Whiteness In the Big D

White Metropolis recounts the history of Dallas, Texas from with emphasis on race, ethnicity, and religion.  Michael Phillip’s book White Metropolis exemplifies many themes, but the theme of “whiteness” stands out among the rest.

            Whiteness is not something that is defined by skin color. In White Metropolis Phillips describes “whiteness”, “by what it was not: it was not black, communal, or socialist.”   There are people that are Mexican-American and African-American that have characteristics of whiteness. Phillips traces whiteness in Texas back to from the founding of the state when he says, “The founders of Anglo Texas envisioned a race-based society in which Indians would be driven out, blacks exploited as slaves, and Mexicans reduced to the role of surplus labor. “ Whiteness is almost a superiority or arrogance over the working class. The term whiteness according to Phillips in some cases referred to races that were not white. To put it in simple terms if you were a non-elite or non middle class you were non-white. Like Phillips says, “To be classified as "non-white" in cities like Dallas, on the other hand, was to be assigned low-wage jobs and to have few opportunities for economic advancement.” 

            The group pushing for whiteness in Dallas was the elite or wealthy. Like Phillips says in White Metropolis, “With the Dallas commercial elite firmly in charge of their city, neighborhoods increasingly segregated not just racially but also by economic class.” I see this in many towns in the Sunbelt as well as many towns today. The elites in the community want to control the politics and how the towns future is being shaped. Many times they do so very successfully because of their enormous amounts of money and power. An example of this is when Phillips says, Elites battled to convince a skeptical population that the interests of the wealthy were synonymous with the needs of the entire city’s.” 

            I highly recommend Michael Phillips book White Metropolis. With his innovative perspectives on whiteness in Dallas, Texas between 1841 to 2001, he portrays Dallas in a new light. I agree that there was an issue with whiteness in Dallas. My favorite line from the book was, "Dallas is unlike Chicago -it doesn't know about its fire," Farmer said. "... It's like a family going through a trauma but suppressing the memory.” This line sums up the entire book, it address the issues of Whiteness and the elites attempt to cover it up.

Son's of Anarchy: Diplomats

Sons of Anarchy is a popular TV show that I enjoy watching on Netflix. The series is about a motorcycle club or gang in Northern California that dabbles in illegal arms selling. The club sells to almost all gangs in northern cali, many of which they get caught in the cross fire of rival gangs. With the club selling to people from many sides of gangland, the club's hierarchy has to serve as diplomat's and umpires. The club sells IRA guns to the Mayans, hers, Chinese, Irish, and numerous others, as you can infer these gangs are not always in agreement with one another. Actually many of the times the rival gangs are using the guns supplied by the Sons of Anarchy. I highly recommend you check out this suspenseful television series, and find out more about how the Son's of Anarchy serve as Diplomat's in the gun trade of Northern California.

George W. Bush’s Exceptional America

George W. Bush is certainly one of the most controversial Presidents to hold office. From the events that followed the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 to his views on abortion and same-sex marriage, bipartisanship was never the strong suit of the 43^rd President’s tenure.  After I visited George W. Bush’s Presidential Museum I walked away with the notion, George W. Bush thought the United States was exceptional.

            The term American exceptionalism or belief that the United States is qualitatively different than other nation states is a term that George W. Bush believed in, a term I believe in, and a term that every American should believe in. Barack Obama stated it perfectly in 2009 when he said, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."[1]

            I personally think people are too critical of George W. Bush. Was he the greatest President the country has seen? – No. As I walked through his museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas I saw some of the good things that came from the 43^rd President’s two terms in office.  George W. Bush was certainly dealt a tough hand when assuming his presidency. Not every President of the United States of America has to deal with members of an Islamic Terrorist group killing nearly 3,000 people on American soil. George W. Bush’s speech at ground zero three days after 9/11 was legendary. The creators of Bush’s museum thought the same when, the bullhorn he used was displayed in the gallery The bullhorn was used to utter the famous line, “I can hear you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” Another post 9/11 symbol that George W. Bush used to unite the American people and send a message to the terrorist was the throwing out of the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on October 30, 2001. There was a video of this heroic moment shown at the museum as well. This sent a message that we are not scared of terrorist, and our way of life will continue. As Bush eloquently stated, “United We Stand, as we stand together in the face of this threat; we will play baseball in the midst of the beginnings of this war”

            I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the Bush Presidential Library, and I recommend you to visit if you get a chance. Mark McKinnon said, “The library is bold, honest, gracious, respectful and humble. Those were all strong characteristics of George W. Bush.”[2] I could not agree more with President Bush’s former media advisor. George W. Bush was gracious, respectful, and humble since his election in 2000, proof is in his speech in the Texas House after Bush vs. Gore was decided.  The recently elected president delivered a cordial speech that include the famous line, "I believe things happen for a reason, and I hope the long wait of the last five weeks will heighten a desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past." Bush proved to be a candid president as well, unlike some presidents the United States has seen. The president admitted to not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, when he could have covered it up lied to the American people like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. George W. Bush was always a forthcoming and honest President.

            I have said once and I will say this 100 times if I have to, The United States of America is an exceptional country! I do not care what Andrew Bacevich or William Appleman Williams have or had to say about it.  The United States remains the largest economy in the world, the military has unmatched capability. Like President Obama stated, “I think that we have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are exceptional.”  I believe that all United State’s President should view the country as exceptional. If a candidate ever runs for office that does not believe in American exceptional then he or she will not receive my vote!

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[1] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/news-conference-president-obama-4042009

[2] http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2013/04/25/the-reviews-are-in-for-the-george-w-bush-presidential-library-and-museum/ 

The Great Depression Did Not Give A Hoover Dam

A night view on the Colorado River of the Hoover Dam 

Soon after the stock market crash of October 1929 the United States’ economy spiraled downward into what would come to be known as the Great Depression.  The effects of the economic downturn resulted in over thirteen million Americans without a job. President Herbert Hoover and later President FranklinD. Roosevelt ordered for a series domestic programs to create jobs for the United States people. After I finished reading Joseph E. Stevens recount of the griping saga of HooverDam, I correlate the building of Hoover Dam as the symbol of the New Deal as we look back into the history of the early 20^th century.

Las Vegas, Nevada circa 1928

Las Vegas, Nevada circa 1938

From the start of the building of Boulder Dam, the New Deal proved to spark economic growth in the southwestern United States. Stevens agrees when he states in his book, “little Las Vegas was the funnel through which the millions of dollars would pour into Black Canyon, the rugged Colorado River gorge where the dam would rise. “ Las Vegas, Nevada was a small city of 5,000 people prior to the United States government awarding Six Companies the largest single contract the country had seen. After the building of Boulder City, a city built to house the workers of the Dam project, upwards of 20,000 unemployed citizens and immigrants poured into Las Vegas in hopes of landing a job on Six Companies’ engineering marvel.  Stevens even writes “nothing kept the desperate job seekers from flocking to the city” A total of 21,000 men were employed during the five year period that Hoover Dam was built.

More than just creating jobs for unemployed Americans, the building of Hoover Dam would propel the grim economic situation of the United States in another area, electricity.  Hoover Dam supplies power to large percentage of the southwestern United States. 52% of the State of Nevada and the State of Arizona’s power is a result of the dam’s hydroelectric engineering. The dam averages 4.2 terawatts a year, which is almost enough to power Latin America for an entire year!  The hydroelectric engineering that Frank Crowe masterminded is unprecedented and unmatched even in today’s time.

8 of the 17 power generators at Hoover Dam 

As I look back on the Great Depression and the New Deal the landmark symbol is Hoover Dam. All of the banking reforms, housing sectors,  the WPA, and the various other programs created during the New Deal seem like a tiny ant compared to the monstrous Hoover Dam. I like the wording Stevens uses in the book, “For a nation deeply wounded by the Great Depression, the symbolism was doubly important.” Stevens could not be more correct, the Hoover Dam is the symbol of all the good that profited from the creation of the New Deal.  Housing sectors and bank reforms sound great, but when the people of the United States can visit and be awestruck by the beauty and enormity of the Hoover Dam. Franklin D. Roosevelt in his dedicatory address at the Hoover Dam said, “This morning I came, I saw, and I was conquered as everyone will be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind.”

 The damn dam is a cultural icon, visited by thousands of tourists every year; shown in films for decades. The United States would not be the country it is today without the Hoover Dam. The Great Depression did not give a damn about America, but the New Deal gave us a Hoover Dam!

It's Time For A Change

In 2008 Barack Obama ran for President of the United States with the campaign slogan “It’s Time For A Change.” This slogan is something Dr. Andrew Bacevich would certainly agree with. In Bacevich’s book The Limits Of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism he goes in great depth on why the United States is not exceptional. In this book Bacevich identifies three problems facing the United States: The Crisis of the Military, The Political Crisis, and The Crisis of Profligacy or extravagant spending.  Many arguments Bacevich makes in The Limits of Power I am in agreement with, but a there are some that I see differently.

Of the three interlocking crises Bacevich claims, the first is about economical and cultural problems. I could not agree more with his assertions. The American society is extremely greedy and will never be satisfied with what they have. Whether the issue at hand is oil, credit, or the availability of cheap consumer goods, Bacevich claims, “We expect the world to accommodate the American way of life” [1] If I could describe the United States in one word, entitled is the first thing that comes to mind.  The word freedom to many Americans entitles the relentless pursuit to consume, indulge, and acquire whatever they deem they want.  Bacevich says if he could choose a single word to characterize the identity of the United States, it would have to be more.[2] I interpret he uses the word more because of the enormous amounts of spending on the military in the United States. Bacevich is a former Colonel in the United States Army, and is harshly critical of the lavish spending of the military in The Limits of Power.   

