The arguments of Plato to Butler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The arguments of Plato to Butler - Essay Example Plato’s prisoners represent the ordinary people comprising the society that is yet to attain the right knowledge and wisdom meant to free themselves from their enslaving appetitive desires (Plato 53). This is similar to the Butler’s society; where Martha holds a long dialogue with God though, in this account, the protagonist’s represents her society. However, Martha’s knowledge is much more elevated compared to the ordinary people whom God plans to enlighten through her. This is evident from the way she is able to brainstorm and come up with ideas (the idea of dreams) meant to redeem the ordinary people. Martha’s knowledge or wisdom level is similar to Plato’s freed prisoners, who have returned to the cave with a diverse perspective regarding how they view life besides other aspects. This is contrary to what they used to perceive things seemed like before they resurfaced in the cave. Besides, the bound prisoners deem their peers who had the chance to go out and learn the reality of things; possess corrupted form of insight where after arguing, they intend to terminate their lives. This is similar to Martha’s case where she is unwilling to return to the world once God assigns her the duty of educating His earthly beings. Since, she is afraid that they may kill her when she emerges with a different perspective regarding life’s predicaments and how to solve them (Butler 171). Both Plato’s prisoners and Martha’s inability to comprehend God’s nature unveil humanity’s mediocrity that is a need of knowledge. This is to liberate the entire society from its appetitive desires bounding it to unending ignorance; hence there is need to employ adequate measures (of imparting knowledge) to eliminate them. Therefore, both Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† and Butler’s account â€Å"The Book of Martha† bear the same approach concerning how to impart their respective societies with the right knowledge meant to thrive or develop. What do these authors want us to know? The authors via these accounts imply that, we usually see things from the perspective which life’ s knowledge has prepared us. Hence, Butler’s argument, â€Å""You see what your life has prepared you to see," God said† (Butler 209). Therefore, people despite drowning in their society’s dubious mediocrity, will still persist to hold onto it, which is apparent from the cave prisoners’ stubbornness. These cave prisoners see their peers’ mind reformation as a corrupted way of thinking whereby they are ready to kill them, which is also similar in the Butler’s account (Butler 171). Hence, people despite their strong guest to advance their knowledge, normally lack internal liberty meant to accept it, whereby to some extent term any new idea as retarded mediocrity. Besides, the authors intend to imply the only few enlightened people in the society end up assuming the top posts or undertaking key responsibilities meant to develop the ignorant characters. This is regardless of peers’ resistance. For illustration, Plato contends that, philos ophers owing to their knowledge and wisdom ought to be kings, which is similar in the Butler’s account (Plato 166). Martha after getting enlightenment, God proposes to use her in redeeming the world, where he comes with an idea of resurrecting her. However, Martha wonders why God does not utilize other individuals, but he continues to

Sensory Perceptions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Sensory Perceptions - Essay Example This brief overview will examine the sensory perceptions and the factors that affect the authenticity and believability of information from the sensory nerves. Several reasons make people trust their sensory information and believe this information to be true. For instance, in the event that one places his hand on a hot charcoal or pot, the feeling sense sends an impulse to the brain, and one removes the hand from the hot object before it is badly burnt (Miller, 2008). Further, the sense of smell is always accurate, and one can rely on that information to make informed decisions. The smell of smoke can indicate that an item is burning or that there is a fire burning somewhere. There is no reason for one to question the accuracy of the sense of smell. Furthermore, human sense of sight provides reliable information concerning the nature and appearance of the environment that surrounds people (Chaudhuri, 2011). For instance, if an individual sees a person running in the field, there is no doubt that indeed that person is running. Further, one cannot