StocktonAfterClass

Jimmy Carter. A Great American. A Great Christian. He Never Gave Up

Jane and I met Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter once, but I think we, and other Americans, knew him long before that.  These are my reflections on the life of a great American.  This includes his election as governor, Camp David, Panama Canal, his personality, and especially issues of race and racism.  It also includes his books, and especially An Hour Before Sunrise, his book on growing up in small town Georgia, and the nature of racial issues. 

Ukraine War. Reposting from February, 2022 (I had not listened to this for a year. I learned some things. Thanks for doing it, Ron. You're welcome, Ron)

Background to the Ukraine War.  Observations from February 24, 2022 This war will not end with the defeat of the Russian army or with Vladimir Putin in the Hague for a war crimes trial.  There will have to be a settlement.  This podcast offers some thoughts on the nature of the conflict.   Back in 2008 there was a crisis in Ukraine.  It led to the separation of two regions from Ukraine, and the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula.  I convened a Faculty Forum on the event, asking my...

Eichmann in Jerusalem. Reposting on the 60th anniversary of its publication.

Sixty years ago, the New Yorker published a long analytical essay on the Eichmann trial by the famous intellectual Hannah Arendt.  It became an instant classic.  It also became the center of rabid controversy.  This is a short discussion of Hannah Arendt, of her life, and of what happened when she published her discussion of this trial. 

The Case for Caution: Why we Should NOT Invade Iraq. A talk from 2002. (Raises some good, long term issues).

During the lead up to the Iraq War of 2003 I was very active in raising concerns about why this would be a bad decision.  I was interviewed scores of times and spoke scores more to civic groups, churches, and anyone who wanted to listen to me.  I also delivered two major talks.  One was in 2002 as Congress prepared to vote on the "authorization to use force" resolution.  I feared the invasion would be a catastrophe and explained why the first Bush administration had been cautious.  The secon...

The Lebanon War of 1982: How Our Leaders Saw it. (Not a parody but at times sounds like one).

Several top American leaders wrote their memoirs about this war.  Ordinarily we assume that our leaders, those giants who hold the top positions in the country and shape the destiny of the world,  are smarter than a student who had just completed my class on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  We assume they will have some basic knowledge of the region and will have enough sense to avoid obvious dangers.   I read several of those memoirs and typed up their discussions of what they did and wh...

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The Lebanon War of 1982: How Our Leaders Saw it. (Not a parody but at times sounds like one).

Several top American leaders wrote their memoirs about this war.  Ordinarily we assume that our leaders, those giants who hold the top positions in the country and shape the destiny of the world,  are smarter than a student who had just completed my class on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  We assume they will have some basic knowledge of the region and will have enough sense to avoid obvious dangers.   I read several of those memoirs and typed up their discussions of what they did and wh...

Kennedy School Rejects HRW Head over Apartheid Report. Reposting: Is Israel an Apartheid State? Please read text below.

Kennedy School Rejects HRW Head over Apartheid Report.   When Kenneth Roth retired as head of Human Rights Watch he was invited to join the Kennedy School as a senior fellow for a year.  The appointment would be with the Carr Center for Human Rights one of the 12 centers affiliated with the Kennedy School.  He agreed to the nomination but when he had his interview with Douglas Elmendorf, Dean of the School (who has to approve all appointments),  he got odd questions.  One was “Do you have a...

Explaining Hitler. Ten Famous Scholars Debate the Issues (Sometimes with heated words)

Ron Rosenbaum published a book in 1998 discussing how 13 major scholars (and a score of lesser scholars) explained Hitler.  Who was Hitler?  Was he a charlatan just using Jew-hatred to rise to power?  Was he the personification of Evil?  Was he a Christian saint avenging the crucifixion of Christ?  Was he just a victim of German culture?  Did he slide into mass murder as events evolved, or had he planned the Holocaust as early as 1918?  And should we even discuss these issues?  This book ca...

Three Catholic Stories: A Female Pope (which the Vatican denies), My Run for Pope (which the Vatican denies), and Spotlight (which the Vatican wishes would go away).

Now that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has passed on, it is time for me to post the story of the time I ran for pope.  The Vatican and I have very different stories about what happened but this is my version.   There is also the story of Pope Joan, the female pope.  And of Spotlight, the Best Film of the year.  Enjoy

Impeachment for Insurrection: The Second Trial of Donald J. Trump. A reposting

An impeachment is not the same as a criminal trial, which may be what Donald Trump is facing,  given that the January 6 Committee has referred four possible crimes to the Justice Department.   Trump had TWO impeachment trials, the first for holding up congressionally approved arms shipments to Ukraine until they opened an investigation of his opponent, the second for the insurrection on January 6.  This podcast addresses the second trial.  There is also an earlier podcast on The Logic of I...

