Why This 1967 Interview of Prof. A.J. Toynbee is Still Thought-Provoking

by Nomad

The observations of an esteemed historian from 1967 still hold true in our time.

More than a Historian

To call Professor Arnold J. Toynbee a historian is to fall short of the mark. He was called a " philosopher of history." 

His most famous work "The Study of History" is a staggering 12 volumes and took three decades to write. On a human scale, that's a lot of history right there.
Today, Toynbee is known mostly in academic circles but in his time, he was a widely read and discussed scholar in the 1940s and 1950s.
Sadly, for the anybody without a masters' degree, the work is not what most people would consider and "easy" read.

But that's not to say it is inaccessible. A later condensed version allows us mere mortals an opportunity to understand Toynbee's brilliance. Even then, there are moments when you look up from the book and wonder, what the heck did I just read?
(The Wikipedia version is perhaps the ultimate abridgment.)

To put it simply, Professor Toynbee studied what caused primitive societies to transform themselves into civilizations and the reasons why civilizations collapsed.

Toynbee's goal was to trace the development and decay of 19 world civilizations in the historical record, applying his model to each of these civilizations, detailing the stages through which they all pass: genesis, growth, time of troubles, universal state, and disintegration.

In a way, Toynbee turned a very wide angle lens on humanity. Toynbee, as dry as his works could often be, provided remarkable insight into where we are in the bigger picture. He also hinted at where we might be going.

Listen to an Interview with France's Marine Le Pen, Leader of the Ultra-Conservative National Front

by Nomad

In this podcast interview France's Marine Le Pen, leader of the ultra-conservative National Front demonstrates why she could very well be the next French president.  

Meet Madam Le Pen

If you never listened or watched the BBC program HARDtalk, it might come as bit of a shock to hear what outstanding journalism actually sounds like. There's nothing to compare it with in American news. 

In this podcast, interviewer Stephen Sackur quizzes Marine Le Pen, president of France's far-right National Front (NF) Party.
According to polls held in October, a far-right or extreme-right National Front party leader Le Pen would win 30 percent of the national vote if elections were held today. As of last week, Le Pen has taken a sizeable lead over former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.
According to one source:

Under the French election system, barring the unlikely possibility one candidate gains an overall majority in the first round vote, the two candidates with the most votes will contest a second and decisive round on 7 May.

Many of her policies have been compared to those of Donald Trump, in particular, her anti-establishment appeal to nationalism. Critics, (and Le Pen has many) claim her advocacy of anti-immigration is heavy laden with Islamophobia. 

Le Pen and Trump

Ms. Le Pen was recently asked about the comparison. She expressed her happiness about the Trump victory and declared that the stunning result of the election shows power is slipping from global "elites" who have "acted like carnivores" and "used the world to enrich only themselves."
(Given the very elite, very carnivorous Donald Trump's willingness to mix his business interests with his political responsibilities, Le Penn might have to revise that assessment.)

Trump's Guiding Principles: Conservative Columnist in Atlanta Decodes Deplorable Donald

by Nomad

An op-ed piece, Three Rules for Understanding All Donald Trump Says or Does, found in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is in some ways a remarkable testimony of the unpredictability of this election. 

First of all, there's the fact that it's a voice from the deep South.

From 1868 thru 1960, the state was a Democratic dependability in every election. That's a bit misleading in fact. In this period of American history, the party platforms were very different- practically the opposite than that currently are. 

(The often-heard boast that the Republican Party is the party of Lincoln overlooks the fact that the Grand Old Party was formed with the help of a newspaper mogul, Horace Greeley, who was not only a proud Socialist but the employer of both Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.)

By 1964, political sensibilities had shifted radically. The ultra-conservative Dixie-Crats,which had formed the Democratic Southern flank, were, after the Civil Rights Act, wooed into the arms of the GOP by the Republican  “southern strategy."  (A divide and conquer tactic was based largely on appealing to deep-seated prejudices, regional pride, and long-standing resentments.)

The Governor of Alabama and deeply flawed candidate George Wallace ran as an independent and won hearts in "Peach State" in 1968. However, since then, (with two exceptions, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992) Georgians have sided with Republican presidential candidates.