be doubtful of the fact that his eyes can see that there is a heavy down pour in the neighborhood. On the contrary, sensory information can be inaccurate in several ways. For instance, past experiences influence the interpretation of the sensory information and end up giving wrong information to the person who is observing a situation (Chaudhuri, 2011). It is possible for a person with past unpleasant experience of infidelity to misunderstand a woman she notices speaking to her husband. Further, the sensory nerves do not perceive hidden things, and if people rely on this information, they might end up in danger. For instance, the eyes might not spot a thug hiding behind a tree, and one might make wrong judgments that one can walk in the street at night safely (Miller, 2008). The final reason that makes sensory information inaccurate is that people never interpret data from the sensory organs accurately

Bloomberg and the Soda Law Essay Example for Free

Bloomberg and the Soda Law Essay The soda law introduced by Mayor Bloomberg to ban the sale of sodas larger than 16 fl. oz. at restaurants across the city will have zero to minimal economic impact on people who are currently buying them. The soda ban will have an extremely small net positive economic impact on businesses. And the rationale behind this is the fact that whoever drinks more soda will acquire more soda, regardless of how big or small the drink is. A 20 fl. oz. soda, when banned will be replaced by a 16 fl. oz. cup of soda. How much soda an individual drinks may even increase if instead of drinking just one 20 fl. oz. soda, he decides to get a refill of his 16 fl. oz. soda, something that most restaurants allow. The benefits projected for the society from this law, that may reduce obesity are preposterous. The cost of soda for restaurants is roughly $0. 0132 per ounce (see Appendix). On a 20 fl. oz. soda, the net cost to the restaurant is about $0. 22 (Appendix). A 20 fl. oz. cup of soda at an establishment such as McDonald’s, perhaps the main target of this law, sells for roughly $2. 50. Once the 20 fl. oz. cup is gone, it will be replaced by the 16 fl. oz. cup, but at the same price. The restaurants will re-label the 16 fl. oz. cup as the new large, introduce a 12 fl. oz. cup as a medium and keep the 8 –ounce cup as a small. But will this add significantly to the revenues of the restaurant? It is very unlikely, since the customers will just get refills for their 16 fl. oz. cups. The only economical benefit for the restaurant might be the people who do not refill their cups and this is minimal since the cost of soda is just a rounding error for most restaurants. This law is ineffective because it does not stop the consumer from consuming any less soda from what was being consumed before. The economic impact on the society will be in the red because of the hundreds and thousands of dollars spent on structuring the bill, the flawed methodologies of research that determined a small cup would result in less consumption of soda, and finally the money spent by various groups opposing or supporting this law. To effectively tackle the problem of obesity, the government needs to look at other avenues. Soda is a big cause of obesity, it is made of sugar and has calories, but the ban on a larger serving is not the solution. An effective solution would be to raise the taxes on sodas. Another solution is to ban refills, thus prompting the customer to purchase another soda, which will either discourage the purchase or add more to tax revenues collected by the government. In turn, this tax revenue can be used to build jogging tracks, exercise equipment and other recreational facilities for the community. Another option for the government is to advertise the ill effects of drinking soda and promote healthier alternatives such as fruit and vegetable juices at affordable prices at those restaurants. There are several other options for soda drinkers to consume the same amount of soda when this law is enforced. Restaurants and movie theatres give free refills, convenience stores such as 7-11 are exempt from this law, and grocery stores still sell the large bottles and cases. The answer to this problem lies in educating the people about the ill effects of soda and only then will this law be economically beneficial for the society. This law does not have any health benefits that can be converted in to economical benefits for the society. Appendix: Costing Out Soda Free Refills How to Price Soda. Wholesale Food Restaurant Distribution by Pate Dawson Company. Pate Dawson Company, 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. http://www. pdco. com/node/88289.