The Nine Commandments. (But I thought there were Ten?) This is really interesting.

This is an unusual podcast.  It is s summary of a lecture delivered some years ago by the head, i.e., editor, of the Anchor Bible Project.  This is an effort to translate and ofer exegesis on 66 books.  47 were done at the time of the talk.   The editor says that we need to remember that the books of the Old Testament were not books.  They were scrolls that were organized into a single "book" by an editor or some editors.  And as editors, they organized those scrolls into a structure to cre...

When Ron Met Jane. Courtship in the Stone Age. A 60th Anniversary Story

In late December,  Jane and I will celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary.  Ten years ago, we celebrated our 50th anniversary by taking our whole family of ten on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Kenya.  We visited all the places that Jane and I knew from our time in that wonderful country.   Whenever an anniversary rolls around I always think back to when I first met this amazing and beautiful woman, and how I had to persuade her that this dorky guy was worth her time.    Back a decade ago, i...

Courtship in the Stone Age. A 60th Anniversary Story

In late December,  Jane and I will celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary.  Ten years ago, we celebrated our 50th anniversary by taking our whole family of ten on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Kenya.  We visited all the places that Jane and I knew from our time in that wonderful country.   Whenever an anniversary rolls around I always think back to when I first met this amazing and beautiful woman, and how I had to persuade her that this dorky guy was worth her time.    Back a decade ago, i...

Courtship in the Stone Age. A 60th Anniversary Story

In late December,  Jane and I will celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary.  Ten years ago, we celebrated our 50th anniversary by taking our whole family of ten on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Kenya.  We visited all the places that Jane and I knew from our time in that wonderful country.   Whenever an anniversary rolls around I always think back to when I first met this amazing and beautiful woman, and how I had to persuade her that this dorky guy was worth her time.    Back a decade ago, i...

Books on Religion That You Will be Glad you Read

A year ago, I made a list of books on religion that I found very engaging when I read then.  I wanted to share those with you, but it took me a year to get the podcast ready.   These are not books on religion in a conventional sense, the kind of thing that might remind you of your religion class when you were 12.  These are serious books by scholars and intellectuals.  They are intellectually provocative.   They are the kind of books I might have mentioned during my class on Religion and Po...

Books on Religion That are Engaging and Readable.

A year ago, I made a list of books on religion that I found very engaging when I read then.  I wanted to share those with you, but it took me a year to get the podcast ready.   These are not books on religion in a conventional sense, the kind of thing that might remind you of your religion class when you were 12.  These are serious books by scholars and intellectuals.  They are intellectually provocative.   They are the kind of books I might have mentioned during my class on Religion and Po...

Invitation to a Zoom Discussion, December 3, 2022 12:00-1:00 (Eastern Time). Details attached.

Podcast Zoom Chat Would anyone out there like to have a Chat?  My friend and my wife thought this might be a good idea.  After all, I have 37,000 downloads in 124 different countries and I never get to interact with any of you.   Well, on Saturday, December 3 from 12:00 - 1:00 (Eastern Standard Time), I am going to be available if anyone wants to chat.  Do you want to follow up on some podcast?  Do you want to tell me how you found the series?  Do you just want to talk?  Whatever, I am ava...

Invitation to a Zoom Discussion, December 3, 2022 12:00-1:00 (Eastern Time). Details attached.

Podcast Zoom Chat Would anyone out there like to have a Chat?  My friend and my wife thought this might be a good idea.  After all, I have 37,000 downloads in 124 different countries and I never get to interact with any of you.   Well, on Saturday, December 3 from 12:00 - 1:00 (Eastern Standard Time), I am going to be available if anyone wants to chat.  Do you want to follow up on some podcast?  Do you want to tell me how you found the series?  Do you just want to talk?  Whatever, I am ava...

Invitation to a Zoom Discussion, December 3, 2022 12:00-1:00 (Eastern Time)

Podcast Zoom Chat Would anyone out there like to have a Chat?  My friend and my wife thought this might be a good idea.  After all, I have 37,000 downloads in 124 different countries and I never get to interact with any of you.   Well, on Saturday, December 3 from 12:00 - 1:00 (Eastern Standard Time), I am going to be available if anyone wants to chat.  Do you want to follow up on some podcast?  Do you want to tell me how you found the series?  Do you just want to talk.  Whatever, I am ava...

