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Hell and Other Destinations
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ARCHIVE - HELL AND OTHER DESTINATIONS: A 21st-Century Memoir by Madeleine K. Albright - DISCUSSION THREAD - (June, July, August) (No Spoilers, please)
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Henry M. Paulson, Jr. (2006 - 2009)
Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. led President George W. Bush’s economic team in designing and coordinating the successful domestic and international response beginning in 2008 to the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression.
His courage and decisiveness helped protect the United States financial system from collapse, staving off an economic catastrophe that might have well have seen unemployment reach the level last recorded in the 1930s.
Secretary Paulson arrived at Treasury in July 2006 well prepared for the challenges he would face. He came from a 32-year career in finance with a leading global investment bank, Goldman Sachs, where he served eight years as Chairman and CEO. Paulson assembled a team of experienced professionals and reinstituted regular meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets. The coordinated efforts of the PWG’s financial regulators would later prove critical to the U.S. government’s ability to prevent the collapse of the financial system.
Secretary Paulson’s non-partisan leadership enabled him to convince Congress to grant the unprecedented emergency powers necessary to stem the crisis. Looking to the future, Secretary Paulson and his Treasury team crafted a regulatory blueprint to fix an outdated financial regulatory structure, including reforms that ultimately became part of the Dodd/Frank financial reform legislation that would eventually be signed into law by President Obama.
Together with President Bush, Secretary Paulson established the G20 as the premier leaders’ forum for global financial reform and economic recovery, guiding the work of the first Summit that established the roadmap for future leaders meetings.
Through his creation and leadership of the Strategic Economic Dialogue, Secretary Paulson fundamentally changed the nature of U.S. engagement with China by fashioning a new framework for prioritizing and dealing with a broad range of economic issues. This dialogue—held at the Cabinet level and led by Paulson on the U.S. side—greatly enhanced the U.S. relationship with China and led to direct results in areas ranging from greater flexibility of China’s currency to improved safety of products traded between the two nations as well as an historic 10-year framework for coordinating energy and environmental initiatives. The SED served as a model for the dialogue with China which was carried forward by the Obama Administration.
A committed internationalist and a strong advocate of free trade and open investment, Secretary Paulson played a key strategic role in several foreign policy issues. He worked to pass legislation encouraging foreign investment in the U.S. by reforming the national security review process, and he helped to advance Free Trade Agreements with Peru, Korea, Colombia and Panama. Secretary Paulson led an aggressive Treasury Department effort to combat financing to terrorist organizations. He was an important participant in the President’s global nonproliferation efforts.
Secretary Paulson also undertook various internal Treasury reforms to make Treasury operate more efficiently and effectively, modernizing Treasury in such key areas as the issuance of Treasury bonds and environmental leadership.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Aaron Shikler was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1922 and studied at the Barnes Foundation in Marion, Pennsylvania and earned a B.A. and a M.A. from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia. He received additional instruction at the American university, Shrivenham, England and the Hans Hoffman School, New York. A nationally acclaimed portrait artist, Shikler is represented in the White House Collection by the portrait of President John F. Kennedy and the official First Lady portraits of Mrs. John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Ronald Reagan. The portrait of Secretary Henry Paulson was completed in 2010.
More:
Hank Paulson, 74th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury: "It’s the People Skills that Matter"
Link: https://youtu.be/gTGybnPatQk
Synopsis: "Getting anything done requires working with others. It’s all about interpersonal relationships," shared Henry "Hank" Paulson, 74th Secretary of the Treasury and Founder & Chairman, Paulson Institute. During his View From The Top talk on Thursday, October 27, 2016, Paulson shared life and career advice with Stanford GSB students as well as discussed his experience leading during the financial crisis.
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Henry M. Paulson Jr.Sources: US Department of the Treasury, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Youtube
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Chapter Nine
Democrats with a Small d
"WHEN LEAVING OFFICE in 2001, I was offered the chair of the National Democratic Institute (NDI). A second later, I accepted.
Of the hats I wear, this is the one that fits most comfortably.
