As I watch this disaster unfold, I keep comparing how the news frames the San Diego 2007 Firestorm in contrast to how they framed New Orlean's Hurrican Katrina. Race and class are at the heart of the comparisons. So much of this sounds different when you are talking about SD's primarily Caucasian middle-upper class communities being affected by the fire - whereas in new Orleans it was primarily poor black people stranded in the hurricane.

For example - in New Orleans, helicopters didn't rescue all the black people on their roofs, supposedly because they were hearing "gun shots." I remember the reaction from the news and online community was that those who didn't listen to the mandatory evacuation were complete "idiots" or people trying to defy the law- essentially those stupid poor blacks folks. In San Diego - firefighters can't fight the fires because of the winds and they are also busy doing emergency rescues on people who didnt' listen to the mandatory evacuation. HOWEVER - the news frames these people in a more sympathetic light - by saying well you can understand why these people are so attached to their beautiful homes they own because of all the hard work they've put into it and even though they should have listened we understand the pain they are - essentially we are sympathetic to middle-upper class folks for staying behind in the face of a fire if they are protecting their houses. White people again are reinforced as hard-working even when they FAIL to evacuate while black are framed as lazy for not evacuating.

Remember how the media said black folks were raping, murdering and eating each other in the New Orleans Superdome? Now the media in San Diego frames the 10,000 primarily white middle-upper class folks from North County in the Qualcom Stadium as peacefully sharing oral stories about their homes, eating home-baked brownies dropped off by sympathetic volunteers, and getting massages by compassionate massage therapist volunteers!!!! And please notice the headline of the article by ABC about those who are giving massages, "CIVILITY REIGNS IN SAN DIEGO," as if the opposite - UNCIVILITY - reigns in other places, and SD is exceptional in its politeness. CIVILITY refers so much to those who are CIVILIZED. This implies that the situation in Qualcomm stadium is totally different from the situation it the Superdome, where the black evacuees were supposedly chaotic, unpolite, violent, sweaty, dirty and smelly - and where the Black Evacuees were called REFUGEES. So at least San Diego has learned so much from Katrina - they are taking the names of people who come in, and they are not referring to them non-US citizens.

I have to admit that I am so upset right now that I am having a hard time deconstructing this headline - so if anyone wants to write more about this please do - and I will link to you.

I know the situations are completely different and do not stand for a sound comparison - but it is worth thinking about how the news frames disasters depending on the class of the community. For a reminder at how much race and class does matter in media discourse- here's a photo where I examined from the Hurrican Katrina and how the news framed a black man wading in water as "looting" while they framed a white man wading in water as "finding" floating goods.

I am so mad that the city I live in is filled with so much sweet words of prejudice. Not that this doesn't happen everyday everywhere - but it's just really intense when your city is burning down and there is so much racial and class politics in the media. As Raquel has written - the whole South side of San Diego county is burning down (middle-low income, racially and ethnically mixed and 10-5 miles from Mexico,), but it doesn't compare in press coverage time to North County of San Diego - where all the super-rich super-luxury mansions are loacted. It's where people, like this person, goes to escape to their 2nd home or to their friend's hotel or book a room at the Aviara for $350 a night with sculpted flamingos and golf courses. You can read my other thoughts about the National news coverage of SD fires here, distortion of wildfires here, emphasis of LA over SD here, and what a Sociologist would do during a fire here. this photo was taken by ABC News and was part of this story.

You can read my other thoughts about the racial class politics of San Diego fires here, National news coverage of SD fires here, distortion of wildfires here, emphasis of LA over SD here, and what a Sociologist would do during a fire here. this was photo overlay was created by tim

www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3763498http://www.thes...

One problem with having a loud meeting in a public venue.

pictures from: www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3763498

As I watch this disaster unfold, I keep comparing how the news frames the San Diego 2007 Firestorm in contrast to how they framed New Orlean's Hurrican Katrina. Race and class are at the heart of the comparisons. So much of this sounds different when you are talking about SD's primarily Caucasian middle-upper class communities being affected by the fire - whereas in new Orleans it was primarily poor black people stranded in the hurricane.

we can see many differences just by comparing how the media and government talks about the evacuees who stayed behind despite a mandatory evacuation. In New Orleans, helicopters didn't rescue all the black people on their roofs, supposedly because they were hearing "gun shots." I remember the reaction from the news and online community was that those who didn't listen to the mandatory evacuation were complete "idiots" or people trying to defy the law- essentially those stupid poor blacks folks. In San Diego - firefighters can't focus their resources on fighting the fires because of the winds and because they are also busy doing emergency rescues on people who didnt' listen to the mandatory evacuation. HOWEVER - the news frames these people in a more sympathetic light - by saying well you can understand why these people are so attached to their beautiful homes they own because of all the hard work they've put into it and even though they should have listened we understand the pain they are - essentially we are sympathetic to middle-upper class folks for staying behind in the face of a fire if they are protecting their houses. White people again are reinforced as HARD-WORKING and PERSISTENT even when they FAIL to evacuate while blacks are framed as LAZY and UNOBEDIENT for not evacuating.

