I have had little direct contact with Fisk University, some concerts in my younger years. My few black friends went to Tennessee State.
Back in the '60s, as US colleges and universities integrated and recruited minority students, it was predictable that historically black colleges and universities would struggle, and some would fail.
A decade or so ago there was an article in the Tennessean recalling some of Fisk's accomplishments, including a high percentage of its students going on to academic graduate and advanced professional schools. It became clear that Fisk is a community treasure, as deserving of annual citizen support as our symphony, opera, library, public broadcasting, zoo, United Way and our own alma maters, deserving also a few rich patrons. I later learned that one of my thoughtful and influential friends had organized some existential help for Fisk in the '80s.
Given recent news of Fisk's financial state, it's a good time to consider these things. Their address is: Fisk University, Office of Institutional Advancement; 1000 17th Av N; Nashville TN 37208-3051.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Gobal warming / Reaganism
"Unwelcome truth is better than cherished error" - attributed by Google to E G Conklin, 1936 president of the American Association for Advancement of Science. This dictum comes to mind when the Tennessean publishes columns of Thomas Sowell, Cal Thomas and now Phil Valentine as well as numerous letters repeating conservative talk-show rejections of scientific findings demonstrating global warming, the causes and consequences of its accelerating time course. Is it possible that these writers cherish their errors because they are wedded to Reaganism?
Beginning in 1980 I judged from Reagan's campaign slogans and policy initiatives about free trade, deregulation, taxation and family planning that he would usher in a period of increasing and accelerating resource depletion, destruction of natural support systems (oceans, soils), off-shoring of manufacturing jobs, transfer of wealth from American laborers to managers and investors, negative trade balance, government debt, bankruptcy rate, homelessness, world overpopulation, population dislocations, resource wars, anxiety and paranoia - all this for a temporary delay of inflation. Global warming, we now know, is another consequence of Reagan's faith in unfettered market forces as sufficient determinants of economic decisions.
Beginning in 1980 I judged from Reagan's campaign slogans and policy initiatives about free trade, deregulation, taxation and family planning that he would usher in a period of increasing and accelerating resource depletion, destruction of natural support systems (oceans, soils), off-shoring of manufacturing jobs, transfer of wealth from American laborers to managers and investors, negative trade balance, government debt, bankruptcy rate, homelessness, world overpopulation, population dislocations, resource wars, anxiety and paranoia - all this for a temporary delay of inflation. Global warming, we now know, is another consequence of Reagan's faith in unfettered market forces as sufficient determinants of economic decisions.
Friday, October 5, 2007
No more preemptive wars please
* At least 10 recent syndicated columns contain the endorsement of preemptive war: "We need to fight them over there so we won't have to fight them here." This pernicious sentiment holds "them" to be sub-human, as did our slave holders, our KKK and Adolph Hitler. It is music to bin Laden's ears. Al-Qaida and other Islamists couldn't contrive a more effective recruiting scheme.
* People resent foreigners killing their kinfolk on their own soil, and they don't forgive the humiliation of armed foreigners breaking down their doors. Occupation generates hatred and resistance by those directly affected and their sympathizers, and it eventually demoralizes the occupiers.
* Considering the above dynamic, one can predict that preemptive invasion and occupation of Muslim states by western states will look like a crusade morphing into something approaching genocide - adding to a long history of betrayal, domination, colonization, population dislocation, arbitrary geographic divisions, political interference and exploitation.
* It's time (before attacking Iran) to try a regime of improved international cooperation on intelligence and policing, international good will, cooperative problem solving and development of non-carbon energy sources - this along with a moratorium on preemptive war, proportional military response to attacks on American interests abroad and disproportional military retaliation (without occupation) in response to attacks on our own soil.
* The risk to any given American, incident to such a regime, would be far less than those of our own medical errors, transportation mishaps, criminal behavior, neglect of vulnerable people, natural disasters, etc.
* People resent foreigners killing their kinfolk on their own soil, and they don't forgive the humiliation of armed foreigners breaking down their doors. Occupation generates hatred and resistance by those directly affected and their sympathizers, and it eventually demoralizes the occupiers.
* Considering the above dynamic, one can predict that preemptive invasion and occupation of Muslim states by western states will look like a crusade morphing into something approaching genocide - adding to a long history of betrayal, domination, colonization, population dislocation, arbitrary geographic divisions, political interference and exploitation.
* It's time (before attacking Iran) to try a regime of improved international cooperation on intelligence and policing, international good will, cooperative problem solving and development of non-carbon energy sources - this along with a moratorium on preemptive war, proportional military response to attacks on American interests abroad and disproportional military retaliation (without occupation) in response to attacks on our own soil.
* The risk to any given American, incident to such a regime, would be far less than those of our own medical errors, transportation mishaps, criminal behavior, neglect of vulnerable people, natural disasters, etc.
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