
##4020261 A political traditionalist critiques our pseudo-conservative president <p> In 1954 the celebrated American historian Richard Hofstadter offered his explanation for McCarthyism in an essay he contributed to THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR titled " The Pseudo-Conservative Revolt . " Looking back on his essay 11 years later , Hofstadter noted : " I have written nothing else of comparable brevity that aroused more attention or drew more requests for quotation or reprinting . " <p> Seeking to understand the underlying social psychology of McCarthyism , Hofstadter borrowed the term pseudo-conservative from the philosopher Theodor Adorno to designate Americans who cloaked their " serious and restless dissatisfaction with American life , traditions and institutions " in the guise and rhetoric of conservatism . Hofstadter , who studied alternative explanations for political conduct , hypothesized that the dissatisfaction of 1950s pseudo-conservatives was based on a fear of loss of status common to open societies where social mobility is relatively fluid . <p> Compounding their fear in the McCarthy era was anxiety generated by the post-World War II nuclear arms race , which created a doomsday scenario in the minds of many Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " alienated groups began describing themselves as conservative because the term appeared to identify them as being diametrically opposed to the forces riley perceived were threatening both their lives mad their social positions . As Hofstadter pointed out , however , from a strictly political perspective there was nothing authentically conservative about their arguments . In the first place , they were trying desperately to overturn the status quo of New Deal America -- not to conserve it . Furthermore , they adhered to an ideology of anti-intellectualism , substituting feelings and emotions for the rational discourse that for millennia has characterized the history of Western conservative thought . " The pseudo-conservative tends to be more than ordinarily incoherent " about political issues , Hofstadter wrote . The result , he maintained , was a politics that emphasized unarticulated psychological impulses over reasonable analysis -- a politics of the gut , in other words , rather than of the mind . <p> Another reason Hofstadter considered McCarthyism to be a form of pseudo-conservatism had to do with the rage with which it expressed its opposition to the American political system and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political philosophy is analogous to conservatism as a personality trait . Both stress moderation , practicality , and prudence . " Look before you leap " and " a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush " might well be their credos . As Hofstadter reminded readers of THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR , however , McCarthyism had virtually nothing " in common with the temperate and compromising spirit of true conservatism in the classical sense of the word . " <p> Today another form of pseudo-conservatism threatens American institutions . Under the administration of George W. Bush , our public policy has for six years been shaped by those who discount reason to practice a politics of largely inchoate sentiments . <p> In order to recognize the counterfeit quality of the pseudo-conservatism that Hofstadter identified , as well as the " compassionate conservatism " Bush sometimes espouses , one has only to turn to the political philosophies of Aristotle and Edmund Burke . It is in their works , notably Aristotle 's Politics and Nicomachean Ethics and Burke 's Reflections on the Revolution in France ( 1790 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be found . At the heart of Aristotle 's and Burke 's thinking is a belief in the existence of natural law , a set of moral ideals that gives meaning to such terms as honor , integrity , justice , and courage . Neither Aristotle nor Burke possessed much faith in the rationality and morality of human beings . They feared that without the guidance that natural law provides , humans would forfeit their opportunities to lead virtuous lives and establish just governments . Because Aristotle and Burke considered them to be universal , these moral ideas were meant to apply to every human relationship -- including economics . <p> Aristotle and Burke supported private property and free enterprise on the basis of the distinguishing characteristic of human beings -- the possession of a soul that makes it possible for us to exercise free will and become unique individuals . One of the advantages of private property , they taught , is that it helps us to develop and manifest our individuality as well as to express one of their most cherished ideals , generosity . If people did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be a largely empty virtue . But Aristotle 's and Burke 's support for private property and free enterprise was not unlimited . The standards of natural law require owners to treat workers the same way they would like to be treated if the roles were reversed and challenge merchants to provide consumers with a fair product at a fair price . <p> From this perspective , what makes the Bush administration an example of pseudo-conservatism is its dogmatic commitment to laissez-faire policies that deny the relevance of universal ideals and that rely primarily on market forces to guide economic activities . In its pursuit of laissez-faire economic policies , the Bush administration has relaxed banking standards , introduced no-bid government contracts , allowed private corporations greater access to public lands , and refrained from limiting monopolistic practices . It has sought , furthermore , to reduce governmental responsibility for the welfare of its elderly citizens by advocating the privatization of Social Security accounts . <p> By assuming that some form of economic justice will result from the relatively unchecked selfishness of individuals and corporations , the policies of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of human behavior . Reinhold Niebuhr 's The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness ( 1944 ) echoed Aristotle 's and Burke 's rejection of unlimited economic freedom for its smug optimism . Only people who think of themselves as " harmless egotists , " Niebuhr remarked , could fail to understand that when the " economic process is left severely alone either the strong devour the weak , in which case monopoly displaces competition , or competition breeds chaos in the community . " <p> Consistent in its inconsistency , the Bush administration celebrates economic freedom while acting to curtail other basic American freedoms , such as privacy , religion , speech , and press . The same government that hesitates to apply explicit moral standards to economic behavior has had few qualms about restricting the Fourth Amendment right against warrantless searches , loosening rules on the confidentiality of medical records , supporting faith-based initiatives that cause citizens to subsidize religions to which they do not belong , ordering librarians to divulge information on material checked out by patrons , and attempting to influence the content of National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its approach to sexual issues . Among the manifestations of pseudo-conservatism that Hofstadter observed in 1954 was the vindictive quality of the policies it espoused . By opposing abortion as well as convenient access to birth control , the administration has demonstrated a punitive attitude toward sexual conduct . <p> Another serious disconnect between the Bush administration and traditional Western political conservatism is its foreign policy . Although Aristotle and Burke believed in universal ideals , they were not idealists . Instead , they practiced a politics of prudence that seeks to adjust immutable natural laws to constantly changing situations and circumstances . The unique value of prudence , Aristotle wrote , is its ability to ensure that governments do the right thing at the right time " in the fight way . " Burke called prudence " the first of all virtues " because it alone can teach governments how to bring " power and right " into harmony . Indeed , Burke 's famous criticism of the French Revolution was based upon his appreciation of political prudence . <p> Although Burke promoted the ideal of free government as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of prudence taught him that societies are organisms that require great care in order to endure and flourish . They can be modified , consequently , only with considerable thought and patience . At the end of the 18th century , France had been living under feudal autocrats for centuries . When the revolutionaries ignored their past and tried to introduce a historically unprecedented level of " liberty , fraternity , and equality " into their society virtually overnight , Burke predicted that death and destruction beyond anything the French had ever experienced would soon transpire . <p> Burke favored the American Revolution , on the other hand , because he judged Americans , as former English men and women , to be seeking to adapt traditional English ideals of self-rule for their new home . He considered their Coal to be a relatively moderate one that would serve to lay a firm foundation for the evolution of free government in the United States . Burke explained this in his Reflections : <p> I flatter myself that I love a manly , moral , regulated liberty as well as any gentleman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or blame to anything which relates to human actions , and human concerns , on a simple view of the object , as it stands stripped of every relation , in all the nakedness and solitude of metaphysical abstraction . Circumstances ( which with some gentlemen pass for nothing ) give in reality to every political principle its distinguishing colour and discriminating effect . The circumstances are what render every civil mid political scheme beneficial or noxious to mankind . <p> By Aristotle 's and Burke 's theories of evolutionary change , the Bush administration 's decisions to invade and occupy Iraq were clearly imprudent . A number of explanations have been offered to justify these policies . One was that Saddam Hussein possessed nuclear weapons . Another was that he was in league with Al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the United States on 9/11 . The latest is that we need to remake Iraq into a democracy that will serve as a political role model for the rest of the Middle East . Although the first two explanations have been discredited by the thorough investigations of several bipartisan congressional committees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by them . This strategy calls to mind Hofstadter 's observation that pseudo-conservatives are suspicious of reasonable analysis and often rely on knee-jerk reactions to reach policy decisions . <p> As Bush 's former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill revealed in Ron Suskind 's book The Price of Loyalty ( 2004 ) , the president in 2001 -- for reasons that were never explained fully and seemed like a snap judgment at the time -- informed his cabinet that he was thinking seriously about overthrowing Saddam . It was especially shocking to O'Neill that Bush announced his convictions about Iraq only 10 days after his inauguration and a full eight months before 9/11 . " Conviction is something you need in order to act , " O'Neill said . " But your action needs to be proportional to the depth of evidence that underlies your conviction . " <p> The third explanation is even more bewildering from a traditional conservative point of view . Iraq has never come close to being a democracy . The Iraqi people have never been free and rarely have shown an inclination to fight and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , therefore , the administration 's vision of a democratic Iraq is reminiscent of the mistakes made by the French revolutionaries . Both acted as if dreams can easily be translated into political reality . Both upheld the ideal of freedom , but neither was able to adapt that ideal to the specific circumstances they encountered . Both were unable to appreciate the staggering costs in human lives and property that are unavoidable when radical change is pursued over a very short period of time . <p> The Bush administration 's attitudes toward the national debt and the environment represent another break with the Western conservative tradition . Aristotle 's and Burke 's writings remind today 's generations that we have a moral responsibility to leave the world a better place for our descendants . This is why , Walter Lippmann explained in Essays in the Public Philosophy ( 1955 ) , " young men die in battle for their country 's sake and why old men plant trees they will never sit under . " After six years of a supply-side economic policy that increases government spending but declines to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration has left our children with a national debt of more than $8 trillion . By refusing to ratify the international Kyoto Protocol on global warming , deciding against requiring automobile manufacturers to raise fuel-efficiency ratings , withdrawing funds from the EPA , FEMA , and the Corps of Engineers , and discouraging wetlands-preservation projects , the administration may have set the stage for future environmental catastrophes on the order of Hurricane Katrina . Our children will have to cope with these disasters . <p> Other similarities between Bush administration policies and Hofstadter 's description of pseudoconservatism include : hostility toward the United Nations ; a penchant for amending the Constitution ; an insistence on political conformity ; an inability to make subtle distinctions between international players , which is required for effectiveness on the world political stage ; and a reliance on the populist rhetoric of anti-intellectualism . John Bolton , Bush 's U.N . ambassador , has taken the position that the institution is largely irrelevant . The Bush administration has supported amendments to the Constitution regarding flag burning and homosexual marriage . Americans who want to set a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as traitorous " cut-and-runners . " The failure of Senator McCarthy and his followers in 1954 to recognize that communist regimes in the Soviet Union , China , Yugoslavia , and Vietnam were different seems similar to the Bush administration 's insistence that organizations such as Al Qaeda , Hezbollah , and Hamas are all part of a unified group of " Islamofascist " terrorists . Furthermore , the Bush administration 's approach to such issues as creationism , placing replicas of the Ten Commandments in public places , and the Terri Schiavo debacle contains a good deal of anti-intellectual populist rhetoric . <p> Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Hofstadter 's 1954 AMERICAN SCHOLAR essay is its ability to explain more than 50 years later why traditional conservatives tend to get so exasperated with the Bush administration . Traditional conservatives -- of whom