deficit reduction, which is probably a smoke and mirrors change instead of a real one.</p>
<p>Moreover, the Fed’s outlook for the economy is mixed. The Fed says that “recovery in the housing sector slowed somewhat in recent months,” so why reduce purchases of mortgage-backed financial instruments?&#160; And surely the Fed is aware that the U3 unemployment rate has declined because discouraged workers who cannot find a job are not counted among the unemployed. As all measures show, real median family income and real per capita income are lower today than in 2007, and real consumer credit is not growing except for student loans.&#160; Without rising aggregate demand to drive the economy, why does the Fed see a recovery instead of faulty statistical measures that do not accurately portray economic reality?</p>
<p>The financial media’s reporting on the stock market’s response to the Fed’s announcement has its own puzzles.&#160; I have not seen the entirety of the news reports, but what I have seen says that the equity market rose because investors interpreted the reduction in bond purchases as signaling the Fed’s vote of confidence in the economy.</p>
<p>Previously, when the Fed announced that it might cut back its bond purchases, the markets dropped sharply, and the Fed quickly back-tracked. Everyone knows that the high prices in the bond and equity markets are the result of the liquidity pouring out of the Fed and that a curtailment of this liquidity will adversely affect prices.&#160; So why this time did prices go up instead of down?</p>
<p>Pam Martens <a href="http://wallstreetonparade.com/" type="external">points out</a> that there is evidence of manipulation.</p>
<p>As market data indicates, the initial response to the Fed’s announcement was a sharp move down as market participants sold stocks on the Fed’s announcement (see the chart of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in Pam Martens’ article). But within a few minutes the market changed course and rose on panic short-covering just as sharply as it had fallen.</p>
<p>The question is: who provided the upward push that panicked the shorts and sent the market up 292 points?&#160; Was it the plunge protection team and the NY Fed’s trading floor? Was it the large banks acting in concert with the Fed? It is hard to avoid the conclusion that this was an orchestrated event that forestalled a market decline.</p>
<p>Short selling in the paper gold futures market has been used to protect the US dollar’s value from being knocked down by the Fed’s Quantitative Easing. Following the Fed’s December 18 announcement, another big takedown of gold was launched.</p>
<p>William Kaye had predicted the takedown in advance. He <a href="http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2013/12/17_Absolutely_Shocking_Developments_In_The_War_On_Gold.html" type="external">noticed</a> that the ETF gold trust GLD experienced a sudden loss in gold holdings as shares were redeemed for gold. Only the large Fed-dependent bullion banks can redeem shares for gold.&#160; Possession of physical gold allows the short-selling that drives down the gold price to be covered.</p>
<p>Bloomberg <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/video/what-s-happening-to-all-the-gold-d33u1c23SDqA0p0e~9_INw.html" type="external">reports</a> that gold is exiting the West. It has been shipped out to Asia. You explain, dear reader, how the price of gold can fall so much in the West while the supply of gold dries up.</p>
<p>In a few days prior to the Fed’s tapering announcement,&#160; GLD was drained of 25 tonnes of gold by primary bullion banks, JP MorganChase, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Citicorp.&#160; As Dave Kranzler pointed out to me, these banks happen to be the biggest players in the OTC derivatives market for precious metals. HSBC is the custodian of the GLD gold and JPM is the custodian of SLV silver. HSBC and JPM are two of the three primary custodial and market-making banks for Comex gold and silver.</p>
<p>The conclusion is obvious. QE helps the big banks, and manipulation of the gold price downward protects the US dollar from its dilution by QE.</p>
<p>The Fed’s reduced bond purchasing announced for the New Year still leaves the Fed purchasing $900 billion worth of bonds annually, so obviously the Fed does not think that everything is OK.&#160; Moreover, the Fed has other ways to make up for the $120 billion annual reduction, assuming the reduction actually occurs. The prospect for tapering is dependent on the US economy not sinking deeper into depression. Massaged “success indicators” such as the unemployment rate, which is understated by not counting discouraged workers, and the GDP growth rate, which is overstated with an understated measure of inflation, do not a recovery make. No other economic indicator shows recovery.</p>
<p>Until a whistleblower speaks, we cannot know for certain, but my conclusion is that the Fed understands that it must protect the dollar from being driven down by QE and that the orchestrated takedowns of gold are part of protecting the dollar’s value, and perhaps also the cutback in QE is a part of the protection by signaling an end of money creation.&#160; The Fed also understands that it cannot forever drive down the gold price and that it cannot forever pour liquidity into stock and bond markets.&#160; To retreat from this policy without crashing the edifice requires successful orchestrations.&#160; Therefore, we are likely to experience more of them in the days to come.</p>
<p>Allegedly, the US has free capital markets, and globalism is bringing free capital markets to the world.&#160; In actual fact, US capital markets are so manipulated—and now by the authorities themselves—that manipulation cannot stop without a crash.</p>
<p>What American “democratic capitalism” has brought to the world is manipulated financial markets and the absence of democracy. How long this game can play depends on the outside world.</p>
<p>This article was originally published at <a href="http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2013/12/20/manipulations-rule-markets-paul-craig-roberts/" type="external">PaulCraigRoberts.org</a> and has been used here with permission.</p> | false | 1 | federal reserves announcement december 18 beginning january monthly purchases mortgagebacked financial instruments us treasury bonds would cut 5 billion puzzling financial presss account markets response federal reserve conveys contradictory message160 fed says improvements employment economy justify cutting back bond purchases yet fed emphasizes maintaining commitment record low interest rates well past time unemployment rate declines 65 percent especially projected inflation continues run open market committees 2 percent longerrun goal committee decides begin remove policy accommodation take balanced approach consistent longerrun goals maximum employment inflation 2 percent last sentence quote states fed regard announced reduction bond purchases less accommodation move toward tightening words fed saying tapering mean less accommodation put another way fed saying economy well enough require amount monthly bond purchases well enough stand change near zero nominal federal funds rate160 implication fed either think reduction purchases result rise longterm interest rates rise derail economy long fed keeps shortterm rates near zero 10 billion decrease monthly bond demand results higher longterm interest rates good keep federal funds rate zero 10 billion monthly bond purchases needed part accommodation policy fed purchasing possibly fed thinks congress taken steps reduce federal deficit would result reduced supply bonds match feds reduced demand bonds feds statement makes reference federal deficit reduction probably smoke mirrors change instead real one moreover feds outlook economy mixed fed says recovery housing sector slowed somewhat recent months reduce purchases mortgagebacked financial instruments160 surely fed aware u3 unemployment rate declined discouraged workers find job counted among unemployed measures show real median family income real per capita income lower today 2007 real consumer credit growing except student loans160 without rising aggregate demand drive economy fed see recovery instead faulty statistical measures accurately portray economic reality financial medias reporting stock markets response feds announcement puzzles160 seen entirety news reports seen says equity market rose investors interpreted reduction bond purchases signaling feds vote confidence economy previously fed announced might cut back bond purchases markets dropped sharply fed quickly backtracked everyone knows high prices bond equity markets result liquidity pouring fed curtailment liquidity adversely affect prices160 time prices go instead pam martens points evidence manipulation market data indicates initial response feds announcement sharp move market participants sold stocks feds announcement see chart dow jones industrial average pam martens article within minutes market changed course rose panic shortcovering sharply fallen question provided upward push panicked shorts sent market 292 points160 plunge protection team ny feds trading floor large banks acting concert fed hard avoid conclusion orchestrated event forestalled market decline short selling paper gold futures market used protect us dollars value knocked feds quantitative easing following feds december 18 announcement another big takedown gold launched william kaye predicted takedown advance noticed etf gold trust gld experienced sudden loss gold holdings shares redeemed gold large feddependent bullion banks redeem shares gold160 possession physical gold allows shortselling drives gold price covered bloomberg reports gold exiting west shipped asia explain dear reader price gold fall much west supply gold dries days prior feds tapering announcement160 gld drained 25 tonnes gold primary bullion banks jp morganchase hsbc deutsche bank goldman sachs citicorp160 dave kranzler pointed banks happen biggest players otc derivatives market precious metals hsbc custodian gld gold jpm custodian slv silver hsbc jpm two three primary custodial marketmaking banks comex gold silver conclusion obvious qe helps big banks manipulation gold price downward protects us dollar dilution qe feds reduced bond purchasing announced new year still leaves fed purchasing 900 billion worth bonds annually obviously fed think everything ok160 moreover fed ways make 120 billion annual reduction assuming reduction actually occurs prospect tapering dependent us economy sinking deeper depression massaged success indicators unemployment rate understated counting discouraged workers gdp growth rate overstated understated measure inflation recovery make economic indicator shows recovery whistleblower speaks know certain conclusion fed understands must protect dollar driven qe orchestrated takedowns gold part protecting dollars value perhaps also cutback qe part protection signaling end money creation160 fed also understands forever drive gold price forever pour liquidity stock bond markets160 retreat policy without crashing edifice requires successful orchestrations160 therefore likely experience days come allegedly us free capital markets globalism bringing free capital markets world160 actual fact us capital markets manipulatedand authorities themselvesthat manipulation stop without crash american democratic capitalism brought world manipulated financial markets absence democracy long game play depends outside world article originally published paulcraigrobertsorg used permission | 721 |
<p>Phew! The Son’s Room (La Stanza del Figlio) by Nanni Moretti (co- written with Linda Ferri and Heidrun Schleef) is an almost unbearable portrait of a family’s grief over the death of a son. The film’s unblinking eye does not let us turn away for a moment from the horror of such a loss (in a scuba-diving accident) or the unavailing attempts of each member of the family, different as they are, to come to terms with it. And the horror is not lessened but made worse by the humor — for which Mr. Moretti is best known in Italy — with which the story is told. I admired In the Bedroom, but its portrayal of a pair of grieving parents is crude and obvious by comparison.</p>
<p>Moretti himself plays the father, Giovanni, who is a psychiatrist, and it is a brilliant device for him to devote substantial portions (though never too much) of the picture to his sessions with his patients. In fact, he blames himself for his son’s death because he had only gone diving on that Sunday morning because their original plan to go running together had had to be postponed by his own sense of duty to a patient called Oscar (Silvio Orlando, who starred in one of my favorite movies of the last decade, Not of this World), a bore and apparent hysteric with suicidal tendencies who was having what he fancied was a nervous emergency and had asked to see him immediately. As it happened, he had been diagnosed with cancer and, suddenly forgetting any thoughts of suicide he may have had, was terrified. It proves to be a lesson in perspective and proportion that the doctor will soon be in need of himself.</p>
<p>Instead, on learning the news, Giovanni keeps re-running the tape of that morning in his head, imagining himself saying no to Oscar and running as planned with his son, Andrea (Giuseppe Sanfelice). While he, the psychiatrist, is obsessing, continually trying to imagine alternative cases, to find out what went wrong, and asking how it could be possible that no one was to blame, his wife Paola (Laura Morante), the boy’s mother, feels the blow more keenly but is also more accepting of her fate. We get the sense that she simply has a greater capacity for suffering, a lesser for denial. And their daughter, Irene (Jasmine Trinca) who was close in age and in feeling to her brother, seems to look to her parents to tutor her in grief. The scene in which the father arrives at his daughter’s basketball game to give her the news of her brother’s death is quite devastating. She smiles to see him at the sideline while she is taking the ball down the court and then, seeing the look on his face, suddenly freezes, losing the ball. She stands motionless as the tide of play reverses back the way she has come.</p>
<p>Obviously there is much to be done with the built-in ironies awakened by the patients’ petty problems, most of them the result of their own boredom and self-absorption, in juxtaposition with their doctor’s terrible loss. There is only one point, when a middle-aged woman patient is describing how she and her husband would have liked to have had children but were never able to, that the doctor breaks down in his consulting room. But every one of the patients seems to have something to say that re-opens his wound. Some of them catch themselves and apologize immediately, while others charge ahead with their own stories in blithe unconsciousness of the effect they are having. More and more he is unable to attend to their ramblings and, after a few weeks of trying to cope, he decides that he must give up his practice.</p>
<p>It is a decision which has different and unexpected effects on each of the patients — Oscar proves unexpectedly sweet and thanks the doctor for the help he has given him — and in their reactions we begin to see, as perhaps the doctor does, glimpses of life going on. So does the whole family when a letter arrives for Andrea from a girlfriend no one knew he had. He had known the girl, Arianna (Sofia Vigliar), only for a day at a camp he had attended during the summer, and the brevity of their encounter and the feeling it engendered comes to stand for something essential about Andrea’s too-brief life. The letter is full of adolescent but no less touching talk of love, rendered miserably poignant by the fact that it was written in ignorance of its recipient’s fate.</p>
<p>Giovanni says he will write to the girl, but finds himself unable to do so. Paola impatiently takes matters into her own hands and telephones, saying she wants to meet her. But Arianna — we gather from Paola’ side of the conversation — would rather not. A consolation is lost. Some time later, however, and quite unexpectedly, Arianna turns up on the family’s doorstep. When she does so only Giovanni is at home. He had been far less eager to see or know the girl, but he takes to her immediately, and shows her Andrea’s now vacant room. Arianna tells him that she had had an idea of what it looked like because Andrea had sent her some photographs of himself, taken with a timer, in his room. As Giovanni looks at the photos he is again overcome with emotion.</p>
<p>When Paola comes home she is at first surprisingly reluctant to see the girl she had so eagerly wished to see earlier, but soon she too is taken with her. Both parents offer her the chance to stay and suggest they go out for a meal, but Arianna has another surprise for them. She has arrived with a friend, Stefano (Alessandro Ascoli), with whom she is hitchhiking to France. They’ll be off tonight, if it’s OK with them. The family is taken aback, but in the end decide to give the young couple a lift, at first to the expressway, then to the next rest stop, where there will be more potential rides, then to Genoa and finally all the way to the French border, where they arrive as dawn is breaking. Irene wakes up, as the young couple do, and is full of indignation at her parents. “Where the f*** are we?” she reproaches them. “I have training today. . .a game on Sunday.” But as she speaks she sees her parents smile at her, then begin laughing.</p>
<p>It is the first moment since her brother’s death that they have been able to laugh, and, while asking them “What is it?” Irene can hardly stop herself from laughing with them, unsure why. The suggestion, I think, is that it has taken the example of Arianna to put their grief into perspective — just as the parade of psychiatric patients and their little problems has, unbeknownst to them, been put into perspective by the doctor’s grief. Arianna, whom they love because she loved Andrea, has loved with the intensity of youth, but has also recovered from her love with youth’s resiliency. Already she has attached herself to Stefano, which could disgust them but somehow does not. On the contrary, they rather like Stefano, and all wave cheerily to the young couple as they get on a bus for their further adventures in France. It’s not that their grief has been taken away but rather that they have finally, almost without realizing it, been enabled to live with it without breaking down under the burden.</p> | false | 1 | phew sons room la stanza del figlio nanni moretti co written linda ferri heidrun schleef almost unbearable portrait familys grief death son films unblinking eye let us turn away moment horror loss scubadiving accident unavailing attempts member family different come terms horror lessened made worse humor mr moretti best known italy story told admired bedroom portrayal pair grieving parents crude obvious comparison moretti plays father giovanni psychiatrist brilliant device devote substantial portions though never much picture sessions patients fact blames sons death gone diving sunday morning original plan go running together postponed sense duty patient called oscar silvio orlando starred one favorite movies last decade world bore apparent hysteric suicidal tendencies fancied nervous emergency asked see immediately happened diagnosed cancer suddenly forgetting thoughts suicide may terrified proves lesson perspective proportion doctor soon need instead learning news giovanni keeps rerunning tape morning head imagining saying oscar running planned son andrea giuseppe sanfelice psychiatrist obsessing continually trying imagine alternative cases find went wrong asking could possible one blame wife paola laura morante boys mother feels blow keenly also accepting fate get sense simply greater capacity suffering lesser denial daughter irene jasmine trinca close age feeling brother seems look parents tutor grief scene father arrives daughters basketball game give news brothers death quite devastating smiles see sideline taking ball court seeing look face suddenly freezes losing ball stands motionless tide play reverses back way come obviously much done builtin ironies awakened patients petty problems result boredom selfabsorption juxtaposition doctors terrible loss one point middleaged woman patient describing husband would liked children never able doctor breaks consulting room every one patients seems something say reopens wound catch apologize immediately others charge ahead stories blithe unconsciousness effect unable attend ramblings weeks trying cope decides must give practice decision different unexpected effects patients oscar proves unexpectedly sweet thanks doctor help given reactions begin see perhaps doctor glimpses life going whole family letter arrives andrea girlfriend one knew known girl arianna sofia vigliar day camp attended summer brevity encounter feeling engendered comes stand something essential andreas toobrief life letter full adolescent less touching talk love rendered miserably poignant fact written ignorance recipients fate giovanni says write girl finds unable paola impatiently takes matters hands telephones saying wants meet arianna gather paola side conversation would rather consolation lost time later however quite unexpectedly arianna turns familys doorstep giovanni home far less eager see know girl takes immediately shows andreas vacant room arianna tells idea looked like andrea sent photographs taken timer room giovanni looks photos overcome emotion paola comes home first surprisingly reluctant see girl eagerly wished see earlier soon taken parents offer chance stay suggest go meal arianna another surprise arrived friend stefano alessandro ascoli hitchhiking france theyll tonight ok family taken aback end decide give young couple lift first expressway next rest stop potential rides genoa finally way french border arrive dawn breaking irene wakes young couple full indignation parents f reproaches training today game sunday speaks sees parents smile begin laughing first moment since brothers death able laugh asking irene hardly stop laughing unsure suggestion think taken example arianna put grief perspective parade psychiatric patients little problems unbeknownst put perspective doctors grief arianna love loved andrea loved intensity youth also recovered love youths resiliency already attached stefano could disgust somehow contrary rather like stefano wave cheerily young couple get bus adventures france grief taken away rather finally almost without realizing enabled live without breaking burden | 570 |
<p />
<p>In spite of the recent peace deal, the conflict in South Sudan seems to be far from over. Almost all the regional and international players that are involved in the peace process have their own agenda to pursue, and this has left the South Sudanese people highly vulnerable.</p>
<p>Amidst all this conflict, Sudan has managed to keep quiet. However, the time has come for Sudan to be pro-active and play a bigger role in the current conflict in South Sudan. In all likelihood, only Sudan can pave the path towards sustainable peace in South Sudan.</p>
<p>South Sudan: Deplorable Conditions</p>
<p>It has been quite some time since clashes erupted in South Sudan. The fighting, which initially began as a tug of war for political power between President Salva Kiir and the then Deputy President Riek Machar, eventually became a full-fledged civil war.</p>
<p>As of now, there have been thousands of deaths and millions have been internally displaced. Human rights violations have become a normal sight in South Sudan, according to the latest <a href="http://unmiss.unmissions.org/Portals/unmiss/%20Press%20Releases/May%202014/14%20-%2005%20HR%20report%20.pdf" type="external">UN reports</a>. Tribal strife, fractured army, devastated socio-economic prospects and loss of life and property have severely crippled South Sudan, and the country is, in all likelihood, <a href="http://politicalperiscope.com/south-sudan-failed-state/" type="external">a failed state</a>.</p>
<p>Last month, both the rival factions involved in the South Sudanese crisis <a href="https://www.sudantribune.com/IMG/pdf/agreement_to_resolve_the_crisis_in_south_sudan.pdf" type="external">signed a peace deal</a>. Apart from the formation of a transitional government, the said deal also talks about the immediate end of conflict and potential humanitarian relief work.</p>
<p>However, this peace deal is highly fragile owing to a number of reasons. First, the parties involved in the civil war have been fighting to grab power, and they are uninterested in any peace treaty that does not assure them of absolute political superiority. Second, the role of the international and regional players too has been unsatisfactory.</p>
<p>For that matter, the body language of South Sudan leaders who signed the peace deal too was far from impressive. In fact, Daily Nation <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/news/politics/Kiir--Machar-differ-peace-deal/-/1064/2312400/-/u5og81z/-/index.html" type="external">reported</a> that President Salva Kiir himself admitted that he was being forced to sign the deal in order to avoid arrest.</p>
<p>The International Community’s Role</p>
<p>Ever since the formation of South Sudan, the United Nations has been involved in humanitarian aid and relief work. But UNMISS, in spite of its best efforts, is in the good books of neither the South Sudanese government nor the rebels. Similarly, international NGOs and donors who had signed bilateral trade agreements with South Sudan too are now left disillusioned by the unimpressive policies of the government and the rebels.</p>
<p>South Sudan’s divorce from Sudan was brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). However, IGAD’s credentials have now come under the scanner. Uganda, one of the member-states of IGAD, has openly sided with Kiir’s government, and this has not made Machar’s troops very happy.</p>
<p>Ethiopia and Kenya too are no longer being viewed as trustworthy players, because both of them have their own regional agenda to pursue. Similarly, even Rwanda is an unacceptable mediator because many Rwandan troops aid and work for UNMISS, which, once again, is not the favorite entity of South Sudanese government and rebels alike.</p>
<p>Egypt, not a member of IGAD, has offered to contribute to the proposed Peace Enforcement Forces. However, it is being alleged that in lieu of its contributions, Egypt will seek South Sudan’s support against Ethiopia regarding the River Nile Renaissance Dam.</p>
<p>South Africa, US, UK, China, Norway, African Union and European Union have appointed special envoys to keep an eye on the situation.</p>
<p>The Key Player? Sudan!</p>
<p>Amidst all this chaos, there is one country that has better understanding of the South Sudan conflict than any other state or body—Sudan.</p>
<p>So far, Sudan has kept itself aloof from the ongoing conflict. Owing to unresolved issues between Sudan and South Sudan, it was being assumed that the former will attempt to take advantage of the latter’s miserable position and further its oil interests in the region, but none of that has happened. In fact, unlike the members of IGAD, Sudan has ruled out any form of direct political involvement in South Sudan.</p>
<p>Several African states, including South Sudan, have termed Sudan’s potential involvement in the conflict as ‘party spoiler’. However, if there is one country that can actually claim to have understanding of South Sudan’s tribal friction and geopolitical strategy, it is Sudan! As a matter of fact, Sudan’s involvement can also ensure that South Sudan does not become a proxy colony of international actors and/or regional hegemons such as Ethiopia and Kenya.</p>
<p>Conclusion</p>
<p>Back in 1965, during the course of the then ongoing roundtable discussions the South Sudan issue, it took longer to agree on who would represent the ‘south’, than it took to make the actual agreement. Quite obviously, the southern part of Sudan has always been a divided lot, and seems pretty much incapable of standing on its feet. For that matter, anyone who felt South Sudan will do a good job as an independent nation has now been silenced, because the country seems <a href="http://politicalperiscope.com/south-sudan-failed-justify-existence/" type="external">headed towards failure</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, Sudan can be the saviour that South Sudan needs. The unjust balkanization of Sudan, which resulted in the creation of South Sudan is surely a bad memory, but it is high time Sudan accepted the role of being ‘the better neighbor’, because the South Sudanese folks seem incapable of putting their house in order all by themselves.</p>
<p>As such, Riek Machar’s visit to Khartoum presents a peacebuilding opportunity that can restore trust between the two countries. South Sudan’s fragile state of affairs need to be fixed, and Sudan can do the needful.</p>
<p>South Sudan is the problem; it is time for Sudan to be the solution.</p> | false | 1 | spite recent peace deal conflict south sudan seems far almost regional international players involved peace process agenda pursue left south sudanese people highly vulnerable amidst conflict sudan managed keep quiet however time come sudan proactive play bigger role current conflict south sudan likelihood sudan pave path towards sustainable peace south sudan south sudan deplorable conditions quite time since clashes erupted south sudan fighting initially began tug war political power president salva kiir deputy president riek machar eventually became fullfledged civil war thousands deaths millions internally displaced human rights violations become normal sight south sudan according latest un reports tribal strife fractured army devastated socioeconomic prospects loss life property severely crippled south sudan country likelihood failed state last month rival factions involved south sudanese crisis signed peace deal apart formation transitional government said deal also talks immediate end conflict potential humanitarian relief work however peace deal highly fragile owing number reasons first parties involved civil war fighting grab power uninterested peace treaty assure absolute political superiority second role international regional players unsatisfactory matter body language south sudan leaders signed peace deal far impressive fact daily nation reported president salva kiir admitted forced sign deal order avoid arrest international communitys role ever since formation south sudan united nations involved humanitarian aid relief work unmiss spite best efforts good books neither south sudanese government rebels similarly international ngos donors signed bilateral trade agreements south sudan left disillusioned unimpressive policies government rebels south sudans divorce sudan brokered intergovernmental authority development igad however igads credentials come scanner uganda one memberstates igad openly sided kiirs government made machars troops happy ethiopia kenya longer viewed trustworthy players regional agenda pursue similarly even rwanda unacceptable mediator many rwandan troops aid work unmiss favorite entity south sudanese government rebels alike egypt member igad offered contribute proposed peace enforcement forces however alleged lieu contributions egypt seek south sudans support ethiopia regarding river nile renaissance dam south africa us uk china norway african union european union appointed special envoys keep eye situation key player sudan amidst chaos one country better understanding south sudan conflict state bodysudan far sudan kept aloof ongoing conflict owing unresolved issues sudan south sudan assumed former attempt take advantage latters miserable position oil interests region none happened fact unlike members igad sudan ruled form direct political involvement south sudan several african states including south sudan termed sudans potential involvement conflict party spoiler however one country actually claim understanding south sudans tribal friction geopolitical strategy sudan matter fact sudans involvement also ensure south sudan become proxy colony international actors andor regional hegemons ethiopia kenya conclusion back 1965 course ongoing roundtable discussions south sudan issue took longer agree would represent south took make actual agreement quite obviously southern part sudan always divided lot seems pretty much incapable standing feet matter anyone felt south sudan good job independent nation silenced country seems headed towards failure yet sudan saviour south sudan needs unjust balkanization sudan resulted creation south sudan surely bad memory high time sudan accepted role better neighbor south sudanese folks seem incapable putting house order riek machars visit khartoum presents peacebuilding opportunity restore trust two countries south sudans fragile state affairs need fixed sudan needful south sudan problem time sudan solution | 532 |
<p>Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that U.S. diplomats in Havana had been the victims of “health attacks” that left them with hearing loss — the most definitive U.S. statement yet on a series of mysterious incidents that have puzzled longtime observers of U.S.-Cuban relations.</p>
<p>His comments came two days after the State Department issued a vaguely worded statement saying there had been “incidents which have caused a variety of physical symptoms.” U.S. officials later revealed that American diplomats had suffered unexplained losses of hearing, and on Thursday Canada’s government said at least one Canadian diplomat in Cuba also had been treated for hearing loss.</p>
<p>“We hold the Cuban authorities responsible for finding out who is carrying out these health attacks on not just our diplomats but, as you’ve seen now, there are other cases with other diplomats involved,” Tillerson said in Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump and members of his administration spoke to reporters.</p>
<p>In the fall of 2016, a series of U.S. diplomats began suffering unexplained losses of hearing, according to officials with knowledge of the case. Some of the diplomats’ symptoms were so severe that they were forced to cancel their tours early and return to the United States, the officials said.</p>
<p>The officials told The Associated Press that the hearing loss appeared to have been caused by the deliberate use of some sort of sonic device operating outside the range of audible sound.</p>
