Library Juice 4:35 - October 3, 2001
Contents:
- Editor's comments
- The Library Juice Manifesto
- Communicating Off the Page
- Librariana: Sites of Interest
- New issue of New Breed Librarian
- Moveable Type, Fall 2001 issue
- Infolibre
- "Planet Out" cartoon involving libraries
- WWII posters
- September was "Back to Books Month"
- Join the Progressive Archivists Caucus!
- DayPop Adds New Features
- Archive of privacy webcast
- Mapping agency blocks access
- Privacy in Libraries (Steve Cisler to PUBLIB)
- American Libraries Online news for October 1, 2001
- Anti-Cuban Terrorist Free in the U.S.
- 9/11 related links
- Re: Off-topic (Patriotism)
- Re: Off-topic (Christianity)
- The Fourth Turning
Quote for the week:
"Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority."
-Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
Homepage of the week: Steven M. Bergson
http://www.geocities.com/safran-can/bergson.htm________________________________________________________________________top
1.Editor's comments:
This has been an awkward time. I think a lot of people have been saying
things they may end up regretting. I'm no exception. When I wrote my
editorial comments in the last two issues, I felt proud to be expressing my
dissent at a time when it seemed least welcome. I suppose there is value
in that, but I also feel that I overstepped my own intentions and
overstated certain things, and as a result my comments may have seemed
callous and inflammatory, or simply unprofessional, to some people. I
regret that.Interestingly, it seems that more people were happy with what I wrote than
were unhappy with it, judging from responses and
subscription/unsubscription activity. I myself am as torn as Library Juice
readers are divided, between wanting to express my dissent and wanting to
respect people who, at the moment, have a strong emotional stake in being
united - with the rest of the nation, I guess - in grief, in mutual caring,
in respect for authority or whatever it might be.The solution is just to get back into the library-related content that you
subscribed to receive. I will close out the Sept. 11 discussion in the
last part of this issue, but from the next item on it will be mostly about
libraries, intellectual freedom, and all that good stuff (which in the
near future will probably include links to 9/11 resources).- Rory L.
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2. The Library Juice Manifesto
New on the Library Juice site, rising from the communal ashes, this
manifesto:
The Ideology of Librarianship: A Libertarian Socialism of Information
Libraries are special because they are at once communitarian, libertarian,
and models for sustainability.They are communitarian in the economic sense because they are built on
solidarity. A community pools its resources in order to share them.Libraries are libertarian in the social/intellectual sense because of the
ethic of intellectual freedom, which says that all ideas should be included
and nothing censored.This combination of economic communitarianism and social/intellectual
libertarianism creates the ideal support system for a democratic society,
because the library provides everyone with access to ideas and provides
access to every idea.In addition, libraries are models for sustainable systems. By following the
"borrow, don't buy" ethic, libraries provide an alternative to consumerism,
an alternative to environmentally unsound overproduction and spiritually
unsound overconsumption.And libraries excite me further because they need to be changed. They tend
to leave out alternative or street-level materials; there is presently a
tendency toward privatization of services and functions (with attendant
barriers to access); libraries and library organizations need their
decision-making processes democratized; access to local community
information in libraries needs to be improved; in general, libraries tend
to depart routinely from their founding principles as they struggle for a
handhold in the environment of an increasingly neoliberal political economy
and an increasingly reactionary social climate. We need to advance the
Library Paradigm of information organization, preservation and access, to
freshly propagate the idea of the library in society in terms of its
underlying principles.Notwithstanding their imperfections, libraries serve as a rare example of
