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To Our AOL Subscribers

We apologize to all of our AOL subscribers who did not receive our newsletter last week. (We hope that you receive this one, otherwise this message will be for naught.) As AOL subscribers know, AOL is very sensitive about SPAM. As a result, they block out a lot of "real mail" because they cast a broad net to look for SPAM. Many legitimate newsletters do not get through to AOL. Last week it happened to us, and it can happen again.

Our chances of reaching you are much better when sending the newsletter in TEXT format as opposed to HTML. Thus, we have just changed the settings for our 180 AOL subscribers so that they all receive text copies of the newsletters. From our initial testing, this will go through.
Please click on Show images and enable links to get all the features of the newsletter.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

Last Saturday's High School Discussion Called Off!

In a show of solidarity with East Coast students who earlier this month were blanketed with snow but did not get a "snow day" from school, Civitas called off last Saturday's discussion group -- because the weather wasn't that good, there weren't going to be a lot of students who showed up, and calling it off represented a chance for students to "stick it to the man."

Our next scheduled event is a "Friday Night Fun Night" on Friday, January 9 at the Chase-Park Plaza. The next day, Saturday, January 10, will be our first Saturday session for our "Revenge & Reconciliation" conference coming in February. More details on the conference and appear below.

On Saturday, January 17, we will have a discussion and primer on Campaign 2004. This will come right before the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
Map & Directions to Crossroads School

Sixteen students from Civitas Attend World Affairs Council Event

Sixteen students from Civitas attended a dinner and speech last Wednesday night sponsored by the World Affairs Council of St. Louis. The main speaker was Peter F. Mulrean; Deputy Director, Office of the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy, U.S. Department of State (whew!). He had the difficult job of defending the efforts of the U.S. to spread human rights and democracy throughout the world to an audience that largely felt that these principles are currently eroding in the U.S. We appreciate his willingness to go "into the lion's den." He shared a great deal of information and knowledge with all of us.

The event was held on the 21st Floor of the University Club in Richmond Heights. The dinner was excellent (according to most of the Civitas crew) and we extend particular thanks to the World Affairs Council's Executive Director Elizabeth Kiderlen who organized the event and arranged for corporate underwriting for the cost of the dinners of many of the students.

The sixteen students in attendance were

1. Alexei Abrahams, Kirkwood High School, 2004

2. Gloria Bilchik, Civitas High School

3. Angie Bingaman; St. Joseph�s Academy, 2004

4. Kevin Blanks; Jennings High School, 2005

5. Alexa Butler; Chesterfield Day School, 2007

6. Bryan Carlin; St. Louis University High School, 2006

7. Bobbi Clemons; Home School, 2004

8. Megan Cravens; Kirkwood High School, 2005

9. Taylor Joerger; Rosati-Kain High School, 2004

10. Brent Lang, Lindbergh High School, 2006

11. Andrew Lechner, Parkway South High School, 2006

12. Arthur Lieber, Civitas High School

13. Bronwyn Ritchie, Lindbergh High School, 2005

14. Michelle Ritchie; St. Joseph�s Academy, 2006

15. Raquel Rodriguez; Home School, 2006

16. Crystal Williams; Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School, 2004
St. Louis World Affairs Council Web Page
Photo from World Affairs Council Dinner

Civitas Announces Next Conference!

Following a successful conference on the Middle East in November, Civitas will sponsor a special conference on Revenge & Reconciliation on February 20-21. We will present full details on the conference in our next newsletter, but you can "bank" the following items about the conference:

1. The weekend portion of the conference will begin with registration at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 20 and extend through 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21. [Note: we will be ending this conference two hours earlier than previous conferences because we have learned from student evaluations and our own observations that just about everyone is tired out my mid-afternoon on Saturday.

2. The conference will once again be at the Doubletree Club Hotel by the Airport. We chose the Doubletree once again because in the Fall they provided us with fine service at a most affordable price.

3. We are going to have an outstanding keynote speaker on Friday evening: Ms. Laura Blumenfeld; author of the 2002 best-seller Revenge, the story of her personal feelings on revenge following the shooting of her father in Jerusalem. She has studied revenge and reconciliation from many angles and is an excellent communicator on the difficulty in searching for simple answers to complex problems.

4. This conference is going to have a fundamental structural change from previous ones. The Saturday sessions that we have prior to final weekend will not be preparatory sessions; they will actually be part of the conference. This is because there is so much territory to cover in this conference that we figured, "let's get to it as soon as possible." In addition, by providing ourselves with a longer conference because of the Saturday sessions, we will be able to learn more along the way and make changes along the way if they are desired. The Saturday sessions will all be in 2004: January 10, January 31, and February 14. On those Saturday's we will have simulations, films, additional speakers, and much more.

Once again, the cost of the conference will be $60.00. We do not have a sign-up sheet posted on the web yet because we still need to settle on a few details regarding committee arrangements, etc. However, if you know that you are already interested, you can e-mail now to let us know so.

We will provide you with much more in the way of details in our next newsletter.

Photo Novelties Available from Civitas
In conjunction with St. Louis-based MyCapture.com, Civitas is selling photo novelty items such as T-shirts, cups, mugs, mouse pads. In addition we have all sizes of professionally developed photos available for sale.

Click here or on the image below if you would like to check out the images that you can order for any novelty item in which you might be interested.

Survey on Justice for Saddam Hussein

Now that Saddam Hussein has been captured, people throughout the world are wondering how he should be brought to justice. There are dozens of ideas and presumably there is ample time to choose an ethically strong and feasible one. Please let us know which of the following would be acceptable to you. [Note: In options 1 & 2, the death penalty would probably apply. In option 4 it might. It most likely would not apply in options 3 & 5.]

1. Trial in Iraq before a new judicial system created by Iraqis.

2. Trial in Iraq before a new judicial system created by "coalition forces."

3. War Crimes Tribunal under auspices of the U.N. in the Hague.

4. A "truth and reconciliation" commission in Iraq.

5. An international "truth and reconciliation commission for all war criminals.

Link to Survey on Justice for Saddam Hussein

You can also respond to our surveys on our Intranets site!
Civitas has a most interesting intranet site -- a place where students can not only answer survey questions, but also engage in discussion groups on timely topics. The site also has considerable background information for Civitas members with a host of links to other interesting sites.

The kind folks at Intranets.com (located in the hi-tech Route 128 corridor around Boston) have made it easier than ever for interested indidivuals to join our intranet site. For a helpful tutorial on how to quickly join and engage in the activity on the intranet site, you can click here. The tutorial is a creation of Bobbi Clemons of the Civitas staff.

Link to Poll on Civitas Intranet Site

Previous Survey Results (New)

Last week's question related to profanity and politics (or in a broader scale, public discourse). It came to our attention because of a recent comment by Democratic candidate for president, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. As reported in the Monday, December 8, 2003 edition of the New York Times, the Massachusetts senator uttered a profanity in an interview in the latest Rolling Stone magazine to express his dismay over Bush's handling of Iraq. When asked in the interview about the success of rival candidate Howard Dean, whose anti-war message has resounded with supporters, Kerry responded: ``When I voted for the war, I voted for what I thought was best for the country. Did I expect Howard Dean to go off to the left and say, `I'm against everything?' Sure. Did I expect George Bush to f--- it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did.'' The expletive drew a rebuke from the White House, which suggested an apology might be in order. ``That's beneath John Kerry,'' the president's chief of staff, Andrew Card, said on CNN's ``Late Edition.'' ``I'm very disappointed that he would use that kind of language,'' Card said. ``I'm hoping that he's apologizing at least to himself, because that's not the John Kerry that I know.'' The Kerry campaign said the Massachusetts senator had no regrets. Our question was, "Should the language of public discourse include more of the language that many people use in everyday conversation?"

Responses % #

1. Yes 12% 2

2. Yes, but give time for the transition 18% 3

3. Neutral 35% 6

4. No 23% 4

5. Not Sure 12% 2

Total: 17

Over three-fourths of the respondents said something other than an absolute "yes" or "no." Over half the respondents wrote a comment along with their multiple-choice response. Below are their most interesting responses.

Sara Graham; Metro High School, 1995; Environmental Planner

I think profanity is not appropriate - it turns many people off, closing the door on effective communication.

Ben Wright; Hazelwood Central High School; 2003

Even though many people find profanity.... profane.... I have heard these words so many times I just accept them as words of the English language. They are not really offensive in nature to me, just another verb or noun to use. Maybe having politicians extend their vocabulary will help some people see that politicians may not all be the pristine and uppity men and/or women we have been shown they are through the perfect family life and neighborhood community leaders they show themselves as in TV commercials. As to the many people who might be offended as to what the politicians now might say in their speeches, I have one response for all the politicians to those people: "F**k you."

Bobbi Clemons; Home School, 2004

As much as I enjoy the idea of politicians using curse words, I think the novelty would quickly wear off. (Except at debates.) That would be entertaining. Fox would fight anyone for the rights to air those.) I think they should have the right to swear and cuss just as much as anyone else, but only in the right company. One doesn't just go up to a nun and ask, "What's your f**king problem!?!" I mean, you can but it's not polite. As for Kerry, if the interview was being conducted by some periodical that targeted bible-belt Christians and he said F**k, I'd be a little disappointed. (And amused.) But the interview was Rolling Stone which targets white trash, stoners, angry young people, and wannabe musicians. Hell yeah it was okay to say f**k!

Raquel Rodriguez; Home School, 2006

Words are a form of expression, at least in most cases. So what John Kerry said was okay. It wasn't an offensive word like most curse words. It did a better job of showing his anger and disgust than a lot of more appropriate words he could've used. I think people should stop using curse words unless they're actually cursing something. lol. I don't know, these are just my thoughts.

Lee Williams; Parent; St. Louis Public Library

It disappoints me that the issue has become Sen. Kerry's use of intemperate language and not the spirit of what he said. GW Bush, the commander in thief, sorry, I mean, chief, has bungled the war and has allowed himself to be victimized by very bad advice. This whole sordid business in Iraq and Afghanistan has become a mess and leaves our nation to be an object of ridicule in the international community. Does anyone else out there feel me in this? Disagree?

Arthur Lieber; some school with too much homework and too many tests, 1965; Civitas Associates

I remember the first day I learned of profanity. I was at lunch while in 4th grade at Flynn Park School in University City. A student who I barely knew taught me the �s� word. I was shocked; not by the word, but by the notion that a word in itself could be �bad.� I thought that it was improper to direct nasty comments towards someone else, but a word � a word was just a piece of the puzzle we use in communicating through language. I was so certain that using a �curse word� was harmless that I marched around the cafeteria several times chanting �sh_t,� �sh_t,� sh_t.� I just didn�t know what could be wrong with that. As could be predicted, a teacher took exception my actions, grabbed me by the collar, and took me upstairs to re-acquaint me with Mrs. Rossi, our esteemed 300-year old principal. I liked her, but this time I thought that I was in trouble. Fortunately, as she gave me the standard �don�t curse� lecture, she kept a twinkle in her eye and to let me know that there could have been worse things that I might have done. She was young at heart. Now that I am presumably grown-up and should know �better,� I think that that there are two pertinent points that come to mind. First of all, most people use profanity. If those �special words� are used like any other words, they will be uttered sparingly and add color to a conversation. If they are overused, they will have the dulling effect of hearing someone say �you know� in every other sentence. It could be argued that profanity actually adds a little richness to language, because it carries with it the strength of being �against the rules,� and since these kinds of rules are generally made by the most out of touch people in our society, it can be worth ignoring.

Second, it is important to distinguish how the word is used. In the modern world of �conflict resolution,� we often hear the phrase, �it�s okay to be hard on the problem, but be soft on the person.� Using that as a barometer, let�s refer back to what Senator Kerry said. Reflecting on the situation in Iraq, Kerry said, �Did I expect George Bush to f___ it up as badly as he did?� For our purposes, the key word in the sentence is actually �it.� That�s what Kerry said that Bush f****d up. The �it� is a situation, a problem; not a person. Kerry was being �hard� or tough on the problem without directing a personal epithet at the person (Bush). One might take it a step further and say that Kerry talked about a Bush action as a baseball fan might talk about a Tony LaRussa decision. But if the issue is one like, �Why invade Iraq when the problem is in Afghanistan and elsewhere?� or �Why bring Jeff Fassero into pitch?� harsh language may be in order. Finally, getting uptight about profanity is rather hypocritical of most Americans. Almost everyone uses it from time to time. As long as we exercise moderation, as is desirable with everything from shopping, eating, gossip, and even patriotism, I think that we�re none the worse off for it.

Scott Stewart; Hazelwood Central High School, 2003; UMSL, 2007

From early on I pointed out the world's view of the United States as a joke based on a variety of pen pals my family has, but most people's minds are set on that issue. I do feel, however, that it is important for a public speaker to steer away from profanity because profanity appears less professional, it shows a small slip in personal control, and finally, (trust me on personal exp on this one) any listener of an older generation almost immediately shuts their ears off as soon as profanity shines through. With these reasons in mind, it is only wise for a public speaker to stray away from "everyday talk" and speak with a bit more poise.

Two more quick points. Firstly, not everyone uses profane language in their everyday jargon, some teens included, so profanity hardly could be "everyone's talk". Secondly, I have nothing against someone who may swear/cuss/curse in private (i.e. at home), but profanity has never boosted anyone's position in a public speech/argument.

Aaron Craig; Sumner High School, Vice-Principal

I can not support the use of profanity in public discourse. I try to govern myself by the thought that there is a time and place for everything. How can we lead by example if we use inappropriate language ourselves? Those in the public eye must always keep this fact in mind! Aaron

Stephen Griffard; Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School, 2004

The speech of public figures shouldn't be restricted. If they want to use f**k or s**t let them. They know that it can offend people just like any other rash statement that might come out of their mouth.

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