A Matter of Honor. An Incident in the Damascus Souk

Back in the 1990s I took high school seniors from around the country to the Middle East for a month of visitation and discussion.  We would spend two weeks in Jordan and two weeks in Syria.  In Damascus we would always go to the amazing covered marketplace, the Hamidiyah souk.  One summer, we had an unpleasant incident in which a young merchant engaged in an act of sexual harassment against one of my female students.  Decades later I still feel uneasy about what happened and how we handled i...

A Matter of Honor. An Incident in the Damascus Souk

Back in the 1990s I took high school seniors from around the country to the Middle East for a month of visitation and discussion.  We would spend two weeks in Jordan and two weeks in Syria.  In Damascus we would always go to the amazing covered marketplace, the Hamidiyah souk.  One summer, we had an unpleasant incident in which a young merchant engaged in an act of sexual harassment against one of my female students.  Decades later I still feel uneasy about what happened and how we handled i...

The Return of Netanyahu and the Israeli Hard Right. A Reposting of Kahanist Thinking

Netanyahu has apparently come back from the dead.  As of today (November 2, 2022) he is expected to form an exceptionally hard right government with Kahanist elements that were previously considered poison.  What does this mean?  Here is my earlier podcast on Rabbi Kahane.  

The Return of Netanyahu and the Rise of the Israeli Hard Right. A Reposting on Kahanist Thinking

Netanyahu has apparently come back from the dead.  As of today (November 2, 2022) he is expected to form an exceptionally hard right government with Kahanist parties  that were previously considered poison.  What does this mean?  Here is my earlier podcast on the political model of Rabbi Kahane who was banned from politics because of his racist ideology.   (There is a debate within Israel about whether those from the extremist Religious Zionism party should have access to security briefings...

The Return of Netanyahu and the Rise of the Israeli Hard Right. A Reposting of Kahanist Thinking

Netanyahu has apparently come back from the dead.  As of today (November 2, 2022) he is expected to form an exceptionally hard right government with Kahanist parties  that were previously considered poison.  What does this mean?  Here is my earlier podcast on the political model of Rabbi Kahane.  

The Return of Netanyahu and the Rise of the Israeli Hard Right. A Reposting on Kahanist Thinking

Netanyahu has apparently come back from the dead.  As of today (November 2, 2022) he is expected to form an exceptionally hard right government with Kahanist parties  that were previously considered poison.  What does this mean?  Here is my earlier podcast on the political model of Rabbi Kahane who was banned from politics because of his racist ideology.   (There is a debate within Israel about whether those from the extremist Religious Zionism party should have access to security briefings...

Four Fun Stories, two about Halloween. Including the legendary story of Gato, King of the Cats. (A reposting, just for fun).

Four Fun Stories, two about Halloween. Including the legendary story of Gato, King of the Cats. (A reposting, just for fun).

Four Fun Stories, two about Halloween. Including the legendary story of Gato King of the Cats. (A reposting, just for fun).

Why the President's Party Loses Seats in the Off-Year Election, and why the pattern doesn't always hold. Political Analysis plus some comments.

This is a well-known pattern in electoral studies:  That the President's party loses seats in the House in the off-year election.   this podcast discusses recent patterns and the logic behind the patterns, as well as a few reasons why the rules may not hold.  This podcast is posted exactly two weeks before the 2022 mid-term elections.  it is risky to post such a discussion at a time when the results will soon be in and you, the listener, will know what actually happened.   But I delivered a...

Why the President's Party Loses Seats in the Off-Year Election, and why the pattern doesn't always hold. Political Analysis plus some comments. (How could I not?)

This is a well-known pattern in electoral studies:  That the President's party loses seats in the House in the off-year election.   This podcast discusses recent patterns and the logic behind the patterns, as well as a few reasons why the rules may not hold.  This podcast is posted exactly two weeks before the 2022 mid-term elections.  it is risky to post such a discussion at a time when the results will soon be in and you, the listener, will know what actually happened.   But I delivered a...

The Palestinian Intifada of 1987-1993. Reposting. A parallel with Iran 2022?