Dell: Competitive Advantage Case Study

Dell: Competitive Advantage Case Study Dell Computer is a leader in the e-commerce computer hardware market. It is an established brand that leads personal computer manufacturers both in U.S. sales and overall online sales. Its trademark method of selling products to customers, corporate and individual consumers, originates from the Dell Direct model, a Web-enabled infrastructure that allows customers to customize their PCs and order other products they need or desire. This virtual integration structure eliminates the need to manufacture everything, and instead uses the power of the Internet to share and exchange information with suppliers and vendors to build a truly superior supply chain that keeps inventory turnover low and costs to a minimum (Harrington, 2002). The primary method Dell uses in order to achieve and sustain their competitive advantage is a unique, direct to customer business model (Dell, 2007). The model is known as Dell Direct, referring to the relationship between the company and its customers as being direct. This model helps Dell focus on price for customization, service and support, performance, latest technology and superior shareholder value. Additionally, Dell is able to distinguish itself from its competitors with its customized on- demand manufacturing. Through customisation of the products manufactured by dell, the company has the ability to offer more value for the money of its customers due to the removal of the intermediaries in the manufacturing, procurement and distribution processes of Dell. Dells primary resources include the most advanced technology, which allows the company to successfully move along their superior supply chain and achieve the value they strive for. Dells value chain allows Dell and its suppliers to exchange information and interact with each other. The Internet, Dells important IT factor in its success, results in lower costs to customers than other retailers, the customers tell Dell exactly what they want and Dell creates products for the consumer without experiencing wasteful resources in production (Breen, 2004). Overall, it is evident that Dells competitive advantage lies in its Direct model success. Through Dells IT performance, which combines its resources, its relationship with suppliers and its consumer communication capabilities, Dell has attained a big advantage over its competitors. Analysis of Dells Competitive Advantage: Dell carries the tag of being, one of the best computer systems company in the world. Dell is able to sustain a competitive advantage over competitors in the computer industry because of an extremely efficient supply chain/distribution system. Dell is able to achieve superior profits in the industry because they are a knowledgeable user of information, communication, e-commerce, e-business, internet, and web technologies. Dell implements a Just-In-Time inventory system which operates on only 6 days of inventory. Dell is able to achieve greater profit margins and increased profits because of their inventory system. Inventory and labor are the highest liabilities of a firm. Operating only with 6 days of inventory, allows Dell to reduce its expenses on hiring people to track and maintain inventory, warehousing, and holding on to obsolete technology. This allows Dell to free up cash flow to invest in other value adding activities. The direct Model strategy compels the company to use a JIT inventory system, as the customers are only allowed to order directly from Dell. Dell uses their website www.Dell.com to take customers orders. The organization focuses on direct sales, cutting out other distribution channels entirely. This allows for a deeper relationship with the customers whereby Dell can offer their customers better service, savings, convenience, and efficiency. Dells use of the internet has revolutionized the company. Dells extremely consumer friendly website offers the customers to place their orders with ease. The separate Premier Pages on Dells website designed for Dells large accounts like corporation, educational institutions and Government, delivers easy navigation, dynamic price upgrades and wide range of available options. Customer relationship management software keeps close tabs on the types of computers that customers are buying. Not only does Dell use the internet to make the customer ordering process easier. They also use the internet to build better relationships with their suppliers. In order for Dell to work off of 6 days of inventory, their suppliers have to be very involved in the company to make sure superior service is met. The use of art production planning programs assist in predicting the quantities of components needed to build the computers. The forecast is passed to the supplier, who respond with cost estimates and plan their production as a result. Dells e-commerce is a huge part of their competitive advantage. Their e-commerce internet infrastructure is so advanced and knowledgeable that by using it to determine trends and demands of their products, they have gained superiority over their competitors. Dell has set up strategic alliances with other companies to have their products sold on Dells direct selling distribution channel. Back in 2000, Palm, Inc. made an agreement with Dell to offer an expanded line of handheld Palm products and accessories. This agreement allowed Dell to drive momentum for the Palm operating system market (Dell: 2000, April 17). Along with Palm, Xerox also partnered with Dell to take advantage of Dells e-commerce. Advantages to Xerox were increased profits by offering the printers with the Dell computers. Advantages to Dell include selling high quality printers along with their computers, but more importantly, it allowed Dell to be involved in