Joseph Demakis's Blog, page 3

Perspectives

Immigrant Assimilation Importance of the Formal Education Process


          With all the constant debating about the correct policies needed to address the current issues that arise from large numbers of immigrants arriving in the U.S., the nation’s leaders are left asking, which path does the US take in response to the rising needs brought about by the influx of immigrants? With “current estimates placing annual immigration (legal and undocumented) to the United States at approximately one million persons per year” (Alba 3), many Americans worry if this current trend of migration to the U.S. is sustainable.   Current U.S. policies reward assimilation by “encouraging the new immigrants to ‘Americanize’ to achieve social stability and economic success” (Holohan), and these policies do so by means of the formal education process, specifically in first and second-generation immigrants.  Giving priority of importance to the formal education process can potentially benefit the immigrant group and the nation.             The formal education process can lead to improved economic conditions for the immigrant.  By learning English and abandoning their native language the immigrant gains cultural capital. Cultural capital is defined as “proficiency in and familiarity with dominant cultural codes and practices…” (Peter and Morgan 428).  The gaining of cultural capital by the immigrant enables them to perform better in school and potentially gain increased income over their life span.  With current “college graduates, on average, earning 56% more than high school grads in 2015” (Rugaber), gaining cultural capital will enable the immigrant to be self-sufficient.            Giving priority to the formal education process also leads to increased job stability for immigrants.  Increasing the skills and cultural capital of the immigrant by means of the formal education process has been shown to increase immigrants’ likelihood of having a job.   According to Christopher S. Rugabe, “Just two-thirds of high school-only grads ages 25 through 64 were employed in 2015, compared to college graduates in the same age group, employment was 83%.”  Therefore, gaining cultural capital brings stability to immigrants’ lives in America. But the formal education process goes even further in securing economic stability for immigrants by means of providing stable housing.   By focusing on the mastery of cultural capital, an immigrant increases their ability to own real estate.  In Rugaber’s article he mentions that “According to real estate data firm Zillow, high school-only grads are less likely to own homes. 64% are current homeowners, down from 70% in 2000. By contrast, three-quarters of bachelor's degree holders are homeowners, down slightly from 77% in 2000” (Rugaber).  By getting a formal education, immigrants and their families improve their chances of home ownership.
Works CitedAlba, Richard. "Immigration and the American Realities of Assimilation and Multiculturalism." Sociological Forum 14.1 (1999): 1-25. Print.Anderson, Stuart. "3 Reasons Why Immigrants Are Key To Economic Growth." Article. Forbes, 2016. Online.Fillmore, Wong Lily. "Loss of Family Language; Should Educators Be Concerned?." Bacon, Nora. The Well-Crafted Sentence. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. 259-273. Print.Holohan, Siobhan. "Assimilation." Encyclopedia of Global Studies (2012). Online.Peter, Collier J. and David L. Morgan. ""Is that paper really due today?" : differences in first-generation and traditional college students' understanding of faculty expectations." Higher Education 55.4 (2008): 425-446. Print.Rugaber, Christopher S. "Pay gap between college grads and everyone else at a record." Article. The Associated Press, 2017. Online.

