Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Lessons in Education, Democracy and Western Civilization from a Great Man

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by

sherlockj
in ,

by James C. Sherlock

I recommend that every reader view a one-hour teleconference discussion between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and higher education leaders from around the United States.

You will watch a great and remarkably insightful man, in the middle of leading his country’s war for survival, speak and answer questions about preserving higher education, democracy and Western civilization in Ukraine and the world.

He first speaks relatively briefly but rivetingly.

American academic leaders then offer help. They ask him in various ways how they can best structure that assistance. He does not dissemble, nor does he play small ball. His answers portray a man in full command of detail who does not get lost in it. He does not shy away from the most difficult questions.

Each of us will take away our own lessons; but President Zelenskyy continues to raise the bar of leadership.

He has, in answer to unrehearsed questions, offered his audience a bracing perspective of what is important in life and in liberal education and its role in preserving western civilization.

I consider it an historic moment.

I hope the audience, including University of Virginia President James Ryan who asked him his views on how American universities can help Ukraine deal with disinformation, will put his words into action at their institutions.

If America’s education leaders are worth their salaries, they will include this video in their first year liberal arts curricula starting now.

Regardless, I won’t forget it.

Neither, I think, will you.

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Comments

37 responses to “Lessons in Education, Democracy and Western Civilization from a Great Man”

  1. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Their guy is a former comedian.
    Our former guy was a clown.

    1. Lefty665 Avatar
      Lefty665

      Our current guy is soft in the head with dementia and his deputy is a brain dead virtue signal. It’s a sad state of affairs all around.

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Well, guess there’s only one thing to do. You go first.

        1. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          I presume you mean to the voting booth in November. I’ll go twice if it will save you the bother.

          1. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            I have oft believed that voting serves two purposes — venting and absolution.

          2. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            If I go for you which one do you want? I’ll take the other.

    2. kls Avatar
      kls

      Z-man is also a lawyer

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Yeah. Ukrainian law. Does that really count when compared to, oh say, Louisiana?

  2. Lefty665 Avatar
    Lefty665

    Zelenskyy is a puppet and tool of the neo-con and neo-liberal elites who are running our crusade against Russia that we will pursue to the last Ukrainian. There is nothing great about him, he is an actor playing a role scripted for him by British and US propagandists.

    More Ukrainians are killed each day than in all the mass shootings in the US in a year. To paraphrase our president, when in God’s name will we stop sending more guns to the Ukraine?

    If we spent the $40B just appropriated for the Ukraine on mental health and school security we could keep own kids from being killed and would not facilitate killing Ukrainian kids. It would be a win win.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      What part of the US would you cede to China? Or Canada?

      1. Lefty665 Avatar
        Lefty665

        We’ve already ceded our ability to function as a country to China. I’d like to see much of that come back through re-onshoring manufacturing. It won’t happen any time soon. There are no indications that Canada has any interest in having any more to do with us than it has to.

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          Nah. We own China. The orange man hisself said so. “If you borrow a million dollars, the bank owns you. If you borrow a billion, you own the bank.”

          1. oromae Avatar
            oromae

            Great. What does $30T buy us?

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            WalMart inventory.

          3. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            We’ll find out how true that is when the Chinese start dumping the $1T+ they’ve got in Treasuries. It would not be pretty. It encourages us to be nice to them. Taiwan, who’s that?

      2. oromae Avatar
        oromae

        California.
        They couldn’t do anything that wouldn’t be an improvement.

    2. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      What part of the US would you cede to China? Or Canada?

    3. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      It must be tough being you for even just one day.

      1. Lefty665 Avatar
        Lefty665

        Sometimes, but it is always a relief not to be a lemming for propaganda.

  3. kls Avatar
    kls

    A politician who has outlawed all his political opposition parties and forced all media to consolidate under his state-run entity….. jus sayin…..

    1. Lefty665 Avatar
      Lefty665

      and we are getting a pretty good start on those same actions here….

    2. Lefty665 Avatar
      Lefty665

      and we are getting a pretty good start on those same actions here….

  4. James C. Sherlock Avatar
    James C. Sherlock

    I went to the beach today. It was beautiful. Apparently only trolls remained inside.

    1. Lefty665 Avatar
      Lefty665

      If you spent a little more time inside you would at least have the opportunity to be better informed, but that might not be as beautiful. Apparently you think that is a good trade off. Others mileage may vary.

      I infer you like the idea of Ryan being the arbiter of what is permissible information. Curious. Some of us value free speech. We believe that more speech, good speech is the antidote to bad speech.

      In addition I believe that UVA in Charlottesville should not be the tax supported center of censorship. That possibility never occurred to me before I read Ryan’s sycophantic suck up to Zelenskyy. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I hope someone in the Gov’s office sees it and takes offense too.

      If this be trollsion make the most of it.

      1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        Your inference is wrong. If you listen to Zelesnskyy’s response, he said fight lies with truth.

        1. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          Oh, you do not approve of Ryan’s offer of censorship? That is comforting.

          Zelenskyy did say fight lies with truth too, and that is what I am doing.

          However, Zelenskyy’s statement is part of the mountain of lies and propaganda that his Brit and US handlers have programmed him to spout in support of his commandeering of Ukrainian media and banning of political parties. Those acts are the antithesis of free speech, and freedom itself.

          Ryan’s offering up UVA as an arbiter of “disinformation” is in service of lies and repression of both speech and freedom itself. Mr. Jefferson may be rolling in his grave,

          It is sad that you have swallowed Zelenskyy’s disinformation whole. Maybe you would be happier if you spent full time at the beach. It is much prettier there than here in reality.