I am one -- consider themselves loyal citizens who want to believe that their president knows what he is doing . So we keep trying , with little success , to appreciate the logic of his budget deficits , incoherent foreign policies , attacks on constitutional rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hofstadter teaches us is that these policies were never meant to be understood logically in die first place . As he wrote in a later essay , " Pseudo-Conservatism Revisited -- 1965 " : <p> As a rule , pseudo-conservatism does more to express emotions than to formulate policies . It is in fact hard to translate the claims of its policies into programs or concrete objectives . and for the most part the proponents of such politics , being less concerned with the uses of power than with its " alleged misuse , do not offer positive programs to solve social problems . The operative content of their demands is more likely to be negative : they call on us mainly to prohibit , to prevent , to censor and censure , to discredit , and to punish . <p> Despite the brilliance of Hofstadter 's analysis , there is a major difference between pseudo-conservatism and its traditional counterpart that he neglected to discuss . Aristotle 's and Burke 's pessimistic view of human nature , their belief in a system of natural law that sets moral parameters for human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appreciates the difficulties involved in translating morally preferable ideals into politically feasible policies , and their commitment to moderation and caution are major components of traditional conservatism 's emphasis on doubt and limits . Traditional conservatives believe that the universe imposes profound restrictions on what individuals and governments can accomplish . They adhere , according to Noel O'Sullivan in his book Conservatism ( 1976 ) , to a " philosophy of imperfection , committed to the idea of limits " that regards human beings as " imperfect , dependent " creatures who are " doomed to make the best of things by the more modest policies of compromise and accommodation . " <p> The Bush administration , however , has not consistently recognized doubt and limitations . Despite the burgeoning national debt , the administration declines to heed the advice of fiscal conservatives either to raise taxes or seriously reduce public spending . Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina , the administration persists in ignoring the warnings of prominent scientists about the destructive effects of global warming . Despite former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki 's concern that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the administration went ahead with its preconceived plan for a diminished force . With a certainty bordering on arrogance , the administration has behaved as if it believes the national debt somehow will disappear , nature will heal global warming on its own , and Iraqis will soon come to their senses , welcome Americans as their saviors , and conclude that democracy is preferable to secular or religious tyranny . <p> Certainty in the face of strong evidence to the contrary is the hallmark of ideological thinking . Ultimately , it is the ideological quality of Bush administration policies that classifies them as pseudo-conservative . Whereas ideologues advance one doctrinaire solution to every problem regardless of the circumstances , traditional conservatives expect political leaders to adjust their convictions to the situation at hand . Whereas ideologues prefer to deal with political abstractions , traditional conservatives seek to practice a more practical form of politics that operates , in Burke 's words , on a level of " the more or less , the earlier or the later , and on a balance of advantage and inconvenience , of good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditional conservative limits and doubts has been the administration 's adherence to a strategy for presidential leadership that it calls the " doctrine of the unitary executive . " Among the people who participated in the formulation of this doctrine were Bush appointees Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Justice Samuel Alito . Gonzales helped to develop it when he served as Bush 's White House counsel ; Alito , when he was a lawyer in Ronald Reagan 's Justice Department . To the administration the " doctrine of the unitary executive " means that the executive branch can interpret laws any way it wants -- even if its interpretation differs markedly from the directives of Congress and the Supreme Court . <p> Although this doctrine represents an egregious violation of the separation of powers , the president has used it with impunity . Bush has claimed that he will disregard laws prohibiting warrantless wiretapping of domestic phone calls . He has said that he intends to ignore the provisions of the Patriot Act with which he disagrees . When Bush announced that he vehemently opposed the Military Commissions Act being considered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and torture enemy combatants , Congress caved in to the president 's pressure and virtually granted him the power to interpret the Geneva Convention as he sees fit . <p> With the two-term presidential limit in effect and the end of the Bush administration in sight , can we expect that pseudo-conservatism is about to run its course ? Do the recent midterm election results indicate that moderate Americans have grown disillusioned with pseudo-conservative policies ? Only for the time being , Hofstadter would maintain . Just as McCarthyism was followed by the presidential campaigns of Barry Goldwater and George Wallace , Richard Nixon 's " Silent Majority , " the Reagan presidency , and the current administration , it is inevitable that another version of pseudo-conservatism will appear on the American political scene . <p> As long as citizens remain fearful of their status in society and as long as Americans continue to dread attacks from powerful enemies committed to the destruction of their country , Hofstadter warned , the specter of pseudoconservatism never will completely vanish . In 1954 , he prophetically noted : " We do live in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already shown us the ugliest capacities of the human spirit . . These considerations suggest that the pseudo-conservative political style . is one of the long waves of contemporary American history and not a momentary mood . " <p> PHOTO ( BLACK &; WHITE ) : Richard Hofstadter described pseudo - conservatives of the 1950s . <p> By Ethan Fishman <p> <p> Ethan Fishman , professor of political science at the University of South Alabama , is the author of The Prudential Presidency . <p> 
