Newsweek

Celebration, As This “Progressive Professor” Blog Reaches Its 6,000th Posting, After Nearly Ten Years!

Ronald 6 Comments

Today, June 8, 2018 is a day to celebrate, as this posting you are now reading is the 6,000th posting since the author began this expression of his beliefs and of important historical and political events nearly ten years ago.

In two months and three days (August 11), it will be exactly ten years since my son, David Feinman, knowing my strong knowledge of history, and passion for politics, suggested that I start a blog.

Now, nearly ten years later, my blog not only includes the 6,000 postings, but also many intelligent and contributory comments by my readers and supporters.

It also includes a wide variety of web sites on the right side, as well as all of my History News Network articles, and those reproduced on Time and Newsweek, as well as articles on The Hill website.

Additionally, my C Span events on my Assassinations book, and a wide multitude of radio appearances are included, especially those on WWGH 107.1 FM, Marion, Ohio, over the past year, as well as others on Blog Talk Radio and other sites, and also relevant newspaper articles, and several videos of lectures on Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson at Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning in Jupiter, Florida.

This has been a fascinating and enriching nearly ten years, and I hope to continue to do this blog for many more years.

And I invite all of my readers to continue to contribute their comments and ideas, as they add a lot to this blog!

Eight Months Of Donald Trump: Destabilization Of Domestic And Foreign Policy

Ronald 3 Comments

Today marks eight months of the Donald Trump Presidency, eight months of destabilization of domestic and foreign policy.

One wonders how much more of this America and the world can stand.

The good news is that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is steaming ahead in his investigation of the Trump scandals, including Russian collusion, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.

Mueller has his sights on Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, and has gained a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) wiretapping order that indicates evidence that can be used against many Trump associates and the President and family members as well.

This author published an article in February on HNN, picked up by Newsweek, that went viral, stating the belief that Trump would leave office between the James A. Garfield assassination death after 199 days and the Zachary Taylor natural cause of death after 492 days, which is matched on May 27, 2018.

Now this author would change the date to predict that by the Ides of March (March 15), the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, that we will see Trump leaving office, which would be 419 days.

The clock is definitely ticking for Donald Trump, but meanwhile, there is great concern that Trump could launch a nuclear attack or declare martial law, and it is essential for the military people around Trump–John Kelly, H. R. Mcmaster, and James Mattis–to work to prevent such actions as the investigation continues toward resolution.

Notice To My Followers: All Of My Interviews And Articles Are Found On Right Side Of The Blog!

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Having just come off two radio interviews this week, one about my Assassinations book, and one on the Trump Presidency, I wanted to make sure my readers and followers are aware that all of my interviews and published articles are on the right side of the blog.

The most recent interview today on the Trump Presidency will be up in the next few days, and I have been fortunate enough to have found a few media outlets that have given me the opportunity to be on their shows multiple times, which I greatly appreciate.

I will continue to have interviews, and plan over time to have more articles, with 66 on History News Network in the past 18 months, and reprints on Time and Newsweek of some of these articles.

I greatly appreciate those who follow me and pay attention to these great opportunities I am blessed with, to share my views, along with my work on the blog itself!

I am also on Facebook and Twitter–under my name and the blog name and Assassinations name on Facebook,and under polithist on Twitter, so feel free to follow me and become a “friend” on Facebook.

Thank you very much!

A Half Century Since The Six Day War Of Israel Against Arab Nations In 1967

Ronald 6 Comments

It is now a half century since the Six Day Arab-israeli War of June 5-10, 1967.

Israel was able to overcome Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and gain control of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Desert, and the Golan Heights.

Israel has had to engage in war since, and lost territory to Egypt in the 18 day Yom Kippur war in October 1973.

It has also had to engage in conflict with the Palestinians and their engagement in terrorism and warfare over the past half century, with the creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) after the Six Day War.

The Sinai Desert, the Gaza Strip, and parts of the West Bank have been returned, but much of the West Bank, along with the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem remain under Israeli control, and the tensions in the area remain high.

This author wrote a study of the US-Israeli relationship from Harry Truman to Donald Trump, worthy of your attention, with the publication recently on History News Network, and then republished by Newsweek, and both versions are on the right side of my blog.

