The government enshrouds the details of its surveillance programs in a technical vocabulary ("reasonable articulable suspicion," "seeds," "queries," "identifiers") that renders them too dull and opaque for substantive discussion by civilians.
This is a goal that fulfills both the joy and practicality of learning, for if students learn to communicate ideas in nuanced discourse, logically and lucidly presented in such a way that there is space for substantive discussion, we will have the pleasure of living in a less polarized and more civil society where democracy functions and diverse perspectives are respected.
Analysts agree that major progress is unlikely, and say that negotiators are probably talking about far narrower issues, including a possible plan for more substantive discussions.
The talks, to be held at the border village of Panmunjom, are intended to set an agenda for future substantive discussions about the shelling, the sinking of a South Korean warship last March and the North's ongoing nuclear programs.
The meetings, held at the border village of Panmunjom, were intended to prepare the way for more substantive discussions about the artillery attack, the sinking of a South Korean warship and the North's nuclear programs.
William Galvin, the Massachusetts secretary of state and head of the National Association of Secretaries of State's committee on presidential primaries, said: "If this had been extended over maybe two months instead of six weeks, there would have been an opportunity for more substantive discussions.
Lord Black said he offered to Hollinger's special committee last Tuesday "the right to match any bona fide offer for control of Hollinger Inc.," but he said, "they effectively declined that offer on Jan . 15 and canceled the scheduled meeting for further substantive discussions on Jan . 16.
The principal aim of the talks, the defense official said, will be to prepare an agenda for more substantive discussions about what the South calls "provocations" by the North — the artillery barrage that killed four South Koreans on Yeonpyeong Island in November, the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors last March and North Korea's nuclear programs.
So in the early spring, he said, he gathered staff for multiple substantive discussions about issues they wanted to address this election season, so they weren't just "having to chase the Twitter around, having to chase the horse race around".
It would relieve a lot of the pressure on Gregory to manipulate the interviews so that they churn out headline-grabbing pull-quotes, and pave the way for more substantive discussions (that could be all the more newsworthy).
