America, World Leader and Beyond - Chapter 22

          America, World Leader, 2000 and Beyond

(Please read the author’s Conclusion Pg. 828-829)

Chapter 22

1.      Why did Al Gore lose the 2000 election? Pg. 806-807

2.      Why were the outgoing Clintons so emboldened to “milk” the pubic after they left Washington and headed for New York? Pg. 80

3.      What was Clinton’s legacy with his own party? Pg. 810

4.      How would the aftermath of 9/11 been different had Obama been president? Carter? Reagan?

5.      “Government cannot legislate behavior.” How did this statement bear out after 9/11?

6.      What was the “Bush Doctrine”? Does it still exist? Explain. Pg. 816

7.      Was Bush more true Republican or Progressive? Explain. Pg. 820

8.      What evidence do we have from the “Shock and Awe” of the Gulf War that we could win and win quickly in Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, etc.? Pg. 822

9.      How much would you willingly contribute to Democratic lawmakers to finance a personal month’s all-inclusive “vacation” to Gitmo? Pg. 825

10.   What has been most enlightening to you about  the “City on the Hill” mentioned in chapter 1 and throughout the book? Consider Jamestown, the American Revolution, Gettysburg, the Industrial Revolution, World War II, etc. What seems to be the common threads unmatched by any other nation or culture?

    People have asked me several times why I didn’t charge to take this class. There were several reasons: 1) Anyone could have led these discussions – which you often did! 2) Taking money makes you a professional. Nuff said? 3) Choice and Accountability for acting on truth is individual and cannot be mandated by any monetary amount, 4) My goal was merely to facilitate and let you decide what to do with the information. My hope is that it burned deeper patriotism into your heart and that you will be able to do the hard things and bear the burdens that may be placed thereon which we all will face in the future.

    Thanks for all you taught us, and added to my life. It has been a pleasure.

Retreat and Resurrection - Chapter 20

RETREAT AND RESURRECTION, 1974-88

CHAPTER 20

1.      How was Gerald Ford’s “bland personality” a welcome relief for America? Pg. 721-22 From all the turmoil of Nixon, Watergate and Johnson and the Vietnam War it was a needed change. Ford was at least honest if nothing else.

2.      What became of South Vietnam after the U.S. left the country? Pg. 723 The North eventually surrounded Saigon and captured the south. Literally millions of South Vietnamese were killed in “reeducation” camps. Many tried to leave on U.S. helicopters but were held at bay by gunpoint. The lucky ones that escaped came to America to establish fake nail salons.

3.      After the “Six Day War” with Egypt, how did Nixon alone “save Israel”? Pg. 725 Prime Minister, Golda Meir, persuaded Nixon to provide an emergency airlift of arms, which provided the logistics for a Jewish counterattack after days of absorbing blows. Thousands of tons of supplies were delivered and Israel was again successful.

4.      What caused the horrendous gas lines in the ‘70’s?  How did the flood of government regulation affect the economy thereafter? Pg. 726-728 OPEC cut oil production and boosted prices by 70%. Then two months later, they hiked prices again by 128%. With the skyrocketing prices, Nixon imposed a ceiling on gas prices which made gas artificially low. People frantically filled up their cars in panic, causing horrible lines at gas stations. The flood of regulation stopped business in its tracks. All the restrictions and emissions but greater strain on the auto industry, etc. and increased prices were passed on to consumers. OSHA cost businesses thousands of dollars to come into compliance with government regulation. Big businesses such as IBM, AT&T, Bell, did not innovate one of the top 50 products like the cell phone, personal computer, etc.

5.      How did labor unions affect the economy of the ’70’s? Discuss the importance to the NEA’s labor union fight in Wisconsin today. Pg. 729 Became the right arm of the Democratic party. The cost of labor increased 6 times over foreign countries. Americans paid up to 70% more to stay loyal to American made products. Because unions took a hit with memberships dropping, the NEA and the union for federal employees became the union’s last gasp. The fight in Wisconsin today is vitally important to whether unions live or die nationwide.

