UK teachers, civil servants strike over pensions (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Teachers and civil servants marched through the streets and picketed government buildings across Britain on Thursday in protest at planned pension reforms, launching what could be a long period of labor unrest over austerity measures.

Echoing protests across Europe against spending cuts imposed to reduce debt, the strikes closed many schools, as well as courts and other institutions, but the impact otherwise seemed limited and rallies were largely peaceful and modest in size.

The year-old, center-right government said the majority of civil servants had not gone on strike. But labor leaders warned of further waves of action by Britain's 6 million public sector workers against moves to cut pensions for state employees.

"This country is being led by people who are privileged, people who earn too much money... The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger. We don't think it should be us who are made to suffer for it," said Martin Pitcher, 35, a primary school teacher taking part in the biggest march in central London.

Police said the march, which stopped traffic on some of the capital's main thoroughfares and around parliament, involved up to 15,000 people carrying banners and blowing whistles.

There was no sign of the violence seen in recent days in Greece over its austerity plans, or at previous mass protests in London in December and March against government spending cuts, although there were small scuffles with police and 18 arrests for minor offences.

"We are here to protect our own pensions. We are also fighting for pensions and against overall government cuts generally. I'm worried about my own retirement because when I add up what I'm going to get, it's just not liveable," said Simon Korner, a 54-year-old lecturer.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union called the walkout the "biggest coordinated public sector strike for a generation" and said 84 percent of its 285,000 members had gone out on strike.

However, ministers said that of some half a million people working directly for government ministries, only about 100,000 had not turned up for work. Contingency measures meant essential public services were still running.

Exact numbers of strikers were not expected until later in the day. Unions which had declared the strike represent some 750,000 people.

"What today has shown is that the vast majority of hard working public sector employees do not support today's premature strike and have come in to work today," said Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, a member of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party.

SCHOOLS CLOSE

Around half of schools in England and Wales were closed or disrupted by the stoppage, the government said. Air travelers faced some delays as immigration officials joined the walkout. Courts and government buildings were also affected.

London's Metropolitan Police said 95 percent of staff dealing with calls from the public did not turn up for work, meaning it was taking slightly longer to answer emergency calls.

Dozens of marches and rallies were arranged across the country, and were generally peaceful.

"It's about standing up to the bully," said sports teacher Martin Patching at a rally in Welwyn Garden City, north of London. "I hate striking but it gets to the point where you've got to stand up with your colleagues and say enough's enough."

Cameron has condemned the strikes as irresponsible, saying that talks between unions and ministers have not concluded.

However, other unions are gearing up for mass stoppages later this year if talks break down.

One teaching union, the ATL had never held a strike before in its 127-year history but joined on Thursday:

"It's not something we do lightly," a spokeswoman said.

"But the bottom line is we're worried about what the government is going to do to the long term future of teaching."

CHANGE NEEDED

Cameron argues that longer life expectancy means public sector pensions must change, as many in the private sector have done, to ensure that they are affordable. The changes are part of government plans by 2015 to virtually wipe out a budget deficit that peaked at more than 10 percent of national income.

Consequently, workers face higher contributions to their pensions and retiring later in life. The proposals have hit a raw nerve at a time of wage freezes and job insecurity.

Union leaders assert that their members are bearing the brunt of a financial crisis caused by rich bankers.

Analysts said the protests would challenge the government anew after it retreated on plans to restructure state-funded health care following lobbying from the medical profession.

Markets, which have reacted positively to government deficit-cutting plans, could take fright at any sign of a government climb-down over an issue like pensions.

Some Britons sympathize with the strikers but others say they are being unrealistic at a time when households have suffered their biggest fall in disposable income for more than 30 years.

"They're not paying for my pension. I work for myself -- I have to provide my own pension," said Martyn Hall, a 50-year-old IT consultant from London.

"I think they should realize a lot of people have become unemployed and had their wages cut. I think it's a case of get real, this is the way it is."

(Additional reporting by Avril Ormsby, Adrian Croft and Michael Holden; Writing by Keith Weir and Jodie Ginsberg; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alastair Macdonald)

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Rhode Island lawmakers OK civil union bill

NEW: Senate passes bill that permits civil unions between gay and lesbian couplesNEW: If signed by Gov. Lincoln Chafee, the law would take effect on July 1Civil unions are currently permitted in New Jersey, Illinois, Delaware and Hawaii

(CNN) -- Less than a week after New York became the nation's sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, Rhode Island state lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a bill that permits civil unions between gay and lesbian couples.

