NPR : Rethinking How Title IX Is Applied

NPR : Rethinking How Title IX Is Applied Column by Frank Deford: Sweetness and Light

Rethinking How Title IX Is Applied

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Morning Edition, May 2, 2007 -- As more young women go to college, funding for some men's sports will be reduced to comply with Title IX. That's the federal law requiring schools to offer athletic programs in proportion to gender population. Should the law be tweaked to address inconsistencies?

My heart has been broken by the cutting of swim programs -- and of other teams -- at my ex-univeristy, Ohio U, -- and elsewhere. This is bad news for all of America.

Pittsburgh - City Council District 1 - Two challengers take on a controversial incumbent - Main Feature - Main Feature Extra - Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh - City Council District 1 - Two challengers take on a controversial incumbent - Main Feature - Main Feature Extra - Pittsburgh City Paper Another way to invest, she says, is to reach out to the 'braintrust' of university students who often leave the city after earning their degrees. 'We should be marketing our neighborhoods to the students,' she says, many of whom never leave campus or the immediate neighborhoods. 'If anyone had not been to the North Side, they'd never know about our parks -- you can buy a house on the North Side and live next to a mini version of Central Park.'

Hummm....

The Pittsburgh mini version of central park is but a nice place for you and your dog to walk while on a leash. What we've got isn't going to please those with brains. If you want to get to the 'braintrust' folks, you need to have something more than a green space for you and your dog.

You want to talk about city parks -- let's visit Christchurch. Oh my gosh.

Once again, Pittsburgh's problem isn't a hardware thing -- it is about the 'software.'

I'd like to see a robust race in November between the winner of the D primary (and I hope that isn't D. Harris) and David S.

A 'female Bob O'Connor' -- oh the things that get reported by the MSM.

Steelers Nation extends -- even behind bars

Talking Sports from Death Row with Kevin Cooper By Dave Zirin

Kevin Cooper is a sports fan. Kevin Cooper loves the Steelers. Kevin
Cooper makes his home on death row at the notorious San Quentin Penitentiary in California. Cooper awaits execution for a crime many observers are convinced he did not commit. He was to be injected with poison until his heart stopped on February 10th, 2004 but received a stay after massive public pressure was brought to bear. The holes in his murder conviction were that egregious, that shocking. As one federal judge put it days before the execution, "When the stakes are so high, when the evidence against Cooper is so weak, and when the newly discovered evidence of the state's malfeasance and misfeasance is so compelling, there is no reason to hurry and every reason to find out the truth."

Here I interview Kevin Cooper about his love of sports. There are two reasons why I wanted to hear Cooper's thoughts. The first quite simply is that I oppose the death penalty. Kevin Cooper's case exemplifies everything that makes my stomach turn about capital punishment: it's racially biased. It punishes the innocent. And every last person is on death row -- innocent or not -- because they couldn't afford the representation that would have saved their lives. As the saying goes, "Those without the capital get the punishment." When we actually read and hear the voices of those on the row, it makes it that much harder for executioners like Schwarzenegger to sell the idea that they are somehow less than human and should be put down like dogs.

The second reason is that Kevin Cooper through his writings and public statements has proven himself to be a sharp and thoughtful observer of society. Often with writing, vantage point is everything. Cooper takes his status as "Dead Man Walking" and refuses to let his mind die. Spike Lee said, "If you want to learn about the world, start with the sports page." Here we learn about the world of sports by talking with
a man who refuses to be defined by death.

DZ: How able are you to keep up with sports? Are there particular teams or players that you follow?

I am able to keep up with sports by way of radio, TV, and newspapers. I follow the Pittsburgh Steelers football team because Pittsburgh, PA. is my hometown.

KC: What are your earliest sports memories? Are they positive?

All of my earliest sports memories are positive, and that's because during the 60s when I was growing up the only positive Black people who were seen in the media were sports stars. I looked up to black athletes, and not just black athletes; my earliest memories are trying to play baseball like Roberto Clemente.

DZ: How have you seen the world of sports change over the course of your life?

KC: The inclusion of women in just about all sports has changed the world of sports in my lifetime, as has the fact that Black men are no longer seen as "unintelligent" and therefore "unable" to be quarterbacks, head coaches, baseball managers, or front office people or any other job that requires them to think. AND that people have, for the most part, stopped calling Blacks "natural athletes."