          1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            You are welcome to your views.

          2. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Please tell me, do you believe Ryan should deal with the Ukrainian and Zelenskyy’s disinformation where they claimed Russian atrocities for murders the Ukrainian Azov Nazis committed in Bucha?

            Here’s the timeline:

            Wednesday – Mayor of Bucha announces the Russians have withdrawn

            Friday – town spokesperson announces Ukrainian Azov Battalion is coming to “cleanse” the city

            Saturday – The New York Times visits Bucha and photographs Azov Nazis

            Sunday – Bodies show up in the streets – apparently nobody saw them for the better part of a week until they were going to church?

            Monday Zelenskyy and US media start howling about Russian atrocities in Bucha

            How do you like shilling for Nazis and monsters who are willing to kill their own people in a scheme to blame Russia? Is that part of your beautiful day on the beach?

            Will Ryan and UVA deal with this disinformation? Do UVA and Ryan have a position on atrocities committed by the “great and remarkably insightful man” Zelenskyy as you call him?

          3. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            Wow. You do have a different opinion. That must be quite a chat room.

          4. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            No chat rooms. It is simple fact from press reports, but not Zelenskyy’s, Biden Administration’s and US MSM propaganda.

            To their credit, the NYT did report from Bucha and did not report piles of bodies in the streets and did report Azov Nazis several days after the Russians left.

            You just have to be willing to read and to use your head for something besides a hat rack.

            Bet you were among those who put American flag decals on the fenders of their Buicks after we invaded Iraq because WMDs.

          5. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            See that far right outlet CBS news https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-russia-war-azov-battalion-putin-premise-war-vs-nazis/ “The Azov Battalion: How Putin built a false premise for a war against “Nazis” in Ukraine”. You will note that the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard was the most successful armed unit of Ukrainians fighting against the Russians in Donbas since 2014. As such, it was financed in part by wealthy Ukrainians of Jewish descent more concerned with its combat effectiveness than the politics of its members. Damn Nazis, tricking those gullible Jews and the Jewish President of Ukraine.

            The battle of Bucha was part of the Kyiv offensive in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for control of the city of Bucha. The combatants were elements of the Russian Armed Forces and Ukrainian Ground Forces. The battle lasted from 27 February 2022 to 31 March 2022 and ended with the withdrawal of Russian forces. The Azov Nazi’s as you designate them were in Bucha after the Russians left because they were the troops that drove them out. Damn Nazis, driving the Russians from Bucha.

            https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/20/world/russia-ukraine-war/2136c01d-e63b-54e3-9735-4087a55516fe?smid=url-share “A spokesman for Russia’s Defense Ministry says Moscow’s forces have taken full control of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces held out for months. The claim that the plant had been “completely liberated,” which could not be immediately verified, would signal the end of the most protracted and bloody seige of the war. The official, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, also said that the commander of the Azov regiment had been captured and taken away from the plant in an armored car.” Damn Nazis, defending the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to the last man.

          6. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Apologist for Nazis, that’s quite a tumble. But it lets us know your values. Seems disrespectful on Memorial Day.

            Still got your flag decal on your Buick? “It won’t get you into heaven any more, it’s already over crowded from your dirty little war.”

          7. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            “Apologist for Nazis”. How often are you blindsided by satire? Must happen a lot. Probably thought Mel Brooks’ “Springtime for Hitler” scene was a homage.

          8. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            I was referring to your immediately prior post where you denied there were Nazis in Ukraine and quoted CBS and the NYT. That was satire???

            Stepan Bandera, WWII Ukrainian Nazi war criminal is Azov’s patron saint.

            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/16a93e4b4f8fe01bf709d73b7cfd8e782944986efbb729122904ad6c541241cc.jpg

            Note the Nazi flag, Azov Battalion flag, NATO flag, Nazi salute and blacked out faces to keep them from being identified as war criminals. If you do not understand that you have not been paying attention.

            “Jesus don’t like killing no matter what the reason’s for. Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven any more.” Especially not your swastika.

            Our remembrances today of and gratitude for the sacrifices of the 400+ thousand Americans and 26.6 million Russians who gave their lives to defeat the Nazis.

          9. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2018-07-09/ty-article/rights-groups-demand-israel-stop-arming-neo-nazis-in-the-ukraine/0000017f-e080-d7b2-a77f-e3870e1c0000
            Haaretz on rights groups demanding Israel stop arming neo Nazis in Ukraine.

            https://consortiumnews.com/2022/05/30/scott-ritter-phase-three-in-ukraine/
            Scott Ritter, ex Marine and former arms control inspector on what is happening in the Ukraine and what the issues are going forward. Sensible and not propaganda for anyone.

            https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/05/rape-allegations-against-russian-troops-in-ukraine-were-fake.html#more
            Ukrainian Russian rape charges debunked and the human rights ombudsman who made them was fired by the Ukrainian parliament. Where was Ryan and UVA in combating this disinformation?

  5. Lefty665 Avatar
    Lefty665

    From the linked article: Ryan asked Zelenskyy what role American universities could play in combating misinformation and disinformation about the war.

    Zelenskyy said information had been weaponized. He called the
    dissemination of false news and reports a “pollution of the information
    space.”

    Do we really want UVA deciding what is misinformation and disinformation? Does that come under the heading of becoming an adjunct of the Disinformation Governance Board? Is that a good use of our Virginia tax dollars?

  6. oromae Avatar
    oromae

    Ghost of Kyiv.

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