Civitas Newsletter of December 5, 2006

He's Going; but not quite gone

Far be it for us to rejoice in the soon-to-happen departure of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld -- we try as hard as possible to maintain some modicum of political neutrality. But we couldn't help but allow a smidgen of joy to enter our newsletter with the news yesterday that interim U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is resigning effective January. Bolton was never confirmed for the position by the Republican-controlled Senate; he was a "recess appointment" who President Bush appointed when Congress was not in session.

Prior to becoming acting ambassador, Mr. Bolton was very critical of not only the United Nations, but the entire concept of an international organization designed to promote peace and address global issues. Since assuming his duties at the U.N, some observers have credited him with forging alliances within the Security Council to pave the way for passage of resolutions on development of nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran. Many others feel that during his nearly fifteen months as a "recess appointment," he has acted in an arrogant and disdainful way towards many other nations.

We do not know who President Bush may nominate as his replacement, but the next one will have to be confirmed by a Democratically-controlled Senate. Mr. Bush has demonstrated the ability to nominate an outstanding statesman for the job in the past, as demonstrated by his previous selection of former Missouri Republican Senator John Danforth. Maybe he will find someone else of Mr. Danforth's stature for the future.

UPCOMING HIGH SCHOOL GLOBAL CONFERENCE

This conference may well be the most engaging one that we have ever had. The stakes could not be higher than they are in renewed nuclear arms race. What was once defined as a black and white issue between two polarized sides in the Cold War is now a real game with more than a score of players in a cloud of uncertainty.

Click below for your initial sign-up. We will have far more information for your at our next discussion group -- Saturday, December 16, at Crossroads (map) from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.

Also, as we previously mentioned, students voted at the end of the November 18 HSMUN to reconvene in mid-January or early February to resume discussion and voting. The dates that are available for our next session are January 13, January 20, and February 3. We ask that all interested students click here to access the form to indicate which of these dates are workable for them.

If you missed information on the conference that we previously provided on our web site, you can just click on the button below. Included in the information is the PowerPoint presentation that we previously showed. For those of you who previously tried to play the presentation and had trouble, we think that we have worked out the kinks.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or (314) 367-6480.

Click here for photos!

Hot off the wire....... Major League baseball has just announced that in 2007, it will have its first:

One hour after tickets for the game went on sale this morning, Civitas purchased ten tickets for the game. It's a good thing we did; they were almost sold out at that time. In any event, we will be sponsoring a trip to Memphis the weekend of Saturday, March 31 - April 1, 2007. Besides the ballgame between the Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians, we'll go to the Civil Right Museum (located at the old Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated). Those of us from Civitas who have previously been there consider it possibly the most powerful museum that we have ever seen.

Memphis is also good for Bar-B-Que, blues, jazz, and even a place called Graceland. We will have more details on this trip as we have time to plan it. However, we have only ten tickets (of which probably half will go to staff). If you're interested in the trip, e-mail us immediately at [email protected].

If you are wondering why the Cardinals and the Indians are the two teams to play in the momentous game on the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in the major leagues, it is because:

The Cardinals (while slow to initially integrate) became a model of racial harmony in the early 1960s. An excellent description of this was written by Harvard historian, David Halberstam. The name of his book in 1964.
The Indians (who still have a team name that some consider politically incorrect) were the first American League team to integrate. They signed Larry Doby to a contract in 1948 and he starred for them for many years. By the way, the old St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles) signed two African-American players shortly after the Indians signed Doby.

For more information on the inspiration behind the game, the game itself, and related activities, you can access the appropriate Major League web page by clicking here.

da Blog (continued):

OLDSTERS & ROADSTERS

Once again, from China (as reported by our senior People's Republic of China reporter)

Elizabeth Kiderlen Li
Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, PRC

I remember this incident and if I recall correctly, eye-witness accounts stated that the man continued through the market without the slightest reduction in speed even though he had hit so many people. Shocking!

As someone who is getting closer to getting my AARP card than I care to admit, I am in favor of periodic drivers exams starting at age 60 or so.

Having said that, it is important to recognise the increased need for reliable public transportation gerared specifically for those individuals who then find themselves isolated and unable to maintain their independence and quality of life they had when they were drivers.

Here in China, the elderly continue an active lifestyle due in part to the many public transportation options as well as the tight family bonds that include the elderly living with and being cared for by family members.

In my opinion, it is unreasonable to deny driving priviledges previously enjoyed without offering some sort of practical transportation solutions.

Best regards,

Elizabeth

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- An 89-year-old man whose car hurtled through a farmers market, killing 10 people, was let off on probation Monday by a judge who said he believed the defendant deserved to go prison but was too ill.

George Russell Weller was convicted Oct. 20 of 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in a case that renewed debate over whether elderly people should lose their driver's licenses.

Weller, confined to a sickbed, was not in court for his sentencing.

Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson said he agreed completely with the jury and called Weller's actions callous and showing "an enormous indifference to human life."

Weller was 86 when his 1992 Buick Le Sabre plowed at freeway speed into the crowded farmers market on July 16, 2003. In addition to the 10 killed, more than 70 people were injured.

Weller could have received 18 years in prison, but the judge said Weller's health problems, including severe heart disease, would make him a burden on prison authorities and taxpayers, and that imprisonment would most likely kill Weller.

Do you think that citizens 65-years-of-age and older should be required to pass a drivers' exam every several years in order to retain their driving privileges?

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