DZ: What are your earliest memories of some of the most political athletes, like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, or Billie Jean King?

KC: Some of my earliest thoughts about Jackie Robinson changed after I found out that he spoke out against Paul Robeson and others who were doing their part in their own way to fight for Black people. Doing their part in their own way just as he did in 1947 by not just going in to play pro baseball but signing an agreement saying that he wouldn't fight back or speak out when he was disrespected by white ball players. He signed that pledge in order to do his part to help Black people.

Concerning Muhammad Ali: he's simply the best and the greatest, and my thoughts and earliest memories of him have only gotten stronger after all of these years. In fact, I honestly use him to help keep myself strong and focused as I fight for my life and try to end the death penalty here from this cage on death row. Billie Jean King is someone I didn't really know about growing up, but I do know about her now. Her contribution to women's equality in tennis is truly a great thing. Because of her doing what she did back then, standing up for her rights, women today in tennis get paid a hell of a lot more respect than they did when she played. And of course they make more money, too.

DZ: Can sports be a site of resistance today, given how commercialized the culture has become?

KC: If the athletes of today had the same mindset that people like Ali had, or John Carlos and Timmy Smith had during the 1968 Olympics, then, yes, today's athletes could make sports a site of resistance. The only athlete that I know who is of the mindset of Ali, Carlos, and Smith is Etan Thomas, though there may be others. Sometimes it seems to me that today's athletes are too worried about getting paid for the most part, and in getting that they're losing out on what's really important. Especially since sports provides a platform for them to make positive change that not many other professions do.

DZ: Why has sports, in your mind, become such a central part of the Black experience in the United States?

KC: Throughout the history of America, white people have always loved to be entertained by Black people, especially Black men. The masters of certain slaves would put their slaves up against other slaves from another plantation and they would fight, sometimes to the death. Just as dogs or roosters did. This evolved into sports such as boxing and wrestling. As new sports were invented, and more white people wanted to be entertained, more Blacks were either forced to participate against their will, or they joined in because they found some type of respect if they were good at it. The master's prize fighter got good food, access to women, and was respected and treated pretty good -- That is until he lost.

As time went on, and the white man refused to give jobs -- at least good-paying jobs -- to Blacks because of racism, a Black man found that, through sports, he could make a decent living. Just look at Jack Johnson and the opportunities the Blacks had in society when he was alive. These same conditions exist today, in so much as that a Black person, male or female, knows that in this country if you can make it in sports, you can make it big, and can become rich. That is our collective experience in this country.

DZ: What do you think of NBA commish David Stern's efforts to impose a dress code on players?

Imposing a dress code on NBA players is stupid to me. It's not the outside of the players that matters, it's the inside. If anything needs to be changed, it's their mentality. The deadliest person of all is a police officer in a suit.

KC: In New Orleans, when Katrina hit, the only place available for emergency shelter was the stadium, the Superdome. What does that tell us about our world today?

After Hurricane Katrina hit and the poor people of New Orleans found themselves in the Superdome, it showed the world that, in this country, if you are poor then you are shit out of luck. Nobody will help you when and how you need help, and if you can't make it on your own you are in trouble.

DZ: The last one is all you, Kevin. Is there anything you want to share about sports and life?

KC: Sports and life are both full of contradictions because both have rules and sometimes the rules are broken and ignored. Mistakes are made but not admitted to. Certain people make calls in both, and for the most part it is the ordinary people who suffer because of the calls made by the leaders or owners. It's the people at the bottom who pay for the mistakes made by the people at the top. It's a dog eat dog world, the winner takes all, and too many people are set up to lose from the get-go.

In struggle from death row,
Kevin Cooper

For More Information on Kevin's case, visit freekevincooper.org

Dave Zirin is the author of the "The Muhammad Ali Handbook" (MQ Publications) and the forthcoming "Welcome to the Terrordome:" (Haymarket). You can receive his column Edge of Sports, every week by going to http://zirin.com/edgeofsports/?p=subscribe&id=1. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com

Nickers in a knot about a meeting at Peabody without many participants

The Principal at Peabody and Rick F. of the Bloomfield Garfield Corp, as well as others around town, have their nickers in a knot concerning a public meeting slated for 1 pm on Friday, May 4. at Peabody High School. The pow-wow is to talk about the planning for a larger community meeting about schools. Not many are signed up to attend. I think there is a planning meeting on May 4 and a big meeting slated for May 12th. I could be wrong.

