Book 194: Fascism: A Warning by Madeline Albright (Audiobook read by author)

Well, this was one of the most disturbing books I've ever read.

I'm not sure what your political views are, but I have been closely following the insanity documented by the press ever since my world was completely changed in 2016. I'd heard the word "fascism" a thousand times before, but never knew the depth of that term's meaning. I have a lot of respect for Madeline Albright, so I figured if anyone was going to give me the lowdown, it would be her. 

Albright didn't disappoint me - although I did sometimes wish she would have paid a narrator instead of reading the book herself. (At a few points, it was clear that her voice was fatigued, and I sort of felt bad for her.) She presented a historical perspective on the fascists in history and did it incredibly well. Then she turned the tables on me and pointed her attention at today's political environment here in the U.S. 

Fascism is about riling up people, using their anger and nationalist tendencies to build political support. Truth has no place in fascist strategy - lies are much more effective. Fascists play on fears, ignorance, and pride (not good pride.) In her book, Albright profiles Hitler, Mussolini, and many lesser-known world leaders in this book to illustrate how fascism takes hold within otherwise civilized societies. 

Toward the end, Albright provides her readers with a list of questions that people should ask themselves about their leaders. This was enormously helpful for me. 

I hope you'll read this book. Thanks. 

The Politics of Color by Elizabeth Ruediger (Guest Blogger)

The politics of color. Sure, the first thing that comes to mind is black and white referencing our nation’s great racial divide, or maybe even blue and red by party affiliation . But what about pink and green? I’m talking about the women and the vets.

There is a wave sweeping across the land and it is not the color of deep sea glass. It is the rising tide of women who are standing up and stepping into politics in numbers: the pink tsunami.

If there is anything the current presidential administration and congressional seat warmers have ushered in is a counter insurgency into the historic oppression of a woman’s ability to be successfully elected and represent a constituency that is equal, if not greater than, the number of men in our general population.

Future female leaders are fearlessly making their mark in the political world from the first Black woman to win a gubernatorial primary in Georgia to the first openly gay Latina candidate taking a primary win in Texas. Congratulations to Stacey Abrams, Lupe Valdez, Lizzie Fletcher, and Amy McGrath who were forces to be reckoned with in deep, red states, hence the only “deep states” in existence.

Women who were once men are taking a transgender perspective to the ballot box like never before. In an interview with Boston.com, Vermont gubernatorial hopeful Christine Hallquist is setting her eye on the prize in Montpelier. “Having lived as both a man as a woman gives her a different perspective,” Hallquist said, “I have a unique experience with women’s issues,” Hallquist said. “As a male I was not aware, unfortunately, of the gender hierarchy.”

According to an article published in The Christian Science Monitor, “An estimated 40 transgender candidates plan to run for office in the upcoming midterm elections, signaling a tidal shift in LGBT representation in government. Many candidates cite what they see as anti-LGBT policies from the White House as motivation to run.”

Alexandria Chandler of Massachusetts and Chelsea Manning of Maryland cross this deep divide from two fronts. They are not only transgender, but former military officers. In her interview with the CSM, Chandler stated, “The real simplistic answer to why I'm running: It's to answer a call. It's to a answer a call to service like I did after 9/11.” In reality, gay representation in elected positions has been on the uptick for several years, however, transgender status in state houses and in congress was a dramatic political revelation, if not revolution, in 2017 with 8 seats filled. Chelsea Manning, as you may recall, was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for violation of the Espionage Act by providing WikiLeaks with thousands of classified documents, only to have her sentence commuted to seven years by President Obama. Manning may or may not be your flavor of candidate, but it takes rocks to run a political campaign, especially when your rocks are now a pretty, heart shaped box.

But at the ballot box, does the absent enthusiasm of male dominance matter? Not when you have the likes of Pennsylvania’s newest congressman, Conor Lamb, congressional candidate, Randy Bryce of Wisconsin, and gubernatorial candidate, Adam Cote of Maine. “I’ve seen Adam three times during trips to Iraq and Afghanistan and I will say this, if you are looking for somebody who is a born leader, this is your guy. I’ve seen him literally in action and I think that he is more than cut out for this kind of job… If the Democrats are smart and if they want to win a race, this might just be the way they want to lean.” - Bill Nemitz, Portland Press Herald columnist.

These men of honor have served their nation in a military capacity and now seek to serve in a political capacity. This transfer of military power from the battlefield to the political playing field is unprecedented in the most unpresidential term of our nation’s history. They have proven themselves as veterans and as Americans, both men and women, and will commit themselves to this nation’s future, as leaders we have already vested in, can bring their experiences to the political arena and score a knockout punch to the status quo with new perspective and vibrant hues for our future. Everyone wants change, here is hope.

It’s a brave new world.

--------------

Elizabeth Ruediger is a self-described “force to be reckoned with," independent, political junkie, former elected official and uber fresh blog writer.

--------------

This blog post was curated and/or edited by The Ardent Reader, Esther Hofknecht Curtis, BSOL, MSM-HCA. The views expressed in this blog post are those of the guest blogger. Visit Esther's page at www.parrotcontent.com for more information.

“Fake News” - The Search For Truth in Fiction (Part One) by Deidre Briar (Guest Blogger)

Few things define our current zeitgeist so clearly as “Fake News.” Overnight the statement became little more than a catchphrase, a childish insult hurled indiscriminately at anything the speaker disliked, leaving others to flail and flounder in attempts to properly define a fact in the same ineffective manner a child uses to prove that they are NOT a stinky buttface.