Nothing lifts my spirits more than the long voting queues and raucous shouts of “I disagree” that tell the tale of a healthy democracy. Nothing disturbs me more than the overflowing jails and cowed acquiescence of a society ruled by fear.
NDI is one of four organizations operating under the umbrella of the National Endowment for Democracy, which was created in the early 1980s.
The thinking at the time was that while totalitarian governments crushed opponents before they could become a threat, democratic regimes were inherently fragile because they gave protest movements the freedom to organize.
In a June 1982 address to the British Parliament, President Reagan sought to compensate for this vulnerability by announcing an initiative involving business, labor, and the two major American political parties, and that was aimed at assisting democratic development worldwide.
Having just written a study on Poland’s Solidarity movement, the struggle for liberty was much on my mind. When asked to become vice chair of the original NDI board, I leapt at the chance."
Sources: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 80). Harper. Kindle Edition, The Reagan Library
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. How did Reagan's address influence Albright almost twenty years later in 2001? In viewing Reagan's address (which I hope you will do) how did he gain the warmth and the acceptance of the audience that he was addressing with graciousness and dignity? When Reagan discusses symbols (like the Berlin Wall, etc.) - what images did he feel that these symbols brought to mind? Reagan brought up how Poland struggled to be Poland and that we take these freedoms that we have enjoyed for granted. Why does Reagan warn that we should not take our basic freedoms for granted and that we should be mindful of "totalitarianism"? Democracy's enemies have refined their means of repression. Reagan points out that not one totalitarianism regime has been able to risk "free elections". What were your impressions of the address?
2. Why is the "peaceful transfer of power" such a hallmark of democracies?
Mod
Madeleine Albright on Changing the Face of Politics
The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions.
NDI's core program areas include citizen participation, elections, debates, democratic governance, democracy and technology, political inclusion of marginalized groups, and gender, women and democracy, peace and security, political parties, and youth political participation.
The organization's stated mission is to "support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government."
NDI was founded in 1983, shortly after the United States Congress created the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The NED's creation was followed by the establishment of three related institutes, the Center for International Private Enterprise, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the National Republican Institute for International Affairs (later renamed the International Republican Institute).
The Endowment serves as the umbrella organization through which these three institutes and an expanding number of private sector groups would receive funding to carry out programs abroad.
The NDI is non-partisan and does not operate in the United States; it takes no position on US elections, however it has a loose affiliation with the Democratic Party, and is a "cooperating organization" with the Liberal International.
Remainder of article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...
Link to video: https://youtu.be/lTBCpFcSEk8
More:
https://www.ndi.org/
Sources: National Democratic Institute (NDI), Youtube
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Link: https://youtu.be/Gm35tFTtsuc
Source: The Reagan Library
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✓ Week Four: - June 29th - July 5th - completed
✓ Chapter 8 Bulls 111 - completed
✓ Chapter 9 Democrats with a Small d 127 - completed
The moderator has completed this week's reading assignment - all discussion questions and topics, ancillary posts, videos, etc. have been posted. Please respond to the discussion topics and questions and/or post about anything else in the chapters that interest you. Posts can be about anything up through the end of page 93 in the book. If you have gone ahead of the discussion - you must use spoiler html.
See you next week when we discuss next week's assignment.
Regards,
Bentley
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Week Five: July 6th - July 12th
Chapter 10 - A Foothold 148
Chapter 11 - Things Unseen 162
Mod
In the following chapter, Ms. Albright talks of when she was offered the chair of the National Democratic Institute when leaving office in 2001. NDI is one of four organizations operating under the umbrella of the National Endowment for Democracy, and one that she feels most comfortable in serving and close to heart since her first involvement with the NDI in 1984. It is interesting as Albright discusses many different countries her delegation traveled throughout the world as they struggled to achieve democratic rule, from the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia led by Vaclav Havel to Chile in unseating dictator August Pinochet to the events in Kosovo.