<p>Former diplomats and students of U.S.-Cuba relations said they found it inexplicable that Cuba would have tried to harm U.S. and Canadian diplomats, particularly in the fall of 2016 as President Barack Obama was ending a second term marked partly by the reopening of diplomatic relations with the island.</p>
<p>U.S. officials familiar with the incidents said they began to be reported last October, when most domestic and foreign observers expected Hillary Clinton to win the presidency and continue Obama’s policy of normalization with Cuba.</p>
<p>Attacking Canadian diplomats would be an inexplicable assault on one of Cuba’s most important trading partners and the largest source of tourists to the island.</p>
<p>“There’d be no logic to the Cubans trying to deliberately harm U.S. or Canadian diplomats,” said William LeoGrande, an American University expert on Cuban foreign policy. “It’d really be unprecedented.”</p>
<p>The Cuban government said in a lengthy statement Wednesday that “Cuba has never permitted, nor will permit, that Cuban territory be used for any action against accredited diplomatic officials or their families, with no exception.”</p>
<p>Former U.S. and Canadian diplomats said they had been targets of low-level harassment and intimidation by Cuban agents in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, incidents that included attacks on diplomats’ pets and intimidating maneuvers like tailgating and flashing bright lights into diplomats’ cars as they drove with their families late at night.</p>
<p>“There were things like turning your electricity, turning off your water, entering your home, leaving little reminders that they were there. Things would be out of place,” said John Caulfield, the head of the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba from 2011 to 2014.</p>
<p>In addition to harassment, Caulfield said U.S. diplomats in Cuba are under 24-hour surveillance during their assignments.</p>
<p>“Nobody does anything in Cuba without them knowing,” Caulfield said.</p>
<p>A U.S. official said some American diplomats in Cuba had come home to find that someone had used their toilet and not flushed it, in what was interpreted as a deliberate attempt to disgust and unnerve. The official served at the then-interests section in Cuba in the 2000s and agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity due to the possibility of a return to Havana.</p>
<p>The State Department’s Inspector General wrote in a 2007 report that “life in Havana is life with a government that ‘lets you know it’s hostile.’ Retaliations have ranged from the petty to the poisoning of family pets.”</p>
<p>“All employees are fully aware that host government hostility extends to an elaborate, aggressive intelligence apparatus,” the report said.</p>
<p>Caulfield said aggressive tactics largely stopped by late 2013 and 2014 as U.S. and Cuban officials secretly negotiated the diplomatic reopening announced in December 2014, after his departure from Havana.</p>
<p>He said he believed the likeliest explanation for the diplomats’ mysterious deafness was “a new surveillance technique gone bad that had consequences. I do not believe they would randomly cause harm to this variety of people.”</p>
<p>A former Canadian ambassador to Cuba, James Bartleman, said that during his 1981-83 tour in Havana, he and his staff were targets of a string of mysterious attacks.</p>
<p>“One morning in 1982 the butler came to say that our dog had been poisoned and was very sick and dying,” Bartleman said. “My deputy ambassador called to say someone had poisoned his dog and his dog was dead. Then the head of the commercial section called to say that, ‘Out of the blue we opened the door and a rat was nailed to it.'”</p>
<p>Bartleman said he complained to the then-head of the Americas section of Cuba’s foreign ministry, who he quoted as saying: “Someone is trying to harm Canada-Cuba relations.”</p>
<p>He said the Cuban government sent a veterinarian to his house, but he sent his dog back to Canada, where it died six months later.</p>
<p>“We were their bosom buddies back then,” Bartleman said of Canadian-Cuban relations. “We were their largest trading partner and always their largest provider of tourists. Why would they do it? It made no sense then and makes no sense now.”</p> | false | 1 | secretary state rex tillerson said friday us diplomats havana victims health attacks left hearing loss definitive us statement yet series mysterious incidents puzzled longtime observers uscuban relations comments came two days state department issued vaguely worded statement saying incidents caused variety physical symptoms us officials later revealed american diplomats suffered unexplained losses hearing thursday canadas government said least one canadian diplomat cuba also treated hearing loss hold cuban authorities responsible finding carrying health attacks diplomats youve seen cases diplomats involved tillerson said bedminster new jersey president donald trump members administration spoke reporters fall 2016 series us diplomats began suffering unexplained losses hearing according officials knowledge case diplomats symptoms severe forced cancel tours early return united states officials said officials told associated press hearing loss appeared caused deliberate use sort sonic device operating outside range audible sound former diplomats students uscuba relations said found inexplicable cuba would tried harm us canadian diplomats particularly fall 2016 president barack obama ending second term marked partly reopening diplomatic relations island us officials familiar incidents said began reported last october domestic foreign observers expected hillary clinton win presidency continue obamas policy normalization cuba attacking canadian diplomats would inexplicable assault one cubas important trading partners largest source tourists island thered logic cubans trying deliberately harm us canadian diplomats said william leogrande american university expert cuban foreign policy itd really unprecedented cuban government said lengthy statement wednesday cuba never permitted permit cuban territory used action accredited diplomatic officials families exception former us canadian diplomats said targets lowlevel harassment intimidation cuban agents 1980s 1990s 2000s incidents included attacks diplomats pets intimidating maneuvers like tailgating flashing bright lights diplomats cars drove families late night things like turning electricity turning water entering home leaving little reminders things would place said john caulfield head us interests section cuba 2011 2014 addition harassment caulfield said us diplomats cuba 24hour surveillance assignments nobody anything cuba without knowing caulfield said us official said american diplomats cuba come home find someone used toilet flushed interpreted deliberate attempt disgust unnerve official served theninterests section cuba 2000s agreed speak condition anonymity due possibility return havana state departments inspector general wrote 2007 report life havana life government lets know hostile retaliations ranged petty poisoning family pets employees fully aware host government hostility extends elaborate aggressive intelligence apparatus report said caulfield said aggressive tactics largely stopped late 2013 2014 us cuban officials secretly negotiated diplomatic reopening announced december 2014 departure havana said believed likeliest explanation diplomats mysterious deafness new surveillance technique gone bad consequences believe would randomly cause harm variety people former canadian ambassador cuba james bartleman said 198183 tour havana staff targets string mysterious attacks one morning 1982 butler came say dog poisoned sick dying bartleman said deputy ambassador called say someone poisoned dog dog dead head commercial section called say blue opened door rat nailed bartleman said complained thenhead americas section cubas foreign ministry quoted saying someone trying harm canadacuba relations said cuban government sent veterinarian house sent dog back canada died six months later bosom buddies back bartleman said canadiancuban relations largest trading partner always largest provider tourists would made sense makes sense | 517 |
<p>By Kanupriya Kapoor and John Chalmers</p>
<p>JAKARTA (Reuters) – During the first months of this year, President Joko Widodo was an embattled leader grappling with Indonesia’s most serious political and religious tensions in two decades. Now, he has come through the storm looking stronger than ever.</p>
<p>His popularity is near record highs and, thanks to deft maneuvers against foes trying to exploit a blasphemy case against one of his allies, Widodo has stamped his authority on the ruling coalition, parliament and the security forces.</p>
<p>The quietly spoken former furniture salesman may have proved his political mettle, but his next challenge is an economy that refuses to respond to conventional policies to fire up growth. That could dent his re-election chances in 2019, especially with a budget that won’t stretch to lavish government spending.</p>
<p>Senior government officials worry that Widodo has been distracted by the battles with political opponents and taken his eye off the economy.</p>
<p>“We are suffering from bad policy right now … if we don’t fix it or we don’t&#160;regain the initiative I could easily see GDP growth going down, and is that a risk you want to take?” said one senior government official, who asked not to be identified.</p>
<p>According to a June survey, nearly 60 percent of people polled were satisfied with Widodo’s performance, almost an all-time high. But the poll also showed high expectations that he would deliver on promises to revive the lackluster economy.</p>
<p>“If he doesn’t perform on the economy, that would give ammunition to the opposition to challenge Jokowi in 2019,” said Djayadi Hanan of the Saiful Mujani Research Center, a Jakarta-based pollster, using the president’s nickname.</p>
<p>ECONOMIC DANGERS</p>
<p>Indonesia’s GDP growth has shambled at around 5 percent for the past two years, too low to lift the country out of the middle-income trap, largely because domestic consumption – once the engine of the economy – and bank lending have been sluggish.</p>
<p>An unexpected cut in interest rates last month highlighted the struggle to lift growth despite government initiatives, including a tax amnesty program, an infrastructure drive, and a series of regulatory tweaks designed to make business easier.</p>
<p>The government has little fiscal room to breathe life into the economy: the budget deficit is already close to a legally mandated ceiling of 3 percent of GDP and parliament could impeach Widodo if he allowed the deficit to run past that limit.</p>
<p>David Sumual, chief economist at Indonesia’s Bank Central Asia, said a hike in electricity tariffs and slow disbursement of subsidies to farmers have weakened the purchasing power of middle- to lower-income households. Meanwhile, higher-income groups are worried that the government is pushing for aggressive tax reform that will leave them less well off.</p>
<p>“The problem now is confidence in the prospect of the economy. People don’t want to spend,” Sumual said.</p>
<p>In his state-of-the-nation address last month, Widodo pledged to tackle income inequality by cutting red tape and making land acquisition easier to accelerate infrastructure projects. And last week he urged his cabinet to focus on attracting investment to boost growth and create jobs.</p>
<p>But two officials who spoke to Reuters said they worried he was not matching his rhetoric with bold steps that need to be taken now for growth to be marching higher next year, when campaigning for the 2019 presidential election will begin.</p>
<p>On the to-do list remains finding a way to rein in the overbearing dominance of state-owned enterprises on the economy, which was singled out by the World Bank in July as something preventing private funds flowing in.</p>
<p>In addition, there is a need to speed up efforts to tackle a tortuous regulatory and licensing regime to lift investment, an area where Widodo said last week, during the launch of a new policy package, “there’s so much we have to improve, so much to fix”.</p>
<p>RISK OF COMPLACENCY</p>
<p>Just months ago, Widodo appeared to be fighting for his political survival as political opponents joined forces with radical Islamist groups to foment popular fury over alleged blasphemous comments made by Widodo’s ally Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the former Christian governor of Jakarta.</p>
<p>Amid massive protests in central Jakarta, there were rumors of treason plots and even a military takeover.</p>
<p>Beating the drum of Indonesia’s “unity in diversity” motto, Widodo embarked on a frenzy of public appearances at military barracks, the homes of both political rivals and allies, and at moderate Islamic boarding schools – all aimed at projecting an image of unity and control.</p>
<p>“He has been busy in the past six to eight months fighting back against destabilizing forces,” said Endy Bayuni, editor-in-chief of the most widely read English daily, the Jakarta Post.</p>
<p>“He’s showed that he is very much in control of the situation and has become even more mature as a politician.”</p>
<p>Widodo’s latest move to regain political authority took aim at hardline Islamist groups. By executive decree, he banned Hizb-ut Tahrir, a group that calls for Indonesia to be ruled by Islamic sharia law, saying its ambitions ran counter to the country’s secular ideology.</p>
<p>Such political dominance could provide Widodo with a false sense of security, the senior government official said.</p>
<p>“The dark side of the story is … the economy,” he said. “I think the biggest threat now, potentially – and it’s the flip side of the incredibly strong political position he is in – would be complacency.”</p> | false | 1 | kanupriya kapoor john chalmers jakarta reuters first months year president joko widodo embattled leader grappling indonesias serious political religious tensions two decades come storm looking stronger ever popularity near record highs thanks deft maneuvers foes trying exploit blasphemy case one allies widodo stamped authority ruling coalition parliament security forces quietly spoken former furniture salesman may proved political mettle next challenge economy refuses respond conventional policies fire growth could dent reelection chances 2019 especially budget wont stretch lavish government spending senior government officials worry widodo distracted battles political opponents taken eye economy suffering bad policy right dont fix dont160regain initiative could easily see gdp growth going risk want take said one senior government official asked identified according june survey nearly 60 percent people polled satisfied widodos performance almost alltime high poll also showed high expectations would deliver promises revive lackluster economy doesnt perform economy would give ammunition opposition challenge jokowi 2019 said djayadi hanan saiful mujani research center jakartabased pollster using presidents nickname economic dangers indonesias gdp growth shambled around 5 percent past two years low lift country middleincome trap largely domestic consumption engine economy bank lending sluggish unexpected cut interest rates last month highlighted struggle lift growth despite government initiatives including tax amnesty program infrastructure drive series regulatory tweaks designed make business easier government little fiscal room breathe life economy budget deficit already close legally mandated ceiling 3 percent gdp parliament could impeach widodo allowed deficit run past limit david sumual chief economist indonesias bank central asia said hike electricity tariffs slow disbursement subsidies farmers weakened purchasing power middle lowerincome households meanwhile higherincome groups worried government pushing aggressive tax reform leave less well problem confidence prospect economy people dont want spend sumual said stateofthenation address last month widodo pledged tackle income inequality cutting red tape making land acquisition easier accelerate infrastructure projects last week urged cabinet focus attracting investment boost growth create jobs two officials spoke reuters said worried matching rhetoric bold steps need taken growth marching higher next year campaigning 2019 presidential election begin todo list remains finding way rein overbearing dominance stateowned enterprises economy singled world bank july something preventing private funds flowing addition need speed efforts tackle tortuous regulatory licensing regime lift investment area widodo said last week launch new policy package theres much improve much fix risk complacency months ago widodo appeared fighting political survival political opponents joined forces radical islamist groups foment popular fury alleged blasphemous comments made widodos ally basuki tjahaja purnama former christian governor jakarta amid massive protests central jakarta rumors treason plots even military takeover beating drum indonesias unity diversity motto widodo embarked frenzy public appearances military barracks homes political rivals allies moderate islamic boarding schools aimed projecting image unity control busy past six eight months fighting back destabilizing forces said endy bayuni editorinchief widely read english daily jakarta post hes showed much control situation become even mature politician widodos latest move regain political authority took aim hardline islamist groups executive decree banned hizbut tahrir group calls indonesia ruled islamic sharia law saying ambitions ran counter countrys secular ideology political dominance could provide widodo false sense security senior government official said dark side story economy said think biggest threat potentially flip side incredibly strong political position would complacency | 536 |
<p>Six key executives at SB Projects keep the client train rolling — and the boss in check.</p>
<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/scooter-braun/" type="external">Scooter Braun</a>’s second in command, Kaye oversees the careers of every client on the SB Projects roster and has played an integral role in the company’s movie soundtrack supervision, film production, and philanthropic endeavors. She assisted the team that organized <a href="http://variety.com/t/one-love-manchester/" type="external">One Love Manchester</a> and executive produced the Hand in Hand telethon a few months after.</p>
<p>Even after working at the company for a decade, Kaye says her favorite part of her job remains the same: breaking new artists. “Seeing an artist’s first album release and the first single and being a part of those moments — it takes you back and reminds you of what’s great about this business,” she says.“There seems to be something of an epidemic in the industry right now: A single doesn’t build a following. We really help our artists build long-standing careers.”</p>
<p>Kaye’s hard work has played a major role in successes such as <a href="http://variety.com/t/justin-bieber/" type="external">Justin Bieber</a>’s $250 million-grossing “Purpose” tour, a No. 1 debut from Dan + Shay on the Billboard Country Album Charts, and Ariana Grande’s first headlining stadium tour and Grammy-nominated singles.</p>
<p>The close friendship between Scott Manson and <a href="http://variety.com/2017/music/news/scooter-braun-politics-despacito-gun-control-immigration-1202620116/" type="external">Scooter Braun</a> goes all the way back to their late teens, when they met through one of Manson’s Duke University classmates. “I’ve been a cheerleader of Scooter’s since before the company was founded,” Manson says. In 2012 he left a major corporate law firm in Los Angeles to join SBP, where he spearheads corporate-development initiatives such as identifying and structuring partnerships for the company and its clients.</p>
<p>“We feel like we are years ahead of schedule, but we’re also just getting started,” Manson says. He marvels at the fact that when he joined SBP six years ago, the business was “pretty much run from Scooter’s bed and the Bieber tour bus.”</p>
<p>While Manson’s achievements include finding Internet sensation Psy and leading the company’s expansion beyond the realm of music, Manson himself is also a creator. He founded Silent Labs, a technology incubator with partners from Israel, and co-created the CBS TV drama “Scorpion,” which is now in its fourth season. He says creative skills enhance his ability to oversee business-development opportunities and regular operations at SBP.</p>
<p>Manson regularly communicates with James Shin (VP of Content Development) and Jules Ferree and Courtney Greenbaum, who are “pounding the pavement on brand partnerships as an avenue for drumming up dollars across the company and for our clients.”</p>
<p>How does Manson view Braun as a boss? “Scooter is one of these generational entrepreneurs that emerged from his age group and shot straight to the top,” he says. “I think that’s the best bet I’ve ever made.”</p>
<p>George, who was named to this year’s Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, can pinpoint the day when he joined the company: March 3, 2013, after he graduated from Syracuse University’s Bandier Program for the music and entertainment industry.</p>
<p>He began booking music acts at local venues in his hometown of Merrick, N.Y., as a high school freshman. The first artist he managed, Hoodie Allen, had an agent with plenty of clout in the hip-hop world: Cara Lewis.</p>
<p>“She said that I reminded her of Scooter, and suggested I reach out to him,” George recalls. “That was the first time I’d heard of him. Lo and behold, my friend Olivia&#160; Zaro was his assistant [at the time].” She arranged a Skype meeting, which George recalls as lasting about 30 seconds — the time it took for Braun to insist that they meet in person.</p>
<p>“I flew out January 18, 2013 — it was a pretty big deal, that’s probably why I remember the dates so well,” he says. “He said he was impressed by everything I’ve accomplished with Hoodie and asked what hip-hop artist I’d like to sign next. I said, ‘we gotta get to dance music’ and he said, ‘You go do that.’” George connected with Martin Garrix soon after, and has been managing him ever since. His newest project is Eden, whom he signed a year and a half ago.</p>
<p>“I see all of the accolades we’ve earned and everything we’ve achieved as just the surface — the most impressive thing we’ve accomplished is the company culture,” George says of SBP’s Beverly Hills and New York-based teams. “It’s an exciting, invigorating, and inspiring place to work. Everybody is pushed to dream big and exceed those dreams.”</p>
<p>Although he joined SBP just two and a half years ago, Chester has worked with Scooter Braun and Allison Kaye in some capacity for a decade, previously in his role at Bieber’s label Def Jam. “In the early days, it was just Scooter and Allison spearheading from different coasts,” he says. “When I started at SB Projects, even knowing the company uniquely through Bieber, I didn’t realize how much Scooter had built until I came into the building. The infrastructure has quickly developed.”</p>
<p>Now, Chester leads radio promotion and marketing for all SBP clients and manages global tour logistics. He also played a vital role in <a href="http://variety.com/2017/music/news/ariana-grande-manchester-honorary-citizenship-1202466272/" type="external">One Love Manchester</a> by bridging support from Spotify and iHeartRadio. “Scooter’s ‘anything is possible’ philosophy is infectious,” Chester says. “If you walk into his office feeling discouraged, you’ll walk out with a path to fixing your problem.”</p>
<p>One of those larger hurdles that Chester has successfully overcome is the reinvention of Bieber from troubled teen star to adult pop phenomenon. “There were some dark times when people who knew how close I was to the project took pleasure in his demise,” he recalls. “They were vocal. But I take a lot of pride in where we are now [with Justin]. That’s the biggest accomplishment of my entire career.”</p>
<p>For more than five years, Thow has overseen operations and strategic growth across all SBP verticals, with a focus on lifestyle, television and film. She remains inspired by the environment that she works in every day. “Scooter is one of the most loyal, empathetic people that I have ever known,” she says. “He treats everybody like family and really sees the potential in people.”</p>
<p>Thow also has a passion for people, something that can be seen from her previous work on MTV’s “The Buried Life” to her current work at SBP, which incorporates social impact into the company’s daily business structure. She also advises clients on entrepreneurial growth ventures. But Thow’s most impressive effort may be her day-to-day management and development of supermodel Karlie Kloss. This has included the launch of Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit that empowers girls to learn to code and become leaders in tech. She has also led philanthropic initiatives such as <a href="http://variety.com/2017/music/news/republic-records-umg-drake-zayn-taylor-swift-1202620132/" type="external">Justin Bieber</a>’s #GiveBackPhilippines campaign, Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester benefit concert and the “Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief” telethon. “I learn so much every day that sometimes I can’t even take any more learning,” she laughs. “But the biggest lesson that I carry with me is to be kind and help others.”</p>
<p>Ferree was director of digital marketing at Island Def Jam when Bieber was signed. Since 2015, she has developed and secured brand alignments across the SBP roster.Like her colleagues, she emphasizes the importance of stepping up when people are in need. “We’ve had so many successes with our artists’ triumphs, breakthroughs, and comebacks, but in the past three years, what has resonated the most are One Love Manchester and Hand in Hand,” she says. “Those were pivotal moments when we were able to leverage the collective platform for awareness, giving and healing.”</p>
<p>Based in New York, Ferree leads her “lean, mean team of two” by handling endorsement deals, tour sponsorships (including Bieber’s partnership with Calvin Klein for his 2016-2017 Purpose tour), television advertising campaigns, branded content and music licensing. Adds Ferree: “Any time there is a third party involved with our clients, it’s usually crossing my desk.”</p> | false | 1 | six key executives sb projects keep client train rolling boss check scooter brauns second command kaye oversees careers every client sb projects roster played integral role companys movie soundtrack supervision film production philanthropic endeavors assisted team organized one love manchester executive produced hand hand telethon months even working company decade kaye says favorite part job remains breaking new artists seeing artists first album release first single part moments takes back reminds whats great business saysthere seems something epidemic industry right single doesnt build following really help artists build longstanding careers kayes hard work played major role successes justin biebers 250 milliongrossing purpose tour 1 debut dan shay billboard country album charts ariana grandes first headlining stadium tour grammynominated singles close friendship scott manson scooter braun goes way back late teens met one mansons duke university classmates ive cheerleader scooters since company founded manson says 2012 left major corporate law firm los angeles join sbp spearheads corporatedevelopment initiatives identifying structuring partnerships company clients feel like years ahead schedule also getting started manson says marvels fact joined sbp six years ago business pretty much run scooters bed bieber tour bus mansons achievements include finding internet sensation psy leading companys expansion beyond realm music manson also creator founded silent labs technology incubator partners israel cocreated cbs tv drama scorpion fourth season says creative skills enhance ability oversee businessdevelopment opportunities regular operations sbp manson regularly communicates james shin vp content development jules ferree courtney greenbaum pounding pavement brand partnerships avenue drumming dollars across company clients manson view braun boss scooter one generational entrepreneurs emerged age group shot straight top says think thats best bet ive ever made george named years forbes 30 30 list pinpoint day joined company march 3 2013 graduated syracuse universitys bandier program music entertainment industry began booking music acts local venues hometown merrick ny high school freshman first artist managed hoodie allen agent plenty clout hiphop world cara lewis said reminded scooter suggested reach george recalls first time id heard lo behold friend olivia160 zaro assistant time arranged skype meeting george recalls lasting 30 seconds time took braun insist meet person flew january 18 2013 pretty big deal thats probably remember dates well says said impressed everything ive accomplished hoodie asked hiphop artist id like sign next said got ta get dance music said go george connected martin garrix soon managing ever since newest project eden signed year half ago see accolades weve earned everything weve achieved surface impressive thing weve accomplished company culture george says sbps beverly hills new yorkbased teams exciting invigorating inspiring place work everybody pushed dream big exceed dreams although joined sbp two half years ago chester worked scooter braun allison kaye capacity decade previously role biebers label def jam early days scooter allison spearheading different coasts says started sb projects even knowing company uniquely bieber didnt realize much scooter built came building infrastructure quickly developed chester leads radio promotion marketing sbp clients manages global tour logistics also played vital role one love manchester bridging support spotify iheartradio scooters anything possible philosophy infectious chester says walk office feeling discouraged youll walk path fixing problem one larger hurdles chester successfully overcome reinvention bieber troubled teen star adult pop phenomenon dark times people knew close project took pleasure demise recalls vocal take lot pride justin thats biggest accomplishment entire career five years thow overseen operations strategic growth across sbp verticals focus lifestyle television film remains inspired environment works every day scooter one loyal empathetic people ever known says treats everybody like family really sees potential people thow also passion people something seen previous work mtvs buried life current work sbp incorporates social impact companys daily business structure also advises clients entrepreneurial growth ventures thows impressive effort may daytoday management development supermodel karlie kloss included launch kode klossy nonprofit empowers girls learn code become leaders tech also led philanthropic initiatives justin biebers givebackphilippines campaign ariana grandes one love manchester benefit concert hand hand benefit hurricane relief telethon learn much every day sometimes cant even take learning laughs biggest lesson carry kind help others ferree director digital marketing island def jam bieber signed since 2015 developed secured brand alignments across sbp rosterlike colleagues emphasizes importance stepping people need weve many successes artists triumphs breakthroughs comebacks past three years resonated one love manchester hand hand says pivotal moments able leverage collective platform awareness giving healing based new york ferree leads lean mean team two handling endorsement deals tour sponsorships including biebers partnership calvin klein 20162017 purpose tour television advertising campaigns branded content music licensing adds ferree time third party involved clients usually crossing desk | 763 |
<p>The <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/447922/middleburys-charles-murray-protesters-punished-permanent-record-letters" type="external">disgraceful failure</a> of Middlebury College to seriously sanction the students who shouted down Charles Murray has <a href="http://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2017/05/24/an-utter-disgrace-middlebury-college-says-naughty-naughty-to-students-who-mobbed-charles-murray/" type="external">green-lighted mob violence</a> on America’s college campuses. The only realistic hope of countering this problem now lies in bills currently winding their&#160;way through legislatures in several states. While various campus free speech bills are on offer, only legislation based on the <a href="https://goldwater-media.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_page_media/2017/2/2/X_Campus%20Free%20Speech%20Paper.pdf" type="external">proposal</a> I co-authored with the Jim Manley and Jonathan Butcher of Arizona’s Goldwater Institute systematically addresses the need to discipline students who shout-down visiting speakers.</p>
<p>Yesterday, by a margin of 66 to 26, the Louisiana House passed a <a href="https://legiscan.com/LA/bill/HB269/2017" type="external">campus free speech bill</a> closely based on the Goldwater proposal. Republicans enjoy a 61 to 41 margin in the Louisiana House, with 3 independents. The bill was <a href="https://legiscan.com/LA/rollcall/HB269/id/649415" type="external">supported</a> by 52 Republicans, 12 Democrats, and 2 Independents, with 13 legislators absent.</p>
<p>The Louisiana bill, like the Goldwater proposal it is modeled on, instructs the state university system to develop a range of disciplinary sanctions for students who interfere with the expressive rights of others. Students are to be informed of those sanctions during freshman orientation. Also, a committee created by the state university system trustees is to submit an annual review of the administrative handling of free-speech-related student discipline to the public, the trustees, the Governor and the legislature.</p>
<p>The trustees hold the power to fire the system’s leading administrator while the legislature holds the power of the purse. Since a bad report would constitute reason for action by either trustees or the legislature against the university, the oversight system is meant to act as a check on the administrative tendency to let shout-downs pass without punishment.</p>
