Special Report: Seminar Summaries from The Nation's 2009 Cruise

For the past 12 years, The Nation magazine has hosted an opportunity for progressives from across the US to get together, discuss and learn from each other on it's annual cruise.  480 participants from Maine to Hawai'i departed Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on December 12 on the 2009 cruise.  It featured seminars on issues of concern for progressives: foreign policy, health care, the mass media, terrorism, etc., and featured Howard Dean, William Greider, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Robert Scheer, Patrician Williams, and many others.  It also featured ad-hoc gatherings of The Nation readers who engaged in often lively discussion on a broad variety of topics, watched films and planned strategy for the 2010 election cycle.

Community Bridge's host, Christopher Renner, participated in the cruise and reported on the seminar panels for the Kansas Free Press. Here is the complete list of reports he published.

Final Report from The Nation Cruise: Terrorism, Justice and Politics
HALF MOON CAY, Bahamas - The final seminar of The Nation's 2009 Cruise featured Narda Zacchino, Patricia Williams, Christian Parenti and William Greider discussing the effects the "War on Terror" has had on the United States. Eyal Press moderated the panel.

Given the events that transpired on December 25th with the attempt to blow up Flight 253, the views and opinions share during this panel, have new and more urgent significance for progressives.  Each panelist was given five minutes to present his/her ideas. After each panelist had made their presentation, panelists were allotted an addition two minutes to respond to what had been said or pose questions to each other.

Christian Parenti, a Soros Senior Justice Fellow and a Ford Foundation Fellow at the CUNY Graduate School's Center for Place, Culture, and Politics, has reported from both Iraq and Afghanistan. He opened by looking at terrorism in context of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Report from The Nation Cruise: New and Old Media and the Future of Journalism
MS EURODAM, Atlantic Ocean - Anyone interested in media reform has seen a plethora of panels, articles, and speeches on the topic of what is happening to journalism. Yes newspapers have folded in record numbers and major papers have reduced staff in the wake of the economic downturn turning the venerated fourth estate into a waste land of unemployment for many a reporter.

Media Panel: Narda Zucchino, Robert Scheer,
Katie Halper, Patricia Willams, and Betsy Reed

However, new media, blogs and e-newspapers like the Kansas Free Press, now offer the average American more choices in their ability to have access to news and information than at any other time in our history as a democracy. So what's the problem?

Report from The Nation Cruise: What To Do About the Economy?

MS EURODAM, Atlantic Ocean - The 12th Annual Nation Cruise reopened its seminar sessions after two days off to visit the ports of San Juan and Crown Bay, St. Thomas, turning attention to the US economy.

Joining William Greider and Robert Scheer, were Eyal Press, contributing writer for The Nation and author of Absolute Convictions, and Christian Parenti, foreign correspondent for The Nation.  Press' role on the panel was to address the social effects of the economic downturn while Parenti would look at developing a sustainable economy.  Betsy Reed served as moderator.

Panelists were given 10 minutes to give their answers to "What to do about the economy?"  After which they would have an opportunity for a two-minute response to the other panelists before taking questions from the audience.

Report from The Nation Cruise: Health Care Reform, Politics and the Progressive Movement

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - After a morning of shore leave on Grand Turk Island, the participants of The Nation Cruise sat down to discuss the state of health care reform.  Many members in the audience had supported the efforts of Health Care for America Now and other groups pushing for a robust public option.  The vast majority of those gathered are unhappy, if not down right disappointed with what has transpired over the past seven months and share a common belief that Obama has failed to lead on this issue.


Health Care Panel: Patricia Williams, Howard Dean,
Betsy Reed, Katrina vanden Heuvel, William Greider 

Coming together to express their opinions and what progressives need to be doing in the weeks ahead were panelists Howard Dean; Besty Reed, executive editor of The Nation and author of Going Rouge: An American Nightmare; Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation; and, William Greider.  Patricia Williams, James L. Dohr Professor of Law at Columbia University and author of Open House: Of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons, and the Search for a Room of My Own, moderated the panel. 

Report from The Nation Cruise: Is There an Obama Doctrine in Foreign Policy?

GRAND TURK, Turks And Caicos Islands - The participants on the 12th Annual Nation Cruise engaged in lively debate on the issue of foreign policy at the second panel seminar on Monday afternoon.


Katrina vanden Heuvel, Robert Scheer, Steven Cohen, William Greider, Howard Dean 

Members of the panel included: Robert Scheer, a 30-year veteran journalist, Nation columnist and editor of Truthdig.com; Steven Cohen, retired head of the Russian Department at Princeton University; Willian Greider, journalist, Nation columnist, and author of numerous books including The Soul of Capitalism (2003) and Come Home, America: The Rise and Fall (and Redeeming Promise) of Our Country (2009); and Howard Dean, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, presidential candidate and six-term Governor of Vermont.
 
Report from The Nation Cruise: Interview with Howard Dean

EURODAM, Atlantic Ocean - The Nation's 12th Annual Cruise got underway this morning with The Nation's editor, Katrina vanden Heuvel and Robert Scheer (Truthdig.com/LA Times) interviewing Gov. Howard Dean, Chair of the Democratic Party.


Katrina vanden Heuvel, Howard Dean, Robert Scheer

Scheer opened the discussion by looking at the two major issues facing the nation: the escalation of the war in Afghanistan and the banking crisis.

While the Democratic Party often has been the party of war in recent history, Scheer thought the party had made fundamental changes following the disaster of the Vietnam War and its fallout.  But instead, what he heard in Obama's recent speech at West Point in which he outlined his intent to send an additional 30,00 troops to Afghanistan is that the party "seems to be back to (the days of) Scoop Jackson."