Eemember how the media said black folks were raping, murdering and eating each other in the New Orleans Superdome? Now the media in San Diego frames the 10,000 primarily white middle-upper class folks from North County in the Qualcom Stadium as peacefully sharing oral stories about their homes and eating home-baked brownies dropped off by sympathetic volunteers, and getting massages by compassionate massage therapist volunteers!!!! And please notice the headline of the article by ABC about those who are giving massages, "CIVILITY REIGNS IN SAN DIEGO," as if the opposite - UNCIVILITY - reigns in other places, and SD is exceptional in its politeness. CIVILITY refers so much to those who are CIVILIZED. This implies that the situation in Qualcomm stadium is totally different from the situation it the Superdome, where the black evacuees were supposedly chaotic, unpolite, violent, sweaty, dirty and smelly - and where the Black Evacuees were called REFUGEES. So at least San Diego has learned so much from Katrina - they are taking the names of people who come in, and they are not referring to them non-US citizens. We have no white refugees in San Diego- truly they are first-class civilized citizens!

I have to admit that I am so upset right now that I am having a hard time deconstructing this headline - so if anyone wants to write more about this please do - and I will link to you.

I know the situations (Katrina and Southern California Wildfires) are completely different and do not stand for a sound comparison, but a comparison in media representation is worthwhile and reveals how the class and race of community matter. For a reminder at how much race and class does matter in media discourse- here's a photo where I examined from the Hurrican Katrina and how the news framed a black man wading in water as "looting" while they framed a white man wading in water as "finding" floating goods.

I am so mad that the city I live in is filled with so much sweet words of prejudice. Not that this doesn't happen everyday everywhere - but it's just really intense when your city is burning down and there is so much racial and class politics in the media. As Raquel has written - the whole South side of San Diego county is burning down, but it doesn't compare in press coverage time to North County of San Diego - where all the super-rich super-luxury mansions are loacted. It's where people, like this person, goes to escape their 2nd home or to their friend's hotel or book a room at the Aviara for $350 a night with sculpted flamingos and golf courses. South County is more middle-low income, racially and ethnically mixed and 10-5 miles from Mexico. You can read my other thoughts about the National news coverage of SD fires here, distortion of wildfires here, emphasis of LA over SD here, and what a Sociologist would do during a fire here. this photo was taken by ABC News and was part of this story.

UPDATE: NPR just did a piece on how bloggers are either comparing or arguing against a comparison of Katrina vs.Southern Ca. Wildfires. They link to many other excellent blog posts that do some great comparisons.

You can read my other thoughts about the racial class politics of San Diego fires here, National news coverage of SD fires here, distortion of wildfires here, emphasis of LA over SD here, and what a Sociologist would do during a fire here. this was photo overlay was created by tim

www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3763498http://www.thes...

Hosted by The Village Square with guest Arthur Brooks, author of "Strength to Strength" and facilitated by Sally Bradshaw, owner of Midtown Reader.

March 8th, 2022

St. John's Episcopal Church

Tallahassee, FL

To learn more about The Village Square: tlh.villagesquare.us/event/happiness/

(Photos: Bob Howard)

(to see further pictures and read other information please go to the end of page!)

Flaktowers

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

The Vienna flak towers are six large, of reinforced concrete erected defensive and protective structures in Vienna, which were built in the years 1942-1945 as giant bomb shelters with fitted anti-aircraft guns and fire control. The architect of the flak towers was Friedrich Tamms (1904-1980).

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Image: Terrace of the flak tower in Arenbergpark

The system of the Vienna flak towers consists as a whole of six buildings, three turrets, each with a Feuerleitturm (fire-control tower). The three bunker pairs are arranged in a triangle in the approximate middle of which the Stephansdom is situated. The towers are of different heights, but their upper platforms are in exactly the same altitude, so that an overall coordination of air defense was possible. The maximum operating radius of the four main guns (12.8 cm twin) of each tower was under ideal conditions 20 km. The smaller platforms of combat and fire-control towers were provided for 2 cm anti-aircraft guns, but they were never used in Vienna. In addition to its military crew the flak towers in Vienna served as makeshift hospitals, housed radio stations and partly war-relevant technical companies and offered on a large scale air raid shelters for the population.

