‘Juneteenth is about more than the end of slavery’
Los Angeles Times editorial board
Juneteenth is “no more a holiday just for Black people than the Fourth of July is a holiday just for white people,” says the Los Angeles Times editorial board. It “recognizes and celebrates a profound milestone in American history,” but it “didn’t end systemic racism and its discriminatory effects in housing, employment and education” that are still felt today. However, there are “reasons to celebrate this holiday,” as Juneteenth is “about honoring fortitude, perseverance and, yes, optimism.”
‘We have run federal agencies. Here’s what the civil service needs.’
Mike Hayden, James Loy, Mike McConnell, John Negroponte and Sean O’Keefe at The Washington Post
There should be a new way of appointing civil servants “that preserves all that is right with our civil service but also addresses what almost everyone agrees is wrong with it,” say Mike Hayden, James Loy, Mike McConnell, John Negroponte and Sean O’Keefe. Using “political ideology as a litmus test” in civil appointments “presents a dangerous risk to our national security,” but “these employees must also be held accountable for doing their jobs well.”
‘To protect Taiwan and the Philippines, the US must show strength in the seas’
Joseph Bosco at The Hill
China’s “expansionist claims threaten to set off a regional war that could quickly erupt into global conflict,” says Joseph Bosco. The United States is “critical to the fate of both Taiwan and the Philippines,” and whoever occupies the White House “must dispel the United States’ official vagueness if it is to avoid a tragic strategic miscalculation by China.” The Biden administration “must intensify the flow and upgrade the quality of weapons systems to Taiwan.”
‘Why I’m calling for a warning label on social media platforms’
Vivek Murthy at The New York Times
The mental health problem “among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor,” says Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. It is “time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms,” which would “regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.” But a “warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people,” so the “rest of society can play a role also.”