Assimilation in Dealing with Immigration

Assimilation in Dealing with ImmigrationImmigration is a touchy subject that is often debated passionately about.  With “current estimates placing annual immigration (legal and undocumented) to the United States at approximately 1 million persons per year” (Alba 3), many Americans worry if this is a sustainable practice.  But with all the debates and arguments surrounding the current number of immigrants in the country, one question that remains is how do we integrate such large numbers of migrants into the fabric of American society?   Some would argue for multiculturalism, but assimilation has been the historical means of dealing with such an issue.  Assimilation should continue to be the main objective in dealing with immigration because historical records show the added benefits of this type of integration into American society.             With millions of immigrants currently residing in the U.S., policies must encourage these new immigrants to integrate into American society.  According to Siobhan Holohan, “In the U.S. model prevalent for the first part of the 20th century, new immigrants were encouraged to “Americanize” to achieve social stability and economic success and minimize so-called self-segregation between communities” (Holohan) .   Holohan continues by saying “assimilation or cultural homogeneity would lead to less conflict between groups as they came together under one belief system.” Under assimilation, the minority group would adapt to the culture of the host nation and strengthen the country. Assimilation would mitigate cultural boundaries and segregation for the immigrant communities.  Some would argue that this is unjust to the immigrants and would label “assimilation as a radical, unidirectional process of simplification; ethnic minorities shed themselves of all that makes them distinctive and become carbon copies of the ethnic majority.  In this view, assimilation imposes a bland homogeneity where a more interesting heterogeneity had existed before . . . However, the degraded conception of assimilation loses sight of two things: one is, of course, that American society is far from homogeneous, and the other that immigrant ethnicity has affected American society as much as American society has affected it” (Alba 7).    Multiculturalism would lead to opposing groups with different beliefs constantly arguing over the direction of future policies of the society.   Thus, multiculturalism would lead to a weaker host nation that is divided internally by raging opinions and ultimately leads to self-segregation between the groups.  The host nation must realize that assimilation will take time to implement.  According to Holohan, “…many first-generation immigrants reject the culture of their new country of residence and maintain their previous life in self-sufficient segregated migrant communities” (Holohan).   Yet, “assimilation can take place despite the intentions of immigrants to resist it.  Assimilation can occur as the often-unintended cumulative by-product of choices made by individuals seeking to take advantage of opportunities to improve their social situations” (Alba 8).  The host nation should implement policies that encourage the integration of immigrants into the fabric of American society.   By making the American dream a possibility through assimilation, the nation would benefit economically and socially. During and after World War II, assimilation helped African-American soldiers’ offspring with native Germans adapt to European society.  During this time Germany did not have an African subculture like the one that persists in America, which led to no difference in IQ test results between white Germans and African Germans. In Thomas Sowell’s book Intellectuals and Society, he quotes Professor Flynn as saying, “. . . That the reason for results being different in Germany (compared to America) was that the offspring of Black soldiers in Germany “grew up in a nation with no black subculture” (Sowell 431).   This demonstrates that multiculturalism does not provide the solution to America’s immigration problem and in reality, only leads to long-term suffering of the immigrants because of self-segregation. The host nation should keep an open mind and understand the ever-changing issues that surround immigration.  If properly implemented, assimilation will lead to a brighter future for all.   According to Richard Alba, “On average, it is still true that the opportunities outside an immigrant ethnic group are greater than it can provide within its residential and economic enclaves” (Alba 21).  For this reason, policies should be implemented that encourage assimilation of the immigrant community.   Even if multiculturalism has short-term benefits to the immigrants, over the long term it will lead to devastating economic and social costs. Immigration will continue to be an extremely debated topic for years to come.  The end goal of any immigration program should focus on integration by means of assimilation.  Through assimilation, immigrants will thrive in their new host nation by means of social and economic freedom.  By becoming part of American culture, they will reject the negatives and suffering that is caused by multiculturalism and self-segregation.
Works CitedAlba, Richard. "Immigration and the American Realities of Assimilation and Multiculturalism." Sociological Forum 14.1 (1999): 3-25. Print.Holohan, Siobhan. "Assimilation." Encyclopedia of Global Studies. 2012. Online.
Sowell, Thomas. Intellectuals and Society. Basic Books, March 2012. Online.