<p>Crucially, the Louisiana bill, like the Goldwater proposal it is modeled on, includes the following provision: “any student who has twice been found responsible for infringing the expressive rights of others will be suspended for a minimum of one year or expelled.” This provision is expressly designed to prevent administrators from handing out meaningless Middlebury-style slaps on the wrist ad infinitum.</p>
<p>Invariably, in states considering legislation based on the Goldwater model, the provision mandating suspension for a second offense has occasioned the most comment and opposition, generally from state university systems and from Democrats. (Although note that a substantial number of Democrats voted for the Louisiana bill.) This is unsurprising, since universities desperately want to avoid handing out serious discipline to students in shout-downs. Administrators are afraid to anger students or their parents, and see caving to demonstrators as the best way to get their schools off the front pages.</p>
<p>While the Goldwater-based Louisiana bill does mandate discipline, it also takes the rights of students accused in shout-down incidents very seriously. The Goldwater proposal includes very strong protections for the due process rights of the accused—considerably stronger than the law requires, and far stronger than students are generally accorded in disciplinary proceedings under Title IX sexual assault cases. The annual report by the committee of trustees also serves as a check, not only on administrative weakness but on administrative unfairness to students accused in shout-downs. So while the Goldwater proposal is the only one that provides for disciplining shout-downs, it also includes critically important safeguards against abuse.</p>
<p>Despite this, I expect that some legislatures will remove the mandatory minimum punishment for a second offense provision under pressure from universities that don’t want to be forced to discipline shout-downs in any serious way. Even without that provision, bills based on the Goldwater proposal would still do a great deal to encourage discipline for shout-downs. Nonetheless, the public needs to know that only the full Goldwater proposal, including the critical provision mandating suspension for a second instance of interfering with the expressive rights of others, serves as a maximally effective counterweight to the kind of administrative malfeasance we’ve seen at Middlebury.</p>
<p>This means that we need to be more attentive to the substance of the many campus free speech bills now under consideration by state legislatures. California, for example, is currently considering two campus free speech bills. One would eliminate “free speech zones,” while the other, sponsored by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore), is based on the Goldwater proposal. Melendez’s bill would not only eliminate campus “free speech zones” but would discipline shout-downs as well. The <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-free-speech-zones-20170524-story.html" type="external">Los Angeles Times article</a> on the two bills clearly tilts toward the less comprehensive bill focused only on free speech zones. Yet that bill would do nothing to prevent shout-downs like the ones <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/32050/" type="external">Heather MacDonald faced</a> at UCLA and Claremont. In fact, one of the remarkable features of the Melendez bill is that it goes beyond the Goldwater proposal and uses a threatened cut-off of state aid to include private as well as public colleges and universities in its purview. That really would have an impact on both UCLA (public) and Claremont (private).</p>
<p>A campus free speech bill recently <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/05/11/tennessee-free-speech-bill-signed-law" type="external">passed in Tennessee</a> has rightly received national attention. It’s an excellent bill and a major step forward. That said, while the Tennessee bill clearly prohibits speaker shout-downs, it does nothing to actually enforce that prohibition. Only bills based on the Goldwater model firmly, fairly, and systematically address the issue of enforcing sanctions for speaker shout-downs and similar acts of interfering with the expressive rights of others.</p>
<p>Speaker shout-downs are the <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/446634/campus-free-speech-crisis" type="external">heart and soul of the campus free speech crisis</a>. We could eliminate every free speech zone in the country and the crisis would still spin out of control if speaker shout-downs continue to go effectively unpunished. Only bills based on the Goldwater model go straight to the heart of the problem. Thankfully, Louisiana has recognized this. Passage of the Louisiana Campus Free Speech Act and similar bills in other states is our best hope to counter&#160;the surrender at Middlebury.</p>
<p>Stanley Kurtz is a senior fellow at the <a href="" type="internal">Ethics and Public Policy Center</a>. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | false | 1 | disgraceful failure middlebury college seriously sanction students shouted charles murray greenlighted mob violence americas college campuses realistic hope countering problem lies bills currently winding their160way legislatures several states various campus free speech bills offer legislation based proposal coauthored jim manley jonathan butcher arizonas goldwater institute systematically addresses need discipline students shoutdown visiting speakers yesterday margin 66 26 louisiana house passed campus free speech bill closely based goldwater proposal republicans enjoy 61 41 margin louisiana house 3 independents bill supported 52 republicans 12 democrats 2 independents 13 legislators absent louisiana bill like goldwater proposal modeled instructs state university system develop range disciplinary sanctions students interfere expressive rights others students informed sanctions freshman orientation also committee created state university system trustees submit annual review administrative handling freespeechrelated student discipline public trustees governor legislature trustees hold power fire systems leading administrator legislature holds power purse since bad report would constitute reason action either trustees legislature university oversight system meant act check administrative tendency let shoutdowns pass without punishment crucially louisiana bill like goldwater proposal modeled includes following provision student twice found responsible infringing expressive rights others suspended minimum one year expelled provision expressly designed prevent administrators handing meaningless middleburystyle slaps wrist ad infinitum invariably states considering legislation based goldwater model provision mandating suspension second offense occasioned comment opposition generally state university systems democrats although note substantial number democrats voted louisiana bill unsurprising since universities desperately want avoid handing serious discipline students shoutdowns administrators afraid anger students parents see caving demonstrators best way get schools front pages goldwaterbased louisiana bill mandate discipline also takes rights students accused shoutdown incidents seriously goldwater proposal includes strong protections due process rights accusedconsiderably stronger law requires far stronger students generally accorded disciplinary proceedings title ix sexual assault cases annual report committee trustees also serves check administrative weakness administrative unfairness students accused shoutdowns goldwater proposal one provides disciplining shoutdowns also includes critically important safeguards abuse despite expect legislatures remove mandatory minimum punishment second offense provision pressure universities dont want forced discipline shoutdowns serious way even without provision bills based goldwater proposal would still great deal encourage discipline shoutdowns nonetheless public needs know full goldwater proposal including critical provision mandating suspension second instance interfering expressive rights others serves maximally effective counterweight kind administrative malfeasance weve seen middlebury means need attentive substance many campus free speech bills consideration state legislatures california example currently considering two campus free speech bills one would eliminate free speech zones sponsored assemblywoman melissa melendez rlake elsinore based goldwater proposal melendezs bill would eliminate campus free speech zones would discipline shoutdowns well los angeles times article two bills clearly tilts toward less comprehensive bill focused free speech zones yet bill would nothing prevent shoutdowns like ones heather macdonald faced ucla claremont fact one remarkable features melendez bill goes beyond goldwater proposal uses threatened cutoff state aid include private well public colleges universities purview really would impact ucla public claremont private campus free speech bill recently passed tennessee rightly received national attention excellent bill major step forward said tennessee bill clearly prohibits speaker shoutdowns nothing actually enforce prohibition bills based goldwater model firmly fairly systematically address issue enforcing sanctions speaker shoutdowns similar acts interfering expressive rights others speaker shoutdowns heart soul campus free speech crisis could eliminate every free speech zone country crisis would still spin control speaker shoutdowns continue go effectively unpunished bills based goldwater model go straight heart problem thankfully louisiana recognized passage louisiana campus free speech act similar bills states best hope counter160the surrender middlebury stanley kurtz senior fellow ethics public policy center reached commentskurtznationalreviewcom | 590 |
<p>Any insult to the President of Russia is “unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said while responding to an article published in Germany’s Focus magazine, in which Vladimir Putin is referred to as “a dog.”</p>
<p>Russia’s presidential spokesman went on to say that such insults ultimately damage the reputation of the media itself, adding the Kremlin does not pay much attention to Focus magazine.</p>
<p>“The fact is that this media outlet is well known for its extreme subjectivity,” and not considered a “noteworthy source,” Peskov said. He added that, in the case of Russia, this subjectivity “is mostly based on extreme Russophobia.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/op-edge/398747-western-media-coverage-russia/" type="external">READ MORE:&#160;Western media coverage of Russia gives journalism a bad name</a></p>
<p>Moscow’s angry reaction was provoked by an article titled “50 reasons for Merkel/50 reasons against Merkel” published in the magazine issued on September 9.</p>
<p>“Even though she [the German Chancellor Angela Merkel] is afraid of [the Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s dog, she is not afraid of the dog Putin,” reads the offensive part referring to the Russian leader.</p>
<p>The issue was initially raised by the head of press service of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Denis Mikerin. “There are still red lines [that should not be crossed],” he wrote in a post on his Facebook page that featured a photo of the inflammatory piece published in Focus.</p>
<p>“There are things that have nothing to do with the freedom of expression or the media freedom and are by no means tolerable,” the diplomat said in his post, expressing hope that the insult aimed at the Russian president was “nothing more than unfortunate linguistic passage of a journalist.”</p>
<p>He also called on Focus editor-in-chief, Robert Schneider, to apologize for “this apparent fail” of his editorial office.</p>
<p>The Russian embassy in Germany also flagged the issue on its official Twitter account.</p>
<p>“Focus [editors] believe it is provocative. Is it? No. Tasteless and plain stupid? Definitely,” the embassy tweeted, challenging the German government’s spokesman Steffen Seibert to respond to the incident.</p>
<p>However, neither the German government nor Focus magazine responded or offered an apology. Instead, the media outlet said on Twitter there was nothing insulting in its article, just “ironic wordplay.”</p>
<p>“The word “dog” is basically a wordplay, which was intended to be ironic. It means “tough nut.” It was not intended to be derogatory,” the tweet said.</p>
<p />
<p>Die Bezeichnung “Hund” stellt ein ironisch gemeintes Wortspiel dar, meint harter Hund. Es war nicht herabwürdigend gemeint. <a href="https://twitter.com/RusBotschaft" type="external">@RusBotschaft</a></p>
<p>— FOCUS Magazin (@FOCUS_Magazin) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOCUS_Magazin/status/907898603175378944" type="external">September 13, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Later Wednesday, Schneider eventually contacted Mikerin to comment on the issue. However, his ‘explanation’ was similar to the magazine’s earlier statements, restating that the insulting phrase featured in article was nothing but “ironic wordplay.”</p>
<p>“It does not meet our expectations of a normal parity-based, respectful and responsible dialog,” Mikerin responded.</p>
<p>The embassy still regards the whole situation as “an unfortunate incident” that, however, still requires “concrete steps on its settlement, i.e. a formal apology from the Focus editorial office,” Mikerin said in a Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/denis.mikerin/posts/10207737919805387" type="external">post</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/328780-putin-merkel-dog-fear/" type="external">READ MORE:&#160;Doggie diplomacy: Putin denies tall ‘tail’ of letting lab loose on fearful Merkel</a></p>
<p>Putin is a well-known dog lover, and has been given multiple pups as gifts since first becoming president in 2000. The Russian leader has also, on several occasions, brought his pets out to meet some of his high-level guests.</p>
<p>The incident Focus was referring to happened in 2007 and involved Putin’s beloved labrador retriever Konni, who died in 2014.</p>
<p>At that time, the dog was thought to have intimidated Merkel during her meeting with Putin, as the chancellor has a fear of dogs. Putin said he had no idea about the German Chancellor’s canine phobia, and apologized.</p>
<p>Focus’ scandalous piece provoked a wave of indignation not just from Russian officials but also from Germans, who turned to social media to express their disgust with the article.</p>
<p>“I find it absolutely tasteless even to speak about a president in such a way, let alone to write [something like that]. It is good that I do not read Focus,” one person wrote in his Twitter post.</p>
<p />
<p>Ich finde es sehr geschmacklos,so gegenüber ein Präsidenten zu sprechen geschweige den zu schreiben.Nur gut das ich kein Focus lese.</p>
<p>— Steffen Flämig (@steffen_flamig) <a href="https://twitter.com/steffen_flamig/status/907633252374138880" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>“Focus is just like Bild – a good-for-nothing newspaper for those, who fancy themselves people of education…” another person said.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Focus?src=hash" type="external">#Focus</a> ist wie <a href="https://twitter.com/BILD" type="external">@BILD</a> | Gazetten-Niveaulimbo für die Möchtegern-Bildungsschicht mit dem IQ einer Amöbe, Nur eben in hochglanz</p>
<p>— Early Bird (@Twittarbacke) <a href="https://twitter.com/Twittarbacke/status/907632638495789056" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>“Focus was always idiotic unlike other our [German] newspapers that started writing nonsense only about 10 years ago,” one more Tweet reads.</p>
<p />
<p>Der <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Focus?src=hash" type="external">#Focus</a> war schon immer idiotisch. Im Gegensatz zu unseren anderen Zeitschriften, die erst in den letzten 10 Jahren idiotisch wurden.</p>
<p>— Frea von Wegen (@FreavonWegen) <a href="https://twitter.com/FreavonWegen/status/907561620410380289" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Another tweet read: “I thought actually that the so-called “quality media” cannot fall any lower. However, there is apparently still enough space below.”</p>
<p />
<p>Ich dachte immer, die “Qualitätsmedien” könnten nicht mehr tiefer sinken. Aber gibts offenbar noch viel Raum nach unten.</p>
<p>— Andreas Stricker (@AnStricker) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnStricker/status/907672289289830400" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>“That is a really MINDLESS [move], even for a pro-American newspaper,” another person said.</p>
<p />
<p>-Das ist wierklich BLÖD im Sine pro amerikanische Zeitschrift.</p>
<p>— Andrej Wanburger (@awanbur) <a href="https://twitter.com/awanbur/status/907675644649201664" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Some people drew attention to the fact that the government and media “do not represent the opinion of the people.”</p>
<p />
<p>Nie vergessen! Die Regierung und die Medien vertreten nicht die Meinung des Volkes!</p>
<p>— René Füssel (@ReneFSL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReneFSL/status/907627267093917697" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Others condemned the Focus’s choice of words by defining it as “hate speech.”&#160;</p>
<p>One of the magazine’s journalists, Jan Schaefer, seemed to be particularly active in defending the paper’s stance. “Druschba! [Friendship!] Even the Kremlin reads the Focus magazine!” he wrote, posting a link to an article by RT Deutsch that reported on the Russian embassy’s angry reaction to the provocative piece by Focus.</p>
<p>He then went on to say that there is nothing wrong with the word “dog.”“Is a dog in Russia something bad? In Germany, it is the most loved pet. Putin apparently brought his dog out [to meet] Merkel for the very same reason, or?” he wrote.</p>
<p />
<p>Ist ein Hund in RUS etwa etwas schlimmes? In ist er beliebtestes Haustier. Sicher hat Putin seinen Hund deswegen Merkel vorgeführt, oder?</p>
<p>— Jan Schäfer (@schaefer_j) <a href="https://twitter.com/schaefer_j/status/907686774310391808" type="external">September 12, 2017</a></p>
<p /> | false | 1 | insult president russia unacceptable kremlin spokesman dmitry peskov said responding article published germanys focus magazine vladimir putin referred dog russias presidential spokesman went say insults ultimately damage reputation media adding kremlin pay much attention focus magazine fact media outlet well known extreme subjectivity considered noteworthy source peskov said added case russia subjectivity mostly based extreme russophobia read more160western media coverage russia gives journalism bad name moscows angry reaction provoked article titled 50 reasons merkel50 reasons merkel published magazine issued september 9 even though german chancellor angela merkel afraid russian president vladimir putins dog afraid dog putin reads offensive part referring russian leader issue initially raised head press service russian embassy berlin denis mikerin still red lines crossed wrote post facebook page featured photo inflammatory piece published focus things nothing freedom expression media freedom means tolerable diplomat said post expressing hope insult aimed russian president nothing unfortunate linguistic passage journalist also called focus editorinchief robert schneider apologize apparent fail editorial office russian embassy germany also flagged issue official twitter account focus editors believe provocative tasteless plain stupid definitely embassy tweeted challenging german governments spokesman steffen seibert respond incident however neither german government focus magazine responded offered apology instead media outlet said twitter nothing insulting article ironic wordplay word dog basically wordplay intended ironic means tough nut intended derogatory tweet said die bezeichnung hund stellt ein ironisch gemeintes wortspiel dar meint harter hund es war nicht herabwürdigend gemeint rusbotschaft focus magazin focus_magazin september 13 2017 later wednesday schneider eventually contacted mikerin comment issue however explanation similar magazines earlier statements restating insulting phrase featured article nothing ironic wordplay meet expectations normal paritybased respectful responsible dialog mikerin responded embassy still regards whole situation unfortunate incident however still requires concrete steps settlement ie formal apology focus editorial office mikerin said facebook post read more160doggie diplomacy putin denies tall tail letting lab loose fearful merkel putin wellknown dog lover given multiple pups gifts since first becoming president 2000 russian leader also several occasions brought pets meet highlevel guests incident focus referring happened 2007 involved putins beloved labrador retriever konni died 2014 time dog thought intimidated merkel meeting putin chancellor fear dogs putin said idea german chancellors canine phobia apologized focus scandalous piece provoked wave indignation russian officials also germans turned social media express disgust article find absolutely tasteless even speak president way let alone write something like good read focus one person wrote twitter post ich finde es sehr geschmacklosso gegenüber ein präsidenten zu sprechen geschweige den zu schreibennur gut das ich kein focus lese steffen flämig steffen_flamig september 12 2017 focus like bild goodfornothing newspaper fancy people education another person said focus ist wie bild gazettenniveaulimbo für die möchtegernbildungsschicht mit dem iq einer amöbe nur eben hochglanz early bird twittarbacke september 12 2017 focus always idiotic unlike german newspapers started writing nonsense 10 years ago one tweet reads der focus war schon immer idiotisch im gegensatz zu unseren anderen zeitschriften die erst den letzten 10 jahren idiotisch wurden frea von wegen freavonwegen september 12 2017 another tweet read thought actually socalled quality media fall lower however apparently still enough space ich dachte immer die qualitätsmedien könnten nicht mehr tiefer sinken aber gibts offenbar noch viel raum nach unten andreas stricker anstricker september 12 2017 really mindless move even proamerican newspaper another person said das ist wierklich blÖd im sine pro amerikanische zeitschrift andrej wanburger awanbur september 12 2017 people drew attention fact government media represent opinion people nie vergessen die regierung und die medien vertreten nicht die meinung des volkes rené füssel renefsl september 12 2017 others condemned focuss choice words defining hate speech160 one magazines journalists jan schaefer seemed particularly active defending papers stance druschba friendship even kremlin reads focus magazine wrote posting link article rt deutsch reported russian embassys angry reaction provocative piece focus went say nothing wrong word dogis dog russia something bad germany loved pet putin apparently brought dog meet merkel reason wrote ist ein hund rus etwa etwas schlimmes ist er beliebtestes haustier sicher hat putin seinen hund deswegen merkel vorgeführt oder jan schäfer schaefer_j september 12 2017 | 678 |
<p>Five years ago, I reviewed the National Museum of American History in these pages. What I found was a mess, a tired, run-down behemoth of a building, originally built to be a museum of both technology and history, yet still uncertain about its mission.</p>
<p>It was confusing and incoherent. Its vast open spaces had been divided into numerous galleries filled with thousands of objects and accompanied by what seemed like miles of wall text. Its millions of visitors wandered aimlessly and guideless around crowded displays of locomotives, coins from all nations, Julia Child’s kitchen, President Lincoln’s stovepipe hat, and the first working light bulb invented by Thomas Edison. They searched in vain for a unifying theme, something that would give them even a summary idea of the history of America. It was no wonder the museum was derisively called “the nation’s attic.”</p>
<p>My piece ended on an upbeat note. A new director had just been appointed, and I hoped, even in the face of the entrenched civil service bureaucracy awaiting him, that some reform and reorganizing might be in the offing.</p>
<p>It was not to be. To great fanfare, the museum unveiled a multi-million-dollar, three-gallery exhibition last September called “The Nation We Build Together,” a curious title without any reference to the history of the American past, the museum’s raison d’être. Nonetheless, these exhibitions, the museum modestly assures us, will transform “How Audiences Experience American Democracy.” Given what visitors will see in the galleries, this is something that one fervently hopes doesn’t happen.</p>
<p>The new galleries, the director claims, are dedicated to helping “people understand the past” so that they can “make sense of the present and shape a more humane future.” Is shaping the future to be more humane (whatever that might mean) what a federal museum of American history should be doing? To transform the function of an institution whose mission is to educate into an activist institution for social change seems misdirected, to say the least.</p>
<p>One of the two new permanent galleries is entitled “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith,” while the other is entitled “Many Voices, One Nation.” Both are tedious, but there is a bright spot among the new offerings: “Religion in Early America,” an excellent display in the Taubman Gallery, a new space devoted to temporary exhibitions, which I will discuss below. <a href="https://www.newcriterion.com/print/article/36-38.html#footnote-000" type="external">1</a></p>
<p>Two “gateway” statues precede “The Nation We Build Together.” The first is a bespoke nine-foot-tall, 125-pound Statue of Liberty made of green&#160;lego&#160;blocks that stands just off the Constitution Avenue entrance. At first one thinks the museum’s curators could not have chosen something worse than this huge toy to introduce the new exhibitions—that is, until one encounters Horatio Greenough’s&#160;George Washington&#160;at the entrance to the new second-floor galleries.</p>
<p>Commissioned by Congress (almost never a good thing) for the Capitol Rotunda in 1832, the colossal twelve-ton sculpture, inspired by copies of Phidias’s statue of Zeus at Olympia, depicts a muscular, bare-chested Washington clad in only a toga and sandals, his right hand raised as though in benediction. Almost immediately after the statue arrived from Italy and was installed, it became an object of ridicule, a comical image of the reserved and dignified first president.</p>
<p>It was moved around the Capitol grounds several times before its transfer (perhaps “unloading” is a better word) in 1964 to the new Smithsonian Museum of American History, where it was banished to a location near the second-floor escalator. Now it has been resurrected and reinstalled to serve as a “landmark” and “beacon” to the new galleries.</p>
<p>Not a good start.</p>
<p>The first gallery, “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith,” is enormous and bewildering. Covering over seven thousand square feet (the size of three average-sized American homes) it encompasses “six video presentations, five electronic interactives, and two touch stations,” plus nine hundred objects, each accompanied by a sizable amount of wall text. If one were to spend just two minutes looking at a single object and reading its nearby text, it would take over a day to traverse just this one gallery. Few visitors will have the time, inclination, or interest to do this, because most will want to see the rest of the huge museum’s chock-a-block displays. It is hard to believe that the curators were thinking very hard about most tourists who visit Washington for just a day or two and have other museums and monuments on their to-do list. It’s not a case of “less is more,” or even “more is more,” but, instead, of “more is less.”</p>
<p>This is a shame, because in this overwrought display there are many objects and subjects important for understanding the birth and flourishing of democracy in America. The portable desk on which Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, the inkstand Abraham Lincoln used for the Emancipation Proclamation, and Susan B. Anthony’s red shawl are here, but these, and other iconic objects, fight for the visitor’s attention amid a blizzard of photographs, posters, maps, clocks, cartoons, and assorted gewgaws in an exhibition lacking a chronological spine, rigorous intellectual conception, and a sense of what is needed to project order and coherence.</p>
<p>“Many Voices, One Nation” is equally large and crowded (290 objects, eight multimedia videos and animations, five interactive activities, flip books, and touch screens), but has, if possible, even less structure. It is fragmented into themes: “Unsettling the Continent,” “Peopling the Expanding Nation,” “Creating Community in Chicago and Los Angeles,” and “New Americans, Continuing Debates 1965–2000” (complete with a piece of a Mexican–U.S.&#160;border fence). The exhibition reflects the current politically correct academic view of American history as a divided and contested space of various religious, racial, and ethnic differences. Many of the objects it features and the stories it tells, especially about territorial expansion and immigration, are important, but they, and the accompanying wall texts, stress differences rather than community, identities rather than citizenship.</p>
<p>But&#160;to move from “Many Voices, One Nation” into the new temporary exhibition gallery’s “Religious Life in Early America” is like entering a different universe; in fact, it’s hard to believe you are in the same museum. Unlike the other new galleries, which are massive exposition engines designed by committees, this is a focused exhibition with a limited number of important and beautifully displayed objects with just the right amount of clear explanatory text. What separates “Religious Life in Early America” from the other exhibitions is not just scale, but discernment and restraint.</p>
<p>Peter Manseau, the exhibition’s organizer, and the author of its excellent companion book, writes, “We cannot hope to understand the history of the United States without grappling with how, why, and what Americans believed.” He is to be congratulated for this exploration of the importance of religion in American history, a topic given short shrift by many contemporary historians. Perhaps to address this lacuna, the museum will continue to explore religion through a multi-year grant from the Lilly Endowment for exhibitions and other activities. Let’s hope they are all as good as this one.</p>
<p>Three clearly articulated themes are explored: the many religions in early America, the principle of the freedom of religion enshrined in the First Amendment, and the flourishing of religion in the new nation.</p>
<p>Manseau has carefully chosen a number of context-rich objects, each of which tells an important story. Among these is a large iron cross, rediscovered in a Georgetown University attic in 1989 and almost certainly made from metal salvaged from the&#160;Ark&#160;and the&#160;Dove, the two ships which in 1634 brought Catholics to Maryland under a charter granted by King Charles&#160;I. The chalice and paten displayed here belonged to John Carroll, the United States’s first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop. An important figure in the history of American Catholicism, Carroll founded Georgetown University and established the first Roman Catholic basilica in the United States in Baltimore.</p>
<p>A landmark of early-nineteenth-century American neoclassical architecture, the basilica was designed by Benjamin Latrobe and partially funded by lottery tickets sold by the thousands. One of these, ticket 3391, dated 18 September 1805, is in the exhibition.</p>
<p>Several Bibles with ties to the Founders are included in the exhibit. The so-called “George Washington Inaugural Bible,” a large tome used at his first inaugural, was borrowed from a New York Masonic lodge. Washington placed his hand on it during the ceremony and then bent to kiss it. Although a Bible was not required by the Constitution, like so many other things of Washington’s precedent-setting presidency, the tradition of swearing on a Bible continues to this day. There’s also “The Jefferson Bible,” a compilation of extracts cut and pasted from the four Gospels to make Thomas Jefferson’s personal New Testament.</p>
<p>The&#160;exhibition also explores some of the many non-Christian religions practiced in the early years of the country.</p>
<p>Shearith Israel, a Jewish congregation in New York City founded in 1654, was damaged in 1776 when the British reoccupied the city during the Revolutionary War. Hessian troops vandalized the building, setting fire to the congregation’s Torah. In the exhibition the scroll is opened to reveal the scorch marks caused by the blaze.</p>
<p>A string of Native American wampum beads (today thought of as trading currency but originally considered sacred objects), coins minted by Mormon settlers as their own currency, a selection of Shaker crafts, and a thirteen-page manuscript on the Islamic faith written in Arabic by an African slave who lived on Sapelo Island, Georgia, are just a few of the objects used by the many religions and their creeds that flourished on American shores.</p>
<p>Excepting “Religious Life in Early America,” the new galleries in the Smithsonian Museum of American History cannot, unfortunately, be judged a success. The idea to explore several central themes and issues of our history was a good one, and something the museum needed, but the new galleries are as bulging and confusing as their older counterparts elsewhere in the building. Americans, many of whom know little about their country’s history (as tests and surveys prove), will be no better enlightened, educated, or inspired than they were before. And that’s a real shame.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.newcriterion.com/print/article/36-38.html#footnote-000-backlink" type="external">1</a>&#160;“Religion in Early America” opened at the National Museum of American History, Washington,&#160;D.C., on June 28, 2017 and remains on view through June 3, 2018.</p>