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Chapter 10 - A Foothold 148
At the end of each year, Madeleine Albright and her staff evaluate what she has accomplished during that time to determine where she has spent her time and how that may be improved to meet changing needs and problems that perhaps have not been addressed.
Chapter 11 - Things Unseen 162
This is a very timely chapter in exploring the political divide in America often fueled by religion. Albright attempts to explore the immense impact that religious teachings and identities may have on international affairs.
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Of course it was not Hobbes who said: - "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely"-- Lord Acton (but Lord Acton)
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Chapter Ten
A Foothold
"AT THE END of each year, I evaluate how I spent the previous twelve months.
As a visual aid, my staff draws up a paper showing a little bucket for each activity, consults the calendar, then does the math.
In 2005, I delivered more than fifty speeches, devoted hundreds of hours to clients of the Albright Group, and allocated substantial swaths of time to NDI and to my spring and fall courses at Georgetown.
I was busy as well with writing projects, and had it been aneven-numbered year, would have flown from city to city trying to rustle up votes for favored candidates. The mix of what I did and where and with whom I kept company gave each day a design all its own, but the larger pattern was set. I was forever saying to aides, “Okay, that’s done, what’s next?”
Just one thought nagged at me: Was I doing enough? The world, then as now, seemed to be spinning in the wrong direction. Before audiences, I lamented the latest grim news from central Asia and the Middle East, decried the ongoing violence against civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan, warned of the growing global divide between haves and have-nots, and voiced alarm about threats to democracy. When I paused, the question asked most often, especially by younger listeners, was “What can I do?”
My usual response was something along the lines of “Uh . . . let me see. Volunteer? Vote? Study harder? Write a check?” I had trouble developing a satisfactory reply because I was putting the same question to myself.
For all my many activities, I was without access to the levers of power. How and where could I have a more tangible impact?
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 93). Harper. Kindle Edition.
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. Were you amazed how Albright kept tabs on all of her activities each year? And I have to admit that all of us should be asking: "Okay, that's done. What's next? Or as Albright asked: "Was I doing enough? How does each one of you plan ahead? Would love to get some pointers on making the best use of time as Albright seems to have found how to do.
2. What are your thoughts on Darfur? With all of the 24x7 cable news in this country - why are we not hearing more about what is still happening in Darfur and is the new boss in Sudan the same as the old boss? Is there any movement towards solving the problems in Darfur which is in Sudan? Will anything be done about Omar al-Bashir and what was happening under his watch? What is the UN doing? What do you think is the best path forward for justice and reconciliation in Darfur? Will al-Bashir ever be handed over to the ICC (the International Criminal Court)? What is life like in Darfur now and in the remainder of Sudan?
3. Seventeen years of conflict has taken its toll on Darfur. How will the peace talks help?
4. What are your thoughts on the following Albright quote:
"THERE ARE POLITICIANS I know, including some I like, who will not use the word poverty in speeches because they think voters find the word depressing. Pollsters agree. Americans are uncomfortable with the term and even more so with the reality.
How can America deal with poverty in America or within global communities if even the word is not mentioned? Was the last president to discuss poverty in America - Lyndon Johnson? There are real needs here in this country as well as around the world? Ignoring the reality will not make it disappear? Your thoughts?
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 94). Harper. Kindle Edition.
5. Albright discusses Hernando de Soto Polar's ideas for growth and eliminating poverty - he arranged for farmers who had no deeds to the land they cultivated, businesspeople who lacked certificates of incorporation to the enterprises they had started, and families who had no title to the houses or apartments in which they lived to be awarded their deeds, certificates of incorporation and titles. I have posted some videos and articles about de Soto below. Many influential people like Anthony Kennedy, a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Shirin Ebadi, a Nobel laureate from Iran; half a dozen former heads of government; and one future one (Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan) all pitched in along with Albright to help him. Is de Soto on the right track? Like Larry Summers of Harvard said: "Nobody washes a rented car?" Your thoughts?
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 95). Harper. Kindle Edition.
