Jim Foglio

Man From Plains: The Courage to Reinvent a Legacy

The Jonathan Demme (Oscar, Silence of the Lambs) documentary chronicles former President Jimmy Carter’s 2006 book tour, illustrating the reactions and perspectives that accompanied the release of “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” The film confirms transformation of the Carter legacy, from the president who presided over a staggering economy to a genuine and committed statesman for jeu slots casinobonus reward casino770casino jeux parisplay keno onlinecasino 10 eurojack russel black andabsoluflash com jeu casino barcasino gratuites sur internetjeux casino gratuites comjeux casino sans depotjeux de casino gratuitsenquete casino on netla roulette rustrejeux casino en ligne,meilleur casino en ligne,casino en lignewww jeux casino comonline casino gamesjack blackwww supermarché casinosjeu de roulette,jeu de roulette russe,règles du jeu de roulettejeux de casino gratuitementjeu baccarat en ligne gratuitesslots onlineenquete eurobarre casino on netbonus casinos en ligneannuaire casino en ligneblackjack pay paypalwww casino vacances frwww casino vacancestelecharger jeu casinojack black benastuce pour gagner au casinosupermarché casinojeux de casino gratuits en ligne,jeux de casino en ligne,jeux de casino en ligne gratuitescasino games procasino bonus offertcasino jeux argentand black jackкомпютриtop casino en ligne,casino ligne,le meilleur casino en ligneblack jack forcasinos video pokermeilleur bonus casinoblack jack gratisjeux casino gratiutcasinos on netcasino blackjackbaccarat room en lignela roulette francaisecasino en ligne surle casino gratuites sans dépotnouveau casino avec bonus global peace and diplomacy.

Produced by Neda Armian and starring Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, both of whom attended the February 16^th premiere at the Rylander Theatre in Americus, Georgia, “Man From Plains” is a snapshot into a progressive perspective on contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Carter’s thesis, that peace will forever elude Israel until they back away from the land that was awarded to Palestine after World War II, was predictably contested by much of the American media. However, with a balanced and confident approach, Carter holds true his convictions, in the process educating much of his audience. Interviews from CNN, PBS, NPR, the Los Angeles Times and The Tonight Show highlight his stops in the immediate days following the book’s release. Carter also speaks to an energized crowd at Brandies University, a predominately Jewish University. But the political discussions have the propensity to move from healthy dialogue to emotional charges of Antisemitism, chiefly from the connotations brought on by Carter’s word choice in the title.

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz offers to debate Carter in order to support his contention that the legally elected Palestinian majority, Hamas, should be treated with zero tolerance. However, the film is clear to point out that the Bush administration broke off all political ties with Hamas once they received a majority in the election, and that much of the U.S. stance is driven by the huge AIPAC (American Israeli Political Action Committee) congressional lobby. Dershowitz could have been dismissed as a fanatic himself (he publicly endorses the torture of Hamas supporters), but the filmmakers chose to allow him an evenhanded voice. Hamas, of course, currently endorses Jihad against all Jews, but only because Israel has built a wall around their already limited land, and imposed inhumane and oppressive policies that have led to starvation and isolation. Carter’s humanitarian approach maintains that if Israel gets out, peace will have a chance.

The former president’s stance is another indication that Christians can be politically progressive, a memo to a segment of our middle class base that continues to group anyone of the faith into the Huckabee progression. Carter reveals clearly in a clip from his weekly sermon at the Plains Baptist Church that while he remains true to his Christian beliefs, he is worldly enough to acknowledge the limitations of a literal translation of the Bible.

The film also works because it sprinkles in pieces of a private life that remains truthfully public, supporting the reality that the Carters are hardly kin with the existing political elite. Segments from Carter’s family farm in Plains, a scene where the former president sheds tears after hearing an intern address the Carter Center in Atlanta, and the unexpected way he used the concept of family to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egypt President Anwar Sadat to sign the 1978 Camp David agreement depict an honorable and authentic heart.

Not since Eisenhower’s farewell speech that warned of the creation of the “military industrial complex” has a United States president stood up with this much courage to pay notice to a subject that needs debate. Indeed, Carter acknowledges that there is even a discussion of the Israeli policy towards Palestine in Israel, but the issue remains silenced in the United States. Ultimately, the viewer is reminded of the evolution of Carter’s legacy, and the dire need for global discourse in a crucial matter that directly influences United States foreign policy.

Further reading:

Petras, James, The Power of Israel in the United States, Clarity Press, Inc., 2006.

Carter, Jimmy, Palestine: Peace Not Aparthied, Simon & Schuster, 2006.

When Did Activism Become a Bad Word?Public Education in the New South

If the goal of education is to combat ignorance, to develop informed and productive citizens who can make responsible choices, then it is quite reasonable to suppose that education will − at least at some level − help curb some of the cultural norms or behaviors that perpetuate generational poverty. Sure relationship building is meaningful and productive for classroom teachers and administrators. But rather than reacting at the lowest level, like, for example, making home visits, why not be proactive and look to cut out poverty at its roots.