##4020266 He was washing E 's body before calling the mortician when he had another thought : Where 's the fire . <p> The longer he thought , the more he saw that his chore was not readying her for burial , but finding how to keep her above ground . He had to be able to see her , that was not negotiable , and with all the to-ing and fro-ing of the hospice people in the last months , he 'd like very much to keep outsiders outside , where they belonged . What he needed was a comprehensive tutorial , a how-to . <p> He kissed her cool forehead , covered her with a sheet and left for the library . <p> The librarian at the reference desk directed him to Egypt , and there he spent the afternoon . <p> The basic principle was dryness . This was something he could wrap his mind around . A step-by-step thing to do . Problem . Solution . That 's what his life had been made of ; was what , besides her , he had loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes , checked on her . No change . Then he watched a show on autopsies he 'd TiVo 'd . The coroner said some bodies they dug up in crime investigations were " mummified . " The secret , as he 'd discovered at the library , was to keep her dry . <p> But what about what 's inside ? <p> He read deeper in the Egyptians . Deep for a layman , not to mention pretty grisly . A slit in the side , through which the organs are to be withdrawn . The problem of packing material absorbed the rest of the night and most of the next several days . <p> He was busy , occupied in reinventing the tools of the Egyptians , and then applying them to real flesh . Problems , solutions . He breathed shallowly as he worked , ignoring time . The blood let -- who would 've thought that she had so much left , after all that suffering . He did everything the Egyptians had done , except for the grey matter , which they 'd extracted through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one point her whole body sighed . He took a break then . Important to keep the alternatives clear : burial or burning . That 's what they 'd do to her , what they could hardly wait to do . Put her where he could n't see her . <p> She 'd died at home . It 's how she wanted it . They never pretended she was n't dying . He 'd asked if she had any preference : burial or cremation . That 's how they were with each other . <p> " Oh for Pete 's sake , " she said . " Leave it at the curb . I 'm sick to death of it . " <p> Well I 'm not , honey , he 'd said . <p> But she just turned away . Very unsentimental , right to the end . <p> He returned to the hardware store . They did n't have the needles he needed , and referred him to a sewing store in the mall . <p> The stitching was slow going . On the left side , just like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so himself . He admired his handiwork until , struck by the resemblance to a Peeping Tom , he went in search of the right garment . <p> The pink thing was a favorite , but she looked ashen when he draped it across . He found a white negligee she used on trips . <p> What it is , he said , lifting her shoulders to slip the negligee down , is that we 're one person . Where you go , I go . <p> He paused to regard her on the guest bed . It could be any ordinary day . She could have said , " Just a little lie down and I 'll be right as rain . " She liked naps . <p> He studied her feet , decided to leave them bare . They looked like marble . The stiffening made her seem smaller . A small hard house of bone . She was in there , though . He could feel it . <p> He glanced at the window . Dark again . His brain felt burnt-out and he smelled of ozone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to bed . <p> Too lonesome in the queen-size , he dragged the comforter across the hall to lie down next to her , but her stillness kept him awake . She seemed to give off cool the way she used to give off heat . <p> He returned to their bed . It would be easier if he could see her . When he raised his head , all he saw was her feet . It was n't right , the guest bed . Not personal or special . <p> It came to him in the night , as his inventions usually did . The pool table . Elevate her . More like a proper . bier . They 'd gotten it when they were first flush . No sooner was it through the door than he 'd replaced the granite with a plastic he 'd read was better than stone , then re-laid the felt , just because he could . This makes it light enough to move . <p> But too bulky to move alone . Who would help and not ask questions ? <p> Then he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the inventions set him free . Clyde never asked questions . <p> Clyde and his wife bred cats . He 'd been to the house . Cats were everywhere like ants , and the smell made your eyes water . The oddest thing was Clyde 's wife looked just like one , with green eyes and a pink triangular nose . <p> Clyde immediately responded to his e-mail . He 'd just come home from Vegas and was sorry as hell to hear about his wife , though he knew she 'd been real sick . And sorry too that they 'd never got together as couples like they 'd meant to . <p> Clyde came over and studied the pool table . He ran his hand over the felt and said , " Pretty nice to live like King Tut . " This was so close to mummifying as to amaze his host , but then , everyone knew about King Tut . <p> Clyde lifted the table edge , gauging the heft . " Got to be one of yours . Light as a feather . " <p> He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I wish I could think of that stuff . Awkward size , though . Where to , boss ? " <p> He said there were two flights to hump it up . Clyde sighed , " Let 's do ' er . " <p> " Which way ? " he asked when they got upstairs . Only a flicker of curiosity in his eyes as they passed the closed guest door . <p> They set it next to the queen-size . " Now that 's what I call decadent , " Clyde said . " Pool table right next to the bed . " <p> But the table was wrong . The green felt top was like AstroTurf , too bright in the room , which she had done up in pastels . It would n't work with the way her skin was looking . He 'd think of something later . <p> He led Clyde downstairs and they had a beer and talked office politics . Clyde said he 'd keep in touch , and maybe they could shoot some pool or whatever . Watching the car pull away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cage . He did n't envy Clyde , even if his wife was alive . <p> Next day he went to Bed , Bath and Beyond , and was waited on by a man with black splotches on his hands that could pass for decay . But this guy was young . Then he got it . An AIDS survivor . <p> The man said he was Ray . How could he help ? <p> Since Ray would know about suffering , not to mention death , he almost unloaded on the spot , and waited for it to pass , blinking at shelves of pillows that reached to the ceiling . <p> Then he told Ray he needed a spread , and read off the dimensions of the pool table . <p> Ray frowned . " I 'm trying to imagine what a bed that size looks like . " <p> I 'm an inventor , he explained , which satisfied Ray , who trotted all over and brought back a comforter . Floral . That 's how she 'd done the bedroom . Floral pastels . Silky to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could melt . <p> Ray was looking sideways at him . " Is it for yourself ? " <p> Well yes and no , he said , and squinted at Ray , taking his measure . <p> What would you say if I told you it 's for my dead wife ? That I 'm keeping her so I remember who she is , which is everything . You know , like a mummy . <p> " Well I 'd say , Bonne chance , " said Ray . <p> Well thank you , he said , and then put a hand over his eyes , which had welled from out of nowhere , a knot in his throat . <p> Aisle Three , a voice came over the loudspeaker . Then something garbled . The squeak of a cart going by . <p> Now he put his hand on his chest and moved it clockwise , which helped . Pulled out a handkerchief , blew his nose . Ray was standing with his head bowed . <p> Ray said , " I 'm just going to nip in back and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse for wear . " He disappeared , returned . " You know what ? I have another idea . What about a featherbed ? " A featherbed ? <p> " Follow me . " <p> He followed Ray to another section where sound was suctioned off by yards of foam and feathers . Bedspreads hung from shelves . <p> Ray pointed to a bed . " Try her out . " <p> He sat on the bed . The give seemed infinite . <p> Ray frowned . " I hope