Phyllis Beveridge Nissila
The Question
During the early 2000s I taught Citizenship classes to people going through the lengthy, multi-part process of becoming Naturalized United States citizens. Lessons included basic U.S. history, government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens, information featured on the list of 100 questions from which each candidate is asked up to ten, randomly selected. I also helped them practice interview-related English reading, writing, and speaking skills.
In the nine terms I taught the class, I served people from a number of countries in Eastern Europe, Central and South America, and Asia. I attended two swearing-in ceremonies at the local courthouse for students who successfully completed the process, and I will not forget the tears, joy, and celebration at those events, new citizens and families dressed in red, white, and blue, waving small American flags given them along with their Citizenship Certificates…
One question that inevitably surfaced during the classes and that always challenged me was: “Why do some Americans seem to hate this country so much?” Continue reading
Revisiting The Clinton/Trump Hegelian Dialectic in Light of May 12, 14 and Prophecy
Phyllis Beveridge Nissila
The theory remains with me that the election of Donald Trump was part of an Hegelian dialectical process with Hillary Clinton being the “thesis (problem),” Trump being the “antithesis (solution),” and the “synthesis (resolution)” being the (pre-determined) form of governance desired by the global powers-that-be. I wrote earlier, here and here and here, citing various reasons I keep this theory in mind. Continue reading →