the customer buying process for printers. Being involved in the decision making process is the key to Dells success because they see directly what the customers want and determine their production schedule from that information (Dell: 2000, May 22). Dell achieves its competitive advantage over other firms in the industry by having superior supply chain management. Dell utilizes technology to interpret information. By being involved in the customer buying process they are able to determine their customers needs. This allows Dell to streamline production and have close relationships with their suppliers which results in getting timely deliveries in order to mass customize customers computers. Analysis of Dells Business Model: The four markets within an industry are defined as Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Consumer to Business, and Consumer to Consumer. Dell focuses on Business to Business and Business to Consumer commerce to satisfy their business and individual customers. Dell differentiates between classes of customers because the needs of their business customers, who buy large quantities of computers, are different than the individuals who want to configure a single unit. Dells business model is no secret, of course, and its been emulated with considerably less success by many of its competitors (Henricks, 2003). Dells initial success was due to its early implementation of the internet as the means of sales and marketing. Dells direct-to-the-customer strategy presents a highly attractive cost advantage thats tough to ignore. Their direct interaction with their customers continues to be a key driver in sales for the quarter (2000). Dells early work with using the internet helped them get a jump on their competition while their competition was finding it difficult to conduct successful Business to Business operations online since exchanges are still in their infancy and many havent even gone live yet. Matching customer ease of ordering and direct interaction through the internet proved successful because Dell believes that it is the customer that drives the business model. Dell recognized the challenges in dealing with the customers and fragmented them into two distinctive groups with different needs, dealing with the business customers (like corporations) and dealing with individual customers. Dell has done a remarkable job managing these two different types of consumers thus far. In the last couple of years, Dell decided to split their operations into two different websites with separate B2B sites. With separate sites, Dell planned to simplify the Internet procurement process for businesses and institutions of all sizes, generating savings that can range to millions of dollars annually for large customers (1999). However, this idea failed, and Dell had to shut down its B2B site, four months after it launched. Dell said the site failed to attract more than three suppliers. Recommendations to build sustainable competitive advantage in future: After analyzing Dells IT and their competitive advantage as a result of their advanced and successful IT, it was challenging to come up with recommendations to help them achieve more success in an industry that they already prosper in. However, even with Dells current success, we realize that in an ever-changing technology industry, there is always room for improvement. 1) Dell should consider selectively adding other vendors to its supply chain management system. Due to the increase in Dells global sales, Dell may need to consider to selectively adding additional suppliers to their supply chain management system. The additional suppliers should not result in any significant cost to Dell and Dell might be able to negotiate better component costs from new suppliers. New suppliers would want to participate in this exchange because they would be seen doing business with a leading technology company 2) Use Customer Surveys to gain market share. Although Dell does well in its markets overseas, Dell has lost some domestic market share and has more potential overseas. It is important for Dell to advertise and get their products noticed in international markets. In order achieve this goal, in-depth customer satisfaction surveys should be used in markets where they trail their competition. . 3) Invest more in Research and Development. With the growth of quality competition, it is crucial for Dell to keep its competitive advantage by offering new technology products and services. Dell should consider expanding into peripheral product markets that would compliment their computer sales. 4) Dell could offer online data back-up capabilities. Another way to increase revenue is to offer existing customers (business and individual consumers) back-up capabilities on Dells own servers. This process will have advantages for both consumers and Dell. For consumers, especially businesses, if something happens to their plants and computer systems, they can always retrieve their data from Dell who has their information backed up offsite on their system. By keeping their data saved at another location that is maintained by Dell, Dell can make money by charging for this additional service. Dell also has a built-in customer list based on the sales that they make for computer systems. 5) Enhance customer support services. Since successful customer support and communications are crucial to Dells success, it is important that Dell keeps enough well-trained people on the phones and on the Internet for customer support. Based on the results of some surveys that say that Dell might be losing customers because of actual or perceived decrease in support, Dell should do a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether they should invest in more people who can answer technical questions support customers with their problems and needs. References: Dell.com, Supplier Principles: Supply Chain Management System, 2007, viewed 9th April 2011 Harrington, L, The Accelerated Value Chain: Supply chain management just got smarter, faster and more cost-effective, thanks to a groundbreaking alliance between Intel and i2 technologies, 2002 Breen, Bill, Living in Dell Time. Fast Company, 2004, viewed on 10th April 2011,