The measure, which passed the state Senate by a count of 21-16, is widely seen as a compromise intended to provide same-sex couples with added rights and benefits, while also preventing an expanded legal definition of marriage.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent, is expected to sign the bill into law, according to his spokesman, Michael Trainor.

If signed, the law would take effect on July 1, making Rhode Island the fifth state in the union to allow civil unions between same-sex couples.

Such unions are currently permitted in New Jersey and Illinois, and will be allowed in Delaware and Hawaii beginning January 1, 2012.

Three West Coast states -- California, Oregon and Washington -- plus Nevada, also allow for "comprehensive domestic partnerships," largely considered an equivalent to their civil union counterparts.

Despite robust opposition to the measure, Rhode Island's Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill by a vote of 7-4, sending it to the Democrat-controlled Senate floor where lawmakers voted in its favor, according to Senate spokesman, Greg Pare.

The legislation, which passed overwhelmingly in the state's lower house on May 19, affords same-sex couples a host of new state tax breaks, health-care benefits and greater ease of inheritance.

But it also drew sharp criticism from religious leaders and opposition groups who say it will lead to court-ordered action that would eventually legalize same-sex marriage.

Similar legal action in Connecticut and Massachusetts resulted in those states adopting same-sex marriage laws, noted Christopher Plante, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage's Rhode Island chapter.

Chafee -- who is supportive of potential legislation that legalizes same-sex marriage -- says civil unions are "a step in the right direction," according to Trainor.

Meanwhile, gay rights activists -- like Marriage Equality Rhode Island -- say that while they support the civil union bill, they would prefer legislation that permits same-sex couples to wed.

The group urged Chafee not to sign the measure if it includes a House amendment that permits groups with religious affiliations to refuse certain legal rights provided to civil unions.

For instance, a hospital with a religious affiliation could refuse a civil union partner from being involved in the emergency medical care decisions of their spouse if it chose to do so, said Ray Sullivan, a spokesman for the activist group.

Chafee is "very aware of the concerns that have been expressed," Trainor said, but will likely sign the bill into law, which passed the Senate with the controversial amendment included.

House spokesman Larry Berman called the issue a "red herring," pursued by the state's more radical activists.

The exemption, he said, is meant to provide religious protections against potential litigation.

"It's a small exception," Berman said, when compared to the slew of new rights and benefits same-sex couples would enjoy should the measure be signed into law.

Currently, Rhode Island and Maine are the only states in New England that do not permit same-sex marriage.

Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo a signed a bill that legalizes same-sex marriage, more than doubling the number of Americans living in states that permit such unions.

The measure will take effect on July 24, providing gay and lesbian couples with new rights that include employer health benefits, easier inheritance and a host of state tax breaks.

Federal recognition, however, was not a part of Friday's vote, leaving benefits like Social Security and ease of immigration largely out of reach for same-sex couples.

The controversial bill passed New York's Republican-controlled Senate before reaching Cuomo's desk, in an extended legislative session that left many skeptical over whether lawmakers would bring the measure to a vote.

Iowa and the District of Columbia also allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

CNN

Oklahoma civil rights activist Clara Luper dies

Clara Luper died Wednesday at 88Luper was an active member of the Oklahoma NAACPShe is survived by her daughters, son and grandchildrenIn 1958, Luper organized a sit-in at a Oklahoma City drug store

(CNN) -- Oklahoma civil rights activist and educator Clara Luper -- was best known for organizing a 1958 sit-in at a segregated Katz Drug Store in downtown Oklahoma City -- died Wednesday night at her home in Oklahoma City. She was 88.

Luper, who was celebrated as a pioneer of civil rights in Oklahoma, organzied a protest that lasted several days and ultimately resulted in the integration of 38 Katz Drug Stores in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett requested that all flags on city property to be flown at half staff in honor of Luper and her contribution to the city.

In a statement issued from his office, Cornett described Luper as a "great Oklahoman and a great American."

"While her accomplishments are too many to list, her legacy is easily defined," Cornett said in the statement.