Here at the University of Canterbury, students wanted to know if they should get their nickers in a knot about a pending quiz today in the course my wife is teaching.

I've posted two email follow-ups below that hope to drive more community members and parents to the meeting.

My angle of attack for Peabody and Westinghouse, to benefit the entire city and region, would be to kick-start a discussion to make both schools single gender. Pittsburgh should have an all boys public high school -- and an all girls public high school. Take one campus, either Peabody or Westinghouse, and devote it to one gender and, of course, the other to the other gender.

When I've talked about this in the past, the strong feeling from some is that the time to turn to same gender education should not be at 9th grade -- but sooner. Many have told me that they would like to see the single gender campus open for those in middle school as well as high school.

If the "excellence for all" had some 'red meat' visible -- such as a push to single gender schools -- then there would be standing only attendance at the meetings, perhaps.

Here is what they posted: R. Flanigan:

WE CAN SUCCEED--ALL WE NEED TO DO IS WORK HARD AT IT...

We agreed to hold ourselves accountable for turnout for the Excellence For All: East End Community Building Event. We agreed at out last planning meeting that we would have 200 registered by the May 4th (Friday) final planning meeting that begins at 1 p.m. at Peabody High School. The 200 number was not to include Peabody students.

If you take out the Peabody students we have about 60 people registered.

Few registrations have come in from the "Planning Agencies" that comprise the leadership group conducting the event. Are you registered?

All of us need to spend some quality time--lots of it--or we are going to fail.

RECRUITMENT IDEAS: (Personal Invites Are Critical)

1) Attached is a letter that you can change to meet your needs. Send the letter and brochure out to a targeted group you would like to recruit. Call everyone you send the letter to. Register the people that commit.

2) Take these same materials and email them out to as many people as you can.

3) Meet at my office (Youth Development Center, 5129 Penn Avenue) at 9 a.m. on this coming Saturday in order conduct door to door pass out of the brochure.

4) Have all your staff register and Board of Directors register.

5) Call all your program participants. Get their approval to register them.

6) Call everyone you know that could benefit by this event. Register them.....

PLEASE RECRUITMENT-- NO EXCUSES--WE NEED 500 PEOPLE AT THIS EVENT...

See you Friday.

Rick Flanagan (cell phone cut by blogmaster)

---

The next letter came from the Principal at Peabody:

Hello Valued Community Partners:

The 12th is almost upon us! We are progressing nicely. The only thing missing are participant registrations. I'm confident that with your help, we will meet our goal of 200 participants for tomorrow.

As you know, the final planning meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, May 4, at 1:00 P.M. here, at Peabody. We will devote much of our time to turn-out and last minute details and expectations of participating organizations. We will have all the procedures in place for drop-off and set-up of materials. Additionally, Breakout Rooms and procedures will be provided so everyone knows exactly what needs to be done.

We will be working feverishly at the school today and Saturday, calling the homes of all our students. Additionally, three of our office staff will be making an East End Business Blitz on Friday to garner last minute donations. Please call the school if you wish to join us.

Cle Sloan is scheduled to be on WAMO at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, May 11, 2007. Please tune in. We also have another addition to our program - the Frick Middle School Steel Band scheduled to perform during the 8-9:00 A.M. registration period. They will provide us with light background music in the gym prior to the 9:00 Kick Off.

Mr. Flanagan has also sent out emails detailing strategies that have been proven successful for recruitment. Please take advantage of this advice. Let's make this a truly memorable Event because of the excellent turn-out, not a disappointment because we had a wonderful program but limited participation. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

John Vater, Principal, Peabody High School

515 North Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15206
email: jvater1@pghboe.net
phone: (412) 665-2050
fax: (412) 665-2077

Let me know what's going on. And, most of all, let me know what they think about two single-gender schools in Pittsburgh's mix of schools.

Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic do well, it seems to me. How about if we had public-school options to match those Catholic schools.

