Discussing Liberally Salt Lake City

Section 3 – Possible Topics for Future Meetings
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Click here to view possible topics for future meetings. Participants of each monthly meeting vote for the topic of the next monthly meeting.

If you would like to suggest a topic, it is requested as a courtesy that your suggestion be posted here at least 24 hours in advance so that others will have time to give it proper consideration.

EXPIRATION. We have always had a rule that a Possible Topic remains active so long as it receives at least one vote every six meetings. However, if a possible-topic proposal contains a wealth of information that is worth preserving but has not received a vote for six consecutive meetings, it is retained but listed as “Expired."

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SHORT-FUSE NOTICE

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EXPLANATION

Occasionally, a Proposed Topic for Future Meetings has a SHORT-TIME FUSE because a governmental unit is soliciting PUBLIC COMMENTS for a limited time period with a SPECIFIED DEADLINE.

Exhibit A would be the 8/5/2016 Proposed Topic entitled “Clone Rights -- Involuntary Soldiers, Sex Slaves, Human Lab Rats, Etc.”

We had already focused on this topic for our 4/9/2008 meeting more than 8 years ago when the PBS Newshour interviewed a Yale U. Biology Professor who had already created a “Chimaera” with 25% Human DNA and 75% Chimp DNA (Chimps are the animals that share the most DNA with humans).

The Yale U. Biology Professor stated that he was then (2008) in the process of creating a “Chimaera” with 50% Human DNA and 50% Chimp DNA, and that he planned to create in the near future (2008 et seq.) a “Chimaera” with 75% Human DNA and 25% Chimp DNA.

As our 4/9/2008 meeting materials posted on http://www.ReadingLiberally-SaltLake.org disclose, Gwen Ifill who conducted the interview, was oblivious to the issue of the Nazi’s definition of a Jew based on the percentage of Jewish heritage and the Ante-Bellum American South’s definition of African-American based on the percentage of Sub-Saharan-African heritage.

But, even more appallingly, Gwen Ifill failed to ask the obvious question = What happens if the 50%-50% “Chimaera” then already being created happens to exhibit as DOMINANT TRAITS 100% Human DNA and as RECESSIVE TRAITS 100% Chimp DNA!!! Which, of course, would mean that Yale U. was treating as a lab rat a “Chimaera” that is 100% Human!!!

Unfortunately, the 8/5/2016 Proposed Topic was prompted by a Proposal from the National Institute of Health (NIH) which appeared in The Federal Register of 8/5/2016 and which had a 9/6/2016 deadline for public comments!!!

So our 9/14/2016 meeting, which was the first for which our focus had not already been determined as of 8/5/2016 under our normal rules, was too late.

So the reason for inaugurating this Short-Fuse Notice Section is to provide a Special Heads Up that a Proposed Topic has a Public-Comment Deadline that will occur before the first regular meeting date at which the topic can be discussed -- so that any of our readers who want to comply with the Public-Comment Deadline can contact the Proposer of the Topic in order to confer with anyone else who may be considering comments by the deadline.

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PENDING SHORT-FUSE PROPOSALS

1. Re “Clone Rights -- Involuntary Soldiers, Sex Slaves, Human Lab Rats, Etc.” (proposed 8/5/2016), although the 9/6/2016 public-comment deadline of the National Institute of Health (NIH) has passed, this Topic Proposal is still active. PLEASE NOTE ATTACHED TO THIS PROPOSAL THE 1/29/2017 UPDATE ENTITLED0 “HUMAN-PIG CHIMERAS -- DECENT BEHAVIOR DESPITE OPEN BARN DOOR.”

2. Re “Destroying Great Salt Lake To Grow Low-Profit Hay For China” (proposed 9/27/2016), there is a 10/24/2016 public-comment deadline that will occur before our first possible regular meeting (11/16/2016) at which this Proposed Topic could be considered.

Section 5 – Addendum - Inner-City Holocaust and America's Apartheid "Justice" System
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The previous section of this bulletin board includes copies of 4 letters over 2 years to President Obama and 20 other US & California governmental officials imploring each to cause Amicus Curiae briefs to be filed on behalf of 10 million inner-city children. Each of the 4 letters, using President Obama as an example, began with:

Dear Mr. President:

Re: $84 Billion Legally Pledged For Education of Californian Inner-City Children Rapidly Slipping Away Due To Judicial Improprieties – AMICUS BRIEFS UNDER US SUPREME COURT RULE 37(2) NEEDED URGENTLY!!!

The previous section also includes copies of 4 letters over 2 years to 43 news-media superstars. Each of the 4 letters, using Gwen Ifill as an example, began with:

Dear Ms. Ifill:

Re: $84 Billion Legally Pledged For Education of Californian Inner-City Children Rapidly Slipping Away Due To Judicial Improprieties – EQUAL PROTECTION BY THE MEDIA URGENTLY NEEDED!!!

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“Equal Protection of the Media” recognizes that the only practical way to get the US Supreme Court to agree to hear an appeal is what David Boies always does vis-à-vis his litigation, such as his current gay-rights litigation = get the media to report on his cases. Indeed, the first letter to the 43 news-media superstars cited CNN broadcasts re the gay-rights litigation as trumpeting “the Supreme Court justices do not live in a vacuum -- they are influenced by media reporting in deciding whether an issue is so important that the Court should accept an appeal.”

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The letters informed the 21 governmental officials and 43 news-media superstars of the “Question Presented For Review” by the U.S. Supreme Court =

“Can state court judges order their decisions which they know are diametrically-opposed to well-settled law, not to be published or cited (a strategy labeled ‘the segregated toilet’ in correspondence with 51 inner-city clergy who represent the 10 million inner-city children who have been disclosed from the outset as the ‘real parties at interest’ in this law suit) in order to flush away the rights of the 10 million inner-city children without disturbing the rights of first-class American citizens -- without violating the ‘Equal Protection of the Law’ requirement of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?”

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None of the 21 governmental officials or 43 news-media superstars did anything to save the 10 million inner-city children EVEN THOUGH EACH OF THEM KNEW THAT A SINGLE AMICUS BRIEF OR A SINGLE NEWS-MEDIA ITEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO SAVE THE CHILDREN.

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The previous section contains copies of reference materials through 6/15/2011 -- the date of the last set of letters to the 21 governmental officials and 43 news-media superstars to inform them that the Petition for Certiorari (request to agree to hear an appeal) had just been filed with the US Supreme Court.

This section of the bulletin board contains subsequent letters to --

Jonathan Kozol (6/22/11) to provide him a “heads up” that “Inner-City Holocaust and America’s Apartheid ‘Justice’ System” was being written in his honor.

Marcia Coyle (6/29/2011), the PBS News Hour’s regular Supreme Court reporter/analyst.

Marc Morial (7/28/2011), CEO of the National Urban League with a copy to his wife, Michelle Miller, CBS News super-star.

Also included is the final report to each of the 51 inner-city clergy from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland who had been supporting the cause to (A) inform them that the US Supreme Court on 10/4/2011 refused to hear our appeal, (B) thank them for their efforts with the solace that each of us would be able to say at The Pearly Gates with St. Paul (II Timothy 4:7): “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” and (C) request them and their congregants to pray for the 43 news-media superstars, the 21 governmental officials, the California judges and the U.S. Supreme Court Justices, that MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOULS!!!

Section 8 – Working Groups Currently Underway
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This section contains information about each of our so-called “Working Groups” that are currently underway.

During our 19 years of existence, we have had 5-6 so-called Working Groups whenever a particular policy issue (1) may require immediate action on the spur of the moment (rendering addressing it at the next regular monthly meeting impractical), and/or (2) may require long-term attention.

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Recent examples in the second category (“long-term attention”) are

(1) Our 2016-2018 Working Group to oppose the Destruction/Extinction of Great Salt Lake to grow alfalfa hay to feed Chinese cows, and

(2) Our 2018-2019 Thorium-Fission Working Group to solve global warming 100% in short order WITHOUT having to invade other countries militarily (such as China to prevent it from bringing on stream another monster-size coal-fired electric-generation plant EVERY WEEK) when the only economic green-energy source is nuclear (which even Bill Gates recognizes) and it is 100% safe if the fuel is thorium which is incapable of exploding so it cannot be used to produce a bomb, and which does NOT even need cooling systems or containment chambers.

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APPALLING example in the first (“short-fuse”) category --

The need for Working Groups in the first category was first recognized more than 12 years ago -- as described on the face of this bulletin board for Sec. 3 entitled “Possible Topics for Future Meetings” in the portion entitled “SHORT-FUSE NOTICE” describing, inter alia, the Yale University Biology Department’s creation of “Chimeras” with 50% human DNA and 50% Chimp DNA and PLANS TO CREATE “Chimeras” with 75% human DNA and 25% Chimp DNA.

Appallingly, this information was brought to our attention by a report on the PBS Newshour comprising an interview of a Yale Biology Prof. by Gwen Ifill, Co-Anchor and Managing Editor of the PBS NewsHour.

(1) “Appallingly” because Gwen Ifill who conducted the interview, was oblivious to the issue of the Nazi’s definition of a Jew based on the percentage of Jewish heritage and the Ante-Bellum American South’s definition of African-American based on the percentage of Sub-Saharan-African heritage.

(2) But, even more “appallingly,” Gwen Ifill failed to ask the obvious question = What happens if the 50%-50% “Chimaera” then already created happens to exhibit as DOMINANT TRAITS 100% Human DNA and as RECESSIVE TRAITS 100% Chimp DNA!!! Which, of course, would mean that Yale U. was treating as a lab rat a “Chimaera” that is 100% Human!!!

Gwen Ifill’s report of the Yale Biology Department’s Human/Chimp “Chimeras” was the topic of our 4/9/2008 meeting for which attendees were required to watch “The Island” – a 2005 movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor who are clones of wealthy individuals who have financed the creation of their clones so that their vital organs can be “harvested” if the wealthy individuals ever need transplants. [“Harvesting” meant, of course, death for the clone!!!]

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Chimera Reprise and Our “Short Fuse” Response -

Unfortunately, a Proposal from the National Institute of Health (NIH) regarding “Chimera” research appeared in The Federal Register of 8/5/2016 and had a 9/6/2016 deadline for public comments!!!

So our 9/14/2016 meeting, which was the first for which our focus had not already been determined as of 8/5/2016 under our normal rules, was too late.

We formed a “Short Fuse” Working Group and filed comments with the NIH before their 9/6/2016 deadline!!!

Section 8(a) - Working Group Establishment Re Direct Appeal of NY v. Trump to the U.S. Supreme Court Pursuant To 28 U.S. Code Sec.1651(a) with a Writ of Habeas Corpus

Section 8(b) - Reference Materials - Working Group Re Direct Appeal of NY v. Trump to the U.S. Supreme Court Pursuant To 28 U.S. Code Sec.1651(a) with a Writ of Habeas Corpus

Section 8(c) - Participant Comments - Working Group Re Direct Appeal of NY v. Trump to the U.S. Supreme Court Pursuant To 28 U.S. Code Sec.1651(a) with a Writ of Habeas Corpus

Suspension of Regular Operations – The Story of Possum Trot (Oct 16)

Discussion Outline - The Power of Film by the Founding Chair of UCLA’s famous Film & TV Producers Program where he taught 53 years – Sep 18

Original Proposal - The Power of Film by the Founding Chair of UCLA’s famous Film & TV Producers Program where he taught 53 years – Sep 18
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The original proposal is included here for reasons of historical accuracy.

However, it is a bit difficult to understand because "The Power of Film" is both the title of a 2006 book by Prof. Suber and the six-part documentary which aired 2024 - which are entirely unrelated.

Accordingly, our 8/24/2024 weekly e-mail to our 229 members, which lays everything out in a more-understandable fashion, is also included.

Participant Comments - The Power of Film by the Founding Chair of UCLA’s famous Film & TV Producers Program where he taught 53 years – Sep 18

Reference Materials – The Power of Film by the Founding Chair of UCLA’s famous Film & TV Producers Program where he taught 53 years – Sep 18
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from -

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

It appears that the six-part Turner Classic Movies documentary was not reviewed by any of the three, or by any well-known news outlets.

However, this section does contain the statutory text of the “Equal Time Rule” of 47 U.S Code Sec. 315 which was discussed in Sec. 3 of the Suggested Answers to the Short Quiz.

Discussion Outline – “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World” by Stuart Eizenstat – August 21

Original Proposal – “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World” by Stuart Eizenstat – August 21

Participant Comments – “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World” by Stuart Eizenstat – August 21

Reference Materials – “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World” by Stuart Eizenstat – August 21
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from -

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Both the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have shirked their duty.

HOWEVER, in addition to the New York Times review, there is included in this section a 5/1/2024 e-mail sent to Stuart Eizenstat with Cc’s to the other participants in our weekly Harvard Law School Class of 1967 Zoom Chat.

The reasons for including the e-mail are –

(1) I was respectfully suggesting that Stuart stop his constantly repeating THE BIG PALESTINIAN LIE that the United Nations in 1947 stole Palestinian land and gave it to the Jews – rather than the truth that the U.N. simply tabulated who owned what as a result of the Arab Empire and Ottoman Empire policy for more than 1,000 years that everyone including Jews were welcome to purchase land; and

(2) I was respectfully suggesting that Stuart stop pushing a “two state solution” for the Israel/Palestinian conflict since THREE PREVIOUS “TWO STATE SOLUTION” ATTEMPTS HAVE FAILED due to the Palestinian refusal to this day to recognize Israel’s right to exist; and

(3) I had also been respectfully suggesting in an earlier 1/3/2024 e-mail to Stuart (Cc’s to our weekly Zoom Chat HLS classmates) that he address the Peace Plan enunciated by Ron Dermer and Benjamin Netanyahu immediately after Gaza’s 7 October 2023 massacre of Israelis.

The Dermer/Netanyahu Peace Plan is to destroy Hamas and proceed to occupy Gaza for years thereafter, similarly to the way the U.S. occupied Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan for many years to transform German/Japanese society so that today, Germany and Japan have for nearly 8 decades, been two of America’s most loyal allies.

[After all, since 1948 Palestinians have been “brain washed” since their cradles.]

Ron Dermer was the Israeli Ambassador to the United States 2013-2021 and since 2022 has been the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs and, as such, served in Netanyahu’s War Cabinet until it was dissolved 6/17/2024 while remaining a close adviser since then.

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My copy of “The Art of Diplomacy” has not arrived yet from Amazon, so I do not know whether it follows any of my suggestions.

Respectfully submitted,

John Karls
7/19/2024

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7/24/2024 Addendum

Today there was posted in this section a transcript of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s 7/24/2024 Speech to a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress.

It includes the Netanyahu/Dermer Peace Plan to destroy Hamas and proceed to occupy Gaza for years thereafter, similarly to the way the U.S. occupied Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan for many years to transform German/Japanese society so that today, Germany and Japan have for nearly 8 decades, been two of America’s most loyal allies.

That portion of the speech was interrupted 5 times by applause.

That portion can be found by scrolling down in the transcript to the Peace Plan which is bounded by two rows of asterisks.

Respectfully submitted,

John Karls
7/24/2024

Adverse Impacts of Pres. Biden’s Spontaneous Proposal at the July 9-11 NATO Summit that Allies Produce More Weapons – Reading Liberally July 17 Meeting

Discussion Outline – “The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation” by Victor Davis Hanson – July 17 Meeting

Original Proposal – “The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation” by Victor Davis Hanson – July 17 Meeting

Participant Comments – “The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation” by Victor Davis Hanson – July 17 Meeting

Reference Materials – “The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation” by Victor Davis Hanson – July 17 Meeting
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

The NY Times and Washington Post have shirked their duty!!!

HOWEVER, in addition to the WSJ review there is posted in this section, inter alia, an interview of Victor Davis Hanson by Stanford University’s Hoover Institution about The End of Everything.

[NB: The transcript of the interview exceeded the maximum length of a posting with our website software – accordingly, it spilled over into two so-called “replies.”]