<p>Bruce Cole&#160;is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.</p> | false | 1 | five years ago reviewed national museum american history pages found mess tired rundown behemoth building originally built museum technology history yet still uncertain mission confusing incoherent vast open spaces divided numerous galleries filled thousands objects accompanied seemed like miles wall text millions visitors wandered aimlessly guideless around crowded displays locomotives coins nations julia childs kitchen president lincolns stovepipe hat first working light bulb invented thomas edison searched vain unifying theme something would give even summary idea history america wonder museum derisively called nations attic piece ended upbeat note new director appointed hoped even face entrenched civil service bureaucracy awaiting reform reorganizing might offing great fanfare museum unveiled multimilliondollar threegallery exhibition last september called nation build together curious title without reference history american past museums raison dêtre nonetheless exhibitions museum modestly assures us transform audiences experience american democracy given visitors see galleries something one fervently hopes doesnt happen new galleries director claims dedicated helping people understand past make sense present shape humane future shaping future humane whatever might mean federal museum american history transform function institution whose mission educate activist institution social change seems misdirected say least one two new permanent galleries entitled american democracy great leap faith entitled many voices one nation tedious bright spot among new offerings religion early america excellent display taubman gallery new space devoted temporary exhibitions discuss 1 two gateway statues precede nation build together first bespoke ninefoottall 125pound statue liberty made green160lego160blocks stands constitution avenue entrance first one thinks museums curators could chosen something worse huge toy introduce new exhibitionsthat one encounters horatio greenoughs160george washington160at entrance new secondfloor galleries commissioned congress almost never good thing capitol rotunda 1832 colossal twelveton sculpture inspired copies phidiass statue zeus olympia depicts muscular barechested washington clad toga sandals right hand raised though benediction almost immediately statue arrived italy installed became object ridicule comical image reserved dignified first president moved around capitol grounds several times transfer perhaps unloading better word 1964 new smithsonian museum american history banished location near secondfloor escalator resurrected reinstalled serve landmark beacon new galleries good start first gallery american democracy great leap faith enormous bewildering covering seven thousand square feet size three averagesized american homes encompasses six video presentations five electronic interactives two touch stations plus nine hundred objects accompanied sizable amount wall text one spend two minutes looking single object reading nearby text would take day traverse one gallery visitors time inclination interest want see rest huge museums chockablock displays hard believe curators thinking hard tourists visit washington day two museums monuments todo list case less even instead less shame overwrought display many objects subjects important understanding birth flourishing democracy america portable desk thomas jefferson drafted declaration independence inkstand abraham lincoln used emancipation proclamation susan b anthonys red shawl iconic objects fight visitors attention amid blizzard photographs posters maps clocks cartoons assorted gewgaws exhibition lacking chronological spine rigorous intellectual conception sense needed project order coherence many voices one nation equally large crowded 290 objects eight multimedia videos animations five interactive activities flip books touch screens possible even less structure fragmented themes unsettling continent peopling expanding nation creating community chicago los angeles new americans continuing debates 19652000 complete piece mexicanus160border fence exhibition reflects current politically correct academic view american history divided contested space various religious racial ethnic differences many objects features stories tells especially territorial expansion immigration important accompanying wall texts stress differences rather community identities rather citizenship but160to move many voices one nation new temporary exhibition gallerys religious life early america like entering different universe fact hard believe museum unlike new galleries massive exposition engines designed committees focused exhibition limited number important beautifully displayed objects right amount clear explanatory text separates religious life early america exhibitions scale discernment restraint peter manseau exhibitions organizer author excellent companion book writes hope understand history united states without grappling americans believed congratulated exploration importance religion american history topic given short shrift many contemporary historians perhaps address lacuna museum continue explore religion multiyear grant lilly endowment exhibitions activities lets hope good one three clearly articulated themes explored many religions early america principle freedom religion enshrined first amendment flourishing religion new nation manseau carefully chosen number contextrich objects tells important story among large iron cross rediscovered georgetown university attic 1989 almost certainly made metal salvaged the160ark160and the160dove two ships 1634 brought catholics maryland charter granted king charles160i chalice paten displayed belonged john carroll united statess first roman catholic bishop archbishop important figure history american catholicism carroll founded georgetown university established first roman catholic basilica united states baltimore landmark earlynineteenthcentury american neoclassical architecture basilica designed benjamin latrobe partially funded lottery tickets sold thousands one ticket 3391 dated 18 september 1805 exhibition several bibles ties founders included exhibit socalled george washington inaugural bible large tome used first inaugural borrowed new york masonic lodge washington placed hand ceremony bent kiss although bible required constitution like many things washingtons precedentsetting presidency tradition swearing bible continues day theres also jefferson bible compilation extracts cut pasted four gospels make thomas jeffersons personal new testament the160exhibition also explores many nonchristian religions practiced early years country shearith israel jewish congregation new york city founded 1654 damaged 1776 british reoccupied city revolutionary war hessian troops vandalized building setting fire congregations torah exhibition scroll opened reveal scorch marks caused blaze string native american wampum beads today thought trading currency originally considered sacred objects coins minted mormon settlers currency selection shaker crafts thirteenpage manuscript islamic faith written arabic african slave lived sapelo island georgia objects used many religions creeds flourished american shores excepting religious life early america new galleries smithsonian museum american history unfortunately judged success idea explore several central themes issues history good one something museum needed new galleries bulging confusing older counterparts elsewhere building americans many know little countrys history tests surveys prove better enlightened educated inspired thats real shame 1160religion early america opened national museum american history washington160dc june 28 2017 remains view june 3 2018 bruce cole160is senior fellow ethics public policy center former chairman national endowment humanities | 990 |
<p>Over at&#160;Forbes, Peter Ferrara has written&#160; <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterferrara/2014/06/01/the-economics-of-replacing-obamacare-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/" type="external">an interesting assessment</a>&#160;of the state of the debate among conservatives on how to advance an alternative to Obamacare that will lead to its repeal.&#160; His analysis gets many things right.&#160; Most especially, he is right that it will not be possible to move away from Obamacare without a viable plan to replace it — and not just any replacement plan will do the trick.&#160; A politically viable alternative must substantially increase insurance coverage versus the pre-Obamacare status quo while also providing real solutions for persons with expensive pre-existing health conditions — doing so, of course, without the heavy-handed mandates and regulations of Obamacare.&#160; Plans that fall short of these objectives will be successfully attacked as inadequate.&#160; Most Americans rightly believe that a return to the pre-Obamacare status quo would not be satisfactory because health care in the United States desperately needs real reform.&#160; What they don’t want is the massive government takeover of American medicine that Obamacare represents.</p>
<p>Ferrara is also right, as he has been for a long time, that moving to a real marketplace in U.S. health care will require some change in the tax treatment of health insurance.&#160; Today’s tax law provides generous subsidization of employer-sponsored insurance plans, but nothing equivalent for persons who must buy insurance on their own.&#160; This unbalanced treatment is the source of many problems.&#160; First, it has fostered an over-reliance on employer plans, to the point that the market for individual coverage is far less robust than it could, and should, be.&#160; Second, reliance on job-based insurance disrupts the continuity of insurance coverage, as workers must switch insurance when they switch jobs.&#160; Third, until the enactment of Obamacare, the tax preference for employer plans had been without an upper limit and therefore encouraged overly expensive employer plans and provided a disincentive to pursue cost-effective care.</p>
<p>An effective reform would rationalize this tax treatment to ensure all Americans are treated fairly and can get insurance that protects them financially, while not discouraging cost-conscious consumption.&#160; For all of its expense and coercion, Obamacare does not address the first two of these concerns — at least for the middle class.&#160; The Obamacare “Cadillac” tax (which isn’t slated to go into effect until January 2018, a year after President Obama leaves office) addresses the third concern, but it does so with an irrationally designed penalty on expensive employer insurance plans that would hit anyone on such plans with a 40 percent excise tax, whether that person be the company’s janitor or its CEO.</p>
<p>Most conservatives agree on the problems and the need for a politically viable solution.&#160; But there continues to be debate over exactly how to proceed.</p>
<p>Where Ferrara misses the mark is in arguing that his favored approach — full replacement of today’s tax preference for employer-paid premiums with a universal, refundable tax credit that all U.S. households would receive — would be more politically viable than the alternative we favor.&#160; Our approach, reflected in&#160; <a href="http://2017project.org/2014/01/paving-way-full-repeal/#.U4_EiyjEawU" type="external">the 2017 Project’s health reform plan</a>, would provide a fixed, refundable tax credit to households without access to stable employer coverage but would generally leave in place the tax preference for job-based insurance.&#160; The only change for employer plans would be to replace the Obamacare Cadillac tax with a more rational cap on the tax break for such plans.</p>
<p>Why do we approach the problem this way?&#160; Because there is very little to be gained by disrupting the insurance arrangements of the 160 million or so Americans who are enrolled in job-based coverage and basically like what they have.&#160; It is far better to provide a tax credit for those outside this system that is comparable to the tax break for employer plans, and then replace the Cadillac tax under Obamacare with a rational and not overly constraining upper limit on the tax break that employer plans can enjoy.</p>
<p>Ferrara asserts that it would not be any more politically treacherous to fully replace the job-based tax preference with a universal tax credit for everyone.&#160; But there are plenty of reasons to think he is wrong about this.&#160; For starters, Senator John McCain proposed the full conversion to tax credits in the 2008 presidential contest and was attacked relentlessly by the Obama-Biden campaign for unraveling employer-based insurance.&#160; The attacks were effective and contributed significantly to Democratic momentum in September and October of that year.</p>
<p>The attacks were hard to deflect in 2008, and would be again in 2014 or 2016, because the full switch to universal tax credits would lessen employer control over their workplace insurance plans.&#160; Many employers fear that, with a Ferrara-like universal credit, their younger, healthier workers will choose to buy low-cost plans on the individual market and leave employers with just the older and less healthy employees in their plans.&#160; Under this scenario, premiums for employer plans would rise rapidly.&#160; Anticipating this, many, if not most, large employers would oppose such an alternative, thereby diminishing the prospects for repeal.</p>
<p>Ferrara notes correctly that there is also political risk in putting an upper limit on the tax break for employer coverage, and he points in particular to the limitation proposed in&#160; <a href="http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&amp;File_id=871b0ef8-7705-4f72-aef2-e81d01b9c009" type="external">the plan offered by Senators Richard Burr, Tom Coburn, and Orrin Hatch</a>.&#160; Their plan would allow tax-free employer-paid premiums up to only 65 percent of an expensive employer-sponsored plan.</p>
<p>There are several things to note about the senators’ plan, and about the political viability of these kinds of reform plans in general.&#160; First, the Burr-Coburn-Hatch “tax cap” was inadvertently set at too low of a level.&#160;&#160; <a href="http://www.healthaffairs.org/blog/2014/02/12/a-senate-gop-health-reform-proposal-the-burr-coburn-hatch-plan/" type="external">As explained in a separate post</a>, the senators intended to set the cap at a level that would ensure their plan was budget-neutral.&#160; It was only after they introduced their plan that it was discovered that the plan would produce large excess revenues.&#160; There is room under the plan, therefore, to raise the cap substantially so that it affects only the most expensive employer-sponsored plans.</p>
<p>Second, the reform&#160; <a href="http://2017project.org/2014/01/paving-way-full-repeal/#.U4_EiyjEawU" type="external">plan</a>&#160;authored by the 2017 Project makes it clear that it is possible to construct an approach with a high tax cap and generous tax credits for those outside the employer system that is also fiscally sound.&#160; The upper-limit thresholds in the 2017 Project plan are about $8,000 for individuals and $20,000 for families.&#160; Only the most expensive plans would exceed these thresholds, and even in those plans, workers would still get generous subsidization of their health insurance, just not for the premiums above the tax preference limits.</p>
<p>It will also be much harder for supporters of Obamacare to attack this approach because of the Obamacare Cadillac tax.&#160; Indeed, the more that the “tax cap” can be shown to be a better and more rational version of Obama’s Cadillac tax, the more difficult it will be for Democrats to attack it.</p>
<p>Obamacare’s unpopularity has created a historic political opportunity for the law’s opponents.&#160; The public is thirsting for credible alternatives.&#160; But that does not mean that advancing a replacement plan is entirely without political risk.&#160; Conservatives must be careful about how they proceed, and that starts with avoiding the mistakes of 2008.&#160; There’s no reason to create needless anxiety among those with employer coverage, because a viable plan can provide fairness, broad coverage, and lower costs without doing so.&#160; The sooner conservatives come to this realization, the better.</p>
<p>James C. Capretta is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.&#160;</p>
<p>Jeffrey H. Anderson is the executive director of the 2017 Project.</p> | false | 1 | at160forbes peter ferrara written160 interesting assessment160of state debate among conservatives advance alternative obamacare lead repeal160 analysis gets many things right160 especially right possible move away obamacare without viable plan replace replacement plan trick160 politically viable alternative must substantially increase insurance coverage versus preobamacare status quo also providing real solutions persons expensive preexisting health conditions course without heavyhanded mandates regulations obamacare160 plans fall short objectives successfully attacked inadequate160 americans rightly believe return preobamacare status quo would satisfactory health care united states desperately needs real reform160 dont want massive government takeover american medicine obamacare represents ferrara also right long time moving real marketplace us health care require change tax treatment health insurance160 todays tax law provides generous subsidization employersponsored insurance plans nothing equivalent persons must buy insurance own160 unbalanced treatment source many problems160 first fostered overreliance employer plans point market individual coverage far less robust could be160 second reliance jobbased insurance disrupts continuity insurance coverage workers must switch insurance switch jobs160 third enactment obamacare tax preference employer plans without upper limit therefore encouraged overly expensive employer plans provided disincentive pursue costeffective care effective reform would rationalize tax treatment ensure americans treated fairly get insurance protects financially discouraging costconscious consumption160 expense coercion obamacare address first two concerns least middle class160 obamacare cadillac tax isnt slated go effect january 2018 year president obama leaves office addresses third concern irrationally designed penalty expensive employer insurance plans would hit anyone plans 40 percent excise tax whether person companys janitor ceo conservatives agree problems need politically viable solution160 continues debate exactly proceed ferrara misses mark arguing favored approach full replacement todays tax preference employerpaid premiums universal refundable tax credit us households would receive would politically viable alternative favor160 approach reflected in160 2017 projects health reform plan would provide fixed refundable tax credit households without access stable employer coverage would generally leave place tax preference jobbased insurance160 change employer plans would replace obamacare cadillac tax rational cap tax break plans approach problem way160 little gained disrupting insurance arrangements 160 million americans enrolled jobbased coverage basically like have160 far better provide tax credit outside system comparable tax break employer plans replace cadillac tax obamacare rational overly constraining upper limit tax break employer plans enjoy ferrara asserts would politically treacherous fully replace jobbased tax preference universal tax credit everyone160 plenty reasons think wrong this160 starters senator john mccain proposed full conversion tax credits 2008 presidential contest attacked relentlessly obamabiden campaign unraveling employerbased insurance160 attacks effective contributed significantly democratic momentum september october year attacks hard deflect 2008 would 2014 2016 full switch universal tax credits would lessen employer control workplace insurance plans160 many employers fear ferraralike universal credit younger healthier workers choose buy lowcost plans individual market leave employers older less healthy employees plans160 scenario premiums employer plans would rise rapidly160 anticipating many large employers would oppose alternative thereby diminishing prospects repeal ferrara notes correctly also political risk putting upper limit tax break employer coverage points particular limitation proposed in160 plan offered senators richard burr tom coburn orrin hatch160 plan would allow taxfree employerpaid premiums 65 percent expensive employersponsored plan several things note senators plan political viability kinds reform plans general160 first burrcoburnhatch tax cap inadvertently set low level160160 explained separate post senators intended set cap level would ensure plan budgetneutral160 introduced plan discovered plan would produce large excess revenues160 room plan therefore raise cap substantially affects expensive employersponsored plans second reform160 plan160authored 2017 project makes clear possible construct approach high tax cap generous tax credits outside employer system also fiscally sound160 upperlimit thresholds 2017 project plan 8000 individuals 20000 families160 expensive plans would exceed thresholds even plans workers would still get generous subsidization health insurance premiums tax preference limits also much harder supporters obamacare attack approach obamacare cadillac tax160 indeed tax cap shown better rational version obamas cadillac tax difficult democrats attack obamacares unpopularity created historic political opportunity laws opponents160 public thirsting credible alternatives160 mean advancing replacement plan entirely without political risk160 conservatives must careful proceed starts avoiding mistakes 2008160 theres reason create needless anxiety among employer coverage viable plan provide fairness broad coverage lower costs without so160 sooner conservatives come realization better james c capretta senior fellow ethics public policy center visiting fellow american enterprise institute160 jeffrey h anderson executive director 2017 project | 704 |
<p>Interestingly, the main thing that is wrong with Harrison’s Flowers — a sort of reverse Orpheus story with a happy ending, made in English (with a bit of Serbo-Croat) by the French director, Elie Chouraqui — is also, probably inadvertently, its subject. That is, it is a movie at least in part about the appetite for information of our culture, and in particular pictorial information, and the lengths to which people will go to get it, even to the point of risking their lives. Or sending a swaggering bunch of élite war-photographers off to risk theirs. Yet because so many people have gone to such lengths for so long before it was ever made, the movie itself has a tired, been-there, done-that feel to it.</p>
<p>Harrison Lloyd (David Strathairn) is a war photographer for Newsweek who is sent to Bosnia in 1991, right at the beginning of the civil war, even though we hear him tell his boss, Sam (Alun Armstrong) that he is apprehensive. “It’s like my luck bank is down to zero,” he says. “I wasn’t afraid of anything, but all I can think about now is Sarah and the kids. And I’m sick of it.” Oh-oh. Have you seen enough movies to have some inkling of what is about to happen? Of course the editor doesn’t know how bad the Bosnian situation is going to get. He thinks it is “just ethnic skirmishes” in these early stages. “The Europeans haven’t moved, and it’s right in their own back yard. They know what they’re doing, don’t they?” Surely Harrison will go just this one more time.</p>
<p>Such heavy-handed manipulations of dramatic irony are not untypical and only serve to remind us that, if reality is unpredictable, movies are not. As soon as we hear Harrison’s doubt and his editor’s confidence, we know something bad is going to happen. When it does and he is reported killed, his wife, Sarah (Andie MacDowell), refuses to believe the report of his death. “He’s not dead, Sam. Something would have broken inside if he were dead.” And she leaves her two small children and sets off for the Bosnian hell-hole to find him. Once again, it ought not to be giving away any secret to say that, of course, she finds him alive, though badly injured and not in his right mind on account of a nearby bomb-blast. She brings him home and nurses him back to health.</p>
<p>People often criticize critics who give away the ending, but most often it is the movies themselves who give away their endings. In this case, it is inconceivable that the devoted wife who refuses to believe the reports of her husband’s death should not find him alive. Indeed, if she had not done so, or if the most likely real-world eventuality had happened to her instead of the most likely movie-world one and she had been killed, we would have thought her not the heroine she obviously has to be but a fool to have made orphans of her two small children for the sake of such a wild goose chase. But her success and its disappointing quality are both artefacts of the medium, of the number of pictures we have all consumed. In the same way, as soon as a mission popped up on the opening, self-destructing tape of “Mission Impossible” you knew that it was not only not impossible: it was inevitable, a sure-fire success.</p>
<p>We are much too familiar with contemporary narrative conventions, therefore, for a story like the one told in Harrison’s Flowers to work qua story. It can only work, post-modern fashion, with a director or writer who — alas, unlike Mr. Chouraqui — deliberately sets out to subvert those conventions and so to give us a much-needed surprise. This is a pity. We still need the old-fashioned stories. But they have been overwhelmed by the same tidal wave of information on which Harrison and his fellow war photographers are attempting to surf and on which some of them are sure to die. Pictures have become a commodity, like gold or diamonds or coal used to be, for which men (and women, of course) are prepared to risk their lives.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, much is made of the high idealism which is supposed to motivate their pursuit. “They know that our photos are going to tell the story of this war. That’s why we’re here. If we don’t take ‘em, nobody will,” says Kyle (Adrien Brody), Harrison’s bad-boy colleague. But the evidence of war crimes that they turn up is just an added, celebrity-making bonus for those whose papers are paying them top dollar not in order to save lives or to bring war criminals to justice but to get a mass-audience with an increasingly exigent addiction to voyeurism to buy their magazines or newspapers or watch their TV network. Any pictures of war and its victims are valuable — though only, like fish (another commodity for which men risk their lives), so long as they are fresh.</p>
<p>Like war movies, or journalist movies for that matter, there are certain built-in clichés of war photography. Another of Harrison’s colleagues, Yaeger Pollock (Elias Koteas) says at an awards ceremony that “photographs comprise the communal memory of our time,” but it is a very special kind of memory — not, that is, the memory of any actual community (though it may be that too) but of the global village looking on out of morbid curiosity at the unfortunates of the world. The news photographer’s very business is taking images out of context and so distorting their meaning. They may perform valuable services in doing this, as when they alert the world to war crimes or genocide in progress, but for the most part they are as much traffickers in cliché as Mr Chouraqui.</p>
<p>And some of these clichés are particularly unfortunate, as, for example that of war as the kind of random carnage that war photography (and most war movies for the past 30 years or so) almost inevitably represents it as being. “They’re all insane, Harrison,” says another of the gallant photographers of the Serbs and the Bosnians. Except, of course, that they are not. As a result, we have no sense at all of what the war was about, nor are we meant to have. All we know for sure is that the Serbs are very bad guys, a point seemingly in need of considerable reiteration. “Serb Catholic Croatian Orthodox there’s no bad guys,” says Kyle. “They are f****** insane.” Also in the cliché department is the amount of trite and bogus attention given to Kyle’s resentment at big magazine photographers and the whole business of a busy dad who needs to “spend time with his family.” And what is with the flowers? Harrison’s greenhouse, his hobby, supposed to be symbol of home, beauty, delicacy and fragility, all that war shatters. I guess. Well sure. Never thought of it that way before, did you? Another cliché. Another banality.</p> | false | 1 | interestingly main thing wrong harrisons flowers sort reverse orpheus story happy ending made english bit serbocroat french director elie chouraqui also probably inadvertently subject movie least part appetite information culture particular pictorial information lengths people go get even point risking lives sending swaggering bunch élite warphotographers risk yet many people gone lengths long ever made movie tired beenthere donethat feel harrison lloyd david strathairn war photographer newsweek sent bosnia 1991 right beginning civil war even though hear tell boss sam alun armstrong apprehensive like luck bank zero says wasnt afraid anything think sarah kids im sick ohoh seen enough movies inkling happen course editor doesnt know bad bosnian situation going get thinks ethnic skirmishes early stages europeans havent moved right back yard know theyre dont surely harrison go one time heavyhanded manipulations dramatic irony untypical serve remind us reality unpredictable movies soon hear harrisons doubt editors confidence know something bad going happen reported killed wife sarah andie macdowell refuses believe report death hes dead sam something would broken inside dead leaves two small children sets bosnian hellhole find ought giving away secret say course finds alive though badly injured right mind account nearby bombblast brings home nurses back health people often criticize critics give away ending often movies give away endings case inconceivable devoted wife refuses believe reports husbands death find alive indeed done likely realworld eventuality happened instead likely movieworld one killed would thought heroine obviously fool made orphans two small children sake wild goose chase success disappointing quality artefacts medium number pictures consumed way soon mission popped opening selfdestructing tape mission impossible knew impossible inevitable surefire success much familiar contemporary narrative conventions therefore story like one told harrisons flowers work qua story work postmodern fashion director writer alas unlike mr chouraqui deliberately sets subvert conventions give us muchneeded surprise pity still need oldfashioned stories overwhelmed tidal wave information harrison fellow war photographers attempting surf sure die pictures become commodity like gold diamonds coal used men women course prepared risk lives surprisingly much made high idealism supposed motivate pursuit know photos going tell story war thats dont take em nobody says kyle adrien brody harrisons badboy colleague evidence war crimes turn added celebritymaking bonus whose papers paying top dollar order save lives bring war criminals justice get massaudience increasingly exigent addiction voyeurism buy magazines newspapers watch tv network pictures war victims valuable though like fish another commodity men risk lives long fresh like war movies journalist movies matter certain builtin clichés war photography another harrisons colleagues yaeger pollock elias koteas says awards ceremony photographs comprise communal memory time special kind memory memory actual community though may global village looking morbid curiosity unfortunates world news photographers business taking images context distorting meaning may perform valuable services alert world war crimes genocide progress part much traffickers cliché mr chouraqui clichés particularly unfortunate example war kind random carnage war photography war movies past 30 years almost inevitably represents theyre insane harrison says another gallant photographers serbs bosnians except course result sense war meant know sure serbs bad guys point seemingly need considerable reiteration serb catholic croatian orthodox theres bad guys says kyle f insane also cliché department amount trite bogus attention given kyles resentment big magazine photographers whole business busy dad needs spend time family flowers harrisons greenhouse hobby supposed symbol home beauty delicacy fragility war shatters guess well sure never thought way another cliché another banality | 565 |
<p>Tipping Point or Turning Point?</p>
<p>DAMASCUS–Easy walking distance from this observer’s hotel near the&#160;city center, the Damascus Opera House, the site of yesterday’s Presidential&#160; address, was inaugurated in May of 2004 by the President and his wife,&#160;completing a project of his late father, Hafez, who actually planned the&#160;opera house in detail, but which had been put on hold since the late 1970’s.&#160;Located off Umayyad Square, the multipurpose culture center complex,&#160;presented its most recent opera, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s,&#160;The Marriage&#160;of Figaro, just months before the current crisis erupted.</p>
<p>The nearly 1,400 seating capacity Opera Theater was packed for yesterday’s presidential address, and as in the final scene of Mozart’s Opera, the&#160;conclusion of Bashar Assad’s performance was followed by, as Mozart wrote,&#160;“a night-long celebration” among many of his supporters here in Damascus.
Bashar Assad’s glory, as he tried to leave the stage last night and was&#160;swarmed by scores of admirers, may not have been that of Caesar’s, during
the Gallic wars as the latter also portrayed a domestic crisis and challenge
as a defensive struggle to save “Rome”. And granted, it is unlikely that&#160;Syria’s president will appear to his critics as posh as John Kennedy at&#160;Vienna’s Opera House.
But the man connected with his audience (s) during his watershed speech.
He excelled in delivery, content and, most critically, stating and&#160;advocating what he believes is his countryman’s case.&#160; While welcoming
foreign advice on how to end the current crisis, he insisted that the Syrian 
people throughout their history of resistance to occupation and hegemony&#160;have rejected the orders from certain governments he referred to, in the&#160;
current crisis, as the “masters of the puppets” who are every day causing
death, destruction and deprivations&#160;across the Syrian Arab Republic.