"She made Oklahoma and the United States of America a better place to live and was a shining example of the distinctly American idea that while we might hail from many cultures, we are one people."

Throughout the 1960s, Luper worked with the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to stage sit-ins and non-violent protests which ultimately led to the desegregation of restaurants in Oklahoma City.

In an interview with CNN affiliate KWTV, Luper's son, Calvin, said his mother was surrounded by family at the time of her death.

He added, though she's known for organizing the single sit-in, his mother was dedicated to making the life of citizens in Oklahoma better.

"Now we have to step up to the plate and accept the responsibility and do what Mom wanted us to do, and that would be to carry on her legacy of honesty and do anything else that would make our city and state a great place."

Luper is survived by her two daughters, a son and grandchildren.

CNN

Refugee Resort: As Civil War Rages in Libya, Thousands Flock to Tunisia's Djerba Island (Time.com)

By DOMENICO QUIRICO / LA STAMPA / WORLDCRUNCH Domenico Quirico / La Stampa / Worldcrunch – 1 hr 37 mins ago

This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in La Stampa.

The Tunisian island of Djerba has for all intents and purposes become a Libyan colony. Since the beginning of the civil war, almost 50,000 Libyans have escaped to Tunisia, and 5,000 of them have flocked to Djerba, a popular tourist destination before the wave of revolts began sweeping through North Africa.

There, the rifts of the civil war are evident. On the island, Muammar Gaddafi's supporters and rebels live dangerously side by side. Spies of the regime pretend to be refugees, while revolutionaries dress up as businessmen. It is a melting pot of rumors, provocations, deep misery and outrageous luxury. The enemies have something in common, though. They are all stuck, waiting to know what will happen to Gaddafi. They all watch al-Jazeera, looking for clues about when and if he will fall. (What happens if Gaddafi goes?)

The "five-star refugees" rule Djerba's cafEs and nightclubs, which they treat as their own. Djerba is a sort of Florida for rich Libyans. Until three months ago, they used to go there every weekend. Many Libyan men used to find their dolce vita in Djerba's luxury hotels, restaurants, casinos and nightclubs. The hypocritical Gaddafi regime frowned upon overtly public nightlife.

Now the rich Libyans are back on Djerba. They sit lazily at the bars. They block the streets with their white luxury cars. Even the airport's parking lot is full of the cars of businessmen who are away in the Middle East and Europe. "Top oil men and traffickers who were close to the regime have fled Libya with their money. They have found a safe place for their families, and now they are regaining control of their businesses," says Farhat Tanfous, the mayor of Midoun, a town on the island.

It is both a blessing and a curse for Djerba. Due to the war, bookings by Europeans have dropped by half. The millionaire refugees have picked up the slack, occupying the island's luxury hotels and villas. The beautiful houses hidden between the olive trees are sold out.

Many of them are open supporters of Gaddafi. Two large men sitting at the restaurant El Maluf and staring at the girls on the street are among them. "Why are we here? Because NATO is killing people in Tripoli. That's why! Libya was a paradise before the arrival of these murderers from Cyrenaica who dope themselves before the fight. Watch Libyan television to see the truth! Even in Benghazi the majority of people support Gaddafi, but they cannot protest," they say. The men refuse to identify themselves other than to say they are oil engineers. (See pictures of the perilous voyage of Libyan refugees.)

Among Djerba's Libyans, there are many agents of the political police, Kataeb al Amn. They disguise themselves as refugees in order to monitor the rebels on the island. They spread rumors that Libyan women are forced to prostitute themselves to feed their children. They try to split Libyans and Tunisians. They swear that Gaddafi will forgive everyone. They smile and they threaten. Fear is spreading among the poor refugees who are afraid to be captured by Gaddafi and his police.

Some of Djerba's refugees just sit in the middle. They wait in front of the television to see who will win. They're eager to know when they will be able to get back to business and take advantage of their tribal relations, which will be even more useful in the future than under Gaddafi's regime.

Finally, there are the other refugees, the poor ones, still bewildered and shocked by the bombings. Many of them haven't made it to Djerba. Instead they are stuck in Tunisian villages close to the border with Libya. Only Tunisian generosity is saving them. Tunisians have opened their houses and stadiums to the Libyan refugees. They are even organizing classes for the children. (See "Death, Prison or Exile: Gaddafi Is Out of Options.")

In the end, that is what's keeping these refugees going: Tunisian solidarity and compassion. "With all our oil, we would have never been able to do all this," said Ala, a Libyan refugee. These words express the final damnation of a 40-year regime.

Also from Worldcrunch:

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- Le Monde

The Dalai Lama's (Political) Successor Speaks Out
- Le Temps

See a video of Somali refugees from Libya putting on a show in Tunisia.

Read about Gaddafi's nepotism in the "Top 10 Abuses of Power."

View this article on Time.com

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Afghan civil unrest threatening peace effort (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan – As thousands paid their respects this week to a slain northern Afghanistan police commander, a top lawmaker sounded an ominous warning: He and three other minority faction leaders are on a Taliban hit list and could be next.

Conflict between the Taliban — who come mostly from the country's biggest group, the Pashtuns — and members of its ethnic minorities is nothing new in a nation whose history is scarred by bloody civil strife. But rising ethnic tension is jeopardizing efforts to make peace with the Taliban after nearly 10 years of war.

Minorities already worry that President Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun, will make too many concessions to their Taliban enemies to shore up his Pashtun base and craft a peace deal to end the war. Whatever support for peace talks that Karzai has won from minority groups is likely to erode if militants continue to pick off their leaders one-by-one.

Gen. Daud Daud, an ethnic Tajik, was the fifth minority leader slain by militants in recent months. He was killed Saturday in one of a series of high-profile bombings insurgents have been carrying out across the nation. His death comes just weeks before the U.S. is to start withdrawing some troops.

The July U.S. drawdown — the symbolic start of a gradual withdrawal of international forces over the next several years_ already had spawned fears the country will descend into civil war when foreign troops leave.

"There are some hands who are trying to split people from each other," Karzai said at a news conference Tuesday. "There are hands who are trying to separate our homeland and create a confusing situation where you cannot tell the difference between enemy or friend."

"We, as the Afghan nation, must be very smart and clever as we go forward, but we must keep our unity."

Afghan Interior Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi, who has been working to mend ethnic divisions in the nation's security force, has stressed the need for a strong force that represents all faces of Afghanistan. A unified force is needed to shoulder security at the end of 2014 when international combat forces are scheduled to be gone or in supportive roles, he says.

Currently, 44 percent of Afghan policemen and soldiers are Pashtuns, 43 percent are Tajiks, Hazaras or Uzbeks, and 13 percent are from other ethnic factions, according to the U.S.-led coalition's training mission.

Mohammadi, a member of the minority Tajik group, issued his own warning to militants at Daud's funeral on Sunday.

"We will take the revenge of our martyrs," he said. "You will not be able to reach your goals by killing our heroes."

Halaluddin Halal, former deputy interior minister, said in an interview that the Taliban targeted Daud because he had strong relations with local Afghan commanders throughout the north and was keenly aware of the insurgents' tactics. "He will be very difficult to replace," Halal said.

Karzai needs minority groups — loosely known as the Northern Alliance — to back his efforts to reconcile with the Taliban. That's because, while Pashtuns make up 42 percent of the population, collectively the minority Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and other smaller groups outnumber them. Without minority support, the country risks a de facto partition into a Pashtun south and a "minority" north.

Northern Alliance leaders say they want peace, but they are afraid of any deal that would give too much power to the very Taliban insurgents they fought in the 1990s. Some ethnic factions have started taking weapons out of mothballs in preparation for a fight if Karzai signs a peace deal that allows the Taliban to wield excessive power.

The death of Daud, who oversaw police activities in nine northern provinces, was just the latest to dent the ranks of the Northern Alliance leadership. Daud had also served as governor of Takhar province, deputy interior minister for counternarcotics and was a former bodyguard of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the charismatic Northern Alliance commander who was killed in an al-Qaida suicide bombing two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. News of his death stunned Fazel Karim Aymaq, a member of Karzai's peace council set up to facilitate talks with the Taliban.

"Daud was my friend. He was a very proud, brave person. Nobody can replace him," Aymaq said in his living room, where a photograph showed him standing with Massoud, the slain Northern Alliance commander.

Aymaq condemned militants' efforts to upset the peace process. "With the killing of these high figures, the Taliban think it will be a more open atmosphere for them to enter into talks," he said.

