Walter Cronkite: 1916-2009

When Commonwealth Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy asked retired CBS newsman Walter Cronkite what was his "all-time favorite news story or event" that he'd covered in his legendary career, he replied impishly, "Well, I think actually the victory of the University of Texas in their last major football game ..."

More than two decades removed from his last broadcast as head of the "CBS Evening News," Cronkite at that February 23, 2007, event was full of stories and, as noted above, more than a little tease. After all, this is the man through whom millions of Americans got their news of World War II, the Kennedy assassination and funeral, the moon landings, Watergate, and so much more.

He was the giant in a field of giants, but also a media personality from a time before hundreds of cable channels were available in nearly every home, and before TV news personalities were expected to yell at the camera. "CBS Evening News" was at the pinnacle of the network newscasts, a position it has not held since, but when he spoke to Duffy, he was most concerned about the integrity of news, expressing some worry over whether amateur news reporters (i.e., bloggers) could report news effectively. "There are all these various little news blogs, and they are without supervision," he said. "It's a rather dangerous way for our news to be disseminated."

When he appeared at The Commonwealth Club in Silicon Valley in 2007, his advanced years were apparent. Still full of good spirits, a sharp mind taxed by waning hearing, Cronkite told stories of his career, emphatically endorsed journalistic ethics and courage, and discussed whether he could have had an effect on a modern president similar to the effect he had on President Johnson when he urged a pullout from Vietnam.

Asked by Duffy to repeat his famed signoff line from the news, Cronkite first joked about his memory, then complied:

Cronkite: What's the date again? You'd be surprised at how many times I forgot the date before I got on the air. Finally, one of the writers on our evening news program every day was assigned to write the date down and see that it was on my desk before we went on the air.

Duffy: February 23, 2007.

Cronkite: And that's the way it is, February 23, 2007. Good night.

Rest in peace, Walter.

Iran Archive: Shirin Ebadi in 2006

(photo by Paul Eric Felder)

"Iran is a country of contradictions, but you need to be close to the land and live there to understand the contradictions," Shirin Ebadi told The Commonwealth Club of California on May 10, 2006. An Iranian human rights lawyer and the winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, Ebadi explained that her country has many laws that discriminate against women, yet "over 65 percent of students in universities in Iran are female." She added a note of hope by saying that "laws can change for the better."

In light of the ongoing demonstrations and anti-government protests in Iran that have led to a sharp government crackdown and a persistent split even among the country's religious establishment, Ebadi wouldn't likely be surprised by the heavy presence of women among the protesters. The government has paid attention, most recently arresting a prominent women's rights activist as she headed to the official Friday prayers today.

Ebadi's words still reflect the reality in Iran, though it remains to be seen how that reality will be changed by the events of the past few weeks. "In Iran, democracy is incomplete," she said. "The first step toward democracy is to allow people to elect whoever they want. We lack that freedom."

To get there, she called for greater political pressure -- but not economic or military pressure -- on Iran. In a visit to broadcaster Deutsche Welle's headquarters in Bonn, Germany, she said, "Diplomatic ties must not be severed; instead, the embassies could be downgraded to consulates. This would not harm the Iranian people, but it would illustrate the government's isolation."

To learn more about her thoughts on Iran and its relationship with the rest of the world, listen to the audio of Shirin Ebadi's 2006 Club speech, and audience Q&A, here.

Stimulating Transportation

California has about $1 trillion in infrastructure maintenance needs. So what good can just under $1 billion in federal transportation stimulus funding do for the state?

A lot, according to speakers at a special Commonwealth Club program today on "Transportation and the Stimulus." Tens of thousands of jobs are at stake, with the multiplier effect from their salaries spreading out throughout the state, according to the panel.