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Darfur refugee camp in Chad, 2005
Sudan
This week, the Sudanese government and rebel groups extended a deadline for a peace deal to end conflicts in the Darfur region and other parts of the country. Months of negotiations looked closer than ever to a resolution as the government announced last week that it had agreed to allow ex-president Omar al-Bashir and others to face trial for war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.
The war in Darfur began in 2003, and over the past 17 years, fighting between Darfuri rebels and government-backed Janjaweed militias have killed 300,000 and displaced 3 million people. Omar al-Bashir is currently facing multiple charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
Al-Bashir was pushed out of office in 2019 and replaced by a military and civilian leadership council eager to make peace with groups formerly suppressed by the ousted leader.
In this episode, we'll ask: What is the best path forward for justice and reconciliation in Darfur?
Link: https://youtu.be/NbCv-90s0xI
More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_...
http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genoc...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al...
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/new...
Omar Al-Bashir in 2009
Sources: Youtube and The Stream, Wikipedia, World without Genocide, Al Jazeera, Amnesty International
Mod
The “Darfur Genocide” refers to the current mass slaughter and rape of Darfuri men, women, and children in Western Sudan. The killings began in 2003 and became the first genocide in the 21st century. Unrest and violence persist today.
The genocide is being carried out by a group of government-armed and government-funded Arab militias known as the Janjaweed (which loosely translates to ‘devils on horseback’) or Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Janjaweed systematically destroy Darfuris by burning villages, looting economic resources, polluting water sources, and murdering, raping, and torturing civilians.
These militias are historic rivals of the main rebel groups, the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
As of spring 2020, over 480,000 people have been killed and more than 2.8 million people are displaced
Where did/is this happening?
Sudan is one of the largest countries in Africa. Located in northeastern Africa, it borders the Red Sea and falls between Egypt, Chad, Uganda, and six other countries.
The capitol, Khartoum, is in the northeastern part of the country.
Darfur is a region in western Sudan that encompasses an area roughly the size of Spain. The population of Darfur is estimated at 7 million people.
The conflict in Darfur has increased tensions in neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic as hundreds of thousands of refugees have streamed over the two countries’ borders to escape violence.
Source: World without Genocide
On the poverty issue, I think that is changing. We are again talking about poverty in this country which is a good thing. There are social forces at work that I believe are going to force us to face it . The pandemic, black lives matter and the fact that more members of Congress are people of color who are raising the issue more frequently. The big question in my mind is whether or not we are going to successfully meet the challenge or are we are going to all retreat to our corners as the country falls apart. I hope we can meet the challenge but we are all going to have to give up our comfortable status quo (myself included). I’ve benefited from the way things currently are. I retired early and am looking for ways to help in my small way. But I don’t think you can ever do enough. The need is great and the solutions not easy to figure out. Nor is it easy to get people to think beyond their own needs. Only time will tell if we will come to at least some success. But it will take enormous effort on everyone’s part since we have really let things get out of hand.
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You worked hard and you deserved to be able to retire early. And I think that Albright had the right philosophy. I guess we need a Lyndon Johnson type war on poverty but with teeth. There are so many inequities that could be handled quickly like what is being done in terms of housing making it impossible for poor people to have a roof over their head that they can afford.
Link: https://youtu.be/f3AuStymweQ
Link to the progress of the programs:
https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-c...
I am always amazed at the folks like the heritage foundation who try add in social security which folks have paid into their whole life and medicare and try to make it sound like those are payments made on behalf of the war on poverty (lol). In recent years the raising of the Social Security retirement age, plus other tweaks, have made the big retirement income entitlement less generous. New retirees won’t get back quite as much income support as they’ve contributed in Social Security taxes. With medicare - with the rising healthcare costs (also the fault of our Congress) - that is more of a break even.
And of course American poverty is not anything like the Darfur situation either.
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Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recognizes USAID's positive impact
https://www.usaid.gov/ru/news-informa...
Source: USAID for American People
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Hernando de Soto Polar (or Hernando de Soto /dəˈsoʊtoʊ/; born 1941) is a Peruvian economist known for his work on the informal economy and on the importance of business and property rights. He is the president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD), located in Lima, Peru.