Discussion Outline – The Politically Incorrect Guide to Economics by Prof. Thomas DiLorenzo – June 19

Original Proposal - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Economics by Prof. Thomas DiLorenzo - June 19

Participant Comments - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Economics by Prof. Thomas DiLorenzo - June 19

Reference Materials – The Politically Incorrect Guide to Economics by Prof. Thomas DiLorenzo – June 19
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

All three appear to have shirked their duty!!!

Which is not surprising since the book is a “POLITICALLY INCORRECT Guide to Economics.”

Even though –

(1) Prof. Thomas J. DiLorenzo is the President of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and a retired economics professor, having taught university economics for forty-one years – AND IS THE AUTHOR OR CO-AUTHOR OF SEVENTEEN BOOKS, INCLUDIG THE REAL LINCOLN, HOW CAPITALISM SAVED AMERICA, HAILTON’S CURSE, AND THE PROBLEM WITH SOCIALISM.

(2) “Politically Incorrect Guide to Economics” is the only one of his 17 books that was written for the “Politically Incorrect Guide” series on myriad topics.

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HOWEVER, there is posted in this section a Book Review by David Gordon who is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and editor of the Mises Review.

Meeting Report – Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women by Batya Ungar-Sargon – May 15

Discussion Outline - Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women by Batya Ungar-Sargon – May 15

Original Proposal - Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women by Batya Ungar-Sargon – May 15

Participant Comments - Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women by Batya Ungar-Sargon – May 15

Reference Materials - Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women by Batya Ungar-Sargon – May 15
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

All three appear to have shirked their duty!!!

Which is not surprising since Newsweek’s Opinion Editor Batya Ungar-Sargon’s “Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America’s Working Men and Women” is taking aim at the Mainstream Media as an integral part of “The Elites.”

Indeed, we have marveled many times over how America exported American jobs to China et al. for 24 years - 1993-2016. And Batya Ungar-Sargon is NOW ALSO describing the impact of America’s Open Southern Border on America’s Working Class.

HOWEVER, this Reference Materials Section does contain –

(1) A book review of “Second Class” from the New York Post (a conservative newspaper with the ninth-largest circulation in the U.S. – it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch in 1976 before he bought the Wall Street Journal in 2007);

AND NOT TO BE MISSED FOR ITS SURPRISING CONTENT –

(2) An interview of Batya Ungar-Sargon re “Second Class” by her own Newsweek Magazine.


Respectfully submitted,

John Karls – 3/24/2024

Banning TikTok – H.R. 7521 – Letter to Each Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation – Re April 17 Meeting

Discussion Outline - Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans by Peter Schweizer - April 17

Original Proposal - Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans by Peter Schweizer - April 17

Participant Comments - Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans by Peter Schweizer - April 17

Reference Materials - Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans by Peter Schweizer - April 17
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

All three appear to have shirked their duty!!!

And to quote Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” – “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”!!!

(1) Ordinarily, copies of a new book are given by publishers to news organizations SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE PUBLICATION in the hopes they will review the new book in order to spur initial sales.

(2) “Blood Money” by Peter Schweizer was released by Harper Collins on 2/27/2024 and, within 3 weeks, had shot to No. 1 on the NY Times’ Non-Fiction Bestseller List.

(3) Not only the NY Times, WSJ and WaPo appearing to shirk their duty to provide reviews with searches on their own websites for “Schweizer” producing nothing recent --

(4) But even a Google search for “book review” as an exact term and the inclusion of “Schweizer” and “blood” and “money” (since it is only possible to specify one exact term) – producing no results from any other recognizable publication!!!

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My guess???

Harper Collins decided that Peter Schweizer and his books on the Peoples’ Republic of China are so well known (many of which shot to the top of the charts) – that no reviews are needed to spur initial sales.

So Harper Collins must have decided NOT to provide advance copies to any news organizations in order NOT to clutter the scene.

And have the consumer actually read the book rather than become distracted by the opinions of others.

Though, of course, reading when ordering the book, its description on Amazon.com which almost-invariably quotes the book’s dust jacket.

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This “Reference Materials” Section

Nonetheless, this section is still provided because, in the past, many “reference materials” in addition to book reviews have been posted in “Reference Materials” sections for prior meetings as our members distinguish between facts as Ref Mats, and their own opinions which are posted in each month’s “Participant Comments” section.

Respectfully submitted,

John Karls – 3/24/2024

Meeting Report - Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - March 20

Discussion Outline - Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - March 20

Original Proposal - Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - March 20

Participant Comments - Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - March 20

Reference Materials - Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - March 20
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Discussion Outline - Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination and Secret Diplomacy to Stop a Nuclear Iran - Feb 21

Original Proposal - Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination and Secret Diplomacy to Stop a Nuclear Iran - Feb 21

Participant Comments - Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination and Secret Diplomacy to Stop a Nuclear Iran - Feb 21

Reference Materials – Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination and Secret Diplomacy to Stop a Nuclear Iran - Feb 21
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Both the New York Times and Washington Post shirked their duty.

However, in addition to the WSJ review, this section includes –

(A) an interview of the Target Tehran authors by The Times Of Israel; and

(B) two book reviews in The Jerusalem Post.

Two reviews in The Jerusalem Post should not be surprising since the authors of Target Tehran are –

Yonah Jeremy Bob who is the senior military and intelligence analyst as well as the book review editor for The Jerusalem Post; and

Ilan Evyatar who is a former News Director, columnist, and senior contributor at The Jerusalem Post.

1/27/24: RE-DIRECTING TO MICHELLE OBAMA OUR 6/3/2020 PLEA TO PROVIDE TUTORS & MENTORS FOR AMERICA’S INNER-CITY CHILDREN

Discussion Outline – The Assault on American Excellence by Yale Law School Prof. & Former Long-Time Dean Anthony Kronman – Jan 17

Participant Comments – The Assault on American Excellence by Yale Law School Prof. & Former Long-Time Dean Anthony Kronman – Jan 17

Original Proposal – The Assault on American Excellence by Yale Law School Prof. & Former Long-Time Dean Anthony Kronman – Jan 17

Reference Materials – The Assault on American Excellence by Yale Law School Prof. & Former Long-Time Dean Anthony Kronman – Jan 17
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Although all three reviewed “The Assault on American Excellence,” there are several anomalies –

(1) The New York Times article reviewed two books – the other “Safe Enough Spaces” by Michael S. Roth, President of Wesleyan University.

(2) The Washington Post review is by Michael S. Roth – which would seem an obvious conflict of interest because, as just noted in Item (1), Roth had a competing book which had just been published.

(3) The New York Times, in addition to its book review by the former Dean of the Columbia Journalism School, published an OpEd by Brett Stephens – an OpEd writer for the NY Times since 2017, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 2013 for commentary while at the Wall Street Journal, and a former Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post.

All three reviews plus the OpEd are posted in this section.

12/16/23: EX POST FACTO “CROSSING SWORDS” VIS-À-VIS THE THRICE-FAILED “TWO-STATE SOLUTION” (NB: Both the Netanyahu/Dermer Plan for Gaza and the Two-State Solution are compatible with our 12/16/23 Plea to Pres. Biden for a Palestinian “Marshall Plan”)

12/16/23: RE-DIRECTING TO PRES. BIDEN OUR 10/14/2009 PLEA TO PRES. OBAMA FOR A PALESTINIAN “MARSHALL PLAN”

Discussion Outline – The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy by Pulitzer Prize Winner Seymour Hersh – Dec 13

Original Proposal – The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy by Pulitzer Prize Winner Seymour Hersh – Dec 13
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The Original Proposal was first posted in Sec. 3 (Possible Topics for Future Meetings) on 10/15/2023 for the stated purpose of studying how history is repeating itself –

During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israel’s 7 nuclear missiles enabled Israel to avoid becoming the answer to a trivia question (What WAS Israel?) and now it looks like the world is headed to a nuclear holocaust between Iran and Israel with the only question being “How Soon?”!!!

Three comments are in order.

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Our focus book (The Samson Option by Seymour Hersh – Random House 1991) about, inter alia, Israel’s 7 nuclear missiles at the time of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, reports the only reason why Israel survived was due to its policy that if it ever reached the point of fewer than 24 hours to go to complete annihilation, before “turning out the lights” it would fire its 7 nuclear missiles at Russia’s 7 largest cities.

HOWEVER, the 10/15/2023 Original Proposal did NOT contain Random House’s book description and author bio from the book’s dust jacket because (1) Amazon.com which usually parrots that info, was no longer doing so, and (2) Yours Truly’s copy was buried in “perma-frost.”

[Most of our members have heard more times than they care to remember that I was married 1967-2000 to the co-author of the nation’s best-selling High School World History textbook (McGraw Hill with National Geographic illustrations) as a result of which my “real job” (vs. my “day job” as an attorney) was to read 12-15 thick historical tomes/bios PER YEAR to unearth overlooked nuggets for possible inclusion in the next edition, of which there were 6 during the 33 years of marriage. And “since old dogs do NOT learn new tricks,” the total of tomes/bios is now well over 1,500.]

Unfortunately, my original 1991 copy of The Samson Option is contained in one of the zillions of storage boxes dating from my 1967-2000 marriage – the exploration and cataloguing of whose contents have always been too painful.

Luckily (or perhaps due to self-discipline), I have always been blessed with a photographic memory for anything that seemed important and/or interesting.

The Samson Option qualified in both categories.

Accordingly, the two dozen references to it on our bulletin board going back to 2008, the earliest of which was featured prominently in the 10/15/2023 Original Proposal, were like the proverbial “falling off a log.”

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On 11/15/2023, another copy of The Samson Option was obtained from Amazon.

Accordingly, in addition to the 10/15/2023 Original Proposal based solely on memory, there is posted in this section Random House’s book description and author bio from the book’s dust jacket which Amazon has ceased publicizing but which typically comprise the bulk of our Original Proposals.

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The recently-mushrooming price of “The Samson Option” –

The 10/15/2023 Original Proposal quoted Amazon’s price as “$19.00 Hard Copy ($23.43 Paperback) + shipping or $7.99 Kindle.”

Today (11/16/2023), Amazon’s price is -- $67.53 Hard Copy ($139.00 Paperback) + shipping or $12.99 Kindle.

I would like to think this recently-mushrooming price on Amazon is due solely to my actions –

(1) Introducing “The Samson Option” into the weekly Zoom Chats since 10/7/2023 of my Harvard Law School Class of 1967.

(2) Introducing “The Samson Option” into the recent Salt Lake Committee on Foreign Relations meeting on “The Gaza War: How did we get here?” featuring a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

and, perhaps, most importantly –

(3) Posting the Original Proposal 10/15/2023 on our website which gets quite a bit of traffic, particularly from academics and members of the media.

Participant Comments – The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy by Pulitzer Prize Winner Seymour Hersh – Dec 13
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This section traditionally contains our promotional short quiz(es) and its/their suggested answers.

As well as any comments (vs. Reference Materials which go in a separate section so labelled).

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Accordingly, there is posted here the scope of our Dec 13 Zoom meeting, as explained in our Nov 18 weekly e-mail, which inter alia said –

The Samson Option book description on its dust jacket ends with –

“The message of The Samson Option is stark: The next Middle East war might very well be nuclear.”

Of course the title’s reference to Samson, a Biblical character who destroyed his enemies while committing suicide, analogizes to both –

(1) the 1973 Israeli policy when faced with imminent annihilation, of firing its nukes before “turning out the lights,” and

(2) what Israel may soon feel forced to do vis-à-vis Iran.

Accordingly, our Dec 13 meeting will focus on the entire imbroglio – including the U.N.’s original 1948 “Two State Solution” based on the U.N.’s careful year-long assessment of who owned what land (Palestine’s population, per the U.N. assessment, was only 58.3% Muslim) - which Israel accepted and was immediately invaded by Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.

Our Nov 18 weekly e-mail says that of course, Seymour Hersh’s 1991 prophecy did not occur in “the next Middle East War” which got underway before his book was even published – America’s 1991 invasion of Iraq FROM THE ISLAMIC HOLY GROUND OF SAUDI ARABIA which, as we have studied many times, radicalized Osama bin Laden and resulted, inter alia, in his issuing FIVE FATWĀS --

(1) In August 1996, he issued a fatwā entitled “Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places.”

(2) In February 1998, he issued a fatwā entitled “Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders.”

(3) In December 1998, he issued a fatwā entitled “The Nuclear Bomb of Islam.”

(4) In 2002, nine months after 9/11, he issued a fatwā requiring all of his followers to nuke 4 million Americans -- a fatwā about which the Founding Dean of Harvard U’s Kennedy School of Government, Graham Allison, wrote a famous book entitled “Nuclear Terrorism” about how to deal with the fatwā. [NB: His prescription for all of the world’s nuclear powers to “lock down” every iota of fissile material and to prevent any non-nuclear powers, such as Iran, from enriching fissile material, was widely criticized as impractical and, in any event, has not been implemented.]

(5) By 2005, Osama had issued a revised fatwā requiring all of his followers to nuke 10 million Americans -- as was painfully clear from Tim Russert’s 5/29/2005 Meet the Press interview about how to deal with the fatwā with former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman 1987-1995), U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN and then-current Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman) and Messrs. Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton (Chair and Co-Chair of The 9/11 Commission) -- during which they essentially recommended following Dean Graham Allison’s prescription which, as previously noted, was NOT done.

11/24/23: LTR TO PRES. BIDEN RE SOLVING GLOBAL WARMING 100% WITHOUT MILITARY ACTION

Reference Materials – The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy by Pulitzer Prize Winner Seymour Hersh – Dec 13
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal shirked its responsibility.

In addition to the book reviews from the NY Times & Washington Post, there are posted in this section, inter alia --

(1) A 10/19/2023 Foreign Policy Magazine article on why Israel’s intelligence agencies failed to predict the Oct 7 Hamas attack;

(2) A 10/12/2023 Jerusalem Post article on a poll that has been widely reported in the American media as proof that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doomed. HOWEVER, the poll was taken before Benny Gantz joined on Oct 10 what the Post article called the “Emergency Unity Government” whose members have agreed that an investigation re responsibility for the intelligence failure will wait until after the war is concluded.

Another issue attracting a lot of attention is Israel’s “end game.”

That was addressed 11/12/2023 by The Hon. Ron Dermer, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs and Member of the Israeli War Cabinet – he previously served as Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. 2013-2021.

The transcript of his remarks is not yet available (as of today, Nov 16), but there are many videos available on the internet.

In essence, Mr. Dermer cites World War II and how, after defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, America did not simply leave. Instead, America asserted control over German and Japanese society for a considerable number of years in order to assure that young Germans and Japanese were being properly taught in their schools, etc., etc., with the result that today, 78 years after World War II, Germany and Japan are among America’s most-loyal allies.

The Dermer transcript will be posted in this section as soon as it becomes available.

Everyone, as usual, is encouraged to post any other Reference Materials that will enhance our knowledge and understanding.

11/24/23: LTR TO PRES. BIDEN RE BENFITTING AMN TAXPAYERS FOR SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES OF BASIC RESEARCH THEY HAVE FINANCED

Discussion Outline – Life After Capitalism: The Meaning of Wealth, the Future of the Economy, and the Time Theory of Money by George Gilder – Nov 15

Original Proposal – Life After Capitalism: The Meaning of Wealth, the Future of the Economy, and the Time Theory of Money by George Gilder – Nov 15

Participant Comments – Life After Capitalism: The Meaning of Wealth, the Future of the Economy, and the Time Theory of Money by George Gilder – Nov 15

Reference Materials – Life After Capitalism: The Meaning of Wealth, the Future of the Economy, and the Time Theory of Money by George Gilder – Nov 15
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Unfortunately, all three publications shirked their duty despite George Gilder’s being a well-known 83-year-old investor, economist and author of 21 well-known books.

Indeed, scouring the internet disclosed that only one well-known publication – Forbes – reviewed Life After Capitalism.