beautiful ideals actually functioning successfully in the world. This
means that libraries should serve as a model for other institutions and
endeavors. We need to spread the Library Spirit across society and teach
it, as a model for positive change beyond the walls of libraries and
throughout all contexts of information, communication, and learning. This
is the Ideology of Librarianship, and we can make it grow.- Rory Litwin
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3. Communicating Off the Page
By Marylaine Block -- Library Journal, 9/15/2001
The web has spawned a whole new generation of library publications, backed
up with a do-it-yourself attitudeI was looking at old issues of The U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian last week
and thinking that, in a sense, it was the original library zine: a personal
magazine where the editor/publisher's philosophy and passion for his
subject permeated every page. Moreover, Marvin Scilken's zine was a forum
where other librarians could share their own tips and tricks on "How I Run
My Library Good."He also served as a filter, reading widely and sharing brief excerpts from
every piece he thought would be useful or provocative. Which is to say, he
was also running one of the first weblogs (or blog), albeit without the
web. If Marvin had been any good at typing, I'm sure he would have
published it on the Internet. As it is, he created a model of
self-publishing followed by many who now are on the net.Marvin died in early 1999, just before the number of online zines and blogs
exploded. (The newsletter was later acquired by Westchester PL's Mitch
Freedman.) Now, there are zines by lipstick librarians and laughing
librarians, anarchist librarians and progressive ones (though no
conservative ones that I can find). There are web sites for librarians who
call themselves renegade, cool, ska, marginal, modified, pernicious, and
psycho. There are blogs galore, Jessamyn West's Librarian.net, Steven
Cohen's Library Stuff, the shared blog at LISNews, the Internet Scout
Weblog, and more.Marvin might not quite have liked all of those, but he would have enjoyed
sites like Rory Litwin's Library Juice, where librarians who call
themselves progressive or radical share good sites and quotes, print
exchanges of letters urging American Library Association (ALA) executives
to broaden their policies, and argue about things like holding ALA at the
Marriott while the labor dispute was going on.....http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA155178
(Requires registration, which is free.)
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4. Librariana: Sites of Interest
LU: Well, i think it's a handy page...
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 09:25:52 -0500
From: Liane Rae Luckman <lluckman[at]mail.utexas.edu>
To: libraryunderground[at]topica.com
Reply to: lluckman[at]mail.utexas.edu...even if I am the one who created it.
(yet another) librariana page, entitled Librariana: Sites of Interest,
with links to web sites that deal with library culture, which is really
anything from the issues facing library workers, to news about libraries
and the fuzzy world of information. Sites are (loosely) grouped into
three areas: News, 'Blogs, Communities, Esoterica, Humor, and Other
Librariana Sites.Why another one? Why not, hmm? My list is a little different than
everyone else's, not only in display but also in content. I had been
compiling a list for myself for a while, updating it continuously, and
decided to make it into a page with my colleagues at UT-GSLIS in mind,
esp. those who haven't yet discovered some of the great ways they can
get informed about library culture.Feel free to take a look...
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~lluckman/librariana.htmlThanks,
Liane Luckman
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5. New issue of New Breed Librarian
Re: LU: Belated introduction
Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2001 09:02:45 -0700
From: Juanita Benedicto <juanitab[at]OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>
To: libraryunderground[at]topica.com, nmrt-l[at]ala.org,
ryanshepard[at]gmx.net, rlitwin[at]earthlink.netHey Undergrounders, New Members, Rory, and Ryan,
Colleen and I have launched the October issue of NewBreed Librarian.
Information Architect, Adam Greenfield of v-2.org, writes a piece of
brilliance on making wise decisions. Rogue Librarian, Carrie Bickner,
contributes a reflection piece from her home, New York City. Then there's
the usual TechTalk and Ask Susu column. ALA President-elect, Mitch
Freedman, is running late on his responses to librarian salaries --
hopefully they'll be there soon.Juanita
http://www.newbreedlibrarian.org/
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6. Moveable Type, Fall 2001 issue
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 16:23:08 -0700
From: Larry Oberg <loberg[at]WILLAMETTE.EDU>
To: COLLIB-L[at]acs.wooster.edu
Reply to: COLLIB-L <COLLIB-L[at]acs.wooster.edu>Friends,
The fall 2001 issue of Moveable Type, the Newsletter of the Mark
O. Hatfield Library is now available on the web athttp://library.willamette.edu/home/publications/mt/
It includes the following feature-length articles:
"Double-fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper (Nicholson Baker,
Random House, 2001, 370 p.) a review by Bart Harloe, University Librarian,
St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York."Liberal Arts Education in the New Millennium: Beyond Information
Literacy and Instructional Technology, by Elliott Shore, Director of
Libraries and Professor of History, Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania."Cuban Libraries Under the Embargo," by Eliades Acosta Matos,
Director of the Jose Marti National Library, Havana, Cuba. (Also available
in Spanish as "Las bibliotecas cubanas bajo el bloqueo.""Cuba in the New Millennium: Information, Knowledge and Society,
by Larry R. Oberg, University Librarian, Willamette University, Salem,
Oregon."Orbis: Questioning Foundations in the Midst of Success, by John
F. Helmer, Executive Director, Orbis Library Consortium, Eugene, Oregon."Issues 2002 and Beyond: Definitions, Directions, Solution," by
the Staff of the Mark O. Hatfield Library, Willamette University, Salem,
Oregon.The paper edition will be mailed to those of you who are subscribed around
1 November 2001.Larry R. Oberg.
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7. Infolibre
(New weblog from Ryan Shepard.)
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8. "Planet Out" cartoon involving libraries:
http://msn.planetout.com/pno/entertainment/comics/dtwof/archive/371.html
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9. WWII posters
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 13:15:49 -0600
From: gharder[at]library.ualberta.ca
To: Rory[at]libr.orgHi Rory --
I came across some archived images of WWII posters while doing some research
at work. I thought you or your readers might be interested.It's fascinating to see how government propoganda portrayed things in the
past vs. how it portrays it in the present. The images change, but many of
the messages have stayed the same.The website homepage is:
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters.Some of the more interesting ones:
This is the enemy -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1647-78.jpgOn travelling during wartime -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1647-75.jpgTo All Who Use Libraries This Is Our War -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1647-73.jpgGive 'em both barrels -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww0207-50.jpgFight For Freedom! -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww0207-55.jpgBooks cannot be killed by fire! -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1645-48.jpgTen years ago the nazis burned these books, but free americans can still
read them -
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/img/ww1645-24.jpgAbsolutely piles of interesting stuff!
Cheers, Geoff
Geoffrey Harder
(h) gharder[at]powersurfr.com
ITS Assistant
Cameron Library
University of Alberta
(780)492-5282
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10. September was "Back to Books Month"
http://www.jessamyn.com/homepagepix/books.jpg
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11. Join the Progressive Archivists Caucus!
Any progressive/radical/non-sectarian archivists out there? Want to add a
different perspective to the archives profession?Join the Progressive Archivists Caucus!
Subscribe by sending a blank email to:
Progarchs-subscribe[at]topica.com
You can read back messages at: http://www.topica.com/lists/Progarchs/We are a listserv and caucus for archivists and anyone else interested in
social responsibility in the context of the archival profession. We just
had our second meeting at the Society of American Archivists where a good
crowd showed up so the energy to act is flowing. Join us and help create
an alternative voice among archivists.Debbie Richards
richards[at]radcliffe.edu________________________________________________________________________top
12. DayPop Adds New Features
News and Weblog search engine DayPop ( http://www.daypop.com/ ) has added
some new features to its new search engine. In addition to specifying a
search for news, Weblogs, or both, users may specify the age of the
materials being searched. Specified search time can be as little as an hour
or as long as two weeks.Dan Chan has also created a Web log for information on the development of
DayPop, which is available at http://www.danchan.com/weblog/daypop . This
site contains press coverage, search links for topical information, and
small improvement instructions as they are made (searching DayPop using
link: shows the linked text in bold text, users can create a DayPop search
box now, etc.) This is so handy, one wonders why other search engines
aren't doing it.Dan has really gone from 0 to 60 in creating a useful, powerful search
engine, and apparently he has done this all by himself. I hope that he is
able to maintain a steady development as time goes by and he gets more and
more traffic. Excellent, excellent work. Take a look.Reproduced with permission of ResearchBuzz ( http://www.researchbuzz.com ).
