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Edward Woodhouse's avatar

Thoughtful, enduring, accessible -- what a fine combination!

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Jean Wood's avatar

Another fantastic contribution to my Saturday. You’re so right—especially true today. But was the Dean going to call your dad and tell him you needed to change professors? What would Uncle Ralph had said? I’m glad you didn’t have to face that one!

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REX SMITH's avatar

What I didn't want to take the space to explain in the column is that the way I knew the professor was giving the same lecture for so long is because my brother and I compared notes -- he was a political science major at Trinity and had the same professor nine years before I got there. Glad you're enjoying the essays. I'm not clear how all these progressive Smiths emerged from our Hoosier heritage. I can only explain it by concluding that Dr. A.D. Smith was quite something!

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Al Bellenchia's avatar

It does seem that we now elect more idle flatterers and the self-adsorbed than men and women of principles. Or is it that their character flaws are much more evident in our modern era?

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REX SMITH's avatar

That's a reasonable question. As a journalist, I've often wondered if the intense media coverage makes cynicism about politics inevitable, because human flaws are so amplified. I need to see if anybody has done research trying to answer that notion.

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Al Bellenchia's avatar

I’d hold off on donning the hairshirt. It’s not just THE MEDIA, in the traditional sense or form. It’s the near ubiquity of exposure, often of their own creation. Keep up the good work here!

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