Stephan:   I am sure you have probably seen this story; it's probably not news to you. I chose it for another reason because it illustrates something important. This act of petty nastiness makes it clear that neither the Republican Congress nor Trump nor his cabinet has the slightest interest in the wellbeing of the country they are sworn to serve and protect. If they did they would be doing everything they could to see the most efficient and secure transition from one administration to the next. I don't understand why people voted for these people, or don't seem to understand their own wellbeing is put at risk, but they don't. Look at the thousands of Trumpers who gathered in Washington today. Part of the problem, I think, traces back to American schools, where what used to be called "Civics" was once a major subject. I went through the course in ninth grade, and have never forgotten what I learned. If you are old enough to have taken a civics course you probably feel the same. But today, to give one example, though 91 percent of Americans say the high court has an impact on their lives, surveys show 57 percent of those under 35 could not name a single Supreme Court justice. According to the Brookings Institute, "For example, every state mentions discussion of current events in its standards or curriculum frameworks, and 42 states and Washington, D.C., require at least one course related to civics education. In contrast, just over half of states (26, plus Washington, D.C.) mention simulations of democratic processes or procedures, while only 11 states include service learning (a less strict definition of service learning brings this total to 20). The lack of participatory elements of learning in state accountability frameworks highlights a void in civics education, as experts indicate that a high-quality civics education is incomplete without teaching students what civic participation looks like in practice, and how citizens can engage in their communities."