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Most people tacitly assume that the proliferation of formal education is a sign of social advance. Democratic theorists have always agreed that a working democracy requires an educated adult population, which is why the universal franchise and universal schooling appear at a similar time in the writings of social philosophers. It is less than useless, however, to have a heavily schooled population if students emerge from 13 or more years of school without an education.

There are five essential areas of education that need to come together to make a responsible, complete adult. A quick survey of them should suffice to tell us that there is a crisis in modern schooling that goes well beyond the literacy crisis and the problems of sexual education.

First, an educated adult should have knowledge of the world that he lives in.

This is particularly important in a democracy, where every citizen is expected to be involved in the political life of the country. A basic understanding of the political process, of the history of one’s own country and of the world, of basic geography and a working knowledge of global economics are all essential. These ought not to be the province of a specialized few, and they are easy to teach.

A kindergarten child, for example, can be taught in approximately 10 to 20 hours to identify every country in the world on a map, yet this is material that is not taught at any level of public school in most jurisdictions.

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If the surge towards Senator Obama continues he will probably win the presidency. At present the only Republican who is ahead of Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama is John McCain. He might have my vote, since I am of an age to regard him as a promising young senator, and he might beat Mrs Clinton because she is a less charismatic candidate, but he would not beat Senator Obama, if Mr Obama won the nomination.

This is not yet certain, but at this stage in 1960 Kennedy was still only a possible candidate. He had to beat Adlai Stevenson for the nomination and then Richard Nixon for the presidency. The first task proved relatively easy, though Stevenson was popular in the Democratic Party. The presidential election against Nixon was a near-run thing. But Kennedy won. Charisma is an indefinable grace, given to few politicians. Obama has it – Bill Clinton had it – but Hillary does not.

If the Obama surge continues, we shall feel the effect of it in British politics. JFK changed British politics as well as American. I remember discussing this impact with Harold Macmillan. Kennedy had created a cult of youth. Experience, which had been an asset to a leader, became synonymous with being an old fuddy-duddy. During the Profumo scandal Macmillan said that he did not move in the youthful circles in which the scandal occurred. That was taken as the proof that he was out of touch, as though a Prime Minister in his sixties had a duty to mix with the younger set in louche nightclubs.

Youth, idealism, style are powerful political weapons. On February 5, we shall see whether they have captivated America. If they do, we shall find that they have captivated Britain as well. Barack Obama could have a message for us all.

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Mounting alarm has been created by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster when he questioned recently the future of some of the finest churches in his diocese. In Preston, which was granted city status to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, there is talk of closure of a number of the best preserved Catholic churches in the country, including St Walburge’s, with the tallest spire of any parish church in England (309ft ”” 95m ”” to Louth’s 295 ft and the 292ft of St Mary Redcliffe, in Bristol).

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Turn on the TV today, and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s 1999. Democrats and Republicans are bickering about where and how to intervene, whether to do it alone or with allies and what kind of world America should lead. Democrats believe they can hit a reset button, and Republicans believe muscular moralism is the way to go. It’s as if the first decade of the 21st century didn’t happen ”” and almost as if history itself doesn’t happen. But the distribution of power in the world has fundamentally altered over the two presidential terms of George W. Bush, both because of his policies and, more significant, despite them. Maybe the best way to understand how quickly history happens is to look just a bit ahead.

It is 2016, and the Hillary Clinton or John McCain or Barack Obama administration is nearing the end of its second term. America has pulled out of Iraq but has about 20,000 troops in the independent state of Kurdistan, as well as warships anchored at Bahrain and an Air Force presence in Qatar. Afghanistan is stable; Iran is nuclear. China has absorbed Taiwan and is steadily increasing its naval presence around the Pacific Rim and, from the Pakistani port of Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea. The European Union has expanded to well over 30 members and has secure oil and gas flows from North Africa, Russia and the Caspian Sea, as well as substantial nuclear energy. America’s standing in the world remains in steady decline.

Why? Weren’t we supposed to reconnect with the United Nations and reaffirm to the world that America can, and should, lead it to collective security and prosperity? Indeed, improvements to America’s image may or may not occur, but either way, they mean little. Condoleezza Rice has said America has no “permanent enemies,” but it has no permanent friends either. Many saw the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as the symbols of a global American imperialism; in fact, they were signs of imperial overstretch. Every expenditure has weakened America’s armed forces, and each assertion of power has awakened resistance in the form of terrorist networks, insurgent groups and “asymmetric” weapons like suicide bombers. America’s unipolar moment has inspired diplomatic and financial countermovements to block American bullying and construct an alternate world order. That new global order has arrived, and there is precious little Clinton or McCain or Obama could do to resist its growth.