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13. Archive of privacy webcast
Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 09:51:53 -0700
From: Linda Rodenspiel <assist[at]infopeople.org>
To: BayNet Listserv <baynet[at]exploratorium.edu>
Reply to: "BayNet Listserv" <baynet[at]exploratorium.edu>If you missed Karen Coyle's live webcast on computers and privacy on
September 17, it is now archived on the web for your review:http://archive.mshow.com/50234
The program is about 70 minutes long. You will need either RealPlayer or
Windows Media Player installed on your computer; this free software can
be downloaded via the link above.Dan Theobald
--
Dan Theobald
Principal Consultant
i2i Communications
86 Waller Street
San Francisco, CA 94102415-431-0329
FAX: 415-626-9499
dtheobald[at]i2icom.com________________________________________________________________________top
14. Mapping agency blocks access
Original Message --------
Subject: Mapping agency blocks access
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 11:17:24 -0400
From: "Patrice McDermott" <patricem[at]ombwatch.org>
Reply-To: "Federal information policy listserv" <gov-info-access[at]lyris.ombwatch.org>
To: "Federal information policy listserv" <gov-info-access[at]lyris.ombwatch.org>
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0901/092501p1.htm
September 25, 2001Mapping agency blocks access, postpones outsourcing pact
By Jason Peckenpaugh
jpeckenpaugh[at]govexec.comThe National Imagery and Mapping Agency blocked access to a wide
range of its publicly available maps last week while officials
reviewed the maps to make sure they did not contain information that
could jeopardize national security.NIMA issued the unprecedented freeze last Wednesday as a security
precaution in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes on the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon, according to NIMA spokeswoman Joan
Mears.[...]
Last week, NIMA directed the U.S. Geological Survey and the Federal
Aviation Administration to halt sales of all NIMA-made topographic
maps and ordered the Library of Congress and National Archives and
Records Administration to deny public access to such maps, Mears
said. The sales restriction extended to private firms that are
licensed to sell NIMA products. NIMA's nautical and aeronautical
maps, which are used for ship and air navigation, were not part of
the review and are still available to the public, according to Mears.The Library of Congress quickly obtained a waiver to the NIMA freeze
so it could continue providing access to topographic maps of Vietnam,
a popular collectors' item among Vietnam veterans, according to
Library officials and Ken Lee, CEO of Eastview Cartographic, a
private firm that sells some NIMA products.One intelligence expert questioned the wisdom of the freeze, noting
that since NIMA is not the only source of map information,
restricting access to NIMA maps will not improve security.[...]
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15. Privacy in Libraries (Steve Cisler to PUBLIB)
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 22:35:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: cisler <cisler[at]pobox.com>
To: publib <publib[at]sunsite.berkeley.edu>
Subject: After 9.11: privacy in librariesI have not been on publib for years and have not scanned all the recent
messages except for September, so forgive me if this has been discussed.I attended the International Federation of Library Associations meeting in
Boston last month. One of the speakers was Michael Gorman. His paper on
privacy issues for libraries is posted here:http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla67/papers/145-083e.pdf
I happened to see him in the exhibits and briefly outlined to him my concern
that libraries were becoming "oases of privacy" which is admirable but hard
to keep the desert out over the long run. ?That is to say, the attitudes
toward surveillance, record sharing, and collection of data seemed to be
changing even before the WTC attack. Libraries are surrounded by individuals
and institutions that don't share the same values about privacy.Several years ago the one fellow I know in the CIA said they were very
interested in the way public library access stations could be used
anonymously. Now, after the 9.11 attacks we know that law enforcement
immediately wanted access to any records that some libraries had. ?This is
not too much different that getting a court order for circulation records.