It is posted in this section.

In addition, scouring the internet disclosed that George Gilder had authored a 5,014-word article entitled “Life After Capitalism” which was published 10/14/2021 – nearly 18 months before publication of his book by the same title.

It is also posted in this section.

BTW, Yours Truly has always believed that despite all the hype, Artificial Intelligence is NOT able to think (only human beings can do that) – and, accordingly, was intrigued to discover that George Gilder’s 20th book is entitled “Gaming AI: Why AI Can’t Think but Can Transform Jobs.” [Not enough to read it, even though its title IMHO rings true.]

Respectfully submitted,

John Karls

10/26/2023: LETTER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN RE EXPORTATION OF AMERICAN JOBS AND SALE OF AMERICAN CROWN JEWELS TO PAY FOR CONSUMER-GOODS IMPORTS

Discussion Outline – No Trade Is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping America's Workers by Robert Lighthizer – Oct 18

Original Proposal – No Trade Is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping America's Workers by Robert Lighthizer – Oct 18

Participant Comments – No Trade Is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping America's Workers by Robert Lighthizer – Oct 18

Reference Materials – No Trade Is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping America's Workers by Robert Lighthizer – Oct 18
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

The New York Times and Washington Post have shirked their duty – presumably because in the wake of the 1993-2016 American policy of exporting American jobs (and Donald Trump - Robert Lighthizer becoming the champions of blue-collar workers), NYT & WaPo probably don’t know what to think.

Even the Wall Street Journal seems befuddled by having its book review authored by Pat Toomey, the 2-term U.S. Senator (R-PA - elected 2010 and re-elected 2016) who, as reinforced by the views expressed in his book review, was a member of the 1993-2016 Bi-Partisan Elite that insisted on exporting American jobs (he also served in the House of Representatives 1999-2005).

As is reasonable to infer from the WSJ’s selection of Pat Toomey to write their review, the WSJ must also want American jobs exported.

However, the New York Times did publish a 12/18/2022 OpEd by Robert Lighthizer (6 months before publication of his book) entitled “The U.S. Needs to Change the Way It Does Business With China.”

The NYT OpEd and the WSJ/Toomey book review are available in this section.

PLEASE NOTE THAT TWO OTHER BOOK REVIEWS ARE POSTED, BOTH PUBLISHED BY BRITISH NEWSPAPERS AND BOTH TAKING A CALMER VIEW OF WHY AMERICA CANNOT GO ON FOREVER RUNNING UP ITS NATIONAL DEBT WHILE IMPORTING VIRTUALLY ALL OF ITS MANUFACTURED GOODS AND DOING NOTHING BUT “SELLING HAMBURGERS TO EACH OTHER” --

(1) The Financial Times is Britain’s counterpart to the Wall Street Journal.

(2) The Guardian is considered a “newspaper of record” in the U.K. (similar to The NY Times in the U.S.). Since 1936 it has been owned by The Scott Trust to "secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference."

Meeting Report – “Poverty, by America” by Prof. Matthew Desmond – AND Letter to President Biden re the United Nations War on Modern Slavery

Discussion Outline – “Poverty, by America” by Prof. Matthew Desmond – Sep 20

Original Proposal – “Poverty, by America” by Prof. Matthew Desmond – Sep 20

Participant Comments – “Poverty, by America” by Prof. Matthew Desmond – Sep 20

Reference Materials – “Poverty, by America” by Prof. Matthew Desmond – Sep 20
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Click on this “Reference Materials” section for all three.

In addition to its book review, The Washington Post interviewed Matthew Desmond re “Poverty, by America.” The transcript of that interview is also available in this section.

Warning –

The Washington Post book review’s third paragraph begins with the sentence – “The Bible tells us that the poor are always with us.”

Unfortunately, the reviewer (Timothy Noah - identified by WaPo as “a staff writer for the New Republic”) appears ignorant that in virtually every Jewish Synagogue, there is a black leather-bound book in the back of the pew in front of you labelled in gold lettering “The Bible.”

The problem???

Timothy Noah is quoting Christ from the Christian Bible.

He appears ignorant that the Jewish Bible (the Christian “Old Testament”) does NOT talk about the poor always being with us.

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For any “wise acres” who want to double-check this “warning,” the University of Michigan provides an on-line searchable Bible (King James version) at https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/simple.html.

If you input “poor” as your search term, you will find 244 places that “poor” appears.

Only 144 are in the Jewish Bible (i.e., Christian “Old Testament”) AND NONE OF THEM TALK ABOUT THE POOR ALWAYS BEING WITH US.

ALL THREE THAT TALK ABOUT THE POOR ALWAYS BEING WITH US are quoting Christ in an incident reported in Matthew 26, Mark 14. and John 12 in which a woman anoints Christ with a precious ointment and is then criticized by the disciples on the grounds that the ointment could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Christ rebukes them, saying (Matthew 26:10-12) – “Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.”

Discussion Outline - When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives - Aug 16

Original Proposal - When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives - Aug 16

Participant Comments - When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives - Aug 16

Reference Materials - When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives - Aug 16
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Both the New York Times and Washington Post shirked their duty by turning a blind eye to “When Race Trumps Merit.”

Similarly, the WSJ did NOT review “When Race Trumps Merit.”

*****
However, the WSJ did permit its author, Heather Mac Donald, to write an OpEd about it.

Her OpEd can be accessed by clicking on this “Reference Materials” section.

*****
It appears from an exhaustive search that “When Race Trumps Merit” was reviewed by only a very-small handful of publications, all of which were conservative.

The only recognizable such publication is The Washington Free Beacon which is a privately owned, for-profit online newspaper that began publication in 2012. Its website proclaims that it is dedicated to uncovering the stories that the powers that be hope will never see the light of day, producing in-depth investigative reporting on a wide range of issues, including public policy, government affairs, international security, and media.

Its review of “When Race Trumps Merit” can be accessed by clicking on this “Reference Materials” section.

Discussion Outline – The U.S. Supreme Court vs. Lower-Court National Injunctions – July 19

6/21/2023: The Safer Communities Act of 2022 Proves To Be A Cruel Hoax Vis-a-vis Preventing School Shootings

Participant Comments – The U.S. Supreme Court vs. Lower-Court National Injunctions – July 19

Discussion Outline – Rabbi Van Lanckton’s 16 Gun-Safety Ideas, Providing Our Schools The Same Protection As Airports & Office Buildings, Etc. – June 21

Reference Materials – The U.S. Supreme Court vs. Lower-Court National Injunctions – July 19
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This month’s topic is another instance of an important public-policy issue that book publishers don’t see fit to let see the light of day.

[In all fairness to publishers, this issue, though incredibly important (whether any of more than 670 U.S. District Court Judges should be permitted to “put on hold” Presidential Executive Orders, Congressionally-passed statutes, Federal Agency regulations, etc. -- for years while the cases wend their leisurely way to the U.S. Supreme Court) is esoteric enough that a publisher can’t expect to sell many books.]

Accordingly, we will endeavor to address it by, inter alia, dredging up worthwhile “Reference Materials” in trying to achieve a consensus on an appropriate public policy.

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The following “Reference Materials” were already contained in the “Original Proposal” at viewtopic.php?f=746&t=2357&sid=ca9219cb ... d1d01f2ec5 --

(1) Its third paragraph mentions that the National Law Journal reported on 7/14/2020 that during 2017-2018 there were 25 nationwide injunctions and that “a few [Supreme Court] justices are on the warpath against nationwide injunctions” -- though obviously not yet a majority for banning them outright.

(2) After a brief intro, the Original Proposal includes ver batim a 9/25/2021 article from Harvard Law Today reporting on a symposium of 4 Harvard Law School faculty on the issue.

[The remainder of the Original Proposal comprises examples of the U.S. Supreme Court policing lower courts long before their cases wend their leisurely way to the Supreme Court.]

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In addition to the two “Reference Materials” contained in the “Original Proposal” this section includes, inter alia, several of the top Google results from searching “National Injunctions” --

(1) 2/6/2023 Bloomberg News OpEd by George Washington Univ Law School Associate Dean – “It’s Time to Enact a 3-Judge Court Law for National Injunctions.”

(2) Harvard Law Review article (Dec 2017) entitled “Multiple Chancellors: Reforming the National Injunction” by Univ of Notre Dame Law School Prof. Samuel L. Bray.

(3) Harvard Law Review article (Jan 2020) Entitled “The Lost History of the ‘Universal’ Injunction” by U of San Diego Law School Assoc. Dean Mila Sohoni.

Reference Materials – Rabbi Van Lanckton’s 16 Gun-Safety Ideas, Providing Our Schools The Same Protection As Airports & Office Buildings, Etc. – June 21

Participant Comments – Rabbi Van Lanckton’s 16 Gun-Safety Ideas, Providing Our Schools The Same Protection As Airports & Office Buildings, Etc. – June 21

Discussion Outline – Oliver Stone’s “Nuclear Now” + “A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow” – May 17

Original Proposal – Oliver Stone’s “Nuclear Now” + “A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow” – May 17

Participant Comments – Oliver Stone’s “Nuclear Now” + “A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow” – May 17
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This section will contain, inter alia, our traditional Short Quiz and Suggested Answers.

HOWEVER, we have championed thorium fission many times over the years.

Most recently with our letters to each of the 2019-2020 Democrat Debate Moderators, each of whom refused to even mention Climate Change, much less nuclear energy – even though two candidates, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Michael Bennet were, at the behest of Bill Gates, strong supporters of uranium fission and sponsors of successful nuclear legislation.

ALL OF THE 2019-2020 DEMOCRAT DEBATE MODERATORS IGNORED EVEN CLIMATE CHANGE AS IF WIND-SOLAR WERE ON THE TABLETS MOSES BROUGHT DOWN FROM MOUNT SINAI.

A summary of our findings and campaigns aimed at decision makers occupies the last 75% of the lengthy 4/25/2023 e-mail from John Karls to his 1967 Harvard Law School classmates following their weekly 4/24/2023 Zoom chat.

That e-mail is posted in this section because, even though it includes a wealth of information which we have developed over the years which might be considered more appropriate for our “Reference Materials” section, it is posted here as a “Participant Comment” because, after all, it is only a summary and does not include the voluminous sources for the facts that it contains.

If anyone would like cross-links to the materials for our many meetings re thorium fission containing the sources for the facts in the 4/25/2023 e-mail, please send your request(s) to ReadingLiberally-SaltLake@johnkarls.com.

Reference Materials – Oliver Stone’s “Nuclear Now” + “A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow” – May 17
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Since Oliver Stone’s “Nuclear Now” is not yet available in theaters (and then only in a limited number, each of which typically has only one showing, usually in the evening of May 1), our weekly newsletter of 4/22/2023 to our 223 members said that “…..our focus book will be “A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow” by Joshua Goldstein and Staffan Quist. And hopefully those who are able to see Oliver Stone’s ‘Nuclear Now’ which is based on ‘A Bright Future’ can provide extra context.”

Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

The Washington Post shirked its duty by turning a blind eye to “A Bright Future.”

However, the New York Times published a book review by Richard Rhodes – prolific author of, inter alia, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” (1986) and “Energy: A Human History” (2018).

And the Wall Street Journal published an essay by the authors of “A Bright Future” which was adapted from their book.

In addition to the NYT book review and the WSJ essay, this section includes an article from the Harvard Gazette about a pre-release screening of “Nuclear Now” at Harvard followed by a panel discussion introduced by Harvard Professor Steven Pinker (who wrote the Foreward to “A Bright Future”) and featuring, in addition to Oliver Stone and Joshua Goldstein – MIT Associate Provost Richard Lester and the Director of Harvard’s Center for the Environment, Daniel Schrag.

Meeting Report – “Marked for Life: One Man’s Fight for Justice from the Inside” – April 19

Discussion Outline – Marked for Life: One Man's Fight for Justice from the Inside – April 19
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NB: Sec. C of the Discussion Outline proposes an amendment to the Federal "Hate Crimes" Law (Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) by providing criminal penalties for a willful failure to provide criminal defendants with exculpatory evidence as required by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brady vs. Maryland (373 U.S. 83 (1963)).

Original Proposal – Marked for Life: One Man's Fight for Justice from the Inside – April 19

Participant Comments – Marked for Life: One Man's Fight for Justice from the Inside – April 19

Reference Materials – Marked for Life: One Man's Fight for Justice from the Inside – April 19
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

None of them reviewed “Marked for Life” – presumably because this is a “cart before the horse” situation with the story of “Marked for Life” being portrayed in a TV series entitled “For Life” and airing for two seasons on ABC 2020-2021, while “Marked for Life” was not published until 11/8/2022 – with the NYT and WaPo already having reviewed “For Life.”

The WSJ appears to have shirked its duty by not even reviewing “For Life.” Accordingly, its place is taken by The New York Post which is the nation’s oldest daily newspaper (established 1801 by Alexander Hamilton) and which has been conservative since being acquired by Rupert Murdoch in 1976 (long before Murdoch acquired the WSJ in 2007).

Accordingly, this section includes, inter alia, the reviews of ABC’s “For Life” from –

The New York Times
The New York Post
The Washington Post
The American Bar Association Journal (which is referenced in Q&A-18 & Q&A-19 of the First Short Quiz)

Original Proposal – The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure – March 15

Discussion Outline – The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure – March 15

Participant Comments – The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure – March 15

Reference Materials – The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure – March 15
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Discussion Outline – Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Latiff – Feb 15

Original Proposal – Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Latiff – Feb 15
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Please be sure to read the so-called reply entitled “Re: The Promotional Material Implying New Weapons Will Themselves Start Wars” which contains the author’s ver batim renunciation at his 4/27/2022 NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion, of his publisher’s implications in its promotional materials that American weapons superiority starts wars.

Participant Comments – Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Latiff – Feb 15

Reference Materials – Future Peace: Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Latiff – Feb 15
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“Future Peace” is unique, even for a book that was promoted by the NYC Harvard Club – please see the Club’s webinar notice in the Reading Liberally “Original Proposal” at viewtopic.php?f=725&t=2295&sid=f075e339 ... 78d2f54dfe.

Its author is uniquely qualified to discuss the book’s sub-title: “Technology, Aggression, and the Rush to War.”

Robert H. Latiff attended Notre Dame where he received his BS in physics on an Army scholarship and his MS and PhD in materials science on a National Science Foundation grant. He is also a graduate of the National Security Fellows Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

In 2006, he retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Major General for whose National Reconnaissance Office he directed advanced research, development, and engineering after commanding the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He is a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.

Dr. Latiff now teaches at Notre Dame where he chairs the external advisory board of the Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values. He is also a consultant, providing advice on advanced technology matters to corporate and government clients and to universities.

He is a member of (1) the Intelligence Community Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and (2) the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

**********
Accordingly, instead of the normal spate of book reviews, the following items are posted as reference materials –

(1) A 2/7/2014 NY Times article about how Gen/Prof Latiff came to teach Philosophy 20628 “The Ethics of Emerging Weapons Technology” at Notre Dame – the NYT article written by Samuel Freedman who writes the “On Religion” column for the NY Times and is a Professor at the Columbia U Graduate School of Journalism.

(2) A Wikipedia Article on the history of the Just War Doctrine which begins with a picture (unfortunately our website software does not accommodate pictures) of Saint Augustine with the caption “Saint Augustine was the first clear advocate of just-war theory.”

(3) A 4/24/2022 article PUBLISHED 2 MONTHS AFTER THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE by Catholic Conscience (a self-described Catholic non-partisan civic and political leadership and engagement organization) analyzing in detail the provisions of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a recent encyclical by Pope Francis.

(4) And for our super-achievers, a 34-page article on “War” from Stanford University’s “Encyclopedia of Philosophy.”