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When it comes to religion, modern Americans think religious beliefs are good, but they tend to worry about beliefs that affect other people.

As a rule, religious words are safer than religious actions.

Consider these numbers from a new Ellison Research study that shows surprising support — on the left and right, among believers and skeptics — for freedom of expression when it comes to words and symbols.

An overwhelming 90 percent of adults agreed that faith groups should be allowed to rent public property, such as a school gym, if laws gave non-religious groups the same right. Asked about allowing a moment of silence in public schools, 89 percent said that was fine. Another 88 percent said teachers should have the right to wear jewelry, such as a cross or a Star of David, in public-school classes.

“There is a lot of unity out there about these kinds of issues,” said Ron Sellers, president of the research firm in Phoenix. “But the specifics do matter. Wearing a cross on your lapel is not the same thing as showing up at school wearing a T-shirt with a big cross on it and the words, ‘Believe in Jesus or you’re going to hell.’

“There’s no way to say that approving one thing is the same as approving another, even though the same principle is at stake.”

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In the not-so-distant past, redlining — the practice of denying financial services to people based solely on their race, sex, surname or address — deprived many Americans of the opportunity to build a prosperous life. Today many of us still suffer financially. But this time around, we’re limited by too many choices rather than too few.

Financial illiteracy has become the new redlining. Vast numbers of us go to college and own homes and cars. Our kids tote the latest cellphones, and our living room television sets have been replaced by lavish home entertainment centers. But we don’t know how to budget for our households or how to balance our checkbooks. Homeowners who misunderstood or ignored the inherent risks of adjustable-rate mortgages are losing houses to foreclosure in record numbers. (In California, 31,676 households foreclosed in the last quarter of 2007, more than twice as many as the previous record in 1996.) Shoppers who ignored the fine print on credit card agreements helped push consumer bankruptcies up 40%, to 801,840, in 2007. The average college student graduates with $2,200 in credit card debt and is more likely to drop out of school because of financial hardship than because of academic failure.

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This is an important address and worth the time. I am very proud of South Carolina for voting for John McCain and Barack Obama on the last two Saturdays.

This is skillfully delivered and very funny.

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country ”” just as we did in 1960.

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“I do not think I have ever seen a bishop as moved by the laying on of hands as I did yesterday.”

–Bishop James Adams of Western Kansas speaking at Christ Saint Paul’s, Yonges Island, about yesterday’s consecration of Mark Lawrence as the 14th Bishop of South Carolina

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Check it out.

Directions are here–we are thrilled to have him at the parish at which I serve. Sunday School at 9:30, worship at 10:30.

Sixty-five parishioners from St. Paul’s Parish in Bakersfield made the trip to Charleston, S.C. Bakersfield residents Denise Irvin, Randal Messick, Fr. John Wilcox and Garrett Ming participated in the service. This attendance is a strong indication of the spiritual leadership of Lawrence and his adherence to Christian orthodoxy and biblical faithfulness.

The cathedral’s capacity of 1,100 was quickly exceeded, so streaming video was provided at two nearby churches. Twenty-five bishops from the United States, England, Dominican Republic, Tanzania and Canada were present Saturday. Also present was Edward Little, the former rector of All Saints in Bakersfield, who is now Bishop of Northern Indiana.

Georgia Camp Bell, formerly of Bakersfield, was one of the presenters. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Camp of Bakersfield, she now lives in Charleston. Irvin, a long-time parishioner, presented Lawrence his gold bishop’s ring.

“It was a very moving experience. It helps each of us say this is a new beginning for St. Paul’s,” she commented.

Messick, a professor in theatre at Bakersfield College, read the epistle. He, too, considered the experience to be very moving.

“Fr. Mark has had a major influence on my Christian faith,” he said. “The strong responses today by those present in the liturgy and singing translates to a very strong commitment by the body of Christ and to its continuity.”

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Calling for economic evangelism and political advocacy, the Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, elected leader of the nation’s 2.7 million Episcopal Church members, roused an audience of her denomination’s regional leaders in Roanoke on Saturday.

“Pester your legislators” to be more aggressive in battling poverty and hunger across the globe, urged Jefferts Schori. “Annoy them.”

The 53-year-old former oceanographer, who is said by religious scholars to be the only female top-ranked official of a major denomination — except for Queen Elizabeth II, whose crown makes her head of the Church of England — spoke with the conviction of a street preacher.

“When I was a kid I remember being taught that the world’s food problems would be solved by protein from the ocean. T’aint going to happen,” said Jefferts Schori, who before being ordained a priest in 1994 had a career in science that included a stint with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

As the Episcopalians’ Presiding Bishop, essentially their chief pastor, the New York City-based leader has been outspoken about her belief that science and religion can comfortably coexist.