My contention is that there is irony in researchers like Ruby Payne and Rita Pierson who preach tolerance and contend they understand poverty, while not discussing its derivation, what might be called the Howard Zinn theory of industrial class capitalism, i.e., social inequality. Where does poverty come from? Intriguingly enough, one of my students of poverty once told me that George Bush was to blame for all black on black crime. While this notion is preposterous at first glance, the truth is that citizens − including middle class teachers, administrators and researchers − may not be educated enough to realize they are feeding into the system that creates the underlying issues. When you read some of the “experts” on poverty or listen to administrators or teachers, they are not talking about breaking the cycle of inequality in this country; they are only responding to the insolent, cold hand of poverty and its impact on children and families. Therefore they are either unaware of the fundamental reason behind poverty or choose to intentionally ignore it.

The ultimate paradox is that poor children do not value education, so they don’t allow themselves to acquire the background to make informed and mature choices in their young lives, and they continue to perpetuate poverty on a generational level. For example, many of my students do not want to learn history, have no motivation whatsoever to learn about the Vietnam War. But regardless of one’s opinion on the nature of war, how can one support a current war without being informed about previous wars? And my students do blindly support war, just as much as they do religion, yet they disregard the history of these two crucial components of the world experience. With the church and parents (who themselves often had children at a young age) as their primary role models, and alternative perspectives weakened by the students’ own apathy, their indifference turns on them, resulting in negative consequences, like teenage pregnancies. It’s hard to get out of poverty when you have a baby as a child yourself.

Without education they are not informed enough to see causality. Without knowledge, uninformed citizens lack the participation needed to question the distribution of wealth, resources and allocation of government spending. Perhaps this is a middle class value itself, this absurd idea of political participation, or conceivably people feel disenfranchised or overlooked by politics when they are out simply for survival, so they could care less. But it’s not just those in poverty, it’s middle class teachers, administrators and people like Pierson and Payne, who keep missing the point. When your elected representative votes against a bill that would fund “Head-Start” programs and provide utility relief for poor families in the winter who face heatless nights, but votes in favor of a $50 billion spending bill for war, this tells us that ignorance itself transcends class lines. All it would take is a few letters or phone calls to local representatives to do your part. Yet regardless of whether any of us choose to participate or subscribe to the values of political activism, education needs to be able to provide young people the choice, the background and knowledge to know how take a stand. Yet when activism is considered a bad word by the media or when students refuse to learn in the classroom, ignorance rules.

I came into the New South with a background in history, journalism and education. With two graduate degrees and experience teaching in several states, I was confident in my ability to transmit knowledge to the next generation. I was optimistic and progressive-minded… and starry-eyed, I must admit. The reality is that this job is impossible in the short-term, because the situation will not change until the culture of poverty is eliminated. Sure there are exceptions, as many of these children find success in all areas of life. But with every amazing story there are hundreds that go untold. And we’re still talking about

America here; the true poverty is lining the overpopulated slums of the South American, Asian and African contemporary city, which will only get worse, and permeate into our homeland with the decreasing value of the dollar and loss of ownership of American businesses to the East. But my students may never learn about this.

Teachers hear about children who come to school just to eat for free, ones who sleep under houses, whose parents are incarcerated, all that. We hear that hungry kids can’t function at their best, and that without parent support teachers can’t get the message across. But I have more broken pencils and crumpled papers on my floor each week than I had in three years of teaching in Colorado combined. It is absolute fact that many of the children do not care. But as educators, we need to get to the bottom of this. Sure we need to fight it in the classroom by teaching them things like respect for free education or the environment. But this country has the resources to fight poverty, and therefore minimize all of that, and we choose not to; that’s the true bottom line.

I challenge you to read some Howard Zinn, one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement in Georgia, and the author of what many progressive historians consider the ultimate account on American History, A People’s History of the United States. This is not about social studies; it’s about poverty, which although technically in that subject area, transcends all of the disciplines into the global ocean we call humanity. Next time, on your home visit, break one of those “unwritten rules” Payne talks about, and take a risk. Start your conversation not with some fake compliment about their child so you can sugarcoat the behavior complaints you plan to bring up later, but by explaining that 90% of the wealth in this country is concentrated in less than 1% of the population. Then talk about Howard Zinn, and that conversation will give more insight into why their student was suspended than any documentation or behavioral chart you can assemble.

“Foglio pushes on bravely - and with some degree of success - along roads once coursed by the likes of Steinbeck, Kerouac, and H.S. Thompson, w/ occasional side trips into the bosky realms of Walt Whitman and Euell Gibbons. An interesting, eclectic and readable coterie of traveling companions to say the least, and a daunting task for a first effort. Partly in-the-pocket and classic; part gonzo and beat, but uniquely original. Imagine Sly Stallone or Sugar Ray (Robinson or Leonard, you choose) in robes on loan from the Dali Lama and you get an idea of the persona of this writer. With a keen eye on landscapes, an unerring ear for patois, and a penetrating gaze into the souls he encounters on his pilgrimage with his pup, he’ll take you along a road replete with dandelion wine, diners, deserts, and Dylanesque characters, while searching for the angel woman of his dreams, an unspoiled sanctuary, and a roll of soft paper for the toilet.”– Lou D’Antonio, The Point Radio,

This blog will run for discussion on the travel memoir, Travels With Aspen, newly released through a small northeastern Colorado press. The book chronicles the author’s voyage through a post-911 nation riddled with racism and modern sectionalism, fused with themes ranging from unconditional love to gambling to environmentalism. Courageously entering the genre of Steinbeck and Kerouac, my aim is to find a voice that connects with the young, well-informed reader.