Perspectives

Assimilation in Dealing with Immigration

Immigration is a touchy subject that is often debated passionately about.  With “current estimates placing annual immigration (legal and undocumented) to the United States at approximately 1 million persons per year” (Alba 3), many worry if this is a sustainable practice.  But with all the debates and arguments surrounding the current number of immigrants in the country, one question that remains is how do we integrate such large numbers of migrants into the fabric of American society?   Some would argue for multiculturalism, but assimilation has been the historical means of dealing with such an issue.  Assimilation should continue to be the main objective in dealing with immigration because historical records show the added benefits of this type of integration in to American society.             With millions of immigrants currently residing in the U.S., polices must encourage these new immigrants to integrate within American society.  According to Siobhan Holohan, “In the U.S. model prevalent for the first part of the 20th century, new immigrants were encouraged to “Americanize” to achieve social stability and economic success and minimize so-called self-segregation between communities” (Holohan) .   Holohan continues by saying “assimilation or cultural homogeneity would lead to less conflict between groups as they came together under one belief system.” Under assimilation, the minority group would adapt to the culture of the host nation and strengthen the country. Assimilation would mitigate cultural boundaries and segregation for the immigrant communities.  Some would argue that this is unjust to the immigrants and would label “assimilation as a radical, unidirectional process of simplification; ethnic minorities shed themselves of all that makes them distinctive and become carbon copies of the ethnic majority.  In this view, assimilation imposes a bland homogeneity where a more interesting heterogeneity had existed before . . . However, the degraded conception of assimilation loses sight of two things: one is, of course, that American society is far from homogeneous, and the other that immigrant ethnicity has affected American society as much as American society has affected it” (Alba 7).    Multiculturalism would lead to opposing groups with different beliefs constantly arguing over the direction of future policies of the society.   Thus, multiculturalism would lead to a weaker host nation that is divided internally by raging opinions and ultimately lead to self-segregation between the groups.  The host nation must realize that assimilation will take time to implement.  According to Holohan, “…many first-generation immigrants reject the culture of their new country of residence and maintain their previous life in self-sufficient segregated migrant communities” (Holohan).   Yet, “assimilation can take place despite the intentions of immigrants to resist it.  Assimilation can occur as the often-unintended cumulative by-product of choices made by individuals seeking to take advantage of opportunities to improve their social situations” (Alba 8).  The host nation should implement policies that encourage the integration of immigrants into the fabric of American society.   By making the American dream a possibility through assimilation, the nation would benefit economically and socially. During and after World War II, assimilation helped African-American soldiers’ offspring with native Germans adapt to European society.  During this time Germany did not have an African subculture like the one that persists in America, which led to no difference in IQ test results between white Germans and African Germans. In Thomas Sowell’s book Intellectuals and Society, he quotes Professor Flynn as saying, “. . . That the reason for results being different in Germany (compared to America) was that the offspring of Black soldiers in Germany “grew up in a nation with no black subculture” (Sowell 431).   This demonstrates that multiculturalism does not provide the solution to America’s immigration problem and in reality, only leads to long term suffering of the immigrants because of self-segregation. The host nation should keep an open mind and understand the ever-changing issues that surround immigration.  If properly implemented, assimilation will lead to a brighter future for all.   According to Richard Alba, “On average, it is still true that the opportunities outside an immigrant ethnic group are greater than it can provide within its residential and economic enclaves” (Alba 21).  For this reason, policies should be implemented that encourage assimilation of the immigrant community.   Even if multiculturalism has short term benefits to the immigrants, over the long term it will lead to devastating economic and social costs. Immigration will continue to be an extremely debated topic for years to come.  The end goal of any immigration program should focus on integration by means of assimilation.  Through assimilation, immigrants will thrive in their new host nation by means of social and economic freedom.  By becoming part of American culture, they will reject the negatives and suffering that is caused by multiculturalism and self-segregation.
Works CitedAlba, Richard. "Immigration and the American Realities of Assimilation and Multiculturalism." Sociological Forum 14.1 (1999): 3-25. Print.Holohan, Siobhan. "Assimilation." Encyclopedia of Global Studies. 2012. Online.
Sowell, Thomas. Intellectuals and Society. Basic Books, March 2012. Online.

Lyndon B. Johnson - All The Way

[image error] How do we judge our president? It is like asking to define America with all its complex and diverse differences.  Throughout history the best example of the American spirit has always been the Declaration of Independence, and the presidents that exhibit and uphold these values have remembered the following: “For the real glory of the Declaration of Independence has been our nation's epic struggle to close the gap between the ideals of this remarkable document and the sometime painful realities of American life.  The Declaration symbolizes the birth of our nation of course, but also the constant struggle to achieve its ideals” (Stott, 2003).  So, when we judge a president we must compare his successes and failures with the Declaration of Independence, or what Thomas Jefferson called “the expression of the American mind.”  In the case of Lyndon B. Johnson, he closed the gap between the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the harsh reality of American life that had plagued our nation’s minorities for far too long. [image error]        In today’s politics, Lyndon B. Johnson would be considered a crooked politician.  He strives for power and would do anything to obtain it.  In fact, during the 1948 senatorial race in Texas, he gave a speech to secure the votes required for victory, where he denounced the Civil Rights movement “as a farce and a sham – an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty” (Woods, 2007).  However, by the 1960's, the country was in turmoil and was demanding Civil Rights action.  No one thought that the Southern Democrat would change his stance on Civil Rights, but in doing so he would be guilty of one of the biggest flip flops in American history. President Johnson did not just change his stance on Civil Rights but also used multiple other tactics that would later cause him to be labeled a corrupt politician.  He approached a gullible Republican, Everett Dirksen, and promised him national recognition for supporting the Civil Rights Act. “When Everett expressed doubt that he could ever go along with such a bill, LBJ said, ‘Everett if you come with me on this bill, two hundred years from now there’ll only be two people they remember from the state of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln and Everett Dirksen’” (Jr., 2015). In persuading Dirksen to believe this statement, Johnson broke the filibuster by other Southern Democrats.              Johnson went further when he persuaded House Majority Leader Charles Halleck to support the Civil Rights Act.  He in fact traded district financial support from NASA to get the bill through the House Rules Committee.  NASA administrator James Webb “told the President he had met that very morning with Halleck and suggested that, with Halleck’s help in the House, NASA might be able to finance a building to a tune of some $750,000 – along with a series of research grants (for which he noted Purdue was well suited) – that might amount to an additional $300,000 to $400,000, spread over three years. The net effect, Mr. President, Webb added, ‘is that if you tell him that you're willing to follow this policy as long as he cooperates, I can implement it on an installment basis. In other words, the minute he kicks over the traces, we stop the installments’” (Purdum, 2014).  Two days after this arrangement was made Republican and Democrats worked together to get the bill passed by Judge Smith and up for a vote. In the play “All the Way,” by Robert Schenkkan,which was later adapted to the screen for HBO.  It depicted LBJ abusing his powers of the office and even breaking the law on numerous occasions.  He ordered the FBI director Edgar Hoover to violate surveillance laws without a search warrant.  By violating the Fourth Amendment, he placed his administration above the law and broke his oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, in order to pursue Civil Rights reform.   He also worked with activist groups at that time that were inciting riots and violence.  In doing so he put individual and communities in danger just to win public support for his bill. [image error] With the passing of the Civil Rights Act, Johnson closed the gap between the ideals represented in the Declaration of Independence that were not allotted to much of the African American population.  In doing so he became a Civil Rights hero but at a costly price that can still be seen today.  Moments after signing the Civil Rights Act, LBJ turned to his aid and said, “I think we just delivered the South to the Republicans for a long time to come” (Moyers, 2013).  Johnson was right and this would later be one of the pivotal reasons for the fall of the Democratic Party in 1968.  The Civil Rights Act and the tactics used by LBJ to get the bill passed into law had lasting effects.  It led to party polarization, with the Republican Party becoming more conservative and vice versa for the Democratic Party.   In today’s political world it has led to the least productive Congress since 1948, and many could argue that it is why our government doesn’t work today.