Discussion Outline – “Bibi: My Story” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Jan 18

Original Proposal – “Bibi: My Story” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Jan 18

Participant Comments – “Bibi: My Story” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Jan 18
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TWO MAJOR PUBLIC-POLICY ISSUES

As can be seen from the book description posted in the preceding “Original Proposal” section, “Bibi” is an autobiography (which BTW Netanyahu wrote “long hand”) covering his entire life as well as many public-policy issues.

For our 17 years of existence, we have always prided ourselves in being a NON-PARTISAN PUBLIC-POLICY STUDY/ACTION GROUP that does NOT waste time supporting particular candidates – but instead, GOES WITH THE WINNERS AND TELLS THEM WHAT TO DO.

In “Bibi” and in his many media interviews, Bibi Netanyahu posits that the TWO MAJOR PUBLIC-POLICY ISSUES motivating him to become Prime Minister for a third time are –

(1) Opposing the Iran Nuclear Deal (aka JCPOA) and taking whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; and

(2) Expanding the number of “Abraham Accords” with Arab countries from those achieved in 2020 during his most recent term as Prime Minister – United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. [BTW, Benjamin Netanyahu claims that even those countries would NOT have normalized relations without the tacit approval of Saudi Arabia over which Israel has commercial over-flight privileges to reach the UAE and Bahrain.]

Reference Materials – “Bibi: My Story” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Jan 18
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

The New York Times has shirked its duty.

Accordingly, only the WSJ & WaPo book reviews are posted in this section.

Discussion Outline – “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe” by Prof. Niall Ferguson (husband of Ayaan Hirsi Ali) – Dec 14

Original Proposal – “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe” by Prof. Niall Ferguson (husband of Ayaan Hirsi Ali) – Dec 14

Participant Comments – “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe” by Prof. Niall Ferguson (husband of Ayaan Hirsi Ali) – Dec 14

Reference Materials – “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe” by Prof. Niall Ferguson (husband of Ayaan Hirsi Ali) – Dec 14
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

The Wall Street Journal has shirked its duty.

Accordingly, in addition to The NY Times & WaPo book reviews, this section includes a book review from the Financial Times which is the British equivalent of the WSJ.

For good measure (since our author Niall Ferguson is a Scot educated at Oxford who taught at Cambridge & Oxford for 13 years before coming to Harvard 2004-2021), there is also added a book review from The Guardian.

The Guardian is considered a “newspaper of record” in the U.K. (similar to The NY Times in the U.S.). Since 1936 it has been owned by The Scott Trust to "secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference."

Discussion Outline – A Pox On Both Former Sen. Phil Gramm and Pres. Biden Re Jonathan Kozol’s “Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” – Nov 16

Original Proposal – A Pox On Both Former Sen. Phil Gramm and Pres. Biden Re Jonathan Kozol’s “Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” – Nov 16

Participant Comments – A Pox On Both Former Sen. Phil Gramm and Pres. Biden Re Jonathan Kozol’s “Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” – Nov 16
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The Original Proposal in the immediately-preceding section said there are four reasons for reading “The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate” by Phil Gramm, Robert Ekelund and John Early (Rowland & Littlefield Publishers 9/15/2022) –

(1) You can’t react properly to a viewpoint unless you understand it.

(2) The authors of our 2/7/2018 focus book “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America” by Professors Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer (Houghton Mifflin September 2015) led a team that interviewed tens of thousands of American households and, accordingly, DID NOT RELY ON ANY ALLEGEDLY BIASED GOVERNMENTAL INFO.

(3) Our 6/3/2020 focus book “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” by Jonathan Kozol (Crown Publishing 9/13/2005) capped a 50-year career of writing award-winning best-selling books on American inner-city education. “The Shame of the Nation” describes how the U.S. Supreme Court effectively overruled its famous 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision declaring unconstitutional the de jure dual-school system of the 11 states of the old Civil-War Confederacy and the 6 slave states that were duped into remaining in the U.S. by Pres. Lincoln’s claim that the purpose of the Civil War was to preserve the Union and had nothing to do with abolishing slavery. BROWN VS. BOARD WAS EFFECTIVELY OVERRULED BY PARENTS VS. SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1 (551 U.S. 701 (2007)) WHICH HELD THAT “APARTHEID” SCHOOLING WAS JUST FINE SO LONG AS IT REFLECTED “APARTHEID” HOUSING PATTERNS!!!

(4) PHIL GRAMM’S AND PRES. BIDEN’S REFUSAL TO PERMIT 10 MILLION INNER-CITY CHILDREN TO ESCAPE “A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH”!!! The indictment of Phil Gramm and Pres. Biden are contained in Sections 4 and 5 of www.ReadingLiberally-SaltLake.org entitled “Legal Briefs, Etc. – Inner-City Holocaust and America’s Apartheid ‘Justice’ System (In Honor of Jonathan Kozol and In Memory of John Howard Griffin)” and in our 6/3/2020 Six-Degrees-Of-Separation E-mail Campaign to Presidential Candidate Biden entitled “Addressing the Cause of Racism (vs. a Mere Symptom)” which is available at viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1925&sid=fbd6df8bf ... d4ad78e0b0.

*****
This “Participants Comments” Section typically contains a “Short Quiz” and “Suggested Answers.”

Accordingly, two of the Short Quizzes for each of the 2/7/2018 and 6/3/2020 meetings are posted in this section.

BTW, as mentioned in a so-called “reply” to the Original Proposal in the immediately-preceding section, the NYC Harvard Club has booked Former Sen. Gramm to discuss his book and take questions Thursday Nov. 17 at 7:00 pm EST at the club, 35 West 44th Street. If you are not a member of the club, please let me know and I’ll register you as a guest.

Reference Materials – A Pox On Both Former Sen. Phil Gramm and Pres. Biden Re Jonathan Kozol’s “Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” – Nov 16
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

As of Sunday 10/30/2022, The New York Times and Washington Post have shirked their duty even though “The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate” came off press 9/15/2022.

Accordingly, there are posted in this section, inter alia –

(1) A Wall Street Journal article by Phil Gramm and John Early defending their “The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate.”

(2) In lieu of the shirking NY Times & Washington Post, TWO New Republic book reviews by THE PERFECT PERSON TO PICK UP THE FALLEN BANNER of the NYT/WaPo –

(A) not only because he authored “The Great Divergence: America’s Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do About It” (Bloomsbury Press 4/24/2012);

(B) but also because, per his Amazon.com bio – “Timothy Noah was recently named "TRB," the lead columnist at The New Republic. He wrote for Slate for a dozen years, and previously served at the Wall Street Journal, the New Republic, and the Washington Monthly…. Noah received the 2011 Hillman Prize, the highest award for public service magazine journalism, for the series in Slate that forms the basis of The Great Divergence.”

Discussion Outline – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green – Oct 19

Original Proposal – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green – Oct 19

Participant Comments – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green – Oct 19

Reference Materials – Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green – Oct 19
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

As of Sunday 9/25/2022, The New York Times and Washington Post have shirked their duty.

Accordingly, there are posted in this section, inter alia, book reviews from –

(1) Foreign Policy Magazine

(2) The Guardian*

(3) The Wall Street Journal

* The Guardian is considered a “newspaper of record” in the U.K. (similar to The NY Times in the U.S.). Since 1936 it has been owned by The Scott Trust to "secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference."

Discussion Outline – What We Owe The Future by Oxford U. Prof. William MacAskill – Sept 21

Original Proposal – What We Owe The Future by Oxford U. Prof. William MacAskill – Sept 21

Participant Comments – What We Owe The Future by Oxford U. Prof. William MacAskill – Sept 21

Reference Materials – What We Owe The Future by Oxford U. Prof. William MacAskill – Sept 21
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

None of them has reviewed “What We Owe The Future” as of 8/18/2022.

Accordingly, there are posted in this section, inter alia –

(1) The New York Times – an 8/5/2022 OpEd by our author, Prof. William MacAskill, summarizing “What We Owe The Future.”

(2) The Financial Times (British) – a conventional 8/15/2022 book review.

(3) The New Yorker – an 8/8/2022 article on “What We Owe The Future.”

(4) Time Magazine – an 8/10/2022 article on “What We Owe The Future.”

Discussion Outline - “The Dumbest Generation Grows Up: From Stupefied Youth to Dangerous Adults” by Prof. Mark Bauerlein - Aug 17

Original Proposal - “The Dumbest Generation Grows Up: From Stupefied Youth to Dangerous Adults” by Prof. Mark Bauerlein - Aug 17

Participant Comments - “The Dumbest Generation Grows Up: From Stupefied Youth to Dangerous Adults” by Prof. Mark Bauerlein - Aug 17

Reference Materials - “The Dumbest Generation Grows Up: From Stupefied Youth to Dangerous Adults” by Prof. Mark Bauerlein - Aug 17
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Neither the NY Times nor the WSJ reviewed “The Dumbest Generation Grows Up.”

However, both of them reviewed its 2008 predecessor – "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don 't Trust Anyone Under 30)” by Mark Bauerlein (Tarcher Publishing – 5/15/2008 – 272 pages).

Both are posted in this section for historical context.

The Washington Post book review takes the form of an OpEd article by the Post’s twice/week conservative columnist, George Will.

The fourth book review was written for The Federalist by a member of “The Dumbest Generation” -- Auguste Meyrat, a high-school English teacher in the Dallas area, who holds an MA in humanities and an MEd in educational leadership. He is the senior editor of The Everyman and has written essays for The Federalist, The American Conservative, and The Imaginative Conservative, as well as the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.

Discussion Outline - Climate Change and "How The World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going" by Prof. Vaclav Smil - July 20

Original Proposal - Climate Change and "How The World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going" by Prof. Vaclav Smil - July 20

Participant Comments - Climate Change and "How The World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going" by Prof. Vaclav Smil - July 20

Reference Materials - Climate Change and "How The World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going" by Vaclav Smil - July 20
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Discussion Outline – Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents - Oprah’s Book Club – June 15

Original Proposal – Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents - Oprah’s Book Club – June 15

Participant Comments – Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents - Oprah’s Book Club – June 15

Reference Materials – Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents - Oprah’s Book Club – June 15
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

Discussion Outline – “Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win” by Peter Schweizer – May 18

Original Proposal – “Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win” by Peter Schweizer – May 18
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To Whom It May Concern:

The following exchange of e-mails relates to the comments on the face of the next two sections of this website.

HLS Classmate


Subject: Your Comments on the Face of the “Participant Comments” and “Reference Materials” Sections
From: HLS Classmate
Date: Fri, April 22, 2022 7:52 am EDT
To: John Karls

John,

I was struck by how your referenced comments seemed to veer off track from your statement at the beginning of the “Red Handed” book review from The Guardian which is posted in the “Reference Materials” section -- regarding the book review’s author you said: “For Lloyd Green’s bias as a member of ‘The Establishment,’ please see the face of this ‘Reference Materials’ section of the bulletin board and the preceding ‘Participant Comments’ section.”

(1) You abruptly began discussing Pres. George H.W. Bush whom Lloyd Green served;

(2) Your discussion of Pres. George H.W. Bush focused primarily on Gulf War I and its implications; but then

(3) Your final paragraph suddenly focused on the Iraq-Iran War of a decade earlier.

I realize that the explanations for those jumps would probably have doubled the length of your comments and, consequently, lost the readers’ attention long before they reached the end of your comments.

Nevertheless, I would be interested in the explanations for those jumps.

Regards,

HLS Classmate


Subject: Re: Your Comments on the Face of the “Participant Comments” and “Reference Materials” Sections
From: John Karls
Date: Fri, April 22, 2022 6:41 am MDT
To: HLS Classmate

Dear HLS Classmate,

Thank you for your e-mail.

The jump to Pres. George H.W. Bush and Gulf War I, though unexplained, accords with the purpose of alerting readers to the probable “Establishment” bias of Lloyd Green.

Particularly since Lloyd Green seems to focus primarily on the Hunter Biden laptop whereas “Red Handed” has 9 chapters, only one of which focuses on the Bidens and that chapter focuses on President Biden (and, as a result, his family).

And I did apologize for jumping from Gulf War I to the Iraq-Iran War whose explosions I had witnessed on the horizon from the safety of Safaniya, Saudi Arabia, 80 miles away.

I did that on three different trips to Saudi because I was so heart-broken to see what appeared to be fireworks but what I knew involved the killing and wounding of human beings!!!

For me the greatest tragedy of war is that the human beings who are being killed and wounded had nothing to do with starting it and, so often, are mere teenage conscripts who have little or no idea why it is being fought (or at least, the real reason(s) why it is being fought)!!!

If you can forgive another “jump,” I would highly recommend (if you haven’t already done so) visiting the two American WW-II military cemeteries at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, and inside the famous extinct-volcanic-crater landmark known as Punchbowl in Honolulu.

You’ll find more than 95% of the graves hold the remains of teenagers!!!

Thank you again for your e-mail.

Your friend,

John K.

PS – As you know, I served as a U.S. Naval Officer 1967-1970 (Unrestricted Line, Surface – Ensign > Lieutenant (j.g.) > Lieutenant) who had, as described elsewhere on this website, a Top-Secret Security Clearance with Cryptographic Access as was typical of Naval Commands with nukes because, if the order is received to fire your nukes while you are standing an OOD watch, you don’t have time to awaken your C.O. Yes, we knew that if that ever happened, we were dying for our country – but we knew why!!!

Participant Comments – “Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win” by Peter Schweizer – May 18
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section that follows immediately below, includes not only any articles, research reports, etc. that our members consider relevant, but also book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

An “advanced search” for “Schweizer” from 10/1/2021 to today (4/21/20220) of the websites of each of those three publications demonstrates that none of them has mentioned Schweizer during that time frame, much less published a review of “Red Handed.”

It would be fair to infer that the Peoples Republic of China has forbidden them to publish reviews.

INDEED, a Google search for “Schweizer ‘Red Handed’” disclosed that no more than 3 prominent newspapers/magazines published book reviews, adding to the inference that the PRC can “cancel” information about anything that offends it.

HOWEVER, there is posted in the following "Reference Materials" section one of those book reviews by Britain’s “The Guardian” newspaper which is owned by the Scott Trust to preserve independence.

The author of The Guardian’s book review is simply identified as Lloyd Green who, per https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lloyd-green, is --

“An attorney in New York, Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush’s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992.”

Our members will recall our abhorrence of how American business commands the free use of our military for corporate purposes.

And how President George HW Bush (1989-1993) launched “Gulf War I” against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq ON BEHALF OF AMERICA’S GULF OIL COMPANY whose crown jewel Kuwait had been suddenly invaded/annexed by Saddam.

To fight Saddam, Bush’s invasion of Iraq was staged principally from Saudi Arabia.

Bush’s stationing American troops in Saudi provoked Osama bin Laden to issue a fatwā (which is STILL a religious duty of every member of Al Qaeda and its off-shoots such as ISIS) TO NUKE 10 MILLION AMERICANS.

How to cope with Osama’s fatwā was the subject of a book by Graham Allison, the Founding Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government – “Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe” (Times Books 8/9/2004).

Graham Allison’s solution of keeping track of the world’s fissile material the way we used to keep track of gold at Fort Knox was rejected by Congress in favor of FISA Sec. 702’s empowerment of our intelligence services to spy on Americans WITHOUT A WARRANT so long as either the Attorney General or DNI labels it a “national emergency.”

HOWEVER, before the Congressional rejection, Dean Allison’s approach was championed by Tim Russert’s Meet the Press, Tom Brokaw, Sam Nunn (D-GA & long-time chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee), Richard Lugar (R-IN & long-time chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) and Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton (Chair & Vice-Chair of the 9/11 Commission).

[Please see the 5/29/2009 transcript of Meet the Press at viewtopic.php?f=25&t=166&p=212&hilit=al ... f7355#p212.]


[NB: This commentary has to be continued in the following section due to the size-limitation on commentary imposed by our website software.]

