American Civilization

I’ve just finished the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  The book takes place during World War II on the island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands.

The story unfolds through a series of letters.  In the words of English literature, that’s called the epistolary tradition.  Most the story is about the German occupation of the island during the war.  I hadn’t realized that the Germans took over Guersey in 1940 and that the people of the island were cut off from any Allied nation until the end of the war.

I haven’t been able to discover whether there’s a translation of the book in French.  But, I would highly recommend it as a good read.  To see a short video (in English) about the book, click here.

Frankly, until reading the book, I hadn’t really thought much about any of the Channel Islands.  Which makes me wonder:  have any of you ever been to Guernsey?  If so, what’s it like?  After all, you’re a lot closer to the English Channel than I am out here in California!  I’d look forward to any response…..

A special election will be held this coming Tuesday in Massachusetts to elect the replacement for the seat Ted Kennedy held in the U.S. Senate. Kennedy was a member of the Democratic Party, and, given the state’s long Democratic tradition, it would should have been a shoe-in for the candidate from the Democratic Party.  NOT!

The Democratic nominee, Martha Coakley, finds herself in a dead heat against the Republic nominee, Scott Brown.

So, what’s happened in Massachusetts?

Was the Democratic Party leadership so sure of themselves, that they may lose the election due to complacency?
Is the dead heat an indication of the problems that other Democratic candidates may fact in a Democratic backlash?

This particular Senate seat – #60 – would provide the Democratics in the Senate the number necessary to pass legislation.  Without  the retention of this seat, much of Obama’s agenda may be in jeopardy.   Some indication of the 2010 political direction will be much clearer after Tuesday.  Stay tuned!

This new year, 2010, promises to be an important one for California.  In the November 2010 election, the state will select a new governor and decide on a U.S. senator.  In addition, there will be most likely  a number of initiatives on the ballot for voters to consider.  One possible area of the voter initiative process is to require California to hold a new constitutional convention. Many in the state think it’s time for California to hold a constitutional convention to correct some of the myriad problems here.

The last few years have not been kind to Califonia.  Much of the state’s infrasturture is crumbling – from transportation to water systems.  While California schools were once considered the best in the nation, today the schools are among the worst.  The system of higher education is facing the flight of talented academic and inadequate space for potential students. There’s not even enough room in prisons to hold those convicted of crimes.

A number of these problems result from what’s called “political gridlock” in the state legislature.  Both budgets and tax increases need a 2/3 majority to pass;  such a requirement gives the Republican minority (who do not support tax increases at all) an effective veto on most matters related to budgets.  And, while many in the state enjoy the direct democracy of the initiative system, it’s quite possible for voters to pass costly spending initiatives with no provision to pay for them.

So, California, known for its stellar entertainment and high tech industries, can proudly describe itself as the world’s eighth-largest economy.  But, the state is too broke to pay for services for its citizens since there’s no way to raise public monies.  One hope in this year’s election, is that a constitutional convention could eventually be held to solve some of these problems.  We’ll just have to wait and see….

When Bill Clinton first ran for president, the mantra of his  campaign was “It’s the economy, stupid.”  It almost seems to me that the mantra of this first Obama administration will be defined by its pursuit of health care.  That’s not to say that there are not many other very important issues  – from Afghanistan to the economy – but whether or not Obama is successful in his efforts to provide health care reform I think will matter the most.

I was reminded recently that many past presidents have tried to reform health care.  The list includes Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.  None of them were successful in their endeavors.  And, the Obama administration is close to making it happen.

Sure, there are many contentious details in the debate.  Should a public option be included?  Should coverage allow for a woman’s abortion?  And, while these details are important, if Obama’s leadership is successful at some health care reform, that is the beginning of a very important process.  According to Newsweek writer Jacob Weisberg, “If Obama accomplishes nothing else, he may be judged the most consequentila domestic president since LBJ.”

Given the access to health care in France, I’m not sure any of you can understand how stressful this issue is to many Americans.  As an educator, I’ve been very fortunate to have access to health care.  But, many people I know don’t have that option.  And, right now, my school district is in the process of cutting back on health care provisions for many of my current and former colleagues. I can only hope that Obama is successful in his reform efforts for their sakes.

Last Tuesday  the San Francisco Bay Bridge was closed.  A 5,000-pound steel beam
and two steel tie-rods crashed down on the upper level of the bridge.  These parts
had been holding together a key support structure for the bridge.  Fortunately, only
3 vehicles were damaged and no one was hurt.  But, the commute between San
Francisco and the East Bay has been disastrous for many drivers.

The Bay Bridge connects San Francisco and Oakland with a tunnel through Yerba
Buena Island.

The bridge, which  is 8.4 miles long, originally opened in 1936.  It suffered damage
in the 1989 earthquake here and continuing construction has been trying for the
last 20 years to make necessary earthquake-safe repairs.  The part that broke
was a temporary structure that was part of that process.