However, they would like it to be faster and without a lot of paperwork.I would be interested to hear if any librarians have decided to change an
Internet use policy and require registration, identification, and assignment
to a particular computer--if you did not in the past. ?I live in Silicon
Valley and one system (San Jose Public) allows you--but does not require
you-- to book a machine (to avoid long waits), while my use of the Santa
Clara County Library computers has always been on impulse, with no sign in
or sign out. That's what I prefer, but given the pressures being exerted by
Secretary Ashcroft for changes in laws governing telecomms surveillance, I
think libraries should at least discuss the options, especially since the
public is willing now to give up more freedoms in the pursuit of a feeling
of safety. ? Current open and, to some, lax policies about public use may be
seen not as freedom from intrusion but "loopholes."Steve Cisler
4415 Tilbury Drive, San Jose, CA 95130
cisler[at]pobox.com ?
http://home.inreach.com/cisler
(408) 379 9076
"There are some places where the road keeps going."
-Bud Parker.
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16. American Libraries Online news for October 1, 2001
Libraries Represent Stability to a Nation Traumatized by Terrorism
FGCU Librarian Suspended for Banning "American Pride" Stickers
Lincoln's Legacy Invoked at Presidential Library Ceremony
Nimda Computer Worm Hits Libraries in Three States
Savannah's Benefactor Is Texas Businessman
Libraries Damaged in Maryland Tornado
Former School Librarian Guilty in Child Porn Case
St. Lifer Named Editor of School Library Journal
Davenport Mayor Pitches Funding Baseball over Branch
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17. Anti-Cuban Terrorist Free in the U.S.
Cuba to Commemorate 1976 Terrorist Downing of Jet on Oct. 6
Havana, (RHC)--This coming Saturday the 6th October
will be the 25th anniversary of the terrorist bombing
of the Cuban airliner on take off from the island of
Barbados. All 73 lives on board were lost -- among
them the entire Cuban youth fencing team, returning
from a tournament abroad - when a bomb exploded on
board. Radio Havana Cuba will later in the week be
presenting a program in memory of those who died on
the 6th October 1976 at a time that is especially
poignant in view of the terrorist attack on the United
States on the 11th September.The man who admitted to planning and carrying out the
bombing, Cuban-American Orlando Bosch, is considered a
hero among the right-wing members of the Miami
community. Former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh
described Bosch as an "unreformed terrorist."Nonetheless, against the recommendations of the
district director of the INS and the Department of
Justice, he was freed by Governor Jeb Bush of Florida
after a total of 30 countries had refused to grant
his applications of asylum due his long record of
terrorist acts.Orlando Bosch now walks the streets of Miami a free
man. The Cuban government has frequently protested
that Washington houses terrorists such as Bosch, while
the US government maintains Cuba on its list of
terrorist nations for granting political asylum to a
number of African American and Puerto Rican activists
from the 1970s and 80s.A commemoration event will be held on Saturday at the
Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana. It is expected to be
attended by many thousands, including the family and
friends of those who died.Source: Radio Havana Cuba
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18. 9/11 related links
FGCU library regarding their policy on library
employees wearing patriotic stickers.....http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010919stickers.html
http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010920stickers.html
...............
Center for Public Integrity's newsletter:
...............
SRRT International Responsibilities Task Force page on
alternative resources (news, commentary, analysis, and
petitions) on the U.S. "War Against Terrorism"
http://www.pitt.edu/~ttwiss/irtf/Alternative.html...............
FAIR's What's New page
http://www.fair.org/whats-new.html...............
America's Crisis: Asian Perspectives -- AsiaSource
http://www.asiasource.org/americacrisis/AsiaSource (originally reviewed in the September 3, 1999 _Scout Report_)
provides an Asian perspective on the terrorist attacks on New York City and
Washington, DC. The site contains information on the attacks and how they
have and will affect Asia's peoples and governments. It also provides links
on the suspected terrorists' groups, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the religion of
Islam, reference maps of the area, and much more. [JAB]- From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/...............
Michael P. Sauer's "Attack On America" page for librarians
http://www.bcr.org/~msauers/wtc3.html...............
Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/ata2001_text.pdf...............