City Police Officer Uses "Ignorant Of Law" Card In Residency Sting

What in God’s name is going on here? Philip Dacey, 54, the former acting commander of the East Liberty police station, believes he is entitled to a $35,000 annual pension, even after quitting a job he was patently unqualified for in the first place.
You see Dacey got caught with a phony “home” city address, all the while commuting to the posh northern suburbs. Ignorance, he said on television. “Everyone else is doing it.”
What a goof-ball, dishonest answer from a police officer who has heard that same argument from criminals on the street, presumably for his entire career. Arrogance is more spot-on.
Pittsburgh requires that municipal employees reside full-time within city limits, just like the Mayor, city council, and other elected officials. The same is true for fire fighters. Somehow a few years ago the city schoolteachers union used its vast, hulking leverage and had their residency requirement waived. As a result, they pulled up stakes faster than a senior citizen will yank on the “one armed bandit” at any casino in the country.
Statistics prove that all of these professionals receive extravagant pay, especially firefighters. How else can you explain all of the expensive homes? That being said, firefighters explain that they are “the good guys” who save people from burning homes and everyone wants to be their neighbor. Cops say that neighbors always have an eye on them. Who knows about teachers, as most of them need the highway to get to their desks each morning.
Rumor had it that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who presumably lives somewhere on the North Side and not in an expansive Butler County farm as former Mayor Tom Murphy was often accused, had plans to fire 100 city workers with the unmitigated audacity to receive city tax monies in the form of paychecks, all the while digging their financial resources in far-off, sidewalk-less lands.
If Ravenstahl has any pluck whatsoever—and why should he since everyone with any influence whatsoever has paved his way to sit in the fifth-floor Grant Street West Wing for at least 10 years—he would immediately terminate anyone who sets foot across city lines five minutes after clocking out. He won’t.
Now Dacey finds himself playing the victim. Favoritism, he says, has disallowed him from a fancy new promotion. Perhaps one paying him enough to sell his squalor in one of Allegheny County’s nicest digs for a Joe Hardy-worthy castle in tax-light Washington County. That, and not being embarrassed by a residency sting operation, has forced him to turn in his badge.
Perhaps Dacey can move onto his life’s work as a small-town detective making $9 an hour. A 27-year veteran, it would be curious to see how long Dacey has been perpetrating fraud on the city payers within the city of Pittsburgh and, in essence, cashing illegal paychecks?
I’ve heard from numerous city police officers who don’t want to run into people they’ve locked up while grabbing ice cream with their family on the South Side, catching a movie off of Carson Street, or digging into a lobster on top of Mt. Washington. As if those same criminals don’t attend the latest Adam Sandler flick in groovy Pleasant Hills, grab a coffee along cosmopolitan McKnight Road, or swing by the Barnes and Noble bookseller near George Romero’s Monroeville Mall.
Dacey deserves to have his pension revoked. He’s lived deceitfully on the city dime for long enough. So have at least 99 others. We’ll see if anyone has the political might to do what’s right. In Pittsburgh, where city officials blatantly shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars to family friends for plagiarized white papers and barely register a blip on the newsmaker radar screen, I sincerely doubt it.

We swam with the wild dolphis today -- and it was great

Big day. Too much to post about. But, we had a wonderful day and got to swim with the hector dolphins. Wow. More photos and insights later.

Ron Paul to mix it up with others on the debate stage

The first debate among the candidates for the Republican nomination for president will take place on Thursday, May 3rd at 8:00 pm EDT.

Congressman Ron Paul will be on stage standing between Senator John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. The 90-minute debate will be broadcast live on MSNBC, and streamed live on politico.com. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library will host the event.

First swim practice at Wharenui

From NZ Wharenui pool

Can you pick out Erik in the water? We can blend in a bit more with the locals on this trip, until we open our mouths.

Some photos from our house in Christchurch

From NZ home

Kennywood's open = code words for check your fly

When you are told, "Kennywood's open" -- it means you should zip up your fly -- and not on your tent.

Well, Kennywood is really open now. I look forward to seeing what's up with their efforts to use local media and video. They put out an interesting call a few months ago. I didn't reply, but, it seemed very kwel.