Flakturm Augarten

Picture: Flakturm, Augarten

After the war, the Red Army undertook blasting tests in Gefechtsturm (flak tower with battle platform) Augarten, but a removal of the towers failed because of the proximity to residential areas. Nowadays, a removal of the towers would be possible, but now existing only an official decision as to the two anti-aircraft towers in Augarten from 5 April 2000 (GZ 39.086/2/2000) because all six buildings ex lege have been put under monument protection. Today, the towers are partially owned by the City of Vienna and partly owned by the Republic of Austria. There were repeatedly attempts to rebuild the flak towers and make it usable. The ideas range from depot for important backup data to a café or hotel.

Planning

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark - Notstiege (Emergency flight of stairs)

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Elevator shaft to the left, original instructions for lift usage right

After the battles of World War II also spread more and more to Vienna, Adolf Hitler ordered on 9 September 1942 the construction of flak towers in Vienna. The Air Force leadership provided for this purpose as building sites the Schmelz (Vienna), the Prater and Floridsdorf but Hitler rejected these places since the city center would not have been adequately protected because of the large distances. After discussions with Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) Baldur von Schirach, the final locations were determined. Instead of the Augarten, however, was initially the Roßauer barracks under discussion. The decisive factor for the choice of the places were on the one hand, the easy availability of the building ground and on the other hand the possibility to establish railway connections. The plan provided after the victorious end of the war to disguise the flak towers with marble and devote them as monuments to the fallen German soldiers. As with all the flak towers Friedrich Tamms was responsible for the planning, he was represented in Vienna by Anton Ruschitzka, construction management held Franz Fuhrmann from Vienna's city building department. The military leadership rested with Major Wimberger, which, however, had no mission staff. The material procurement was carried out by the Organisation Todt.

Construction

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Emergency Exit Photo: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

With the construction of the flak towers the companies Philipp Holzmann and Gottlieb Tesch were commissioned, smaller firms being integrated via joint ventures. Since the availability of local workers due to conscription declined steadily, more and more prisoners of war, foreign and forced laborers were used in the course of the war. Cement was delivered primarily from Mannersdorf at Leithagebirge, to a lesser extent from Rodaun (situated in the outskirts of Vienna). The gravel stemmed from the gravel pits Padlesak in Felixdorf and Gustav Haager at Heidfeld at the Bratislava railway (Pressburger Bahn), about in the area of ​​today's airport Wien-Schwechat. Sand was delivered in ships over the Danube Canal, which is why in the area of Weißgerberlände sand silos of the United Baustoffwerke AG were built. In this area was already in 1918 a feeder track of the tram through the Drorygasse. Although this was already in 1925 shut down it was restored in 1941 and enlarged in the following year after the construction of a new silo to two tracks. For the then due to the excavation of the foundations coming up overburden, at the Kratochwijlestraße (then Weissenbachstraße) in 22 District was created a landfill, which also got a tram connection.

This report is based on an article in the

WIKIPEDIA - The Free Encyclopedia

and is licensed under the GNU license

Free Documentation Creative Commons CC -BY- SA 3.0 Unported.

On Wikipedia there is List of the authors Available .

de.wikipedia.org

The monstrous remnants of the "Third Reich"

District II (Leopoldstadt), anti-aircraft towers in the Augarten, tram line 31 from metro station Scots ring/Schottenring (U2, U4).

On 15 March 1938 gathered some 200 000 Wiener (Viennese people) on Heldenplatz in order to celebrate the "Anschluss" of Austria to the so-called fatherland Germany, something, since the end of the first World War I many had been longing for. Adolf Hitler himself appeared on the balcony of the Neue Burg and announced: "As leader and Chancellor of the German nation and the Reich I report before story now the entry of my home in the German Reich". Then he boarded a plane back to Germany, the rest, as they say, is history. A few years later the magnificent Heroes Square (Heldenplatz) was dug up to plant vegetables there, they needed food for the distraught people who suffered the privations in Hitler's zusammenbrechendem (breaking down) "millennial Reich".

Right: Gefechtsturm in the Augarten

In Leopoldstadt

Below: The Leitturm (control tower) in Arenbergpark

In III. District highway (Landstraße).