6.      What impact did the ERA, the Pill, and feminism have on the family and the economy in general? Pg. 731-732 The Pill was originally designed to get rid of the “less desirable” in our society; blacks, handicapped children, etc. It went much further than that however. With the Pill, women were not held accountable by their actions. By not becoming pregnant, they could now pursue a career and basically “have it all”. In reality, they had the job on top of the family. They paid extra in gas, clothes, childcare, eating more fast food. There was more pressure to keep up with the Joneses; a bigger house, boat, cars, etc. hence – more stress. Only the pesky religion thing was in their way. The feminists fought against the restrictions of religion, and many churches caved to the pressure in order to keep their members happy and money coming in. The role of fathers became diminished. Men were portrayed as being dumb and that women didn’t need them. The result – children involved in crime, bad grades, and low self-esteem. Men left their wives for the “new and improved” wife. Funny thing… they left her after a while too.

7.      Explain the significance of the SALT I treaty. Pg. 737 This was an attempt by Carter and Brezhnev. SALT I is the common name for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement, also known as Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. SALT I froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers at existing levels, and provided for the addition of new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers only after the same number of older intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and SLBM launchers had been dismantled. SALT II actually put the U.S. at a huge disadvantage.

8.      Camp David Accords. Who was involved? What was the final outcome? How did Carter accomplish such a feat? Pg. 740-741 Carter, Egypt’s Anwar el Sadat, and Israel’s Menachem Begin. Normalized relations between the two countries but the deal was clinched when Carter offered “the largest-ever American Foreign-aid package… a total of $5 billion over a three-year period.” And two military airfields for Israel in the Negev. Unfortunately, this did not address the religious problem that has always been at the route of the middle east conflict.

9.      Describe the “America Held Hostage” crisis. How could that have been avoided according to the authors? Pg. 742 Carter’s weakness and vacillation in foreign policy was a huge detriment. He failed to see that the Iranians were a serious threat. The Ayatollah stormed the American embassy and took the employees hostage threatening to kill all of them if there was an attempt to rescue them. American stood helplessly by tying yellow ribbons on old oak trees.

10.    The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team won the gold against Russia. What did this symbolize? Pg. 742-43 That the U.S. could indeed conquer the Soviets. That the U.S. had the tenacity to win against all odds. It was a statement about the strength of democracy vs. communism.

11.   How did the media spin Reagan’s stunning victory over incumbent Carter? Pg. 746 1) low turnout – even though the dems took bus loads of people out to register voters who never intended to vote, 2) attacked his acting career: that he didn’t play any great or substantial roles.

12.   What one characteristic would say made Ronald Reagan one of the greatest U.S. presidents? Pg. 747 Self-deprecating personality, humor, laughing and joking, did not take life so serious, hard on terrorists and bad guys, was not afraid to call it like it is. Russia is an “evil empire

13.   How did Reagan’s “voodoo economics” (a term affectionately coined by George H.W. Bush) affect the sagging economy? Pg. 748 Great! The trickle down affected almost everyone. Markets prospered, people had more money in their pockets. ”. Lower capital gains taxes caused investors to pump money into the economy. This all resulted in confidence in American productivity and purpose.

14.   “Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings…” Discuss this observation and how it shaped Reagan’s foreign policy. Pg. 752-53 He truly believed, as did the forefathers, in man’s inherent desire to be free and that he wanted to do everything in his power to ensure the freedoms of all men.

15.   How did SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) contribute to the downfall of communism? Pg. 757 Strategic Defensive Initiative was a U.S. program designed specifically to “ render obsolete, once and for all, much of the USSR’s advantage in nuclear missiles.”

16.   Compare Reagan’s economy of the late ‘80’s to the previous 30-40 years. Pg. 759 We had a president with a spine who would actually go after the bad guys and keep us safe. His tax cuts and benefits to business and drop in regulation helped everyone to prosper; not just an elite few.