Four other leaders affiliated with the Northern Alliance also have been slain.

The Takhar provincial police chief, Gen. Shah Jahan Noori, died in the same blast as Daud. Mohammad Omar, the governor of neighboring Kunduz province in the north, was assassinated last fall in a bombing inside a mosque. Gen. Abdul Rahman Sayedkhili, the provincial police chief of Kunduz province, was killed by an insurgent bomber in March. A month later, a suicide bomber killed Gen. Khan Mohammad Mujahid, who was police chief in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar province in the south, but was aligned with the alliance.

Worried about Daud's death, Karzai cut short a foreign trip and rushed back to Kabul. He condemned the deadly attack and blamed it on outsiders, a veiled reference to Pakistan. The Karzai administration has repeatedly accused its neighbor of sheltering and assisting militant groups that stage attacks across the border into Afghanistan.

"Nobody in Afghanistan would carry out such an attack," Karzai's spokesman Waheed Omar said. "Evidence shows that these operations are being planned outside of Afghanistan."

Lawmaker Yunus Qanooni, a Tajik and former speaker of the lower house of parliament, said at Daud's memorial service Monday that insurgents now are threatening to kill him and three other prominent members of ethnic minorities. He did not say how he knew about the Taliban hit list.

He identified the others as First Vice President Marshal Mohammed Qasim Fahim, an ethnic Tajik; Atta Mohammed Noor, a Tajik and powerful governor of Balkh province in the north, and Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's former foreign minister, who has both Tajik and Pashtun roots.

In a statement eulogizing Daud, Abdullah said his friend of more than 26 years did not always have the cooperation of the Karzai government and was "subject to unjustifiable pressure" even as he worked to shore up security in the north, which has declined in the past two years.

Amrullah Saleh, a Tajik who was Afghanistan's top intelligence official, and Karzai both accuse Pakistan of sponsoring efforts to foster ethnic division in Afghanistan. But Saleh also criticizes the president for not articulating what kind of deal he foresees with the Taliban.

"I'm not saying that there shouldn't be talks," Saleh said at a political gathering last weekend in Kabul.

But he added: "What is the end state? ... The end state should be a pluralistic Afghanistan."

He said the Taliban should be disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated into society. And they must abide by the Afghan constitution.

"If they come to dominate us through the barrel of the gun, we will resist," he said.

___

Associated Press Writers Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez contributed to this report.

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Illinois civil unions law goes into effect Wednesday

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed the civil unions legislation into law back in January.Law grants hospital visitation, adoption, parental rights to those in civil unionsGov. Pat Quinn said "the people of Illinois believe in equality for all"An opponent of the law called the effort "divisive" and "anti-family" California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and D.C. have similar lawsRead more about this story from CNN affiliate WLS.

(CNN) -- Starting Wednesday, same-sex couples in Illinois can enter into civil unions and enjoy many of the legal protections granted to married couples.

In January, Illinois joined five other states in legalizing civil unions. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law in front of a crowd of cheering residents during a ceremony in a Chicago auditorium.

"We are showing the world that the people of Illinois believe in equality for all," Quinn said January 31. "We look forward to individuals and businesses from across the country choosing to move to Illinois where we believe that everyone is entitled to the same rights."

The provision, which goes into effect Wednesday, is called Senate Bill 1716 and creates the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act.

The new law will allow same-sex and heterosexual couples to enter into civil unions granting them many rights given to married couples.

These rights include automatic hospital visitation rights, the ability to make emergency medical decisions for partners, the ability to share a room in a nursing home, adoption and parental rights, pension benefits, inheritance rights and the right to dispose of a partner's remains, the governor's office said.

"In addition to Illinois, five other states and the District of Columbia have civil unions or similar laws on the books. Those states include California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington," the governor's office said.

But some in Illinois object to the new law.

Illinois Family Institute, a nonprofit group that says it wants to reaffirm marriage in the state, called the law "divisive."

"Gov. Quinn should reject this anti-family bill and reject the efforts of the homosexual lobby to impose this highly contentious and controversial policy on the people of Illinois," David E. Smith, executive director of the group, said earlier.

But couples like Mercedes Santos and Theresa Volpe said the new law will dramatically change their lives.

It gives them the rights that other families have when it comes to their 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, they told CNN affiliate WLS earlier this year.