Reference Materials – “Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win” by Peter Schweizer – May 18
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Continuation of commentary from the preceding section --


CAVEAT – In all fairness to Pres. George HW Bush, Saudi Arabia has been the “king pin” of OPEC since it began to flex its muscles 1973-4 because Saudi was the only OPEC member able to “shut in” enough production to make OPEC prices stick – and if Pres. Bush had permitted Saddam to invade/annex Kuwait, Saddam might have reached for the proverbial Brass Ring – Saudi Arabia.

To avoid being caught between Saddam’s imperialism and the future fatwās of an as-yet-obscure Osama bin Laden, it would have been necessary to launch Gulf War I from areas other than Saudi.

BTW, Yours Truly apologizes for “running off at the mouth” but it does bring back memories of how he was Senior Tax Counsel of Texaco 1974-1987 when it was still a Fortune-Ten company and how following several Aramco meetings during Aramco’s 8-year takeover by Saudi Arabia, he would take the world’s largest airlines (Aramco’s), since it was free to the Aramco shareholders (Texaco, Exxon, Chevron & Mobil), to Safaniya on the Kuwaiti border to watch the Iran-Iraq War explosions on the night horizon from 80 miles away.

Discussion Outline - The Dying Concept of Citizenship & America’s Southern Border – April 20

Original Proposal - The Dying Concept of Citizenship & America’s Southern Border – April 20
.
**********
THE UNITED NATIONS' 22-YEAR-OLD “WAR ON MODERN SLAVERY”

Since this month provides our quarterly five-week gap between meetings, I intend to use the extra time to focus equally on the second portion of “The Dying Concept of Citizenship & America’s Southern Border” in general and MODERN SLAVERY, in particular.

“America’s Southern Border” is the site of most of our illegal-drug imports BUT IT IS ALSO THE SITE OF MOST OF OUR IMPORTS OF MODERN SLAVES.

Unfortunately, the United Nations’ titled its 22-year-old “War on MODERN SLAVERY” as, instead, programs and reports on “Trafficking in Persons” which is much-too-polite to attract much attention.

When our 9/18/2019 meeting focused on the United Nation’s now-22-year-old “War on MODERN SLAVERY,” we learned many facts that should rivet everyone’s attention, including --

(1) Trafficking human slaves is more profitable for organized crime than illegal guns or illegal drugs!!!

(2) There are more slaves today than ever throughout history!!!

(3) Indeed, at least TWICE AS MANY people are CURRENTLY TRAPPED in some form of slavery as were traded throughout the 350 years of the transatlantic slave industry!!!

(4) Virtually all of the slaves come from refugee camps where they are easily enticed by the false promise of a better life!!!

(5) Indeed, the retail price of a slave delivered in the U.S. is only $5,250 as a result of which the average price of a sex act is only $27.50 which has unleashed incredible demand!!!

(6) And the average sex slave performs 3,296 sex acts per year for $90,648 of gross income which means that the net return after expenses (meals, bribery of officials, etc.) is an ANNUAL net profit of MANY TIMES the initial investment – with no workforce training!!!

(7) Of course, you can use your slave for anything you want including working in your vineyard or on your farm under whatever inhumane working conditions you like and, of course, for no remuneration other than enough calories to keep the slave alive!!!

(8) AND QUITE A FEW SLAVES ARE PURCHASED FOR ORGAN HARVESTING!!!

(9) The average sex slave is dead by age 35!!!

Respectfully submitted,

HLS Classmate

Participant Comments - The Dying Concept of Citizenship & America’s Southern Border – April 20
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As explained on the face of this bulletin board for the immediately-preceding section, our April 20 meeting will focus 50% on the second portion of “The Dying Concept of Citizenship & America’s Southern Border” in general and MODERN SLAVERY, in particular.

“America’s Southern Border” is the site of most of our illegal-drug imports BUT IT IS ALSO THE SITE OF MOST OF OUR IMPORTS OF MODERN SLAVES.

When our 9/18/2019 meeting focused on the United Nation’s now-22-year-old “War on MODERN SLAVERY,” many of the things we learned were incorporated into the four “short quizzes” for that meeting which, together with their “suggested answers” are available at viewforum.php?f=554&sid=3933b746105ff3b ... 4524b27455.

The titles of those “short quizzes” were --

(1) The United Nations’ Sex Trafficking Movie

(2) The UN Reports on TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

(3) Sex Trafficking INTO the U.S.

(4) Sex Trafficking WITHIN the U.S.

The first “short quiz” for our 4/20/2022 meeting comprises the four 9/18/2019 “short quizzes.”

THE SECOND “SHORT QUIZ” FOR OUR 4/20/2022 MEETING WILL BE BASED ON MATERIAL IN OUR 4/20/2022 FOCUS BOOK, “THE DYING CITIZEN.”

Respectfully submitted,

HLS Classmate

Reference Materials - The Dying Concept of Citizenship & America’s Southern Border – April 20
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This section traditionally contains each month, among other things, book reviews.

However, I prefer the book-review excerpts contained in my “Original Proposal” available at viewtopic.php?f=685&t=2178&sid=16c4fa80 ... 1ad1f89a44.

As noted on the face of this bulletin board for the section containing the “Original Proposal” (the second-preceding section), our 9/18/2019 meeting focused on the United Nations’ now-22-year-old War on MODERN SLAVERY.

Accordingly, the Reference Materials for that meeting should be incorporated herewith. They are available at viewforum.php?f=552&sid=a6138a598863d71 ... 41c476285f and include --

(1) Text of the U.S. “Victims of Trafficking & Violence Protection Act of 2000”

(2) Victims of Trafficking and Violence – Renewals & Background

(3) The U.N. 90-page 2018 Global Report on TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

(4) The U.N. Press Release on its 2017 movie “Trafficked” --

[It played in first-run theaters and starred Ashley Judd (55 IMDb acting credits), Elisabeth Rȍhm (85 IMDb acting credits, one of which was “Law & Order Assistant D.A. Serena Southerlyn 2001-2005”), and Anne Archer (96 IMDb acting credits – one Oscar nomination & several Golden Globe wins).]

[Mses. Judd, Rȍhm and Archer donated their services.]

(5) The U.N. 126-page 2016 Global Report on TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

(6) The UN’s Conventions/Protocols Against Human Trafficking

(7) 2017 London Guardian Article Statistics on Human Trafficking

(8) Financial Times book review on Prof. Kara’s “Sex Trafficking”

[Prof. Siddharth Kara at that time was the Director of Harvard’s “Program on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.”]

(9) Stanford U. book review on Prof. Kara’s “Sex Trafficking”

*****
In addition, the UN’s subsequently-published 176-page 2020 Biennial “Global Report on Human Trafficking” is available at https://www.unodc.org/unodc/data-and-an ... lotip.html.

Respectfully submitted,

HLS Classmate

Public-Policy Letters Sent to the European Union President & the NATO Secretary General – America’s 1994 Written & Signed Guarantee Of Ukraine’s Independence and Territorial Integrity For Ukraine Surrendering Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles – March 16

Discussion Outline – America’s 1994 Written & Signed Guarantee Of Ukraine’s Independence and Territorial Integrity For Ukraine Surrendering Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles – March 16

Original Proposal – America’s 1994 Written & Signed Guarantee Of Ukraine’s Independence and Territorial Integrity For Ukraine Surrendering Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles – March 16
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Unfortunately, our website was sabotaged on 2/18/2022.

And just as unfortunately, its contents had not been saved since 1/20/2022.

This section and its contents were originally created pre-dawn on 2/17/2022.

Accordingly, it is unclear whether the venom of the saboteur(s) was aimed at this section and its contents.

Or whether the venom of the saboteur(s) was aimed at the “Discussion Outline” section and the “Participant Comments” section for our 2/16/2022 meeting on the subject of “NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion – ‘Our Broken Elections: How The Left Changed The Way You Vote.’”

Participant Comments – America’s 1994 Written & Signed Guarantee Of Ukraine’s Independence and Territorial Integrity For Ukraine Surrendering Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles – March 16

Short Quiz and Suggested Answers – America’s 1994 Written & Signed Guarantee Of Ukraine’s Independence and Territorial Integrity For Ukraine Surrendering Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles – March 16
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On occasion, we are forced to focus on a topic that neither the news media nor book publishers are willing to let ‘see the light of day.’ And America’s refusal to honor its commitment to Ukraine has grave implications for nuclear proliferation.

On such occasions, we use such materials as can be gleaned from the public record to piece together the frightening picture.

Since those materials are posted in the “Participant Comments” Section (as well as “Reference Materials”) for March 16, the Short Quiz and Suggested Answers are sequestered herewith in a separate section.

Reference Materials – America’s 1994 Written & Signed Guarantee Of Ukraine’s Independence and Territorial Integrity For Ukraine Surrendering Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles – March 16
.
The 2/19/2021 weekly e-mail to our 196 members –

[Salutation & intro omitted.]

*****
MARCH 16 TOPIC – America’s 12/5/1994 Written & Signed Agreement That If Ukraine Surrendered Its 1,900 Missiles Containing Multiple-Nuclear-Warheads, America Would Guarantee The Independence And Territorial Integrity Of Ukraine

The Original Proposal is available at viewtopic.php?f=679&t=2157&sid=79edc08c ... 6b8839c0fa.

NB: There are two so-called replies to the original proposal that can be accessed by scrolling down from the Original Proposal. They can also be accessed directly –

(1) “Winston Churchill, Appeasement and The 1994 U.S. Guarantee of Ukraine’s Independence & Territory” at viewtopic.php?f=679&t=2157&p=2930&hilit ... c0fa#p2930; and

(2) “Authority For The 1,900 Ukrainian Nuclear Missiles Statistic” at viewtopic.php?f=679&t=2157&p=2931&hilit ... c0fa#p2931.

*****
READING MATERIALS (No Focus Book)

The Original Proposal begins –

“On occasion, we are forced to focus on a topic that neither the news media nor book publishers are willing to let ‘see the light of day.’ And America’s refusal to honor its commitment to Ukraine has grave implications for nuclear proliferation….. propose we focus on [America’s Signed Guarantee of Ukraine Independence/Territory If It Would Surrender Its 1,900 Nuclear Missiles] and its implications for nuclear proliferation. Using such materials as can be gleaned from the public record to piece together the frightening picture.”

During the next week, please read the Original Proposal and its two so-called replies.

And the transcript of Tim Russert’s 5/29/2005 “Meet The Press” interview of Former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga and long-time Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee), Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN and long-time Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), Thomas Kean & Lee Hamilton (Ch & Vice Ch of The 9/11 Commission), and Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN) – ON THE SUBJECT OF OSAMA BIN LADEN’S FATWĀ TO NUKE 10 MILION AMERICANS.

[The transcript is discussed at length in the second so-called reply which contains a link to the transcript itself.]

Then please post any comments or questions in “Participant Comments.”

Or any articles, documents, etc., you think are noteworthy in “Reference Materials.”

Next week’s Short Quiz will take both into account.

Reading (1) the Original Proposal (including its two so-called replies), (2) the 5/29/2005 Meet The Press Transcript, and (3) the Short Quiz and Suggested Answers – will comprise this month’s reading assignment.

*****
[RSVP info omitted.]

Discussion Outline – NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion – “Our Broken Elections: How the Left Changed the Way You Vote” – Feb 16
.

Unfortunately, our website was sabotaged on 2/18/2022.

And just as unfortunately, its contents had not been saved since 1/20/2022.

The contents of this section and the "Participant Comments" section for this meeting have been restored.

However, the number of views for EVERYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE between 1/20/2022 and 2/18/2022 can NOT be restored because that info is unknown.

This problem is most pronounced for the material relating to the Feb 16 meeting.

Original Proposal – NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion – “Our Broken Elections: How the Left Changed the Way You Vote” – Feb 16

Participant Comments – NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion - “Our Broken Elections: How the Left Changed the Way You Vote” – Feb 16
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This section traditionally contains, inter alia, the monthly Short Quiz(zes) and Suggested Answers.

As explained at the beginning of this month’s Short Quiz posted in this section, its Questions are based on an EXPIRED 12/16/2020 Topic Proposal prompted by the NYC Harvard Club’s impending 12/22/2020 Zoom webinar entitled “How To Strengthen and Secure American Elections in the Wake of the 2020 Election” and featuring the nation’s foremost election-law expert, Prof. Richard H. Pildes of NYU School of Law (JD, Harvard Law School, 1983).

The reason for mentioning this here is that the 12/16/2020 Topic Proposal contained available for download three Adobe.pdf files that would, if the 12/16/2020 Topic Proposal had been accepted, have been posted in “Reference Materials” rather than “Participant Comments.”

That reason, explained (though it “beats around the bush” a bit) --

********************
THE 2005 FORMER-PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER AND FORMER SECRETARY-OF-STATE JAMES BAKER COMMISSION ON FEDERAL ELECTION REFORM

In the wake of the 2000 election litigation involving THREE U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding the voting for President in Florida, the 2005 Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election reform featured among its 21 members such luminaries as Lee Hamilton (Co-Chair of The 9/11 Commission) and former Senate-Democrat Leader Tom Daschle.

The Commission issued a report with 87 recommendations.

The report was approved by a vote of 20-1.

The sole dissenter was a George Washington U. Law Professor whose views were eventually embodied in a “Response to the Report of the 2005 Commission on Federal Election Reform” authored by three “Associate Counsel” at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and by the George Washington U. Law Professor himself.

The “Response to the Report” focused primarily on “Photo ID’s” which the Commission had recommended be provided FREE for non-drivers.

Needless to say, nothing was done about Federal Election Reform.

*****
The foregoing information about the 2005 Commission is quoted from the aforementioned “Expired Proposed Topic: How To Secure Federal Elections Post-2020.”

Its Part B is entitled “The U.S. Supreme Court’s ‘How To Steal An Election’ Manual and is available at viewtopic.php?f=150&t=2006&p=2730&hilit ... d6ac#p2730.

The Sec. 5 of Part B (which, like Part B itself, is also entitled “The U.S. Supreme Court ‘How To Steal An Election’ Manual”) comprises the foregoing quotation and the beginning of its sixth section contains THREE REFERENCE MATERIALS available for download as Adobe.pdf files --

(1) The Sep 2005 Press Release of the Commission On Federal Tax Reform.

(2) The 113-page Report of the Commission.

(3) The 33-page Response to the Commission’s Report.
.

Reference Materials – NYC Harvard Club Book Promotion – “Our Broken Elections: How the Left Changed the Way You Vote” – Feb 16
.

Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post


**********
The WSJ book review is posted in this section.

NB: It was a combination book review which also covered Molly Hemingway’s “Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections” (Regnery Publishing 10/12/2021 – 448 pages).


**********
The New York Times did NOT publish a book review of “Our Broken Elections” (Encounter Books 11/2/2021).

However, an “advanced search” on www.nytimes.com for “Spakovsky” since the 2020 election (NB: It is usually hopeless to specify a search term of more than one word such as “Broken Elections” and it is also hopeless to specify a search term based on Hans von Spakovsky’s co-author, John Fund) unearthed an informative news article about Republican strategy re state-by-state voting legislation.

Accordingly, “G.O.P. and Allies Draft ‘Best Practices’ for Restricting Voting” dated 3/23/2021 (updated 4/7/2021) is also posted in this section.


**********
The Washington Post also did NOT publish a book review of “Our Broken Elections.”

However, an “advanced search” on www.washingtonpost.com for “Spakovsky” since the 2020 election unearthed an informative news article about Republican strategy re state-by-state voting legislation.

It is also posted in this section despite the false claim in the article’s title that there was no “systematic voter fraud” in the 2020 election.

THIS PERSISTENT FALSE CLAIM HAS BEEN ADDRESSED AND DEBUNKED IN ONE OF OUR “EXPIRED” TOPIC PROPOSALS ENTITLED “HOW TO SECURE ELECTIONS POST-2020” AVAILABLE AT viewtopic.php?f=150&t=2006&sid=a91f51bf ... e8f3b72110.

[Sec. 3 of this website lists topic proposals. It also contains “expired” topic proposals that contain valuable info worth preserving.]

