Third Saturday Seminar 2019-2020

We have addressed this subject before … I believe it is appropriate to continue.   Our times are undergoing a sea change.  At least, we can stay aware of the trends.  At the moment we have grownups in our government seeing the world through the eyes of un-socialized children and acting stupidly and selfishly.

Harvard professors Steve Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt examined the causes that lead to breakdowns in democracies around the world and have written the book, “How Democracies Die”  (C-Span video presentaion)

They made a 36 minute presentation followed by 36 minutes of Q&A at the Cambridge Public Library on January 31, 2018 and it was recorded by CSPAN.  Levitsky and Ziblatt make the case that “Norms” no longer moderate our leaders’ decisions and actions.

In January, 2018, I  happened to hear the authors being interviewed by Dave Davies on NPR’s “Fresh Air.”  Becoming concerned about the general disregard for the rule of law and each other being demonstrated in our halls of government, something reminded me of the “How Democracies Die” interview that had impressed me.

The archived “Fresh Air” episode from January 22, 2018: ‘How Democracies Die’ Authors Say Trump Is A Symptom Of ‘Deeper Problems’

If you google the book’s title, you will find many commentaries, interviews, audio and visual of the work of Levitsky and Ziblatt .

For those who like to read ahead:

“Instructors Guide for How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt”
Broadway Books | Paperback | 978-1-5247-6294-0 | 320 pages
“We’re already awash in public indignation—what we desperately need is a sober, dispassionate look at the current state of affairs. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, two of the most respected scholars in the field of democracy studies, offer just that.” —The Washington Post

Wikipedia: “How Democracies Die”
The book warns against the breakdown of “mutual toleration” and respect for the political legitimacy of the opposition. This toleration involves accepting the results of a free and fair election where the opposition has won, in contrast with advocacy for overthrow or spurious complaints about the election mechanism. The authors also assert the importance of respecting the opinions of those who come to legitimately different political opinions, in contrast to attacking the patriotism of any who disagree, or warning that if they come to power they will destroy the country.

How Democracies Die: An Interview with Steven Levitsky
The author discusses how democracies thrive and decline and the implications for U.S. at this event hosted by The Chicago Center on Democracy at the University of Chicago. This program was recorded by CAN TV Jun 13, 2019 . 1:03:14

As usual, our world is still in “interesting times.” We will start the session with Current Events

Disclaimer: Due to the fluctuating state of our government; anything written here can be inaccurate by Saturday or sooner.

President Donald J. Trump will have been in office for 1119 days by Saturday. 
There are 262 days to the next General Presidential Election, 3 November 2020.  
Texas holds its Primary Elections on Super Tuesday, 3 March 2020 (45 days).  
First day of early voting in the Primary is 18 February 2020 (3 days). 
Even, if Trump loses the 2020 election, he will still be president until January 2021

For those who like to read ahead:

Just to track our progress,  Last time we  talked about the candidates  talk about foreign policy finally entered  the current debate, but then it devolved into, “who supported the Iraq War …”  Nancy Pelosi announced she would (to my mind, very prematurely send the two impeachment articles to the Senate the next Wednesday, still having nothing worked out with McConnell who had promised he would stay in lock step with the White House.  Before that we were dealing with the aftermath of our killing the Iranian General Suliemani, and the so-called proportionate response by the Iranians with a missile attacks on Iraqi Bases where Americans were positioned. Our President crowed that no Americans were killed, however he was unaware of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), caused by the pressure waves of the war heads which may not be known for a few days.