With the protests in Iran escalating, I am beginning to see some structural and political parralels with the first Palestinian Intifada of 1987-1993.  There may also be parallels with the anti-Shah protests of 1978 that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power but I have not had time to think  those points through.  However the common thread in all three sets of protests are that the security forces kill someone during a demonstration and then there are follow up demonstrations to protest tha...

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The Palestinian Intifada of 1987-1993. Reposting. A parallel with Iran 2022?

With the protests in Iran escalating, I am beginning to see some structural and political parralels with the first Palestinian Intifada of 1987-1993.  There may also be parallels with the anti-Shah protests of 1978 that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power but I have not had time to think  those points through.  However the common thread in all three sets of protests are that the security forces kill someone during a demonstration and then there are follow up demonstrations to protest tha...

The Palestinian Intifada of 1987-1993. Reposting. A parallel with Iran 2022?

With the protests in Iran escalating, I am beginning to see some structural and political parralels with the first Palestinian Intifada of 1987-1993.  There may also be parallels with the anti-Shah protests of 1978 that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power but I have not had time to think  those points through.  However the common thread in all three sets of protests are that the security forces kill someone during a demonstration and then there are follow up demonstrations to protest tha...

Is Christianity Polytheistic? Uh ... Interesting question. Sit down. Have some coffee. Let's Talk

I have been running this podcast over in my mind for twenty plus years, well before I even knew what a podcast was.  It started when a Muslim student, with curiosity and respect, asked me to explain Christian thinking.  It is certainly not an easy question to answer, but I have given it my best shot in this podcast.   When I told a friend who was a priest that I was planning this podcast, he looked very nervous and said, "Be careful." I have tried to be careful, and have also tried to be in...

Is Christianity Polytheistic? Uh ... Interesting question. Sit down. Have some coffee. Let's Talk

I have been running this podcast over in my mind for twenty plus years, well before I even knew what a podcast was.  It started when a Muslim student, with curiosity and respect, asked me to explain Christian thinking.  It is certainly not an easy question to answer, but I have given it my best shot in this podcast.   When I told a friend who was a priest that I was planning this podcast, he looked very nervous and said, "Be careful." I have tried to be careful, and have also tried to be in...

Eight Things About the Holocaust. Reposting of a Podcast

Ken Burns has a documentary on the Holocaust starting tonight (September 18) on PBS.  His focus is on US policy rather than upon the Holocaust itself.  This is my attempt to help students understand what the Holocaust was, and was not. 

Eight Things About the Holocaust. Reposting of a Podcast

Ken Burns has a documentary on the Holocaust starting tonight (September 18) on PBS.  His focus is on US policy rather than upon the Holocaust itself.  This is my attempt to help students understand what the Holocaust was, and was not. 

Kahan Commission Report on the Sabra and Shatilla Massacre: Reposting of an earlier podcast

Starting on September 16, 1982 and extending over three days, right wing Christian militia forces went into the Sabra and Shatilla camps near Beirut and massacred 800 (or was it 3,000?  Who knows for sure?) unarmed Palestinian refugees.  The protests within Israel and world-wide were so strong that the right wing government of Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon was forced to set up a commission to determine what happened.  This is a discussion of those incidents, and of the report.   Warning: ...

Kahan Commission Report on the Sabra and Shatilla Massacre: Reposting of an earlier podcast

Starting on September 16, 1982 and extending over three days, right wing Christian militia forces went into the Sabra and Shatilla camps near Beirut and massacred 800 (or was it 3,000?  Who knows for sure?) unarmed Palestinian refugees.  The protests within Israel and world-wide were so strong that the right wing government of Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon was forced to set up a commission to determine what happened.  This is a discussion of those incidents, and of the report.   Warning: ...

The Lebanon War of 1982. The War That Never Stopped

This is a difficult topic.  In my classes I had quite a few Lebanese students, mostly Shia but some Maronite Catholics, and a few Sunni.  Many were from refugee families.  Many were refugees themselves.  Over the years they told me stories of their families and of those terrible days.  Even now I get angry at leaders who seem driven with delusions of changing the world and seem indifferent to the human costs of their adventures.  And who seem not to consider the downside of what might happe...

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Lebanon War of 1982. The War That Never Stopped

This is a difficult topic.  In my classes I had quite a few Lebanese students, mostly Shia but some Maronite Catholics, and a few Sunni.  Many were from refugee families.  Many were refugees themselves.  Over the years they told me stories of their families and of those terrible days.  Even now I get angry at leaders who seem driven with delusions of changing the world and seem indifferent to the human costs of their adventures.  And who seem not to consider the downside of what might happe...