The Policy of Appeasement Essay -- Analysis, Neville Chamberlain

This essay analyses the responsibility of Neville Chamberlain and his highly controversial Appeasement theory which hypothetically prevented the outbreak of the Second World War. The policy of Appeasement epitomised by the Munich agreement, is a pact signed in 1938 between Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy, which allowed Hitler to annex Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland (area along Czech borders) to prevent the onset of a major war. Appeasement has been drastically criticised since it ended in a â€Å"humiliating failure† when Germany attacked Poland in 1939 (McDonough, 2002). This essay also evaluates two significant appraisals of the Munich agreement, described in McDonough’s (2002) exhaustive book: a first, which asserts that it was an utterly unwholesome policy of despicable capitulation and a second, instigated by the ‘revisionist historians’ — exemplified by Taylor’s (1963) controversial book — which comprehends it a s an elaborated policy enabling Chamberlain to prevent an imminent war while he was opportunely preparing for it (McDonough, 2002). This essay concurrently criticises and evaluates these assessments of Chamberlain’s contentious acts, since each of them imply one consequent solution which could have impeded the suddenly onset of the war. Two core solutions are therefore criticised below: first that Chamberlain should have initially constrained Hitler’s desire for Lebensraum — German desire to enlarge their living space — and second, that Chamberlain should have maintained his appeasement policy (McDonough, 2002). Since Trevor-Roper (1961) and Bullock (1998) (both cited in McDonough, 2002) assert in their analytical and exhaustive books that confronting Hitler earlier could have avoided war, the appeasement th... ...reak of the second world war depends therefore on whether Hitler had the genuine intention to conquer the world (‘Hitlocentric interpretation’) or was simply a master of opportunism (‘Revisionist historians’). Whereas some argue that appeasement and the Munich agreement caused the outset of the war, ‘Revisionist historians’ assert that the radical change of policy which occurred after the invasion of Poland was a great opportunity that Hitler did not hesitate to seize. This evaluation is therefore more ideological than empirical since the lack of convincing evidence impede historians to reach a consensus. However, blaming Chamberlain for the beginning of the war is unreasonable since he did not have access to the information we have — interpretation of the pas could be influenced by the moral judgements some would have when examining Hitler’s actions (Taylor, 1963).

To show how Charles Dickens presents Good and Evil characters Essay

To show how Charles Dickens presents Good and Evil characters In the beginning of the Victorian period many children (orphans) were forced to turn to crime mainly because the children in the workhouse were mistreated and abused. Another reason is many people were migrating, which resulted to a growth in the population, which left many children homeless. Charles Dickens has based his novel, 'Oliver Twist' on this. He compares Oliver with what life was like for boys in the 18th Century. Throughout the story Oliver encounters many evil characters and a few virtuous characters. The evil characters try to persuade him to lead the life of crime while as the good characters save him and enable Oliver and the reader to learn that a life of crime does not pay. Charles Dickens uses the novel to criticise how children during Victorian times were forced to turn to crime when laws did not protect them. Dickens main character, Oliver, is presented as the 'hero' of the story; he learns that goodness triumphs over evil. The incident in the story where Oliver's goodness is shown is when Bill Sikes forces him to rob Rose Maylie's house: "Despite the threat, Oliver decided to warn the people in the house" Even though Oliver is threatened to act out this evil deed, he chooses to do the right thing by warning the owners of the house and risking his own life. In doing so, Dickens shows that Oliver is a good character through the choices Oliver makes. Charles Dickens presents Mr Bumble as an evil character. At the start of the story Dickens describes him as a "fat healthy man". While as all the orphans are being starved, he is never going without. When Oliver asks for more food, Mr Bumble: "Aimed a blow at Oliver'... ...liver (Monks was another member of the gang) and began to weep saying: 'Please miss, don't come to any harm! I'd give my own life to save him. Honest I would!' Dickens has tried to emphasise the fact that in the Victorian Times there weren't very strict laws, which meant there were a lot of very bad people round at that time, but still some good left, and even though Nancy was around very dangerous people she was a good person at heart (that's why you have the proverb, 'don't judge a book by its cover!). It also illustrates how good Nancy was, for her to tell Rose everything, she must have been a very brave soul and must have loved Oliver dearly to do such a kind thing. She knew Oliver didn't deserved a better life ad didn't need to be pulled into a life as insecure as her own. Dickens presents Nancy as a good person through her emotions and actions.