Discussion Outline – The Deficit Myth by Democratic Party Economic Guru, Prof. Stephanie Kelton – Jan 19

Original Proposal – The Deficit Myth by Democratic Party Economic Guru, Prof. Stephanie Kelton – Jan 19

Participant Comments – The Deficit Myth by Democratic Party Economic Guru, Prof. Stephanie Kelton – Jan 19

Reference Materials – The Deficit Myth by Democratic Party Economic Guru, Prof. Stephanie Kelton – Jan 19
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post


**********
The WSJ book review is posted in this section.


**********
The New York Times did NOT publish what they called a “book review.”

HOWEVER, they did publish an OpEd article on “The Deficit Myth” on 6/9/2020 by Stephanie Kelton, the same date that the Hard Cover version of her book was first released by her publisher.

That OpEd article is also posted in this section.


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The Washington Post has not published a book review of “The Deficit Myth.”

[An “advanced search” on www.washingtonpost.com discloses they have published no book reviews containing “Kelton” since well before the original-hard-cover 6/9/2020 publication date of “The Deficit Myth”.]

Discussion Outline – President Obama’s Dept of Energy Under-Secretary for Science (Prof. Steven Koonin) on “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters” – Dec 8

Participant Comments – President Obama’s Dept of Energy Under-Secretary for Science (Prof. Steven Koonin) on “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters” – Dec 8

Original Proposal – President Obama’s Dept of Energy Under-Secretary for Science (Prof. Steven Koonin) on “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters” – Dec 8

Reference Materials – President Obama’s Dept of Energy Under-Secretary for Science (Prof. Steven Koonin) on “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters” – Dec 8
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post


**********
The WSJ book review is posted in this section.


**********
The Washington Post did NOT publish what they called a “book review.”

HOWEVER, to their credit, the Washington Post did publish an OpEd on “Unsettled” which is posted in this section.

AFTER ALL, a book review is nothing more than an “Opinion Editorial” by the reviewer.

The Washington Post’s OpEd author is Mitch Daniels, the President of Purdue University and a former Governor of the State of Indiana.

NB: The nickname of Purdue University is “The Boil Makers” which is a reference to its stature as one of the nation’s top engineering universities.

For non-history majors, the Industrial Revolution was unleashed 200 years ago by the steam engine which meant that it was no longer necessary to confine to areas with water power (think the classic song “Down By The Old Mill Stream” and all the people you know named “Miller”) projects requiring more than human/animal power (think railroad trains and factories vs. the pyramids built by zillions of slaves).

Steam power, of course, required BOILERS in which the steam was generated.


**********
The New York Times has not published a book review of “Unsettled.”

[An “advanced search” on www.nytimes.com discloses they have published nothing containing “Koonin” since 4/22/2020 – which is more than 12 months BEFORE “Unsettled” was published.]

It would appear that the New York Times –

(1) is attempting to “cancel culture” Prof. Koonin’s “Unsettled,” or

(2) the New York Times couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say in response to “Unsettled.”

Full Disclosure --

In reading the previous sentence, please keep in mind that Yours Truly has “crossed swords” with the New York Times on many occasions, such as –

*****
(1) Their refusal to address “THE ROOT CAUSE OF RACISM (VS. A MERE SYMPTOM) – AMERICA’S PERMANENT 30% UNDER-CASTE” which was the subject of a 6/8/2020 letter to the NYT Editorial Page Editor which comprised, together with its attachments, my responses to the personal request of her predecessor Editorial Page Editor for a reaction to his own Editorial on 5/11/2020 entitled “Unlocking Human Potential.”

[My letter with attachments and the original “Unlocking Human Potential” editorial are available as a downloadable Adobe.pdf file at viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1925&p=2637&hilit= ... 3ed0#p2637.]


*****
(2) The refusal of ALL SIX of their regular OpEd Columnists ON THREE OCCASIONS 2010-2011 to “shine a light” on what was going down in my litigation against 15 of the world’s largest financial institutions for the $84 billion they owed me which I had long since pledged in legally binding fashion to benefit the education of 10 million inner-city children EVEN THOUGH EACH OF THE SIX NYT OPED COLUMNISTS KNEW THAT IF ANY ONE OF THEM LIFTED A SINGLE FINGER, 10 MILLION INNER-CITY CHILDREN MIGHT HAVE ESCAPED “A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH”!!!

The “Question Presented For Review” in the final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court (which the Court refused to hear) was –

[CONTINUED IN NEXT SECTION.]

CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS SECTION
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The “Question Presented For Review” in the final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court (which the Court refused to hear) was –

“Can state court judges order their decisions which they know are diametrically-opposed to well-settled law, not to be published or cited (a strategy labeled ‘the segregated toilet’ in correspondence with 51 inner-city clergy who represent the 10 million inner-city children who have been disclosed from the outset as the ‘real parties at interest’ in this law suit) in order to flush away the rights of the 10 million inner-city children without disturbing the rights of first-class American citizens -- without violating the ‘Equal Protection of the Law’ requirement of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?”

[Zillions of legal documents, etc., relating to this litigation are posted in Sections 4 and 5 of this bulletin board entitled “Inner-City Holocaust and America’s Apartheid ‘Justice’ System (In Honor of Jonathan Kozol and In Memory of John Howard Griffin).” Copies of the 8/16/2010, 9/2/2010 and 5/18/2011 letters sent to 43 news-media super-stars INCLUDING ALL SIX NEW YORK TIMES OPED COLUMNISTS are available as downloadable Adobe.pdf files at viewtopic.php?f=211&t=767&sid=589500091 ... bb93cd3ed0. The first and third letters list at their respective closes the names, affiliations and addresses of the 43 super-stars.]

Discussion Outline – An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science Of The Immune System – Nov 10

Original Proposal – An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science Of The Immune System – Nov 10

Participant Comments – An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science Of The Immune System – Nov 10

Reference Materials – An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science Of The Immune System – Nov 10
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Click here for book reviews of “An Elegant Defense” from –

The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

TRADITIONALLY, each monthly “Reference Materials” section also includes a book review from The New York Times.

HOWEVER, it appears that The New York Times did NOT publish a book review of “An Elegant Defense” because its author is The New York Times’ own best-selling and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist – so who would believe that a review of a book by one of The Times’ own could be objective.

NEVERTHELESS, there appears on The New York Times website an undated essay by Matt Richtel entitled “How To Get The Best From Your Immune System.”

That essay is also posted here.

Discussion Outline – Revisiting The Issue Of Charter Schools: Stanford University vs. Stanford’s Hoover Institution – Oct 13

Original Proposal – Revisiting The Issue Of Charter Schools: Stanford University vs. Stanford’s Hoover Institution – Oct 13
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Stanford University’s Indictment of Charter Schools –

“A national study in 2009 concluded that students in most charter schools performed no better than those in traditional public schools. Researchers at Stanford University, led by economist Margaret E. Raymond, analyzed data from 2,403 charter schools in fifteen states and the District of Columbia (about half of all charters and 70 percent of all charter students in the nation at the time) and found that 37 percent had learning gains that were significantly below those of local public schools; 46 percent had gains that were no different; and only 17 percent showed growth that was significantly better…The results were sobering, especially since the study was funded by such pro-charter groups as the Walton Family Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.”

[Quotation from p. 142 of “The Life and Death of the Great American School System” by Diane Ravitch (NYU’s Research Professor of Education and a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education) – published 3/2/2010 by Basic Books and the focus book of our 9/12/2012 meeting.]


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“Legal Brief for The Defense” – from Stanford’s Hoover Institution

“Charter Schools and Their Enemies” by Thomas Sowell (Basic Books 6/30/2020 – 132 pages sans appendices-notes-index – Hardcover $18.69 + shipping or $18.99 Kindle from Amazon.com).

Presumably Thomas Sowell will recognize Stanford University and its 2009 study as the CHIEF ENEMY of charter schools.

And hopefully, he will have more recent information on the effectiveness of charter schools – or lack thereof.

After all, we observed on both 9/12/2012 when we focused on Prof. Ravitch’s “Death and Life” and 6/17/2015 when we focused on her "Reign of Error, the Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to American Public Schools" (Alfred E. Knopf 9/17/2013) –

(1) The relatively-poor performance of charter schools in 2009 came despite their admitting only students of parents who were functional enough to apply and then expelling students who did not meet performance standards.

(2) The relatively-poor performance of charter schools in 2009 appeared to be the result of inadequate governmental-regulation standards – many of their teachers had no qualifications and, indeed, quite a few charter schools were headed by former public-school janitors who seized their opportunities to leap from bottom to top.

Indeed, we remarked in our 9/12/2012 e-mail campaign to President Obama that charter schools staffed by unqualified personnel “makes no more sense than closing a police precinct in whose jurisdiction a crime is committed and hiring amateurs in their place.”

BTW, Prof. Ravitch liked that comment so much that she included it, without attribution, in “Reign of Error.”

NB: We are delighted when anyone appropriates our ideas, with or without attribution.

Participant Comments – Revisiting The Issue Of Charter Schools: Stanford University vs. Stanford’s Hoover Institution – Oct 13

Reference Materials – Revisiting The Issue Of Charter Schools: Stanford University vs. Stanford’s Hoover Institution – Oct 13
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The original 8/15/2021 proposal of “Charter Schools and Their Enemies” (which is posted in the second-preceding section of this website) closed with an explanation of what would ordinarily posted in this “Resources Materials” section – and the five items that are actually posted in this section – by saying –

*****
In the investigation before making this recommendation, the following items were consulted which merit the attention of our readers –

(1) “Thomas Sowell Goes To Bat for Charter Schools. Whiffs.” – a book review https://www.realclearpolitics.com/artic ... hiffs.html.

[No reaction to Thomas Sowell’s “Charter Schools and Their Enemies” could be found by either of the major teachers’ unions. However, this book review was written by Glenn Sacks who teaches social studies and is co-chairman of United Teachers Los Angeles at James Monroe High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District; he was recently recognized by LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner for "exceptional levels of performance."]

(2) “If Government Won’t Protect Students, Teachers Unions Will” – another essay by Glenn Sacks at https://www.realclearpolitics.com/artic ... 43711.html.

(3) “Thomas Sowell Has Been Right From the Start - His latest book on charter schools continues his research on minority success in education.” – WSJ book review of “Charter Schools and Their Enemies” by Jason Riley, member of the WSJ editorial board – at https://www.wsj.com/articles/thomas-sow ... 1595372217.

(4) “The Collapsing Case against Charter Schools” – National Review book review at https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine ... r-schools/.

(5) A contemporaneous (3 days before book release) OpEd by Thomas Sowell entitled “Charter schools are the best way to wipe out educational disparity” at https://nypost.com/2020/06/27/charter-s ... disparity/.

NB: Traditionally, after a book has been selected as our focus, we post in the “Reference Materials” section for that meeting, book reviews by –

The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post

The WSJ book review is Item No. 3 above.

No book reviews by the NY Times and Washington Post could be found.

*****

Discussion Outline – Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell – Sept 8

Original Proposal – Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell – Sept 8

Participant Comments – Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell – Sept 8

Reference Materials – Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell – Sept 8
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Usually each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from –

The New York Times;
The Wall Street Journal; and
The Washington Post

HOWEVER, an advanced search (“Sowell” from 1/1/2018 to 8/18/2021) of the websites of all three publications confirms that none of them reviewed “Discrimination and Disparities” – either the original 2018 edition or the revised & enlarged 2019 edition.

ACCORDINGLY, posted in this section are book reviews from the three most-prominent publications from which Amazon.com excerpted book-review quotations for its current listing of the revised & enlarged 2019 edition –

The New York Journal of Books
The Federalist
The Washington Times

NB: All three publications reviewed only the original 2018 version.

A book review of the revised & enlarged 2019 version was found and has also been posted in this section from –

The Associated Press News

In addition, there is posted an interview of Thomas Sowell by the Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Examiner that occurred 5/22/2018 in the wake of the original edition.

Discussion Outline - The Non-Partisan Public-Policy Issues of Whether, For Example, Michael Lewis’ “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” Is A Classic Political “Hit Piece” and Whether, As Such, It Should Be (vs. Is) Protected by Freedom Of Speech - Aug 11

Original Proposal – The Non-Partisan Public-Policy Issues of Whether, For Example, Michael Lewis’ “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” Is A Classic Political “Hit Piece” and Whether, As Such, It Should Be (vs. Is) Protected by “Freedom Of Speech” – Aug 11

Participant Comments – The Non-Partisan Public-Policy Issues of Whether, For Example, Michael Lewis’ “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” Is A Classic Political “Hit Piece” and Whether, As Such, It Should Be (vs. Is) Protected by Freedom Of Speech – Aug 11

Discussion Outline – “1620: A Critical Response To The 1619 Project” by Peter Wood – July 14

Original Proposal – “1620: A Critical Response To The 1619 Project” by Peter Wood – July 14

Reference Materials – The Non-Partisan Public-Policy Issues of Whether, For Example, Michael Lewis’ “The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” Is A Classic Political “Hit Piece” and Whether, As Such, It Should Be (vs. Is) Protected by Freedom Of Speech – Aug 11
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Our Aug 11 meeting will address the public-policy issue of WHAT AN ATROCITY the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1964 decision in “New York Times vs. Sullivan” was because it has produced IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE virtually nothing but lies to the public while pols do NOT dare lie to campaign contributors.

Click here for three reference materials –


*****
The Text of the U.S. Supreme Court Opinions – New York Times vs. Sullivan


*****
New York Times vs. Sullivan – Wikipedia

Ordinarily, we view Wikipedia articles as only as good as their footnotes.

HOWEVER, this article is reasonably-well written and provides necessary context.


*****
Text of The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

These rules govern procedure in civil cases in U.S. District Courts.

Our Aug 11 meeting will address (1) the Supreme Court’s “NY Times vs. Sullivan” requirement FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS to prove either “ACTUAL MALICE” or "RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE TRUTH," (2) how satisfying this additional Olympic “High Hurdle” by public officials should be a “slam dunk” in the case of Michael Lewis and “The Premonition” AS A THEORETICAL MATTER, and (3) how satisfying this Olympic “High Hurdle” in the case of Michael Lewis and “The Premonition” AS A PRACTICAL MATTER is probably impossible because any jury would be likely to have at least one “Trump Hater” who has lied her/his way onto the jury.

The reason for The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as a Reference Material???

Evidence of “actual malice” on the parts of Michael Lewis, his editor and his publisher should be readily obtainable as all of their files have to be turned over to the plaintiff(s) under the “discovery rules” of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and as their depositions are then taken “under penalties of perjury.”



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Our Status as a NON-PARTISAN Public-Policy Study/Action Organization

It is impossible to analyze the “public policy” of the Supreme Court's decision in New York Times vs. Sullivan (376 U.S. 254 (1964)) and its progeny limiting defamation of public officials or candidates for public office to cases involving ACTUAL MALICE or RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE TRUTH (the progeny extended this limitation to defamation of “public figures”) without a real-life example involving a public official or candidate for public office. Since U.S. democracy essentially runs on a two-party system, any example of a public official or candidate for public office will, virtually of necessity, involve either a Republican or a Democrat.

[BTW, John Karls, who has been the facilitator of our organization for its 16 years of existence, does NOT have a vote at our monthly meetings for the focus book for the following month.]
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Participant Comments – “1620: A Critical Response To The 1619 Project” by Peter Wood – July 14

Reference Materials – “1620: A Critical Response To The 1619 Project” by Peter Wood – July 14
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Usually each month’s “Reference Materials” section includes, inter alia, book reviews from -

The New York Times;
The Wall Street Journal; and
The Washington Post

HOWEVER, Peter Wood’s “1620: A Critical Response To The 1619 Project,” though a significant part of the overall picture, is far from achieving a thorough understanding of why “The 1619 Project” has become such an explosive political issue in America as dozens of states have banned, or are considering banning, the teaching of “The 1619 Project” in their public schools -- after all, Peter Wood's "1620" was published last Fall.