Admittedly sleep deprived, this observer, as he listened to Bashar Assad’s&#160;address was reminded of a Macbeth or Brutus soliloquy. I could not help but&#160;transpose in my mind Brutus’ plea in Act 3, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar:</p>
<p>“Who is here so rude or unpatriotic that would not be a Syrian nationalist?&#160;Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak–for him I have not intentionally or unjustly wronged. I pause for a reply.”</p>
<p>Following his presidential address to the nation, one local journalist, who is sometimes critical of the regime, elaborated, in answer to my question about Assad’s apparent enduring popularity during this tragic period for
people of Syria:&#160;“It’s true.&#160;And it’s partly due to the fact that he is modest, even humble—and well-educated in contrast to some regional monarchs who are&#160;essentially illiterate and uninterested in the world outside their fiefdoms&#160;palaces.”&#160;She continued, “Before the crisis it was not unusual to spot him,
without a security convoy, driving himself around downtown, his car full of&#160;kids- doing errands or taking them out to eat-sometimes collecting them from
school. You saw his almost boyish charm yesterday as he entered the hall and&#160;made his way down the aisle to the podium as he greeted members of the&#160;audience. As he departed he did not appear in a hurry as he shook hands.&#160;
Bashar Assad obviously enjoys being among people and is not at all a sullen&#160;remote type personality as some critics wrongly portray him.”</p>
<p>Following the speech, when the lovely chamber maid who daily spruces&#160;up my hotel room dropped by in early evening to do something,&#160;I was reading and watching the news. They showed a clip of the president&#160;delivering his noontime speech. She lit up when she saw Bashar,&#160;spontaneously walked across the room, wrapped her arms around the TV&#160;set and hugged it while kissing the screen. I noticed that the lady’s hands&#160;were wet and became fearful that the dear woman might get electrocuted!</p>
<p>One well known politically connected Sheik in Damascus offered his view&#160;last night to this observer that Assad’s message was to the Syrian people&#160;and &#160;to his country’s foreign friends and to those who are neutral—and not&#160;to his governments enemies. He also suggested that the President will&#160;deliver two more speeches in the near future, the next one perhaps having a
“FDR fireside chat” format.&#160;The Sunni Sheik referred to yesterday’s speech&#160;as the first of three “victory” speeches he expected to be delivered.</p>
<p>He also spoke about the UAE and Saudi Arabia in relation to what was
happening in Syria and the fact that they are experiencing challenges of&#160;
their own. &#160;In the case of the Saudi Kingdom, and against the backdrop of
increased Iran-Saudi consultations regarding Syria, the ill health of King&#160;Abdullah and the evident succession power struggle which has intensified&#160;recently, with some of the royal family potentates reportedly being strongly&#160;opposed to the current campaign to undermine the Assad regime. The Syrian&#160;government, despite its detractors, is seen by many in the Gulf countries as&#160;being pedigree Arab nationalists with a history of mutual respect for other&#160;countries.</p>
<p>The Sheik also sees signs of the Obama administration backing off from its
covert war against Syria partly due to the fractured and often coherent
message coming from various spokesman of the misnomered “coalition.”&#160;Mr. Assad, in what historians and Middle East analysts may well dub an&#160;historic speech, offered a new plan to his countrymen, friends and foes&#160;alike, and to the international community to immediately end the crisis.</p>
<p>It includes, in sequential order:</p>
<p>One Congressional staffer on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee&#160;emailed late today that the Obama administration may well be willing to accept Bashar Assad’s “Damascus Opera House” formula given the fast changing geopolitical reality the region and the military stalemate on the&#160;ground in Syria. Both facts suggesting that there is no realistic alternative&#160;to the current elected government or that there is much of a realistic&#160;prospect that the regime will throw in the towel or collapse anytime soon.</p>
<p>The Congressional staffer, who works on US-Middle East issues, also&#160;believes that the incoming Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the likely&#160;new Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, who will face a tough Senate&#160;confirmation fight, but will likely survive it, would go along.</p>
<p>In contract to President Assad’s speech this morning, one of the leaders of&#160; the so-called opposition, George Sabra, did not appear capable of offering&#160; much to aid the process of ending the current crisis in Syria.&#160;&#160;Said Mr. Sabra, “No one could possibly think about dialogue or working&#160;with this regime in any way.&#160; It is not a possibility. It is out of the question.”</p>
<p>Sabra’s&#160;may not be the evolving international view.</p> | false | 1 | tipping point turning point damascuseasy walking distance observers hotel near the160city center damascus opera house site yesterdays presidential160 address inaugurated may 2004 president wife160completing project late father hafez actually planned the160opera house detail put hold since late 1970s160located umayyad square multipurpose culture center complex160presented recent opera wolfgang amadeus mozarts160the marriage160of figaro months current crisis erupted nearly 1400 seating capacity opera theater packed yesterdays presidential address final scene mozarts opera the160conclusion bashar assads performance followed mozart wrote160a nightlong celebration among many supporters damascus bashar assads glory tried leave stage last night was160swarmed scores admirers may caesars gallic wars latter also portrayed domestic crisis challenge defensive struggle save rome granted unlikely that160syrias president appear critics posh john kennedy at160viennas opera house man connected audience watershed speech excelled delivery content critically stating and160advocating believes countrymans case160 welcoming foreign advice end current crisis insisted syrian people throughout history resistance occupation hegemony160have rejected orders certain governments referred the160 current crisis masters puppets every day causing death destruction deprivations160across syrian arab republic admittedly sleep deprived observer listened bashar assads160address reminded macbeth brutus soliloquy could help but160transpose mind brutus plea act 3 scene 2 shakespeares julius caesar rude unpatriotic would syrian nationalist160who vile love country speakfor intentionally unjustly wronged pause reply following presidential address nation one local journalist sometimes critical regime elaborated answer question assads apparent enduring popularity tragic period people syria160its true160and partly due fact modest even humbleand welleducated contrast regional monarchs are160essentially illiterate uninterested world outside fiefdoms160palaces160she continued crisis unusual spot without security convoy driving around downtown car full of160kids errands taking eatsometimes collecting school saw almost boyish charm yesterday entered hall and160made way aisle podium greeted members the160audience departed appear hurry shook hands160 bashar assad obviously enjoys among people sullen160remote type personality critics wrongly portray following speech lovely chamber maid daily spruces160up hotel room dropped early evening something160i reading watching news showed clip president160delivering noontime speech lit saw bashar160spontaneously walked across room wrapped arms around tv160set hugged kissing screen noticed ladys hands160were wet became fearful dear woman might get electrocuted one well known politically connected sheik damascus offered view160last night observer assads message syrian people160and 160to countrys foreign friends neutraland not160to governments enemies also suggested president will160deliver two speeches near future next one perhaps fdr fireside chat format160the sunni sheik referred yesterdays speech160as first three victory speeches expected delivered also spoke uae saudi arabia relation happening syria fact experiencing challenges of160 160in case saudi kingdom backdrop increased iransaudi consultations regarding syria ill health king160abdullah evident succession power struggle intensified160recently royal family potentates reportedly strongly160opposed current campaign undermine assad regime syrian160government despite detractors seen many gulf countries as160being pedigree arab nationalists history mutual respect other160countries sheik also sees signs obama administration backing covert war syria partly due fractured often coherent message coming various spokesman misnomered coalition160mr assad historians middle east analysts may well dub an160historic speech offered new plan countrymen friends foes160alike international community immediately end crisis includes sequential order one congressional staffer us senate foreign relations committee160emailed late today obama administration may well willing accept bashar assads damascus opera house formula given fast changing geopolitical reality region military stalemate the160ground syria facts suggesting realistic alternative160to current elected government much realistic160prospect regime throw towel collapse anytime soon congressional staffer works usmiddle east issues also160believes incoming secretary state john kerry likely160new secretary defense chuck hagel face tough senate160confirmation fight likely survive would go along contract president assads speech morning one leaders of160 socalled opposition george sabra appear capable offering160 much aid process ending current crisis syria160160said mr sabra one could possibly think dialogue working160with regime way160 possibility question sabras160may evolving international view | 596 |
<p>Anticipating the upcoming Supreme Court decision on King v. Burwell, which could halt health insurance subsidies available through the federal exchange, Republican Senators Richard Burr and Orrin Hatch joined with Representative Fred Upton to propose a comprehensive replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The <a href="http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/chairman/release/?id=78f09718-c5cc-47ee-b4e3-c5d33ecc9545" type="external">Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment Act</a>, or Patient CARE Act, is modeled on a proposal of the same name offered last year by Senators Burr, Hatch, and Tom Coburn, who has retired from the Senate. The Burr-Hatch-Upton plan, like its predecessor, adopts consumer-based reforms of the insurance market, modernizes the Medicaid program, and makes other changes intended to lower cost and increase choices.</p>
<p>In an <a href="http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2014/02/12/a-senate-gop-health-reform-proposal-the-burr-coburn-hatch-plan/" type="external">earlier post</a>, we described in detail the provisions of the Burr-Coburn-Hatch bill. In this post, we discuss how the Burr-Hatch-Upton plan differs from the earlier proposal. We also discuss the impact of the new proposal on health insurance coverage, premiums, and the federal budget based on a <a href="http://healthandeconomy.org/the-patient-choice-affordability-responsibility-and-empowerment-act-2/" type="external">new analysis</a> from the Center for Health and Economy (H&amp;E), a non-partisan think tank focused on producing informative analyses of trends in U.S. health care policy and reform ideas. We conclude by commenting on the direction Republicans are likely to take in reforming the health system in the aftermath of a Supreme Court decision in the King v. Burwell case.</p>
<p>The new version of the Patient CARE Act retains the major provisions of last year’s proposal. The plan would repeal the Affordable Care Act and put in its place a series of insurance market reforms intended to widen the range of health plan choices available to consumers. The ACA’s Medicare provisions would not be repealed in the Burr-Hatch-Upton proposal, although the authors make it clear they would pursue alternative Medicare reforms in separate legislation.</p>
<p>Insurance Market Reforms.&#160; As with the previous proposal, the Patient CARE Act repeals the ACA’s individual mandate and replaces it with a framework under which no one can be denied coverage or charged higher premiums because of a pre-existing condition as long as they remain continuously enrolled in a health plan. Insurance regulation would be returned to the states, with the presumption that insurers will allow dependents age 26 and younger to enroll in their parent’s coverage. In addition, insurers would be permitted to charge their oldest enrollees no more the five times the premiums assessed to their youngest enrollees, replacing the ACA’s 3:1 rule. States would be free to establish their own insurance regulations that could differ from the federal rules.</p>
<p>Premium Tax Credits.&#160; Income-related tax credits would be available to those who do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance and to workers in small firms with 100 or fewer employees. Individuals with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level would receive a fixed credit. The amount of the credit is higher for older persons, reflecting their greater use of health services. The credit phases out as income increases, and no subsidy is available to individuals with incomes greater than 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The credit amounts would be indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1 percentage point each year—below the historical growth rate for health premiums—to encourage slower growth in health spending over time.</p>
<p>States would be allowed to design affordable insurance options available through a default enrollment process for individuals who do not take the initiative to choose a plan. Such default options could include a zero-premium plan (with the premium equal to the value of the tax credit). Federal funding would be made available for state high-risk pools to help patients with the most expensive chronic medical conditions.</p>
<p>Medicaid Reform.&#160; The Burr-Hatch-Upton proposal would restructure Medicaid in two major ways. First, individuals who are eligible for Medicaid could choose the federal tax credit instead. In states using Medicaid as their default auto-enrollment plan, individuals would retain the right to use the tax credit to purchase private insurance.</p>
<p>Second, federal funding for Medicaid would transition from the current matching rate formula to a capped allotment—known as a health grant—based on each patient’s health status, age, and life circumstances. Health grants would be provided for participants in Medicaid who are neither elderly nor disabled. A separate fixed grant would be provided for long-term care services and supports for low-income elderly and disabled persons who enroll in Medicaid. This modified block grant approach gives states more flexibility to use their resources in the most efficient and effective way in providing for the health needs of their low-income population. The cost of providing acute-care services to the elderly and disabled, who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare, would continue to be subsidized through the matching rate formula.</p>
<p>Defensive Medicine.&#160; The proposal includes steps to reduce the cost of defensive medicine. States would be given incentives to adopt innovative reforms, such as expert panels or specialized health courts that can quickly and fairly settle malpractice cases. The proposal also adopts measures to increase transparency on cost, quality, and outcomes.</p>
<p>HSAs.&#160; In addition, restrictions imposed by the ACA on health savings accounts would be lifted to give patients another way to cover the cost of their care.</p>
<p>The Burr-Hatch-Upton version of the Patient CARE Act proposes higher subsidies for the uninsured and changes the way employer-sponsored health insurance is treated in the tax code.</p>
<p>Insurance Subsidies.&#160; Tax credit amounts under the current proposal are 26 percent higher than the subsidies suggested last year. With health care inflation hovering around 2.5 percent over the past two years, this represents a large increase in the purchasing power of those subsidies which will translate into increased enrollment in health plans. For example, a 40-year old with an income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $11,770 this year, would receive a tax subsidy of $2,530 under the old proposal and $3,190 under the current one.</p>
<p>Tax Treatment of Employer-Sponsored Coverage.&#160; The unlimited exclusion from a worker’s taxes of employer-sponsored insurance has long been criticized for artificially inflating the growth of health care costs. The ACA’s “Cadillac tax” imposes a 40 percent excise tax on the value of health plans exceeding $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage. Although levied on insurers, the Cadillac tax would be paid by workers and their families through higher premiums and cost sharing and more restricted access to providers. Because it is indexed to general inflation rather than health care inflation, eventually even modest health coverage will be subject to the tax.</p>
<p>The Patient CARE Act proposal replaces the Cadillac tax with a cap on the amount that may be excluded from a worker’s taxes. The original version of the act set the maximum tax exclusion as a fixed percentage of an average plan’s costs, which the bill sponsors suggested would be 65 percent. In their analysis of that proposal, H&amp;A assumed that the upper limit would be $5,400 for single coverage and $11,250 for family coverage (measured in 2013 dollars). Those limits would subsequently be indexed each year to the CPI plus 1 percentage point. In part because the tax exclusion cap was set at a relatively low level, H&amp;E estimated that the Patient CARE Act would increase tax revenue by $1.1 trillion over a decade.</p>
<p>The revised proposal caps the exclusion at $12,000 for individual coverage and $30,000 for family coverage. Because those limits are above the tax thresholds for the ACA’s Cadillac tax, middle-class families with employer-sponsored coverage would fare better under the Burr-Hatch-Upton proposal.</p>
<p>H&amp;E recently updated its analysis of the Patient CARE Act to reflect the revised policies in the current plan, as well as refinements to the microsimulation model used to produce the estimates.</p>
<p>H&amp;E’s analysis looks at the proposal’s effects on premiums, insurance coverage status, access to physicians and other providers, productivity of the delivery system, and the federal budget. The baseline against which the proposed changes in policy are assessed is current law. In other words, the changes are measured against the effects that are expected to take place over the coming years as the provisions of the ACA are implemented.</p>
<p>The H&amp;E analysis makes the following key points about the Patient CARE Act:</p>
<p>Reduced Premiums. &#160;H&amp;E estimates that the Patient CARE Act would reduce premiums 5 to 17 percent below ACA premium levels in 2025. The reduced premiums are due to the relaxed rules on what is required in the benefit plans, and on the age adjustments allowable for insurance products. H&amp;E estimates that these provisions would allow more products that are attractive to younger and healthier consumers to be sold in the state-regulated markets.</p>
<p>Reduced Insurance Enrollment. &#160;The Patient CARE Act would significantly expand insurance enrollment relative to the pre-ACA status quo, but it would fall short of the coverage expansion expected to occur under the ACA. According to H&amp;E, the Patient CARE Act would increase enrollment in the individual insurance market by 8 million people in 2019 relative to the ACA. That increase would be offset by a decline in enrollment in Medicaid of 10 million and a reduction in enrollment in employer-sponsored insurance of 1 million. The net effect would be 3 million more uninsured people in 2019 relative to the ACA. That drop in insurance enrollment would grow slightly in subsequent years.</p>
<p>Access to Care and Service Delivery. &#160;H&amp;E finds that the Patient CARE Act would improve access to care relative to the ACA because many more people would be enrolled in open network plans and there would be large migration out of Medicaid and into the individual insurance market. Medicaid provides more restricted access to physician care than private insurance plans, so a shift from Medicaid to private coverage is viewed by H&amp;E as improving access to care. Of course, access under Medicaid is better for those services covered by the program but not traditionally covered by private plans. H&amp;E’s assessment appears to be focused on traditional acute care services and not the services provided in Medicaid that are outside of the typical insurance model.</p>
<p>H&amp;E also believes the overall efficiency of the health system would improve modestly under the Patient CARE Act because there would be higher enrollment in insurance plans with larger deductibles and more cost-sharing. The additional cost-sharing paid by consumers would, in turn, create added market pressure on those delivering services to patients to keep their costs down. Although higher cost-sharing is associated with less intensive use of services, the use of more open networks of providers seems to weigh more heavily in H&amp;E’s access assessments.</p>
<p>The positive cost effects of additional enrollment in higher-deductible health plans would be partially offset by the proposal to scrap the ACA’s Cadillac tax in favor of the upper limit on tax-preferred employer-paid premiums. The limits imposed by the revised Patient CARE Act—$12,000 for individual insurance plans and $30,000 for family coverage in 2017—are above those scheduled to take effect under the Cadillac tax in 2018 — $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. Moreover, the Patient CARE Act limits are indexed to grow more quickly over time than the Cadillac tax — CPI plus 1 percentage point versus CPI. Thus, H&amp;E assumes the Cadillac tax would force employer-sponsored plans to adopt more cost-cutting behavior. This effect is more than offset by the large-scale movement toward high-deductible plans in the individual market under the Patient CARE Act.</p>
<p>Substantial Reduction in Federal Costs but a Net Increase in Future Deficits. &#160;H&amp;E estimates that the Patient CARE Act’s coverage provisions would cost $534 billion less than the ACA’s over ten years. The repeal of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion would lower federal spending by $509 billion over a decade. In the first years of implementation of the Patient CARE Act, the cost of the tax credits for coverage in the individual market would exceed that of the ACA’s premium credits, presumably due to the higher participation in the individual insurance market under Burr-Hatch-Upton. By 2025, however, the cost of the tax credits under the Republican proposal would fall below the cost of the ACA’s credits by $28 billion. Over the next decade, subsidies for private insurance (including the premium credits and cost-sharing subsidies) are reduced by $195 billion.</p>
<p>H&amp;E also gives the Patient CARE Act credit for reducing federal costs through medical malpractice reform, saving $61 billion over a decade. The cost reductions of the Burr-Hatch-Upton plan are partially offset by the repeal of the individual and employer mandates, added funding for high-risk pools, and the substitution of a less stringent upper limit on tax-preferred employer coverage for the ACA’s Cadillac tax.</p>
<p>H&amp;E notes that its budget analysis of the Patient CARE Act is incomplete because the proposal also calls for the repeal of the other taxes in the ACA beyond the individual and employer mandates and the Cadillac tax. In July 2012, <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/43471-hr6079.pdf" type="external">the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated</a> that repealing these other tax provisions would reduce federal revenues by about $730 billion over a decade. Therefore, the net budgetary effect of all of the Patient CARE Act provisions would be to increase future federal budget deficit modestly, by perhaps $200 billion or so over a decade.</p>
<p>As previously noted, the Patient CARE Act leaves in place the ACA’s Medicare adjustments. However, <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/09-18-PremiumSupport.pdf" type="external">some Medicare reform plans</a> have the potential to reduce the program’s costs below the levels expected to occur from the ACA’s modifications. Consequently, it is possible that a combination of the Patient CARE Act and separate Medicare reform legislation would result in net deficit reduction compared to the ACA.</p>
<p>The H&amp;E estimates of the Burr-Hatch-Upton plan make it clear that a well-conceived plan can provide for improved insurance enrollment on a level broadly similar to the ACA, at much less expense to taxpayers and with far less federal control and regulation. Presented properly, this would be appealing to a significant slice of the American electorate.</p>
<p>But it is also clear from these estimates that the Patient CARE Act is a blueprint that will need to be adjusted and refined. Despite modestly adding to future federal deficits, the plan does not cover as many Americans with insurance as the ACA. Moreover, the plan assumes an abrupt switch from the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, premium credits, and cost-sharing assistance to the new system of financial support for health coverage. This is probably unrealistic, as Congress generally prefers to apply new policies prospectively or to provide for a transition period to ease the adjustment to the new rules.</p>
<p>Tightening the Default Enrollment Process.&#160; An important feature of the Burr-Hatch-Upton plan is the default enrollment provision, by which states can place persons eligible for the tax credit into insurance plans at no cost to the enrollee. The H&amp;E estimate takes this provision into account but apparently assumes it will not be altogether effective, as there would still be large numbers of uninsured Americans under the plan. One straightforward way to improve the coverage estimates for the Patient CARE Act would be to tighten the default enrollment provision so that it is adopted by all states and used aggressively to boost coverage.</p>
<p>Leveling the Playing Field for Those Inside and Outside Employer-Based Coverage. The Patient CARE Act’s tax credits are income-tested and limited to households below three times the federal poverty line rather than four times the federal poverty line under the ACA. One important consequence of income-tested credits is that households with incomes above the cut-off level and without access to employer coverage get no financial assistance for their premiums. This may be viewed as unfair, given the size of the tax preference for employer coverage and the potentially significant penalty for going uninsured under the Patient CARE Act (in the form of lost protections against risk-rated premiums) that would be burdensome even for households with middle-class incomes but no access to an employer plan. Providing the tax credits to all households outside of the employer system would begin to level the playing field between the individual market and employer coverage. It would also make the proposal much simpler to administer for the U.S. Treasury.</p>
<p>Generating Additional Savings.&#160; Of course, adding transition provisions, boosting enrollment through the default enrollment process, and distributing tax credits to the middle class would add to the expense of the Burr-Hatch-Upton plan, and thus further add to future deficits beyond the current H&amp;E estimate. To ensure the proposal reduces the deficit relative to the ACA rather than increases it, additional adjustments are likely to be necessary. Among the options would be lowering the upper limit on tax-preferred employer-paid premiums, achieving more savings through the reform of the Medicaid program, including additional reforms in Medicare and other entitlement programs in the proposal, and other spending cuts.</p>
<p>The re-introduction of the Patient CARE Act comes at an important moment in the on-going debate over the direction of health care policy in the United States. The Supreme Court will be issuing a decision in the King v. Burwell case soon, likely in June. If the Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could mean substantial disruption of the insurance markets in the states operating with the federal exchange. Members of both the House and Senate are carefully considering what Congress should do if that were to occur, and it is clear from public statements by key members that the reform framework proposed in the Patient CARE Act is informing those discussions.</p>
<p>That’s a positive development because, regardless of the outcome of the King case, it is important for ACA opponents to begin coalescing around a practical and workable replacement approach. The H&amp;E estimates make it clear that the Patient CARE Act can serve as the starting point for building such a plan. It would provide all Americans with access to health insurance, and provide a regulatory structure to ensure those with expensive health conditions are treated fairly and have access to affordable insurance and care. The plan would involve far less regulation at the federal level than the ACA, and would give the states much more flexibility to run their insurance markets and reform Medicaid.</p>
<p>The plan is not perfect, of course, and will need to be refined over the coming months. But its introduction by prominent members of both the House and Senate should lay to rest for good the argument that there is no viable alternative to the ACA. There is a viable alternative, with features that many Americans will find more attractive than the status quo.</p>
<p>— James C. Capretta is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.&#160;Joseph R. Antos is the Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).</p> | false | 1 | anticipating upcoming supreme court decision king v burwell could halt health insurance subsidies available federal exchange republican senators richard burr orrin hatch joined representative fred upton propose comprehensive replacement affordable care act aca patient choice affordability responsibility empowerment act patient care act modeled proposal name offered last year senators burr hatch tom coburn retired senate burrhatchupton plan like predecessor adopts consumerbased reforms insurance market modernizes medicaid program makes changes intended lower cost increase choices earlier post described detail provisions burrcoburnhatch bill post discuss burrhatchupton plan differs earlier proposal also discuss impact new proposal health insurance coverage premiums federal budget based new analysis center health economy hampe nonpartisan think tank focused producing informative analyses trends us health care policy reform ideas conclude commenting direction republicans likely take reforming health system aftermath supreme court decision king v burwell case new version patient care act retains major provisions last years proposal plan would repeal affordable care act put place series insurance market reforms intended widen range health plan choices available consumers acas medicare provisions would repealed burrhatchupton proposal although authors make clear would pursue alternative medicare reforms separate legislation insurance market reforms160 previous proposal patient care act repeals acas individual mandate replaces framework one denied coverage charged higher premiums preexisting condition long remain continuously enrolled health plan insurance regulation would returned states presumption insurers allow dependents age 26 younger enroll parents coverage addition insurers would permitted charge oldest enrollees five times premiums assessed youngest enrollees replacing acas 31 rule states would free establish insurance regulations could differ federal rules premium tax credits160 incomerelated tax credits would available access employersponsored health insurance workers small firms 100 fewer employees individuals incomes 200 percent federal poverty level would receive fixed credit amount credit higher older persons reflecting greater use health services credit phases income increases subsidy available individuals incomes greater 300 percent federal poverty level credit amounts would indexed consumer price index cpi plus 1 percentage point yearbelow historical growth rate health premiumsto encourage slower growth health spending time states would allowed design affordable insurance options available default enrollment process individuals take initiative choose plan default options could include zeropremium plan premium equal value tax credit federal funding would made available state highrisk pools help patients expensive chronic medical conditions medicaid reform160 burrhatchupton proposal would restructure medicaid two major ways first individuals eligible medicaid could choose federal tax credit instead states using medicaid default autoenrollment plan individuals would retain right use tax credit purchase private insurance second federal funding medicaid would transition current matching rate formula capped allotmentknown health grantbased patients health status age life circumstances health grants would provided participants medicaid neither elderly disabled separate fixed grant would provided longterm care services supports lowincome elderly disabled persons enroll medicaid modified block grant approach gives states flexibility use resources efficient effective way providing health needs lowincome population cost providing acutecare services elderly disabled eligible medicaid medicare would continue subsidized matching rate formula defensive medicine160 proposal includes steps reduce cost defensive medicine states would given incentives adopt innovative reforms expert panels specialized health courts quickly fairly settle malpractice cases proposal also adopts measures increase transparency cost quality outcomes hsas160 addition restrictions imposed aca health savings accounts would lifted give patients another way cover cost care burrhatchupton version patient care act proposes higher subsidies uninsured changes way employersponsored health insurance treated tax code insurance subsidies160 tax credit amounts current proposal 26 percent higher subsidies suggested last year health care inflation hovering around 25 percent past two years represents large increase purchasing power subsidies translate increased enrollment health plans example 40year old income 200 percent federal poverty level 11770 year would receive tax subsidy 2530 old proposal 3190 current one tax treatment employersponsored coverage160 unlimited exclusion workers taxes employersponsored insurance long criticized artificially inflating growth health care costs acas cadillac tax imposes 40 percent excise tax value health plans exceeding 10200 individual coverage 27500 family coverage although levied insurers cadillac tax would paid workers families higher premiums cost sharing restricted access providers indexed general inflation rather health care inflation eventually even modest health coverage subject tax patient care act proposal replaces cadillac tax cap amount may excluded workers taxes original version act set maximum tax exclusion fixed percentage average plans costs bill sponsors suggested would 65 percent analysis proposal hampa assumed upper limit would 5400 single coverage 11250 family coverage measured 2013 dollars limits would subsequently indexed year cpi plus 1 percentage point part tax exclusion cap set relatively low level hampe estimated patient care act would increase tax revenue 11 trillion decade revised proposal caps exclusion 12000 individual coverage 30000 family coverage limits tax thresholds acas cadillac tax middleclass families employersponsored coverage would fare better burrhatchupton proposal hampe recently updated analysis patient care act reflect revised policies current plan well refinements microsimulation model used produce estimates hampes analysis looks proposals effects premiums insurance coverage status access physicians providers productivity delivery system federal budget baseline proposed changes policy assessed current law words changes measured effects expected take place coming years provisions aca implemented hampe analysis makes following key points patient care act reduced premiums 160hampe estimates patient care act would reduce premiums 5 17 percent aca premium levels 2025 reduced premiums due relaxed rules required benefit plans age adjustments allowable insurance products hampe estimates provisions would allow products attractive younger healthier consumers sold stateregulated markets reduced insurance enrollment 160the patient care act would significantly expand insurance enrollment relative preaca status quo would fall short coverage expansion expected occur aca according hampe patient care act would increase enrollment individual insurance market 8 million people 2019 relative aca increase would offset decline enrollment medicaid 10 million reduction enrollment employersponsored insurance 1 million net effect would 3 million uninsured people 2019 relative aca drop insurance enrollment would grow slightly subsequent years access care service delivery 160hampe finds patient care act would improve access care relative aca many people would enrolled open network plans would large migration medicaid individual insurance market medicaid provides restricted access physician care private insurance plans shift medicaid private coverage viewed hampe improving access care course access medicaid better services covered program traditionally covered private plans hampes assessment appears focused traditional acute care services services provided medicaid outside typical insurance model hampe also believes overall efficiency health system would improve modestly patient care act would higher enrollment insurance plans larger deductibles costsharing additional costsharing paid consumers would turn create added market pressure delivering services patients keep costs although higher costsharing associated less intensive use services use open networks providers seems weigh heavily hampes access