Bill Clinton #4

In this section of Bill Clinton's My Life, Clinton is now running for the nomination to become the candidate for the presidency. With the New Hampshire primaries approaching, a woman named Gennifer Flowers said that Clinton had carried on an affair for twelve years with her. In order to defend himself of these charges, Bill and Hillary Clinton accept an offer of a televised interview. Clinton writes that they "wanted to defend against the scandal coverage and get back to the real issue without demeaning ourselves and adding fuel to the fire" (385). This choice shows how Clinton addressed the ethical as well as social dilemma of answering personal questions truthfully but without compromising the support he needed. During the session, the interviewer asked Clinton if he'd had any affairs. Clinton responded that he "acknowledged causing pain in my marriage, that I had already said more about the subject then any other politician ever had and... the American people understood what I meant" (385). Clinton's response to the personal attacks shows thought about his actions as well as remorse and reflect his ethical beliefs.

As the New Hampshire primaries closed in, questions about Clinton's character were still being raised. In a speech in Dover, Clinton addresses these concerns by saying "I'll tell you what I think the character issue is: Who really cares about you? Who's really trying to say what he would do specifically if he was elected president? Who has a demonstrated record of doing what they're talking about?" (391). Bill Clinton knew that people were wary of him but despite this he met the allegations head on because he felt he was the best candidate for the job. Clinton's opponent, Paul Tsongas disgreed and while campaining in the Midwest, Tsongas questioned his character concerning the middle-class tax cut Clinton wanted to introduce. The attack did not seem to hurt Clinton's numbers, however, for on the next day "we won in Illinois, Hillary's home state, with 52 percent... and in Michigan with 49 percent" (397). The numbers dont lie and instead tell us that Clinton's character seemed to be good enough for the voters and was good enough to lead him to victory.

Bill Clinton #3

In this next section of Bill Clinton's life, Clinton is forced to make a decision that could impact not only his life but the lives of many others. In 1987, Ronald Reagen was about to leave office and the Democratic Party was getting ready for the primaries. Clinton had a lot of support around the country to try and run for President but he was conflicted over the issue. He writes that he "was holding back. I know I would be a good candidate but I wasn't sure I had lived long enough to aquire the wisdom and judgement necessary to becomes President" (333). Clinton knew that if he ran for President and got elected, the lives of his nation would be in his hands and he wasn't sure that he could shoulder all that responsibility yet. In the end, the deciding factor for him was his daughter, Chelsea. Clinton had been talking to a friend about making a decision when she asked where they were going for summer vacation, to which he responded "I might not be able to take one if I ran for President. Chelsea replied, 'Then Mom and I will go without you.' That did it" (334). At that moment, Clinton realized that the place he needed to be most right then was home with his family and that it was more important to him to watch his daughter grow up now then to run for an office that he wasn't sure he was ready for. Though many were disappointed by his choice, Clinton knew that he had made the right decision for his consituents, his nation and his family.

OTW Post

In On the Waterfront, the the consequenses of speaking up are clear. Betray the mob and die for it. The mob bosses, Johnny Friendly and Charlie the Gent, enforce this standard for what they see to be their own protection. If they don't keep squealers under their thumbs, then their whole livlihood thats been built up on the docks will be crushed and they'll be jailed. Terry thinks along these lines as well, or at least on the other side of it. When Charlie is murdered, the connection between "talking" and "dying" is only reaffirmed in his mind which is why instead of going straight to the cops, he goes to take his revenge before he himself dies.

I think that there are a few differences between a whistle blower and a traitor. Mainly, what their motivations are and the consequences of not taking action. If someone is fueled by selfish desire, such as money or revenge or anything else personal, then they would be considered a traitor by exposing whatever illicit activity we're talking about. If the act is carried out with the intent to contribute to the greater good, then it would be considered noble in nature. Also, if the costs to society are so great that by not taking the initiative to stop whatever it is, then I believe that you are morally obligated to blow the proverbial whistle and by extent, failing to do so would be a traitorous act to the community affected. If either of these two conditions that I mentioned are fulfilled, I think that one should be considered a whistle blower and be benefiting society as a whole.

