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The Communitarian Update
Number 65
April 11, 2005
Tell us what you think!
How should we treat illegal immigrants? Some hold that making for stronger borders is
essential for fighting terrorism and ensuring that those who wait in the queue for legal
immigration will not be discriminated against. Others argue that many industries would have
to close if illegal immigration were not tolerated. And the point is often raised that if one
is serious about stopping illegal immigrants, one should go after the employers - not the
immigrants. Furthermore, some argue that when caught, illegal immigrants should be shipped
home without delay unless they can make a strong case that they would be endangered if they
returned to their country of origin. Others call for due process, which may take considerable
time and resources. Still others feel that borders should be opened up to one and all. A
communitarian may wonder why anyone has a right to be in another person's country. What say
you?
Please respond briefly and tell us how to identify you. We do not run anonymous responses
because we hold that true identities make for better dialogues. Please also provide some
details about yourself (if not your affiliation then at least your town and nation) to help us
to understand your perspective. We reserve the right to edit responses for length and
grammar.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies at The George Washington University Presents:
"A Dialogue for a New Moral Agenda"
May 23 - 24, 2005
Washington, DC
The event will take place on the campus of The George Washington University over the course of
two days. The purpose of the dialogue is to explore what moral language will allow us best to
express the values we share, values that resonate with the moral sensibilities of most
Americans. Our starting point is that within each of us there is a struggle between our better
and our debased selves; thus we ask, what social institutions can make us better than we would
be otherwise?
Those who have already agreed to attend include: Robert Cochran, founder of Pepperdine's
Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics; Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and
Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services; Rev. Brenda Bartella
Peterson, former DNC Senior Advisor for Religious Outreach; Jim Towey, Director of the White
House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; Linda Chavez, President of the Center
for Equal Opportunity; and Amy Sullivan, editor of "Washington Monthly."
The topics of the conference will include:
* Moral suasion versus moral coercion
* The reform of our moral institutions (such as the family, schools, places of worship, and
the community at large)
* The role of moral dialogues
* Assessing the "24/7" society
* Exploring what a fair society makes?
* The scope of our obligations to members of other societies and the budding global
community
With the exception of two keynote addresses, the conference will be structured around a
series of dialogues intended to maximize time for discussion. Each session will begin with a
brief presentation of the potential elements of a new moral agenda, followed by comments from
dialogue starters and then a discussion among all participants present. Participants in the
conference will include religious and spiritual leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds and
secular leaders interested in ethics.
Amitai Etzioni, Director of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies and author of
"The Spirit of Community," will present the Institute's positions. If you have any questions,
we would be delighted to answer them. We very much hope that you will be able to participate
in this important and timely conference.
Those interested in participating should email Eleanor at egm@gwu.edu. REGISTRATION IS
REQUIRED DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, BUT THERE WILL BE NO FEE TO ATTEND.
***
Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics Conference on:
Communitarian Ideals and Civil Society
June 30 - July 2, 2005
Budapest, Hungary
Session I: Equality, Rights, and Participation
Thursday, June 30, 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Session II: Reciprocity, Morality, and Justice
Thursday, June 30, 2:45 - 4:15 PM
Session III: Brazil in Transition
Friday, July 1, 8:45 - 10:15 AM
Session IV: Social Order in Modern Societies
Friday, July 1, 10:30 - 12:00 Noon
Session V: Author Meets the Critics: "From Empire to Community"
Friday, July 1, 2:45 - 4:15 PM
Session VI: Internal Dilemmas for the Post 9/11 USA
Saturday, July 2, 8:45 - 10:15 AM
Session VII: Culture and Civil Society
Saturday, July 2, 10:30 - 12 Noon
Session VIII: Civil Society in Transition in the Baltic Sea Area
Saturday, July 2, 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Session IX: Civil Society in Post-Communist Systems
Saturday, July 2, 2:45 - 4:15 PM
All sessions were organized by Edward W. Lehman of New York University.
***
April 14, 2005
3:30 PM
Pappert Lecture Hall in the Bayer Learning Center
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
April 15, 2005
10 AM
Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy
539 College Hall
Duquesne University
600 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
Amitai Etzioni will present at the above two events.
NEWS OF INTEREST
PATRIOT Act Back in Business...
Criticism of the PATRIOT Act is vastly overdone. The media makes it sound as if the PATRIOT
Act, up for renewal, faces strong opposition from a large variety of groups. First of all, the
act contains more than 150 sections, most of which no one is contesting! Second, some of those
sections that are most challenged seem reasonable on the face of it - take the
"sneak and peak" rule for example, which allows the government to DELAY notifying a suspect
that his home has been searched. Does it take a mystery writer to come up with dozens of
scenarios in which this is essential? Similarly, it makes no sense to hold that under no
circumstances can a government agent attend a religious or political meeting, which are open
to the public! This is especially true given that the 9/11 terrorists used Mosques in Germany
to meet with impunity. For more, click here.
Amitai Etzioni's book, "How Patriotic is the Patriot Act?" was "blessed" both by the head of
the ACLU and by John Ashcroft's former Assistant Attorney General, Viet Dinh. Order a
copy.
Video Violence? Game Over
The popularity of video games just keeps growing. And if techies and marketers have learned
one thing, it's that violence sells. Last year, the sales of the games hit an all-time high
at $7.3 billion. Sixteen percent of that revenue came from videos with a mature rating, up
four percent from the previous year. In recent months, states across the country have sought
measures to ensure that violent games cannot be sold to minors, with hefty fines in the wings
for those companies that do. And video game makers, like Running With Scissors, are toying
with the idea of heading in a new direction: creating programs that reward nonviolent choices
over violent ones. As one designer said, "The challenge is you want to make the good
characters as cool as the bad. It turns the whole game on its head." Source: Ariana Eunjung
Cha, "Seeking New Twists on Violence," The Washington Post, March 16, 2005, A1.
The Camel: Coming Soon to Your Campus
Tobacco companies have found a receptive new target group for ad and marketing campaigns. In
industry-speak, they are called "entry level smokers:" people who are between the ages of 18
and 24, many of whom are college students. Undergrads are a particularly easy sell for
cigarette manufacturers because many of those who do smoke don't really consider themselves to
be addicted. Instead, they often see themselves as social or situational "smokers" (if they
identify with the term at all) and therefore have no intention of quitting. The big name
brands are more than willing to take advantage of the fact that campus infirmaries have turned
attention elsewhere. Their representatives turn out to host trendy events at hot clubs and
frat parties. With them, they bring incentives from free cigarettes and lighters to the
possibility of winning major prizes. For college kids away from home, trying to cope with a
new environment and all its stresses, such an offer with its spotlight cache and immediate
recognition might be too good to pass up. Source: Elizabeth F. Farrell, "The Battle for
Hearts and Lungs," The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 18, 2005.
The above items come from our blog. To read more or to join the discussion,
visit here.
The Communitarian Network invites you to:
Order communitarian books by Amitai Etzioni, Edward W. Lehman, Daniel A. Bell, and Philip
Selznick at a 40-50% discount! For more information, please visit
http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/order.html
Check Out Our Website and Weblog! Head to http://www.communitariannetwork.org for
communitarian publications, events, news, and ideas. Visit http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog for
current communitarian musings.
Send us your news. If you have news that highlights the communitarian perspective please
forward it to comnet@gwu.edu with "News" in the subject line.
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