In 1993, Sheila Rauch Kennedy received a letter from the Boston Catholic Archdiocese announcing that her former husband, Congressman Joseph Kennedy, was seeking an annulment of their marriage. If the Church granted the annulment, the marriage, which had lasted twelve years, would be rendered nonexistent -- not simply ended, as was stated in the divorce decree, but invalid from the start. And their two sons would be regarded as children of an unsanctified union. Joseph Kennedy needed the annulment to remarry within the Church, and he encouraged his ex-wife to ignore the details. Stunned by the hypocrisy of the process and the betrayal of trust it involved, Sheila Rauch Kennedy was determined to defend the legitimacy of her former marriage. Shattered Faith is the fascinating chronicle of that struggle, and of what Kennedy uncovered about the uses and frequency of annulments in the United States. Interweaving her own experiences with those of other women whose trust in the Church was shattered by annulment, she tells a story that will surprise, anger, and move readers of every faith.
Honest, objective, and informed political debates are all too rare in today’s polarized and partisan climate. Public policy is increasingly driven by ideology while political spin, distortions, and even demonizing opponents by disseminating outright lies are routine practice from Washington to the local city council. Super-heated and hyper-partisan rhetoric, increasingly homogeneous political and ideological communities, and the public’s spotty knowledge about our political system all undermine informed and considered responses to policy debates. This book identifies common areas of confusion or misunderstanding about our political system—clarifying many distortions of accepted history, constitutional law, economics, and science—to help readers distinguish documented facts from the different conclusions and interpretations that may be drawn from those facts. Sheila Suess Kennedy aims to create a more informed electorate and to better ground debates in fact, from Capitol Hill to the family dinner table. Talking Politics? What You Need to Know before Opening Your Mouth provides a solid starting point from which Americans can build more persuasive arguments for their preferred policies, whatever they may be, and will interest students of political science, civics, and history, from high school to undergraduates, and the general public interested in politics and informed discussion.
In this informative discussion of Americans' growing distrust, Kennedy argues that diversity is not the reason people trust less. The culprit is a loss of faith in the social and governing institutions, and the remedy is to make them trustworthy once more.
Habits of the mind : thinking in red and blue -- America's religious roots -- A new paradigm -- Conflict and change -- The culture war considered -- The usual suspects -- Religion, wealth, and poverty -- Religion, science, and the environment -- Sin and crime -- God and country, us and them -- Living together.
The life of President John F. Kennedy is explored in this early reader biography. “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” When he was a young boy, John Fitzgerald Kennedy wondered about what happened in the world. He wanted to change the world when he grew up, and he did just that! Beginning readers will learn about the milestones in John F. Kennedy’s life in this Level Two I Can Read biography, which combines a traditional, illustrated narrative with historical photographs at the back of book. Complete with a timeline, photographs, and little-known facts about the United States’ thirty-fifth president, the brave John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy the Brave is a Level Two I Can Read, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.
Questions of ethics in public administration are increasingly in the news, where commentators seem too often detached from the sources of those ethics and their application to current political conflicts. American Public Service: Constitutional and Ethical Foundations examines public administration ethics as contextualized by constitutional, legal, and political values within the United States. Through case studies, hypothetical examples, and an easy-to-read discussion format, the authors explore what these values mean for specific duties of government managers and for the resolution of many contemporary issues confronting public sector officials. Key Features: • Describes the philosophical underpinnings of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights • Identifies the values that anchor and define what government and public administrators should do. • Indicates where these values fit into a framework for moral decision-making in the public sector, and how they apply to discussions of current controversies in public administration. • Written by authors with rich experience as both lawyers and academics in public administration programs.
Too often, say its critics, U.S. domestic policy is founded on ideology rather than evidence. Take "Charitable Choice": legislation enacted with the assumption that faith-based organizations can offer the best assistance to the needy at the lowest cost. The Charitable Choice provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act—buttressed by President Bush's Faith-Based Initiative of 2000—encouraged religious organizations, including congregations, to bid on government contracts to provide social services. But in neither year was data available to prove or disprove the effectiveness of such an approach. Charitable Choice at Work fills this gap with a comprehensive look at the evidence for and against faith-based initiatives. Sheila Suess Kennedy and Wolfgang Bielefeld review the movement's historical context along with legal analysis of constitutional concerns including privatization, federalism, and separation of church and state. Using both qualitative and, where possible, statistical data, the authors analyze the performance of job placement programs in three states with a representative range of religious, political, and demographic traits—Massachusetts, Indiana, and North Carolina. Throughout, they focus on measurable outcomes as they compare non-faith-based with faith-based organizations, nonprofits with for-profits, and the logistics of contracting before and after Charitable Choice. Among their findings: in states where such information is available, the composition of social service contractor pools has changed very little. Reflecting their varied political cultures, states have funded programs differently. Faith-based organizations have not been eager to seek government contracts, perhaps wary of additional legal restraints and reporting burdens. The authors conclude that faith-based organizations appear no more effective than secular organizations at government-funded social service provision, that there has been no dramatic change in the social welfare landscape since Charitable Choice, and that the constitutional concerns of its detractors may be valid. This empirical study penetrates the fog of the culture wars, moving past controversy over the role of religion in public life to offer pragmatic suggestions for policymakers and organizations who must decide how best to assist the needy.
Justice Joseph D. Valentino spent over 30 years on the Bench in New York State. Over the course of his career, the Judge has been charged with showing humanity in the courtroom. An esteemed judge as well as a well-respected husband, father, coach, professor, band member, and friend, Joseph Valentino never met anyone that he did not value as a human being. Judge Valentino's career exemplified what fair, dignified and compassionate justice looks like. In, The Trial of My Life, Judge Valentino loosely puts his life on trial, complete with opening and closing statements, character witnesses and side bar material. His story will inspire you to believe that goodness exists in the criminal justice system, but will also leave you laughing out loud. The humorous stories that helped him maintain his positive attitude throughout his time on the bench, will cause more than one belly laugh. You, the reader, are tasked to be the jury; deciding whether the Judge does in fact live up to his reputation for fairness and dignity for all.
John F. Kennedy, Jr. asks for Neena's help. The problem is...he's been dead for twenty-five years. Fifty-six-year-old Neena Lee is determined to revive her career as a travel writer. Trouble is, the upstart editor at the travel magazine where she works has fired everyone else over the age of forty. Worse yet, Neena is still plagued by the panic attacks she’s been suffering since her brother’s death. Despite her fragile condition, Neena’s flatlining bank account means she must go back to work. When the baby-faced editor finally offers her an assignment, she jumps at the chance. Even better: She’s being sent to the remote barrier island off the coast of Georgia where John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Carolyn Bessette pulled off a secret, paparazzi-free wedding. But when Neena arrives at the tiny church on Cumberland Island where the fairytale wedding took place, she’s shocked to see John F. Kennedy, Jr. himself waiting for her in the back pew…even though he’s been dead for almost twenty-five years. Though Neena is sure she’s hallucinating, John begs her to hear him out—and to help him reunite with his wife. Thanks to John’s continued presence and trademark charisma, one mission soon leads to another, and soon Neena has befriended a dead man. Nevertheless, she knows she needs to get back to her real life if she’s going to save her job, her reputation, and her home. But the more Neena interacts with John, the more he pushes her to confront her own demons—encouraging her to worry less about not having saved her brother…and more about saving herself. A clever, thought-provoking novel that will resonate with those looking for peace amidst the overwhelm of life.
This anthology is a collection of poetry and short stories from a number of various authors throughout the United States, UK and Russia. There is something special for eveyone inside this beautiful creative pages of thoughts.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.