AMS Blog

In the play/book All My Sons by Arthur Miller, the character of Joe Keller makes a rash and uninformed decision to tell his employee and friend, Steve Deever, to cover a mistake that directly leads to 21 killed pilots. His reason in doing so, he explains it that he was trying to provide for his family and care for them. As he told his son Chris, "Chris...Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you" (70). He does his best to explain his actions to his son but he just can't understand what could drive him to do this. Joe thinks that by providing for his son with money, he is doing what is best.

I think that Joe's limited education and worldview makes his perspective on ethics narrow and limited to the people he knows personally, eg. his family and friends. Because of this he feels its completely justified to provide for his son the best way he knows how. Even though this meant that he sent his neighbor to prison, he still felt he was doing good by offering Steve a position back at the factory when he gets out. All this is understandable and rightous to Joe, but to Chris, who has more experience in the world and has really come to understand death and war the things his father did are sheer acts of immoral and preventable murder. Chris' view is that all actions have consequences beyond what we experience and that is something that has to factor into making a difficult decision. My personal views align with my interpretation of Chris' because we can't just look at whats around us, we have to think outside of that box and look beyond what we encounter every day.

"My Life" Part 2

In this next section of "My Life" by Bill Clinton, much talk goes on about the war in Vietnam that is occuring at this point in his life. This gives him lots of conflicting emotions concerning his options. As a recent graduate, he knows that he will be drafted soon, but his insider knowledge from working within the Foreign Relations Committee as an aide alerts him to the fact that the American public is being mislead. Clinton writes that "I remembered Bert Jeffries' letter telling me to stay away. I was really torn. As the son of a WWII veteran...I had always admired people who served in the military. Now I searched my heart, trying to determine whether my aversion to going was rooted in conviction of cowerdice" (157). Clinton's upbringing was of one that made him feel obligated to fight and though he knew that there was no real point to fighting, the guilt he would feel if he didn't go would be devestating as well. He didn't go in the end, but the experience still made an impression and "I always felt bad about escaping the risks that has taken the lives of so many of my generation whose claim to a future was as legitamate as mine"(161). Had Clinton ended up serving in the front lines, his life would have been very different at the very least and at most cut short. The fact that he is haunted by this knowledge speaks about his character as well as his respect for those who serve in war.



Another life changing experience that happened in this section was that Bill Clinton met his future wife, Hillary Rodham, at law school. Having never been in a lasting relationship prior to meeting her, this meeting has a significant effect on Clinton. Even after just seeing her he felt that "This wasn't just another tap on the shoulder, that I might be starting something I couldn't stop" (181). While maybe a slightly embellished memory for literary purposes, the message is clear that he knew she would be an important person in his life. Clinton was so enthralled by her that even though he had been asked to help Senetor McGovern of Arkansas to run for reelection, he turned down the offer to advance his political career to spend the summer in California with Hillary. When he told her of his desicion, "She was incredulous at first, because she knew how much I loved politics and how deeply I felt about the war. I told her I had the rest of my life for my work and my ambition, but I loved her and wanted to see if it could work out for us" (184). Clinton's surity that what he felt for Hillary was so important, it took priority over anything else in his life is not only intense, (they'd only been dating a month) but also turns out to lead to a choice that affects him for the rest of his life, namely his marriage to the future Hillary Rodham Clinton.



In the winter of 1969, Bill Clinton took a forty day trip through northern Europe and into Russia, meeting people and experiencing things that have impacts on him as a person but also affect him politically to some extent in the future. He encountered a Hatian woman whose husband and daughter were living in Paris. She gave his a traditional Russian hat and told him "'You were kind to me and made me have hope.' In 1994, when, as President, I made the decision to remove Haiti's military dictator, General Raoul Cedras...I thought of that good woman...and wondered if she ever went back to Haiti" (168). Meeting some of the people whom he later affected through his power as President was likely humbing when he put through policies as the head of the most powerful country in the world because even with all this influence, the impact he had on so many was always something to remember. Many natives were excited to see Americans and when people saw Clinton, they wopuld proudly welcome him to Moscow. They were friendly and fascinated by Americans. Through Clinton's experiences in Russia, he realized that "my country was still a beacon of light to people chafing under communism. Ironically, when I ran for President in 1992, the Republicans tried to use the trip against me, claiming that I had consorted with Communists in Moscow" (170-171). The positive experiences Clinton had in Russia helped to inspire him to help his nation although they also inspired fear in those who have always lived in freedom and are fearful of those who don't, whatever their desired may be.