War Resisters League - http://www.warresisters.org/
Individuals opposed to military solutions to conflict will find
The War Resisters League (WRL), founded in 1923 to
promote Gandhian nonviolence, a great resource. The site
includes listings of actions and WRL programs promoting
peace and empowerment for the individual opposed to
violence. Current and back issues of Nonviolent Activist
dating through 1996 are also available.From: Librarians' Index to the Internet - http://lii.org/
...............
Urbana Indymedia on Terrorism:
http://urbana.indymedia.org/library/terrorism.html...............
Freedom flees in terror from Sept. 11 disaster
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=14924...............
CENSORSHIP AND THE WAR ON TERRORISM
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/interviews/macarthur.shtml...............
Christopher Hitchens' Nation column and follow-up column
regarding reader response:http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20011008&s=hitchens and
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=hitchens20010924Noam Chomsky's reply to Hitchens:
www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=chomsky20011001And Alexander Cockburn's response:
www.counterpunch.org/acjscworse.html...............
Complete WTC coverage in Counterpunch:
http://www.counterpunch.org/wtcarchive.html"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," by David Grenier, an article which puts
it all in perspective:
http://www.counterpunch.org/grenier.html
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19. Re: Off-topic (Patriotism)
Several people wrote to me regarding my comments about the U.S. Flag and
patriotism, all encouraging me to embrace the flag as a liberal (which is
something I don't generally call myself), to reclaim it as a symbol for the
American values that underly liberalism, so that it will gradually cease to
be a tool of the Right. I understand the thinking behind this and have had
thoughts along these lines before (similarly with God and Morality). I
think it would be a good outcome if members of the Christian Right didn't
feel like they were "more American" than liberals, and the U.S. flag, which
is just the flag of the U.S., ceased to be a threatening symbol to
Americans on the Left, who can claim important parts of American history
going back to the beginning.This line of thinking has, in my opinion, a flaw that prevents me from
really getting behind it. For me, since I was a child, part of being a on
the Left has always been internationalism. I have always seen myself as a
part of something larger than our nation, something that transcends
political boundaries and applies values that also transcend those
boundaries. There are certain values which we could say, as Americans,
that our flag stands for. Democracy is an obvious one. I think that some
other, even deeper ones are Truth, Justice, and Liberty. Isn't it
patriotic to say that these are American values? Who but an anti-American
would say that they are NOT American values? Well, I am pro-American, in
my way, and I think they are in fact universal values. To say that our
flag stands for these values implies - to me at least - that they are
American people's values but not necessarily other people's values. In my
opinion that would be quite chauvanistic.So when a reader writes to me that the U.S. flag is now more than a
conservative symbol but a symbol of being "united against terrorism," I
can't help but look at how that excludes people in other nations, who might
have been more directly affected by the attack than I was, from this unity
against terrorism. Why not the flag of the United Nations?If I prefer to fly the flag of the UN, am I a traitor to the liberal cause
of reclaiming patriotism? Am I less of an American?And that brings me to the core of my reaction to the appearance of the
flag. I simply don't understand it - not on an intellectual level and not
at a gut level. I personally lack an understanding of the patriotic
reaction to what happened. That is the reason I am feeling alienated right
now; and what alienates can seem threatening. I can't condemn the
patriotic reaction, especially when it comes from people who say they agree
with me about peace; but I have to admit that I really don't understand it.
And I don't know where to start in trying to understand it.I also admit that I have to wonder, in my lack of understanding, to what
extent the use of the flag by people on the left is sincere and heartfelt,
and to what extent it is merely politically strategic.Some readers have recommended these articles; I haven't read them yet, but
I will.Short article by Richard Rorty, in his book Philosophy and Social Hope (pp.
252-54), entitled "The Unpatriotic Academy."
(Recommended by Luis Acosta, a reader in Washington, DC)Pamela S. Turner's column "Regarding the flag, again" in the Christian
Science Monitor, September 28, 2001, page 22.