17.   Was Oliver North on the right side by taking all the blame for the Iran Contra scandal and not implicating Reagan? Pg. 761

18.   Few events are as iconic or symbolic as the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. What did that represent besides a pile of rubble? Pg. 762. Freedom and Reagan’s belief that all men should be free to choose and live as they see fit.

MORAL CROSSROADS Chapter 21

                      MORAL CROSSROADS, 1989-2000

      Chapter 21

1.      When a politician needs to “moves to the middle” what does that tell you about his/her convictions? What did George H.W. Bush painfully realize by doing so? Pg. 764 Anyone who has to “move” to the center has no convictions and shouldn’t be trusted. As when Bush betrayed the public with his “read my lips” booboo.

2.      Once the Berlin was destroyed, communism fell apart rather quickly. Why? How did its demise affect the U.S. economy? Pg. 768 Because of the yearning to be free of the people. Communism is a government that needs intimidation and force for it to work. Without that it was fairly easy to conquer. The U.S. economy saw job losses in aerospace, shipbuilding, many businesses, thousands of engineers, and a depletion of the military.

3.       What reason did Saddam Hussein give for invading Kuwait? What was the real reason? Pg. 768-769 He said that Kuwait was legally part of Iraq, but what he really wanted to do is control a large part of the oil production in the Middle East which would then be a direct hazard to the free flow of oil at market prices. This, then, would pose a threat to American security.

4.      How did Bush approach “Desert Shield” that made it look like it would be a short fight? Pg. 772 He went in with full force and fought it “the American Way” with everything we had. The Iraqis left in droves and surrendered.

5. Was the Rodney King trial fair or merely a capitulation to political correctness?  Why? Pg. 774 Definitely capitulation to political correctness. It’s a case of the government being afraid of a few trouble makers. The policemen certainly crossed the line, but 54 people needlessly died and thousands of buildings were destroyed.
6. Define the pitfalls of all three 1992 presidential candidates. Since Perot siphoned off 19% of the vote, is a third party candidate a viable solution? Pg. 773-777 Bush, lied about not raising taxes, Clinton, total scum, Perot; not attractive enough, couldn’t debate with a real opponent because his policies were simple but not realistic.
7.  What is the biggest difference between “Hillary-care” and “Obama-care” as far as you can tell? Pg. 778 Hillary’s was much more blatant an affront to business and doctors. It was based on dictatorial force. Obama’s would probably prove to be the same thing, but is more covert. Plus it was absolutely forced upon us and coerced upon the congress.
8. How did Clinton’s attempt to “make his cabinet look like America” come back to bite him? Pg. 779 They were jokingly referred to as “America’s Most Wanted”. Major idiots. Jocelyn Elders, Henry Cisneros, sexual harassment, Webster Hubbell, Whitewater, Mike Espy, illicit deals with Tyson foods, Bruce Babbitt, illegal deals with Indians, etc.

NOTES: How did Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” damage the Democrats in the following election?  How did Clinton make a comeback Pg. 783 He managed to capture both the house and the senate for the first time in 40 years. The Democrats lost 35 seats as a referendum on Clinton’s presidency. The media tried to spin it as a “referendum on incumbents” but all Republican incumbents won reelection. Clinton then scrambled to the middle and his advisor, Dick Morris, crafted a plan for him acting as the reasonable father to two spoiled children. He barked that “the era of big government is over” all the while hoping for the Dems to win back the House and Senate in 1996.

