American Civilization

I’ve been reading a book (The Grace of Silence) by Michele Norris,  journalist and NPR (National Public Radio) commentator.  It’s a memoir in which she tries to address the issue of race in America.  Yes, we do have an African-American president, but that still hasn’t made it that much easier for serious conversations about race in America’s history.

I’ve appreciated her observation that in the historical focus on African-Americans in the U.S., we sort of leap from slavery to the 20th century Civil Rights Movement, which is well represented by such personalities as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.  And, what many of us have missed is the role of the black soldiers returning from fighting in World War II.  These soldiers went off to fight for their country in a struggle against racist atrocities.  On their return they expected to be treated with the respect they deserved.

And they weren’t.  In fact, some of these veterans became victims of racist police officers – jailed, attacked, and even killed – when all they wanted was to be treated with the equality they deserved.  Norris learned about many of these situations when she investigated her family history and learned that her father had been shot by the police, an episode in his life that he never shared with his wife or daughter.

She wonders why he wouldn’t talk about the incident and sort of concludes that it was too hurtful to him or that he didn’t want to pass hatred on to her.

If you’re interested in the role of race in the U.S., I’m definitely recommend this book.

I’ve just finished reading a book about the roundup of Jews in Paris in July of 1942.  I must admit that I was quite shocked.  Certainly I knew about the occupation of Paris during World War II and about the collaboration of the Vichy government.  And, I knew that French Jews had been sent to concentration camps.  But, I was shocked to read about the roundup orchestrated in Paris and carried out by the French police.  And, I was especially shocked by the location of the former Vel’ d’Hiv’.  If I’m correct, it was probably somewhere in the vicinity of the Bir-Hakeim metro stop. I’ve walked there lots of time and never even knew what had happened there.

Reading the book led me to try to find out more information about this tragic event, including locating some photos, such as this one:

American students do study about the Holocaust.  Do French students also?  And, do French students learn about events such as this one in Paris?

I do understand that there is a yearly commemoration of this incident and that in 1995 Jacques Chirac officially acknowledged France’s complicity in the murder and deportation of the Jews of Europe.

This Friday, April 22, will be the 41st celebration of Earth Day.  Take a look at this retrospective made last year to honor Mother Earth.

Last Sunday, Oakland, California, hosted a running festival.  Oakland is across the bay from San Francisco and adjacent to where I live.  Often Oakland is in the news for its high number of homicides, but this week the city was in the news for a stellar running event.

My friend Bruce was running the marathon in celebration of an upcoming birthday; it was his first marathon.

Here’s Bruce:

As planned, I met him towards the end of the race at Lake Merritt.

Then, I ran with him until the end.

I used to run quite a bit myself, but I haven’t so much recently.  But, I just finished a book called Born to Run.  I found it very inspirational.  Its thesis is that humans were born to run. With stamina and a team effort, early humans could successfully hunt for their food.  Also, according to the book, a lot of the tools which have been developed to help runners have actually been detrimental to their bodies.  For instance, it argues that  running shoes with too much support don’t allow the body to run naturally and can result in injuries.

It felt good to be running again and to be part of this community event.  Maybe next year I’ll even try to be part of it for real!

Of course, the damage here is not close to the tragedy unfolding in Japan.  But, the West coast of the U.S. was also affected by the Japanese earthquake and consequent tsunami.

Two California cities, Crescent City and Santa Cruz, were especially affected.  Crescent City is in the north part of the state, close to the border with Oregon.  Santa Cruz is about 70 miles south of San Francisco.

Warnings were issued to Californians last Friday, so there was some time to get prepared before the tsunami struck.

None the less, there was still significant damage in the harbors.

The latest figure I heard this morning on the radio was an estimated cost of $50 million worth of damage for California.

People in Santa Cruz are still waiting to be allowed to return to the harbor to see exactly what has happened.

I’m guessing you’ve all read about the standoff in Wisconsin.  The state’s governor, Scott Walker, has proposed ending collective bargaining for public employees as a way to balance the budget.  In response, there have been continuous demonstrations in the state for the last week or so.  And, the state’s senators have gone to the neighboring state of Illinois in order to prevent a vote on his proposal.

This situation has led to much discussion about the necessity of labor unions and reminds me of the early days of union advocacy.  As Britain industrialized in the 1800s, many workers were subjected to long hours, horrid conditions, low pay, and the threat of being laid off.   Workers wanted to form associations in an attempt to improve their circumstances.  And, the British government denied the workers that right.  The government saw unions as a threat to social order and stability.  However, the workers desire for representation in the market place prevailed and the British government was forced to unhappily accept unions after 1825.

Key to a union is the role of collective bargaining, meetings in which negotiations take place between worker representatives and the employers.  Walker’s proposal would end that process.

As  many of the states in the U.S. are in financial difficulty, some unions have been willing to make compromises over wages and benefits.  But, it seems that the proposal to eliminate collective bargaining as a concept has not met with much support.  A recent poll reports (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-02-22-poll-public-unions-wisconsin_N.htm) reports that 61% of the Americans polled would not support such a change.  And, I’m guessing that has much to do with history as a concern over today’s budget imbalances.

Two more unrelated thoughts:
As a public school teacher, I am in a union, so I’m probably not unbiased.
Much of America’s economic problems today  result from the failures of big private businesses (energy companies, banks, real estate firms, investment houses, etc.) and those institutions most definitely did not have unions.  Why should the unions of  public employees now become the enemy?