The panel discussion, underwritten by AAA of Northern California, Nevada and Utah, and moderated by San Francisco Chronicle transportation reporter Michael Cabanatuan, featured speakers Randell "Randy" Iwasaki, the incoming director of the California Department of Transportation; Joseph Cruz, director of transportation policy and government affairs at The California Alliance for Jobs; and Sean Randolph, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

"The Recovery Act couldn't come at a better time for California," said Iwasaki, noting that the roughly $910 million will help the state leverage funds already dedicated to transportation infrastructure on projects large and small. "When the contractor gets the money, ... that's when the rubber meets the road" in terms of job creation by the stimulus, he said.

Randolph noted that the stimulus effect is likely to be muted in 2009, due to the time it takes to choose worthy projects and get them going. "Most of the spending will be in 2010, trailing off into 2011," he said.

"There are very few projects that are 'shovel-ready,'" said Iwasaki, referring to the desired status of projects that would be able to bring the stimulus effect online as soon as possible. He said there's a complex process involved with choosing the project, including where it is located, how many jobs will it create, and what the criteria are from other funding sources.

But even if that stimulus doesn't really get felt until next year, the impact could affect many California families. Cruz estimated that this spending could support 40,000 jobs in the state, and he argued that projects should be chosen that use California-made and -sited project (as opposed to, for example, buying city buses that are manufactured in Detroit).

On a more somber note, Cruz noted that the state will have to be careful how it manages projects that use a combination of federal funds and state taxpayer-approved bond financing. "Our bond rating was downgraded to just above junk status," he noted. That means that the timing of the spend could be crucial, because when California has to go back to the bond markets to sell its next round of transportation bonds, it will be paying a much higher interest rate.

The Surprising Truths of Syria: A Filmmakers Perspective

“We are terrorists; we kill visitors with caffeine” – so joke Syrians in the new film “Tea on the Axis of Evil.” The American-born and -bred director and producer of the film, Jean Marie Offenbacher, screened her documentary in its San Francisco premiere to a packed house at The Commonwealth Club July 13.

Following the film, she shared her insider’s look into the life of this complex, post-modern culture, addressing many of the deep-seated myths and stereotypes so many Westerners hold about Syria. In her film, citizens from a wide range of social and religious backgrounds discuss family values, education, politics, and religion. “Syria should be the model for change in the Middle East, but it becomes progressively less progressive as it is left in a diplomatic vacuum. The moderate voices are far more numerous and speak to the great possibility of peace in the region starting with Syria,” observes Offenbacher. “My film provides an intimate passage through Syria that gives voice to moderates as it seeks to build a bridge to greater understanding between our worlds.”

In comments following the screening, she observed, “There is a great deal of religious harmony in Syria. They are a people with strong family values who are very proud of their history. They have a real desire to hold on to their Arabness and their exoticism, which is a true part of their identity.” She said that surprisingly, not only is it extremely safe there, even in the big cities, but strangers are in fact hospitable and helpful, going out of their way to assist a lost or misguided visitor to the area. She also observed that Syrians themselves – even the conservatives – are terrified of Islamic extremists. Despite the vast economic disparities between the very wealthy and the very poor, they are a well-educated people, who export great numbers of doctors and engineers globally.

Offenbacher remarked that Syrians are angry about the stereotypes so many Westerners harbor of them hating Israel blindly. “What they do hate are certain policies of the Israeli government,” she added. When asked about their feelings toward Israel and America, Offenbacher said they responded, “We love America. We are much closer to the Jewish culture than most people.”
When Syria was admitted to President George W. Bush’s expanded “Axis of Evil,” Offenbacher moved there alone, to make her documentary to stimulate curiosity and counter the negative images that dominated the media. “Noting the high level of intolerance post 9/11, I began reflecting on the need for gentle, non-political exchange with members of communities in marginalized zones, to promote recognition of common grounds and understanding of cultural differences,” she said. “I chose Syria, since it was possibly the next target for a U.S.-led invasion.” Over the three years of filming, the government became more repressive and the fear of radical Islam grew.

