We Must be Talking

  Final Thoughts on the Election        Gerry OShea A recent study examining party affiliation among adults in the United States revealed that the biggest slice of the electorate, 43%, define themselves as Independent, meaning they are not committed to either political party. According to the same report, Republicans and Democrats can each claim the solid allegiance of just 27% of voters. The uncommitted multitudes like to explain that they assess each election based on the policies presented by the various candidates. They boast that they cannot be taken for granted and are sometimes disdainful of those who vote based on party allegiance. An acquaintance of mine, Sean, a fellow Irishman and declared independent voter, long retired from the NYPD, who reads the Irish Echo every week and so is clear about my political preferences, approached me last week to confide his voting dilemma. He told me that he has no time for Harris and less for Walz, and even though he hasn’t voted for a

  Election Ruminations Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher considered the most brilliant thinker during the second half of the 19 th century, favored strongman rule and was dismissive of the burgeoning socialist and trade union movements in Europe at that time. He discussed two conflicting tendencies evident in pursuing political power, both relevant today as we hear the rhetoric used by the leading candidates in the November presidential election. Reflecting on Greek mythology, Nietzsche identified their revered gods Apollo and Dionysius, sons of Zeus, the top deity on Mount Olympus, as revealing a historical division in the struggle for political power and importance. In this model, Apollo is the good guy, representing the rational and thoughtful approach to dealing with the inevitable clash of interests that arises in every community. All conflicts must be resolved through negotiation and persuasion; reaching a consensus is central to settling contentious disputes. Su

  A Toss-up Presidential Election          Gerry OShea The polls suggest that there is at least a 50 – 50 chance that the electorate will choose a woman for the first time as president on November 5 th . This history-making possibility is even more significant because the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, is also a black woman. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by close to three million but lost in the Electoral College, a remnant of a past era baked into the American constitution. The United States, alone among the world’s democracies, does not accept the popular vote as determinative of victory in national contests. Everybody, regardless of gender, is capable of both toughness and tenderness. However, for some people, women are associated with softness and with an aura of weakness in confrontational situations, which raises questions about a female’s ability to confront foreign bullies in a crisis situation in the Oval Office.   The Republicans released a brillia

  The Decline of Trade Unionism          Gerry OShea While defending the United Mine Workers in an arbitration dispute in 1903, Clarence Darrow, the renowned left-wing attorney, extolled unions as “ the greatest agency that the wit of man has ever devised for uplifting the lowly and the weak, for defending the poor and the oppressed, for bringing about a genuine democracy among men.” This grand and noble sentiment should be posted at the entrance of every union hall to remind members of earlier, more idealistic times when, under leaders like Cesar Chavez and Mike Quill, promoting a fairer society was an important part of their agenda. One of the main reasons for the Democratic Party's growth was that a sizable number of workers belonging to unions saw the need for a political party focused on their concerns, especially in the economic area. Nearly all the leaders of the labor movement – past and present - preach that the Democrats in Congress and in state legislatures best

  A Variety of Prophets             Gerry OShea “ There are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio.” Shakespeare’s Hamlet uttered these dramatic words criticizing his friend Horatio’s over-dependence on logical reasoning for his grasp of reality.   Renaissance thinking was in the ascendant among the intelligentsia in those years with its stress on the scientific method in searching for truth. Hamlet’s words warn us that imagination and intuition also provide valuable insights into the conundrums of life. Shakespeare was not in the minds of the Mayo people when they won their second All-Ireland Football Championship in a row in September 1950, although people still discuss a post-game controversy that can be defined in terms of the disagreement between Horatio and Hamlet.     Winning the Sam Maguire Cup was and remains today the apogee of achievement in Irish sport. Saying that the people in that county were elated at this victory cer

  The Changing Catholic Church in Ireland      Gerry OShea I spoke this week to a friend in my hometown, Kenmare, in County Kerry, about a recently ordained priest assigned to the local parish. Today, this is news, but he recalled that when he was a young man you would meet a priest around every corner in the town. Then, there were three priests assigned to the parish and many more in ancillary churches nearby. Now, one priest has to take care of all the presbytery duties. This major change in the role of the Catholic Church in Irish life highlights the wider cultural movements that have taken place throughout the island in the last half-century. The clergy statistics speak trenchantly to this revolution. Fifty years ago, there were more than 14,000 women religious in Ireland. Today that number stands closer to 4,000, with an average age tipping 80. In 1960, the national seminary in Maynooth was populated by nearly 500 seminarians; this year, that figure dropped dramatically to a