Because of the GOP's choice of nominee, this year could just be another exceptional case. According to one poll, it is quite possible that Georgia could flip to Hillary Clinton this election.

The latest YouGov election model contains some shocking news for Republicans as it currently projects that Georgia will flip to Hillary Clinton on Election Day.

The new YouGov model projects that Hillary Clinton will defeat Donald Trump 48%-42% in the popular vote, and will win the Electoral College 362-176.

It seems unlikely and yet, the fact that Trump has been able to get this far was once thought implausible. We shall just have to wait and see. A lot of things can happen between now and November.  

You Say You Want A Revolution? More Evidence Trump is Pranking the GOP

by Nomad

It took me a long time to take Donald Trump seriously. Just about the time, I became convinced he was a genuine candidate, he goes and opens new doubts.

Believe it or Not?

After quite a bit of deliberation on the subject, I was finally persuaded that Donald Trump was actually a serious candidate. 
It wasn't easy to accept this. 

Just by his appearance alone, he cuts a somewhat comical figure. That's not his fault, okay. I get it. Sometimes bad hair days can last decades.

Whatever you think about him personally, you have to admit, he makes his liabilities work to his advantage. Being an unorthodox candidate- not carefully groomed by handlers or by professional stylists- is doubtless one of his main selling points. 

He is who he is and he doesn't give a frick what other people think. He owes his position to nobody but his people. Only a billionaire can think like that nowadays.

There's a hitch, however.

That might work for a celebrity or a private citizen. But as a candidate for the highest office in the nation, most voters require a tad more than what Trump is selling. 

Hypocrites in the Spotlight- Dr. Ben Carson

by Nomad

I admit that I cannot verify everything on this meme, but there are plenty of good links out there (and here) that confirm enough of his background to rate him as a first-class hypocrite. 

That's not to say he is not an excellent doctor but as a public figure, he is way-way-way out of his depth. This is a man who with a straight face compared Obamacare to slavery. (That's right, the whipping and chaining institution that considered men with black skin to be little better than animals or a commodity to be exploited.)

Carson also equated homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality. and declared white liberals to be “the most racist people there are”. (That was, no doubt, a crowd pleaser for his conservatives audiences.)

Half-Baked News: Big Government Crushes Little Girl's Cup-Cake Dreams

by Nomad

How did a small human interest news story about a little girl's cupcake making business suddenly become an "unbelievable" story of government overreach and oppressive regulations? We examine how local media contribute to the right-wing propaganda machine.

How Not to Report the News

When it comes to the art of the spin, the way a simple news story can be manipulated is truly impressive. It is interesting to see how, instead of explaining the legitimate reasons- which can be a little tiresome and taxing on viewers- local news has become excellent at twisting a story to fit into a pre-decided mold.

Take the recent case of the little cupcake maker. When Belleville News-Democrat threw a spotlight on 11- year-old Chloe Stirling from Troy, Illinois and her cupcake making business, it was originally one of those quaintly positive human interest pieces that local news does ad nasueum. A dedicated self-starter, amazement to her mother, hard working (and photogenic) little girl with a vision. That sort of thing.

However, when the local health department watched the broadcast, they saw something very different. They saw a businessperson operating without any of the required health permits. Officials called the Stirling residence and promptly put Chloe out of business.

Evangelical Candidates: Personal Faith vs. Public Policy

by Nomad

A Sin Against God

In the 2012 election year, the subject of a presidential candidate’s religious beliefs is once again becoming a matter of public discussion. Of course, this isn’t, by any measure, the first time. In fact, in modern American politics, the issue of personal faith has become a more or less common feature in American elections.

What has changed is to what degree this once personal issue has become a candidate's "selling point" to the politically powerful Christian Right Wing of the Republican party.

When this problem was brought up in the 1960 Kennedy vs. Nixon election the matter was mentioned because some people were concerned that Kennedy could not represent all people and that there might well be conflicts between the Catholic doctrine and the Constitution. How this problematic issue was dealt with, the answer Kennedy gave to critics, is an example of the kind of politics and politicians that have come and gone.