ACCORDINGLY, a much broader understanding of the controversy is provided by the Wikipedia article “The 1619 Project” which is posted in this section.

ORDINARILY, we view Wikipedia articles as only as good as their footnotes.

NEVERTHELESS, this Wikipedia article contains an excellent collection of footnotes and appears to comprise as of this date (15 June 2021) the best-available overview of the controversy.

BTW, the “Participant Comments” for our 7/14/2021 meeting (which should appear just above this section if you scroll up) contains as its first posting (which will probably appear at the bottom of that section’s postings since the bulletin-board software always lists them in reverse-chronological order) a transcript “Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on ‘Face The Nation’ June 6” vis-à-vis her comments about The 1619 Project.

Although the transcript of her comments comprises quasi-reference materials, they were enclosed in our weekly 6/12/2021 e-mail to our 195 members to explain how John Karls was responding to queries about where he stands on “The 1619 Project” and Peter Wood’s “1620: A Critical Response To The 1619 Project.”

Meeting Report – “Predict & Surveil: Data, Discretion & the Future of Policing” by Prof. Sarah Brayne – June 9

Discussion Outline – “Predict & Surveil: Data, Discretion & the Future of Policing” by Prof. Sarah Brayne – June 9

Original Proposal – “Predict & Surveil: Data, Discretion & the Future of Policing” by Prof. Sarah Brayne – June 9

Participant Comments – “Predict & Surveil: Data, Discretion & the Future of Policing” by Prof. Sarah Brayne – June 9

Resource Materials – “Predict & Surveil: Data, Discretion & the Future of Policing” by Prof. Sarah Brayne – June 9
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Click here for –

(1) Science Magazine’s book review of Prof. Brayne’s “Predict and Surveil: Data, Discretion” (Oxford University Press 11/2/2020).

(2) The official text of U.S. Senator Tim Scott’s 2020 JUSTICE Act and the official section-by-section analysis of the bill.

(3) The transcript of Sen. Tim Scott’s tearful speech in the U.S. Senate following the failure of the JUSTICE Act to achieve 60 votes on 6/24/2020 so that it could be considered. The 55-45 vote was the “death knell” for any federal police-reform legislation last year.

[NB: Per Sen. Scott’s speech, he offered Democrats votes on 20 amendments to address their perceived shortcomings of the JUSTICE Act but, per the NY Times 6/24/2020 article “Senate Democrats Block GOP Police Bill Calling It Inadequate,” Democrats refused to accept the offer because any amendment would itself have needed 60 votes to pass.]

[NB: On 3/3/2021, the House of Representatives passed again their 2020 police-reform bill on a 220-212 party-line vote but, per the NY Times 3/4/2021 article “The House Passes A Policing Overhaul Bill Named For George Floyd, Whose Death Spurred Nationwide Protests,” the moving force behind the bill (Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) who has been negotiating for more than a year with Sen. Tim Scott on such legislation) said “There is tremendous good faith between Senator Scott and me” but conceded that there has been a “loss in momentum” for such legislation since last summer.]

Discussion Outline – “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” by Bill Gates – May 12

Original Proposal – “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” by Bill Gates – May 12

Participant Comments – “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” by Bill Gates – May 12

Reference Materials – “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” by Bill Gates – May 12
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Traditionally, each month’s “Reference Materials” Section includes book reviews from The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. This month –

(1) The NY Times published a book review which is available in this section.

(2) The Wall Street Journal appears NOT to have published a conventional book review. Instead, The Wall Street Journal Magazine published a full-length article on “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster.” It is available in this section.

(2) The Washington Post appears NOT to have published a conventional book review. Instead, The Washington Post Magazine published a full-length article. However, its focus includes not only “How To Avoid A Climate Disaster” but also two other topics – (A) COVID, and (B) whether Bill Gates has too much influence. The article is available in this section.

Discussion Outline – “Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process” by Prof. Alan Dershowitz – April 7

Original Proposal – “Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process” by Prof. Alan Dershowitz – April 7

Participant Comments – “Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process” by Prof. Alan Dershowitz – April 7
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Click here for our Short Quiz entitled “Big Tech’s Attempts to Cancel Reading Liberally.”

In short, Big Tech was upset that we focused 4 times on FISA and Authoritarian Rule By Our Intelligence Services.

By doing so, Big Tech was cancelling indirectly the champions of the non-FISA solution to terrorism --

1. Tim Russert the Moderator of Meet the Press 1991-2008 and the NBC’s Washington Bureau Chief 1990-2008;

2. Tom Brokaw the Anchor and Managing Editor of the NBC Nightly News 1982-2004;

3. Graham Allison the Founding Dean of Harvard U’s Kennedy School of Government 1977-1989 and (after serving as President Clinton’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy and Plans 1993-1994) the Director of Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs 1995-2017;

4. U.S. Senator Sam Nunn - D-GA and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman 1987-1995;

5. U.S. Senator Richard Lugar - R-IN and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman 2003-2007;

6. Thomas Kean - Chair of The 9/11 Commission; and

7. Lee Hamilton - Co-Chair of The 9/11 Commission.

Reference Materials – “Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process” by Prof. Alan Dershowitz – April 7
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Normally the "Reference Materials" section each month includes book reviews of our focus book from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

A review of all search results from Googling “Dershowitz” combined with, as an exact phrase “Cancel Culture” shows that there were no reviews by the NYT, WSJ or WaPo (or, for that matter, hardly any other media outlets).

This despite Prof. Alan Dershowitz being --

1. Perhaps the most celebrated criminal- and constitutional-law expert in the world;

2. The youngest full professor in Harvard Law School history, where he is now the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus;

3. The author of numerous bestselling books, including “Chutzpah,” “Guilt by Accusation,” “The Best Defense to Reversal of Fortune” (which was made into an Academy Award–winning film), “Defending Israel,” etc., etc., etc.;

4. A trusted adviser of presidents and prime ministers;

5. Defense counsel for many prominent men and women (e.g., Claus von Bülow, NYC Rabbi Avi Weiss against Warsaw Poland Cardinal Jȯzef Glemp re Glemp’s comments when Weiss visited Auschwitz, O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein, Julian Assange, Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump, in the first impeachment trial on the narrow issue of whether the U.S. Constitution’s requirement of a “high crime or misdemeanor” can be ignored) -- half of them pro bono; and

6. A life-long Democrat and long-time Board Member of the National American Civil Liberties Union (aka ACLU) -- NB: in June 2018 he wrote an Op-Ed criticizing the ACLU as having become a hyper-partisan organization that is no longer a group of politically diverse individuals sharing a commitment to core civil liberties.

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND THE WASHINGTON POST ARE NOW ATTEMPTING TO “CANCEL” PROFESSOR DERSHOWITZ!!!

Discussion Outline – “The New Map: Energy, Climate & the Clash of Nations” by Pulitzer-Prize Winner Daniel Yergin – March 10

Original Proposal – “The New Map: Energy, Climate & the Clash of Nations” by Pulitzer-Prize Winner Daniel Yergin – March 10

Participant Comments – “The New Map: Energy, Climate & the Clash of Nations” by Pulitzer-Prize Winner Daniel Yergin – March 10

Resource Materials – “The New Map: Energy, Climate & the Clash of Nations” by Pulitzer-Prize Winner Daniel Yergin – March 10
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Click here for, inter alia, book reviews from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post

Discussion Outline - “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Prof. Steven Pinker – Feb 10

Reference Materials - “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Prof. Steven Pinker – Feb 10
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Click here for, inter alia, our traditional line-up of full-length book reviews from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

This month is unusual because the NY Times had TWO book reviews of our focus book.

In case you don’t have time to read all four book reviews, the credentials of the four reviewers are –

*****
New York Times – March 1, 2018 – review by –

Jannifer Szalai who is the Non-Fiction Book Critic for the New York Times. She was previously an editor for The New York Times Book Review and a senior editor for book reviews at Harper’s Magazine.

*****
New York Times – March 4, 2018 – review by –

Sarah Bakewell who teaches creative writing at Oxford U and is the author of five books, one of which won Yale U’s Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Non-Fiction in 2018.

*****
Wall Street Journal – April 6, 2018 – review by –

Yoram Hazony who is the author of “The Virtue of Nationalism,” forthcoming from Basic, and an Israeli philosopher, Bible scholar and political theorist. He is president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem, and serves as the chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation. Hazony founded the Shalem Center in Jerusalem in 1994, and was president and then provost until 2012. He designed the curriculum for Shalem College, Israel's first liberal arts college, established in 2013.

*****
Washington Post – February 23, 2018 – review by –

Prof. Caroline Winterer who is Stanford U’s William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies. From 2013-2019, she was the Director of the Stanford Humanities Center. Among her many books is “American Enlightenments: Pursuing Happiness in the Age of Reason.”

Participant Comments - “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Prof. Steven Pinker – Feb 10

Original Proposal - “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Prof. Steven Pinker – Feb 10

Meeting Report – Civilization: The West and the Rest by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Jan 13

Original Proposal – Civilization: The West and the Rest by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Jan 13

Participant Comments – Civilization: The West and the Rest by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Jan 13

Discussion Outline – Civilization: The West and the Rest by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Jan 13

Reference Materials – Civilization: The West and the Rest by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Jan 13
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Click on this section for our traditional full-length book reviews by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

In addition, there follows below a so-called “Capsule Review” in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Foreign Affairs Magazine by Prof. G. John Ikenberry.

[Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton U and Co-Director of Princeton’s Center for International Security Studies. The author of eight books and editor or co-editor of another 14, he has won numerous awards, was ranked 10th in scholars who have produced the best work in the field of International Relations in the past 20 years, and ranked 8th in scholars who have produced the most interesting work in the past 5 years.]

Ikenberry’s “Capsule Review” of Prof. Ferguson’s “Civilization: The West and the Rest” -

"This enjoyably sprawling history of “the rise of the West,” written for a general audience, follows in the footsteps of major works by such scholars as John Darwin, Jared Diamond, William NcNeill, and Douglass North. Like them, Ferguson grapples with the grand puzzle of the modern world: Why did the West, which in 1500 was no more advanced than the other world civilizations -- most notably China, India, and Islam -- rise up over the following five centuries to amass great power and wealth and come to dominate the world? Ferguson rejects explanations that focus on European imperialism or the uniqueness of geography, climate, or culture. Instead, he argues that Western ascendency was unleashed by the uniquely decentralized, open, rule-based, and competitive character of European politics, economics, and society. Individual chapters look at the role of competition, science, property rights, medicine, consumer society, and the work ethic in distinguishing the West. The book is written with an eye on the rise of China and leaves the reader with a crucial question: Are the ideas and institutions of Western civilization becoming truly universal, or will the rise of non-Western states usher in alternative pathways to modernization and advancement?"

Discussion Outline - Great Society: A New History by Amity Shlaes - Dec 9

Original Proposal - Great Society: A New History by Amity Shlaes - Dec 9

Reference Materials - Great Society: A New History by Amity Shlaes - Dec 9

Discussion Outline – “The Square and The Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook” by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Nov 11

Original Proposal – “The Square and The Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook” by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Nov 11

Participant Comments – “The Square and The Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook” by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Nov 11

Reference Materials – “The Square and The Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook” by Prof. Niall Ferguson – Nov 11

Discussion Outline – The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs and Behaviors By Stanford U. Prof Matthew Jackson – Oct 14

Original Proposal – The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs and Behaviors By Stanford U. Prof Matthew Jackson – Oct 14

Participant Comments – The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs and Behaviors By Stanford U. Prof Matthew Jackson – Oct 14

Reference Materials – The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs and Behaviors By Stanford U. Prof Matthew Jackson – Oct 14

Discussion Outline - The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King by Prof. Peniel Joseph - Sep 9

Original Proposal - The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King by Prof. Peniel Joseph - Sep 9

Participant Comments - The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King by Prof. Peniel Joseph - Sep 9

Reference Materials - The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King by Prof. Peniel Joseph - Sep 9

Discussion Outline – "Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope" by Pulitzer-Prize Winners Sheryl WuDunn and Husband, NY Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof – Aug 12

Original Proposal – "Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope" by Pulitzer-Prize Winners Sheryl WuDunn and Husband, NY Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof – Aug 12

Reference Materials – "Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope" by Pulitzer-Prize Winners Sheryl WuDunn and Husband, NY Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof – Aug 12
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Please click here for book reviews by The New York Times, The Washington Post and The National Review.

Participant Comments – “The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business” by Prof. David Courtwright – July 8

Participant Comments – "Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope" by Pulitzer-Prize Winners Sheryl WuDunn and Husband, NY Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof – Aug 12

Discussion Outline – “The Age of Addiction” by Prof. David Courtwright – July 8

Original Proposal – “The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business” by Prof. David Courtwright – July 8

6/3/2020: CALL TO ACTION – ONLY 10 MINUTES NEEDED FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE – “SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION” E-MAIL CAMPAIGN TO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE OF RACISM (VS. ONLY A MERE SYMPTOM) – AMERICA’S PERMANENT 30% UNDER-CASTE

Reference Materials – “The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business” by Prof. David Courtwright – July 8
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The immediately-preceding section “Participant Comments” contains, inter alia, The First Short Quiz entitled “Titillating Treasure-Hunt Tidbits” which starts with an explanation --

“[‘Treasure Hunt’ because most of the answers are contained in the immediately-following ‘Reference Materials’ Section of www.ReadingLiberally-SaltLake.org for our July 8 meeting.]”

The initial set of postings in this section from which the answers might have come are --

Re “Age of Addiction” by David Courtwirght (Harvard U Press 5/6/2019) -- our focus book --

1. Book Review of “Age of Addiction” from the Washington Free Beacon

2. An interview of our author, Prof. David Courtwright, about “Age of Addiction” by www.vox.com

Re: “Dark Paradise: A History of Opiate Addiction in America” by David Courtwright (Harvard U Press – a 2001 newly-enlarged edition of the original 1982 version) --

3. New York Times Editorial on 4/21/2018 entitled “An Opioid Crisis Foretold” giving full credit to David Courtwright’s “Dark Paradise”

4. Book Review of “Dark Paradise” in the Johns Hopkins Bulletin Of History Of Medicine (Vol 77 No 1 – Spring 2003) by Prof. Nancy D. Campbell, Chairman of the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Re: “Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World” by David Courtwright (Harvard U. Press 1/1/2001) --

5. Book Review in Psychology Today Magazine 7/1/2001

6. Book Review published by The University of Massachusetts Medical School upon the paperback release of “Forces of Habit” in 2009

Miscellaneous – Historical Review

7. Article by David Courtwright in The New England Journal of Medicine 11/26/2015 entitled “Preventing and Treating Narcotic Addiction – A Century of Federal Drug Control”

NB: The first of David Courtwright’s four opuses (or should that be “opi”) was “Addicts Who Survived: An Oral History of Narcotics Use in America” -- which, like “Dark Paradise” has two versions dated 1982 and 2001, has two versions dated 1989 and 2012.

Discussion Outline – Jonathan Kozol “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” and Free Tuition for Public Colleges and Vocational Schools – June 3

Original Proposal – Jonathan Kozol “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” and Free Tuition for Public Colleges and Vocational Schools – Mtg Date TBD
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Our next meeting will be Wed evening June 3 at our traditional time of 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm MDT.

We anticipate that participation will be solely on-line via Zoom (the Salt Lake Library, our host for 14.5 years, has cancelled all meeting reservations through Aug 31).

If you RSVP, there is nothing further you need to do such as any special training. We will send all RSVP’s a few days in advance a URL and meeting name/password.

[4/10/2020 update]

Participant Comments – Jonathan Kozol “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” and Free Tuition for Public Colleges and Vocational Schools – Mtg Date TBD
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Our next meeting will be Wed evening June 3 at our traditional time of 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm MDT.

We anticipate that participation will be solely on-line via Zoom (the Salt Lake Library, our host for 14.5 years, has cancelled all meeting reservations through Aug 31).