you do n't think I 'm trying to run up the sale . But , it 's the ultimate kindness , do n't you think ? " <p> I 'll take a king , he said . <p> " Coming right up , " said Ray , and vanished again . <p> He perched on the display bed , and thought of the coffin racket . The funeral industry . Another clerk went by and smiled but he did n't smile back . He seldom did . His parents , who 'd been farmers , had n't either . <p> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been very helpful , he said to Ray . <p> " Give her my best , " said Ray . " And happy trails . " <p> With the featherbed beneath her she floated on a cloud . And the comforter was great . She looked like she was dreaming on a field of flowers . <p> He marked the two-week anniversary on the calendar . Halfway through the drying-out period recommended by the Egyptians and not a scent from her , not a whiff . Things were coming along nicely . <p> Then the worst happened . He forgot not to pick up after placing a pizza order , and there , on the other end of the line , was the whisky-voice of the sister , H , down in Palo Alto . <p> They were n't close , but H was older and took a supervisory interest . For instance , H believed that her baby sister , in her " heart of hearts , " had wanted kids . This was because H could n't seem to stop having them , until nature put a foot down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> The last time he 'd talked to H was right after she 'd died , before he stopped answering the phone . She 'd asked if she could do anything , which others had also asked . Evidently there was something to be done , but nobody knew what that was . <p> Around this time , casseroles had begun appearing on the porch . Casserole was n't a real word , he 'd looked it up ; it was like naming pie after the pan you cooked it in . <p> So he 'd asked H what to do with all those casseroles . <p> " I 'm sure they mean well , " she 'd said . <p> Now she cut to the chase : " What 's going on up there ? Do n't you ever check your messages ? When 's the service ? Time is marching on , Arnold . " <p> He blinked at the ceiling , imagining E on her featherbed . I had her cremated , he said . <p> " What ? You what ? " <p> Cremated . <p> " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood relation ? Are you there ? " <p> Cremation was what she wanted , he said . <p> " I knew her before you were even in the picture , and she was terrified of fire . What have you done with my sister ? " <p> Her ashes are on the bookshelf in the den even as we speak . They were still warm when I picked them up from the funeral people . <p> " They were not , do n't say things like that . " <p> A silence . <p> " Are you there ? What about a service ? " <p> She did n't want one . <p> " That tears it . I 'm coming up there . I got an open ticket . " Her voice rumbled on , a locomotive headed down the track . <p> I 'm going away . To Hawaii . On the red-eye . <p> " Hawaii . Now I 've heard everything -- " <p> He held the phone away and thought of E upstairs again , looking peaceful , maybe even amused . <p> H was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolute worst . a bookshelf , like a bowling trophy . " <p> Enough . He hung up . <p> Clyde e-mailed asking him bowling . He wondered if this was ESP or simple coincidence , and settled on the latter . Clyde and his wife had bowled forever . <p> Clyde 's wife was small and quiet , Clyde large and bombastic . <p> He enjoyed their banter . He enjoyed the smells of rubber and wood and sweat . He 'd somehow forgotten bowling . Movies , that 's another one . <p> Afterward , they went to a place with Naugahyde booths . Clyde ordered French dip and his wife a Caesar . Suddenly famished , he ordered both . They told him about cats . The shows , the illnesses , the kitty mills . <p> In the parking lot , Clyde said , " How you hanging ? " His wife said , " Yes , how are you doing ? Such a hard thing . " <p> He said he was keeping her and found that to be working . So he did n't forget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . The wife said , " I think it 's the voice you forget . Faces you have pictures of . " <p> That 's a good point , he said . I 've got her on the answering machine . I 'm glad you mentioned it , because I forgot . <p> As soon as he got home , he played her voice on the machine . He 'd almost forgotten that she had such a sweet voice , with a little break in it that was all hers . There were also messages up the yin-yang . Later . For now , he fixed a bowl of Pecan Frenzy and listened again . <p> He fell asleep in the chair , and woke at daylight . The house was very still . He thought of her upstairs all alone , and went up . <p> He was n't sure what he 'd hoped the effect would be after a night apart , but she did n't look real anymore , and the whole scene struck him wrong . <p> He sat on the queen-size and thought of graves . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Photos of the person buried there . They 'd reminded him of stakes with pictures his mother had stuck in garden rows . <p> It was as if a veil had been placed over her face . She also seemed to be sinking . And then he thought , What if she means to . What if was the engine that started the inventions . <p> But his ideas had given them such a good life , it was hard to think another way . He went to bed and slept all morning . <p> He awakened facing her . She had changed again . She was going , that was clear , and he was no more important to her now than air . His throat closed as it had in Bed , Bath and Beyond . <p> He turned away , curled his body , clasping his hands between his knees . He lay until his breathing was regular and his fingers stopped hurting . <p> He sat up and looked at her . That 's it , he said . Do what you have to , Ellie . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picked up the phone . <p> By Lois Taylor <p> 
##4020267 Roy had a job changing tires and pumping gas two days a week after school at the Flying Horse service station on the corner of Peterson and Western . This was during the winter when he was sixteen . The three other weekday afternoons , and also on Saturdays , he worked at the Red Hot Ranch , a hot dog and hamburger joint . Roy had taken the gas station job in addition to his long-standing employment at the Ranch because his mother had had her hours reduced as a receptionist at Winnemac Hospital . His sister had just begun grammar school and they needed the money . Roy knew that his mother was considering getting married again -- for what would be the fourth time -- as a way to support them , a move he wanted desperately to avert or , at the least , delay . None of his mother 's marriages had been successful , as even she would admit , other than two of them having produced Roy and his little sister . They were her treasures , she assured them ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worthwhile . <p> Domingo and Damaso Parlanchn , two Puerto Rican brothers , owned the Flying Horse . They were good mechanics , originally from San Juan , who had worked for other people for fifteen years and saved their money so that they could buy their own station . They were short , chubby , good-humored men in their forties , constantly chattering to each other in rapid Spanish . The Parlanchn brothers paid Roy a dollar an hour and fifty cents for each tire he changed , half of what it cost the customer . Damaso could patch a flat faster than Roy could get it off the car and back on again , and do it without missing a beat in the running conversation with his brother . Domingo was the better mechanic of the two , the