Reportedly, a half a million cars travel across the bridge daily.  And, now all of those
cars need to find another way to get across the bay!

I’m enjoying that people are using public transportation in great numbers.  One
way to get across the bay is BART, a subway which goes under the water.  Many
here are not in the habit of regularly using BART, but ridership records have been
broken this week as people leave their cars at home and take the subway.  Last night
I was returning from San Francisco at 11:30 p.m. and there was standing room only
on BART!  That’s very unusual for the car-loving American public.

While work on the bridge is happening ’round the clock, it’s not clear when the
bridge will reopen.

I awoke this morning and heard the report that Barack Obama had been awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize.  First I thought that maybe I wasn’t quite awake and that
I hadn’t heard the name correctly.  But, of course, I had.  I continued to be stunned
for most of the day.  And I guess I wasn’t alone.

That’s not to say he isn’t deserving of the award; it’s just that it was a completely
unexpected.

As I listened to various reports throughout the day, I learned that the award is
not just given to those who have taken actions which have resulted in a more
peaceful world, but that it’s also given to those whose vision helps to create a more
peaceful world.

So much for my last post – the one which was questioning Obama’s future!

BTW, I’m curious about the European perspective.  Do you think the Nobel Peace
Prize committee made a good decision?

I read recently that Obama has a  88% approval rate in France.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case in the United States at the moment. Many
accounts that I’ve read or heard recently seem to suggest that he’s losing support.

And, I’m not simply referring to those who are still questioning whether he’s
really a U.S. citizen!

A recent cartoon in the strip called Doonesbury seemed to be critical of his
policies…though many of my friends and I couldn’t decide the exact target
of the cartoon strip.  You may want to check out the Doonebury cartoons
yourself here.

And, I’ve heard many complaints that Obama has been spending too much time
talking rather than acting.  Part of that has been his recent parade on lots of t.v.
programs – from news to late night talk shows.

I guess a politician is always in the position of trying to keep his ratings intact.  I
wonder if this eloquent spokesman really knew what he was getting into with his new
job.  Wonder how he’s feeling about now as he’s trying to balance health care,
energy policy, Iran’s nuclear capability, conflict in Afghanistan, and everything
else – while keeping political support.

Here he is

He’s Charles Rivkin, the U.S. ambassador to France.

I heard an interesting report on the radio this morning; the claim was that Obama is continuing in the tradition of naming some ambassadors based on their political contributions.  Charles Rivkin was one of the names mentioned.  That led me to try to find out more about Mr. Rivkin.

He’s had quite a lot of business experience. He was a financial analyst before he joined the Jim Henson Company.  At that entertainment company he held several executive positions, including that of CEO.  Outside of the business world, he’s been on a committee as a homeland security adviser.

But, he does come from a family which has long supported Democratic candidates.  His father William R. Rivkin, a Democratic insider and well-regarded diplomat who died in Dakar in 1967, was awarded several posts as political appointments.   And now,47 year old  Charles Rivkin, the son, has been appointed to a post – the youngest person to be the ambassador to France in 56 years.

It didn’t hurt Rivkin that he raised over $500,000 for Barack Obama in Southern California last year,

But, I think that’s only part of the picture.  It also seems that Rivkin has a background suitable for this position. He was graduated from Yale with a degree in international relations.  In addition, he received his MBA from Harvard – plus he spent years when he was young studying, traveling, and working in France, including at internship at Renault.  Over the past 20 years his business interests have regularly taken him to France.  Plus, he speaks French!

So, yes, it does seem like Obama is continuing the tradition of “non- career appointees” to foreign service posts, but at least in this case, he has appointed someone who seems qualified.

I was shocked to hear this morning’s news that Senator Edward Kennedy died last night.  Not only was he an effective legislator, but he was the lone male survivor of his generation of the iconic  Kennedy  family.  His voice during the negotiations about health reform in the U.S. will be sorely missed.

I think I was especially shocked by his death because it felt so sudden.  True, he hadn’t been seen in public recently, even missing the funeral of his sister Eunice Shriver.  But, I had been fortunate to see him in the Senate chambers last April during the budget deliberations.  He did only arrive on the floor during the final day of the Senate, but he looked terrific:  robust and healthy – not emaciated and sick. It doesn’t seem possible to me that he could be dead.

Earlier today I heard an interview with Kennedy  from  February of 2008 during the presidential primary season.  I was especially moved by one of his statements and decided to use it in class today as we began our new school year:
“All of us do better when we’re challenged.”

May you rest in peace and may you be an inspiration for us this coming year, Senator Kennedy……

What did you do during your vacation?

Can you guess what I did on mine?  See my last post for some clues.