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Barack Obama left the Democratic field in his red clay dust Saturday, easily winning South Carolina’s first-in-the-South Democratic presidential primary.

In an election tainted by bickering and complaints about the focus on race and gender, black voters proved decisive for the U.S. Senator from Illinois.

According to exit polls, African-Americans accounted for more than half of Democratic voters, with four of every five of those voters, men and women, choosing Obama.

After spending much of the week fending off jabs from the Hillary Clinton campaign, Obama again tried to rise above the fray in his victory speech.

“It’s not about rich versus poor; young versus old; black versus white,” Obama said. “This election is about past versus future.

“Out of many we are one. While we breathe, we hope,” he said, referencing the state motto and his own campaign slogan.

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Just call him Bishop Lawrence, finally.

Mark Joseph Lawrence endured two elections in a year’s span and waited patiently for confirmation that he would be the 14th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. His election was approved in October, and on Saturday, he was consecrated in a liturgical ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul in downtown Charleston.

Hundreds of people came to witness Lawrence’s big day ”” distinguished guests from near and far, including Benjamin Kwashi, Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria; Anthony Burton, Bishop of Saskatchewan, Canada; Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon; and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who proclaimed the day after the new bishop during the service.

Lawrence’s consecration comes amid recent theological disagreement within the Episcopal Church, which is the American affiliate of the global Anglican Communion, the roots of which trace back to the Church of England.

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Q. You’ve said that the “WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?” model is too simplistic. How would those people who get out of the stands proceed? What I want to say is that we have to listen to Jesus’ teaching. If “What Would Jesus Do?” means “How can we live our lives in a way that’s pleasing to Jesus?” then I think that’s a great question.

The problem is, we have to account for the differences between the first century and the 21st century. So if Jesus went from one place to another, he would walk and take a donkey. We take a bus or a plane, maybe.

Then we have to deal with other differences in context. For example, Jesus lived in a monarchy; we live in a democracy. So, Jesus never voted. But I think if he were here, he would vote. And Jesus never really talked about elections, because there weren’t any. But if he were here today, he might talk about that.

Q. You want a deeper reading of the Gospels…

Exactly. One of our problems is that some people don’t take the Bible seriously. They just dismiss it. And then other people claim to take the Bible seriously, but they read it in a very simplistic way. I think what we need to do is have people read the Bible with maturity and depth. And take it seriously.

It is hard to put into words my level of agreement with that last section which I put in bold. Read it all.

At a festive service at the Cathedral of Saint Luke and Saint Paul in Charleston today, Mark Joseph Lawrence was consecrated the 14th Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. “We thank you and Allison for your strength and perseverance,” said Alden Hathaway, retired Bishop of Pittsburgh and preacher for the service, “you inspire us and give us hope.” Joined by their five children and six grandchildren, the Lawrences were greeted with a thunderous and lengthy standing ovation by the diocese who had elected Mark twice over the last two years.

Asked what most struck him by the service today, the Rev. Dow Sanderson, rector of Church of the Holy Communion in Charleston, said: “I was most encouraged by the joyful optimism of the people who were there, the belief that there is a glorious gospel to proclaim and that we have a faithful bishop who is going to stand fast in spite of the circumstances in order to enable us to proclaim it word and deed.”

Update: There is now a picture of the newly consecrated bishop here.

The biggest damage is to Mrs Clinton’s claim that she will be an effective chief executive. Mr Clinton’s frenetic role in the campaign surely prefigures the role he will play in the White House, advising here, meddling there, and using the access to top-secret information that his position as an ex-president affords him to second-guess the most sensitive decisions. Who will hold Mr Clinton accountable for his actions? How will the White House function with an ex-president and a vice-president vying for influence? (One insider once termed the “three-headed” relationship between the Clintons and Al Gore a “rolling disaster”.) The Clintonians like to describe their bosses as complementary figures who act as “force multipliers”. But in the 1990s what actually got multiplied was confusion.

All this will be material for the Republican attack machine. By most reckonings the Republicans should be doomed. But the Clintons’ tactics are alienating blacks and young people. The Clintons are in the process of doing the impossible: making the 2008 election a referendum on them, rather than on the Republicans. And the Republicans are inching towards nominating their one candidate, Mr McCain, who has broad popular appeal. If what ought to be a stroll in the park in November becomes a real fight, then the Democrats will know who to blame.