more analytically adept . Damaso was superior at handling the customers , able to convince them they needed an oil change or an upgrade of their tires . <p> It was no fun changing tires in January in Chicago . The temperature often fell well below zero degrees Fahrenheit and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knuckles and cut fingers . Prying loose frozen lug nuts was Roy 's greatest difficulty , until Domingo showed him how to use an acetylene torch to heat the bolts before attempting to turn them with a tire iron . " Cuidado con la lanzallamas , " Domingo told Roy . <p> One snowy afternoon about a quarter to four , just before dark , a black-and-white Buick Century ka-bumped into the station on its rims and stopped . All four tires were flat . Roy could see that they were studded with nails . Two burly men in dark blue overcoats and Homburg hats sat in the front seat . They did not get out , so Roy went over to the driver 's side window and nodded at him . The man rolled down the window . He was about forty-five years old , had a three-day beard and a four inch-long scar across the left side of his lips . The man in the passenger seat looked just like the driver , except for the scar . <p> " How fast fix ? " asked the driver . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sir , " said Roy . <p> " Not possible fix ? " <p> " I 'll ask my boss , but I doubt it . You 're riding on your rims . We 'll have to check if they 're bent . " <p> " Go ask boss . " <p> Roy trudged through the thick , wet snow to the garage , where Domingo and Damaso were working over a transmission on a 1956 Ford Apache pickup . <p> " There 's a guy here who needs four tires replaced . Looks like he drove over a bed of nails . " <p> " Tell him he can to leave it , " said Damaso . <p> " And coming back at Mete horas , " Domingo added . <p> The wind ripped into Roy 's face when he removed his muffler from around his mouth to convey this information to the driver of the Buick . Roy 's eyes stung ; they watered as he waited for the man to respond . <p> " Can not they fix now ? " <p> " No , " said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ <p> The driver spoke to his companion in a language Roy could not readily identify . The wind whined and shrieked , making it difficult for Roy to hear anything else . <p> " We wait , " the driver told him . " Can fix sooner . " <p> Roy shook his head . " Maybe you 'd better try another station . But you 'll damage your wheels . " <p> The man produced a fifty dollar bill and shoved it at Roy . He held it between two black leather-gloved fingers . " This extra . Okey dokey ? " he said . " You give boss . " <p> Roy accepted the bill , marched back to the garage and handed it to Domingo . <p> " The guy says this is on top of the cost of replacing the tires , if we can do it now . " <p> " Tell him drive in muy despacio , " said Domingo . <p> After the man had done this , following Damaso 's signals to pull up into the other bay and onto the lift , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> " We stay in , " said the driver . <p> " No es posible raise car with you inside . Insurance no good if you fall . " <p> The driver held out another fifty . Damaso took it . He nodded to Domingo , who activated the lift . <p> " Lock doors ! " Damaso shouted up at the men . " And no move ! " <p> Roy pumped gas for several customers while the Parlanchn brothers worked on the Buick . The sky had gone dark and snow kept falling . Before the Buick pulled out of the station on four new Bridgestones , it stopped next to Roy . The driver rolled down his window . <p> " Yes , sir ? " said Roy . " Is everything okay ? " <p> " All okey dokey , " replied the driver . " You young boy , work hard bad weather . How much Spanish men pay you ? " <p> " Buck an hour and two bits a flat . " <p> " Slave wage , " said the man . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extended toward Roy his black gloved left hand between two fingers of which protruded another fifty-dollar bill . Roy took the money and stuffed it into one of the snap pockets of his brown leather jacket . <p> " Thank you , " he said . " Where are you guys from ? " <p> " You know Iron Curtain ? " <p> " I 've heard of it . " <p> " We are from behind . " <p> After the Buick had gone , Roy went into the garage . <p> " Strange hombres , si ? " said Domingo . <p> " The driver gave me a tip , " Roy told him . " I do n't know why , though . " <p> " He give us a hundred extra , " said Damaso . <p> " The Buick had diplomatic license plates , " Roy said . " They 're Russians , I think . " <p> " Must be they are trying to be more friendly , " Domingo suggested , " since they been forced to take missiles out of Cuba . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother had had a boyfriend from Havana , a conga drummer named Raul Repilado . She had met him in Coral Gables , Florida , when she and her third husband , Sid Wade , the father of Roy 's sister , were vacationing at the Biltmore . Raul Repilado 's band , the Orquesta Furioso , was appearing at the hotel . Raul had come to Chicago a couple of times to see Roy 's mother , the last time during the winter . Before leaving , the conguero declared that he would never come back to such a terribly cold place , even for a beautiful woman . Roy could n't wait to tell his mother that he 'd made an extra fifty bucks that day . <p> By Barry Gifford <p> 
##4020269 Section : Up Front ABSTINENCE-ONLY ABSURDITY GLOBAL SEX/PRESS FREEDOM/THE RISE OF UNCERTAINTY SEEN AND HEARD ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS REPORT CLASSIC HUMANIST <p> IN LATE OCTOBER 2006 New Jersey became the fourth state to reject federal funding for sex education programs . -hanks to Bush administration mandates , accepting the federal money would have required the state to abandon its existing comprehensive sex-ed curriculum , and instead rely exclusively on abstinence-only programs . But though New Jersey 's decision and similar ones by California , Connecticut , and Maine are encouraging , not every state has the luxury of turning down federal dollars . And that 's bad news for those concerned about reproductive health . <p> While the U.S. government will spend over $241 million in federal funding on abstinence-only programs in 2007 , there 's good reason to doubt the effectiveness of the Bush administration 's preferred approach . A recent General Accountability Office study concluded that abstinence-only programs suffer from a lack of oversight and found little evidence that they succeed at preventing teen pregnancy . Another study , released in 2004 by Rep. Henry Waxman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abstinence-only curricula supported by the Department of Health &; Human Services ( HHS ) contained false , misleading , or distorted information about abortion , contraception , and gender roles , and routinely presented religious beliefs as scientific fact . The results of the Bush administration 's promotion of abstinence-only curricula speak for themselves : the nation 's teen birth rate , teen pregnancy rate , and abortion rate all remain the highest in the industrialized world . <p> A closer look at the abstinence-only programs that have received federal funding suggests further cause for concern . In 2004 the HHS Capital Compassion Fund announced over $58 million in grants to " grass-roots , faith-based " organizations , including groups like Catholic Charities of Kansas City and Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska . Among the many examples of abstinence-only programs being run with federal dollars by groups with