Bill Clinton's "My Life"

I chose to read the autobiography of our 42nd president, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton III, entitled "My Life". President Clinton does indeed write of his whole life and the section that I read for this week explores his childhood through his freshman year at Georgetown University. Clinton's father died before his birth so his main father figure was his step-father, a car dealer but also an alcoholic. Clinton did love his step-father very much, enough to take his name, but that doesn't mean that he didn't recognise his problems. President Clinton's overall view of his step-father was that he was "fundamentally a good person...He was generous...smart and funny but he had that combustible mix of fears, insecurities and psychological vulnerabilities that destroys...so many addicts lives" (51). Roger Clinton was at many times a good parent to young Bill but that still can't erase all the bad times or the abuse. But he tried hard and Bill knew this and forgave him and loved him despite his weaknesses. Roger Clinton could also be violent at times and this left deep scars on Bill that caused so much pain that his brain simply blocked them out. The records of this abuse still exist though and when Bill found them later on, he'd "forgotten both instances, perhaps out of the denial experts say families of alcoholics engage in when they continue to live with them" (51). As a sort of self-defense mechanism, Bill's memories of the pain are dimmed and even forgotten, leaving happier times. This doesn't bother him so much though because he knows that those thoughts are buried for a reason and that knowing what happened won't help himself. The only thing he can do is keep moving foreward. President Clinton's step-father has a lot of influence in his life as his mother's husband. Even though he's not perfect, Bill Clinton still has love and respect for him to this very day.

Election 2008 and "The West Wing"

Today I read a hilarious but strangely eerie article about parallels between our current election and the last two seasons of the T.V series, "The West Wing". Four years ago, the writers of the show contacted David Axelrod, one of Obama's current chief strategists, and asked for information about Obama. Now, the similarities are astounding. The character, Jimmy Smits, is a Hispanic Congressional newcomer with two kids. He picks a Washington veteran as a running mate and refuses to advertise himself as a "brown candidate". Sounds familiar, no? It gets even crazier.

In "The West Wing", Mr. Smits' opponent is a old Senate dinosaur by the name of Vinick Alda who picks a side on an issue and sticks to it, refusing to pander to his constituents. His running mate is solidly conservative and Alda lacks in technological expertise. To further extend the coincidences, the writers wrote Mr. Smits as a Dylan fan, like Mr. Obama and the Phillies were even in the World Series.

I thought this article was really interesting because of the sheer number of coincidences that arose from this show. There was so much that the writers just happened to get right that it's just mindboggling.

In the end of the show, after a long election ordeal, Mr. Smits, the Democratic candidate emerges victorious. We can only hope that this is yet another parallel.

Stelter. Brian. "Following the Script - Obama, McCain and 'The West Wing'," New York Times 29 Oct 2008. 29 Oct 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/arts/television/30wing.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

New electives add fun, cut pressure

Today I read about Pelham Memorial High School, where 17 new electives were added to the curriculum this year. Among the new choices are classes such as; jewelery and metalsmithing, history of rock 'n' roll and military history. The school spent $125,000 in light of meeting No Child Left Behind standards to widen availiable course selections. Much of the demand for these courses is driven by parents and students looking to show well-roundedness in college resumes.

I think this is an interesting article because of the nation-wide trend of cutting electives in favor of core classes in order to meet standardized test scores. As a person who doesn't support No Child Left Behind, which I think was a short-sighted concept by the Bush Administration that doesn't factor in schools like Edina HS that can't do much better since they're already at the top, Pelham Memorial is a great example of what schools could be like with some real educational reform.

Hu. Winnie. "High Schools Add Electives to Cultivate Interests," New York Times 26 Oct 2008. 27 Oct 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/education/27electives.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Blog Picture

Sorry this photo isn't very clear on this page. There's a larger and better version on facebook.