assessments positive cost effects additional enrollment higherdeductible health plans would partially offset proposal scrap acas cadillac tax favor upper limit taxpreferred employerpaid premiums limits imposed revised patient care act12000 individual insurance plans 30000 family coverage 2017are scheduled take effect cadillac tax 2018 10200 individuals 27500 families moreover patient care act limits indexed grow quickly time cadillac tax cpi plus 1 percentage point versus cpi thus hampe assumes cadillac tax would force employersponsored plans adopt costcutting behavior effect offset largescale movement toward highdeductible plans individual market patient care act substantial reduction federal costs net increase future deficits 160hampe estimates patient care acts coverage provisions would cost 534 billion less acas ten years repeal acas medicaid expansion would lower federal spending 509 billion decade first years implementation patient care act cost tax credits coverage individual market would exceed acas premium credits presumably due higher participation individual insurance market burrhatchupton 2025 however cost tax credits republican proposal would fall cost acas credits 28 billion next decade subsidies private insurance including premium credits costsharing subsidies reduced 195 billion hampe also gives patient care act credit reducing federal costs medical malpractice reform saving 61 billion decade cost reductions burrhatchupton plan partially offset repeal individual employer mandates added funding highrisk pools substitution less stringent upper limit taxpreferred employer coverage acas cadillac tax hampe notes budget analysis patient care act incomplete proposal also calls repeal taxes aca beyond individual employer mandates cadillac tax july 2012 congressional budget office cbo estimated repealing tax provisions would reduce federal revenues 730 billion decade therefore net budgetary effect patient care act provisions would increase future federal budget deficit modestly perhaps 200 billion decade previously noted patient care act leaves place acas medicare adjustments however medicare reform plans potential reduce programs costs levels expected occur acas modifications consequently possible combination patient care act separate medicare reform legislation would result net deficit reduction compared aca hampe estimates burrhatchupton plan make clear wellconceived plan provide improved insurance enrollment level broadly similar aca much less expense taxpayers far less federal control regulation presented properly would appealing significant slice american electorate also clear estimates patient care act blueprint need adjusted refined despite modestly adding future federal deficits plan cover many americans insurance aca moreover plan assumes abrupt switch acas medicaid expansion premium credits costsharing assistance new system financial support health coverage probably unrealistic congress generally prefers apply new policies prospectively provide transition period ease adjustment new rules tightening default enrollment process160 important feature burrhatchupton plan default enrollment provision states place persons eligible tax credit insurance plans cost enrollee hampe estimate takes provision account apparently assumes altogether effective would still large numbers uninsured americans plan one straightforward way improve coverage estimates patient care act would tighten default enrollment provision adopted states used aggressively boost coverage leveling playing field inside outside employerbased coverage patient care acts tax credits incometested limited households three times federal poverty line rather four times federal poverty line aca one important consequence incometested credits households incomes cutoff level without access employer coverage get financial assistance premiums may viewed unfair given size tax preference employer coverage potentially significant penalty going uninsured patient care act form lost protections riskrated premiums would burdensome even households middleclass incomes access employer plan providing tax credits households outside employer system would begin level playing field individual market employer coverage would also make proposal much simpler administer us treasury generating additional savings160 course adding transition provisions boosting enrollment default enrollment process distributing tax credits middle class would add expense burrhatchupton plan thus add future deficits beyond current hampe estimate ensure proposal reduces deficit relative aca rather increases additional adjustments likely necessary among options would lowering upper limit taxpreferred employerpaid premiums achieving savings reform medicaid program including additional reforms medicare entitlement programs proposal spending cuts reintroduction patient care act comes important moment ongoing debate direction health care policy united states supreme court issuing decision king v burwell case soon likely june court rules favor plaintiffs could mean substantial disruption insurance markets states operating federal exchange members house senate carefully considering congress occur clear public statements key members reform framework proposed patient care act informing discussions thats positive development regardless outcome king case important aca opponents begin coalescing around practical workable replacement approach hampe estimates make clear patient care act serve starting point building plan would provide americans access health insurance provide regulatory structure ensure expensive health conditions treated fairly access affordable insurance care plan would involve far less regulation federal level aca would give states much flexibility run insurance markets reform medicaid plan perfect course need refined coming months introduction prominent members house senate lay rest good argument viable alternative aca viable alternative features many americans find attractive status quo james c capretta senior fellow ethics public policy center160joseph r antos wilson h taylor scholar health care retirement policy american enterprise institute aei | 1,886 |
<p>Staff Report, NASCAR Wire Service</p>
<p>Distributed by The Sports Xchange</p>
<p>The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has produced 11 different winners through 18 races, the halfway point of the season. Surprisingly absent from the group is 2015 champion <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kyle_Busch/" type="external">Kyle Busch</a>, who has won nine races the last two seasons.</p>
<p>Busch will attempt to visit Victory Lane for the first time this year in Sunday’s Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN) — a track where he has taken the checkered flag twice.</p>
<p>“New Hampshire is a Martinsville-like short track, but it’s just over a mile,” said Busch, who in addition to his two New Hampshire wins, boasts nine top fives, 13 top 10s and a 13.8 average finish there. “It’s a little more spread out, but there’s some rooting and gouging going on because it’s a one-lane track and everybody fights for that particular groove.”</p>
<p>Busch enters the race coming off a fifth-place finish at Kentucky where he led 112-of-274 laps. He has seven top-10 finishes, including five top-five showings in his last nine starts.</p>
<p>The No. 18 <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Joe_Gibbs/" type="external">Joe Gibbs</a> Racing Toyota driver sits third in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 100 markers behind leader <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Martin_Truex/" type="external">Martin Truex</a> Jr. Busch owns four playoff points earned from his four stage wins.</p>
<p>“You don’t (want to make a mistake at New Hampshire) because you’re always on edge there,” Busch said. “You’re trying to go as fast as you can into the corners, as deep as you can into the corners while rolling as much speed, or just a bit higher than everyone else so you are able to get back to the gas sooner. You’re going harder than everyone else in order to make the straightaway a little bit longer and get your momentum built back up. It’s definitely a challenging racetrack.”</p>
<p>Byron hitting his groove</p>
<p>He is only a 19-year-old Sunoco Rookie, yet William Byron is performing like a veteran as the NASCAR Xfinity Series enters the second half of its season.</p>
<p>Byron has been the highest-finishing Xfinity regular in the last four races, sandwiching wins at Iowa and Daytona between a runner-up showing at Michigan and a seventh-place finish at Kentucky last week.</p>
<p>The Charlotte native, who leads the series with two wins, will attempt to notch another victory in Saturday’s Overton’s 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET on NBCSN).</p>
<p>Byron has never raced at “The Magic Mile” in Xfinity action but won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the New England track last year, as well as the NASCAR K&amp;N Pro Series race there in 2015.</p>
<p>“I am really excited to get to New Hampshire,” Byron said. “It’s really one of my favorite tracks and I know JR Motorsports has been great on short tracks this season. We’re ready to get there and hopefully get a win.”</p>
<p>Byron currently ranks second in the Xfinity Series standings, 45 points behind his JR Motorsports teammate <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Elliott_Sadler/" type="external">Elliott Sadler</a>. He leads the circuit with 11 playoff points.</p>
<p>Race Weekend Guide</p>
<p>Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series</p>
<p>Race: Overton’s 301</p>
<p>Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway</p>
<p>Date and Time: Sunday, July 16 at 3 p.m. ET</p>
<p>Tune-In: NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio</p>
<p>Distance: 318.46 miles (301 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 301)</p>
<p>What To Watch For: Martin Truex Jr. goes for his second straight win after sweeping the stages and leading a race-high 152 laps at Kentucky. … Joe Gibbs Racing tries to grab its first win of the season. JGR drivers <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Matt_Kenseth/" type="external">Matt Kenseth</a> (three wins), <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Denny_Hamlin/" type="external">Denny Hamlin</a> (two) and Kyle Busch (two) have all won at New Hampshire. … <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Chase-Elliott/" type="external">Chase Elliott</a> eyes his first career win following a third-place finish at Kentucky. He has racked up five top-eight finishes in his last six starts. … 11 different drivers have won through the first 18 races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. There have been three first-time winners. … Two months after injuring his back at Kansas, Aric Almirola returns to the No. 43 <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Richard_Petty/" type="external">Richard Petty</a> Motorsports Ford.</p>
<p>NASCAR Xfinity Series</p>
<p>Race: Overton’s 200</p>
<p>Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway</p>
<p>Date and Time: Saturday, July 15 at 4 p.m. ET</p>
<p>Tune-In: NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio</p>
<p>Distance: 211.6 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)</p>
<p>What To Watch For: The last five NASCAR Xfinity Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light Pole — a series record for any track. … Brendan Gaughan hopes to make a playoff push with 10 races left in the regular season. He sits 22 points below Blake Koch on the cutoff line. … Cole Custer, who became the youngest winner in NASCAR national series history when he won at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2014, makes his track NASCAR Xfinity Series debut. … Kyle Busch goes for his 175th NASCAR national series victory.</p> | false | 1 | staff report nascar wire service distributed sports xchange monster energy nascar cup series produced 11 different winners 18 races halfway point season surprisingly absent group 2015 champion kyle busch nine races last two seasons busch attempt visit victory lane first time year sundays overtons 301 new hampshire motor speedway 3 pm et nbcsn track taken checkered flag twice new hampshire martinsvillelike short track mile said busch addition two new hampshire wins boasts nine top fives 13 top 10s 138 average finish little spread theres rooting gouging going onelane track everybody fights particular groove busch enters race coming fifthplace finish kentucky led 112of274 laps seven top10 finishes including five topfive showings last nine starts 18 joe gibbs racing toyota driver sits third monster energy nascar cup series points standings 100 markers behind leader martin truex jr busch owns four playoff points earned four stage wins dont want make mistake new hampshire youre always edge busch said youre trying go fast corners deep corners rolling much speed bit higher everyone else able get back gas sooner youre going harder everyone else order make straightaway little bit longer get momentum built back definitely challenging racetrack byron hitting groove 19yearold sunoco rookie yet william byron performing like veteran nascar xfinity series enters second half season byron highestfinishing xfinity regular last four races sandwiching wins iowa daytona runnerup showing michigan seventhplace finish kentucky last week charlotte native leads series two wins attempt notch another victory saturdays overtons 200 new hampshire motor speedway 4 pm et nbcsn byron never raced magic mile xfinity action nascar camping world truck series race new england track last year well nascar kampn pro series race 2015 really excited get new hampshire byron said really one favorite tracks know jr motorsports great short tracks season ready get hopefully get win byron currently ranks second xfinity series standings 45 points behind jr motorsports teammate elliott sadler leads circuit 11 playoff points race weekend guide monster energy nascar cup series race overtons 301 place new hampshire motor speedway date time sunday july 16 3 pm et tunein nbcsn prn siriusxm nascar radio distance 31846 miles 301 laps stage 1 ends lap 75 stage 2 ends lap 150 final stage ends lap 301 watch martin truex jr goes second straight win sweeping stages leading racehigh 152 laps kentucky joe gibbs racing tries grab first win season jgr drivers matt kenseth three wins denny hamlin two kyle busch two new hampshire chase elliott eyes first career win following thirdplace finish kentucky racked five topeight finishes last six starts 11 different drivers first 18 races monster energy nascar cup series season three firsttime winners two months injuring back kansas aric almirola returns 43 richard petty motorsports ford nascar xfinity series race overtons 200 place new hampshire motor speedway date time saturday july 15 4 pm et tunein nbcsn prn siriusxm nascar radio distance 2116 miles 200 laps stage 1 ends lap 45 stage 2 ends lap 90 final stage ends lap 200 watch last five nascar xfinity series races new hampshire coors light pole series record track brendan gaughan hopes make playoff push 10 races left regular season sits 22 points blake koch cutoff line cole custer became youngest winner nascar national series history new hampshire nascar camping world truck series 2014 makes track nascar xfinity series debut kyle busch goes 175th nascar national series victory | 560 |
<p>Below is an excerpt from EPPC Senior Fellow Peter Wehner’s&#160;introduction to a forthcoming edition of George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language,” to be published soon by The Trinity Forum. Readers may&#160;order a copy of the Trinity Forum reading <a href="https://www.ttf.org/product/pre-order-politics-and-english-language" type="external">here</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>Orwell’s Most Enduring Essay</p>
<p>“Politics and the English Language,” published in 1946 in the journal Horizon, is considered by many to be Orwell’s most famous and enduring essay. In it, he argues the English language has become degraded, “ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” Language, and particularly political language, he argued, is not just a manifestation of our decline but also an instrument in it.</p>
<p>Orwell examines five passages — two from professors (Harold Laski and Lancelot Hogben), one from a Communist pamphlet, one from an essay on psychology, and one from a letter to a newspaper — not because they are particularly bad but because they are representative, illustrating “various of the mental vices from which we now suffer.” The common qualities, he writes, are staleness of imagery and lack of precision. Orwell offers a “catalogue of swindles and perversions” that get in the way of modern prose: “dying metaphors,” “operators or verbal false limbs,” “pretentious diction,” and “meaningless words.” He then offers the following six rules as a corrective:</p>
<p>There are exceptions to these rules, and many of the words (like ameliorate, clandestine, eliminate) and phrases (like acid test, radical transformation, cul de sac) Orwell dislikes or even detests strike me as perfectly fine and often appropriate. As Geoffrey Pullum, writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, put it: “This miscellany of locutions has nothing in common other than that Orwell hated them and (without quantitative support) thought that they were overly frequent in 1946.” Even so incisive a writer as Orwell had his literary quirks.</p>
<p>As a general matter, however, Orwell offers sound advice. The important thing to understand is that what Orwell is aiming for is clarity. He wanted language to be an instrument to express and sharpen, rather than conceal or prevent thought, and he was quite right about that.</p>
<p>Orwell’s thoughts on political language merit particular attention. “In our time,” he wrote, “political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.” Political language consists largely of “euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.” And this: “Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” This can’t be done in a moment, according to Orwell, but we can change our habits and send some worn-out and useless phrase “into the dustbin where it belongs.”</p>
<p>One senses in Orwell his frustration with the state of much political speech because it often degrades what he considers precious — clear, precise, and appropriate language. He understood the enormous stakes in politics and believed political speech often disfigures reality and the true nature of things. If we get our politics wrong, Orwell knew, it can lead to misery and suffering, to gulags and concentration camps. “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has&#160;been written directly or indirectly against totalitarianism,” he said, “and for Democratic Socialism as I understand it.”</p>
<p>Political language matters because politics matter. The corruption of one leads to the corruption of the other.</p>
<p>[…]</p>
<p>In the Beginning Was the Word</p>
<p>The care of words is something that should concern all of us, perhaps particularly those of the Christian faith. After all, in the gospel of John we are told, “In the beginning was the Word.”</p>
<p>In reflecting on this sentence in 1978, Malcolm Muggeridge, a friend of Orwell’s — Muggeridge arranged Orwell’s memorial service — said:</p>
<p>one of the things that appalls me and saddens me about the world today is the condition of words. Words can be polluted even more dramatically and drastically than rivers and land and sea. There has been a terrible destruction of words in our time… Jesus himself said that heaven and earth would pass away, but his words would not pass away. I believe that is true, and I think that our most sacred treasure today is the word of the Gospels, which we should guard at all costs, for it is most precious.</p>
<p>Muggeridge then told this story:</p>
<p>I was in Darwin, Australia, and I got a message that there was a man in a hospital there who had listened to something that I had said on the radio, and had expressed a wish that I should visit him. So I did. He turned out to be an old, wizened man who had lived in the bush and who was blind. I can never forget him. Wanting to think of something to say to him that would light him up and cheer him up, I suddenly remembered a phrase in the play King Lear. You may remember that Gloucester, commiserating with Lear on being blind, uses five words. I remembered them then: “I stumbled when I saw.” I said this to the old man in the Darwin hospital. He was utterly enchanted. He got the point immediately. As I left the ward, I could hear him saying them over and over to himself: “I stumbled when I saw.” That is what I mean by the marvelous power of words when they are used with true force in their true meaning.</p>
<p>Unlike Muggeridge, George Orwell never became a Christian; it was politics, not faith, that occupied Orwell’s energy and attention and gave urgency to his work. But he was a man who believed in a moral code, in concepts like justice, freedom, and objective truth, and he worked valiantly throughout his life to articulate and further them. “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command,” Orwell wrote in Nineteen Eighty-Four. His heroes were those who defied the lies of an oppressive power, who discerned, spoke, and held to what was true:</p>
<p>[Winston Smith’s] heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote: Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.</p>
<p>While Orwell didn’t locate the basis of his beliefs in the enduring truth of the Christian faith, he did concede that Christian thinkers were right to believe “that if our civilisation does not regenerate itself, it is likely to perish — and they may be right in adding that, at least in Europe, its moral code must be based on Christian principles.”</p>
<p>Orwell believed throughout his life that language was a means to see the truth and to tell the truth. But for those of us of the Christian faith, words show not only what is true, but are the primary vehicle for knowing the Author of all Truth; the “all else follows” eventually leads us to Christ, and the Cross, and what follows from the Cross.</p>
<p>In the gospel of John we are told that Jesus said to those who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”</p>
<p>George Orwell’s affection and allegiance were ultimately found in places other than the person of Jesus. But the concept of there being (to paraphrase the 17th century English Bishop Joseph Hall) a silken string running through the pearl chain of words, truth, and freedom is one I like to think that Orwell would have appreciated.</p>
<p>Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, served in the last three Republican administrations and is a New York Times contributing opinion writer.</p> | false | 1 | excerpt eppc senior fellow peter wehners160introduction forthcoming edition george orwells politics english language published soon trinity forum readers may160order copy trinity forum reading here160 orwells enduring essay politics english language published 1946 journal horizon considered many orwells famous enduring essay argues english language become degraded ugly inaccurate thoughts foolish slovenliness language makes easier us foolish thoughts language particularly political language argued manifestation decline also instrument orwell examines five passages two professors harold laski lancelot hogben one communist pamphlet one essay psychology one letter newspaper particularly bad representative illustrating various mental vices suffer common qualities writes staleness imagery lack precision orwell offers catalogue swindles perversions get way modern prose dying metaphors operators verbal false limbs pretentious diction meaningless words offers following six rules corrective exceptions rules many words like ameliorate clandestine eliminate phrases like acid test radical transformation cul de sac orwell dislikes even detests strike perfectly fine often appropriate geoffrey pullum writing chronicle higher education put miscellany locutions nothing common orwell hated without quantitative support thought overly frequent 1946 even incisive writer orwell literary quirks general matter however orwell offers sound advice important thing understand orwell aiming clarity wanted language instrument express sharpen rather conceal prevent thought quite right orwells thoughts political language merit particular attention time wrote political speech writing largely defense indefensible political language consists largely euphemism questionbegging sheer cloudy vagueness political language variations true political parties conservatives anarchists designed make lies sound truthful murder respectable give appearance solidity pure wind cant done moment according orwell change habits send wornout useless phrase dustbin belongs one senses orwell frustration state much political speech often degrades considers precious clear precise appropriate language understood enormous stakes politics believed political speech often disfigures reality true nature things get politics wrong orwell knew lead misery suffering gulags concentration camps every line serious work written since 1936 has160been written directly indirectly totalitarianism said democratic socialism understand political language matters politics matter corruption one leads corruption beginning word care words something concern us perhaps particularly christian faith gospel john told beginning word reflecting sentence 1978 malcolm muggeridge friend orwells muggeridge arranged orwells memorial service said one things appalls saddens world today condition words words polluted even dramatically drastically rivers land sea terrible destruction words time jesus said heaven earth would pass away words would pass away believe true think sacred treasure today word gospels guard costs precious muggeridge told story darwin australia got message man hospital listened something said radio expressed wish visit turned old wizened man lived bush blind never forget wanting think something say would light cheer suddenly remembered phrase play king lear may remember gloucester commiserating lear blind uses five words remembered stumbled saw said old man darwin hospital utterly enchanted got point immediately left ward could hear saying stumbled saw mean marvelous power words used true force true meaning unlike muggeridge george orwell never became christian politics faith occupied orwells energy attention gave urgency work man believed moral code concepts like justice freedom objective truth worked valiantly throughout life articulate party told reject evidence eyes ears final essential command orwell wrote nineteen eightyfour heroes defied lies oppressive power discerned spoke held true winston smiths heart sank thought enormous power arrayed ease party intellectual would overthrow debate subtle arguments would able understand much less answer yet right wrong right obvious silly true got defended truisms true hold solid world exists laws change stones hard water wet objects unsupported fall towards earths centre feeling speaking obrien also setting forth important axiom wrote freedom freedom say two plus two make four granted else follows orwell didnt locate basis beliefs enduring truth christian faith concede christian thinkers right believe civilisation regenerate likely perish may right adding least europe moral code must based christian principles orwell believed throughout life language means see truth tell truth us christian faith words show true primary vehicle knowing author truth else follows eventually leads us christ cross follows cross gospel john told jesus said believed abide word truly disciples know truth truth set free george orwells affection allegiance ultimately found places person jesus concept paraphrase 17th century english bishop joseph hall silken string running pearl chain words truth freedom one like think orwell would appreciated peter wehner senior fellow ethics public policy center served last three republican administrations new york times contributing opinion writer | 714 |
<p>(The Sports Xchange) – Mark Ingram II rushed for 131 yards and a career-high three touchdowns to power the New Orleans Saints to a 47-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.</p>
<p>Rookie Alvin Kamara ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, rookie Trey Edmunds had a 41-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter and quarterback Drew Brees even ran in for a score as the Saints won their seventh straight game.</p>
<p>The Saints (7-2) set a team record with six rushing touchdowns and with 298 rushing yards had their third-highest rushing total in franchise history.</p>
<p>Buffalo (5-4) suffered its worst home loss since a 56-10 defeat against the New England Patriots on Nov. 18, 2007.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>49ers 31, Giants 21</p>
<p>Rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard passed for 288 yards and two touchdowns as San Francisco won its first game after a 0-9 start.</p>
<p>Beathard had touchdowns of 83 yards to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and 47 yards to tight end Garrett Celek in the second quarter. He also ran for an 11-yard score.</p>
<p>Quarterback Eli Manning completed 28 of 37 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants (1-8). He started his 208th consecutive game, tying his brother, Peyton, for the second longest streak in NFL history by a quarterback, behind only Brett Favre’s streak of 297.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Falcons 27 Cowboys 7</p>
<p>With Dallas forced to play without suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott, Atlanta defensive end Adrian Clayborn made the Cowboys pay.</p>
<p>Clayborn sacked Dak Prescott six times, setting an Atlanta record, and the Falcons snapped the Cowboys’ three-game winning streak.</p>
<p>Matt Ryan, who was 22 of 29 for 215 yards, threw two short touchdown passes and the Falcons (5-4) won for just the second time in six games.</p>
<p>Dallas dropped to 5-4 as Prescott was sacked eight times.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Vikings 38, Redskins 30</p>
<p>Case Keenum threw a career-high four touchdown passes, Adam Thielen had 166 receiving yards and Minnesota defeated Washington for its fifth straight win.</p>
<p>The Vikings, 7-2 and atop the NFC North, scored three touchdowns in a 4:27 span of the second and third quarters to open an 18-point lead and held on.</p>
<p>Keenum finished 21 of 29 for 304 yards with two interceptions.</p>
<p>Quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for one touchdown and ran for two more. He was 26 of 45 for 327 yards for Washington (4-5).</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Rams 33, Texans 7</p>
<p>Quarterback Jared Goff threw three touchdowns passes and Los Angeles rolled to its fourth consecutive win.</p>
<p>The victory allowed the Rams (7-2) to maintain a one-game lead over Seattle in the NFC West. The Texans (3-6) dropped their third straight.</p>
<p>A 94-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Robert Woods with 9:23 left in the third quarter turned a two-point Rams lead into a 16-7 cushion.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Jaguars 20, Chargers 17 (overtime)</p>
<p>Jacksonville’s Josh Lambo, who was cut by Los Angeles at the end of the preseason, connected on a 34-yard field goal with three seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the score.</p>
<p>He then ended Los Angeles’ chances at a fourth victory in five games by hitting a 30-yard field goal in overtime.</p>
<p>The Jaguars (6-3) remain tied with Tennessee atop the AFC South. Los Angeles fell to 3-6.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Steelers 20, Colts 17</p>
<p>Chris Boswell’s 33-yard field goal as time expired rallied Pittsburgh past Indianapolis.</p>
<p>Ben Roethlisberger’s 32-yard pass to Antonio Brown to the Colts’ 18-yard line with 35 seconds left to set up Boswell.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh (7-2) rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit as Indianapolis fell to 3-7.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Titans 24, Bengals 20</p>
<p>DeMarco Murray stretched the ball across the goal line on a seven-yard touchdown pass play from Marcus Mariota with 36 seconds left as Tennessee edged Cincinnati.</p>
<p>The touchdown was Murray’s third of the day as Tennessee (6-3) won its fourth straight game.</p>
<p>Cincinnati (3-6) grabbed a 20-17 lead with 5:03 left when Andy Dalton hit A.J. Green with a short pass over the middle that Green turned into a 70-yard touchdown.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Packers 23, Bears 16</p>
<p>Quarterback Brett Hundley passed for 212 yards and one touchdown, linebacker Nick Perry registered three sacks and Green Bay held on to defeat Chicago.</p>
<p>Green Bay (5-4) snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the first time since quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone.</p>
<p>Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed 21 of 35 passes for 297 yards and one touchdown for the Bears (3-6).</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Buccaneers 15, Jets 10</p>
<p>Tampa Bay got three field goals from Patrick Murray and a touchdown reception from running back Charles Sims to break a five-game losing streak.</p>
<p>The Bucs (3-6) never trailed despite playing without injured quarterback Jameis Winston.</p>
<p>The Jets (4-6) reached Tampa Bay territory on only three of their 12 drives as the Bucs had six sacks.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Lions 38, Browns 24</p>
<p>Matthew Stafford threw three second-half touchdown passes and Detroit rallied to down winless Cleveland.</p>
<p>Stafford completed 17 of 26 passes for 249 yards. Ameer Abdullah had 52 rushing yards on 11 carries and a touchdown for the Lions (5-4). Golden Tate caught six passes for 97 yards and a score.</p>
<p>Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer passed for 232 yards and a touchdown for Cleveland (0-9). He missed two second-half possessions after suffering a rib injury.</p> | false | 1 | sports xchange mark ingram ii rushed 131 yards careerhigh three touchdowns power new orleans saints 4710 victory buffalo bills sunday rookie alvin kamara ran 106 yards touchdown rookie trey edmunds 41yard rushing touchdown fourth quarter quarterback drew brees even ran score saints seventh straight game saints 72 set team record six rushing touchdowns 298 rushing yards thirdhighest rushing total franchise history buffalo 54 suffered worst home loss since 5610 defeat new england patriots nov 18 2007 49ers 31 giants 21 rookie quarterback cj beathard passed 288 yards two touchdowns san francisco first game 09 start beathard touchdowns 83 yards wide receiver marquise goodwin 47 yards tight end garrett celek second quarter also ran 11yard score quarterback eli manning completed 28 37 passes 273 yards two touchdowns giants 18 started 208th consecutive game tying brother peyton second longest streak nfl history quarterback behind brett favres streak 297 falcons 27 cowboys 7 dallas forced play without suspended running back ezekiel elliott atlanta defensive end adrian clayborn made cowboys pay clayborn sacked dak prescott six times setting atlanta record falcons snapped cowboys threegame winning streak matt ryan 22 29 215 yards threw two short touchdown passes falcons 54 second time six games dallas dropped 54 prescott sacked eight times vikings 38 redskins 30 case keenum threw careerhigh four touchdown passes adam thielen 166 receiving yards minnesota defeated washington fifth straight win vikings 72 atop nfc north scored three touchdowns 427 span second third quarters open 18point lead held keenum finished 21 29 304 yards two interceptions quarterback kirk cousins passed one touchdown ran two 26 45 327 yards washington 45 rams 33 texans 7 quarterback jared goff threw three touchdowns passes los angeles rolled fourth consecutive win victory allowed rams 72 maintain onegame lead seattle nfc west texans 36 dropped third straight 94yard touchdown pass goff robert woods 923 left third quarter turned twopoint rams lead 167 cushion jaguars 20 chargers 17 overtime jacksonvilles josh lambo cut los angeles end preseason connected 34yard field goal three seconds left fourth quarter tie score ended los angeles chances fourth victory five games hitting 30yard field goal overtime jaguars 63 remain tied tennessee atop afc south los angeles fell 36 steelers 20 colts 17 chris boswells 33yard field goal time expired rallied pittsburgh past indianapolis ben roethlisbergers 32yard pass antonio brown colts 18yard line 35 seconds left set boswell pittsburgh 72 rallied 173 thirdquarter deficit indianapolis fell 37 titans 24 bengals 20 demarco murray stretched ball across goal line sevenyard touchdown pass play marcus mariota 36 seconds left tennessee edged cincinnati touchdown murrays third day tennessee 63 fourth straight game cincinnati 36 grabbed 2017 lead 503 left andy dalton hit aj green short pass middle green turned 70yard touchdown packers 23 bears 16 quarterback brett hundley passed 212 yards one touchdown linebacker nick perry registered three sacks green bay held defeat chicago green bay 54 snapped threegame losing streak first time since quarterback aaron rodgers broke collarbone rookie quarterback mitchell trubisky completed 21 35 passes 297 yards one touchdown bears 36 buccaneers 15 jets 10 tampa bay got three field goals patrick murray touchdown reception running back charles sims break fivegame losing streak bucs 36 never trailed despite playing without injured quarterback jameis winston jets 46 reached tampa bay territory three 12 drives bucs six sacks lions 38 browns 24 matthew stafford threw three secondhalf touchdown passes detroit rallied winless cleveland stafford completed 17 26 passes 249 yards ameer abdullah 52 rushing yards 11 carries touchdown lions 54 golden tate caught six passes 97 yards score rookie quarterback deshone kizer passed 232 yards touchdown cleveland 09 missed two secondhalf possessions suffering rib injury | 607 |
<p>The U.S. has arrogated world rule to itself, without authority, competition, or oversight, since the implosion of the Soviet Union nearly 25 years ago.</p>
<p>The most important political relationship in today’s world is between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Whichever way the relationship goes will have a major impact on global developments for many decades. Big changes are beginning to take shape. Matters of peace or war are involved.</p>