explicitly religious missions is the Silver Ring Thing ( SRT ) . SRT -- which urges teens to pledge to refrain from sex until marriage and to make a public show of their commitment by wearing a symbolic silver ring -- is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company , the John Guest Evangelistic Team , works , according to its website , " to communicate the message of Jesus Christ to the unchurched through creative , media-based and one-on-one evangelism . " <p> A review of other abstinence-only sex-ed programs only further reinforces the religious undertones being utilized in public schools . The Why kNOw ? program directly paraphrases 1 Corinthians 13:4 to describe the true meaning of love : " Real Love is patient ; is kind ; does not envy ; does not boast ; is not proud ; is not rude ; is not self-seeking ; is not easily angered ; keeps no record of wrongs ; does not delight in evil ; rejoices with the truth ; always protects ; always trusts ; always hopes ; always lasts ; and never fails . " Why kNOw ? also quotes the Song of Songs as a " historical book " and states that " though the origin of the name ' French Kissing ' is unknown , King Solomon should take credit for the act . " The curriculum also places heavy emphasis on studying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students plan their own weddings , complete with details on which flowers they would use , who would be in their bridal party , and , of course , which ( heterosexual , virginal ) person they would wed . The program teaches youth that the traditional lifting of the veil shows that " the groom is the only man allowed to ' uncover ' the bride , " and demonstrates her respect for him by illustrating that she has n't " allowed any other man to lay claim to her . " <p> Promoting marriage and discouraging premarital sex through fear and false information remains a benchmark of abstinence-only sex education . The Heritage Keepers program repeatedly cites research suggesting that married people have better sex -- and many of these statistics are attributed to Glenn T. Stanton , director of global insight for cultural and family renewal and senior analyst of marriage and sexuality at Focus on the Family . <p> The WAIT ( Why Am I Tempted ? ) Training program also depends heavily on moralistic , pro-marriage information to promote abstinence . The WAIT curriculum includes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tape , symbolizing a woman , on a man 's arm to show that after several " uses " ( sexual acts or partners ) the tape is less clean and perfect . Finally , the teacher is instructed to attach the tape to another male volunteer and ask , " If this process gets repeated too many times , do you think it will affect this person 's marriage ? " <p> Such games are n't unique . Why kNOw ? includes a game that compares a stuffed animal named " Speedy the Sperm , " which represents a sperm cell , and a penny , used to symbolize HIV . By this reasoning , students are meant to see that if a condom fails 14 percent of the time with something as big as Speedy , it clearly can not effectively prevent the spread of HIV -- which is a thousandth of the size . Despite repeated and conclusive evidence showing that condoms available in the United States do n't have holes ( if they do , the entire batch is discarded ) , and that the real reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why kNOw ? continues to teach youth that condoms are useless , apparently believing that this will discourage them from having sex . Predictably , research suggests that young people who believe condoms do n't work simply use protection less often -- they do n't engage in sex at a lesser rate . <p> Clearly , we do our young people a great disservice by continuing to use such misleading and dangerous curricula . The Bush administration 's reliance on abstinence-only sex ed confronts advocates of a more comprehensive ( and effective ) approach with a strategic challenge : How can we promote healthy sex education without being viewed as morally deficient ? Like it or not , many parents remain anxious that comprehensive sex ed takes what they view as one of their most sensitive parenting tasks out of their hands , and puts it into those of teachers and administrators whom they may not trust . Even the most widely effective and highly promoted comprehensive sex-ed programs , such as " Making Proud Choices " and " Draw the Line/Respect the Line , " still include decision-making skills that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to teach their children themselves . Public health educators must find a way to maintain or at least respect parental control and personal choice while stressing the need to provide effective factual information to teens . <p> By Heidi Bruggink <p> <p> Heidi Bruggink holds a B.A. from Harvard University and is the legal coordinator for the Appignani Humanist Legal Center in Washington DC . <p> 
##4020270 THE UNITED NATION 'S HIGH-LEVEL Group for the Alliance of Civilizations recently issued its final report , which included ambitious and important recommendations to bridge the divide between Western nations and the Muslim world . The group 's twenty eminent members were brought together by Secretary General Kofi Annan and included the former president of Iran , Seyed Mohamed Khatami ; Archbishop Desmond Tutu ; and Andr ' Azoulay , advisor to King Mohammed VI of Morocco . <p> The recommendations of the High Level Group form a holistic approach to alleviating global inequalities and bridging the Western-Islamic rift . Recommendations include : education that expands a sense of a common humanity , media literacy skills , and empowering initiatives directed towards youth and other groups ; international exchanges with diverse participation ; measures that address the challenges of migration ; and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals , " the urgency of which can hardly be overstated . " ( The report also notes that without a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , the horrible violence in Iraq , and intensifying violence in Afghanistan , efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only limited success . " ) <p> The Alliance report describes-highly progressive measures involving education and youth . In essence , the measures fully support the pursuit and understanding of one 's own religious , ethnic , and national identity , coupled with knowledge and respect for cultural diversity in the world . To achieve this balance , a range of initiatives and programs are suggested . For example , multipolar perspectives at universities and research centers are encouraged , including courses such as " world history " and " history of humanity " Also , just as the Millennium Development Goals call for , the report strongly recommends expanding access to education , particularly in developing countries and for girls who , more often than boys , are pulled out of school due to factors of poverty . <p> The Alliance group additionally suggests that service-learning programs should be connected whenever possible to degree and certificate programs . Pedagogically , we know that most of us learn by doing , and service learning allows people to thoughtfully address serious social challenges that afflict communities . Such programs have been shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the communities that benefit . The experiences can be transformative for youth , giving them a better sense of what they wish to dedicate themselves to in the future and opening them up to the lives and trials of other people . For communities , service-learning