This leads me to the second crisis that Bacevich claims, the military. He argues that we rely too much on our military might and power. He uses the numerous military adventures during the 1990s as demonstrations as examples of when Washington does not hesitate to use force. Bacevich even says that the United States “teeters on the edge of insolvency, desperately trying to balance accounts by relying on our presumably invincible armed forces” [3] Even though Bacevich makes a compelling argument, I disagree with the fact that there is a crisis with our military. I believe that Andrew Bacevich is biased toward the military for a couple of reasons. Am I questioning his loyalty and service record? No, but I do believe the death of his son, 1 LT Andrew Bacevich Jr., during the war in Iraq causes some animosity toward President Bush and the military.  I feel a big reason for Bacevich writing this book is because of the death of his son. The military of the United States needs to be superior to all other nations, and the amount of money spent on the United States military needs to be superior to all nations. I believe there is a direct correlation between to amount of money spent and the superiority in a subject. For example, in 2013 Louisville, Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky, and UCLA all spent between 12.7 and 15.6 million dollars on their men’s basketball programs.[4] Not coincidentally, these five programs are of the Elite every year in college basketball. The United States ranks number one in the world in military, and guess what we are the most dominant of all armed forces. Bacevich also calls for the abolishing of the United States nuclear weapons.[5] This is a lucrative proposal, Why would the most powerful military in the world get rid of its most powerful weapons. This would be like the #1 team in the nation taking its best player and kicking him off the team. So I look at it this way, if you want to be superior or “invincible” you have to pony up and fund the money to be elite.  

The political crisis of the United States is another argument that I agree with Andrew Bacevich. Our legislation today no longer makes choices that are for the better good, but are more concerned with being re-elected. Bacevich is harshly critical of the Bush administration, but places the blame on us as American citizens for electing him. The “War Without Exits” is an idea that members of the legislation including the President, entered in a series of military actions after 9/11 with the sole purpose of advancing the United States imperialistic and economically.  Robert Kagan observed, “America did not change on September 11. It only became more itself.” [6] By saying this he agrees with people like William Appleman Williams and Andrew Bacevich that the United States is not exceptional.

Bacevich calls for the United States to address these problems or crises at hand. “American power is not limitless.. and politics are accelerating the depletion of power since 9/11”[7]  This is the main point I agree with Bacevich on. There is a need for change in the United States today. Americans need to realize that freedom is a privilege. All of these problems are of our own making and we must begin to unmake them; not unmake them by the use of military action alone, which the United States tends to do time after time.

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[1] Bacevich, Andrew. The Limits Of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. 1st ed. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 9.

[2] Ibid, 16

[3] Ibid, 6

[4]  http://www.bbstate.com/info/teams-hoopsbudget

[5] Bacevich, Andrew. The Limits Of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. 1st ed. Metropolitan Books, 2010. 178 .

[6]  Ibid, 10

[7] Ibid, 174

Coaching and Diplomats: Part 1

I recently read Jerry Tarkanian’s book Runnin'Rebel: Shark Tales of "Extra Benefits," Frank Sinatra, and Winning It All. In my free time I enjoy reading basketball or coaching relate books. Coach Tarkanian, former NCAA champion coach, wrote a brilliant book. After finishing the book I could not help but correlation the similarities between coaches and diplomats.

            Tark’s book is filled with recruiting stories throughout his illustrious career that spanned over three decades. The first similarity is the relationship aspect. Foreign ministers must maintain positive relationship with a wide array of countries on order for their country to succeed economically, militarily, financially, and issues of foreign aid and alliances. As a coach the importance of relationships is vital. You must have a positive relationship with your assistant coaches and staff or many of the behind the scene work; any head coach will tell you he his nothing with out the support of his staff. The next area a coach needs to build a positive relationship with is the athletes. If the coach wants the players to play hard and listen to what he says then a father/son type relationship needs to built. The next area when relationships and coaching go hand in hand is recruiting. This is the most important relationships a coach needs to build whether it is with AAU and High School coaches who can help find players for the coach or the individual recruit himself. “It doesn’t matter how good of a coach you are, if you cannot recruit players you will never be successful” At the end of the day, the livelihood hood of coaches today are rest upon relationships. A coach could fail in all the aspects I stated above but if he has a positive relationship with the athletic director and president, there is a good chance he will keep his job. To find out more about my comparisons between Coaching and Foreign Ministers tune in next week for Part 2.