From the Seminary to the Newsroom

 I experienced "the turmoil of the 1960s, and revolutionary changes in the Catholic Church triggered by the Second Vatican Council" while attending a men's Catholic college that hosted a summit on Pacem in terris, the last encyclical by, and the "last will and testament" of, John Pope XXIII, proclaiming that peace must be based on truth, justice, love and freedom. It laid the groundwork for much of the student activism of the 60s. Lawrence D. Maloney attended a Seminary at the time, fulfilling a "lifelong" (through 8th grade) ambition to become a priest. We each found a secular vocation, he as a noted journalist and publisher, I as "Harry the Librarian." If you read "Look Inside" at the book's Amazon page you will experience personal storytelling that transports you to that time of innocence and idealism. Clicking on the book cover will take you to the Amazon page for the book.

Two Thinkers promote Constitution-based thinking and politics

Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R. Levin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I listened to the audio version, replaying a number of sections because there is so much information to digest. My liberal arts education at Manhattan College exposed me to more of these thinkers than many contemporaries. I have the impression that the younger generations' educations have omitted this type of learning. In the last century Ayn Rand seemed to burst on the scene with what many perceived as a radical new philosophy focused on "the individual versus 'society.'" Mark Levin gives sufficient quotes to demonstrate that these ideas were powerfully articulated by Locke and Montesquieu, who were frequently quoted by the founding fathers as they crafted our Constitution. Before that, he gives many more quotes from Plato, More, Hobbes, and Marx and shows how their "bend-the-individual-for-the-collective's-benefit" (my words, not Levin's) Utopian blueprints have supplanted the worldly-wise and human-centric philosophy of the founders, who would scarcely recognize America. A week after finishing it, I read an article in Hillsdale College's "Imprimis," written by Arkansas Senator (and Iraq & Afghanistan Veteran) Tom Cotton, "Foreign Policy and the Constitution." His contrast of the founders' conception of how America's foreign relations would be conducted to recent practices by our "leaders" moved me to share both his message and Levin's.



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Manhattan College News - Brother Justin's Legacy

My father urged me to attend Manhattan College in the sixties partly because he was so impressed with the insightful and effective abritration and guidance he witnessed (as Business agent for a "rogue" Teamsters local that resisted the influence of organized crime) from Brother Justin, who was on Manhattan's faculty. It looks like history has endorsed Dad's opinion of that great man. The
Manhattan Monthly - December 2010 | News Article
reports:
Manhattan College Offering New Labor Studies Major
Starting in January 2011, Manhattan College will be offering a new undergraduate labor studies major and minor in the school of arts. The labor studies program will teach critical intellectual skills enabling students to analyze social policy questions and prepare for graduate studies and/or careers in government, labor law, union organization, human resources, teaching and much more.

“I am honored to serve as the first director of the B.A. in labor studies at Manhattan College and that the new program will pay tribute to Brother Justin Brennan, F.S.C., who was the first pioneer of labor education at the College,” said Joseph J. Fahey, Ph.D., professor of religious studies. “As part of our Lasallian tradition, we are committed to social justice for all and this will be further exemplified through the future work of Manhattan’s labor studies graduates.”