So what can we do about Fake News™? How can we push back at the competing forces of perception and belief and desire and all the interests, powers, and money that manipulate and control?

First, we need to stop giving up our power over language, so henceforth the problem will be referred to as false statements.

Second, we need to stop playing politics. Just Staaaahp. Pretending false statements are a vice of the other side is FALSE STATEMENTS. We all are victims believing falsehoods. Belief is a popular and well-documented field of psychological study: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/supersurvivors/201705/why-do-people-believe-things-aren-t-true

(No, no, please finish the article. Feel free to look up corroborating articles. Extra points for reading core research past the abstract. I’ll wait. It’s no trouble, this is just text. It’ll be here when you get back.)

False statements are no new thing.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” - Mark Twain

“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it.” - Johnathan Swift

Versions of these popular quotations can be found in the earliest recorded philosophers worldwide; a universal truth. The modern twist is that our lies fly on the wings of WiFi, and the speed and accessibility make manipulating ideas the biggest, most profitable game in anytown, everytown.

What’s worse, the expedited delivery and massive echochamber of the internet and social media platforms heightens the availability heuristic and puts confirmation bias on steroids (see link above).

Moreover, once we accept a belief we use all our powers, intelligence, and reasoning skills to defend it, rather than debunk it, cherry-picking our data, sources, and arguments and quickly demonizing others

STOP EVERYTHING AND READ THIS:

Absolutely pausing here because this one is a doozy. See you on the other side… http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/05/alternative-facts.aspx

So, to recap.

We believe what we want to, regardless of evidence, not because we are stupid, cruel, or evil, but because we are hardwired to accept what already fits into our worldview, and protect our beliefs. This also leads us to join and cling to communities that support our beliefs and further acclimate our beliefs to match the groups’ and also to become more extreme and more deeply entrenched over time. Bonus, the smarter and more educated we are, the BETTER we are at twisting information on our beliefs’ behalf, and the more extreme our beliefs are, the closer we place them to our sense of identity and therefore, the more emotionally and powerfully we respond to defend them.

We close ranks, we divide into “us” and “them” and we can always, always find supporters, selective information, and vehement opposition to feed our monsters.

We. Are. So. F*cked.

"The conversation around 'fake news' often ends with statements about teaching people to become better consumers of information — to be skeptical as they educate themselves through encounters with online media. Alternative news sites have appropriated these arguments and are using them to support the propagation of alternative narratives and other conspiracy theories," Starbird explained in a Medium post.

So what can be done to combat conspiracy theories so that people can reliably inform themselves? Starbird is as stumped as you likely are. “I don’t have solutions right now. I think it’s an all-hands-on-deck kind-of-problem," she said. "It’s a lot easier to disrupt the system and cause mayhem.”

Sourced from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccaheilweil1/2017/06/25/how-internet-conspiracy-theories-go-viral-and-get-people-to-believe-them-too/#a9884beecb83

------------------

ESTHER'S NOTE: 
This blog post turned out to be more of an essay, but it is a complex topic and hard to cover in the maximum word count. You can read the rest on my web site. Click here to read parts two and three of this blog post-turned-essay.
------------------

This blog post was curated and/or edited by The Ardent Reader, Esther Hofknecht Curtis, BSOL, MSM-HCA. The views expressed in this blog post are those of the guest blogger. Visit www.parrotcontent.com for more information.

Book 187: A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership by Former FBI Director James Comey

Well, I rolled through this book in no time at all. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. And it was a relatively easy read.

Unless you've lived under a rock for the past two years, you know James Comey is the FBI Director who assumed his job in 2013 under Barack Obama and was fired in 2017 by Donald Trump. He wasn't even directly informed: he received news of his dismissal when he heard it on the news. 

This book detailed important milestones responsible for shaping James Comey's understanding and appreciation of real integrity and leadership. He told the story of his work as a prosecutor and attorney general and later, his rise to the position of FBI director. He told of the difficulty of the Hillary Clinton email scandal and the heat he took for handling it the way he did. And finally, he detailed his conversations with Donald Trump up to his unorthodox dismissal from his position. 

I received my Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership (BSOL) in 2016, so I found that I had a unique perspective on this book. Many tenets of leadership that I learned in my studies were embodied in Comey's experience. I loved his dedication to the separation of the FBI from political influences. I loved his commitment to justice. I think many people can relate to his desire to remain at arm's length from a president who so clearly could care less about integrity and facts. 

I hope you pick this up and read it, because it's not a difficult read, and it really explains a lot that I've wanted to know. 

Book 146: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco

Alyssa Mastromonaco has written a funny, intimate account of her time working in American politics. In different capacities, she supported both John Kerry and Barack Obama in their presidential campaigns and later, served as deputy chief of staff at the White House for the Obama Administration.

Although she touches on her prior positions, the author focuses on the ten years she spent working first for Senator Obama, then for presidential candidate Obama, president-elect Obama and finally, for President Obama himself. I loved her stories and perspective on the inner workings of the White House and her interactions with POTUS and other high ranking politicians and diplomats.

Although Mastromonaco could be quite self-deprecating at times, she used those stories to relay the values that allowed her to flourish: work hard, plan ahead, be kind to everyone, don't let your gender dictate your path, be yourself, ask questions, follow your intuition.

I fully enjoyed this book and thought it could be easily incorporated as required reading for any political science course; it offers a real-life perspective on what it takes to succeed in the wild and crazy world that is American politics.