(Recommended by Neil Woodward, a reader in Scottsdale, AZ.)The Renaissance of Anti-Intellectualism
By TODD GITLIN
Chronicle of Higher Ed., December 8, 2000
http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i15/15b00701.htm
(Recommended by Jessamyn West)
A patriotic left?(Observations)
By John Font
_Commentary_, Sept, 1998
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1061/n3_v106/21079033/p1/article.jhtml
(Commentary on the Rorty article, found by me)Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism
By Martha Nussbaum
http://www.phil.uga.edu/faculty/wolf/nussbaum1.htm
(Critiqueing the Rorty article, also found by me)-Rory Litwin
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20. Re: Off-topic (Christianity)
From the responses to the last issue that I received from several people it
is obvious that I need to make a major clarification. I didn't mean to say
that Christians were in favor of war. I did say that most of the people in
favor of war right now are calling themselves Christians. There is a big
difference. I am aware that the peace movement very much has spiritual and
religious roots and has a preponderance of Christians in it. It wasn't my
intention to connect Christianity and warmongering in the way that some
people perceived me to be doing. The suggestion must have been in my tone,
so, I apologize for that.Nevertheless, some of these responses were very interesting. I will copy
three of them here:-------
Re: Library Juice 4:34
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 10:18:44 -0400
From: Garrett Eastman <eastman[at]rowland.org>
To: Rory[at]libr.org>
>I don't know whether you are a Christian or not, Scott, but I think most
>Americans who are calling for war are calling themselves Christian. If
>this isn't proof of their stupidity, I don't know what is.
>
>Alienated in wartime,
>
>Rory Litwin
>Rory,
OK, I sympathize with your viewpoint. And your comments have been
most welcome, last week and this. Regarding the above, however, you
might like to know that many religious leaders and congregants have
called for justice and restraint in the face of the attacks. See for
example the document, "Deny Them Their Victory" (URL:
http://www.sojo.net/response/) whose signatories include members of
the National Council of Churches as well as representatives from
Jewish, Muslim and Interfaith communities. Similarly, the Presiding
Bishop of the Episcopal Church issued a statement "We are Called to
Another Way" (URL: http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/ens/2001-239.html).
At St. Paul's Cathedral in Boston, where I regularly attend, Canon
Rodman preached a sermon about "restorative justice" as opposed to
"retributive justice". You may perceive that the churches may say
one thing, but that the reality in people's hearts is another, that
it is more like Psalm 120, where the psalmist says: "I am for peace.
But when I speak, they are for war." There are lot of us, however,
Christians, Jews, Muslims, and from other faiths who are calling for
restraint. So, please be careful about tarring everyone with the
same vitriolic brush.Best,
Garrett Eastman
-------
Re: Library Juice 4:34
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 09:40:10 -0400
From: Richard Noble <Richard_Noble[at]brown.edu>
To: Rory[at]libr.orgAt 9/26/01 02:08 AM, you wrote:
I don't know whether you are a Christian or not, Scott, but I think most
Americans who are calling for war are calling themselves Christian. If
this isn't proof of their stupidity, I don't know what is.They betray their God as surely as do the most violent Islamic
fundamentalists--indeed, they all worship the same god, whose true name
they seem not to know. Their stupidity begins with depraved indifference to
suffering. One of the utterest stupidities, of course, is loose talk of a
Crusade. The thought of G.W. Bush as Pope, waving the banner of
Christendom, is not edifying.Apart from that, if one of the more articulate Christian responses might
be of interest, have a look athttp://wales.anglican.org/archbishop/0011e.html
Some of this discourse is, of course, addressed only to the faithful as
such, even those of a particular brand of the faith, but it does at least
serve to remind them that this is a hard faith for hard times, or it is
nothing.With thanks for your continuing labors-
RICHARD NOBLE : RARE BOOKS CATALOGER : JOHN HAY LIBRARY : BROWN UNIVERSITY
PROVIDENCE, RI 02912 : 401-863-1187/FAX 863-2093 : RICHARD_NOBLE[at]BROWN.EDU-------
thoughtful responses
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 17:39:51 -0500
From: zimmer[at]griffon.mwsc.edu
To: Rory[at]libr.orgDear Rory,