The already existing and sometimes bombastic Viennese architecture the occupiers seems to have pleased, no major buildings were added during their reign. On 9 September 1942, however, Hitler decreed that the city center of Vienna like in Berlin and Hamburg should be protected by some huge flak towers, three pairs should form a defensive triangle, St. Stephen's Cathedral was the center. 1943/44, the German troops began the construction of two flak towers in the Augarten and defaced in this way Austria's oldest still existing and in 1712 laid out baroque garden. Another pair of flak towers emerged in Arenberg Park in III. District (Landstraße), a third near the Mariahilferstraße (in Esterházypark and in the courtyard of the barracks Stiftskaserne) in the VI. resp. VII. District (Mariahilf/Neubau). The towers have been made of almost indestructible, 2.5 to 3.5 meters thick reinforced concrete and were self-sufficient, and they possessed their own water and power supply, first aid station and air filters if it should come to a gas attack. Each pair of flak towers contained a big, provided with a heavy gun flak tower and a smaller control tower for communication. The first is either a square tower in the style of a fortress, like the one in the Arenbergpark (neunstöckig - nine storeys), 41.6 meters high, 57 meters in diameter) or a round tower, in fact, sixteen -sided, as in the Augarten Park and the yard of the Stiftskaserne Barracks (zwölfstöckig - twelve storeys, 50.6 meters high, 43 meters in diameter). The heaviest artillery gun (105-128 mm) was standing on the roof, on the projecting balconies below there were lighter guns (20 to 30 millimeters). The Leittürme, from which the air defense was coordinated, were all rectangular (neunstöckig - nine storeys, 39 to 51.4 meters high, 24 to 39 feet long) and equipped with a lighter gun, they possessed communication devices and searchlights on the roof. Toward the of the war the towers only just were functional. They also served as air-raid shelter for the people in the area and each tower had space for 30 000 people. In the event that the war ended with a victory, the architect, the builder of the Reichsautobahn Friedrich Tamms, already had prepared designs to dress up the towers with black marble plates in which the names of the dead German soldiers should be engraved in gold letters. So the towers would also have been victory and war memorials (and thus in a strange way similar to the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna or the Castel de Monte in Apulia).

In the bureau of an architect of Berlin were even found plans to demolish the Jewish Quarter in the Leopoldstadt and to build a huge Nazi forum. Today, however, there is in Leopoldstadt again a thriving Jewish life and the flak towers are frozen monuments to the darkest times of Viennese history (in fact, the Russians tried to destroy the tower in Augarten with dynamite, which later on was mistaken for the vandalism of a few schoolboys, by mistake a forgotten weapon depot setting on fire).

In a famous quote Hitler Vienna compared with a pearl, which he wanted to give a socket. Towards the end of war, however, this socket only consisted of bombed-out buildings and abandoned flak towers, silent witnesses of the delusion of their builder. As a result, only the Leitturm was used in Esterhazy Park, and today in it the house of the sea (Zoo - Haus des Meeres) is accommodated. Outside there is a climbing wall with 25 different routes, and the vertical wall and the projecting balconies give a perfect imitation of an overhanging cliff of 34 meters of height. A conservatory (or biotope) with a miniature rain forest along with monkeys and birds has been added on one side; it is entered through a door that only with difficulty could be broken in the two and a half meters thick reinforced concrete, but this also ensures a uniform temperature for aquariums and vivariums in the tower.

The stable temperatures also have the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) brought to take advantage of the flak tower in Arenberg Park as a magazine and occasional exhibition space; in the meantime it is known as Contemporary Art Tower (CAT).

A former air-raid shelter at the base of the Leitturm in Esterhazy Park now contains the Museum of Medieval legal history: the history of torture

Excerpts from

Duncan J. D. Smith; Only in Vienna

A travelling guide to strange places, secret places and hidden attractions

Translated from English by Brigitte Hilzensauer

Photographs by Duncan JD Smith

"The streets of Vienna are paved with culture, the streets of other cities with asphalt". Karl Kraus (1874-1936)

Vienna is certainly one of the greatest and also the most homogeneous capitals in Europe. And it is one of the most fascinating. The overabundance of travel guides that are out there to buy, presents the not too demanding visitor a magical (and easily accessible) abundance of museums, churches, palaces and culinary venues, and they recount the history of the city since the times of the Romans over those of the Habsburg Empire to the present.