American History-Civil Rights

During the years 1939 to 1953 the United States armed forces changed a policy of restricting and segregating the Negro into one that had equal opportunity and integration. This revolution took a great deal of time and struggle. Throughout American history the blacks in America considered their military service in the nation's conflicts as proof of their loyalty and as a brief for their claim to full citizenship. At the same time white Americans appear to have realized this, and they always sought to restrict or reduce the black soldier's military service.The national armed forces always were the most integrated major segment of American life. Therefore, the desegregation of the United States Armed Forces has become truly a social revolution in American history. The extent of the desegregation of the United States Armed Forces was discussed several years ago and remains actual among historians to this day. The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate the debate among historia ns concerning the desegregation of the United States Armed Forces and the Negro's reaction to this policy. In reaching this goal, the paper will also shed some light on American race relations during these years.With the World War II crisis of 1939-1945, the questions of restriction, discrimination, and segregation in the United States armed forces became one of two major problems for black Americans. Employment discrimination was also important, and this subject has been examined by historians. Although employment discrimination was the chief everyday issue for Negroes in World War II, discrimination and segregation in the United States armed forces was the more emotionally charged issue. Most historians claim that a black â€Å"revolution† or â€Å"revolt† occurred in 1954, 1955, 1960, or 1963.Silberman (1964) writes that segregation was necessary to stop bloody racial conflict and a reduction of the armed services' potency. Silberman is one of the spiciest critics o f American race relations. In his book Crisis in Black and White, he reminded Americans that the United States â€Å"is a racist society in a sense and to a degree that we have refused so far to admit, much less face† (9-10). In 1950, members of the Court obtained evidence from the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services prior to some important decisions that pointed toward a reversal of the separate but equal position.In 1954, before the important decision on desegregation, members of the Court read in manuscript form journalist Lee Nichols' Breakthrough on the Color Front (1954), the first book-length account of military integration. Usually North Carolinians – at least most white North Carolinians – tend to look back at the years 1939 to 1953 and their adjustment to changing times with pride. But historians reporting progress in the South seldom give North Carolina high marks.Writer Roland (1984) in his book on the South since World War II writes with considerable disappointment because the southern state with the best race relations prior to the Brown decision failed to lead the region in the integration of blacks into society after 1954. In his study of southern governors and desegregation, Horton (1960) expresses a similar disappointment. The writer observes that North Carolina escaped much of the demagoguery characteristic of several neighboring states because Tar Heel governors tried to keep the peace and found local solutions to racial problems.On a contradictory note, however, Silberman (1964) calls the Patriots of North Carolina as a â€Å"sedate version† of the Citizens Council and attributes to the Patriots and their successors, the North Carolina Defenders of States' Rights, the names of some of the â€Å"most respected men of North Carolina† (14). From the beginning of a military tradition in America, black manpower has been used for military aims. Most of historians (Benjamin Quarles, The Negro in the American Revolution; Dudley Taylor Cornish , The Sable Arm: Negro Troops in the Union Army, 1861-1865; Robert J.Dwyer, † The Negro in the United States Army: His Changing Role and Status,† Sociology and Social Research; L. D. Reddick, † The Negro Policy of the United States Army, 1775-1945,† Journal of Negro History) who have investigated the problem have noticed a desire on the part of white Americans to limit the participation of the blacks in military affairs until an emergency or crisis develops. Then black manpower