<p>This relationship between Washington and Beijing has existed somewhat uneasily since the early 1970s after the PRC broke with the Soviet Union mainly over intense ideological differences within the communist movement. In effect, the Communist Party of China (CPC) joined with capitalist America in an informal tacit alliance against Russia. This was a geopolitical triumph for the U.S., but not for China. In the last couple of years Beijing and Moscow have developed a close relationship, largely as a repost to Washington’s expressions of hostility toward both countries.</p>
<p>China was considered a revolutionary communist country from the 1949 revolution until the deaths of party leader Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai in 1976. The left wing of the CPC was then crushed, and the leadership in 1977 went to “paramount leader” Deng Xiaoping, a long time revolutionary and high government official in many posts who had earlier been purged twice “for taking the capitalist road.”</p>
<p>Deng set about in 1980 to develop a dynamic capitalist economy under the slogan of “using capitalism to build socialism.” By 1990, after the U.S. and others imposed sanctions against China for the Tiananmen Square confrontation with students seeking certain democratic changes, Deng issued the following instruction to the CPC: “Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership.”</p>
<p>The Chinese economy after 35 years is one of the wonders of the capitalist world, particularly since it is still maintained by the CPC, as are all other aspects of Chinese society. The PRC’s political system is officially described as being “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” though the socialist aspect has been abridged.</p>
<p>For many of these decades, the U.S. superpower and global hegemon has gradually sought to position China within America’s extensive orbit of states that look to Washington for leadership. Beijing came closer with warmer relations, joining the World Trade Organization, respecting the World Bank and IMF, even sharing war games with the Pentagon—but never so close as to be stifled by Washington’s dominant embrace. This didn’t inconvenience the U.S. as long as China was mainly involved with internal growth, building huge cities, massive infrastructure projects, and becoming the global manufacturing center.</p>
<p>But then two things changed. First, by the time Xi Jinping became general secretary of the CPC and president of China less than three years ago, the PRC was about to surpass the U.S. as the world’s economic giant and was universally recognized as a significant major power. It had plenty of cash, ideas, supporters and incentives to contemplate a larger independent role for itself on the international stage. Second, given China’s growth, it evidently seemed that strict compliance with Deng Xiaoping’s defensive suggestion to hide China’s light under a bushel was outdated.</p>
<p>The Obama Administration is not pleased with China’s more forward stance. Relations between Washington and Beijing are cooling quickly but both countries have a mutual desire to prevent this situation from getting out of hand. The key difference, and it is of great significance to both parties, is that China opposes hegemony in principle, and the U.S. is determined to remain the global hegemon.</p>
<p>Contradiction is ever present in U.S. foreign/military policy, and things are rarely as they seem to an American people largely uninformed or misinformed about the realities of international affairs. This observation is occasioned by the extremes to which U.S. policy and interference around the world are being taken by the Obama Administration and its Republican congressional alter ego, obstructive on domestic matters but complicit with President Obama’s principal international monomania—the retention of Washington’s unilateral global hegemony.</p>
<p>The Obama Administration appears to be preoccupied day and night gallivanting throughout the world issuing dictates, administering punishments, rewarding friends, undermining enemies, overthrowing governments, engaging in multiple wars, subverting societies not to its liking, conducting remote control assassinations, listening to every phone call and examining the daily contents of the Internet lest someone get away with something, jailing honest whistleblowers, upgrading its nuclear stockpile and delivery systems, moving troops and fleets here and there—and that’s only the half of it.</p>
<p>This is happening for one main reason. The U.S. has arrogated world rule to itself, without authority, competition, or oversight, since the implosion of the Soviet Union nearly 25 years ago. There is nothing more important to America’s ruling elite. Every possible danger to Washington’s hegemony must be neutralized. And looming in East Asia is the cause of Washington’s worst anxieties—China.</p>
<p>In his victory speech after winning the 2008 election, Barack Obama—a humdrum one-term U.S. Senator with no foreign policy experience after serving several years as an obscure Illinois state legislator—announced that with his assumption to the presidency “a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.” He was referring to his own leadership restoring U.S. international domination greater than ever after eight years of blundering President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.</p>
<p>No one seemed to think twice about this. Democrats applauded; Republicans nodded. After all, isn’t that what the United States is supposed to do?</p>
<p>Expanding global supremacy is a popular political promise in America. Extreme nationalism often wildly inspires the masses of a powerful country as it blinds them to the equality of nations and humanity, and guides them to another proposed conquest; and the prospect of greater profits through intensified world domination compensates the powerful corporations and families that contributed to Obama so generously in both elections.</p>
<p>The President frequently repeats his jingoist mantra about the necessity of American “leadership,” at times accompanied by pandering clichés such as “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being.” Speaking at an Air Force Academy graduation in 2012 Obama told the cadets, “never bet against the United States of America… [because] the United States has been, and will always be, the one indispensable nation in world affairs.” Applause, hats in air, now go out and kill.</p>
<p>Since the vast corporate capitalist mass media is entirely in agreement with the sacrosanct principle that only the United States is morally, politically and militarily equipped to rule the world, Obama’s flag-waving imperial intentions are rarely if ever criticized by the press, Democrat or Republican. At least 90% of the American people obtain virtually all their scatterings of information about foreign affairs from a propagandistic ultranationalist media powerhouse controlled by just six billionaire corporations.</p>
<p>Many millions of Americans have opposed Washington’s frequent and usually disastrous imperialist wars. But far fewer challenge the concept of U.S. global “leadership”—the euphemism for ruling the world that allows Washington carte blanche to engage in wars or bullying whenever its perceived interests appear to be challenged. It may seem like a century, considering the carnage, but it is important to remember that Washington only obtained solo world power when the Soviet Union imploded less than a quarter century ago. The next quarter century, as a new world order is beginning to take shape in the very shadow of the old, will be rough indeed as the U.S. government resists inevitable change.</p>
<p>The days of American hegemony over the nations of the world are numbered. This is perhaps the main and certainly the most dangerous contradiction deriving from America’s determination to lead the world as carried forward by President Obama and undoubtedly to be continued by the next and the next administrations. There are many secondary contradictions strewn throughout the world, but almost all are related to first.</p>
<p>The U.S. government is recklessly flailing its arms and interfering in all the global regions to impose its will in order to indefinitely continue enjoying unilateral domination and the sensation of luxuriating in the extraordinary advantages derived from being the world’s top cop, top judge, only jury, mass jailer and executioner extraordinaire. If you doubt it, just look about at the human, structural and environmental anguish created in the last 15 years by the action or inaction of Bush-Obama world leadership. Think about the trillions of U.S. dollars for destruction and death, and the paucity of expenditures for construction and life. A better world can only emerge from a better and more people-friendly political and economic global order.</p>
<p>Obama’s policy of enhanced American “leadership” has created havoc these last six years as a result of the collusion between the Democratic White House and the Republican Congress—partners in the projection of American armed power around the world. The main target—despite all the elbowing and ranting about Russia, Putin, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Yemen, Islamic State, ad infinitum—is and will remain China. The U.S. does not want a war with China, though one is certainly possible in time. It would prefer warm, friendly and mutually beneficial relations, under one condition: The U.S. is boss, and leads, while China—rich and powerful if it wishes—is subordinate, and follows, even in its own natural sphere of influence. Beijing does not seek hegemony, but it will not kowtow to the United States.</p>
<p>In the midst of all this rumbling and grumbling from the White House, it may be interesting to become acquainted with the enormous but modest main national strategic goal of the Communist Party of China. It is “to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2021; and the building of a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by 2049. It is a Chinese Dream of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” So goes the Chinese “menace.”</p>
<p>China is not a newcomer to world politics and economic power, as the U.S. government has at times suggested of one of the world’s oldest and most creative civilizations. As James Petras has written: “The study of world power has been blighted by Eurocentric historians who have distorted and ignored the dominant role China played in the world economy between 1100 and 1800.”</p>
<p>This period ended because of Western imperialist intervention and plunder, including the Opium War, which brought about the humiliation and decline of Imperial China’s final dynasty, which fell in 1911. A form of semi-democracy/semi-feudalism prevailed until the Communist revolution of 1949, when, in the words of Mao Zedong announcing victory, “The Chinese People have stood up.” In these last 66 years China removed about 700 million citizens from poverty, and has become the world’s manufacturing center and a major economic power.</p>
<p>The Chinese Communist government is calibrating its rise very carefully, intent upon avoiding offense to the crouching, tail twitching American imperial dragon. On May 21, Peoples Daily quoted a recent talk by President Xi Jinping: “China aims to become stronger but not seek hegemony; the strategic choice of cooperation and win-win [for all sides] is the path that China chooses. China has always been a peace-loving nation that cherishes harmonious relations. Its adherence to the five principles of peaceful coexistence and anti-hegemonism has shown China’s determination to stick to peaceful development.”</p>
<p>The five principles have governed New China since the revolution. They are: “Mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; mutual non-aggression; non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit; and peaceful co-existence.” There have been a few minor lapses, but these principles have remained stable and effective all these years. China’s concept of harmonious relations is of ancient philosophical extraction. Frankly, in this writer’s view, there are times when China’s criticism of an extremely inhumane aspect of one or another state’s internal affairs would do some good—but non-interference, much less non-aggression, is vastly superior to Washington’s endless interference and aggression.</p>
<p>Xi’s statement is an accurate representation of China’s foreign relations. This is the PRC’s long-term global strategy of development. It needs and wants peace. Washington knows all this, but that’s not the point. Xi declared that Beijing opposed the very concept of global hegemony by any nation, including itself, and, of course, the U.S. President Obama’s primary foreign policy objective, and assuredly that of succeeding administrations, is the retention of global rule. This contradiction will eventually have to be resolved through negotiation or hostilities.</p>
<p>China will certainly not confront the U.S. on this matter within the foreseeable future. Beijing’s reading of the tea leaves suggests that world trends will encourage the incoming tide of multipolar world order and displace the outgoing tide of unipolar dominion. Such thinking emerges from America’s evident decline, the imminent rise of the developing nations, and the mounting dissatisfaction with the results of Washington’s global rule among countries not dependent upon Fortress Americana.</p>
<p>Writing in Time on June 1, Ian Bremmer noted: “Emerging countries are not strong enough to overthrow U.S. dominance, but they have more than enough strength and self-confidence to refuse to follow Washington’s lead.” This is a recent development that will continue to unfold in the next decade or two.</p>
<p>At this point, equipped with the seven league boots only possessed by a superpower, the U.S. is far ahead of its detractors in the emerging competition to determine whether only one, or many nations in combination, will shape the future. The UN may figure in this, but only after the preponderant influence of the U.S. and certain other countries is reduced and more evenly shared with the rising countries, a number of which surely realize it’s time for a change. They wish to avoid a dreadful future of devastating wars, rampant climate change, poverty and scandalous inequality.</p>
<p>The fact remains: Washington is determined to keep the keys to the kingdom, and it is taking measures daily to strengthen its intention to constrain China by depriving it of exercising even the regional power to which it is entitled on the basis of its huge economy, a population of 1.4 billion people, and its peaceful rise and intentions.</p>
<p>President Obama is quite visibly seeking to confront China, politically, militarily, and economically and politically in the Asia/Pacific region. This is what the “pivot” to Asia is about, containing Chinese influence within its own geographical environment.</p>
<p>The U.S. is at least two decades ahead of China in war technology, equipment, nuclear weapons, various missiles, planes, ships—everything. John Reed wrote in DefenseTech a few years ago: “Even China’s newest military gear is&#160;reminiscent&#160;of Western or Soviet technology from about 20 years ago, or more.” People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leaders certainly want to catch up and are making progress, but they can only approach near proximity if Pentagon scientists decide to sleep for the next two decades. Instead, Washington’s immense military, several times that of China, is increasing the gap in real time.</p>
<p>U.S. military spending this year will amount to 4.5% of GNP, and that does not count a number of military expenses concealed in nonmilitary budgets such as the new 20-year multi-billion dollar program to modernize U.S. nuclear weapons and delivery systems (charged to the Department of Energy). China’s spending this year, with four times the American population, is 1.5% of GDP.</p>
<p>China’s extremely important cyber warfare advances may or may not be equal to those of the U.S., but it is the only area of relative equivalence, and it’s causing headaches in the Pentagon.</p>
<p>The U.S. is frantically surrounding China with military weapons, advanced aircraft, naval fleets and a multitude of military bases from Japan, South Korea and the Philippines through several nearby smaller Pacific islands to its new and enlarged base in Australia and, of course, intercontinental ballistic missiles from the United States. The U.S. naval fleet, aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines patrol China’s nearby waters. Warplanes, surveillance planes, drones and spying satellites cover the skies, creating a symbolic darkness at noon. By 2017, the Pentagon plans to encircle China with “the most advanced stealth warplanes in the world,” according to RT. “The Air Force’s F-22s and B-2s, as well as a fleet of the Marine Corps’ F-35, will all be deployed. This buildup has been going on for three years and it is hardly ever mentioned in the U.S.</p>
<p>Washington seems to fear China’s military defense capability more than its potential offensive abilities, though that remains a serious concern. In the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress May 8, all 31,000 words were devoted to “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2015,” including these:</p>
<p>“China is investing in capabilities designed to defeat adversary power projection and counter third-party—including U.S.—intervention during a crisis or conflict…. The PLA is developing and testing new intermediate- and medium-range conventional ballistic missiles, as well as long- range, land-attack, and anti-ship cruise missiles that extend China’s operational reach, attempting to push adversary forces— including the United States—farther from potential regional conflicts. China is also focusing on counter-space, offensive cyber operations, and electronic warfare capabilities meant to deny adversaries the advantages of modern, informationized warfare…. China’s military modernization has the potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages.” Concern was also expressed for “China’s development and testing of missile defense.”</p>
<p>Much of the Pentagon report is far more objective and informative about China than statements from the White House, Congress and the provocative corporate mass media: First of all it describes China’s political goal realistically: “Securing China’s status as a great power and, ultimately, reacquiring regional preeminence.” Question: Why is the Obama Administration doing everything possible to thwart China’s regional preeminence? Answer: Because it is unwilling to share a regional portion of its own world preeminence with any country that will not bend a knee to Washington’s supremacy.</p>
<p>The report says accurately: “China continues to regard stable relations with the United States and China’s neighbors as key to its development. China sees the U.S. as the dominant regional and global actor with the greatest potential to both support and, potentially, disrupt China’s rise. Top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, continued to advocate for a ‘new type of major power relations’ with the United States throughout 2014. China’s ‘new type’ of relations concept urges a cooperative U.S.-China partnership based on equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit.”</p>
<p>Most interestingly, the Pentagon also recognized that “Chinese leaders see a strong military as critical to prevent other countries from taking steps that would damage China’s interests and to ensure China can defend itself, should deterrence fail. China seeks to ensure basic stability along its periphery and avoid direct confrontation with the United States in order to focus on domestic development and smooth China’s rise. Despite this, Chinese leaders in 2014 demonstrated a willingness to tolerate a higher level of regional tension as China sought to advance its interests, such as in competing territorial claims in the East China Sea and South China Sea.”</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal on May 13 defined the South China Sea as “one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and a strategic passage between the rich economies of Northeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. As much as 50% of global oil-tanker shipments pass through its waters…. China often intercepts and protests over U.S. naval ships and aircraft conducting surveillance near its coastline in the South China Sea…. Six governments—China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines—claim the waters, islands, reefs and atolls in whole or in part, making the area a potential flashpoint.” Two countries, Japan and South Korea, have claims in the East China Sea to the northwest, so eight nations are involved. China has long claimed authority over almost all the islands on the basis of evidence the other states consider inadequate.</p>
<p>The Obama Administration is navigating with abandon and roiling the political waters throughout both seas, enthusiastically supporting the claims of all the smaller nations against China’s claims. This is a very important and delicate matter because verified claimants are entitled to exploit energy, mineral and other abundant resources in the proximity as well as to deploy them for military purposes, if large enough, but most are tiny. This is clearly a complex matter that should be resolved over time through peaceful negotiations, and give and take dispute resolution. The continuation of America’s self-appointed role as advocate and protector of the counter-claims of smaller countries against China will only cause more trouble.</p>
<p>The U.S. has absolutely no authority in this matter, and it even refuses to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is equipped to mediate territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Actually, Obama doesn’t give a fig about the claims. The only purpose of his intervention against China’s claims is to consolidate and expand Washington’s large and growing cheaper-by-the dozen gaggle of regional client states—some of which (Japan, S. Korea, the Philippines) have been U.S. protectorates since the end of World War II. All these countries will support America’s global political, economic and military intentions in East Asia, including that of confining China’s influence within its own borders to the extent possible. If not, they will be escorted to the door.</p>
<p>In this connection the U.S. is also exaggerating the fact that China is involved in land reclamation efforts in five small reefs in the Spratly Islands. It’s expanding them by adding sand and making infrastructure additions, including an airfield in one. The White house says up to is about 2,000 acres are at issue. Obama said a month ago that China was “flexing its muscles” to browbeat smaller nations into accepting Beijing’s sovereignty over disputed islands, and more recently Washington implied it might send navy ships and aircraft to the islands—but soon backed off because China’s actions were entirely legal.</p>
<p>In mid-May, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/tensions-rise-between-washington-and-beijing-over-man-made-islands/2015/05/13/e88b5de6-f8bd-11e4-a47c-e56f4db884ed_story.html" type="external">told the Washington Post</a>: “Reclamation isn’t necessarily a violation of international law, but it’s certainly violating the harmony, the feng shui, of Southeast Asia, and it’s certainly violating China’s claim to be a good neighbor and a benign and non-threatening power.” At that point, the heavens finally intervened with a lighter moment. Wrote the Wall Street Journal on May 21: “Chinese Taoist priest Liang Xingyang is rebutting the U.S. official’s understanding of feng shui. The term, which translates directly as ‘wind water,’&#160;refers to&#160;the Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing the human being with the surrounding environment. In fact, claims Mr. Liang, China’s reclamation efforts are improving the region’s feng shui…. Mr. Liang maintained that feng shui ‘belongs to the whole world, but the power of interpretation stays with China.’”</p>
<p>Soon after the Pentagon report, China outlined a new military strategy to boost its naval reach on May 26. In a policy document issued by the State Council, China vowed to increase its “open seas protection,” switching from air defense to both offense and defense, and criticized neighbors who take “provocative actions” on its reefs and islands. A statement in the document declared: “In today’s world, the global trends toward multipolarity and economic globalization are intensifying…. The forces for world peace are on the rise, so are the factors against war…. There are, however, new threats from hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism.” China will speed up the development of a cyber force to tackle “grave security threats” to its cyber infrastructure. Cyberspace is highlighted as one of China’s four “critical security domains”, other than the ocean, outer space and nuclear force.</p>
<p>In addition to military threats, and encouraging allies to assist in containing China, Washington’s “pivot” includes strong intervention intended to increase America’s economic clout in East Asia and reduce Beijing’s. Obama’s chosen vehicle—the Trans Pacific Partnership—so favors corporations at the expense of U.S. jobs, the interests of working people, the environment and national sovereignty that many Democrats in Congress, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are sharply opposed. In the words of Public Citizen:</p>
<p>“The TPP is a massive, controversial ‘free trade’ agreement currently being pushed by big corporations and negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States and 11 other countries—Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. <a href="https://www.citizen.org/documents/tpp-nafta-on-steroids-infographic.png" type="external">The TPP would expand the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ‘trade’ pact model</a> that has spurred <a href="https://www.citizen.org/documents/prosperity-undermined.pdf" type="external">massive U.S. trade deficits and job loss, downward pressure on wages, unprecedented levels of inequality and new floods of agricultural imports</a>. The TPP not only replicates, but expands NAFTA’s special protections for firms that offshore U.S. jobs. And U.S. TPP negotiators literally used the 2011 <a href="https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=3595" type="external">Korea FTA</a>—under which exports have fallen and trade deficits have surged—as the template for the TPP. In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could: <a href="https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=6475" type="external">offshore American jobs and increase income inequality</a>, <a href="https://www.citizen.org/tpp-public-health" type="external">jack up the cost of medicines</a>, <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/tpp" type="external">sneak in SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom</a> (i.e., Stop Online Piracy Act), and <a href="https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5411" type="external">empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards</a>, <a href="https://www.citizen.org/tpp-food-safety-facts" type="external">expose the U.S. to unsafe food and products</a>, <a href="https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=6474" type="external">roll back Wall Street reforms</a>, and <a href="https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5414" type="external">ban Buy American policies needed to create green jobs</a>.”</p>
<p>The Japan Times sounded like recalcitrant U.S. Democrats when it reported on May 15: “One big problem with the TPP talks is the secrecy of the negotiating process. The participants are required not to publicize developments in the talks and draft agreements while they are still being negotiated. The talks are going forward without the Japanese public and lawmakers being given relevant information on what is being discussed or agreed upon. For example, it is impossible to know the details of discussions on regulations the TPP nations can adopt for environmental protection and food safety. Even when the trade pact takes effect, the participants will be forbidden from disclosing internal documents on the negotiation process for four years.” Japan has not signed the TPP deal yet. It is demanding concessions on automobiles and agricultural products.</p>
<p>The Senate rejected Obama’s demand for a fast track arrangement in mid-May, 52 to 45, but after corporate howls, promises and dollars it was passed days later 62-37. Most Republicans supported the trade plan from the beginning. Winning over his own party has proven so difficult that Obama has introduced the false patriotism of anti-China rhetoric to shame recalcitrant Democrats into changing their views. Speaking in May, he said: “If we don’t write the rules for trade around the world, guess what? China will.” Actually, China is far more cooperative with U.S. trade proposals than obstructive. On the TPP Beijing simply understands that it is aimed against China and that it has many shortcomings, as Warren has repeatedly pointed out.</p>
<p>Although China earlier appeared deeply concerned about the TPP, it now seems indifferent. Over the last several months, President Xi has combined a well-financed, spectacular package of trade, banking, and infrastructure projects that are bound to significantly advance China’s power and prestige in Asia, Europe and North Africa as well.</p>
<p>The two most important and far reaching projects are the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the visionary, immensely expensive One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project. The latter initiative is also referred to as the New Silk Road after the 4,000-mile trade route between China and the West that developed from 114 BCE to the 1450s. The accompanying maritime trade lanes were called the Spice Route. OBOR, too, consists of a land and sea route. When New China does things it’s often in a big way, often with a touch of long-past history in mind.</p>
<p>China’s recent creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)—an exceptionally powerful economic initiative destined to benefit all of Asia and the world—was perceived by the White House as a humiliating affront. Washington worked for months to undermine the impending venture, advising allies and underlings far and near to keep out.</p>
<p>Beijing proposed the AIIB in October 2013; a year later, 21 nations, all Asian, gathered in Beijing and signed the memorandum establishing the bank. Six months later, the membership has expanded to 57.</p>
<p>In mid-March, Washington’s closest ally, the United Kingdom, was among the first major western economies to join the bank, prompting an extraordinary outburst by an anonymous high official of the Obama Administration, who declared for publication: “We are wary about a trend toward constant <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3a626d0-c8df-11e4-bc64-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk" type="external">accommodation of China</a>, which is not the best way to engage a rising power.” President Obama had to give permission for “anonymous” to deliver so petulant and insulting a remark.</p>
<p>Within a couple of weeks all the major world nations had joined except Japan and the U.S. The rest knew a good deal when they saw it in the midst of prolonged economic stagnation, particularly in Europe. Remember Willy Sutton’s answer when asked why he robbed banks? “That’s where the money is.” Their economies will profit.</p>
<p>The international news analyst M.K. Bhadrakumar reported in Asia Times on May 26: “ The AIIB Charter is still under discussion. The&#160;media report that China is not seeking a veto in the decision-making comes as a pleasant surprise. Equally, China is actively consulting other founding members (UK, Germany, France, Italy, etc.). These&#160;would suggest that Beijing has a much bigger game plan of scattering the U.S. containment strategy. Clearly, the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal is already&#160;looking more absurd if China&#160;were to be kept out of it. The point is,&#160;AIIB gives financial underpinning for the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, which now the European countries and Russia have embraced, as they expect much business spin-off.”</p>
<p>China benefits immensely, in terms of international prestige and politically as well, from the new venture. The AIIB has become a strong rival to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, two powerful U.S.-controlled financial organizations, as well as the regional Asian Development Bank, ruled by Japan and America. China is not interested in debasing these associations but in collegial modernization with Beijing having a voice.</p>
<p>What’s the oddly named One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project stand for? The “Belt” refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt, largely composed of countries situated on the original Silk Road from China through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The “Road” refers to the new maritime Silk Road. The initiative calls for the integration of the region into a cohesive economic area through building infrastructure, increasing cultural exchanges and broadening trade. Many of the countries that are part of the “belt” are also signed up with the AIIB. The Maritime Road is aimed at investing and fostering collaboration in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and North Africa through several contiguous bodies of water.</p>
<p>Journalist Binoy Kampmark points out in Global Research: “The economic belt, as Xi terms it, features such concrete manifestations as high-speed rail lines [including one between Beijing and Moscow], highways, bridges, and Internet connectivity. These, in turn, will be complemented by port development that is already seeing a presence in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. Spearheading the drive are China’s state-owned enterprises.”</p>
<p>Two other countries play important supporting roles in the U.S.-China exchange—Russia and Japan.</p>
<p>President Xi said recently that China is devoted to “promoting a new model of major-country relationship with the U.S., keeping its comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, [and] strengthening its partnership with the EU.” China’s partnership with Europe involves trade, investment, environmental issues and the like. With Russia it’s broader, specifically: Energy, Business and Trade, High Technology and Industry, Finance, Military and Political/Diplomatic.</p>
<p>China has military and political/diplomatic relations with the U.S. as well, but of a different character. According to Russian Insider: “Military:&#160;China and Russia are engaging in military exercises of increasing scale and frequency. Their respective General Staffs closely coordinate with each other. Russia has resumed arms and technology sales to&#160;China. Political and Diplomatic:&#160;China and Russia are joint founder members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. They actively coordinate their foreign policy positions with each other. They also work closely together and support each other in the UN Security&#160;Council.”</p>
<p>Moscow’s partnership with Beijing has become much stronger in recent years. Russia is a major nuclear power, roughly equivalent to America, with sophisticated military technology and hardware exceeding that of China, to which it is now selling offensive and defensive weaponry after a lapse of decades. The world’s two biggest countries (size and population) have long been wary of each other, but a perceived need to strengthen their defenses brings them closer. Whether they will ever form a binding formal alliance is not known, but Russia’s power adds to that of China and vice versa. Commenting on the relationship a couple of weeks ago Xi declared: “We are strong if united but weak if isolated.”</p>
<p>At the same time the PRC is trying to calm an aroused Washington. Michael Swaine, a China expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington recently told the press: “The Chinese are trying to convey a more moderate and softer message. They are trying to promote the image of a more flexible power.” Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang recently declared in a widely publicized speech that that the PRC “does not have any ideas or capabilities” with which to challenge or displace America’s global command.</p>
<p>Russia shares with China the threat of U.S. military power on its periphery. Stratfor noted March 30: “From the Baltics to the Black Sea and now the Caspian, the United States is on the search for recruits to encircle Russia. Romania threw its lot in with the United States last year, but this year, Turkey and Turkmenistan are the ones to watch.</p>
<p>“All along Russia’s frontier with Europe, the <a href="https://stratfor.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74786417f9554984d314d06bd&amp;id=9b6c6f9e54&amp;e=486af6ea37" type="external">U.S. military is bustling with activity</a>. Bit by bit, the United States is expanding various military exercises under the banner of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The exercises began in the Baltics and Poland and, as of last week, expanded into Romania with plans to move into Bulgaria. So far, most of these missions are on the smaller side, consisting of only a few hundred troops at any given time, and are meant to test the U.S. ability to rapidly deploy units to countries that can then practice receiving and working with these forces. Additionally, various headquarter units from U.S. Army infantry brigades have been rotating in and assuming control of Operation Atlantic Resolve in order to practice joint command and control.” Several hundred American troops are in Ukraine training Kiev’s military.</p>
<p>It was symbolically significant that that Xi Jinping was seated next to President Putin at the May 9 Victory Day Parade in Moscow and that a Chinese military detachment was part of the event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the allied victory in Europe. Putin and Russian troops have been invited to participate in China’s celebration of Japan’s defeat in September. The U.S., Britain and France, Russia’s former allies, boycotted the Moscow event.</p>
<p>The new U.S.-Japan expanded military guidelines for “defense cooperation” that was agreed in Washington between Japanese Prime Minster Shinzō Abe and the Obama Administration April 27 is of major geopolitical significance. Tokyo will now increase its military role in the region and assume a “more robust international posture,” in response to growing Chinese influence. The guidelines allow for global Washington-Tokyo cooperation militarily, ranging from defense against ballistic missiles, cyber and space attacks as well as maritime security.</p>
