Month: June 2003

Dinesh D’Souza wrote a compelling Why I am an Anti-Anti American . (Thanks, Binkley). It is a little too rosy-colored (look at murder rate, CO2 emissions, failure to ratify the ICC and gross military expenditures). I have usually been surprised at how many of my European friends preferred living in the Netherlands, New Zealand or Canada. D’Souza writes, “America has achieved greater social equality than any other society. True, there are large inequalities of income and wealth in America. In purely economic terms, Europe is more egalitarian. But Americans are socially more equal than any other people, and this is unaffected by economic disparities. Alexis de Tocqueville noticed this egalitarianism a century and a half ago and it is, if anything, more prevalent today. For all his riches, Bill Gates could not approach the typical American and say, “Here’s a $100 bill. I’ll give it to you if you kiss my feet.” Most likely, the person would tell Gates to go to hell! The American view is that the rich guy may have more money, but he isn’t in any fundamental sense better than anyone else. “

Peacecorpswriters.org is a literary site with great travel essays. Looking in the archives, I found this essay about anAmazing Postcard. In the early 1960’s, a PCV from Nigeria sent a postcard which jeopardized the entire Peace Corps program. One forgets how much impact that words (especially carelessly chosen ones!) can have.

For an idea about what my Peace Corps experiences look like, look at this Albania Peace Corps weblog. Unfortunately, it has not been updated recently. This is a really cool idea–overseas Americans blogging about their experiences. Sinosplice, for example, keeps a list of TOEFL Teachers in China.

I talked to a pregnant Chinese woman at my apartment complex yesterday, and she reminded me about China’s strict one child policies. One can argue about whether this policy is humane or even necessary (I for one feel that economic prosperity will do more to reduce the birth rate than any law), but she made an interesting point. She said that it reduces the number of aunts and uncles that future children will have to practically zero. Eventually, it will make the extended family a thing of the past. One only wonders what are the social and political implications of that.

Here is a fascinating in-depth account of Bush’s actions and schedule on the day of the Word Trade Center terrorist attack.

This is an amazing article. I don’t believe in the conspiracies hinted at by the articles (although they are not far-fetched). The article raises many puzzling questions. First, although the Secret Service in Florida seemed aware of the second WTC attack before Bush began his appearance at the elementary school, the information did not trickle to Bush until the reading session began. Second, according to a video available at the website, Bush sat in his chair for 5-10 minutes with the children after being told by Andrew Card that his country was under attack. Admittedly, it was an awkward and disconcerting situation for Bush and his entourage, but it still leaves unanswered why Bush wasn’t whisked away immediately after being told (especially when delays in Presidential Orders might have jeopardized response time from the US military). Fourth, apparently, Bush flew from Air Force One at 10:00 AM without any sort of military escort. This air escort didn’t arrive for at least an hour. Imagine that–the nation with the most powerful military machine in the world had sent the US president unescorted into airspace when it was clear that dozens of airplanes were flying unaccounted for (and possible suspects for hijacking). All this is less a statement of Bush’s failures than the missteps that occur at the opening moments of any crisis situation. It is also a sign that our government leaders, despite the bravado and confidence of our military might, are not invulnerable or omniscient. It is simply impossible for any organization to filter information fast enough to arrive at a coherent policy of action. It is also worrisome that the White House press spokesmen failed to correct details in previous statements it gave to the press which were later proved to be inaccurate. I realize that press spokesmen have lots of things on their mind, but this only illustrates that the White House primary mission is not factual accuracy, but the presentation of facts in a way that support the president’s positions. In an age of one or two day news cycles, it is easy for the White House to give out information that is later shown to be inaccurate without the need to make corrections when necessary. That is why we need a vigilant press now more than ever.

Finally, look at this amazing photo: .

This impromptu televised speech occurred about 10 minutes after the president had talked to his advisors about the terrorist threats. Keep in mind that he had already finished the classroom and had talked to his advisors for about 10 minutes about the situation. Then he returned to the classroom, where the students and teacher were herded behind him. This event was almost completely choreographed to maximize the poignancy of the situation. Even in times of political crisis, the presidential handlers were making sure that the delivery of the message looked pretty.