Today we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the end of the first World War. On this day in 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Germany signed the Armistice concluding the “War to End All Wars.”
In the United States we commemorate this anniversary with Veterans Day. Other parts of the world celebrate this occasion with Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.
Free people also remember this week for the end of another conflict: the Cold War. On November 9, 1989, after weeks of public demonstrations, the German Democratic Republic announced the lifting of travel restrictions to the West. Over the next few weeks the Berlin Wall was first breached and then dismantled.
This video celebrates the human spirit’s indomitable capacity for peace and freedom:
I’m the same age as President Elect Obama. We both graduated from Harvard Law School. I don’t remember meeting him, though. I graduated in 1985, but I’m not sure what year he graduated. If we were on campus at the same time, I’ll always regret that I failed to become his best friend!
In case you missed it, here is his victory speech from last night in Chicago:
Gov. Palin spoke last Friday in Pittsburgh about how she proposes to assist families raising children with special needs. She proposed
School choice for parents and caretakers of children with special needs;
Portability of federal and state funds to follow the child to private placements;
Full funding of IDEA (special education).
Some voters in the disability community aren’t persuaded. As Governor of Alaska, she cut funding for special needs education by sixty two percent. For a criticism of Palin’s speech, see this editorial published by commondreams.org. To see a brief excerpt of Gov. Palin’s speech in her own words, watch this video:
On November 4 Johnson County, Kansas residents will decide whether to allow politics and money to pollute our courts. Judges should not be politicians. They should leave their personal politics at the courthouse steps. Cases should be decided objectively and fairly on the law and the facts.
Judges should not accept bribes under the guise of campaign contributions.
Yesterday’s Kansas City Star interviewed elected judges in Sedgwick and Wyandotte Counties. Those judges said that they do their best to remain objective and fair notwithstanding who helped elect them. I’m sure they try; but, when the chips are down, they want to keep their jobs, just like any politician.
To learn more about this issue, including a message from K.C. Royals’ baseball legend George Brett, check out www.justicenotforsale.org .
Keep our courts free of politics and money. Vote NO to Johnson County, Kansas Ballot Question #1.