Sandcastle is still growing. Next year it will be the location of the I.C. Light Tent, we hear. That is a music venue in Station Square.

Speaking of "code" -- I posted a bit about the DVD code over at one of my other blogs -- devoted to techie evote elements. http://eVote.Blogspot.com.

Dude! South Side video store gets sued over Ninja Turtles trademark

Dude! South Side video store gets sued over Ninja Turtles trademark Dude! South Side video store gets sued over Ninja Turtles trademark

Hector Dolphins, here we come

We might have a dolphin experience tomorrow.

It rained all day today. But, we still got to a welcome tea via bikes. Then we went to the local bike shop and got some reflector tape/bands for Erik. He wanted them for his legs to keep his pants out of the pedals.

Tonight both Erik and Grant had swim practice with their respective groups. Each are in with about 36 others of similar abilities. Erik's group was 6 to a lane (4 lanes). Grant's was slightly smaller. Both the boys swam well.

Both are doing very well on the bikes as well.

We booked a bus ride and dolphin adventure for tomorrow. The van / shuttle will pick us up at 7:45 am and take us to a 'French' village, Akaroa. The names are French, but not much else. We'll see.

Glad it is raining here and not in Pittsburgh, as our house is without a roof. So, we'll take the bitter weather pill here. Plus, Australia is in a massive dry spell.

Catherine discovered that when you go to the market, you can't order a pound of turkey breast.

Got a $.5 coin today that is worth $0. I'll do a video blog on that soon. Quiz time.

The class began on campus today as well. And, it seems we'll be in some swim meets as well.

Saturday and Sunday, I've signed up for training.

Our phone # is 03 364-2715. Please don't call. Send email.

Final quiz; The swim team -- how do you say it? Wharenui is how it is written.

Swimming Pool Christchurch - Wharenui Swimming Club & Sport Centre

Swimming Pool Christchurch - Wharenui Swimming Club & Sport Centre Welcome to the Wharenui Sports Centre, the home of the Wharenui Swim Club in the heart of Christchurch.

We swam here yesterday. Will return tonight.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The big boot of enforcement now has a new patron saint.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced that local law enforcement agencies will soon be able to apply for grants to enforce and prevent the unlawful operation of slot machines.

The grant program was developed and approved by the Legislature as part of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and funded with $5 million annually from money generated from slot machine facilities.

David Adams, candidate for city council in NOVEMBER, gets a TV interview

David Adams, a candidate for Pittsburgh City Council in district 9, (Twanda's old seat) is slated to be PCNC's TV show on 8 pm on Friday -- live.

Peace and Blessings from the invisible man, (nick named for the obscurity in this political process)

I thought I would share with you all my opportunity to "step-out" as a candidate will be live Friday on the cable news station PCNC, as I will be part of a panel discussion. P.J. Mahony from 1410 KQV will be the host at 8:00pm until 9:00pm with encore presentations 2:a and Monday 5/5 at 5-6p.

With the few days we have left I wish all my colleagues godspeed in their endeavors.

Dave Adams

David had been registered as a "republican" but switched to 'no party' affiliation recntly (before the deadline). He is going to be on the "Libertarian ticket" I've been helping to establish.

Appeals court allows smoking in bars, for now

Appeals court allows smoking in bars, for now Enforcement of the smoking ordinance in taverns and restaurants is on hold again.

Johannes Ernharth posted:

Re: PG Editorial: "Disarm America? Here's how"

Sorry for poaching your observation on the 1st being protected by the 2nd. but it can't be said enough...

Someone else should target their moronic insistence that the right to bear arms is extremist. What? As extremist as an Orwellian door-to-door confiscation?

Also, make sure to post LTEs to the lppgh.org website.

---

Before accepting Dan Simpson's gun abolitionist suggesting outright, I ask readers consider these points before rallying to such short-sighted causes.

1. How ironic is it that Mr. Simpson's right to his own career is protected by the 2nd Amendment he wants to shred? All individual freedom to say "no-thanks" to government force (even in a democracy) is similar.

2. With over 200 million guns in the U.S. alone, its fantasy to believe a meaningful ratio of guns will be confiscated. Only the law abiding will comply (although this proposition would meet stiff resistance) and criminals with guns will have an easier time with crime.