<p>China has sharply criticized the new guidelines, calling them an attempt to undermine Beijing, as well as the geopolitical architecture of the Asia-Pacific. Global Times, which is affiliated with the CPC, declared: “The new guidelines have struck a threatening pose toward China, which is the strongest driver for East Asia’s development. They should know that their aggression has sent a dangerous signal to regional stability.”</p>
<p>Washington also renewed and strengthened America’s “iron-clad” commitment to support Japan and all territories “under Tokyo’s administration.” Japan and China are locked in a sharp disagreement about their rival claims to tiny East China Sea islets and reefs, some no more than large rocks sticking out of the water. Should the conflict become a serious confrontation the Obama Administration evidently will intervene on behalf of Japan.</p>
<p>The daily Indian newspaper The Hindu reported on May 1: “Officials from the United States have been quoted as saying that the latest guidelines—updated for the first time since 1997—end the geographic limits on the Japanese military to operate. Following permission from Parliament, Japanese forces can participate in military operations across the globe. ‘The current guidelines are unrestricted with respect to geography,’ U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has been quoted as saying. ‘That is a very big change—from being locally focused to globally focused,’ he observed. Analysts point out that the changes to the U.S.-Japan pact inject more substance into President Barack Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ doctrine, which the Chinese say lays the military groundwork for containing Beijing’s peaceful rise.”</p>
<p>Heretofore the terms of the “pacifist” constitution imposed on Japan after it was defeated in World War I” confined the Japanese military to fight only in Japan and in self-defense. The right wing Abe government has sought to dispense with this constitution entirely, but a majority of the Japanese people strongly oppose such a step. Abe envisions Japan once again becoming a major military power in Asia. Actually Tokyo already wields the ninth largest military force in the world, replete with high technology weaponry.</p>
<p>China has just made an amazing overture to Japan in an effort to reduce tensions. M.K. Bhadrakumar reported May 27 that China has decided to extend the “hand of friendship to Japan,” describing a precedent-breaking event in Beijing May 23.</p>
<p>“A heavyweight politician from Japan’s ruling party leads a 3,000-member delegation (yes, 3,000) to Beijing; the Chinese hosts spread out a grand dinner for the 3,000 Japanese guests at the Great Hall of People; President Xi Jinping makes an apparently surprise but carefully choreographed appearance at the dinner; Xi makes an extraordinarily warm speech full of conciliatory sentiments belying his fame as an assertive leader, stressing the imperatives of Sino-Japanese friendship not only for the two countries but for the region and the world at large; the heavyweight Japanese politician steps forward in front of his 3,000-strong delegation and hands over to Xi a hand-written letter from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Xi reciprocates by conveying his best regards to Abe—a thaw in China-Japan ties seems to be at work.</p>
<p>“Cynics might say Abe has a habit of sending hand-written letters to counterparts in countries with which Japan has strained relations, such as South Korea. But there is something beyond the calls of public diplomacy here, as is apparent from the <a href="http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1266906.shtml" type="external">contents and tone of the speech Xi made</a>&#160;while addressing the goodwill delegation from Japan. A Xinhua commentary noted, ‘The onus is now on the leaders of Japan to reciprocate the friendly tone and take concrete actions to mend frayed ties with China.’&#160;The two neighbors are showing a spirit of pragmatism that was considered unthinkable as recently as last November when on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Xi and Abe held a frosty meeting.”</p>
<p>The Financial Times reported April 30 “Washington is giving up on the idea that a risen China can be co-opted as a stakeholder in the present global order,” implicitly suggesting that Washington is going to adopt a much tougher stance toward China to preserve its geopolitical superiority. The article references a new report on China from the Council on Foreign Relations, the leading establishment voice in foreign affairs. Titled, “Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China,” the newspaper reports it “outlines a plan to draw together all the elements of U.S. power with the goal of maintaining America’s ‘primacy’ in East Asia…. But balancing Beijing’s weight is one thing. Nervous as they are, China’s neighbors have a powerful economic interest in getting on with Beijing. A U.S. that sought permanent preponderance would be inviting a collision. Unstoppable forces and immovable objects come to mind.”</p>
<p>Both China and the United States want to keep their disputes within bounds in the proximate future, if possible. This was demonstrated after weeks of public squabbling May 16 and 17 when Secretary of State John Kerry paid his fifth visit to China. According to a May 26 report in China-U.S. Focus by <a href="http://www.chinausfocus.com/author/zhang-zhixin-chief-of-american-political-studies-c/" type="external">Zhang Zhixin</a>, chief of American Political Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, this is the meaning:</p>
<p>“As the highest-level American official who visited China this year, with a hot China policy debate going on in the U.S., and the Obama administration strongly criticizing China’s reclamation in South China Sea, [Kerry’s] visit has been regarded as a trip aimed at denouncing Beijing. However, judging from the result, Kerry’s visit is better characterized as a trip of in-depth communication.</p>
<p>“Early this year, American strategic circles started another round of China policy debate. From the so-called ‘cracking up’ of the CPC to the familiar rhetoric of the ‘China threat’ it made some American China watchers believe the consensus underlying the U.S. China policy is collapsing.”</p>
<p>Kerry’s constructive visit “has been of great importance at this critical moment. First, it shows that both countries would like to manage differences before crises occur…. Chinese leaders tried to reassure the U.S. side they are still committed to building a new major power relationship….</p>
<p>“Second, this visit made timely preparation for the coming bilateral and multilateral events—including President Xi Jinping’s first State visit to the U.S. in September—that could shape the following two year’s Sino-U.S. relations….</p>
<p>“Third, Secretary Kerry’s visit is a success as it deepened the understanding between two countries at this critical time, but it reminds both countries consensus is easy to reach but hard to actualize. The disputes between two countries highlighted the U.S. misinterpretation of China’s plans for future development. The U.S. side should neither overestimate its influence upon China’s future, nor underestimate China’s ability to explore its own way of development with Chinese characteristics.”</p>
<p>Interestingly, a similar situation to the Beijing surprise occurred weeks earlier when Kerry was sent to Moscow for talks with President Putin. Washington’s advance leaks suggested that he would read the riot act to the Russian leader because of the Ukraine situation—but the opposite happened, evidently not least because of U.S. concerns of a developing alliance between Russia and China. Kerry turned on a dime just before both meetings, as though receiving late instructions.</p>
<p>Apparently, the White House concluded its policy of pouting and denouncing China is churlish and demonstrably counterproductive. Even some of Washington’s allies were beginning to look askance at Oval Office shoot-from-the-hip decisions. However, nothing else has changed. The quest to retain global rule is more pronounced than ever and the danger level is getting higher.</p>
<p>Both the U.S. and China are strong and intelligent countries. But as Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”</p>
<p>Great changes have already started and the pace will intensify in coming decades—politically, economically, environmentally and in terms of social systems and world order. One needed change is replacing single-country global hegemony with multi-country cooperation for the advancement of humankind. The governments of several rising countries will help bring this about, if possible, but it won’t be easy.</p>
<p>Systemic changes are needed in our societies, as well. We cannot simply paper over the class exploitation, gross inequality, racism, poverty, state violence and the shredding of our ecology—and say that’s “change.” Billions of human beings alive today want a world where wealth is sufficiently shared so everyone has at least enough. That’s no exaggeration. Billions live in poverty. They all want out. Whether in poverty or not, who prefers to live in a world where the richest 1% of the global population own more than the remaining 99%? 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believe american exceptionalism every fiber speaking air force academy graduation 2012 obama told cadets never bet united states america united states always one indispensable nation world affairs applause hats air go kill since vast corporate capitalist mass media entirely agreement sacrosanct principle united states morally politically militarily equipped rule world obamas flagwaving imperial intentions rarely ever criticized press democrat republican least 90 american people obtain virtually scatterings information foreign affairs propagandistic ultranationalist media powerhouse controlled six billionaire corporations many millions americans opposed washingtons frequent usually disastrous imperialist wars far fewer challenge concept us global leadershipthe euphemism ruling world allows washington carte blanche engage wars bullying whenever perceived interests appear challenged may seem like century considering carnage important remember washington obtained solo world power soviet union imploded less quarter century ago next quarter century new world order beginning take shape shadow old rough indeed us government resists inevitable change days american hegemony nations world numbered perhaps main certainly dangerous contradiction deriving americas determination lead world carried forward president obama undoubtedly continued next next administrations many secondary contradictions strewn throughout world almost related first us government recklessly flailing arms interfering global regions impose order indefinitely continue enjoying unilateral domination sensation luxuriating extraordinary advantages derived worlds top cop top judge jury mass jailer executioner extraordinaire doubt look human structural environmental anguish created last 15 years action inaction bushobama world leadership think trillions us dollars destruction death paucity expenditures construction life better world emerge better peoplefriendly political economic global order obamas policy enhanced american leadership created havoc last six years result collusion democratic white house republican congresspartners projection american armed power around world main targetdespite elbowing ranting russia putin ukraine syria iraq libya saudi arabia israel iran yemen islamic state ad infinitumis remain china us want war china though one certainly possible time would prefer warm friendly mutually beneficial relations one condition us boss leads chinarich powerful wishesis subordinate follows even natural sphere influence beijing seek hegemony kowtow united states midst rumbling grumbling white house may interesting become acquainted enormous modest main national strategic goal communist party china complete building moderately prosperous society respects 2021 building modern socialist country prosperous strong democratic culturally advanced harmonious 2049 chinese dream achieving great rejuvenation chinese nation goes chinese menace china newcomer world politics economic power us government times suggested one worlds oldest creative civilizations james petras written study world power blighted eurocentric historians distorted ignored dominant role china played world economy 1100 1800 period ended western imperialist intervention plunder including opium war brought humiliation decline imperial chinas final dynasty fell 1911 form semidemocracysemifeudalism prevailed communist revolution 1949 words mao zedong announcing victory chinese people stood last 66 years china removed 700 million citizens poverty become worlds manufacturing center major economic power chinese communist government calibrating rise carefully intent upon avoiding offense crouching tail twitching american imperial dragon may 21 peoples daily quoted recent talk president xi jinping china aims become stronger seek hegemony strategic choice cooperation winwin sides path china chooses china always peaceloving nation cherishes harmonious relations adherence five principles peaceful coexistence antihegemonism shown chinas determination stick peaceful development five principles governed new china since revolution mutual respect others sovereignty territorial integrity mutual nonaggression noninterference others internal affairs equality mutual benefit peaceful coexistence minor lapses principles remained stable effective years chinas concept harmonious relations ancient philosophical extraction frankly writers view times chinas criticism extremely inhumane aspect one another states internal affairs would goodbut noninterference much less nonaggression vastly superior washingtons endless interference aggression xis statement accurate representation chinas foreign relations prcs longterm global strategy development needs wants peace washington knows thats point xi declared beijing opposed concept global hegemony nation including course us president obamas primary foreign policy objective assuredly succeeding administrations retention global rule contradiction eventually resolved negotiation hostilities china certainly confront us matter within foreseeable future beijings reading tea leaves suggests world trends encourage incoming tide multipolar world order displace outgoing tide unipolar dominion thinking emerges americas evident decline imminent rise developing nations mounting dissatisfaction results washingtons global rule among countries dependent upon fortress americana writing time june 1 ian bremmer noted emerging countries strong enough overthrow us dominance enough strength selfconfidence refuse follow washingtons lead recent development continue unfold next decade two point equipped seven league boots possessed superpower us far ahead detractors emerging competition determine whether one many nations combination shape future un may figure preponderant influence us certain countries reduced evenly shared rising countries number surely realize time change wish avoid dreadful future devastating wars rampant climate change poverty scandalous inequality fact remains washington determined keep keys kingdom taking measures daily strengthen intention constrain china depriving exercising even regional power entitled basis huge economy population 14 billion people peaceful rise intentions president obama quite visibly seeking confront china politically militarily economically politically asiapacific region pivot asia containing chinese influence within geographical environment us least two decades ahead china war technology equipment nuclear weapons various missiles planes shipseverything john reed wrote defensetech years ago even chinas newest military gear is160reminiscent160of western soviet technology 20 years ago peoples liberation army pla leaders certainly want catch making progress approach near proximity pentagon scientists decide sleep next two decades instead washingtons immense military several times china increasing gap real time us military spending year amount 45 gnp count number military expenses concealed nonmilitary budgets new 20year multibillion dollar program modernize us nuclear weapons delivery systems charged department energy chinas spending year four times american population 15 gdp chinas extremely important cyber warfare advances may may equal us area relative equivalence causing headaches pentagon us frantically surrounding china military weapons advanced aircraft naval fleets multitude military bases japan south korea philippines several nearby smaller pacific islands new enlarged base australia course intercontinental ballistic missiles united states us naval fleet aircraft carriers nuclear submarines patrol chinas nearby waters warplanes surveillance planes drones spying satellites cover skies creating symbolic darkness noon 2017 pentagon plans encircle china advanced stealth warplanes world according rt air forces f22s b2s well fleet marine corps f35 deployed buildup going three years hardly ever mentioned us washington seems fear chinas military defense capability potential offensive abilities though remains serious concern pentagons annual report congress may 8 31000 words devoted military security developments involving peoples republic china 2015 including china investing capabilities designed defeat adversary power projection counter thirdpartyincluding usintervention crisis conflict pla developing testing new intermediate mediumrange conventional ballistic missiles well long range landattack antiship cruise missiles extend chinas operational reach attempting push adversary forces including united statesfarther potential regional conflicts china also focusing counterspace offensive cyber operations electronic warfare capabilities meant deny adversaries advantages modern informationized warfare chinas military modernization potential reduce core us military technological advantages concern also expressed chinas development testing missile defense much pentagon report far objective informative china statements white house congress provocative corporate mass media first describes chinas political goal realistically securing chinas status great power ultimately reacquiring regional preeminence question obama administration everything possible thwart chinas regional preeminence answer unwilling share regional portion world preeminence country bend knee washingtons supremacy report says accurately china continues regard stable relations united states chinas neighbors key development china sees us dominant regional global actor greatest potential support potentially disrupt chinas rise top chinese leaders including president xi jinping continued advocate new type major power relations united states throughout 2014 chinas new type relations concept urges cooperative uschina partnership based equality mutual respect mutual benefit interestingly pentagon also recognized chinese leaders see strong military critical prevent countries taking steps would damage chinas interests ensure china defend deterrence fail china seeks ensure basic stability along periphery avoid direct confrontation united states order focus domestic development smooth chinas rise despite chinese leaders 2014 demonstrated willingness tolerate higher level regional tension china sought advance interests competing territorial claims east china sea south china sea wall street journal may 13 defined south china sea one worlds busiest shipping routes strategic passage rich economies northeast asia indian ocean much 50 global oiltanker shipments pass waters china often intercepts protests us naval ships aircraft conducting surveillance near coastline south china sea six governmentschina vietnam brunei malaysia taiwan philippinesclaim waters islands reefs atolls whole part making area potential flashpoint two countries japan south korea claims east china sea northwest eight nations involved china long claimed authority almost islands basis evidence states consider inadequate obama administration navigating abandon roiling political waters throughout seas enthusiastically supporting claims smaller nations chinas claims important delicate matter verified claimants entitled exploit energy mineral abundant resources proximity well deploy military purposes large enough tiny clearly complex matter resolved time peaceful negotiations give take dispute resolution continuation americas selfappointed role advocate protector counterclaims smaller countries china cause trouble us absolutely authority matter even refuses ratify united nations convention law sea equipped mediate territorial disputes south east china seas actually obama doesnt give fig claims purpose intervention chinas claims consolidate expand washingtons large growing cheaperbythe dozen gaggle regional client statessome japan korea philippines us protectorates since end world war ii countries support americas global political economic military intentions east asia including confining chinas influence within borders extent possible escorted door connection us also exaggerating fact china involved land reclamation efforts five small reefs spratly islands expanding adding sand making infrastructure additions including airfield one white house says 2000 acres issue obama said month ago china flexing muscles browbeat smaller nations accepting beijings sovereignty disputed islands recently washington implied might send navy ships aircraft islandsbut soon backed chinas actions entirely legal midmay assistant secretary state east asia daniel russel told washington post reclamation isnt necessarily violation international law certainly violating harmony feng shui southeast asia certainly violating chinas claim good neighbor benign nonthreatening power point heavens finally intervened lighter moment wrote wall street journal may 21 chinese taoist priest liang xingyang rebutting us officials understanding feng shui term translates directly wind water160refers to160the chinese philosophical system harmonizing human surrounding environment fact claims mr liang chinas reclamation efforts improving regions feng shui mr liang maintained feng shui belongs whole world power interpretation stays china soon pentagon report china outlined new military strategy boost naval reach may 26 policy document issued state council china vowed increase open seas protection switching air defense offense defense criticized neighbors take provocative actions reefs islands statement document declared todays world global trends toward multipolarity economic globalization intensifying forces world peace rise factors war however new threats hegemonism power politics neointerventionism china speed development cyber force tackle grave security threats cyber infrastructure cyberspace highlighted one chinas four critical security domains ocean outer space nuclear force addition military threats encouraging allies assist containing china washingtons pivot includes strong intervention intended increase americas economic clout east asia reduce beijings obamas chosen vehiclethe trans pacific partnershipso favors corporations expense us jobs interests working people environment national sovereignty many democrats congress led sen elizabeth warren sharply opposed words public citizen tpp massive controversial free trade agreement currently pushed big corporations negotiated behind closed doors officials united states 11 countriesaustralia brunei canada chile japan malaysia mexico new zealand peru singapore vietnam tpp would expand north american free trade agreement nafta trade pact model spurred massive us trade deficits job loss downward pressure wages unprecedented levels inequality new floods agricultural imports tpp replicates expands naftas special protections firms offshore us jobs us tpp negotiators literally used 2011 korea ftaunder exports fallen trade deficits surgedas template tpp one fell swoop secretive deal could offshore american jobs increase income inequality jack cost medicines sneak sopalike threats internet freedom ie stop online piracy act empower corporations attack environmental health safeguards expose us unsafe food products roll back wall street reforms ban buy american policies needed create green jobs japan times sounded like recalcitrant us democrats reported may 15 one big problem tpp talks secrecy negotiating process participants required publicize developments talks draft agreements still negotiated talks going forward without japanese public lawmakers given relevant information discussed agreed upon example impossible know details discussions regulations tpp nations adopt environmental protection food safety even trade pact takes effect participants forbidden disclosing internal documents negotiation process four years japan signed tpp deal yet demanding concessions automobiles agricultural products senate rejected obamas demand fast track arrangement midmay 52 45 corporate howls promises dollars passed days later 6237 republicans supported trade plan beginning winning party proven difficult obama introduced false patriotism antichina rhetoric shame recalcitrant democrats changing views speaking may said dont write rules trade around world guess china actually china far cooperative us trade proposals obstructive tpp beijing simply understands aimed china many shortcomings warren repeatedly pointed although china earlier appeared deeply concerned tpp seems indifferent last several months president xi combined wellfinanced spectacular package trade banking infrastructure projects bound significantly advance chinas power prestige asia europe north africa well two important far reaching projects asian infrastructure investment bank aiib visionary immensely expensive one belt one road obor project latter initiative also referred new silk road 4000mile trade route china west developed 114 bce 1450s accompanying maritime trade lanes called spice route obor consists land sea route new china things often big way often touch longpast history mind chinas recent creation asian infrastructure investment bank aiiban exceptionally powerful economic initiative destined benefit asia worldwas perceived white house humiliating affront washington worked months undermine impending venture advising allies underlings far near keep beijing proposed aiib october 2013 year later 21 nations asian gathered beijing signed memorandum establishing bank six months later membership expanded 57 midmarch washingtons closest ally united kingdom among first major western economies join bank prompting extraordinary outburst anonymous high official obama administration declared publication wary trend toward constant accommodation china best way engage rising power president obama give permission anonymous deliver petulant insulting remark within couple weeks major world nations joined except japan us rest knew good deal saw midst prolonged economic stagnation particularly europe remember willy suttons answer asked robbed banks thats money economies profit international news analyst mk bhadrakumar reported asia times may 26 aiib charter still discussion the160media report china seeking veto decisionmaking comes pleasant surprise equally china actively consulting founding members uk germany france italy etc these160would suggest beijing much bigger game plan scattering us containment strategy clearly transpacific partnership freetrade deal already160looking absurd china160were kept point is160aiib gives financial underpinning belt road initiative european countries russia embraced expect much business spinoff china benefits immensely terms international prestige politically well new venture aiib become strong rival international monetary fund world bank two powerful uscontrolled financial organizations well regional asian development bank ruled japan america china interested debasing associations collegial modernization beijing voice whats oddly named one belt one road obor project stand belt refers silk road economic belt largely composed countries situated original silk road china central asia west asia middle east europe road refers new maritime silk road initiative calls integration region cohesive economic area building infrastructure increasing cultural exchanges broadening trade many countries part belt also signed aiib maritime road aimed investing fostering collaboration southeast asia oceania north africa several contiguous bodies water journalist binoy kampmark points global research economic belt xi terms features concrete manifestations highspeed rail lines including one beijing moscow highways bridges internet connectivity turn complemented port development already seeing presence mediterranean indian ocean spearheading drive chinas stateowned enterprises two countries play important supporting roles uschina exchangerussia japan president xi said recently china devoted promoting new model majorcountry relationship us keeping comprehensive strategic partnership russia strengthening partnership eu chinas partnership europe involves trade investment environmental issues like russia broader specifically energy business trade high technology industry finance military politicaldiplomatic china military politicaldiplomatic relations us well different character according russian insider military160china russia engaging military exercises increasing scale frequency respective general staffs closely coordinate russia resumed arms technology sales to160china political diplomatic160china russia joint founder members shanghai cooperation organization actively coordinate foreign policy positions also work closely together support un security160council moscows partnership beijing become much stronger recent years russia major nuclear power roughly equivalent america sophisticated military technology hardware exceeding china selling offensive defensive weaponry lapse decades worlds two biggest countries size population long wary perceived need strengthen defenses brings closer whether ever form binding formal alliance known russias power adds china vice versa commenting relationship couple weeks ago xi declared strong united weak isolated time prc trying calm aroused washington michael swaine china expert carnegie endowment international peace washington recently told press chinese trying convey moderate softer message trying promote image flexible power chinese vice premier wang yang recently declared widely publicized speech prc ideas capabilities challenge displace americas global command russia shares china threat us military power periphery stratfor noted march 30 baltics black sea caspian united states search recruits encircle russia romania threw lot united states last year year turkey turkmenistan ones watch along russias frontier europe us military bustling activity bit bit united states expanding various military exercises banner operation atlantic resolve exercises began baltics poland last week expanded romania plans move bulgaria far missions smaller side consisting hundred troops given time meant test us ability rapidly deploy units countries practice receiving working forces additionally various headquarter units us army infantry brigades rotating assuming control operation atlantic resolve order practice joint command control several hundred american troops ukraine training kievs military symbolically significant xi jinping seated next president putin may 9 victory day parade moscow chinese military detachment part event celebrating 70th anniversary allied victory europe putin russian troops invited participate chinas celebration japans defeat september us britain france russias former allies boycotted moscow event new usjapan expanded military guidelines defense cooperation agreed washington japanese prime minster shinzō abe obama administration april 27 major geopolitical significance tokyo increase military role region assume robust international posture response growing chinese influence guidelines allow global washingtontokyo cooperation militarily ranging defense ballistic missiles cyber space attacks well maritime security china sharply criticized new guidelines calling attempt undermine beijing well geopolitical architecture asiapacific global times affiliated cpc declared new guidelines struck threatening pose toward china strongest driver east asias development know aggression sent dangerous signal regional stability washington also renewed strengthened americas ironclad commitment support japan territories tokyos administration japan china locked sharp disagreement rival claims tiny east china sea islets reefs large rocks sticking water conflict become serious confrontation obama administration evidently intervene behalf japan daily indian newspaper hindu reported may 1 officials united states quoted saying latest guidelinesupdated first time since 1997end geographic limits japanese military operate following permission parliament japanese forces participate military operations across globe current guidelines unrestricted respect geography us defense secretary ash carter quoted saying big changefrom locally focused globally focused observed analysts point changes usjapan pact inject substance president barack obamas pivot asia doctrine chinese say lays military groundwork containing beijings peaceful rise heretofore terms pacifist constitution imposed japan defeated world war confined japanese military fight japan selfdefense right wing abe government sought dispense constitution entirely majority japanese people strongly oppose step abe envisions japan becoming major military power asia actually tokyo already wields ninth largest military force world replete high technology weaponry china made amazing overture japan effort reduce tensions mk bhadrakumar reported may 27 china decided extend hand friendship japan describing precedentbreaking event beijing may 23 heavyweight politician japans ruling party leads 3000member delegation yes 3000 beijing chinese hosts spread grand dinner 3000 japanese guests great hall people president xi jinping makes apparently surprise carefully choreographed appearance dinner xi makes extraordinarily warm speech full conciliatory sentiments belying fame assertive leader stressing imperatives sinojapanese friendship two countries region world large heavyweight japanese politician steps forward front 3000strong delegation hands xi handwritten letter prime minister shinzo abe xi reciprocates conveying best regards abea thaw chinajapan ties seems work cynics might say abe habit sending handwritten letters counterparts countries japan strained relations south korea something beyond calls public diplomacy apparent contents tone speech xi made160while addressing goodwill delegation japan xinhua commentary noted onus leaders japan reciprocate friendly tone take concrete actions mend frayed ties china160the two neighbors showing spirit pragmatism considered unthinkable recently last november sidelines asia pacific economic cooperation summit xi abe held frosty meeting financial times reported april 30 washington giving idea risen china coopted stakeholder present global order implicitly suggesting washington going adopt much tougher stance toward china preserve geopolitical superiority article references new report china council foreign relations leading establishment voice foreign affairs titled revising us grand strategy toward china newspaper reports outlines plan draw together elements us power goal maintaining americas primacy east asia balancing beijings weight one thing nervous chinas neighbors powerful economic interest getting beijing us sought permanent preponderance would inviting collision unstoppable forces immovable objects come mind china united states want keep disputes within bounds proximate future possible demonstrated weeks public squabbling may 16 17 secretary state john kerry paid fifth visit china according may 26 report chinaus focus zhang zhixin chief american political studies china institutes contemporary international relations meaning highestlevel american official visited china year hot china policy debate going us obama administration strongly criticizing chinas reclamation south china sea kerrys visit regarded trip aimed denouncing beijing however judging result kerrys visit better characterized trip indepth communication early year american strategic circles started another round china policy debate socalled cracking cpc familiar rhetoric china threat made american china watchers believe consensus underlying us china policy collapsing kerrys constructive visit great importance critical moment first shows countries would like manage differences crises occur chinese leaders tried reassure us side still committed building new major power relationship second visit made timely preparation coming bilateral multilateral eventsincluding president xi jinpings first state visit us septemberthat could shape following two years sinous relations third secretary kerrys visit success deepened understanding two countries critical time reminds countries consensus easy reach hard actualize disputes two countries highlighted us misinterpretation chinas plans future development us side neither overestimate influence upon chinas future underestimate chinas ability explore way development chinese characteristics interestingly similar situation beijing surprise occurred weeks earlier kerry sent moscow talks president putin washingtons advance leaks suggested would read riot act russian leader ukraine situationbut opposite happened evidently least us concerns developing alliance russia china kerry turned dime meetings though receiving late instructions apparently white house concluded policy pouting denouncing china churlish demonstrably counterproductive even washingtons allies beginning look askance oval office shootfromthehip decisions however nothing else changed quest retain global rule pronounced ever danger level getting higher us china strong intelligent countries darwin said strongest species survives intelligent survives one adaptable change great changes already started pace intensify coming decadespolitically economically environmentally terms social systems world order one needed change replacing singlecountry global hegemony multicountry cooperation advancement humankind governments several rising countries help bring possible wont easy systemic changes needed societies well simply paper class exploitation gross inequality racism poverty state violence shredding ecologyand say thats change billions human beings alive today want world wealth sufficiently shared everyone least enough thats exaggeration billions live poverty want whether poverty prefers live world richest 1 global population remaining 99 thats world today must change | 4,400 |
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