When we judge a president, we must look at more than just their policies, successes and failures. We must not forget how we compare and idolize other American leaders from other industries and organizations from outside the government.  For we as a nation have always rewarded those that break the rules and challenge the norms of society.  From the founder of the American Revolution, to the titans of the Industrial Revolution and even the pioneers of the Information Age, we expect leader to bring change, knowing full well that bad also comes from the good they bring. We should look for honor, courage, and commitment to an idea in our presidents.  But it is the job of a leader to balance these traits accordingly, to minimize negative effects. “That is why courage is tricky.  Should you always do what other tell you to do?   Sometimes you might not even know why you are doing something. I mean any fool can have courage, but honor is the real reason you do something or you don’t.  It’s who you are or maybe want to be.  If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage and that’s pretty good… we should look for honor and hope for courage and maybe even pray that the people that are telling you what to do have some too” (Hancock, 2009).ReferencesHancock, J. L. (Director). (2009). The Blind Side [Motion Picture].Jr., J. A. (2015). The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: The White House Years. Touchstone.Moyers, B. (2013). Moyers on America. Anchor.Purdum, T. S. (2014). An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Henry Holt and Co.Stott, J. (Producer), & Brown, A. (Director). (2003). Declaration of Independence [Motion Picture]. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Perspectives

[image error] How do we judge our president? It is like asking to define America with all its complex and diverse differences.  Throughout history the best example of the American spirit has always been the Declaration of Independence, and the presidents that exhibit and uphold these values have remembered the following: “For the real glory of the Declaration of Independence has been our nation's epic struggle to close the gap between the ideals of this remarkable document and the sometime painful realities of American life.  The Declaration symbolizes the birth of our nation of course, but also the constant struggle to achieve its ideals” (Stott, 2003).  So, when we judge a president we must compare his successes and failures with the Declaration of Independence, or what Thomas Jefferson called “the expression of the American mind.”  In the case of Lyndon B. Johnson, he closed the gap between the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the harsh reality of American life that had plagued our nation’s minorities for far too long. [image error]        In today’s politics, Lyndon B. Johnson would be considered a crooked politician.  He strives for power and would do anything to obtain it.  In fact, during the 1948 senatorial race in Texas, he gave a speech to secure the votes required for victory, where he denounced the Civil Rights movement “as a farce and a sham – an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty” (Woods, 2007).  However, by the 1960's, the country was in turmoil and was demanding Civil Rights action.  No one thought that the Southern Democrat would change his stance on Civil Rights, but in doing so he would be guilty of one of the biggest flip flops in American history. President Johnson did not just change his stance on Civil Rights but also used multiple other tactics that would later cause him to be labeled a corrupt politician.  He approached a gullible Republican, Everett Dirksen, and promised him national recognition for supporting the Civil Rights Act. “When Everett expressed doubt that he could ever go along with such a bill, LBJ said, ‘Everett if you come with me on this bill, two hundred years from now there’ll only be two people they remember from the state of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln and Everett Dirksen’” (Jr., 2015). In persuading Dirksen to believe this statement, Johnson broke the filibuster by other Southern Democrats.              Johnson went further when he persuaded House Majority Leader Charles Halleck to support the Civil Rights Act.  He in fact traded district financial support from NASA to get the bill through the House Rules Committee.  NASA administrator James Webb “told the President he had met that very morning with Halleck and suggested that, with Halleck’s help in the House, NASA might be able to finance a building to a tune of some $750,000 – along with a series of research grants (for which he noted Purdue was well suited) – that might amount to an additional $300,000 to $400,000, spread over three years. The net effect, Mr. President, Webb added, ‘is that if you tell him that you're willing to follow this policy as long as he cooperates, I can implement it on an installment basis. In other words, the minute he kicks over the traces, we stop the installments’” (Purdum, 2014).  Two days after this arrangement was made Republican and Democrats worked together to get the bill passed by Judge Smith and up for a vote. In the play “All the Way,” by Robert Schenkkan,which was later adapted to the screen for HBO.  It depicted LBJ abusing his powers of the office and even breaking the law on numerous occasions.  He ordered the FBI director Edgar Hoover to violate surveillance laws without a search warrant.  By violating the Fourth Amendment, he placed his administration above the law and broke his oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, in order to pursue Civil Rights reform.   He also worked with activist groups at that time that were inciting riots and violence.  In doing so he put individual and communities in danger just to win public support for his bill. [image error] With the passing of the Civil Rights Act, Johnson closed the gap between the ideals represented in the Declaration of Independence that were not allotted to much of the African American population.  In doing so he became a Civil Rights hero but at a costly price that can still be seen today.  Moments after signing the Civil Rights Act, LBJ turned to his aid and said, “I think we just delivered the South to the Republicans for a long time to come” (Moyers, 2013).  Johnson was right and this would later be one of the pivotal reasons for the fall of the Democratic Party in 1968.  The Civil Rights Act and the tactics used by LBJ to get the bill passed into law had lasting effects.  It led to party polarization, with the Republican Party becoming more conservative and vice versa for the Democratic Party.   In today’s political world it has led to the least productive Congress since 1948, and many could argue that it is why our government doesn’t work today.

