Category Archives: Uncategorized

Citizenship and the American Citizen, Part I: Ancient Greece

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(Note: To skip the historical case studies and jump to the new American citizen in the 1960s, go to: https://zilianblog.com/2017/09/30/part-vi-citizenship-and-the-new-american-citizen-in-the-divisive-sixties/ ) As a human body is only as healthy as its individual cells, so a civilization or modern state is … Continue reading →

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“Summer of Love” but Not for All

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published as “Summer of Love wasn’t for all” in the Newport Daily News on August 26, 2017.) The dissonant and divisive Sixties were a time when just about every code of behavior in American society was … Continue reading →

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July 10, 1777: Patriot Raid Captures British General Prescott

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay, abridged, was originally published as “An Enterprise Against the Enemy,” by the Newport Daily News on July 8, 2017.) Two hundred forty years ago, a band of American soldiers, led by Lt. Col. William Barton, conducted a daring … Continue reading →

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America the Unexceptional

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published as “American Exceptionalism seems to be in retreat,” by the Newport Daily News on June 10, 2017.) With his recent statement of intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord on climate change, … Continue reading →

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Memorial Day: A Time to Honor and Remember

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Fred Zilian

Healthy civilizations remember and honor those who have died serving them. These memorial occasions are also opportune times to reflect on the civilization’s creed—its fundamental values and beliefs. Almost 2450 years ago, Pericles, the great statesman of ancient Athens, did … Continue reading →

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Is America Going the Way of Norse Greenland?

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published on April 30, 2017, on the History News Network [online] http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/165689) Civilizations which make bad decisions about the environment they occupy, cannot sustain themselves over the long run. By appointing Scott Pruitt, a known environmental … Continue reading →

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The US Enters World War I

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published as “April 6, 1917: The US Goes ‘Over There’”, in the Newport Daily News on April 6, 2017.) One hundred years ago today, the United States declared war on Germany, joining the war almost three … Continue reading →

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West Point at 215, Graduates Defend and Serve the Nation

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published as “West Point Going Strong at 215,” in the Newport Daily News on March 16, 2017.”) As the U.S. Military Academy at West Point celebrates its 215th anniversary, the ever-uncertain international security environment and the … Continue reading →

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Trump: White American Cincinnatus

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published as “Is Trump the 21st Century Cincinnatus?” by the History News Network [online] on February 26, 2017) In dire times the ancient Romans would appoint a dictator, giving him unchecked power to lead the Roman … Continue reading →

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Civility: An Essential of Civilization

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Fred Zilian

(This essay was originally published as “Civilization is Dependent upon Civility,” February 11, 2017, in the Newport Daily News.) The growing incivility in American civilization has finally hit home for me. For the first time, someone posted a comment with … Continue reading →

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