Remainder of article:
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernand...
The Other Path:
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oth...
More:
https://www.newsweek.com/economy-slum...
https://www.justiceinitiative.org/pub...
Hernando de Soto Knows How To Make the Third World Richer than the First
Link to video: https://youtu.be/Dkgc5Jo-Ft8
Poor People Also Have the Right to Buy and Sell - Hernando de Soto
Link to video: https://youtu.be/6RXdLYP-dxM
Summary: Influential economist and president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy Hernando de Soto explores the economic roots of the Arab Spring.
An Interview with Hernando de Soto Polar - McKinsey and Company
Link: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/p...#
Building a nation of owners - October 1, 2012 | Interview- McKinsey and Company
Link: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/p...
Globalization at the Crossroads - Full Video
Link: https://youtu.be/Gnh5MIiG4gQ
Summary: Globalization at the Crossroads features renowned Peruvian economist and author, Hernando de Soto. His twenty years of research show that economies prosper only in places where widespread personal property ownership exists—coupled with inclusive, efficient, and transparent business and property law.
This program demonstrates how the West successfully revolutionized its legal systems, property laws, and developed the modern corporation. Other nations that have instituted private property and business reforms, such as post-WWII Japan and present-day China, have seen their economies take off and their middle classes grow. Globalization is the new civilization. But unless we include the 80% of humanity currently excluded from the system, they will bring civilization down, as they have brought down other civilizations in the past.
by
Hernando de Soto
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Hernando de SotoSources: ReasonTV, Youtube, Wikipedia, Newsweek, Wikimedia, The RSA
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Week Five: July 6th - July 12th
✓Chapter 10 - A Foothold 148 - completed
Chapter 11 - Things Unseen 16 - will be discussed later this week
The moderator has completed Chapter Ten's assignment.
See you tomorrow for the next chapter.
Regards,
Bentley
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Chapter Eleven
Things Unseen
"IN A FOURTH-GRADE classroom one morning, an observant teacher pauses as she walks by the desk of a student, a nine-year-old girl with long auburn hair and, adorning her wrist, a silver charm bracelet. “What are you working on?” the teacher asks.
The girl glances up and answers with an earnest look on her face, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” “Very impressive,” comes the reply, “but I’m sorry to say that people all over the world have been thinking about that subject for thousands of years, and nobody, not even the wisest and most holy, knows what God looks like.” “Well,” says the girl, “They will in a minute.”
Oh, for the confidence of that young lady!
From the dawn of human consciousness, we have speculated about the nature of God, but with imaginations stunted by our less-than-divine desires and brains.
Accounts in monotheistic Scripture leave us with an array of impressions. Is the supreme being remote and fearsome? Intimate and merciful? Jealous? Forgiving? Changeless? Moody? Lacking a definitive answer, we have sometimes amused ourselves by propounding our own ideas.
In popular entertainments, God has twice been made to appear like Morgan Freeman but has also been depicted by, among others, Martin Sheen, George Burns, Alanis Morissette, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Given the immensity of the universe, also beyond our power to conceive, I suppose it’s possible that long ago, somewhere in the cosmos, there was a Hogwarts for apprentice deities. Instructed to produce a science fair project, one student created Earth and the accompanying solar system, thereby earning from her professor an A for the oceans and mountains, a C for human beings, and extra credit for golden retrievers.
Displeased by the mixed review, our scholar gave a mighty spin to her project—which she had named “Genesis”—tossed it high in the air, and moved on."
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (pp. 102-103). Harper. Kindle Edition.
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. This chapter might have been aptly named - at least for the first part - what does God have to do with it? Why was Albright not so pleased with the meme that showed up - after the defeat of the Kerry campaign (aside from John Kerry losing?)
