"The Last Best Hope"

Once again the best laid plans for topical discussion have been over-ridden by events.  In this case it was an e-mail this past week from a close friend with an attached video link for me to watch as a possible subject for a blog.  At first I dismissed the idea because I had some real reservations about whether or not the entire message, including its delivery and tone, reflected what I truly believe.  Then, I started to think about the purpose of this blog vis-a-vis the established Mission and realized that it is not my intent to filter expression of ideas and beliefs based on my value system, but rather to, hopefully, stimulate a rational interchange of various thoughts and ideas that span a wide spectrum of values and beliefs.  With this goal in mind I have decided to take up my friend's offer to comment on this video in the hope that it will do just that. 
But first let me provide a frame of reference.  The setting is a question and answer period at the conclusion of a speech at the University of Denver by Dennis Prager on May 24, 2010.  I had never heard of this person before receiving this video and knew nothing about him, but a quick Google search revealed he is obviously a well educated, highly thought of conservative radio talk show host and television personality in Los Angeles who has very strong views on politics, society and American values.  He speaks three languages, has traveled and lectured throughout the world, written on a variety of subjects, produced movies and videos, appeared on national television programs, conducted orchestras, authored four books, and even taught courses at the collegiate level.  In short, he appears to be a very passionate and accomplished person. 
My main objection to the video is the overly simplistic, dogmatic, judgmental, I've-got-the-answer-and-the-answer-is way in which he presents his opinions.  Wouldn't it be great if life and the complexities of the modern, multi-culture world were as easily solvable as he makes them to be.  Also, I am a little bit put off by people who try to define what my American values are, or should be, particularly as we recognize the 66th anniversary of the D-Day liberation of Europe on this very date in 1945.  Oddly, he seems to ridicule that very Europe and France's concept of Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (Liberty, Equality and Fraternity) born out of the French Revolution just because they emphasize the very quality of life issues which all civilized nations should want their citizens to enjoy. 
Even though there might be some merit to his thesis that there has been a breakdown between that greatest generation of 1945 and now regarding what it means to be an American, I am not convinced that that constitutes what he labels as our single greatest national threat.  Furthermore, he seems to be rather vague on specifically stating what he thinks the benchmarks for being an American are, but perhaps they were covered in his speech beforehand.  He further attempts to frame Americanism and what it should mean to the rest of the contemporary world in the context of Abraham Lincoln's famous reference to "the last best hope" which was made at the conclusion of his annual message to Congress on December 1, 1862.  My reading of that quote tells me it related to freeing the slaves, preservation of our Union and the world's perception of both to wit:
"We say we are for the Union.  The world will not forget that we say this.  We know how to save the Union.  The world knows we do know how to save the Union.  We..even we here..hold the power, and bear the responsibility.  In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free..honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve.  We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.  Other means may succeed; this could not fail.  The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just..a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless".  
In any event, in keeping with my statement in the first paragraph above, I am providing that link at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNUc8nuo7HI to give you an opportunity to judge for yourself.


ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com 
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html 
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com 
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com 
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com 
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com 
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights


GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com

Fireside Chat - Circa 2010

As we celebrate those many citizens who have served and still are serving our country so nobly in the military this Memorial Day 2010, I think of the many freedoms we now enjoy as a direct result of the terrible sacrifices many in uniform have made to preserve those freedoms, and what an enormous debt of gratitude we all owe them.  Besides the many parades, picnics, dinners, memorial services, programs, recreation and entertainment activities we will engage in with our family and friends as a form of experiencing this holiday, we should all pause and reflect on what those freedoms mean to us individually, and how our lives would be immeasurably altered without them.

With major emphasis this weekend honoring the fallen, it is also important to remember the living brave men and women currently fighting two wars; one, hopefully, in the last stages; the other in who knows what stage, as it has now passed the landmark of being the longest continuous war in U.S. history.  While I, like others, listen to the general explanations as to why we are funneling so much of our treasure, reputation and manpower in Afghanistan, I still do not have a complete understanding of why we are there and what the true strategy for victory is, given the abysmal attempts and failures of so many other countries before us beginning with Alexander the Great in 330 BC.  You can also add to the many known difficulties of geography, weather, tribalism, drugs and questionable internal politics in that country an apparent rift that now exists between the State Department and the military over what TIME correspondent Joe Klein terms the absence of a "civilian surge" of personnel to support the military in winning over the hearts and minds of the native people in various hot provinces around Afghanistan.  

So, in pondering a clear explanation of the current situation, consider the following:
"I am going to speak about strange places that many of them never heard of - places that are the battleground for civilization.... I want to explain to the people something about geography - what our problem is and what the overall strategy of the war has to be.  I want to tell it to them in simple terms of ABC so that they will understand what is going on and how each battle fits into the picture.... If they understand the problem and what we are driving at, I am sure that they can take any kind of bad news right on the chin."  Sound relevant to today?  In fact it was the instruction given by President Franklin Roosevelt to his speechwriters preparatory to his famous Fireside Chat on February 23, 1942, which had an adult listening audience of almost 80% of the population, to explain to a restless public the many difficulties of WWII at that point.  Maybe it is now time for President Obama to have his Fireside Chat to Americans for the very same reason.
 
Just a reminder:  The Little Rock Film Festival starts next Wednesday, June 2nd and continues through Sunday, June 6th.  Go to http://littlerockfilmfestival.com for more info.  In regard to films, if you want to see a near flawless movie put CITY ISLAND on your list.  Great cast, wonderful story set in its namesake New York location with a pull-everything-together, feel good ending.  It's time well spent.  

