NPR: Clyburn, Journalists Discuss Petraeus Testimony

Clyburn, Journalists Discuss Petraeus Testimony

Douglas here, in for Lee Hill. Actually, as it turns out, Lee is out for the next several weeks training to become our multimedia guru. So I'll be web producing for a while ... and blogging on the days when Michel is tied up in the studio.

One of things I LOVE most about being the web producer is that I get to keep up with listeners and readers of the blog. So ... bring it on! Hear something you thought was amazing... or a comment you think was bogus? Let us know. We read each and every comment, question, thought ...

Today on the show we heard from House Majority Whip James Clyburn, Democrat from South Carolina. Always great to hear from Clyburn ... who happens to be the highest ranking African American in Congress. But especially now, in light of Gen. Petraeus' recent assessment of the Iraq War. Clyburn lays it on the line, challenging the progress of the latest troop surge - and Gen. Petraeus' call for a temporary freeze on troop withdrawals. Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker are on the hill again today, testifying before House members. We'll be watching the story.

We're always anxious to hear from political leaders. But we know it's not the only perspective worth hearing. So after hearing from Clyburn, we turned to a couple journalists who cover Iraq to give us some insights about how people in the Middle East are reacting to the recent assessment of the war.

Also in the show - a conversation about the Second Chance Act, which will allocate funding to bolster reentry programs for ex-offenders. And a roundtable of teachers tell us what's forcing many of their colleagues out of the classroom. Budget shortfalls, discipline issues ... an alarming number of teachers are throwing in the towel. You'll want to hear this.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a conversation about protests over the upcoming Olympics in Bejing. And a story about what happens to families when they're held in immigration detention centers. We'll hear form a woman who was held for two years when her family arrived in the U.S. - and the director of an organization who helps families in detention.

Until next time ...

Douglas Hopper

2:45 PM ET | 04- 9-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

The last short story in Jhumpa Lahiri's debut collection, "Interpreter of Maladies," is called "The Third and Final Continent." It describes an Indian man who emigrates to Cambridge, Mass. in 1969, around the time of the moon landing. I believe the story is a portrait of the author's father while the short story "Mrs. Sen's" is a portrait of her mother. I'm pretty sure I got this information from an interview published in Bostonia, the Boston University alumni magazine that I receive.

At the beginning of "The Namesake," Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli are recent immigrants to Boston from India in 1968, not 1969.

As someone who lived in Boston at the time, I remember the change in mood of the city from 1968, a year of political upheaval that included the assassinations of RFK and MLK, the protests at the Chicago Democratic convention, etc. (I think there might have been a riot in Harvard Square that year), to the relative calm of the following year after the election of Richard M. Nixon.

The novel doesn't describe any of that, however, so I've always wondered why she changed the year?

Sent by mike | 4:29 PM ET | 04-09-2008

A very close friend is a teacher. Part of me thinks she is crazy to be one b/c I feel her talent, her intelligence, her devotion are wasted. She is a very intelligent, dedicated, and caring teacher. When I hear her tales about her experience with the bureaucracy, with the administration, and in the classroom, I wonder why she stays in the profession. She could get much more respect, much more money and much less grief in another profession, especially since she has impressive credentials (as do most teachers I know).

This friend & her husband (both experienced, tenured NYC teachers) moved to a neighboring state. They submitted their applications 6 months beforehand. The ineptitude, lack of professionalism they encountered throughout the whole process was mind-boggling. We laughed to prevent from crying. In NYC the experience wasn't any better. If she weren't determined to stay a teacher she would have quit the field long ago.

As an observer, I wonder why any sane person would want to even enter such a profession. I would do so only if I were a masochist.

Sent by KALW Country | 1:37 AM ET | 04-10-2008

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