When we judge a president, we must look at more than just their policies, successes and failures. We must not forget how we compare and idolize other American leaders from other industries and organizations from outside the government.  For we as a nation have always rewarded those that break the rules and challenge the norms of society.  From the founder of the American Revolution, to the titans of the Industrial Revolution and even the pioneers of the Information Age, we expect leader to bring change, knowing full well that bad also comes from the good they bring. We should look for honor, courage, and commitment to an idea in our presidents.  But it is the job of a leader to balance these traits accordingly, to minimize negative effects. “That is why courage is tricky.  Should you always do what other tell you to do?   Sometimes you might not even know why you are doing something. I mean any fool can have courage, but honor is the real reason you do something or you don’t.  It’s who you are or maybe want to be.  If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage and that’s pretty good… we should look for honor and hope for courage and maybe even pray that the people that are telling you what to do have some too” (Hancock, 2009).ReferencesHancock, J. L. (Director). (2009). The Blind Side [Motion Picture].Jr., J. A. (2015). The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: The White House Years. Touchstone.Moyers, B. (2013). Moyers on America. Anchor.Purdum, T. S. (2014). An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Henry Holt and Co.Stott, J. (Producer), & Brown, A. (Director). (2003). Declaration of Independence [Motion Picture]. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Harry S. Truman & My Darling Clementine

