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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels October 5, 2004 Parenti's visit lucky for seniors By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings How did two Ashland High seniors get Michael Parenti, an award-winning, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author to speak in Ashland as part of their senior project? They asked. Parenti will be speaking Thursday evening on "Patriotic Fear and the U.S. Empire" at Ashland High School. Ian Lowrie and Philip Shilts got his e-mail from his Web site this summer and asked him if he would be interested in speaking in Ashland for their senior project. "It was very spontaneous," Shilts said. "It was just one of those things we thought we would take a shot at, and just rolled with it." A day later, they received a response back from Parenti. He told them he was on an Oregon book tour in October and could come to talk at a greatly reduced rate, if they donated the proceeds to a local organization. They agreed upon Peace House, a local, non-violent resource center for peace, justice and sustainability. "I was like 'wow,'" Lowrie said. "I was just really surprised he got back to me. ... He's just been excellent to work with. He never has looked down on us as just two high school students." Lowrie and Shilts said they became interested in Parenti when they heard one of his speeches featured in a song from one of their favorite bands, Choking Victim. "The stuff he talked about made a lot of sense," Shilts said. "It was interesting, so we decided to look him up and find out who he was." Parenti was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for his book "The Assassination of Julius Caesar: A People's History of Ancient Rome." He received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and has taught at a number of colleges here and abroad. His newest book is "Super Patriotism," which talks about "how hype, fear, and mindless flag-waving are supplanting informed debate, commitment to democracy, and real patriotism." The talk, to be held at the Mountain Avenue Theater on the AHS campus, will focus on the problems of empire throughout history, and how it pertains to present-day U.S. world politics. Parenti will also explore the U.S. "messianic mission" and will offer a view of a patriotism that has a social content other them militarism. Lowrie and Shilts have been hard at working publicizing the event and finding a place to hold it. They said it has been a lot of work, but it has been rewarding being able to bring Parenti to town. Linda M. Richards, co-director of Peace House, said she is grateful for Lowrie and Shilts for helping put this on. "I'm so impressed with all their initiative that they had to bring Parenti here," she said. "It shows they are committed to their community. I think it gives people an opportunity to hear someone of his caliber here in our small town." Details on Parenti's lecture are listed in the Community Notes on page 2. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams