Hello Lynnette,
I not sure all of how and why it happened, but many people abdicated responsibliity for participating in and/or monitoring government by leaving all that to professional politicians and bureaucrats- the very people who need to be monitored.
Yes, some people want relief and are satisfied when they get it. They don't think that they should help those seeking reform so others don't suffer misfortune from the same system. After all, these same guys can come back after them next year or next month, and unless there is change, who can stop them?
I had read some sections of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America (1835) where he speaks of a time when Americans participated more in government, attended meetings, engaged in arguments, and kept up on important national and local issues. This does not apply to most Americans today.
It may be a process that intensified more with the WW II generation. Tom Brokaw wrote The Greatest Generation praising the WW II generation. I read parts of that while drinking coffee in a bookstore but didn't buy the thing. I wrote Tom Brokaw and pointed out that they did win WW II, but a lot of them came back, wanted to get the good life, focused on material values only, and didn't give a (crap) how the country was run. (I knew some of them.) It only got worse since then. He did not reply. There's a lesson in there somewhere, but it escapes me. I wish you well.
Andrew
Yes, some people want relief and are satisfied when they get it. They don't think that they should help those seeking reform so others don't suffer misfortune from the same system. After all, these same guys can come back after them next year or next month, and unless there is change, who can stop them?
I had read some sections of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America (1835) where he speaks of a time when Americans participated more in government, attended meetings, engaged in arguments, and kept up on important national and local issues. This does not apply to most Americans today.
It may be a process that intensified more with the WW II generation. Tom Brokaw wrote The Greatest Generation praising the WW II generation. I read parts of that while drinking coffee in a bookstore but didn't buy the thing. I wrote Tom Brokaw and pointed out that they did win WW II, but a lot of them came back, wanted to get the good life, focused on material values only, and didn't give a (crap) how the country was run. (I knew some of them.) It only got worse since then. He did not reply. There's a lesson in there somewhere, but it escapes me. I wish you well.
Andrew
Dear Dr Jackson:
Tried for a while to meditate on your contribution to the discussion, and figure out the lesson embedded in it in re: the matter at hand...
First, I fully agree, as you point out, that a key issue is keeping an educated and informed public engaged in the public forum.
As for de Tocqueville, you may recall that he came to the US to survey the prisons here, since they were considered by far more progressive than the European counterparts at the time... Well... we have gone a long way... Most European nations today, consider the situation to be a total role reversal. Some of the notorious Human violations, which did not make it to the Top Ten List, included the medical abuse of ALL prisoners in California, which prompted the appointment of an "Overseer for Civil Rights" of ALL California prisoners - a federal fig leaf.
Otherwise, in 2006 Bernard-Henri Lévy, one of France's best-known contemporary philosophers, who is considered pro-american, conducted a repeat tour of the US, in the footsteps of de Tocqueville. The title of de Tocqueville's' book was Democracy in America. The title of Bernard-Henri Lévy's book tells it all: American Vertigo.. He was indeed prescient, since the book was published prior to the explosion of the current financial/integrity crisis.
Well, I guess there was indeed a lesson in your contribution: Outside observers and monitors were unique in their ability to provide us, who live in the US, unique insights. The Universal Periodic Review is a historic opportunity to gain such insights, which may have important effects, if we manage to keep the integrity of the review process.
Truly,
[]
Joseph Zernik, PhD
Human Rights Alert (HRA), NGO
http://human-rights-alert.blogspot.com/
http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alert
Tried for a while to meditate on your contribution to the discussion, and figure out the lesson embedded in it in re: the matter at hand...
First, I fully agree, as you point out, that a key issue is keeping an educated and informed public engaged in the public forum.
As for de Tocqueville, you may recall that he came to the US to survey the prisons here, since they were considered by far more progressive than the European counterparts at the time... Well... we have gone a long way... Most European nations today, consider the situation to be a total role reversal. Some of the notorious Human violations, which did not make it to the Top Ten List, included the medical abuse of ALL prisoners in California, which prompted the appointment of an "Overseer for Civil Rights" of ALL California prisoners - a federal fig leaf.
Otherwise, in 2006 Bernard-Henri Lévy, one of France's best-known contemporary philosophers, who is considered pro-american, conducted a repeat tour of the US, in the footsteps of de Tocqueville. The title of de Tocqueville's' book was Democracy in America. The title of Bernard-Henri Lévy's book tells it all: American Vertigo.. He was indeed prescient, since the book was published prior to the explosion of the current financial/integrity crisis.