Harry S. TrumanMy Darling Clementine
Thought stories we experience the lives of others threw their emotions and perspectives.  For every story, there is a struggle between two opposing forces that ultimately leads us to a conclusion.  For good or bad, stories move us to act and strive for something more than just our own needs and wants; if that be for love, honor, courage, or even commitment to an ideology.  In the use of stories used by the Presidents of the United States of America, they have been used repeatedly throughout history to persuade favor in legislation.  None so much as with American Westerns genres and with the movie “My Darling Clementine” used by Harry S. Truman. In the beginning of the movie, you have the four brothers driving cattle through the open desert, when they come across old man Clanton and his four sons.  Mr. Clanton tries to buy the cattle at a reduced rate and when his repeated offers are denied, Clanton gang kills the youngest brother and the cattle are lost.  I believe that this represent the American economy after the second world war.  With Europe, still in rubble and dismay from the war the US economy was booming and the start of the middle class was taken hold.  But this was under attack with the Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe. If Communism continued to spread throughout Europe we would not be able to negotiate prices of our exported goods or worse have no one to trade with.  Thus, causing severe economic decline of the American economy.   Also in the beginning scenes of the movie you see Wyatt Earp looking for civilization in a barren waste land.  When he is told about Tombstone he heads to the town looking for a good shave and some rest from his travels.  But in instead he finds a town that is in dismay and caucus.  I believe this too represents Europe after the war, teetering on collapses and without proper leadership or economical stability.   For, Sir Winston Churchill himself described Europe after the war as, “A rubble-heap, a charnel house, a breeding-ground of pestilence and hate”. (Agar)  By the end of the movie the town was shaved and order was restored.  This showed that Europe wasn’t a lost cause and could be saved and need to be saved if we wished to keep our principles and way of life, just as we did in the wild west.   Half way thought the movie the Clanton gang brothers take the actor of the local theater hostage at gunpoint.  I think this represents Grease after the second World War, with its civil war between the Royals and the Communist back rebels.  When Harry S. Truman addressed congress on March 1947, he made a dramatic statement, “I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures...” (Neuse)  This coincides with this part of the movie perfectly, in how the law abiding free people are suffering because of an armed minority. After the Clanton gang is contained outside of town things start to look better for the citizens and you see the town of Tombstone grow with the building of a church.  This symbolize the townsfolk as civilized and peaceful compared to the earlier contradiction in the plot of the film.  I believe this relates to Harry Truman’s attempt to implement God into federal government and contain the spread of communist state atheism. “Truman repeatedly referred to America as a "Christian nation" and declared that it "was established by men who believed in God. You will see that our Founding Fathers believed that God created this nation. And I believe it, too" (PBS). Truman even went further when he stated, “He believed that communism was "a tyranny led by a small group who have abandoned their faith in God. These tyrants have forsaken ethical and moral beliefs." Truman saw religion as instrumental in combating communism's spread, and so he attempted to start a global "Campaign of Truth" (PBS).Thought out these examples you see a President using film to persuade opposition, drive an agenda and judge public opinion.  Yet the question must be asked is if stories persuade a President in his actions as a leader.  For culture has always moved faster than the implication of laws that govern the people.   So, stories are no more than a reflection of a culture in a certain place and time in history.  Stories inform a President, that is otherwise isolated from the general public in which he governs, on the needs and boundaries of his constituents.   So as much as stories can help drive an agenda they can also limit its successes.   It is ultimately the job of the elected to stay relevant to popular and changing culture by applying the new status quo to the limiting powers for their office, within the bound of acceptable limit defined by law and the public opinion.   In this case Truman use the Western genre, that glorifies American expansionism to find just causes and acceptable means in dealing with the communist threat at the beginning for the Cold War.
ReferencesAgar, Herbert. The Price of Power: America Since 1945. University of Chicago Press, 1957.Neuse, Steven M. David E. Lilienthal: Journey American Liberal. Univ Tennessee Press, 1997.PBS. God in America - God in the White House. 11 October 2010. 6 June 2017.

Perspectives

Harry S. TrumanMy Darling Clementine
Thought stories we experience the lives of others threw their emotions and perspectives.  For every story, there is a struggle between two opposing forces that ultimately leads us to a conclusion.  For good or bad, stories move us to act and strive for something more than just our own needs and wants; if that be for love, honor, courage, or even commitment to an ideology.  In the use of stories used by the Presidents of the United States of America, they have been used repeatedly throughout history to persuade favor in legislation.  None so much as with American Westerns genres and with the movie “My Darling Clementine” used by Harry S. Truman. In the beginning of the movie, you have the four brothers driving cattle through the open desert, when they come across old man Clanton and his four sons.  Mr. Clanton tries to buy the cattle at a reduced rate and when his repeated offers are denied, Clanton gang kills the youngest brother and the cattle are lost.  I believe that this represent the American economy after the second world war.  With Europe, still in rubble and dismay from the war the US economy was booming and the start of the middle class was taken hold.  But this was under attack with the Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe. If Communism continued to spread throughout Europe we would not be able to negotiate prices of our exported goods or worse have no one to trade with.  Thus, causing severe economic decline of the American economy.   Also in the beginning scenes of the movie you see Wyatt Earp looking for civilization in a barren waste land.  When he is told about Tombstone he heads to the town looking for a good shave and some rest from his travels.  But in instead he finds a town that is in dismay and caucus.  I believe this too represents Europe after the war, teetering on collapses and without proper leadership or economical stability.   For, Sir Winston Churchill himself described Europe after the war as, “A rubble-heap, a charnel house, a breeding-ground of pestilence and hate”. (Agar)  By the end of the movie the town was shaved and order was restored.  This showed that Europe wasn’t a lost cause and could be saved and need to be saved if we wished to keep our principles and way of life, just as we did in the wild west.   Half way thought the movie the Clanton gang brothers take the actor of the local theater hostage at gunpoint.  I think this represents Grease after the second World War, with its civil war between the Royals and the Communist back rebels.  When Harry S. Truman addressed congress on March 1947, he made a dramatic statement, “I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures...” (Neuse)  This coincides with this part of the movie perfectly, in how the law abiding free people are suffering because of an armed minority. After the Clanton gang is contained outside of town things start to look better for the citizens and you see the town of Tombstone grow with the building of a church.  This symbolize the townsfolk as civilized and peaceful compared to the earlier contradiction in the plot of the film.  I believe this relates to Harry Truman’s attempt to implement God into federal government and contain the spread of communist state atheism. “Truman repeatedly referred to America as a "Christian nation" and declared that it "was established by men who believed in God. You will see that our Founding Fathers believed that God created this nation. And I believe it, too" (PBS). Truman even went further when he stated, “He believed that communism was "a tyranny led by a small group who have abandoned their faith in God. These tyrants have forsaken ethical and moral beliefs." Truman saw religion as instrumental in combating communism's spread, and so he attempted to start a global "Campaign of Truth" (PBS).Thought out these examples you see a President using film to persuade opposition, drive an agenda and judge public opinion.  Yet the question must be asked is if stories persuade a President in his actions as a leader.  For culture has always moved faster than the implication of laws that govern the people.   So, stories are no more than a reflection of a culture in a certain place and time in history.  Stories inform a President, that is otherwise isolated from the general public in which he governs, on the needs and boundaries of his constituents.   So as much as stories can help drive an agenda they can also limit its successes.   It is ultimately the job of the elected to stay relevant to popular and changing culture by applying the new status quo to the limiting powers for their office, within the bound of acceptable limit defined by law and the public opinion.   In this case Truman use the Western genre, that glorifies American expansionism to find just causes and acceptable means in dealing with the communist threat at the beginning for the Cold War.
ReferencesAgar, Herbert. The Price of Power: America Since 1945. University of Chicago Press, 1957.Neuse, Steven M. David E. Lilienthal: Journey American Liberal. Univ Tennessee Press, 1997.PBS. God in America - God in the White House. 11 October 2010. 6 June 2017.