The Meme:
2. Albright wondered if focusing on the secular wasn't sidestepping issues that shouldn't be ignored? What do you think about the approach that Albright normally took: Albright stated: "To resolve a dispute, diplomats must persuade each side to settle for part of what it wants rather than prolong a squabble by demanding all. It can be impossible when the issues are believed by one side or the other (or both) to involve God’s will. She stated that she "asked all sides to focus on the rights of the individual, not the age-old grievances of their faith groups". Was this the right approach?
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 103 - 104). Harper. Kindle Edition.
3. What did you think of this quote in Chapter Eleven:
"Many of them consider religion to be, at best, a balm for people unwilling to face reality and, at worst, a rationale for crackpots to destroy the lives of others via inquisition and holy wars. “Good people do good things and bad people do bad things,” I was told, “but for good people to do bad things, that takes religion.”
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 105). Harper. Kindle Edition.
4. Albright asked some brilliant questions at her dinner party. What are your thoughts regarding the questions she posed?
a) What can leaders do to ensure that religion brings people together instead of causing them to bash their neighbors’ heads?
b) Why do some people who proudly flaunt their religious identities know so little about the tenets of their chosen faiths?
c) How can a person who prostrates himself before a God of love and mercy be blind to the rights and cares of others?
d) Why can’t we all get along?
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (pp. 105-106). Harper. Kindle Edition.
More:
by
Madeleine K. Albright
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The First Balkan War - Explained in 10 minutes
Link to video: https://youtu.be/0LvLr1UjCVw
The Second Balkan War - Explained in 10 minutes
Link to video: https://youtu.be/q3n0cQXNEEw - Note: there is an ad pop up but it goes away shortly and resumes the video
The Breakup of Yugoslavia
Link to video: https://youtu.be/oiSgAiM0d8A
Macedonia's New Name Wipes Last Vestige Of Yugoslavia From Official Map
Link to article and video: https://www.rferl.org/a/macedonia-new...
Conflict in Former Yugoslavia (Albright in this one)
Link to C-Span video: https://www.c-span.org/video/?31074-1...
Source: Knowledgia via Youtube, Wonderwhy via Youtube, Radio Free Europe, C-Span
More:
by
Victor Sebestyen
Mod
I liked Albright's account of her working with Dr. Hernando de Soto Polar from Peru, meeting him first in 2005 at an economic conference in Washington. He had a very different approach in that without some kind of legal standing or the ability to "monetize their assets", people cannot benefit from society's protections. He moved to do just that for twenty years in Peru giving legal status to the poor, whether that be in the form of a birth certificate or a deed to one's farm or house, making a big difference.
It was with this premise that de Soto asked for Albright's help working with him as co-chair on a soon-to-be created international Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Over the next few years they partnered with the likes of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Larry Summers of Harvard, and Mary Robinson, former leader of Ireland. All in all, it presented a different model of how to view poverty and how to overcome it.
Mod
Remembering Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Justice Scalia, Sandra Day O'Connor, John Paul Stevens - all are beginning to be awhile ago. In fact, even Gorsuch and Kavanaugh's appointment seem a few years ago - even though they occurred during this administration. I do hope that Ginsburg carries on for awhile and keeps up her exercise regiment.
I was not that familiar with de Soto's work before reading this book and his ideas have a lot of merit and something to think about for this country too. Nobody wants to talk about the poor in the United States and that is something that we need to grapple with if in fact we are going to be able to solve some of the race issues in this country and the basic disconnects.
You raised an interesting point - what the dickens are all of us doing (lol)?
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He said something very profound which I would like you to think about and comment on:
“Each of the major religions is a many-splintered thing,” Land began. “It is dangerous, and unfair, to generalize about the beliefs of the whole based on the actions of a few. We can’t judge Christians by the sins of the Ku Klux Klan, or Jews by the harsh rhetoric of the Jewish Defense League, or Muslims by the crimes of al-Qaeda.”
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 106). Harper. Kindle Edition.
What are your thoughts?
Biography:
President, Professor of Theology (A.B., 1969; Th.M., 1972; D.Phil., 1980; Honorary D.D., 2009).
Prior to becoming the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in 2013, Richard Land served as the President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Currently, he serves as the Executive Editor of The Christian Post.