Well, I guess there was indeed a lesson in your contribution: Outside observers and monitors were unique in their ability to provide us, who live in the US, unique insights. The Universal Periodic Review is a historic opportunity to gain such insights, which may have important effects, if we manage to keep the integrity of the review process.
Truly,
[]
Joseph Zernik, PhD
Human Rights Alert (HRA), NGO
http://human-rights-alert.blogspot.com/
http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alert
15 minutes left to edit your comment.
- el Dr. A. D. Jackson hace 13 minutosHola Lynnette, Trato de presentar las cosas de una manera la gente puede entender. Sí, creo que tomó algunos puntos clave. No estoy seguro de que todos cómo y por qué sucedió, pero mucha gente abdicó responsibliity para participar en y / o vigilancia del gobierno, dejando a todos los que los políticos profesionales y burócratas, los mismos que deben ser supervisados. Sí, algunas personas quieren un alivio y están satisfechos cuando lo consiguen. No piensan que deberían ayudar a aquellos que buscan la reforma para que otros no sufren la desgracia del mismo sistema. Después de todo, estos mismos chicos pueden volver después de ellos el año que viene o el próximo mes, y si no hay cambio, que los puede detener? Yo había leído algunas secciones de la democracia de Alexis de Tocqueville en América (1835) donde él habla de un tiempo cuando los estadounidenses participaron más en el gobierno, asistió a las reuniones, participan en discusiones, y se mantiene sobre importantes cuestiones nacionales y locales. Esto no se aplica a la mayoría de los estadounidenses de hoy. Puede ser un proceso que se intensificó más con la generación de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.Tom Brokaw escribió The Greatest Generation alabando la generación Segunda Guerra Mundial. He leído partes de que tomar café, mientras que en una librería, pero no comprar la cosa. Me escribió Tom Brokaw y señaló que lo hicieron ganar la Segunda Guerra Mundial, pero muchos de ellos regresaron, quería tener la buena vida, se centró en los valores materiales solamente, y no dio una mierda () cómo el país se ha ejecutado. (Sabía que algunos de ellos.) Es más que empeorar desde entonces. Él no respondió. Hay una lección en alguna parte, pero se me escapa. Le deseo lo mejor.
Andrés
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Reply by José Zernik, Los Angeles, CA 1 segundoBorrar
Estimado Dr. Jackson:
Juzgado por un tiempo para meditar sobre su contribución a la discusión, y descubrir la lección incrustado en ella de nuevo: el asunto en mano ... En primer lugar, estoy totalmente de acuerdo, como usted señala, que una cuestión clave es mantener un público educado e informado participan en el foro público. En cuanto a de Tocqueville, ustedes recordarán que vino a los EE.UU. para estudiar las cárceles aquí, ya que fueron considerados por mucho más progresista que el homólogos europeos en el momento ... Bueno ... hemos recorrido un largo camino ... La mayoría de las naciones europeas de hoy, considere que la situación es un cambio de roles total. Algunos de los famosos violaciónes Humanos, que no llegaron al Top Ten de lista, incluido el abuso médico de todos los prisioneros en California, lo que llevó al nombramiento de un supervisor "para los Derechos Civiles" de todos los presos de California - una hoja de parra federal. De lo contrario, en 2006, Bernard-Henri Lévy, uno de los más conocidos filósofos contemporáneos de Francia, que se considera pro-estadounidense, realizó una gira de repetición de los EE.UU., tras las huellas de Tocqueville. El título de de Tocqueville "libro La democracia en América. El título del libro de Bernard-Henri Lévy dice todo: American Vertigo ..Él era realmente profético, ya que el libro fue publicado antes de la explosión de la actual crisis financiera integridad /. Bueno, supongo que no existía realmente una lección de tu contribución: Los observadores externos y los monitores eran únicos en su capacidad para proporcionarnos, que viven en los EE.UU., perspectivas únicas. El Examen Periódico Universal es una oportunidad histórica para llegar a comprender, que podrá tener efectos importantes, si conseguimos mantener la integridad del proceso de revisión. En verdad,[]José Zernik, PhDAlerta de los Derechos Humanos (HRA), ONGhttp://human-rights-alert.blogspot.com/http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alert15 minutos dejó de corregir su comentario.
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