was utilized as a military necessity. Quarles notices that this pattern was established in the colonial militia.Each colony followed this policy that excluded Negroes as soldiers. Dwyer writes when emergencies such as Indian threats emerged and there was urgent need for manpower, however, most colonies saw fit to overlook these exclusion laws and volunteered Negroes (19). When the Continental Army was creat ed at the beginning of the American Revolution, the black soldiers were excluded. Once more, when white volunteers became harder to find, this policy was changed, and about five thousand Negroes served with the American revolutionary arms.In The New York Times, Hinton observes that there occurred important changes by the end of World War II that made it more difficult to maintain the racial status quo in America. The ballots of American Negroes had become a powerful political force. The belligerent spirit that matured during the war made Negroes shure to fight segregation wherever it stood in the way of full citizenship. The United States became the leader of the non-Communist world. The race problem was a weakness in its Cold War attempts to influence the emerging nations.A new President took office in the centre of the changing situation. He realized that the status quo in American society relations had to give way to a new race order. Unlike his forerunner, this President would h ave found it difficult to take a passive stand on Negro rights even if he had wanted to do so. The race problems in civilian life reached a new peak with the end of war. This was especially true in the South where there was fear that the status quo in race relations would be further upset by the many returning Negro veterans.In Freedom and Equality: Addresses by Harry S Truman Horton (1960) writes about racial violence and revival of riots in this period. Many people believed that a wave of race riots would begin with a new force in the country as they had after World War I. Among those people who remembered the riots after World War I and who was afraid that they would be repeated was President Harry Truman. Two particularly violent attacks induced President Truman to some significant action in order to protect civil rights. Horton (1960) gives examples of cruelty.For instance, in February, 1946, Isaac Woodard, a newly discharged veteran still in uniform, was blinded when South Car olina policemen pulled him off a bus and jabbed their night sticks into his eyes. In July, 1946, two Negro veterans and their wives were taken from a car near Monroe, Georgia, by a mob of white men. The four Negroes were lined up and killed by approximately sixty shots pumped into their bodies (12). To stop this kind of violence President Truman created the President's Committee on Civil Rights on December 6, 1946.The purpose was to examine the nebulous authority of the Federal Government in the civil rights area and to recommend appropriate legislation. Horton (1960) considers the beliefs on civil rights of this man from Missouri with a Southern heritage. He quotes Truman, â€Å"I was raised amidst some violently prejudiced Southerners myself†. Perhaps Truman reflected his own transformation on this matter when he stated his belief that â€Å"the vast majority of good southerners understand that the blind prejudices of past generations cannot continue in a free republic.â⠂¬  Horton says that it is clear that Truman had support from Negro voters as early as 1926. He inherited black support from the Pendergast machine of Kansas City, and he managed to maintain this support throughout his career as a senator (34). At President Truman's first news conference a Negro one reporter asked him a question – what stand he would take on civil rights matters. Truman replied: â€Å"I will give you some advice. All you need to do is to read the Senate record of one Harry S Truman† (Public Papers of the Presidents).As a candidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1944 Truman had also directed interested persons to his Senate record. Surely he was proud of his position on civil rights. â€Å"Without exception,† one student of Truman's Senate record has concluded, :Senator Truman acted to provide greater protection for minorities and to afford equal treatment under the law† (Horton 14). Truman continually supported antilynching bills. He also sig ned petitions for cloture and voted for the amendments to the Selective Service Act of 1940 intended to stop discrimination.