109 U.S. Troops Suffered Brain Injuries In Iran Strike, Pentagon Says

February 11, 202010:39 AM ET, Bill Chappell
            The Defense Department says 45 more U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iran’s attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq last month — raising the total number of troops injured in the ballistic missile strike to 109.
            Of those who were injured, 76 have returned to duty. A Pentagon statement about the injuries did not include details about the service members, such as their age, rank or military unit.
            Monday’s update is at least the fifth time the U.S. has revised the number of personnel injured during the Iranian attack.
            President Trump initially reported no U.S. troops were injured. “No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime,” Trump said shortly after the strike. He added, “We suffered no casualties.”
            But the Pentagon later said that 11 people had suffered TBI. And on Jan. 24, the number jumped to 34. Nearly a week later, the Pentagon said 50 personnel were injured, only to revise the figure days later to 64.

New Coronavirus Disease Officially Named COVID-19 By The World Health Organization
February 11, 202010:50 AM ET , Brett Dahlberg, Elena Renken

The new coronavirus disease that was first identified in Wuhan has received an official name from the World Health Organization: “COVID-19.” “COVI” comes from coronavirus. The “D” stands for disease. The 19 represents 2019, the year the virus was first identified, in December.

The name will apply for the “entire spectrum” of cases, from mild to severe, according to a WHO spokesperson. The disease had been given the temporary name “2019-nCoV” by WHO in January, identifying the pathogen as a novel (previously unidentified, that is) coronavirus that first emerged in humans in 2019.

As weeks went by, people began calling it “Wuhan virus.” But that’s a problematic label. World Health Organization guidelines for naming infectious diseases, issued in 2015, discourage names that refer to specific places, people and professions, aiming to avoid negative repercussions from stigmatizing a geographic area or a population group.

All 4 federal prosecutors quit Stone case after DOJ overrules prosecutors on sentencing request
February 11, 2020 Jeremy Herb, David Shortell, Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz and Kaitlan Collins, CNN

Washington (CNN)In an extraordinary move, all four federal prosecutors who took the case against longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone to trial withdrew Tuesday after top Justice Department officials undercut them and disavowed the government’s recommended sentence against Stone.
The mass withdrawal of the career prosecutors on the case was a stunning response to the controversial and politically charged decision by Attorney General William Barr and other top Justice Department officials to reduce prosecutors’ recommended sentence of up to nine years, which came just hours after Trump publicly criticized it on Twitter.
The rapid fire developments in the case – the prosecutors’ withdrawals came one by one through court filings over the course of two hours Tuesday afternoon – spilled tensions between Justice Department brass and the career prosecutors into the open, raising questions about the Justice Department’s independence from political pressure. In a new filing Tuesday, the US Attorney’s office in Washington revised the sentencing recommendation to be “far less” than the seven-to-nine years recommended on Monday. It was not signed by any of the prosecutors who worked the case.
Ultimately, the presiding judge in the case will have the final say on Stone’s sentence.
Trump denied any involvement in the sentencing revision, but the turnaround drew howls from congressional Democrats, who called for the Justice Department inspector general to investigate.

 And whatever current events you might bring to class…

Academy for Lifelong Learning: LSC-Montgomery , http://www.lonestar.edu/all-montgomery.htm
Registration: Download the form and submit it to ALL
in person: LSC-Montgomery 3200 College Park Dr., Conroe, TX 77384, Continuing Education/ALL Office Building E, Room 205

• Phone: 936.273.7446
• Fax: 936.273.7262
• Steve Gorman is the ALL Director (936) 273-7259),

Third Saturday Seminars – Spring, 2020 – 5 Sessions
The first 45 minutes of the seminar is a review of current events often followed by a guest speaker on a noteworthy topic.
The Third Saturday Seminar is about demystifying what is going on around us. 
Topics have included health care, internet safety, and, providing medical care to civilians in Iraq.
            Meets the third Saturday of Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr and May 2020: 1/18, 2/15, 3/21, 4/18, 5/16.
16088           3rd SA       1/18-5/16      9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.         B 102        Curt Gibby

 Campus Map

“Some part of our being knows this (the universe) is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us; We’re made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. “Carl Sagan

2020 will prove to be an “INTERESTING” year!  We will keep you informed to the best of our ability. See you on Saturday.