This Monday, February 21, is a federal holiday in the U.S. A “federal” holiday is one that is observed by all public institutions: schools, postal services, libraries, government offices, and even banks.

This holiday is observed in honor of two American presidents – specifically George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both men had birthdays in February. Once upon a time there were two holidays during February, but the holiday was streamlined in 1968 legislation. At that time it was decided that the third Monday in February would be the designated holiday to observe the presidential birthdays. That act took effect in 1971 and the result was one holiday in February instead of two. However, it did provide an annual three-day weekend in the process.

Why George Washington?

First of all, he was one of the Virginia delegates to the Continental Congress which met in Philadelphia in May of 1775. At that meeting he was elected to be Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. He took command of his poorly trained troops and began the task to defeat the British.

After American independence he was among those who recognized the problems with the Articles of Confederation and took steps which would lead to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, he was elected to be the first president of the United States. He held the presidency for two terms.

Why Abraham Lincoln?

Lincoln gained attention when he ran in the Senate race in Illinois in 1858. During that campaign he targeted what he saw as the most critical issue facing the nation: a country deeply divided – in part over the issue of slavery. At the state capital in Springfield in June of 1858 he delivered his memorable speech suggesting that the nation could not continue with such a division:
« A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.”

Note: It was at this same Illinois statehouse where Barack Obama announced that he was running for the 2008 presidential nomination.

Lincoln lost that 1858 election, but he gained the nomination for president in 1860 and was elected to be the 16^th president. As president he insisted that secession was illegal and was willing to use force to defend Federal law and the Union.

So, while Lincoln is most often identified with an anti-slavery position, the Civil War began not so much about the issue of slavery but more about the integrity of the nation. In some ways he became an accidental abolitionist. Most notably, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the act which declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.

I think what I noticed most about last night’s speech was the difference in tone from last year’s State of the Union address.  This year the event seemed so much more subdued, maybe even more calm.  That was probably the result of the attempted assassination on one of Congress’s own members, Gabby Giffords.

Both Obama’s speech and the Republican response to the State of the Union address made sure to refer to her.

Yes, there was a sense of the requested civility in the crowd.  Yes, Democrats and Republicans were sitting together.  I thought it was interesting that both John Kerry and John McCain, both senators with an unsuccessful bid for the presidency were seated together.

It seemed, too, that for every « Democratic » issue, Obama tried to balance it with a « Republican » issue.  For instance, while Obama urged the support of American troops and the military in general, he also acknowledged the more inclusive armed forces.  Since the repeal of « Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, » anyone may have an opportunity to join the military regardless of whom he/she loves.  I noticed that the military commanders in uniform  sitting in the front row did not stand to applaud that part of the speech.

I think, too, there was quite a bit of raw emotion at last night’s event.  When Obama spoke of the opportunity to succeed in America  for those from more humble origins,  he re-told the stories of both Vice President Biden and Speaker of the House John Boehner.  I saw tears in Boehner’s eyes.  When he talked of American ingenuity, he told the story of the man who designed and had built the tunnel which would rescue the Chilean miners.  He seemed to be crying, too.  And, I hadn’t even heard of him before last night.

There was the most humorous moment: the one about salmon.  It seems that one governmental department is in charge of fresh water salmon and another department is in charge of salt water salmon.  Obama asked who was in charge of smoked salmon to the laughter of his audience.

After the official State of the Union address, Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican gave the official opposing  response.

While he did begin with his concerns for Giffords, he rather quickly began attacking much of Obama’s speech in his demand for « smaller government » and deficit reduction.  But, maybe that’s the role of the response  to the State of the Union address.

Most Americans will have tomorrow off as a holiday to celebrate the work of  Martin Luther King, Jr.

Using tactics like those of Gandhi, he courageously led the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.  In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

He is most known for the « I have a dream » speech that he gave during the March on Washington in August, 1963.  While most of us have heard the reference to the speech on many occasions, it’s worth watching the speech in its entirety.

Saturday morning, as I was sitting at my computer, I was first alerted to the shootings in Tucson, Arizona.  (Tucson is located in the southern part of this western state.)

First reports said that the Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had been killed.  I was horrified.  I could not leave the computer and kept checking for updates.  By about noon, it was clear that six people had been killed, but that Giffords was still alive, though critically injured.

Now I look at photos of the alleged shooter.  In so many of the pictures, he seems so ordinary.  How could such a person commit such a horrible act?

It’s true that America’s « love affair » with guns makes weapons so much more accessible than many places.  But, America is not the only place where political assassinations have occurred.  Think India, Pakistan, Israel.

It’s also true that many of the verbal attacks during the recent election were quite strident.  But, the U.S. is not the only country with heated political dialogue.  Think of  the rather boisterous meetings of the British Parliament.

But, what exactly would propel this 22 year old to head to a supermarket parking lot on a Saturday morning and start shooting people? How could someone shoot a 9 year old?  I just don’t get it.  I am so saddened by these needless deaths.

Giffords’  name is now a household word.  Once known primarily to the people of Arizona, she’s now known globally.   If she survives, she’ll have lots of people watching to see what she does.

I am glad that President Obama will travel to Arizona for the memorial this Wednesday.  The nation is in need of healing which perhaps presidential leadership can provide.