12.14- Bell-ringer, Crisis Tasks

Bell-ringer: Write the quote and then answer the questions that follow.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

1.     Put Dr. King’s quote into your own words.  

2.     “Drive out” means to get rid of; why can’t hate get rid of more hate?

How can this quote be applied to the world we live in?


Candidate Crises:

On NBC’s Nightly News last night, a negative story about former Mayor Alexander Rubens was reported on. In the report, it was mentioned that Rubens had been living with his current wife, Tatiana, for over three years while still being married to his ex-wife, Elizabeth. In fact, even though Alexander and Elizabeth attended Mayor Ruben’s first mayoral inauguration as husband and wife, Rubens had actually already moved in with the model and had been living with her for over six months. The timeline suggests that even though the former Mrs. Elizabeth Rubens campaigned for her then husband, they were not actually living together and had been planning to divorce throughout the whole campaign. The two remained married for two more years until the right time was determined by the mayor’s staff for a divorce. During this time, they did not live together. When asked for a comment, Elizabeth Rubens (the mayor’s ex-wife) stated, “I only did what Alex asked of me. I was still in love with the man and wanted for him whatever made him happy.”

Earlier this week on Fox News, a phone call that had been recorded between Gov. Anthony Di Stefano and a group of top donors was aired during the primetime news hour. In this recording, a voice, which has been identified (but not verified) as Di Stefano can be heard saying, “I don’t get these Solvo people. They talk about being religious and caring for the poor, but they would push a homeless man in front of a moving car if they thought it would save them money. Are these people retarded?” The Council for Disabled Individuals has quickly pulled their support of the governor’s presidential campaign and has decried him as, “a bully who is no better than the nasty kid on the playground.” This is not the first time that DiStefano has used derogatory language when referring to his political enemies.

In the Los Angeles Times, portions of an essay entitled, “The Problem with Religion,” were published on the front page. This essay was written by Madeline Sneed while she was a philosophy student at Oxford University forty years ago. In this essay, Sneed states that, “The belief in God only exists because people need to have something to rely on and that the truth is too difficult for most people to grasp.” She writes that “There can be no afterlife, and that believing in such an idea only occurs because people are gullible and willing to believe in anything that will give them hope.” This essay was written in a course that focused on religion. Many of her supporters have defended Ms. Sneed saying that this was only written for a class and that she was only trying to please a professor. However, many voters within her own party wonder if Sneed is actually an atheist. Sneed has never made mention of her religious beliefs.

The Washington Post reported on an investigation that they had conducted on former Sec. Diane Ellsworth’s time at the Pentagon. While most of this investigation revealed little, there was one piece of information that the investigative reporter found interesting. In the article, the reporter detailed that while Ellsworth was Defense Secretary, she pushed Congress to pass a bill that would allow the Defense Department to purchase new weapons from Titan Defense Supplier. At the time, Congress easily passed the bill which was quickly signed by the president. Nearly $1.5 billion was spent on the new materials, pushing the government into even more debt. It has now been uncovered that one of the largest investors in Titan Defense Supplier was. Richard Wells, who is the cousin of Sec. Ellsworth. As an investor in the company, Wells receives a portion of the company’s profit; he is also a financial supporter of Ellsworth’s campaign. Some are now accusing Ellsworth of nepotism for making deals for the sole purpose of helping her family. While Titan Defense Supplier is one of the leading arms suppliers in the world, the report indicated that Ellsworth did not determine if any other company could provide the same materials for less money. 

On MSNBC last night, Al Sharpton reported that while Rep. Ryan Davis was in college, he attended an independent Catholic Church (a church that is not sanctioned by the international church) lead by Father Zachariah Meyers. Meyers has been in the news throughout three decades for making anti-American and racist statements. At times, his comments have been so defamatory that some have accused him of being a traitor and have caused racial tension to rise. These comments include, “America isn’t great. America has never been great. God does not bless America. Why should He? We’re the problem in this world. We pray for safety. Why? We’re the terrorists!” The priest has also been known for railing against Jewish people, even stating, “Perhaps Hitler was sent on a mission from God.” This comment was quickly recanted by Father Meyers. Rep. Davis attended this church for two years while he was in college. Though he has not attended this church for decades, records show that his wife made a contribution to the church five years ago. Some are now questioning Davis and his wife’s patriotism.

 Today's tasks:

1.       Write a speech (minimum one minute) that your candidate (anyone in your group) will give this afternoon This speech should address the crisis that your candidate now has to face. Decide if the person will simply apologize, if the person will justify his/her actions, or if this person will deny it. Will your candidate “throw another candidate under the bus” to shift the attention away from him/herself? Will your person own up to it ? Make sure that you include logos, pathos, and ethos. If you need help with details, ask Mr. Spivy—due this afternoon. 

2.       Write a memo to your campaign volunteers throughout the country. In this memo, you need to tell your staff how they should address the crises of the other candidates. Should they be supportive of the other candidates? Should they be critical of the other candidates? Should they just ignore the other candidates’ crises?

Write a paragraph about each of the other candidates with how your volunteers should address these crises and the reasoning behind your decision—due Monday.