Understanding the Americans. A Talk to Some Members of the German Bundestag.

Back in 2003 Jane and I were in Berlin visiting our friend Sibylle Laurischk.  Sibylle was a member of the Bundestag, the German parliament.  She was with the Free Democrats, the fourth largest party.  I had just completed a major project on Arab-Americans (the Detroit Arab-American Study) and offered to discuss the findings with any members of her party who were interested.  She was her party's spokesperson on what we might call minority or immigrant affairs so I thought that might be of in...

Understanding the Americans. A Talk With Some Members of the German Bundestag.

Back in 2003 Jane and I were in Berlin visiting our friend Sibylle Laurischk.  Sibylle was a member of the Bundestag, the German parliament.  She was with the Free Democrats, the fourth largest party.  I had just completed a major project on Arab-Americans (the Detroit Arab-American Study) and offered to discuss the findings with any members of her party who were interested.  She was her party's spokesperson on what we might call minority or immigrant affairs so I thought that might be of in...

Understanding the Americans. A Talk With Some Members of the German Bundestag.

Back in 2003 Jane and I were in Berlin visiting our friend Sibylle Laurischk.  Sibylle was a member of the Bundestag, the German parliament.  She was with the Free Democrats, the fourth largest party.  I had just completed a major project on Arab-Americans (the Detroit Arab-American Study) and offered to discuss the findings with any members of her party who were interested.  She was her party's spokesperson on what we might call minority or immigrant affairs so I thought that might be of in...

Why Kill Salman Rushdie Over a Book? A Reposting (but worth your time)

On August 12, 2022 there was an attempted assassination of the world-class author Salman Rushdie.  Rushdie had twice won the Booker Prize for the best novel in the English language.  Then in 1978 he wrote a book entitled The Satanic Verses.  Part of the book focused upon a dream of a delusional man about a "city in the sand' where a group of false believers had embraced a false prophet. It is the kind of book that a world-class novelist would write.   At that point Iran had just ended its w...

Why Kill Salman Rushdie Over a Book? A Reposting (but worth your time)?

On August 12, 2022 there was an attempted assassination of the world-class author Salman Rushdie.  Rushdie had twice won the Booker Prize for the best novel in the English language.  Then in 1978 he wrote a book entitled The Satanic Verses.  Part of the book focused upon a dream of a delusional man about a "city in the sand' where a group of false believers had embraced a false prophet. It is the kind of book that a world-class novelist would write.   At that point Iran had just ended its w...

Mark Twain's autobiography, and The Dog as Beautiful as a Girl

A few years ago Jane and I were in Hannibal, the home town of Mark Twain.  We did all the touristy stuff -- the Becky Thatcher house, the Tom Sawyer cave.  We also went into a book store where I saw the autobiography of Mark Twain.  This was not a typical autobiography.  He tried that and stopped.  Then he decided to invent a new form of autobiography.  He would just write individual segments, often just 4-6 pages long.  He threw those into a box, in no particular order.  His instructions to...

Mark Twain's autobiography, and The Dog as Beautiful as a Girl

A few years ago Jane and I were in Hannibal, the home town of Mark Twain.  We did all the touristy stuff -- the Becky Thatcher house, the Tom Sawyer cave.  We also went into a book store where I saw the autobiography of Mark Twain.  This was not a typical autobiography.  He tried that and stopped.  Then he decided to invent a new form of autobiography.  He would just write individual segments, often just 4-6 pages long.  He threw those into a box, in no particular order.  His instructions to...

Mark Twain's autobiography, and the dog as beautiful as a girl

A few years ago Jane and I were in Hannibal, the home town of Mark Twain.  We did all the touristy stuff -- the Becky Thatcher house, the Tom Sawyer cave.  We also went into a book store where I saw the autobiography of Mark Twain.  This was not a typical autobiography.  he tried that and stopped.  Then he decided to invent a new form of autobiography.  He would just write individual segments, often just 4-6 pages long.  He threw those into a box, in no particular order.  His instructions to...

Is Israel an Apartheid State? What does that term mean, and what difference would it make?

I am an academic, not an activist.  Maybe I should be an activist, but I am not. In recent months (this is July 2022) the word apartheid has become almost universally used by those who are critical of Israeli occupation policies. This podcast  is a discussion of the comparisons between South African Apartheid, which ended in the early 1990s after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, and the Israeli policies in the occupied territories.    Back in 2005 I had an article in Middle East Jo...