Courtesy

Christian Brandstätter Verlag mbH

The publishing service for museums, businesses and public authorities

www.brandstaetter - verlag.at

Total, totalitarian, dead

Picture: Flak tower in 1943 /44, Augarten

At the zero point of the knowledge about the progress of the world stands since 11 September 2001 "Ground Zero". The debris field of the World Trade Center was used as a metaphor, which for its part marks a zero point. "Ground Zero" is called the area that lies in the center of a nuclear explosion. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki this area has been explored, the experiments that began with Albert Einstein's warning of a nuclear policy of Nazi Germany, were successful beyond measure. The name for the nuclear program, "Manhattan Project". With the beginning of the new millennium "Ground Zero" is real returned to where it had once taken its nominal starting point. The skyscraper obviously is able to stimulate the imagination of physicists, ballistics and aeronauts. In the skyscraper the obsessions of the 20th century are concentrated, self-sufficiency and utopia become one in the sky billowing tower. It is the exalted and the sublime. It provides a beacon, of the construction as well as of the destruction.

As the World Trade Center each of the Viennese "flak towers" come along as pairs: One serves as control tower, the other as a flak tower. The central component is the platform, it was needed in high altitudes in order to have a clear field of fire over the city. The tower architecture, which thereby became necessary, one used for bunker systems, no fewer than 40,000 people should here find shelter. For other facilities there was also space: the Gaupropagandaleitung (Regional propaganda direction) for example, the radio station, a munitions factory. At three locations in the city - the triangle that they abzirkelten (encircled), took in Vienna's historic center - in the years 1943/44 had established an own self-contained world, with it corresponded an outside, the world of total war. The flak towers gave this world the architectural icon.

On 14 February 1943, the British Air Force had carpet bombings on German cities announced after it adversary those commitments to civility, just in war of some validity, namely to protect non- military targets, long ago had abandoned. It was a strategy that should give World War II a decisive turn. The Germans had their production concentrated on weapons with immediate penetrating power, especially on fighter planes and tanks. The Allies, however, swore on sustainability, on long-range bombers that now more and more were used. Against such so-called "flying fortresses" should prepare the city's flak towers.

On 18 February 1943 already, the Nazi regime had reacted propagandistically. Joseph Goebbels delivered in the Sportpalast (Sports Palace) those infamous speech in which an unleashed crowd at the top of its voice loud the hysterical question "Do you want total war?" applauded. From then on, the action would no longer overridingly occur on the fronts. Now, as Goebbels put it, the "phalanx of the homeland" was at stake. The war would be carried to the cities. In their midst, in the urban milieu that would now lose all nonchalance and any worth of life. Also, and just that is what the flak towers stand for: their comfort is the security wing, their promise the ammunition depot. They guarantee offensive and defensive in one. In this hard as reinforced concrete alignment, imagined the regime each of every Volksgenossen (member of the German nation).

The flak towers are the architecture of total war par excellence: monumental exclamation marks for military preparedness, towering icons of the resistiveness, uniform archetypes of a technical, an instrumental progress, to which the Nazi state with due atavism was always committed. Furthermore, comes to some extent the domestic political effect: The flak towers are citadels against the own population, reduits in the face of a psychological and social situation, which solely by forced violence, by martial law and concentration camps could be overmastered.

The prototype of the flak towers built up in Berlin, as well as their principle was conceived in the capital, especially by Albert Speer, the Minister for the war economy. But as a kind of urban identification mark they stand in Vienna, and also for this the logic of total war can be used. It is the logic of destruction, the so-called "Nero-command", which after Hitler's disposal would have provided the destruction of all remaining infrastructure in the German Reich. It is the logic of a perverted Darwinism, which would have applied the dictum of unworthy life in the moment of defeat on the own population.

In one of his table talks in May 1942, Hitler blustered about the "huge task to break ... the supremacy of Vienna in the cultural field ...". The hatred toward the city of his youth was notorious, and one may assume that the flak towers, whose placement the "Führer" personally ordered, the enemy, in a manner of speaking, definitely should stake out a target area. Because naturally, the towers would increasingly attract attacks on themselves. But they have the war unscathed as hardly another building survived. That they are standing for the long shot, the totalitarism this very day is clear. To eliminate them, would mean to turn the city with them in rubble.

www.wien-vienna.at/index.php?ID=1236

All Bollocksed Up?

America + The World In the Age of Trump + Brexit

A Conversation With

Dr. Justin Gest

Author of "The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of Immigration and Inequality"

Hosted by The Village Square

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

St. John's Episcopal Church

Tallahassee, Florida

Fore more details and the program audio recording: tlh.villagesquare.us/event/post-brexit/

Would You Say That to My Face? And Other Questions of Online Citizenship. As technology increasingly shapes and informs how we interact with each other online, how can we foster positive communication through social media, and how we can encourage people to make good choices about the information they share? What does it mean to be a good digital citizen, and what impact does our online presence have on our off-line reputation? How and why do our online and offline personas differ? Could our online personas benefit from more deliberate thought about how we portray ourselves and interact with others? What role, if any, should civility play in our online personas? Hear a panel of national experts discuss these issues, and learn how social media users of all ages can cultivate and demonstrate digital civility, appropriate communication, and personal responsibility when using social media platforms. A Choose Civility event.