9. How did the ‘90’s boom get Clinton reelected despite his many scandals and legal challenges?  Pg .785-788 The technology boom sent the economy soaring and most people were doing great, so they dismissed or didn’t care that Clinton was a scum. Plus his thugs and advisors made a point to isolate, diminish, and mock each incident to play it down until it went away.
10. Describe the business boom of the ‘90’s. Could we duplicate that today? How? Pg. 788-790 NO chance. Too much anti-business rhetoric. Too much regulation and vilification of business.
11. What was the climate as far as guns and religion in the ‘90’s?  How does prosperity often dictate those feelings? Pg. 792-793 Gun sales went up dramatically. The Supreme Court ruled that “the right to bear arms” was an individual right, not a militia right.
12. What did Clinton’s character weaknesses teach the masses; especially children? Pg. 783-795 That character didn’t matter. Everyone does it anyway. What happens in one’s private life should not matter in his/her political life.
13. Despite Clinton’s dismissed impeachment, what happened to members of his cabinet? Pg. 798 They were prosecuted and/or jailed for their crimes. They took the hit for Clinton.
14. Describe Clinton’s foreign woes. How did he handle them? Pg. 800-802 He was a pacifist who turned down three opportunities to capture Bin Laden. These were offers by other countries to turn him over to the U.S. He chose not to rock the boat because the economy was doing great and he wanted to coast out of office with a great legacy. Everything he did was after the fact and succeeded only at weakening America in the eyes of foreign dictators and leaders.
15. How did Clinton misjudge Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden? Pg. 802 He thought they were no danger. Just misunderstood. Clinton didn’t think they had the power to be an international threat.

The Age of Upheaval

The Age of Upheaval, 1960-74

CHAPTER 19

1.      The authors give five reasons why Nixon was “doomed to fail” in his presidential campaign. What were they? Pg. 668

2.      Describe the Kennedy “silver spoon.” Pg. 670

3.      What was Kennedy’s tie to the mafia? Pg. 671

4.      Discuss the “Bay of Pigs” or the “Cuban Missile Crisis”. Pg. 671-672

5.      What were Kennedy’s goals and objectives with space exploration? Pg. 674

6.      Define “trickledown economics”. Pg. 675

7.      How did the Vietcong guerrillas ensure that life did not improve for refugees pouring into the south? Pg. 676

8.      What blame does JFK bear for Vietnam? Why? Pg. 678

9.      Why did Lee Harvey Oswald want to assassinate JKF? Pg. 680

10.   What was the “Warren Commission”? Pg. 680

11.   How was LBJ chosen to be the vice president? Pg. 681

12.   What infiltrated the black protest and MLK’s fight using righteous indignation and non-violence? Pg. 685

13.   What were the immediate results of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Pg. 686

14.   What happened to “the Black Panthers”? Pg. 687

15.   How did LBJ’s “Great Society” cripple and enslave the black community? Pg. 687-689

16.   Compare LBJ’s treatment of Ho Chi Minh to Obama’s treatment of Ghaddafi or Islam extremists. Pg. 690

17.   LBJ never called for a formal declaration of war on the Vietcong. Why? Pg. 691

18.   How effective was McNamara’s strategy of “Rolling Thunder”? Pg. 692

19.   Describe the “Tet Offensive.” How was it perceived by U.S. citizens? Why? 694

20.   Define “Hawks” and “Doves” Pg.696

21.   How have unions changed since Vietnam? Pg.696

22.   How did “Baby Boomers” change the dynamics of American education?

23.   What was the “Port Huron statement”? How did it foment student riots? Pg. 699

24.   How did the communist threat infiltrate American colleges and universities? Pg. 700

25.   Woodstock…. Gives us pause to be grateful for a) strict parents, b) being too young, c) taking too many baths, d) being boring right-wing establishment types, e) all of the above.

Pg. 700-707

26.   What policies showed the “right wing” side of Nixon? Which showed the “left wing”? Pg. 708

27.   What have been the long-term effects of Nixon’s EPA and OSHA? Pg. 709-710

28.   How did Nixon aid in the destabilization of the dollar? What were the effects? Pg. 710

29.   Who were the “Weathermen”? What were their goals” Pg. 712

30.   Watergate was merely a “gotcha” or a catalyst in Nixon’s impeachment hearings. What really forced him to resign as president?  (see #1 also!)Pg. 718-719