Dr. Land was appointed to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2001 and was subsequently reappointed to three additional terms of service through 2012.
In 2007, The Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement was established by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where Dr. Land is a Visiting Professor.
Dr. Land also received the Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth from Biola University in 2010. In 2012 Dr. Land received The Champions of Justice Award, presented by the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (also known as the Hispanic Evangelical Association).
Dr. Richard Land is a well-respected commentator on issues related to religion, politics, history and culture, and has appeared in thousands of media interviews in most major media outlets over the course of his career.
Education
D. D. (Honorary), 2009, Criswell College
D. Phil., 1980, Oxford University
Th. M., 1972, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
A.B., 1969, Princeton University
Awards & Recognition
The Champions of Justice Award, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, 2012.
Ambassador of Christian Ethics, Regent University, 2011.
Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth, Biola University, 2010.
W.A. Criswell Award for Public Service, Criswell College, 2008.
The Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement was established by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007.
Truth and Media Award, Tennessee Right to Life, 2007.
Carl F.H. Henry Society of Fellows, Union University, 2007.
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Distinguished Service Award, 2003.
H. Paul Pressler Service Award, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, 2002.
John Leland Religious Liberty Award, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, 1999.
Alumnus Award, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1997.
Broadman Seminarian Award as Outstanding Graduating Student, 1972.
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by Richard Land (no photo)
I had not heard of De Sotos work either but giving the poor legal rights makes a lot of sense to empowering them. What do the powerful and rich first do to take power? Disenfranchise others. And it works. I’m with you Bentley and Lorna. If Madeleine Albright has trouble figuring out how she can effect real change, what are the rest of us supposed to do? It’s depressing.
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(smile) - I know - when all of us think we are doing so much - yet what are we doing for the world?
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I know that I don't have to look far from home. We live in the inner city of Denver. Coincidentally, I was reading just last week that in the most recent study that Denver ranks second in its push for gentrification that then leads to more people forced from their homes with an increase in poverty and homelessness. We are grappling with these issues at a local level right now and have been for some time. A lot remains to be done.
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For those folks who are not familiar with the term "gentrification": (other than a Starbucks and a Whole Foods moving in)
Here is an article from Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petesaun...
This is what happens after a Neighborhood gets Gentrified - The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...
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I also plan to spend more time on the section of this thread on all of the offerings on Hernando de Soto Polar, particularly his work in Peru. Thank you.
Well, I don’t want my only legacy to be that I made rich people richer (which I did in my career). I volunteered as much as I could when I was working and now have volunteered to be a mentor for a woman leaving prison. However the coronavirus put a wrench in that so I’m still waiting to get an actual mentee. I am writing to a young woman still in prison to let her know that she’s not forgotten and she has been writing me back. So that’s good. I also have a few other volunteer activities that I participate in but that will be my big one once it gets moving. But the need is great and it’s hard to feel like you are doing all that much even when you write checks.
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I think he is absolutely correct about "human nature" and what you value.
Seeing the old photos of folks who have morphed into their present day selves is quite striking.
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Very true Kathy and your mentorship sounds very interesting.
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"If you see this man, don't make the mistake that Albright did - "he is" the former archbishop of Canterbury (lol)"
More:
http://aoc2013.brix.fatbeehive.com/pa...
http://aoc2013.brix.fatbeehive.com/
https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.or... (Justin Welby - current Archbishop of Canterbury)
Source: The Archbishop of Canterbury
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Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - 8/18/1991 - Newport Jazz Festival (Official)
Link to Youtube video: https://youtu.be/8RYDKEZQLS8
Source: Youtube
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Week Five: July 6th - July 12th
✓Chapter 10 - A Foothold 148 - completed
✓Chapter 11 - Things Unseen 16 - completed
The moderator has completed all of the Week Five's assignment.
See you next week.
