If
you answer the multiple-choice questions below and e-mail to lessonanswers@mymontebello.com
with “Lesson answers” in the subject field, you will be credited toward
a “certificate of recognition in community affairs” to be awarded in
2007 by a local nonprofit organization.
1. This news is remarkable because
(a) There might be a cure for cancer without side
effects.
(b) The inventor is not a doctor.
2. Which questions should be asked but are not being
asked?
(a) Did the inventor come up with this treatment
because the education which he received led him to innovation or because he
was naturally gifted?
(b) Will the inventor succumb to enticing offers from
large companies looking to own the invention and make a large profit at the
expense of cancer victims?
The
Falling Dominos of Democracy, Part 7
Banking
establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.
-----
The
spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that
I wish it always to be kept alive.
-----
I have
the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my
public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are empty.
Thomas
Jefferson, 1743 – 1826,
third
President of the United States, the principal author of the Declaration of
Independence, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his
promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States.
In part 1, we learned that our elected
representatives represented many more people than they did in the past.
In part 6, we read a compelling assertion that our country was in
decline, followed by the possibility of reversing that decline through
greater public participation in governance.
We
look at another aspect which contributes to the “fall of dominos” of
democracy. The vast majority of
elected representatives wish to be re-elected.
In order to be re-elected, they must maintain their popularity during
legislative sessions and have enough money to generate popularity during
campaign seasons. This is
necessary because they are unable to greet and meet all their constituents
regularly, a grave consequence of an “overpopulation” of constituents.
A
Washington lobbyist was in Montebello on November 1 and gave a talk about
his and colleagues’ activities with regard to the process for
consideration of a resolution in the House of Representatives.
It was enlightening to learn how many different influences there were
upon a member of the House:
1.
Voters who called.
2.
Fellow House
members whose constituents asked them to influence the member.
3.
One or more
defense contractors which said that they would take jobs out of the
member’s district if he did not vote a certain way on the resolution.
4.
The White
House.
5.
The State
Department.
6.
Different
lobbyists.
7.
The news
media via former Secretaries of State who took a position on the resolution.
I
remember that, in 1978, the House member who represented Montebello had a
tough choice. Some constituents
wanted him to vote one way on a bill (most constituents did not have an
opinion either way), while the U.S. President wanted him to vote another
way. Guess what.
He was the tie breaker and he voted as President Carter asked him,
against the wishes of constituents.
An overpopulation of constituents makes it difficult
for communication between them and elected
representatives. This leads to less input by
constituents. This problem is compounded when elected representatives are subjected to, and succumb to,
influences other than constituents, leading constituents to hesitate about communicating with the
representatives, in the belief that communication would have no or little chance in persuading the
representatives to reach a decision desired by the constituents.
Announcements
FOR
EVERYONE. Montebello memories.
At the “My Montebello” Web site, there is now a
page for Montebello memories. Imagine,
for example, going duck hunting where the CVS pharmacy now stands!
To read about memories or make a submission, http://www.mymontebello.com/memories
.
FOR EVERYONE. Meeting. The
next regular meeting of the Montebello city council will be at city hall on
Wednesday, November 28, 2007,
at 7:30 p.m. If you wish to
speak during orals, come before 7:30 p.m. and sign up.
If you have more to say than there is time allotted, prepare a one
pager, make copies, and hand out before you speak.
FOR EVERYONE. Meeting
of city civil-service commission. Tuesday,
November 27, 2007, 6 p.m., in the city-council chamber at city hall, 1600
West Beverly Boulevard. Open to
the public.
Fun Facts about Georgia
Historic Saint Marys, Georgia, is the second oldest
city in the nation.
The pirate Edward “Blackbeard” Teach made a home on
Blackbeard Island. The United States Congress designated the Blackbeard
Island Wilderness Area in 1975 and it now has a total of 3,000 acres.
In Gainesville, the chicken capital of the world, it is
illegal to eat chicken with a fork.
Georgia was named for King George II of England.
Georgia is the nation’s number one producer of the
three Ps: peanuts, pecans, and
peaches.
Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi
River.
Coca-Cola was invented in May, 1886, by Dr. John S.
Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The
name “Coca-Cola” was suggested by Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank
Robinson. He penned the name
Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today.
Coca-Cola was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in
Atlanta by Willis Venable.
The popular theme park, Six Flags Over Georgia, was
actually named for six flags that flew over Georgia:
England, Spain, Liberty, Georgia, Confederate States of America, and
the United States.
The figures of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and
Robert E. Lee make up the world’s largest sculpture.
It is located on the face of Stone Mountain. Additionally Robert E.
Lee’s horse, Traveler, is also carved at the same place.
Ralph Bunch, United States diplomat, was the first
Georgian to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the
world chartered to grant degrees to women.
The
Flashback Quarterback on Mark Twain’s Prophesy
Did Mark Twain prophesy? I have a copy of his A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Have not read it, but intend to do so. A synopsis of Twain’s book is below.
What comes to mind from the synopsis is the lesson to be learned about present-day diversity: we go into other countries with our technology and values and are surprised, shocked, perhaps even angered, by resistance.
Protagonist
Hank Morgan, the "Connecticut Yankee", is the hero of the novel. He is a nineteenth century jack-of-all-trades who is miraculously transported back to the sixth century time of Camelot and King Arthur. With his superior intellect and scientific knowledge, he transforms the medieval age into a model of nineteenth century industry and progress.
Antagonist
The Boss faces opposition at two levels, the individual and the social.
Merlin is the primary individual opponent of The Boss, although others at times oppose him in his quest to modernize and industrialize Camelot.
These others include people who are at first friends: Lancelot and Marco, for example.
On the social level, the Orthodox Catholic Church and its superstitious followers antagonize and oppose The Boss.
The church and the priests fear revolutionary ideas and scientific knowledge presented by The Boss because those beliefs pose a great threat to the supremacy of the church leaders. Merlin and the church represent the status quo, and The Boss represents the forces of change.
As such, they are pitted against one another throughout the novel.
http://pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmConnYankee05.asp
Remember
the three Duke students accused of rape over a year ago?
...
Until Proven Innocent is a better read than a John Grisham novel. Its
innocent protagonists face a bogus rape accusation, thrusting them into
jeopardy. The authors describe
the characters who create that jeopardy: "a morally bankrupt
scoundrel" of a prosecutor, a "victim" who cried rape to
avoid being detained for an involuntary mental commitment, a DNA expert
willing to omit exculpatory evidence from his written report, a cop with an
intense dislike of Duke students and an aversion to accurate report-writing,
Duke administrators afraid of appearing racist, and politically correct Duke
faculty who rushed to judgment before knowing the facts, many of whom led
the charge condemning their own students and used the case to promote their
own selfish agendas. ...
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/
book/story/CC3F5CF4B97A0BF786257381006BE184?OpenDocument
About
Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”
To learn about this newsletter, Montebello
E-News, and the accompanying, growing Web site, “My Montebello”,
visit www.mymontebello.com. Also,
you will find instructions and contact information for submitting
announcements for publication in this newsletter.