programs are often the catalyst for positive and collaborative social action . <p> This leads to another important recommendation in the report , which is to involve our youth in decision-making processes in " community councils , youth organizations and governing bodies of civil society organizations and institutions " The report states that , " youth unemployment is two to three times greater than national unemployment levels worldwide . " The economic participation of youth involves teens beginning to work part-time and during summers to have the opportunity to develop practical skills that can enhance their futures . School-based career guidance and assistance to youth enterprises , for example , can help promote youth employment . Globally , the Middle East and North African region have the lowest rate of youth employment ( 40 percent versus 54 percent worldwide ) . There is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their communities so they can express their innovative and helpful ideas and develop the means to achieve them . In essence , young people need to feel a real stake in their communities so that they can be productive contributors and partners in the Alliance of Civilizations , and incorporating them in decision-making processes is necessary for this to be achieved . <p> I suggest that the participation of local communities , including youth , in the identification and management of development projects throughout the Muslim world , which is an approach consistent with the Millennium Development Goals and the recommendation of the Alliance , will significantly decrease the divide with the West . Participation in community development involves all members of villages , neighborhoods , and regions , who together define their priorities for projects ( in education , health , economic development , environment , and other areas ) and a plan of action to achieve them . <p> Participatory activities are often utilized to help local people analyze and discuss their social conditions from a range of perspectives as part of the decision-making process for projects . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group of citizens working towards social change in their community engaged in a series of development planning activities that incorporated the use of visuals , charts , and mapping . They determined that a community center for their youth was the most important goal and are currently taking important steps toward its construction . In the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco , local communities most often rank potable water , irrigation , and projects for women and youth to be among the top development priorities . <p> Participation in community development responds directly to the " guiding principles " expressed in the Alliance report : " Poverty leads to despair , a sense of injustice , and alienation that , when combined with political grievances , can foster extremism . Eradication of poverty would diminish those factors linked to economic marginalization and alienation and must therefore be aggressively pursued . " Communities planning local development in a participatory way base projects on the self-described interests of the local people , which works against alienation . The fact that communities determine and have ownership of the projects provides the basis for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and environmental benefits in extremely diverse contexts . <p> The participatory approach likewise takes the form of democratic governance that the Alliance encourages : " To be successful , democratic systems must emerge organically from within each society 's culture , reflecting its shared values and adapted to the needs and interests of its citizens . This is only possible when people are free and feel in control of their destiny ? ' The participatory process is democracy that emerges from within because it grows from dialogue and interaction among local community members and is driven by their own needs and interests . <p> Participatory community development also relates to observations in the report of the impact of the international system on diverse nations and cultures , as well as internal factors in Muslim societies that inhibit development . Many feel , the report states , that the " international system offers greater conformity and homogenization of cultures , complete with the dislocation of families and communities brought about by urbanization , the negation or appropriation of traditional lifestyles , and environmental degradation . " We have learned from experiences around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and uneven effects of globalization is diversification of production and income . Diversification requires new development projects and building decision-making skills of people and communities to better enable them to adapt to changing conditions . Participatory activities help people base their decisions on a range of perspectives and information , leading to development projects that are thoughtfully designed and expand the ways human needs are satisfied . <p> The Alliance report contends that , " all Muslim societies would benefit from increased dialogue and debate to identify those factors internal to their own societies which have inhibited their development and full integration into global political , economic , and intellectual communities , and to generate ideas on how to overcome these barriers . " Participatory development can help in this regard because as community members determine priority projects , they analyze social , economic , environmental , historical , technical , and institutional factors that affect their lives and prospective projects . Not only does this analysis and dialogue further public understanding of internal barriers , but is in itself an indigenous democratic reform process that helps to overcome those barriers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stresses civic and human rights education and a movement away from thinking in exclusive terms . Participation in community development advances this kind of education for diverse communities as they create and pursue a common agenda for social development and change . If facilitated throughout the Muslim world , its effect can be a true alliance of civilizations . Seen and Heard <p> " This book IS for corporate America . " -E.O . Wilson at the Washington National Cathedral , responding to the question , " When will you write a book like The Creationfor corporate America ? " 9/20/06 <p> <p> We do n't make peace with our friends ; we make peace with our enemies . And you ca n't deliver the message without talking . " - Madeleine Albright addressing the Woman 's National Democratic Club . 9/26/06 <p> <p> " Darwin matters because evolution matters . Evolution matters because science matters . Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age , an epic saga about who we are , where we came from , and where we are going . " -Michael Shermer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Case Against Intelligent Design , at the Cato Institute . 10/12/06 <p> <p> " Technically I 'm agnostic about God , but in the same way that I 'm agnostic about fairies and pink unicorns . " -Richard Dawkins at Politics &; Prose bookstore in Washington , DC. 10/24/06 <p> <p> By Jason Yossef Ben-Meir <p> <p> Jason Yossef Ben-Meir is president of the High Atlas Foundation ( **27;1345;TOOLONG ) , a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to the rural community development of Morocco . He teaches sociology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque . <p> 