If you RSVP, there is nothing further you need to do such as any special training. We will send all RSVP’s a few days in advance a URL and meeting name/password.

[4/10/2020 update]

Mail Campaign to ABC’s The View – Money in Politics – March 18

Reference Materials – Jonathan Kozol “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” and Free Tuition for Public Colleges and Vocational Schools – June 3
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Click here for, inter alia, the texts of the opinions in the three U.S. Supreme Court cases referenced in the First Short Quiz --

(1) Plessy vs. Ferguson (1986), the Supreme Court’s NOTORIOUS decision APPROVING SEGREGATION with its INFAMOUS “Separate But Equal” proclamation!!!

[The decision was 7-1 with one Justice not participating. The dissent starts about half-way through the report.]

(2) Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court’s UNANIMOUS 9-0 opinion that SEPARATE IS INHERENTLY UNEQUAL!!!

(3) Parents vs. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007), the Supreme Court’s NOTORIOUS decision which is aptly described in the title our focus book “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America” by Jonathan Kozol.

[Jonathan Kozol was describing conditions in America’s inner-city schools between 1990 and 2005 when his book was published. However, those conditions reflected lower-court cases that were percolating through the judicial system prior to Parents vs. Seattle School District No. 1 which was the “kiss of death” two years after publication.]

**********
Notes re Parents vs. Seattle School District No. 1 --

Whereas it took the Supreme Court only the equivalent of 16.5 Microsoft Word pages in Plessy vs. Ferguson TO APPROVE SEGREGATION, and only the equivalent of 7.5 Microsoft Word pages in Brown vs. Board of Education TO REVERSE THAT ABOMINATION, the Supreme Court took 185 Adobe.pdf pages in Parents vs. Seattle School District No. 1 TO JUSTIFY (at least in their minds) “THE RESTORATION OF APARTHEID SCHOOLING IN AMERICA”!!!

There were five opinions --

(1) The opinion of the Court by Chief Justice Roberts beginning at page 8 of the Adobe.pdf file posted in this Reference Materials Section. He was joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas and Alito with respect to Parts I, II, III-A, III-C of his opinion for a five-Justice majority. Only Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito joined Chief Justice Roberts with respect to Parts III-B and IV of his opinion, which were immaterial to the outcome so that Justice Kennedy’s failure to join in those parts is only dicta (i.e., not worth the paper they’re written on for purposes of precedent).

(2) A concurrence by Justice Thomas beginning at page 49 of the Adobe.pdf file posted in this Reference Materials Section.

(3) A concurrence by Justice Kennedy beginning at page 85 of the Adobe.pdf file posted in this Reference Materials Section.

(4) A dissent by Justice Stevens beginning at page 103.

(5) A dissent by Justice Breyer joined by Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsberg beginning at page 109.

Discussion Outline – Money in Politics – March 18
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Or in other words, "The Best Government Money Can Buy"!!!

Original Proposal - Money in Politics: Michael Bloomberg & Tom Steyer, et al. - March 18

Participant Comments - Money in Politics: Michael Bloomberg & Tom Steyer, et al. - March 18

Meeting WED Evening Feb 19 – Proposed E-mail Campaign Re “Hunger in America” – Your Opportunity To Strike A Blow For BASIC HUMAN DECENCY

Feb 19 Meeting Report – Proposed E-mail Campaign Re “Hunger in America”

Original Proposal – Utah Taxing Groceries of Our Neighbors Living on Less Than $2.00/Day – Feb 19

Participant Comments – Utah Taxing Groceries of Our Neighbors Living on Less Than $2.00/Day – Feb 19

Reference Materials – Utah Taxing Groceries of Our Neighbors Living on Less Than $2.00/Day – Feb 19

CALL TO ACTION – ONLY 5 MINUTES NEEDED FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE – “SIX-DEGREES-OF-SEPARATION” E-MAIL CAMPAIGN TO SOLVE THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE (AND AVOID “THE TWILIGHT OF THE HUMANS” - Jan 15

Original Proposal – “REPRISE: A Marshall-Type Plan For Palestinians” – Jan 15

Suggested Discussion Outline – “REPRISE: A Marshall-Type Plan For Palestinians” – Jan 15
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VENUE

IAW long-standing policy, we meet at the Salt Lake Public Library (210 East 400 South) -- UNLESS, as reminded in the last two weekly e-mails, the RSVP’s vote UNANIMOUSLY to change the venue to better suit their convenience. [Many of our regulars who meet in person (vs. via Skype) including Yours Truly, live in southern Salt Lake County.]

The RSVP’s have tentatively voted UNANIMOUSLY to change the venue from Conference Room A at the Salt Lake Public Library.

HOWEVER, as explained in our weekly e-mail sent to our 169 members pre-dawn Sat Jan 11, if anyone had not yet RSVP'd and wanted to meet at the Library, we would accommodate her/him if s/he RSVP'd by 8:00 pm Sun Jan 12. Nobody did so.

Participant Comments – “REPRISE: A Marshall-Type Plan For Palestinians” – Jan 15
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*****
REPORT ON THE SUCCESS OF TWO E-MAIL CAMPAIGNS

Many of the e-mail campaigns listed in Sec. 1 of this website have been successful.

Although progress on these TWO campaigns does NOT relate to this month’s topic, they occurred LAST WEEK at the 12/19/2019 Presidential Debate.

*****
Re Climate Change, Andrew Yang Championing Our Thorium-Fission Position --

Our Thorium-Fission Working Group has labored long and hard in order to, inter alia, request Presidential Candidates to support the development of thorium-fission as the only way of “Solving Global Warming 100% Without Military Action.” [Details of that effort are available at http://discussingliberally-saltlake.org ... =23&t=1781.]

At the Dec 19 debate, Andrew Yang could not have been more specific and more supportive.

[A transcript of the debate is available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... ic-debate/. The easiest way to find Andrew Yang’s remarks on thorium fission is to “cut and paste” the transcript into a Microsoft-Word document and then execute “Edit-Find” for “thorium.”]

*****
“REPRISE: Saving The Gov $86 Billion/YEAR – Medicare-For-All” and the Candidates’ Initial Reaction --

Our 7/12/2017 E-mail Campaign was entitled “SAVING THE GOV $300 BILLION/YEAR – MEDICARE FOR ALL” – details available at http://discussingliberally-saltlake.org ... =23&t=1631.

It was aimed at Sen. John McCain a mere 16 days before his iconic “thumb down” vote against “Repealing and Replacing” Obamacare, which caused it to fail by one vote.

The attendees of our 11/13/2019 meeting voted for our 12/11/2019 meeting to focus on updating this E-mail Campaign because of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s DEFAMATION of Medicare For All by claiming that it would cost the Federal Government $52 TRILLION over 10 years – which is 41% over current Gov and non-Gov healthcare spending of only $3,683 billion/year -- which itself is DOUBLE the amount of only $1,944 billion/year if it were brought into line with the other 35 economically-developed countries in the OECD.

Our revised e-mail (“REPRSE: Saving The Gov $86 Billion/YEAR – Medicare-For-All”) is available at http://discussingliberally-saltlake.org ... =23&t=1869.

[Virtually all of the difference between $300 Billion/YEAR of SAVINGS and $86 Billion/YEAR of SAVINGS is due to the fact that, beginning in 2018, the Corporate Income Tax Rate was reduced from 35% to 21%. Which means that the COST to the government of the 55.1% of the U.S. population that obtains employer-provided health coverage (since it is deductible for the employer BUT non-taxable to the employee) was reduced to only 11.6% of the U.S. population having employer-provided health coverage provided courtesy of lost government tax revenues.]

At last Thursday’s debate, there was no mention of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s exorbitant estimate.

The main fireworks occurred between Sen. Bernie Sanders on the one hand, and Former V.P. Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Klobuchar, on the other. Which focused primarily on Sanders accusing Biden & Klobuchar of NOT being willing to fight bloated healthcare costs.

Indeed, Sanders actually paraphrased, a bit inaccurately, a point we have been making since 2017 that (quoting Sanders) “we’re spending twice as much per capita on health care as any other nation.”

Presumably by next month’s debate, there will be statements by other candidates about bringing U.S. healthcare costs into line with the other 35 economically-developed countries that are members of the OECD.

Reference Materials – “REPRISE: A Marshall-Type Plan For Palestinians” – Jan 15

CALL TO ACTION – “SIX-DEGREES-OF-SEPARATION” E-MAIL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT $86 BILLION/YEAR BY ADOPTING MEDICARE-FOR-ALL – (only 5 minutes needed to participate)

Discussion Outline – “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care And How To Fix It” by Johns Hopkins Surgeon and Prof. of Health Policy Marty Markary – Dec 11

Participant Comments – “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care And How To Fix It” by Johns Hopkins Surgeon and Prof. of Health Policy Marty Markary – Dec 11

Original Proposal – “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care And How To Fix It” by Johns Hopkins Surgeon and Prof. of Health Policy Marty Markary – Dec 11

Reference Materials – “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care And How To Fix It” by Johns Hopkins Surgeon and Prof. of Health Policy Marty Markary – Dec 11

CALL TO ACTION – “SIX-DEGREES-OF-SEPARATION” E-MAIL CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT POSSIBLE GLOBAL-WARMING SOLUTION (HYDROGEN EXTRACTION) FROM BEING KILLED!!! – (only 5 minutes needed to participate)

Discussion Outline - Possible Global Warming Solution (Hydrogen Extraction) In Danger Of Being Killed!!! - Nov 13

Participant Comments - Possible Global Warming Solution (Hydrogen Extraction) In Danger Of Being Killed!!! - Nov 13

Suggested Discussion Outline - “Tech Titans Of China: How China’s Tech Sector Is Challenging The World By Innovating Faster, Working Harder and Going Global by Rebecca A. Fannin – Oct 16

Reference Materials - Possible Global Warming Solution (Hydrogen Extraction) In Danger Of Being Killed!!! - Nov 13

Original Proposal - “Tech Titans Of China: How China’s Tech Sector Is Challenging The World By Innovating Faster, Working Harder and Going Global by Rebecca A. Fannin – Oct 16

Participant Comments - “Tech Titans Of China: How China’s Tech Sector Is Challenging The World By Innovating Faster, Working Harder and Going Global by Rebecca A. Fannin - Oct 16

Reference Materials - “Tech Titans Of China: How China’s Tech Sector Is Challenging The World By Innovating Faster, Working Harder and Going Global by Rebecca A. Fannin - Oct 16

CALL TO ACTION – Six-Degrees-Of-Separation-Email-Campaign – A Suggestion To President Trump Re How To Support the United Nations 19-year Campaign Against “Trafficking In Persons, Especially Women and Children” – only 5 minutes needed to participate

Suggested Discussion Outline - Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery - Sep 18

Original Proposal – Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery – Sep 18
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Our next meeting is Wednesday evening, Sept 18th, at the Salt Lake Public Library (210 East 400 South) in Conference Room A which is on the lower level --

(1) At the foot of the grand staircase leading down from the Atrium; and/or

(2) Accessible by the elevator just inside the EAST entrance (NB: the regular elevators lead to a portion of the lower level that DOES NOT CONNECT WITH the portion of the lower level containing Conference Rooms A - C.

Please join us for socializing from 6:15 pm > 7:00 pm or, if you prefer, come only from 7:00 pm > 8:55 pm for our formal discussion.

We provide coffee/decaf and chocolate-chunk cookies and peanut-butter cookies.

Or bring your own snack(s) from the branch of the Salt Lake Roasting Co. on the first floor of the library, from Dunkin’ Donuts directly across 400 South from the library’s main entrance, or from home.

[Everyone is welcome to join us afterwards half a block south at Cannella's for drinks to socialize and/or continue the discussion -- everyone is welcome but Dutch treat.]
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Participant Comments – Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery – Sep 18

Reference Materials – Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery – Sep 18
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FASCINATING FINDS WHILE RESEARCHING --

The movie “Taken” (2008) starring Liam Neeson followed by “Taken 2” in 2012 and “Taken 3” in 2014 started in the 2008 movie with the daughter of Liam Neeson’s character being KIDNAPPED IN PARIS FOR SALE AS A SEX SLAVE.

It didn’t take much research to ascertain that “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery” by Siddharth Kara (Columbia U. Press 2009) is “The Bible” on the subject.

Surprises???

(A) Sex Trafficking was already the subject of a 30-page United Nations Convention Against Organized Crime (11/15/2000) buttressed by a 9-page United Nations Protocol “To Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children” (12/25/2003) and a 12-page United Nations Protocol “Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Air and Sea” (1/28/2004)!!!

(B) On 3/18/2009, one of Washington DC’s “Top 5 Liberal Think Tanks” (Foreign Policy in Focus) trashed Prof. Kara’s “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery” AND, BY IMPLICATION, TRASHED THE UNITED NATIONS (!!!) on the grounds that is it senseless to try to counter “the world’s oldest profession”!!!

(C) HOWEVER, in 2016 the United Nations published its 126-page “Global Report on TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS” (original capitalization).

(D) AND IN 2017 the United Nations released a movie entitled “Trafficked” starring Ashley Judd, Anne Archer and Elisabeth Röhm – which the U.N. Press Release said was “inspired by the harrowing stories of real women and girls profiled in the award-winning book ‘Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery’ by Harvard Professor Siddharth Kara.”

CLICK ON THIS SECTION FOR, INTER ALIA --

(1) The U.N. Press Release on its 2017 movie “Trafficked” starring Ashley Judd, Anne Archer and Elisabeth Röhm.

(2) The UN’s 126-page “Global Report on TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS” (original capitalization) issued in 2016.

(3) The UN’s description (with an Adobe.pdf file of the actual texts available for download) of its 30-page Convention Against Organized Crime (2000) and its 9-page Protocol “To Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2003) and its 12-page Protocol “Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Air and Sea (2004).

(4) A 7/31/2017 article in The London Guardian entitled “‘Human Life Is More Expendable’: Why Slavery Has Never Made More Money – new research shows modern slavery is more lucrative than it has ever been, with sex traffickers reaping the greatest rewards” and containing many interesting statistics from the 2016 UN Report and from the work of Prof. Kara.

(5) A 2009 Financial Times book review of “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery” by Siddharth Kara.

(6) A 2009 book review of “Sex Trafficking” by the Stanford U. Social Innovation Review.

(7) The disgusting trashing of “Sex Trafficking” AND, BY IMPLICATION, THE DISGUSTING TRASHING OF THE UNITED NATIONS (!!!) by Foreign Policy in Focus (“One of the Top-5 Liberal Washington Think (sic) Tanks”) on the grounds that it is senseless to counter “the world’s oldest profession”!!!
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Participant Comments – Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – July 31

Suggested Discussion Outline – Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – July 31
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Our July 31 meeting is at the Salt Lake Public Library (210 East 400 South) in Conference Room A which is on the lower level --

(1) At the foot of the grand staircase leading down from the Atrium; and/or

(2) Accessible by the elevator just inside the EAST entrance (NB: the regular elevators lead to a portion of the lower level that DOES NOT CONNECT WITH the portion of the lower level containing Conference Rooms A - C.

Please join us for socializing from 6:15 pm > 7:00 pm or, if you prefer, come only from 7:00 pm > 8:55 pm for our formal discussion.

We provide coffee/decaf and chocolate-chunk cookies and peanut-butter cookies.

Or bring your own snack(s) from the branch of the Salt Lake Roasting Co. on the first floor of the library, from Dunkin’ Donuts directly across 400 South from the library’s main entrance, or from home.

[Everyone is welcome to join us afterwards half a block south at Cannella's for drinks to socialize and/or continue the discussion -- everyone is welcome but Dutch treat.]

[Posted 7/29/2019.]

Original Proposal – Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – July 31

Reference Materials – Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – July 31

Suggested Discussion Outline -- "The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics” -- June 13

Original Proposal -- "The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics” -- June 13

Short Quiz -- "The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics” -- June 13