Nobody 675

Sunday, December 3, 2006
Nobody # 675

Nobody Asked Me But:

















“As you can see, I had enough left over for chips and guacamole.”<<<

Welcome to December. Do you know December's motto? I thought not. It's "No time like the presents.”<<<

An article in the NY Times last week was headed: Cities Compete in Hipness Battle to Attract Young.

They mentioned two places from my youth, Lansing and Memphis. I was born in the former and they did offer a lot to the young – a small hospital to handle my birth, and a doctor’s office where I had my tonsils removed while being calmed with lies that “this won’t hurt” and “you can have plenty of ice cream afterwards,” while they put me to sleep by dripping chloroform on to a cloth held over my face.

As for Memphis, what more could the young ask for than a non-virgin club in my high school. The only problem was that I knew nothing about it until it made headlines all over the country, and by that time we were long gone to Arizona.

One hip city that was glaringly overlooked was Granada Hills where we have a new McDonalds and three Ralph’s markets, two across the street from one another.<<<

Quote of the week comes from evolving conservative, Clint Eastwood: “It's not that you shouldn't defend your country, but I just think you can say to a younger generation, here or anywhere, that there must be a better way to live than to send 18-year-olds to go die somewhere."

A matter of ethics – two cases:

Q - We could enroll our older daughter in a school for gifted children or in a very good school for children who are bright but not gifted. The attraction of the latter is that it has a strong sibling admissions policy, all but ensuring her younger sister’s acceptance. Should we consider our younger child’s interests in deciding where to send her sister? David, Los Angeles

JT - Would you deny your older daughter an education at Julliard because your younger one is not as musically inclined? I didn’t think so. One of the very best gifts we can give our children is to teach them that, even within a strong family bond, they are unique and special. Assuming that the first school is not only gifted, but desirable, send your older daughter there. Then seek out the school for your younger daughter that best meets her ability level.

Q - I teach ethics to 17- to 19-year-olds in Bavaria. By law, Muslim students attend ethics lessons instead of Christian studies. My class also includes Protestants and Catholics and some nonreligious students, an interesting mix. Some Muslims, often very religious, ask if I am religious. Shall I tell the truth (I’m not religious, but accept any nonfundamentalist religious belief), or avoid answering so as not to confuse them or cause conflict in their families? Peter, Germany

JT - This begs an interesting question – especially for an ethics teacher. Obviously in most instances it is unethical to lie. But does the same rule apply to avoiding a question? Can you just say, “Since this is an ethics class, my religious beliefs are irrelevant?” I think not. Even though ethics and religion can be completely separate, in many minds they are deeply entwined. I think that ethically speaking you owe your students a truthful answer so that they can adjust to any bias that may, even without intent, creep into your teaching. Thoughts?<<<

I am reading a highly recommended book, (I just can’t remember who recommended it) “Is Democracy Possible Here; Principles For A New Political Debate,” by Ronald Dworkin who is a law professor at New York University and at University College, Oxford.

In an early chapter, he quotes from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The Newter, a self-anointed semi-intellectual, paints a strangely simplistic canvas of the differences between America’s Reds and Blues. Since the theme of Dworkin’s book is how to rediscover political debate as opposed to our current political war, I thought it would be interesting to test myself against Gingrich’s assumptions.

CAMP 1 - BLUE

Let’s take them one by one in order to see whether Newt’s principles are phony labels.

Newt - Blues are elites who want to:

1. Drive God out of public life.

If by public, Newt means political, i.e., government, then I stand with the Founding Fathers (and with Jesus) in their desire to separate Caesar and God.

2. Scorn American history.

I love American history. That’s why I taught it for so long. Recognizing faults does not cancel love.

3. Support economic regulation over freedom and competition.

I support a compromise between regulation and free enterprise. So did Newt, every time he voted for a farm subsidy or a corporate bailout.

4. Like the NY Times and are internationalists.

Isn’t everyone except Pat Buchanan to some degree an internationalist? I would bet that even Gingrich does not disdain working with the international community whenever possible. As for the NY Times, I plead guilty. If I turned red and had to give it up, I would miss reading the best conservative columnist in the country – David Brooks.

CAMP 2 – RED

Now for the big question - can I find any common cause with the “reds?”

Newt – Reds are:

1. Proud of our history.

Anybody who is absolutely proud of our history needs either a refresher course in that history or one in morality. But, like Walt Whitman, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” This means I can be both proud and ashamed of our past. I believe that we are the greatest nation ever, but one that has committed monstrous crimes. I will mention three glaring ones, but there are others – our genocidal policy towards the Indians, our long-term commitment to slavery and our 100-year support of segregation.

2. Know how integral God is to understanding American exceptionalism.

Here I can’t qualify. I do not believe in God. As for exceptionalism , the word smacks of the very elitism of which Gingrich accuses the Blues. You can’t have it both ways Newtster.

3. Know how vital the creative and competitive spirit is to being American.

Once again, I have to plead Whitman. I love our creativity but feel ambivalent about our competitive spirit. Much of it is based on greed and selfishness, two human qualities that fuel success and have made us wealthy and powerful beyond belief – but that leave behind a large segment of losers whose bitterness and despair have a very long half-life. On the other hand, much goodness comes out of competing with ones-self to be the very best.

4. Believe that the world is worth defending even if it irritates our allies.

To begin with, Newt is being disingenuous here. Our allies believe the world is worth defending. What we sometimes differ on are the when’s, where’s and whys. If our cause is just and, despite our efforts to bring them along, our allies still withhold support, then I am all for going alone. IF OUR CAUSE IS JUST!

Iraq quotes of the week – both by Thomas Friedman of the NY Times:

“We need to face our real choices in Iraq, which are - 10 months or 10 years.” “

Anyone who tells you that we can just train a few more Iraqi troops and police officers and then slip out in two or three years is either lying or a fool.”<<<

Here’s what was “Bruin” last week.

Basketball:

Number 1 UCLA 88, Long Beach State 58! Player of the game: Josh Shipp.

Football:

UCLA 13, USC-BCS 9! Player of the game: Eric McNeal.