1. I got hold
of the Greg Grandin book, The End of the
Myth from Amazon, and have actually read the first nine pages. It looks really good, and I may have
something to say about it when I have read some more.
2. On Tuesday,
before dawn, I drive to the airport and begin my semester of teaching at
Columbia. Thanks to an app called
CourseWorks, I can look at pictures of the nineteen students who have
signed up so far [limit is twenty.] I
also Googled them. They look like a very
interesting collection of undergrads and grad students. On the first day I have decided to wear my
old T-shirt that reads, in bold red letters, “Free The Fogg 19.” I shan’t bother to explain here what that
means, but if anyone is interested, the story starts at p. 576 of my
Autobiography and runs for four pages.
3. I have been
brooding about Jerry Fresia’s suggestion that I try to mobilize calls to Hakeem
Jeffrey’s office. Do Representatives
listen to calls from people not in their districts? I am no good at organizing, for all that I am
in favor of it, but this blog is a resource that ought to be used and this
would not be the first time I devoted time and energy to something I am not
good at just because I ought to. What do
people think?
I don't know how effective out-of-district phone calls are, but I gather that JF's point is that the sheer volume can have an impact, regardless of source. I can speak for the effectiveness of letters, albeit not in the context of politics. In recent years I have written a number of letters to customer service division leaders at various companies (insurance, car rental, airline, etc.), both to complain and to praise. In every case I received a personal reply and, where appropriate, responsive action. In politics, your mileage will vary, naturally, but I am a firm believer in the written word transmitted via USPS.
ReplyDeleteI also just picked up GG's new book.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, my suggestion doesn't turn on Jefferies as a target, rather it turns on focus, where all of us get behind a certain action.
ReplyDeleteWhat actions? We could choose amongst ourselves with the Professor's input. I think it could be fun at the same time that the question of what to do or target challenges our strategic sensibilities. Otherwise, I fear the Friday List will slowly evaporate. I think it would be fun to change our focus from time to time or week to week.
I think that Representatives listen to people outside their districts especially if they are large campaign donors.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it necessary to identify yourself as not being from the Representative's campaign district when one calls or writes an email? Lie!
ReplyDeleteThe office may have a list of registered voters in the district, but identify yourself as a non-registered voter, but planning to vote in the next election for someone in favor of Trump's impeachment. It's easier enough to fake an address within a given district and they're not like to hire a private detective to find out if you really live there.
Hello, I know it is not related( I couldnt find any contact information) but as I am watching your course about the critique of pure reason in youtube, I was wonder what do you think about the current importance of Kant? More specifically, do you have any suggestion what would be a good research topic on the critique of pure reason nowadays?
ReplyDeleteJefferies is in a leadership position and so he should expect to get calls from people out of his district. In fact, it would be good to hang ones comments on the fact that he's in leadership. Some variant of the 'defecate or sit somewhere else' theme would be good.
ReplyDelete