January 2011

What does it mean to be an American? This may sound like a trite question, but it is one that we have been asking for the entire history of the United States, and it has more relevance than ever in the age of globalization—and terrorism. Europe seems to do little but debate its identity these days. Tidy garden-apartment nations, whose politics for decades consisted of little more than debating how much they should expand the social-welfare state, now find themselves asking, “What is a Frenchman? A Dane? A Dutchman?” as they confront the suddenly potent neo-fascist parties that are launching one assault after another on immigration.

Arriving on dvd and video just in time to provide an antidote to World Series hype, The Rookie , written by Mike Rich, directed by John Lee Hancock, and starring Dennis Quaid, is the best film about baseball since Bull Durham . Released last spring, The Rookie sneaked up on a lot of critics and, without fanfare or much studio backing, became a word-of-mouth hit. Exactly how good it is wasn’t obvious at first to many critics, and it may not grab you right away, not until you realize how many baseball-movie clichés aren’t in it.

Fifty years ago a bold challenge to school segregation was winding its way slowly through the federal courts. The plaintiffs were black parents determined to stake out a better life for their children. Their cause would triumph two years later, when the United States Supreme Court struck down the legal doctrine of “separate but equal”—and sounded a death knell for Jim Crow.

This fall PBS airs a four-part documentary series, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow , which chronicles the history of legal segregation from the earliest days of Reconstruction to the eve of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The series uses never-before-seen photographs and film footage, oral histories, and interviews to plug an important gap in the documentary treatment of civil rights history. A strong companion piece to The Civil War and Eyes on the Prize, Rise and Fall offers a comprehensive look at the political, social, and cultural history of racial segregation in America.

This passive, evasive way of acknowledging error while distancing the speaker from personal responsibility for the act goes back farther in American history than one might expect. A few examples from earlier this year:

“McDonald’s . . . admits mistakes were made in letting the public know about the [non-vegetarian] ingredients in the fries and hash browns.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution )

“No one can say that he served in an administration that did not make mistakes. . . . It is quite possible that mistakes were made.” (Henry A. Kissinger)

“If in hindsight we also discover that mistakes may have been made as regards prompt removal of priests and assistance to victims, I am deeply sorry.” (Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York)

These days there’s nothing more old-fashioned than a fallout shelter. It’s not, unfortunately, that the threat of a nuclear attack seems so out-dated; it’s the idea that you’d want to survive one. Still, for those who are pessimistic enough to expect a nuclear war to occur and optimistic enough to plan on sticking around afterward, shelter building has come back into vogue in the past year.

It’s easy to furnish a fallout shelter at your local supermarket, where dried food, fuel, and medical and sanitary supplies are all readily available. Imported bottled water will help the Martha Stewart set face Armageddon in style, while MREs or other military rations may leave you less reluctant to depart this life, should it come to that. Survivalists with a sense of history, however, will want to stock their postapocalyptic hideaways with genuine, original Cold War provisions, and Chalet Suzanne, a hotel and restaurant in Lake Wales, Florida, will be happy to help sticklers create that authentic Kennedy-era feel.

Good After the Last Drop WHY DO WE SAY THAT? AMERICA’S BLOODIEST DAY “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL” NO MORE SCREENINGS

I was intrigued with Kevin Baker’s “War and Our Freedoms: The Trouble With Military Tribunals,” which appeared in the April/May “In the News” column. Here is a different view that I hope you will consider publishing.

The War of September 11 has yet again raised tensions between American security and liberty. It has not been the first time. The use of military tribunals rather than the normal justice system occurred, for example, during the Revolution, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and both world wars. Yet questions remain about the degree to which terrorists—known as “unlawful combatants” in legal jargon—are entitled to legal protection.

Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus and authorized such forums to try terrorists because the tribunals could act quickly, gather intelligence through interrogation, and keep potentially lifesaving information from becoming public.