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com 
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html 
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com 
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com 
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com 
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com 
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights


GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com

Drill, Baby, Drill ????

As someone relatively new to blogging, one indisputable trend seems to be emerging each week I draft my commentary - events trump intentions.  With over two dozen established topics now in my topic queue, the continuing saga fifty miles out to sea and one mile down in the Gulf of Mexico makes all of the other issues seem trite and sophomoric by comparison.

Before beginning, though, two admissions.   First, even though I have absolutely no knowledge or understanding of the art and science of drilling for oil, particularly of the deep water variety, I do have an immense appreciation for the extremely complicated technology and hard work it must take to send a drill bit down over 5,000 feet to penetrate the sea bed, drill several more thousand feet to the oil pool and then extract it back up to the surface for refining.  Some have even compared it to the work of NASA's space program.  And, second, given our unquenchable thirst for this "black gold" to provide fuel for vehicles of all descriptions, not to mention the vast number of petroleum-based products we consume, it is imperative that we tap oil everywhere we can to reduce our foreign dependency on the stuff, including offshore and deep water drilling both of which account for approximately a third of our national oil production, until such time as alternative fuels have been developed to replace oil.    
  
Regardless of the catastrophe that has occurred in the Gulf, I firmly believe that technologies do exist to safely drill offshore for oil in a responsible manner, but those technologies have to be backed up with iron-clad safety precautions and contingency plans at all corporate and governmental levels that immediately kick in to avert prolonged disasters like we are witnessing right now.  From what I gather this is an example of "drill, baby, drill" at its worst driven by greed and speed, with a complete failure of proper inspection and oversight.  Compound this with ever changing estimates of the volume of oil spewing into the ocean and the various unsuccessful attempts to stop or contain it and you've got a real environmental disaster, as well as crisis of public confidence.  Hear one man's frustration with the situation at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127057393.  Furthermore, according to Ian McDonald at Florida State University, the flow ranges from 40,000 to 100,000 barrels per day compared to the industry estimate of 5,000 barrels per day, so there is a real disconnect on a vital piece of information that is critical to coming up with the right solution to the problem.  He also feels that it is time for science to take over from spin in the matter.

As we wait for all of this to play out, I just hope the inclination to stop all offshore drilling in much the same way we stopped constructing nuclear power plants in the early 70's after the Three Mile Island accident does not prevail.  The recent announcement of a new bipartisan commission to investigate this spill and develop a plan to overhaul our federal laws to better control the process of offshore drilling is an excellent start, in my view.  
 

As an added plug for local artistic endeavors, I would like to mention the Little Rock Film Festival coming up June 2nd through June 6th.  All the relevant info is at http://littlerockfilmfestival.com.  In addition my daughter, Phoebe, tells me that one of the films to be shown was done by a Brooklyn friend of hers, Academy Award Nominated documentary filmmaker, Marshall Curry, entitled Racing Dreams, a trailer of which you can see at http://racingdreamsfilm.com.   

ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com 
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html 
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com 
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com 
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com 
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com 
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights


GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
 

"A Tale of Two Cities"

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."  With deference to Charles Dickens' novel compiled from 31 weekly writings in 1859 (maybe the world's first blogger) depicting the treatment of the poor by the aristocracy in London and France before and during the French revolution, there is a story line in our own present day city to which this title might also be applied.  Specifically, I am thinking of the condition of certain neighborhoods south of I-630 between University Avenue and Woodrow Street and the environment of the citizens who live there compared to their counterparts north of I-630.  For some in our city it is the best of times.  For others, it is the worst of times.

Just this past week it was reported that an initiative is presently under way by a local entrepreneur to rehabilitate one particular neighborhood in the above sector of central Little Rock which has been plagued with numerous abandoned and boarded up houses, and provide affordable housing in the process.  I applaud that effort and wish him well, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Just go one city street map section over from that area to the west, drive south on Pine Street to Asher and then serpentine back north between Maple and Washington Streets and you will be overwhelmed by the vast number of burned out, abandoned and boarded up houses.  

On the plus side, at least the City of Little Rock recognizes that this problem exists.  Through the various city agencies like Housing and Neighborhood Programs, CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Programs, Little Rock Housing Authority, and the newly established Little Rock Land Bank Commission it is attempting to address this blight by partnering with Habitat for Humanity, Black Developers, Inc. and private developers like the one mentioned above to chip away at the problem.   In fact the City Board will be voting next Tuesday night to condemn 14 such structures scattered around the city, which is a good thing.  But I wonder what would happen if one or more entire city blocks were targeted for complete redevelopment not unlike the Madison Heights Apartments project of several years ago, rather than pursuing a shotgun approach.  

Obviously, the sheer scope of such a comprehensive project would create a whole host of legal, logistical, financial and practical obstacles inherent in such a well-intentioned major initiative like this.  Oddly, though, similar limitations never seem to stop us from constructing sports facilities and entertainment venues; building pedestrian dams, bridges and bike trails; erecting and extending trolley lines; creating wetlands and expanding parks; subsidizing various city operations; and granting tax incentives for corporate development, all noble endeavors, but another example of a "two cities" dichotomy.  That's where having the collective political will among our elected city officials to make this, as well as homelessness, a top priority in our community is essential.  Another element to ensure success would be to engage those citizens and organizations with sufficient money, influence and resources to attack this issue on a massive scale and make it happen.   Then and only then can we begin to transform Little Rock from a "tale of two cities" into a tale of one city, in my view.                


ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Barry Thomas exclusively at Ellen Golden French Antiques in the Heights 



GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com