3. Disarmed people are potential victims entirely dependent on others for their safety. Experience shows us the police mostly curtail V. Tech-like events long after they start. Often, they arrive only in time to count the dead and start an investigation, as it is with most any murder. Even an armed, uniformed guard could have been an easy, unsuspecting target for the well-planned Seung-Hui Cho.

4. Imagine the V. Tech outcome if, after Cho shot his first, he was greeted by 5 randomly drawn pistols operated by trained, decent individuals? What if Cho knew this was a possibility beforehand?

5. History shows that individuals can only kill a limited number before they are stopped. Governments have killed hundreds, thousands, even millions at a time.

The truth is we'll all be safer if more trustworthy people trained to safely operate and carry guns vs. some Orwellian confiscation.

Pirate's to host technology night at PNC Park - Sept 7

The Pirates are going to host a 'technology night' at PNC Park on Sept. 7, 2007. This should be fun. More news later.

Takes $25,000 to get onto the ballot in S.C. for President

The debate is on May 3. Should be interesting. The fee to file to be on the ballot in S.C. is $25,000 -- for candidates for president.

Ron Paul Files in South Carolina

Republican takes important step toward securing GOP nomination

May 1, 2007

ARLINGTON, VA – South Carolina Republican primary voters will be able to choose Congressman Ron Paul when they vote for the Republican nominee for president. Today, Dr. Paul filed the necessary paperwork with the South Carolina Republican Party and paid the required $25,000 fee.

“With Ron Paul on the ballot, South Carolinians will now have a true conservative they can support,” said Ron Paul 2008 campaign chairman Kent Snyder. “We know that Dr. Paul’s message of freedom and limited government will resonate with the citizens of the Palmetto State.”

Officially joining the field in South Carolina comes in the midst of exciting times for the Ron Paul 2008 campaign. Dr. Paul recently returned from successful trips to New Hampshire, Arizona and Iowa. He will participate in the first Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Library this Thursday, May 3.

War, future, and Ron Paul's remarks

Getting Iraq War Funding Wrong Again
April 30, 2007

This week, Congress finalized the controversial $124 billion Iraq emergency supplemental spending bill, with the House and Senate both voting in favor of final passage. The majority of my Republican colleagues and I voted against this measure, and the president has vowed to veto the legislation.

In this final version, the House leadership retained billions of dollars in pork meant to attract skeptical votes, retained a watered-down version of the problematic “benchmarks” that seek to micromanage the war effort, and continued to play politics with the funding of critical veterans medical and other assistance. In other words, this final version was even worse than the original in almost all respects.

As I wrote when this measure first came before the House, we have to make a clear distinction between the Constitutional authority of Congress to make foreign policy, and the Constitutional authority of the president, as commander in chief, to direct the management of any military operation. We do no favor to the troops by micromanaging the war from Capitol Hill while continuing to fund it beyond the president’s request.

If one is unhappy with our progress in Iraq after four years of war, voting to de-fund the war makes sense. If one is unhappy with the manner in which we went to war, without a constitutional declaration, voting against funding for that war makes equally good sense. What occurred, however, was the worst of both. Democrats, dissatisfied with the way the war is being fought, gave the president all the money he asked for and more to keep fighting it, while demanding that he fight it in the manner they see fit. That is definitely not a recipe for success in Iraq and foreign policy in general.

What is the best way forward in Iraq? Where do we go from here? First, Congress should admit its mistake in unconstitutionally transferring war power to the president and in citing United Nations resolutions as justification for war against Iraq. We should never go to war because another nation has violated a United Nations resolution. Then we should repeal the authority given to the president in 2002 and disavow presidential discretion in starting wars. Then we should start bringing our troops home in the safest manner possible.

Though many will criticize the president for mis-steps in Iraq and at home, it is with the willing participation of Congress, through measures like this war funding bill, that our policy continues to veer off course. Additionally, it is with the complicity of Congress that we have become a nation of pre-emptive war, secret military tribunals, torture, rejection of habeas corpus, warrantless searches, undue government secrecy, extraordinary renditions, and uncontrolled spying on the American people. Fighting over there has nothing to do with preserving freedoms here at home. More likely the opposite is true.