Obama critic deported

Today I read an article describing an incident involving the Kenyan immigration authorities and a man from the US who wrote a book criticizing Senator Obama. The author, Jerome Corsi, was scheduled to present his book "The Obama Nation" in a Nairobi hotel. The book questions whether the candidate may be using drugs or be lying about his faith while secretly a Muslim. However, before he was able to start his presentation, Mr. Corsi was escorted back to the airport by Kenyan police. Corsi apparently broke no immigration laws. Senator Obama's approval rating in Kenya is 89%, partially owing to his Kenyan heritage.

While I support Senator Obama in the presidential race, I also believe that the actions taken by the Kenyan government are slightly extreme. I acknowledge that Kenyan laws differ from those in the United States but as an individual I don't believe that Mr. Corsi had to be returned to the states, silenced. This article made me appriciate our first amendment freedoms and also made me wonder what kind of race this would be if the government had control over the media. As our current administration is quite conservative, I think that the question is begged as to how much the liberal opinion might be suffocated without these civil liberties. Personally I don't think that we would have the same sort of presidential race at all, so I'm very glad to feel like my news isn't being as filtered as it might be in another part of the world.

Kanina, Wangul, Humphrey Malalo. "Kenya to deport U.S author of critical Obama book." Thompson Reuters 7 Oct 2008 7 Oct 2008 http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-politics/20081007/POLITICS-US-USA-POLITICS-CORSI/.

Blog Question 1 response

Homer was an outstanding writer and his works are among the most lasting in history, this however, does not mean that he radically modern in his views on women. While there are some great models of strong and confident women, these seem to be exceptions, rather than the rule. Penelope, the loyal wife of Odysseus is helpless to defend her home from the likes of her suitors and is left at their mercy, unable to assert herself because of her position as a mere female. This demonstrates to sheer domination that men had in Greek society. Even in her own house, Penelope was forbidden by rules of social decorum to establish authority over unruly strangers. Her son, Telemachus, is also helpless to oust the lawless suitors from the house of his father. Yet he still has command over his mother and on numerous occasions he bids her to go to her room and leave the affiars of the house to him. Even though Penelope is his mother and his elder, Telemachus' gender still gives him the status to issue orders to her.

Not only do the mortal women have less affluence than men, but the immortal women too are subject to a lower level of respect. Calypso complains of this injustice when told that she must release Odysseus from her caverns. She points out that the gods are allowed as many affairs and wives as they wish but when a goddess shows interest in a mortal, thwy are met with scandalized attitudes. Now, granted, if perhaps Caypso had picked a less prominant hero, she might have fared better. But the truth remains that she is forced to give up her love. The character of Circe can also be seen as a female who is portrayed in a dark sense. She is an immortal witch who turns Odysseus' men into swine, which is a rather unsubtle metaphor for the evils of women. Circe does turn the men back to human form and allows them to live with her in comfort, but as a character she does little but illustrate the obvious sexism within the story of the Odyssey.

Video Games as a Learning Source

On Monday CBS news posted a study about how prevailent video games are in our society and what the civic benefits of gaming are. I play video games fairly frequently so I read the study and found some of their results to be a little redundant, but I also found some to be very interesting.

One of the more surprising facts that I learned was exactly how many teens play video games.
"Fully 97% of teens ages 12-17 play computer, web, portable, or console games" (2).
Also, the study showed a correlation to teens who play video games and their level of civic interest. Basically, the more engaged they are into the social aspects of gaming, the more they are involved. Additionally, the quantity of gameplay did not have an impact on the results.

I think that this is an interesting study because it shows possible benefits to playing video games, which is traditionally frowned upon by the general parental population, at least in my personal experience.

Citation:
Lenhart, Amanda, Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, Alexandra Macgill, Chris Evens and Jessica Vitak. "Teens, Video Games and Civics." Pew Internet and American Life Project 16 Sep 2008 19 Sep 2008 .

Welcome Post

Good morning! Ahh... I have yet to understand how the whole blogging thing works. It probably doesn't help that I don't read directions. Oh well, live and learn, right? Anyway, this is going to be my blog for the year. Once I get a sense of how to do this it should be filled with insightful and creative ideas. With any luck at all. And hopefully I'll become a more avid reader through doing this too! (If that's even possible.) At any rate, I think I'll have fun with this blog.

~Viv~