Regards,
Bentley
Mod
Week Six: - July 13th - July 19th
Chapter 12 - Advise and Dissent 183
Chapter 13 - Companions 198
Mod
Chapter 12 - Advise and Dissent 183
In this harrowing chapter, Secretary Albright relates the allegation made on 60 Minutes in May 1996 accusing the American government of responsibility for the deaths of a half-million children in Iraq because of UN sanctions. What enfolds in this chapter is the backstory.
Chapter 13 - Companions 198
This is a delightful chapter about aging and all of the questions about diminishing mental capacity. It is also a very personal chapter where she is free to discuss her three daughters and her grandchildren.
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Chapter Twelve
Advise and Dissent
“WAR CRIMINAL OR Role Model?” One or the other. The newspaper headline offered no third alternative. I am a person who wants very much to be liked.
For more than two decades, I have also been accused by some of starving babies and feeling good about it. The allegation allegation has been kept alive online and by social media, but it had its origin on the granddaddy of television news shows, 60 Minutes.
On May 12, 1996, the program broadcast footage of a shabby, ill-equipped hospital in Baghdad, featuring close-ups of sick and starving children. The accompanying report might as well have been narrated by the Iraqi government, which had arranged access to its medical facilities for a CBS camera crew.
The heart-tugging segment was capped by a conversation between the network’s top journalist, Leslie Stahl, and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations—me.
“We have heard that half a million children have died [as a result] of UN sanctions on Iraq,” said Stahl. “I mean, that is more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?”
Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 115). Harper. Kindle Edition.
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. What are your thoughts about the 60 Minutes reporting on the American government of responsibility for the deaths of a half-million children in Iraq because of UN sanctions? Was the backstory more enlightening and explanatory?
It is hard to believe that after all these years and all the work Madeleine Albright has done, she still has to answer for the one answer she gave on this one program twenty five years ago. I think if she was a man the comment would have been long forgiven once she made an apology and explained that she didn’t mean how callous it sounded. It does,show how sexism plays out in our society. God knows how many foibles and comments men have made and if anybody brings it up, they immediately are shouted down by defenders that he already apologized for it - what more do you want? Even if his further actions show how callous he really is. Kathy
Kathy, unfortunately I’m still trying to track down a library copy of this book, so I really shouldn’t speak ... but I agree with you one hundred per cent!Regards,
Andrea
Andrea, feel free to comment. I hope you find the book soon. It’s very enjoyable reading it. She’s quite witty and the book goes by fast so you’d be able to catch up quickly. Every time I pick it up I have to stop myself from continuing on because I don’t want to get too far ahead of the week’s assignment. Kathy
Kathy, oh how true that is. I overran the Rick Atkinson book, I’d already read the Eric Larsen book, and I’m struggling not to overread on the Pandemic book. It’s a comfort to know there’s somebody to share my pain.Regards,
Andrea
by
Rick Atkinson
by
Erik Larson
by
John M. Barry
Mod
Amen to that, Lorna. They have been cheated big time!
What are the discussion questions for this week? Or are on our own? I’m already through Chapter 18 so I do forget where we stand from week to week. I’m enjoying the book so I force myself to put it down. Kathy
Mod
Madeleine Albright also discusses that prior to the 2008 election, she wrote a book, Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership. It is glaring that many of the issues she brought up in that book facing the incoming administration are present today in alarming levels. It is a book that I have decided to read.
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Madeleine K. Albright
Thank you, Lorna for the recommendation (the length of my TBR List doesn’t bear thinking about)! That’s a rarified club, that of the Secretaries of State. I would love to be a mouse in the corner whenever they get together to talk privately ..Regards,
Andrea
Mod
Week Eight: - July 27th - August 2nd
16 First Light 244
17 Thought and Purpose 259
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (other topics)Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 (other topics)
Joys and Sorrows: Reflections by Pablo Casals (other topics)
Fascism: A Warning (other topics)
The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lawrence Wright (other topics)Madeleine K. Albright (other topics)
Pau Casals (other topics)
Madeleine K. Albright (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
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A yurt, or ger, is a portable, circular dwelling. Yurts have been the primary style of home in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia, for thousands of years.
More:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/en....
Source: National Geographic