Offenbacher is currently shooting a documentary in Algeria that explores the relationship between imposed identity and violence. Her other documentary work includes post-production on Ken Burns; “Thomas Hart Benton.” She also worked on several feature films including “Reversal of Fortune” starring Glenn Close, “American Heart” with Jeff Bridges and “The Rapture” featuring David Duchovny. Political artwork she created for WAC toured museums throughout Germany. She has also coordinated production in New York for BBC and Prisma Films. Offenbacher graduated from NYU with honors in Philosophy and Film.

More information is available at reorientfilms.org.

(For an official view of Syria’s politics and place in the world, watch video of Syrian ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha, who spoke to The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on November 7, 2007.)

--Commonwealth Club Media and Public Relations Department

Ideology and Ethnicity: The Supreme Court Debate

As the United States Senate undertakes its examination of President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, issues of ethnicity and ideology on the Court are coming to the fore.

In her opening remarks yesterday to the Senate Judiciary committee considering her nomination to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor said, "In the past month, many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make law, it is to apply the law. And it is clear, I believe, that my record ... reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its terms, interpreting statutes according to their terms and Congress's intent and hewing faithfully to precedents established by the Supreme Court and by my Circuit Court. In each case I have heard, I have applied the law to the facts at hand."

Sotomayor said the "process of judging is enhanced when the arguments and concerns of the parties to the litigation are understood and acknowledged."

That, she noted, "is why I generally structure my opinions by setting out what the law requires and then explaining why a contrary position, sympathetic or not, is accepted or rejected. That is how I seek to strengthen both the rule of law and faith in the impartiality of our judicial system.”
Sotomayor argued that her "personal and professional experiences help [her] listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result in every case."

However, those who oppose her nomination have said Sotomayor has often allowed her rulings to be influenced by such factors as ethnicity and race. If confirmed, Sotomayor, a federal appellate judge, would be the first Hispanic and the third woman justice to sit on the nation's highest court.

Just recently the American Bar Association released a “well qualified rating” when reviewing Sotomayor’s record. In his July 9 talk to The Commonwealth Club, the ABA's head, H. Thomas Wells, weighed in on her nomination. He was asked to comment on whether a person’s ethnicity should matter in a candidacy for a judgeship. “Obviously that’s going to be an issue as is the whole question of empathy – the so-called empathy debate. The ABA does not rate candidates on empathy or ethnicity. We rate candidates only on professional competence, integrity and judicial temperament.”

In that same talk, when questioned about whether a candidate’s ideology should be a factor in his/her confirmation, Wells responded, “That’s been a debate, and it’s one of the tensions of the branches of government. It’s not that long ago that the senate judiciary committee didn’t hold hearings on judicial nominees. They simply went in and voted, and usually with no controversy. So it’s a relatively modern phenomenon for the hearings to take on unfortunately the level of spectacle that sometimes we have seen with our recent confirmation issues.”

When asked to evaluate the diversity of the upper rankings of the legal profession – especially lawyers who are partners and judges, Wells replied, “Number one, there has been progress, but not nearly enough progress. We have a long way to go.” He continued, “The legal profession, unfortunately, does not look like the society we are called upon on to serve. We don’t do as well as other professions in terms of promoting diversity. Where we have done the best at least in terms of numbers is with women -- at least half of the lawyers graduating from law schools now are female. … But those women are facing other challenges in terms of rising in the ranks. .. and we are not doing a good enough job in racial and ethnic diversity. It’s more difficult in dealing with lawyers with disabiltiies, sexual orientation and gender identity issues, because of the reluctance of these individuals to self identify -- particularly if the disability happens to be a mental disability. We’ve got a long way to go.”

However, Wells noted that the ABA held a national summit just last month on the next steps for diversity. The conclusions of this meeting are slated to be published in a national report some time early August.

To view the complete Wells program, see the embedded video below. The Wells event was part of The Commonwealth Club’s Charles Geschke Family Series on the U.S. Constitution in the 21st Century.