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A wild week for financial markets highlighted many concerns about the health of the U.S. economy. But how serious is the issue? One long-term issue: Mortgage debt and credit-card debt have roughly doubled since 2000. New York Times columnist Joe Nocera and Scott Simon discuss some of the issues behind recent market volatility.

Listen to it all from NPR.

It’s not easy being the Episcopal bishop of Newark, where a third of diocesan churches have money problems, membership is declining, and the monster shadow of Jack Spongs 24-year tenure always hangs over you.

For Mark Beckwith, who on Monday celebrates his one-year anniversary as the dioceses 10th bishop, the financial troubles are likely to be around for a while. But tonight, at the annual diocesan convention at the Hilton Hotel in Parsippany, he signaled he would not recommend consolidating or closing urban churches, a prospect that has worried some in recent years.

Fifty years ago, he said in his address, Newark had 17 Episcopal churches. Today it has three. Jersey City had 12 in 1958, and three now. Paterson had five, and two now.

“I suppose an argument could be made that our three largest diocesan cities were over-churched 50 years ago, but I wouldn’t make that case now,” said Beckwith, 56. “We have had enough church consolidation in our cities.”

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Retired Army Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey currently is an adjunct professor of international affairs at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). In December, he visited Iraq and Kuwait and was briefed by military commanders, including Adm. William Fallon (Commander Central Command), Gen. David Petraeus (Commanding General Multi-National Corps Iraq), and dozens of other flag officers and senior U.S. embassy officials in Baghdad. He also conferred with Iraqi army and police officers. He visited army training centers, markets, and other sites, including in Baghdad and Ramadi.

The purpose of his visit was to assess current “strategic and operational security operations in Iraq.” After returning to the U.S., he filed an “after action report,” dated Dec. 18, 2007, to the head of the academy’s department of social sciences. A copy of this report was forwarded to me by a flag officer and friend. What follows is a brief summary of what Gen. McCaffrey wrote:

–The struggle for stability in the Iraqi civil war has entered a new phase with dramatically reduced levels of civilian sectarian violence, political assassinations, abductions, and small arms/indirect fire and improvised explosive device attacks on U.S. and Iraqi police and army forces.

–The senior leaders of AQI [al-Qaida in Iraq] have become walking dead men because of the enormous number of civilian intelligence tips coming directly to U.S. forces.

–The Iraqi security forces are now beginning to take a major and independently successful role in the war. … The previously grossly ineffective and corrupt Iraqi police has been forcefully re-trained and re-equipped.

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The video was compelling; I tried to find a way to link to the video and failed. In the meantime, read it all (and if any blog readers can find the direct video link let me know).

Watch it all–inspiring stuff.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on January 25 wrote to inform each member of the standing committee elected at the last convention of the Fresno-based Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin that she does not recognize them as the standing committee of that diocese. She also assured continuing Episcopalians of financial and legal support in reconstituting the diocese.

Jefferts Schori, in a letter delivered January 26 to the committee’s eight members, cited their unanimous vote to disaffiliate with The Episcopal Church (TEC) and their “attempt to organize as the standing committee of an entity that identifies itself as an Anglican Diocese of the Province of the Southern Cone,” actions which violate church canons.

“In light of your recent actions, I find that you have been and are unable to well and faithfully fulfill your duties as members of the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin under Canon I.17.8,” she wrote. Canon I.17.8 provides that anyone accepting an office in the church “shall well and faithfully perform the duties of that office in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of this Church and of the Diocese in which the office is being exercised.”

“Accordingly, with this letter I inform you that I do not recognize you as the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin,” she wrote. “I regret the decisions that you have made to attempt to take the Diocese out of The Episcopal Church and the necessary consequences of these actions.”

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A Democratic lawmaker in New Mexico wants to tax televisions and video games to raise funds to fight childhood obesity and improve education in the state, officials said Friday.
“I have asked our legislative council service to prepare the “Leave No Child Inside” bill and am hopeful that it will be ready for me to introduce on Monday,” educator-turned-lawmaker Gail Chasey told AFP.

“Leave No Child Inside” — a play on the federal education initiative “No Child Left Behind” — is backed by grassroots environmental group, the Sierra Club.

“The bill proposes levying a one-percent excise tax on the purchase of TVs, video games and video game equipment and would create the ‘Leave No Child Inside’ fund to receive those revenues,” Michael Casaus of the Sierra Club told AFP.

The author and sponsors of the bill, who include dozens of other organizations besides the Sierra Club, according to Casaus, expect to raise four million dollars (three million euros) a year through the tax.

The items that would be taxed have been carefully chosen because of their links to obesity and poor school performance, the Sierra Club says, citing medical studies.

Around one-quarter of New Mexico’s children are obese or overweight, and just over half finish high school, said Casaus.

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