"Our son actually has some illnesses, so going into the hospital, being able to say that we can both be in the room with him and make decisions without too many questions, just makes it easier for us," Santos said.

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Civil War Changed The History Of United Stated

First shootings of American civil war happened in Fort Sumter on 12th and 13th of April in year 1861. Occupation forces were forced out of the Fort Sumter regions due to these fires. The firing of shots continued for 34 hours but no body died in the exchange of fire. Some deaths of Union Soldiers happened during 34 hours firing but these deaths were not due to exchange of fire with national forces. These soldiers died in an accidental explosion near their cannons.
Earlier, before the start of battle, conditions were very close to siege at Fort Sumter. Fort was going under occupation of Union soldiers. As the harbour of Charleston was controlled from this fort, therefore, 85 Union Soldiers occupying the fort were getting supplies easily.  When President Abraham Lincoln got the power, situation at Fort Sumter turned into a big crisis. On his orders 500 troops raided this fort because the occupying soldiers had refused to surrender. Occupation forces were small in number and they were not well equipped for fighting against invaders; they had to surrender after few days of attack.
Today is 12th April 2011. Day of 12th April has importance because two important incidents of history happened at this day. The first few bullets of American Civil War were fired on 12th April. Also that Soviet Scientists completed their first successful human space mission on 12th April. Two different nations have two different reasons to celebrate the day as a national day of pride. However, Americans are also remembering the memories of their Apollo 11 mission today.

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150 years after Civil War, descendants deal with legacy

By Gary Walts for USA TODAY

Pauline Johnson, 83, at the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, N.Y., says she didn't learn she was the great-grandniece of the Underground Railroad conductor until she was 25.

EnlargeCloseBy Gary Walts for USA TODAY

Pauline Johnson, 83, at the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, N.Y., says she didn't learn she was the great-grandniece of the Underground Railroad conductor until she was 25.

"It's our war. All the blood fell on our soil," says Lloyd Garrison, 79, great-great-grandson of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. He says the war even has a contagious, old-time glamour.

The great-great-grandson of the abolitionist's ideological opponent, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, agrees. "Americans are fascinated by the individuals who fought," says Bertram Hayes-Davis, 62. "They want to know more about what these people did, who they were and what they went through."

CIVIL WAR: More stories, videos, profilesToday, descendants such as Garrison and Hayes-Davis underscore our link to a struggle that shaped the nation as much as the arrival of the Mayflower or the victory at Yorktown.

The Civil War ended slavery, strengthened the federal republic and allowed settlement of the West; it pioneered an industrial style of "total war," which included mass production of weapons and the systematic destruction of Southern agriculture; it killed about 620,000 combatants — nearly as many Americans as all the other wars the country has fought combined.

Like many other Americans, descendants of the war's great figures have discovered and grown into their Civil War legacies. They raise issues that still divide us: Why was the war fought? What did it achieve? Was Davis a traitor? Was Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant a drunk?

COMMEMORATION PLANS: Civil War 150th anniversaryTRACING ROOTS: Web, professionals make great genealogy tools

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4 ways we're still fighting the Civil War

STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe United States marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil WarAmericans still argue over many issues that led to war, scholars sayScholar: "There are all of these weird parallels"Southern historian: Confederate leaders are American heroes CNN -- He stood 5-foot-8 and weighed 145 pounds. His face was gaunt and sunburned. Ticks, fleas and lice covered his body.

Before battle, his lips would quiver and his body went numb. When the shooting started, some of his comrades burst into maniacal laughter. Others bit the throat and ears of their enemy. And some were shattered by shells so powerful that tufts of their hair stuck to rocks and trees.

Take a tour of a Civil War battlefield today, and it's difficult to connect the terrifying experience of an average Civil War soldier -- described above from various historical accounts -- with the tranquil historic sites where we now snap pictures today.

But you don't have to tour a battlefield to understand the Civil War. Look at today's headlines. As the nation commemorates the 150th anniversary of its deadliest war this week, some historians say we're still fighting over some of the same issues that fueled the Civil War.

"There are all of these weird parallels," says Stephanie McCurry, author of "Confederate Reckoning," a new book that examines why Southerners seceded and its effect on Southern women and slaves.

"When you hear charges today that the federal government is overreaching, and the idea that the Constitution recognized us as a league of sovereign states -- these were all part of the secessionist charges in 1860," she says.

"Living history" on Civil War battlefields

These "weird parallels" go beyond the familiar debates over what caused the war, slavery or states' rights. They extend to issues that seem to have nothing to do with the Civil War.

The shutdown of the federal government, war in Libya, the furor over the new health care law and Guantanamo Bay -- all have tentacles that reach back to the Civil War, historians say.

They point to four parallels:

The disappearance of the political center

If you think the culture wars are heated now, check out mid-19th century America. The Civil War took place during a period of pervasive piety when both North and South demonized one another with self-righteous, biblical language, one historian says.

One of the biggest debates during the Civil War was how far should governments go in dictating our lives. We still debate those politics.
--William Blair, Civil War historian The war erupted not long after the "Second Great Awakening" sparked a national religious revival. Reform movements spread across the country. Thousands of Americans repented of their sins at frontier campfire meetings and readied themselves for the Second Coming.

They got war instead. Their moral certitude helped make it happen, says David Goldfield, author of "America Aflame," a new book that examines evangelical Christianity's impact on the war.

Goldfield says evangelical Christianity "poisoned the political process" because the American system of government depends on compromise and moderation, and evangelical religion abhors both because "how do you compromise with sin."

"By transforming political issues into moral causes, you raise the stakes of the conflict and you tend to demonize your opponents," Goldfield says.

Contemporary political rhetoric is filled with similar rhetoric. Opponents aren't just wrong -- they're sinners, Goldfield says.

"The erosion of the center in contemporary American politics is the most striking parallel between today and the time just before the Civil War," Goldfield says.

In the lead-up to the war, political campaigns were filled with religious fervor. Political parties paraded their piety and labeled opponents infidels.

"Today's government gridlock results, in part, from this religious mind set that many issues can be divided into good and evil and sin and salvation," he says.

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Civil War anniversary events go forward despite lack of funds

National Archives

The firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., is considered by historians to be the first cannon fire of the Civil War. The city is planning commemoration events that span several days.

EnlargeCloseNational Archives

The firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., is considered by historians to be the first cannon fire of the Civil War. The city is planning commemoration events that span several days.

Efforts to provide federal funding for Civil War commemorations have thus far been unsuccessful. The Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., died in committee last year. Andrew Wilson, Jackson's spokesman, says the congressman is working on updating the legislation and reintroducing the bill, which could provide grants for programs and activities.

LIST OF EVENTS: States remember Civil WarCIVIL WAR: More stories, videos, profilesDESCENDANTS: Ancestors of Civil War leaders deal with legacy of famous forebearsIn light of this economic challenge, the Civil War Trust, a non-profit dedicated to preserving battlefields, views connecting local, regional and state organizations not just as an opportunity, but as an obligation, says spokeswoman Mary Koik. The trust's website, www.civilwar.org, links sesquicentennial events going on across the country.

"You can read all you want in a book, but for a lot of people, it never quite clicks until you see it," she says.

Programs and events are ratcheting up — and in some cases have already begun — ahead of the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., on April 12, considered the first cannon fire of the war by historians.

Charleston is planning a program that spans several days and includes lectures, re-enactments, movies, music and a solemn display of lights at the fort, says Robert Rosen, president of the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie Historic Trust. That's despite receiving no funds from the state, Rosen says.

One of the few to receive state money is the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, which has secured a $2 million annual appropriation since 2008, says Cheryl Jackson, the commission's executive director. Such funds have let the state provide a mobile history tour that will crisscross Virginia, as well as free educational programs for teachers, she says.

Despite being the site of one of the war's iconic battles and a well-known tourist attraction, Gettysburg wasn't as lucky. It received no state funds. But that's not stopping the Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau from pulling together five years' worth of plans, which will center around the 2013 anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address, says Carl Whitehill, the bureau's spokesman.

"There's a real interest in the human toll and the fact that when both troops left, 25,000 wounded and dead soldiers were still here. … It took months and months to clean up this town," Whitehill said.

The planning committee for Pennsylvania Civil War 150, which was able to secure some national grants, is organizing a Civil War road show with a mobile museum traveling to all 67 counties in the state over the course of four years, says Barbara Franco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

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