News Media, With All Their Shortcomings, Preserve Freedom And Democracy In Age Of Donald Trump Presidency

Ronald 5 Comments

The news media had been, justifiably, criticized at helping Donald Trump to become President, through their focus on the faults and shortcomings of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election campaign.

Particularly the electronic media, the cable channels, have been attacked for giving Donald Trump a forum through phone calls and attention to his rallies, which helped him to stage an upset victory.

With the truth of those accusations, it is also reality that it is the news media, called the “enemy of the American people” by Donald Trump, which is preserving freedom and democracy in America, as they expose the corruption, scandals, and truth about Donald Trump and his administration.

Attack the news media all you want, but without it, we would not have learned about Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions, or anyone else around Trump, along with his own hypocrisies.

It is the news media that helped to bring down Richard Nixon, particularly the Washington Post, and it is the news media, led by the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and others that will eventually bring down Donald Trump.

This author got some notoriety for his article, available on this blog on the right from February 15 on HNN and reprinted on Newsweek on February 19, and a TV Interview on CTV News Channel in Canada on February 16; and radio interviews on the John Gaunt Show in Great Britain on February 17 and WWGH in Marion, Ohio with Scott Spears on February 22. I made the assertion that Trump would be out of office either before 199 days of James A. Garfield, or possibly as long as 392 days of Zachary Taylor, and that belief still is strongly held by this blogger.

This is not a happy assertion, as Mike Pence, while not mentally unhinged as Donald Trump is, has a greater agenda to promote Christianity and extremist right wing views, so the Trump Presidency, whether Trump remains in office or not, is a dangerous turning point to the extreme right, unseen since the 1920s.

The Rapid Demise Of Print Journalism: Something To Mourn!

Ronald 1 Comment

As one who grew up a great fan of print journalism, what is happening in the present time is a great moment of depression.

US News and World Report and Newsweek as print weekly magazines are gone.

The Boston Globe, bought by the NY Times for $1.1 billion twenty years ago, has now been sold by the Times to John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, for $70 million, a fire sale at 93 percent discount!

The Washington Post, in the Graham family for generations, has been sold to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, for $250 million, when it was worth much more than the Boston Globe twenty years ago.

Print Journalism is in rapid decline, and newspapers, as we knew it, will never be the same, and that is a loss for journalism and for the American people.

The New York Times, the Washington Post, and so many other newspapers now can only survive with online commitments, by this author and millions of others.

Print Journalism played such an important role in American history, and its decline is, in many ways, a sign of the cultural decline of America, in an era where there is no cooperation, no crossing the aisle to do what is good for the American people!

Journalism has become an industry without a future, as the commitment to excellence has been replaced by the commitment to profit alone, so entertainment, rather than information, has become the major goal of online and television journalism!

This is all very sad and to be mourned over!

The Death Of Newsweek At Age 80 As A Print Periodical: A Sign Of The Times!

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The announcement by the publishers of NEWSWEEK Magazine that it would stop print publication and only be available on line in 2013 and after is a sad commentary on the changes in journalism, with the rapid decline of print and the rise of electronic journalism as the answer for the future.

NEWSWEEK dies as a print publication on December 31, 2012, at the age of 80, having started publication in the worst year of the Great Depression, 1933, the first year of the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It became a major competitor of TIME Magazine and US News and World Report, and now only TIME will survive as a print periodical, with no serious competition in the general news magazine market, on the news stands or by subscription.

Whenever any print journalism source dies, it is a loss to journalism, and sadly will add to the unemployment rolls!

While still on line, the world will never be the same once NEWSWEEK leaves us in print. It contributed a great deal to public discourse about important news events, and stirred intellectual debate. Overall, a very sad development!

Hillary Clinton At Women In The World Summit: Women Must Not Let Men Control Their Destiny!

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a passionate address at the Women In The World Summit in New York City this weekend, an event hosted by Newsweek and the Daily Beast.

Prominent, as well as not so prominent, women attended, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actresses Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Barbara and Jenna Bush, Chelsea Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and many foreign women who are fighting for women’s rights all over the world.

Hillary Clinton was highly critical of the idea that men all over the world seem to feel that they have a right to control what women do with their bodies, how they dress, what they advocate, and their ambitions to accomplish their goals for themselves and other women.

This was a sharp rejoinder to evangelical Christian and Catholic leadership, and conservative and Republican leadership in Congress, the state legislatures, and on talk radio and Fox News Channel, who have worked to push women’s rights in reverse with recent statements and actions.

These attempts at curbing women’s rights are doomed to failure, as women en masse will react against attempts to return women in America to the concept of women a century ago, and even as recently as the past 50 years.

A key goal is winning more seats in Congress, so as to have a greater impact on legislation and the agenda of the future!

Americans Cannot Pass Citizenship Tests, But Are Critical Of Immigrants Who CAN Pass Citizenship Tests!

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Many Americans are quick to be nativists, to believe that America should only be for Americans, meaning that we should not allow immigrants into our country, as they, supposedly, cannot be Americanized.

But while many Americans have these prejudiced, often racist, attitudes, many Americans cannot pass a basic citizenship test that immigrants MUST pass to become citizens!

Quick to judge others, these bigots are not informed enough about their own country, but seem to think it is perfectly alright to be ignorant, simply by the fact that they were born in this country!

Imagine if we were to say that if you do not know the history and government of the country in which you were born, that you should lose your citizenship rights, as a basic part of citizenship should be to have an intelligent understanding of the heritage and traditions of your homeland!

Before any citizen should be judging immigrants, better to look in the mirror and improve oneself! And doing so would also improve ability to vote intelligently and understand the issues that government must deal with every day, rather than simply being ignorant and apathetic, as if they are birthrights!

Newsweek and The Daily Beast polled 1,000 Americans on ten random questions from the 100 that make up the list of questions of the US Citizenship test given to immigrants applying for citizenship.

38 percent failed to gain even six correct out of the random ten questions!

29 percent could not name Joe Biden as Vice President of the United States!

73 percent did not understand the concept of the Cold War as a half century conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union!

44 percent did not know that the first ten amendments to the Constitution are the Bill of Rights, our basic civil liberties that very few nations possess!

Six percent did not know that July 4 is Independence Day, absolutely unbelievable!

The knowledge of international affairs is absolutely abysmal, but realize that many Republicans act as if the United States is so wonderful and special that it cannot learn anything from “old Europe” or any other parts of the world!

What causes this tragedy about lack of knowledge of the government and history of America? Among the crucial factors are a very inequitable and inadequate education system; and the extreme inequities of wealth, with the top 400 households having more money than the bottom 60 percent combined!

We have a small percentage of Americans who are very tuned in and understand government and history, while a very large number of Americans have no clue at all! This is a danger to American democracy, as education enlightens us, and ignorance breeds further ignorance!

Dick Cheney: Suddenly Quiet On The Oil Disaster In The Gulf of Mexico! :(

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Former Vice President Dick Cheney, already a divisive figure, who has had no trouble being critical of the Obama Administration on the issue of national security, has been strangely silent on the BP Oil Spill Disaster, as Newsweek Magazine points out!

Cheney has had connections with Halliburton in the past, being its Chairman and CEO from 1995-2000, and Halliburton was involved in the work leading up to this oil rig disaster! He is reported to be working with the oil industry to undermine those who want to hold BP totally responsible for the spill disaster in the Gulf! After all, Cheney in the past has claimed that the national debt is not an important issue, so what the heck–let the American people pay the costs of the cleanup is the apparent thought in his head! 🙁

It is the Bush-Cheney energy policy that helped to lead to the lack of regulation in the oil industry, which has created the atmosphere that permitted the kind of abuses that are now the greatest environmental disaster in the history of the United States! 🙁

Cheney seems not to care about an issue that in many ways undermines our national security, by its undermining of the Gulf economy and the sensitive environmental issues in the area, which will undermine the future of the Gulf States long term, not only short term! 🙁

Apparently, if it does not affect him personally in a financial sense, or is not a plus politically for him to get involved in commenting on it, Dick Cheney chooses to ignore the subject by his silence! 🙁

What happened to his well noted “patriotism”, which should make him furious over this disaster? It is obvious that Dick Cheney is totally self serving, and a crook and a despicable public figure who deserves the wrath of the American people! 🙁