I read with interest your editorial in LJ 4:33 and the responses and
comments in LJ 4:34. I support your point of view and have been
disappointed in the actions of our leaders. I was surprised by your
off-the-cuff remark to Scott Blake about Christians who are calling for
war. I don't think I have to tell you that just as not all Americans
support the "war on terrorism", not all Christians support an armed
response. I'd like to direct your attention to a really thoughtful essay
written by John Paul Lederach, Professor of Conflict Studies and Sociology
at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA. It's called The
Challenge of Terror: a traveling essay
http://www.mcc.org/peace/info/lederach.html. It's one of the most
well-written responses I've read to the events of Sept. 11 that I've seen yet.Christy
Christy Zimmerman
Information Services Librarian
Missouri Western State College
4525 Downs Drive
St. Joseph, MO 64507
zimmer[at]griffon.mwsc.edu
(816) 271-5803-------
"Editor's Comments"
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 08:58:33 -0500
From: "Phil Runkel" <Phil.Runkel[at]marquette.edu>
To: <Rory[at]libr.org>
Reply to: "Phil Runkel" <Phil.Runkel[at]marquette.edu>Just a note of appreciation for your statement.I thought Dorothy Day's
remarks following Pearl Harbor might be of interest.In an address to the Liberal-Socialist Alliance in New York City on
December 8, 1941, Day referred to the men who perished as"victims, tragic victims, of a blindly mistaken American foreign policy."
She concluded:War is hunger, thirst, blindness, death.
I call upon you to resist it. You young men
should refuse to take up arms. Young women
tear down the patriotic posters. And all of you--
young and old--put away your flags.It is too late for nationalism. It is too late for
war. War is rapine, bloodshed, brutality, death.
It is too late for this. It has always been too late.
Let us make an end of it. War will be no more.(Dorothy Day-Catholic Worker Collection, Series D-5,Box 1, Department of
Special Collections andUniversity Archives, Marquette University
Libraries.) See also the reflections and writings on the Catholic Worker
website ( http://www.catholicworker.org/index.cfm# ).Peace,
Phil Runkel
Assistant Archivist
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Marquette University
1415 W. Wisconsin Ave.
PO Box 3141
Milwaukee, WI 53201-3141
414-288-7256_______________________________________________________________________top
21. The Fourth Turning
By William Strauss and Neil Howe
1997 Broadway Books (now in paperback from Bantam/Doubleday/Dell)When I originally read this book, I was torn between a sense of its
hokeyness (history happens in 80- to 100-year cycles each divided into four
phases, which are given descriptive names) and a sense that it was
incredibly insightful and accurate. Right now it is seeming like the
latter.The book predicted that sometime around now (or more probably, it said, a
little later) our country would leave the "unravelling" phase of the 80's
and 90's, and, galvanized by some catalyzing event, would enter a "crisis"
phase wherein a completely different mood would take over. Trivial
differences would be put aside. People would support their government and
each other. Civil liberties would be compromised and a new conformity
would take hold, in response to the demands of the crisis. The book
predicted, based on past history, that the crisis phase would be a great
challenge for the country, one that would end up reshaping us by the end of
the 20-25 year period that it would begin.The historical "turnings," or quarters of a complete cycle, derive their
character from the character of the generations that are going through the
four phases of life at any given time in a particular culture (hokey, yes,
but interesting). One of the key things that I got from this is the idea
that history has needs that are independent of the events in it (though
these needs also influence events). The event that has galvanized us might
have evoked a much different response at another time.I apologize for sounding so hokey, but I really feel that this book holds
the key to the mystery of what is happening in the U.S. right now.There are brief excerpts from the book on the website, at:
http://www.fourthturning.comThe authors are participating in a reader forum on whether 9/11 was the
event that will catalyze the crisis period, at:
http://www.fourthturning.com/forums/viewforum.php?forum=2&1428
They are taking a relatively conservative tack on whether this event is
precipitating the crisis phase.
_______________________________________________________________________top
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