--Commonwealth Club Media and Public Relations Department

China Gets Tough on North Korea

North Korea's best friend -- if the hermetic, authoritarian, communist state can be said to have any friends -- is giving it the cold shoulder. Bloomberg reports that China will, for the first time, agree to punish North Korean leaders in retaliation for Pyongyang's refusal to accept United Nations resolutions on nuclear tests and missile launches.

China has long defended North Korea, perhaps less out of ideological comradeship than out of what is believed to be a desire to keep a unified and likely pro-Western Korea off its borders. But that loyalty has cost the leadership in Beijing. "The failure to develop a consensus in the Chinese capital to use its leverage over North Korea has permitted [North Korean dictator] Kim Jong Il to repeatedly defy Beijing and the embarrass it," Gordon G. Chang told The Commonwealth Club on May 25, 2007. [Listen to audio of Chang's speech.]

Chang, author of Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World and columnist for Forbes.com, urged the West to make nuclear proliferation "a litmus test of our relations" with China. "The West has been patiently engaging the Chinese for decades, and now it's time for them to act responsibly."

So what has changed in Beijing? Some observers say that North Korea's recent nuclear detonations and missile tests, reportedly designed to bolster at-home support for Kim Jong Il's youngest son and chosen successor, embarrassed China so much it had to take action. But Leif-Eric Easley writes in the Christian Science Monitor that China's rapid development has led it to diverge from North Korea, its economic model taking it closer to Japan, the United States, and South Korea than to North Korea.

Whatever the reason, China's most recent move to help punish its client state is likely to have significant impact in Pyongyang.

What Will Dambisa Moyo Think: G-8 Promises More Aid to Poor Countries

When Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo spoke at The Commonwealth Club in June, she made clear her contention that rich Western countries should evolve their African development programs away from open-ended commitments of money and toward investment in poor countries in ways that create jobs and strengthen institutions there. [Listen to audio.]
She argued that governments on that continent had grown content and corrupt from the flow of aid dollars, often with few strings attached, and they had no desire or need to actually provide the services their citizens need to create businesses and jobs and civic institutions. Moyo's views have been very controversial, especially among the international aid community, but they have made her an important voice in the debate over how to charge up Africa's development process.

One wonders her reaction to today's news that the G-8 leading economic powers (well, China's the third largest economy and it's not a part of the G-8, so we're going to have to think of another way of referring to that group) has pledged $20 billion over three years to poor countries in an attempt to create "food security." Critics are complaining that much of the aid pledged is recycled from previous commitments, but it might also mark a move toward Moyo's view that investment and not handouts will do more for Africans.

Reuters India reports:

... Obama, travelling to Ghana on his first trip to Africa as president, [used] the L'Aquila summit to push for a shift towards agricultural investment from food aid. Washington will make $3.5 billion available to the 3-year programme.

"There is no reason Africa should not be self-sufficient when it comes to food," said Obama, recalling that his relatives in Kenya live "in villages where hunger is real", though they themselves are not going hungry.

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Dambisa Moyo: Replace Victims with Partners

Economist Dambisa Moyo has become a controversial figure in the multi-billion dollar industry of foreign (mostly Western) aid to Africa. She proposes evolving the system from open-ended dumping of dollars on African governments to a system of investment that stimulates African businesses and helps them build trading relationships with other countries, in particular, China.

Moyo discussed her thesis in a June 5, 2009, program at The Commonwealth Club of California. In it, she noted that she has drawn a lot of harsh criticism from people accusing her of favoring dire consequences for the continent. Moyo, who is Zambian, framed her solution in terms of forcing African countries to live up to their responsibilities to provide basic services and opportunities to their peoples, and to seeing Africans as something more than victims unable to provide for their own future.

You can read a long excerpt from Moyo's presentation in the cover story of the September issue of The Commonwealth magazine, which is mailed free to members of The Commonwealth Club. Or you can listen to the entire program from our audio archives.

Just this past weekend, Moyo was a guest on Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN's world-affairs program, where she traded opinions with another guest on the most effective plans for African development. See the embedded video below: