Wednesday, September 18, 2002

I went to hear Gary Hart speak yesterday at a event sponsored by Harvard Book Store.  He came as part of the promotional tour for his new book, "Restoration of the Republic: The Jeffersonian Ideal in 21st-Century America".  It was an interesting forum about the origins of American governance structure, something about which I know very little but have been meaning to study for a while (Joseph Ellis's "Founding Fathers" has been on my bookshelf for several weeks now).  It seems that the idea of a republic (as opposed to a democracy) involves citizen participation and responsibilities, and Hart has wondered for some time what has happened to the responsibilities of the governed overe the last two centuries. His comments were especially pertinent given our current situation vis-à-vis Iraq.  While I can't remember if he advocated military action or now, he was staunchly against going to war without significant public discussion and support.  The power to launch military action, he said, has been gradually usurped from Congress by the president since World War II, and this is a trend he would like to see reversed. I did buy the book, and he did sign it.  Events like these are one of the few things that I like about Cambridge. 1:41:14 PM    comment []

3rd Shuttle Being Added to Busy Skies Over East Coast. American Airlines, which has been trying to cut costs and scale back its flight schedule, will dive headfirst into the East Coast shuttle market next Tuesday. By Edward Wong. [New York Times: Business] Yet another NY-Boston shuttle!  It's shuttle madness!  I might try it once or twice, just to see what it's like.  Apparently they are flying smaller (30-40 seat) jets; how they compare to Delta's and US Airway's large planes on comfort, in-flight service, and inclement-weather capability will be interesting to learn. 12:11:48 PM    comment []