Our panel of experts includes Denise Lisi DeRosa, Tech Parenting Expert and Consultant; Professor Andrew Reiner, Towson University, and Dr. Mike Ribble, Digital Citizenship expert. Moderated by NPR's Korva Coleman.

December 6, 2019 – Senior Andrew Pregnall with his Aspirations for Student Learning award for Civility. Members of Virginia Tech's Student Affairs departments, along with students and other members of the university, gathered for the Self-Understanding and Integrity themed Aspire! Awards breakfast on Friday in Owens Ballroom. (Photo by Christina Franusich/Virginia Tech)

An interactive conversation with Lisa Gray, Associate Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion within Campus Life at UMBC and Debby Irving, racial justice educator and acclaimed author of Waking Up White.

The Longest Table 2019 held at Howard Community College.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, waits for the applause to end before making his speech during the Presidential Memorial Service. (PSR News Photo, by Robert Cunningham, 01/12/2011)

Will SOTU live up to Tucson’s ideals?

By: Jason Hayes, PSR News (1/25/2011)

Tonight at 9pm eastern, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union address. While much of his address will focus on plans for new spending, job creation, and innovation, expectations are that at least some portion of the discussion will also need to repeat his recent calls for healing and rebuilding.

While speaking at the memorial service for Tucson shooting victims, on January 12th at the University of Arizona’s McKale Center, the President noted how political discourse in the country has become sharply polarized. He discussed how, as a nation, we have become far too eager to lay the blame for perceived problems at the feet of those who think different than we do. He also stated that decision makers must begin to talk in a way that “heals” & not in a way that wounds

For President Obama, Tuesday’s State of the Union offers a key opportunity. It represents a moment where the President can move forward on his calls for cooperative effort and decreased rancor.

Before he opens his mouth, however, he has already set a difficult road to follow. His unprecedented 2010 State of the Union rebuke of the Supreme Court, for a ruling that struck down corporate political spending limits, was viewed across the country as a partisan slight against the ostensibly apolitical judiciary. The immediate and loud applause from some members of Congress following that comment only served to heighten the apparent, unfriendly rift between the various branches of government.

Early reports this week had suggested that, in response to last year’s slight, Supreme Court Justices might sit out the State of the Union Address. Later reports are suggesting that as many as six of the nine justices still plan to attend. Whether they attend or sit out, citizens, pundits, and politicos around the country will be watching carefully to see if the President will mirror last year’s words, or return to the healing language and the kinder, gentler nation he passionately argued for in Tucson.

Media responses to the President’s Tucson address indicate it is possible for at least a momentary reprise from the reflexive partisan jousting. Well known conservative commentator, Charles Krauthammer’s response to the Tucson address was nothing if not charitable. Mr. Obama, he noted, had made it clear that “unknowable evil” motivated the Tucson shooter. Therefore, attempts by both sides of the political divide to assign blame for the murders were effectively “over.” He praised the President’s words, described his recent “political rebound,” and argued how the emphasis on the innocence of a child was “remarkable and extremely effective.” Later, he described the President’s Tucson address as “extremely successful.” In the same discussion, noted media representative, Britt Hume stated that the President could not help but benefit from the Tucson speech because he “behaved, as some partisans have not, with considerable dignity and grace.”

In contrast, well-known Clinton administration insider and progressive commentator, David Gergen, commented in television interviews and blog postings that he had found Obama’s memorial service move back to the “campaign trail … off-putting,” He also argued that the focus during the speech and afterward was wrongly placed on Obama, his performance, and whether or not he had “found his voice again,” Gergen felt the focus should have remained on those who were injured or killed in the shooting. Gergen claimed he liked the speech and agreed with the calls for reconciliation. However, he questioned whether there would be sufficient momentum to carry the feeling beyond the moment, or if things would simply return to “the wars in Washington.”

We’ve heard it said before, that we’re at a cross roads as a nation. The President’s words, however, suggested that we face those crossroads, those difficult and life changing decisions, on a daily basis. We daily make the choice between divisive and healing actions. So, while the rapid swings of our political pendulum are now taking us from ground-breaking “change” to Tea Party realism and basics in less than an election cycle, the shooting in Tucson has added this new wrinkle to our political discourse.

Working from the President’s Tucson text and looking forward to this evening’s State of the Union, it remains to be seen if Gergen’s more skeptical outlook will win the day. We wonder if the President will seek to seriously honor the memory of those who were killed and injured in Tucson. Will he move beyond short-term expressions of empathy? Will he, our President, take the lead while still listening carefully to the voice of the people he has been elected to represent?

Will he leave off the new spirit of civility and return to old DC habits, or will he remember his words that our “hopes and dreams are bound together?”

– Robert Cunningham contributed to this article.

The Longest Table 2018 held at Howard Community College

Dr. Michael Martirano, interim superintendent of the Howard County Public School System, at the Youth Empowerment Summit (Y.E.S.) 2017 BE the LEADER event at HCLS Miller Branch.

Coding for Community: Civility Hackathon held at HCLS Miller Branch.

There are moments when civility shatters—when the face we show the world contorts into something wild, primal, and real. This image captures that rupture. A snarl, a scream, a tongue stuck out not in jest, but in rebellion. His eyes burn with the fire of something unspoken. The arms, twisted across the frame, are not guards but signals—of protection, resistance, maybe defiance. It’s not just a portrait; it’s a protest. Against silence. Against conformity. Against the demand to always appear composed. This is what happens when feeling fights back.

HCLS First Public Library in Maryland to Add Living Books to Collection as part of The Human Library™

Howard County Library System (HCLS) will become the first public library system in Maryland to give its customers the opportunity to borrow Living Books. The Human Library™ will be open on Saturday, March 11 from 1 to 5 pm at HCLS Miller Branch located at 9421 Frederick Road in Ellicott City. Framed around the adage “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,” the new initiative encourages participants to look beyond stereotypes and engage in meaningful dialogue. The goal is to foster a positive framework where open, one-on-one, honest conversations lead to greater understanding and acceptance in the community.

The HCLS Human Library will include Living Books from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and identities. Among the books will be a United States veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, a transgender man, and a person living with Bipolar Disorder. Readers will sign up on a first-come basis to “borrow” the books at the Miller Branch, for a fifteen minute, one-on-one conversation to gain insight into their particular experiences and the often marginalizing stigma attached.

The Human Library is an international, innovative approach to challenging stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices through non-confrontational and respectful conversation. It is intended to be a welcoming, inclusive, non-partisan space where difficult questions are expected, appreciated, and answered. There is no political agenda. HCLS is striving to grow its collection of Living Books and expand the number of opportunities for readers to visit throughout the year.

The HCLS Human Library is part of this year’s Choose Civility initiative, Kindness Creates Community. It is presented in partnership with the Howard County Office of Human Rights and #OneHoward.

Choose Civility Symposium 2013 held at the HCLS Miller Branch.

OMG to AARP: Bridging the Multigenerational Divide.

Choose Civility Random Acts of Kindness Event

Choose Civility Power Up Happy Hour. Visual Impact: Is a Picture Worth a 1000 Likes?

NFL referee Terry McAulay during his talk: "Emotional Intelligence in Sports" at HCLS Miller branch. A Choose Civility event.

Choose Civility Youth Empowerment Summit held at HCLS Miller Branch.

Choose Civility the Elephant and Piggie Way. Learn how Elephant and Piggie "Choose Civility" and are always kind to each other. Held at HCLS Miller Branch.

Mesa Mayor John Giles speaking with attendees at an event titled "Arizona Talks: Civility, Democracy, and Politics" at Greenwood Brewing in Phoenix, Arizona.

Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.

February 22, 2019 – Members of Virginia Tech's Student Affairs departments, along with other members of the university, gathered for the Practice Civility themed Aspire! Awards breakfast on Friday. (Photo by Christina Franusich/Virginia Tech)

HCLS First Public Library in Maryland to Add Living Books to Collection as part of The Human Library™

Howard County Library System (HCLS) will become the first public library system in Maryland to give its customers the opportunity to borrow Living Books. The Human Library™ will be open on Saturday, March 11 from 1 to 5 pm at HCLS Miller Branch located at 9421 Frederick Road in Ellicott City. Framed around the adage “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,” the new initiative encourages participants to look beyond stereotypes and engage in meaningful dialogue. The goal is to foster a positive framework where open, one-on-one, honest conversations lead to greater understanding and acceptance in the community.

The HCLS Human Library will include Living Books from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and identities. Among the books will be a United States veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, a transgender man, and a person living with Bipolar Disorder. Readers will sign up on a first-come basis to “borrow” the books at the Miller Branch, for a fifteen minute, one-on-one conversation to gain insight into their particular experiences and the often marginalizing stigma attached.

The Human Library is an international, innovative approach to challenging stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices through non-confrontational and respectful conversation. It is intended to be a welcoming, inclusive, non-partisan space where difficult questions are expected, appreciated, and answered. There is no political agenda. HCLS is striving to grow its collection of Living Books and expand the number of opportunities for readers to visit throughout the year.

The HCLS Human Library is part of this year’s Choose Civility initiative, Kindness Creates Community. It is presented in partnership with the Howard County Office of Human Rights and #OneHoward.

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

Mayor Anthony Williams, Honorable Thomas Davis, Coach Kathy Kemper and George Vradenburg

September 25, 2006

Mesa Mayor John Giles speaking with attendees at an event titled "Arizona Talks: Civility, Democracy, and Politics" at Greenwood Brewing in Phoenix, Arizona.

Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

A World of Kindness class held at HCLS East Columbia Branch.

Members of Virginia Tech's Student Affairs departments, as well as other members of the university, gathered for the Civility themed Aspire! Awards breakfast on Friday, February 23, 2018.

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

This preview story for tonite's installment of the ABC television program Four Corners gives me more than a few good tiny reasons to champion civility on the internet. Thankyou Quentin McDermott & Four Corners. Thankyou ABC.

HCLS First Public Library in Maryland to Add Living Books to Collection as part of The Human Library™

Howard County Library System (HCLS) will become the first public library system in Maryland to give its customers the opportunity to borrow Living Books. The Human Library™ will be open on Saturday, March 11 from 1 to 5 pm at HCLS Miller Branch located at 9421 Frederick Road in Ellicott City. Framed around the adage “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,” the new initiative encourages participants to look beyond stereotypes and engage in meaningful dialogue. The goal is to foster a positive framework where open, one-on-one, honest conversations lead to greater understanding and acceptance in the community.

The HCLS Human Library will include Living Books from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and identities. Among the books will be a United States veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, a transgender man, and a person living with Bipolar Disorder. Readers will sign up on a first-come basis to “borrow” the books at the Miller Branch, for a fifteen minute, one-on-one conversation to gain insight into their particular experiences and the often marginalizing stigma attached.

The Human Library is an international, innovative approach to challenging stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices through non-confrontational and respectful conversation. It is intended to be a welcoming, inclusive, non-partisan space where difficult questions are expected, appreciated, and answered. There is no political agenda. HCLS is striving to grow its collection of Living Books and expand the number of opportunities for readers to visit throughout the year.

The HCLS Human Library is part of this year’s Choose Civility initiative, Kindness Creates Community. It is presented in partnership with the Howard County Office of Human Rights and #OneHoward.

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

All Bollocksed Up?

America + The World In the Age of Trump + Brexit

A Conversation With

Dr. Justin Gest

Author of "The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of Immigration and Inequality"

Hosted by The Village Square

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

St. John's Episcopal Church

Tallahassee, Florida

Fore more details and the program audio recording: tlh.villagesquare.us/event/post-brexit/

I feel as though people are too polite to one another, as we have all grown to be more sensitive as a society - it's harder to both hear an accept the truth. Ever since I have shaven my head, people seem to be more nice to me. I wanted to hear what everyone one truly thinks about it. Everyone close to me have only said positive things, yet I don't believe them. Are they only being polite, or am I just not used to this?

To celebrate the public service career of former Democratic City Commissioner (now Ambassador to Portugal) Allan Katz, Victoria Vangalis Zepp was kind enough to become a Sarah Palin stand in for the occasion. Then cue up Allan's good friend Republican County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, Dominic Calabro and his Florida TaxWatch turkeys, and tada.. we've got a Village Square film shoot. You can see the final product on our YouTube site: www.youtube.com/thevillagesquare

Choose Civility 2014 - The Ball’s in Your Court: Can Civility and Sports Co-Exist? Held at HCLS Miller Branch. The panel, moderated by NPR’s Korva Coleman, included: former NFL star (and Baltimore Colt) Joe Ehrmann, author of InSideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives,

sports psychology expert Amanda Visek from George Washington University,

Mt. Hebron High School Athletics and Activities Manager Jeannie Prevosto, and

Winston DeLattiboudere III, a student athlete from Howard High School.

Truth + Trolls: Fourth Estate, First Amendment, Fake News

Hosted by The Village Square with guests Neil Skene, former St. Petersburg Times Capital Bureau Chief, Florida Trend columnist, Dr. Michelle Ferrier, Dean FAMU School of Journalism, Aaron Sharockman, Executive Director, Politifact, and Bill Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

St. John's Episcopal Church

Tallahassee, Florida

To learn more about The Village Square: tlh.villagesquare.us/

(Photos: Bob Howard)