Ginny

Age: 77 Place: Originally Nebraska, now Texas Family: Husband, 3 daughters, 3 sons-in-law, 3 grandchildren Occupation: Retired Education: BA, MA Nebraska; Ph.D. UT-Austin Work On hhe Double (1979-1992); taught: ta Austin, Blinn Jr. College (1993-20015), Kelly Girls intermittently.

Another Day, Another Speech, Another History Trashed

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Claudia Rossett’s “The Bear Scare” analyzes Obama’s rather weak grasp of history on display in Moscow as it was in Cairo. But it is not just the confused focus, the generalizations at odds with history. It is also an attitude. She speaks of the real blood and treasure with which we have defended freedom; more importantly, “Americans kept brilliantly alive a philosophy of democratic government and free markets, which offered a beacon to oppressed people of the world, and exported both ideas and inventions that have vastly enriched mankind.” Were Russians surprised a U.S. President interpreted their history as he did?

In Obama’s version of history, Soviet communism (which he referred to not by name but as “old political and economic restrictions”) came to an end through some sort of brotherly mass movement: “The change did not come from any one nation,” he told an audience of Russian students. “The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stood up and decided that its end would be peaceful.”

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Teach-Ins of Sorts

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A lifetime ago, I took a couple of courses in American Civ from William Goetzman; Amazon nudged that memory by noting his Beyond the Revolution: A History of American Thought from Paine to Pragmatism had come out. Although not getting much read lately, I ordered it. Yesterday, A&L linked to a discussion in The Chronicle of Higher Education (which supports A&L). Carlin Romano’s “Obama, Philosopher in Chief” uses Goetzmann as foil.

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Questions – Medicine

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Having questions, I was going to comment on Shannon’s post, but it seemed hijacking. This is just curiosity talking.

First, comment: I’m not that cheerful that decisions about my level of productivity (by then no doubt charmingly redefined as “quality of life”) no longer warranted the expense to keep me alive. Sure, I might make such a choice, but I’d just as soon it was mine. That health care and especially research seems guided by political factions seems important – but maybe I’m wrong about that. I’m curious about others’ opinions.

Question: Something that has gone through my mind a lot in these debates is America’s responsibility (and its future role) in developing techniques and drugs. I know I’m better off than many of my relatives were at this age. (And I’m not sick, just getting old.) So, I’m thankful. Cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, by-pass & pace-makers – the list is endless. Indeed, I remember when mental hospitals dotted the landscape of America. Sure, some of the crazies are living on the street, but many take their medication every day and go off to work. Cancer survivors surround me – but also remind me of how terrible the cure can be. And doctors describe advances in those treatments that are still in the trial stage.

So: Am I right to think these made a difference? What policies (public or private) encourage development and innovation? How much is research driven by the greatest good for the greatest number – now? in the future? How much will any of the health plans politicians are coming up with affect these? Won’t they? I assumed we were paying for innovation and that leads to some of the expense. Is that true? Probably, the short question is – what percentage of innovation and discovery in these fields comes from America? If we didn’t do it, would it make much difference world-wide?

As Much As Anyone Who Wasn’t Blood

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My mother-in-law died Easter morning. My husband had gone across the street to ask her when she wanted to come over for dinner; we had just bought some aids she had long resisted believing they were a sign of dependence she wasn’t quite ready to accept. But by now she was blind and a new wheel chair, for instance, would make crossing the street safer and faster than with her halting steps which had slowed during the last year. She would have been 91 in a couple of months; she had held her great grandson in her arms. She had a quiet life one of those people who defined herself as much by what she wouldn’t do as by what she did. But it was, nonetheless, full with a richness of purpose and accomplishment.

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Gossip, Rumors, History

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Dutton’s Arts & Letters links to The National’s “The Trial of Leonid K“, which chronicles the attempt by Khruschev’s grandchildren to resurrect the reputation of their father, a World War II hero maligned of late. It is a cry against thuggery – the Russian tradition of rewritten history. Gossip, rumors, suggest: “The point is to suggest; soon, the suggestions will evolve into a belief, which will evolve into an orthodoxy.” But if our libel suits are complicated and victories sometimes counterproductive, in Russia such attempts are even more likely to cross quicksand:

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