Quotation of the Day

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present
- Bil Keane -

Maine Author - Kieran Shields

Kieran Shields is the author of the historical mysteries, THE TRUTH OF ALL THINGS (Crown, 2012) and A STUDY IN REVENGE (Crown, 2013). Both were finalists for the Nero Award. His newest book is The Stone Ship (which is not too historical and not very mysterious). KIERAN SHIELDS grew up in Portland, Maine. He graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Maine School of Law.He lives on the coast of Maine with his wife and two children. 

The Truth of All Things A Novel (Archie Lean Series)
Two hundred years after the Salem witch trials, in the summer of 1892, a grisly new witch hunt is beginning....

When newly appointed Deputy Marshal Archie Lean is called in to investigate a prostitute's murder in Portland, Maine, he's surprised to find the body laid out like a pentagram and pinned to the earth with a pitchfork.  He's even more surprised to learn that this death by "sticking" is a traditional method of killing a witch. 

Baffled by the ritualized murder scene, Lean secretly enlists the help of historian Helen Prescott and brilliant criminalist Perceval Grey.  Distrusted by officials because of his mixed Abenaki Indian ancestry, Grey is even more notorious for combining modern investigative techniques with an almost eerie perceptiveness.  Although skeptical of each other's methods, together the detectives pursue the killer's trail through postmortems and opium dens, into the spiritualist societies and lunatic asylums of gothic New England.

Before the killer closes in on his final victim, Lean and Grey must decipher the secret pattern to these murders--a pattern hidden within the dark history of the Salem witch trials.
Editorial ReviewsReview“This is a book that will appeal to readers who relish the intricacies of a Sherlockian plot….Strong characters and convincing historical detail make the novel work.”
—Hallie Ephron, Boston Globe
“Maine has a fascinating new writer in Kieran Shields … whose dense and intriguing new novel … works its way into your bloodstream and takes you to dark places in New England history that will challenge your mind and shiver your skin.”
—Maine Sunday Telegram

“Shields creates a pitch perfect atmosphere … Fans of historical thrillers will love ‘The Truth of All Things’ … a winner.”
—The Associated Press
 
“A well paced and intriguingly contrived mystery … rollicking, entertaining, … The Truth of All Things has its own magic and once under its spell, it’s impossible to put down.”  —Down East Magazine

“[An] outstanding debut … a gripping novel … Shields' characters are fascinating”  —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Shields's stellar first novel plays ingenious variations on both the Holmesian omnipotent sleuth and the serial killer theme....Strong characters and a nively convoluted, intelligent plot bode well for any sequel."
—Publishers Weekly  (starred)

“The detailed historical information and the intricate mystery hold your attention to the last page in Shields’ startling debut.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Beautifully written and sprinkled with historical data….Shields, who is a native of Portland [Maine], offers meticulous research into the city’s history in this heart-pounding suspense that should delight any lover of period mysteries.”
—Mystery Scene

"Kieran Shields has written a knuckle biting gothic mystery of ritual murder, revenge, and the harrowing heritage of witchcraft in New England. Readers will love exploring Shields' world of the eerie faces of nineteenth century Maine, from temperance societies to historical societies to whorehouses and everything in between. This rollicking tale puts an entirely new spin on the legacy of the Salem witch trials, and will keep lovers of historical fiction turning pages until the final gripping conclusion."
—Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
"This story brims with rich detail, the line between right and wrong smudged beyond recognition.  What a unique and claustrophobic world --- Maine at the turn of the 20th century --- but the ties to an unspeakable past are haunting and unmistakable.  It's a delight from start to finish.  A terrific story, told terrifically."
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key
"It is hard to neatly categorize this novel, and I think to do so would be to miss out on the riches of Shields's storytelling. At once a literary novel and a work of historical fiction, this book is also equal parts great mystery and page-turning gothic-thriller." — BookBrowse
A Study in Revenge A Novel (Archie Lean Series)
In 1893, a trail of ashen footprints leads Deputy Archie Lean to the body of a murdered thief. The man’s exposed flesh has been horribly burned and occult symbols mark the nearby walls. Most troubling of all is what Lean witnessed two days earlier: this same man being lowered into his grave without a burn mark on him.  Once again, the Portland, Maine, police deputy must turn to the brilliant criminalist Perceval Grey for help.  

Grey, a half-Abenaki Indian detective,  faces problems of  his own after agreeing to an elderly tycoon’s death-bed plea to find his long-lost granddaughter. The dying man’s family is less interested in the missing heiress than with the recent theft of an obscure heirloom carved with curious symbols. As the family’s shadowy history is revealed, the three mysteries intersect to draw Lean and Grey into a maze of murder, deceit, and revenge. Each deadly new clue points toward an even greater puzzle—one that will pit Grey against a devious murderer in a race to unlock an ancient and mysterious power.
Editorial ReviewsFrom BooklistShields (The Truth of All Things, 2012) brings Deputy Archie Lean and Percival Grey, a half-Abenaki Indian detective, back for a very strange case. It is 1893 in Portland, Maine, and Deputy Lean follows some ashen footprints that lead him to the body of a murdered thief. The body has been burned, and there are occult symbols on a nearby wall. Just two days earlier, Lean witnessed the burial of the same man. Something very peculiar is going on, prompting Lean to ask Grey for help. Grey has his own strange case. He has agreed to help a dying tycoon find his long-lost granddaughter. The man’s family, however, is more concerned with the theft of an obscure heirloom that is decorated with mysterious symbols. As the two detectives investigate, they find links that connect all the cases. This is a compelling story that will take readers from the dreary streets of Portland to the upscale parlors of Brahmin Boston. A fine historical mystery. --Barbara BibelReview"Erudite,mysterious and exciting, with a brooding, brilliant Sherlock-ian detective. The denouement is just as surprising as in Grey's first case." --  Kirkus Reviews (Starred)

"Conan Doyle fans will appreciate the Holmes/Watson-like relationship of Perceval Grey,who's half Abenaki Indian, and deputy Archie Lean of the Portland, Maine police in Shields's excellent sequel to 2012's The Truth of All Things. ... The humanity of the well-developed leads enhances the smooth-flowing plot."--  Publishers Weekly (Starred)

"This is a compelling story that will take readers from the dreary streets of Portland to the upscale parlors of Brahmin Boston. A fine historical mystery." --  Booklist
The Stone Ship
Everyone thinks Will Warden is crazy to believe an old photograph, a rusted key, and a rune stone are clues that will prove his father is still alive. And the thirteen-year-old is starting to think everyone might just be right.
After his father vanishes in a mysterious explosion, Will travels to a seaside orphanage where a series of bizarre clues lead him to a perfectly preserved Viking ship buried in the dunes. With two competing secret societies and a treasure-mad dwarf in pursuit, he re-traces a thousand-year-old Viking trail across the North Atlantic. As he assembles the lost pieces of a legendary compass, Will’s world blurs between reality and fantasy. He can barely believe his strange adventures filled with characters stolen from the pages of Norse mythology. But he has to believe it all, because the compass could lead him to his father … or it could unlock the gate to Niflheim and unleash the deadly forces of the icy Norse underworld. So, yeah, there’s that to worry about. 
With a mix of adventure, fantasy, and humor, THE ASGARD SOCIETY follows Will’s journey as he discovers believing in something impossible, and in himself, might be enough to save his world.

Quotation of the Day

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform or pause and reflect
- Mark Twain -