Opinion: America at its worst

• Jason Johnson: Ferguson response shows failures at all levels


• Both government and civil society have responded poorly, he says


• Lack of long-term political plan is noteworthy, Johnson writes

Editor's note: Jason Johnson is a professor of political science at Hiram College in Ohio and author of "Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell." He is a frequent guest on CNN. Follow him on Twitter: @DrJasonJohnson The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely his.

(CNN) -- No one paying attention to the events in Ferguson, Missouri, since August will be surprised by the grand jury decision last week to not indict Officer Darren Wilson.

But beyond the fact that the racial make-up of a jury significantly impacts the final results, and that police are far too rarely held accountable for shooting men of color in this country, there was something else that made this ruling feel inevitable: the unmitigated failure of government at civic, local, state and yes, even national level. Sadly, the decision represents everything that is wrong with America today.

In high school, you learn that one of the greatest things about America is how multiple levels of government and society work together to solve problems. Civil society made up of churches and volunteer groups work with local government, which gets help from the state government, which itself works in concert with and sometimes independent of the federal government. But in Ferguson, nothing seemed to be working. Indeed, the poor local civil society response to Ferguson was one of the reasons why Brown's tragic death and the subsequent social unrest occurred.

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In the best-case scenario, community leaders would have banded together following the shooting and developed a long-term political and protest plan to pressure for change. But that didn't happen.

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I attended local meetings where the white community in Ferguson pretended that nothing happened, huge church meetings were held where few African-Americans were invited, and the passive/aggressive "I Love Ferguson" campaign acted as a racial dog whistle that everyone could hear.

Meanwhile, despite a documented history of police harassment, the local black community in Ferguson was pretty disorganized as well. Much of the organizational leadership had to come from outside of Ferguson because the community was so beat down that there was a dearth of strong local voices in the area. Part of the reason why Ferguson Missouri broke into riots and every celebrity from rapper Nelly to Iyanla Vanzant descended upon the area was because there was a vacuum of local leadership to funnel anger and vocalize demands.

And although Ferguson Mayor James Knowles obviously didn't realize he'd end up in the national spotlight when he took office in April, that doesn't excuse his weak response as unrest overtook the city.

Justice system unfair to minorities

Several local mayors that I spoke to from neighboring towns said Knowles ignored their advice in the aftermath of the shooting. And it is unclear why Knowles failed to demand that the local police promptly release a police report, which is standard procedure in any shooting.

St. Louis Police Chief on Ferguson response

Attorney Ben Crump on Ferguson grand jury

Obama urges calm in Ferguson

The county getting involved didn't make things any better, and placing Robert McCulloch in charge of the prosecution, a man who was seen as having strong local connections to police, was bound to leave residents skeptical. And local civic groups who reportedly collected over 3,000 new voter registrations after the shooting were allegedly quiet when a report emerged claiming that the St. Louis County Elections Board had dramatically revised down the number of registrations, with the board reportedly saying that it was simply a "mistake."

The state level government was no better. In fact, Gov. Jay Nixon's administration gave a lesson on how not to govern. A short list of his failures? Failing to send trained National Guard to Ferguson the moment that political unrest was apparent, failing to appoint a special prosecutor for the case when clearly the County Prosecutor's objectivity had been called into question, and then declaring a state of emergency a week before the grand jury even announced their decision. Both symbolically and in practical terms, he was a failure all around.

Finally, at the federal level, President Barack Obama's spectacular failure in the entire Ferguson saga has been well-documented and debated.

The fairest conclusion to draw is that he did little or nothing to help the men and women suffering in Ferguson, instead blathering on in two speeches about respectability politics. True, Obama dispatched Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson as protests unfolded in August, and the fact that the Department of Justice is investigating Ferguson is clearly welcome. But that is a slow and overall less than satisfying process.

After all, it's been two years since Trayvon Martin was killed and the DOJ hasn't produced any indictments there yet. There's no reason to think that the wheels of justice in Ferguson will move any faster. On top of this, there is the disturbing fact that the single solution that Obama offered, (which I suggested at the time) that the 1033 Program allowing local police to get military surplus for free, with no supervision, be reviewed by the federal government seems to have died a slow and ignominious death.

Why do I point all of these things out?

Complete coverage of what's happening in Ferguson

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Because whatever you think of the decision not to indict Darren Wilson for shooting Brown, basic government functions such as voter registration, police transparency, review of controversial programs, selecting objective prosecutors and community engagement are basic government functions that should have worked far better in response. If any of these entities at any level were functioning properly, the violence in Ferguson could have been largely prevented and the public would have a lot more faith in the grand jury decision that came out today. Instead, the lack of an indictment is yet another reflection of our broken government.

It is a sad day for America when a whole nation -- and in fact the world -- can watch this country eat its own citizens in fire and tear gas. And it's a failure that falls on every single level of society.

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From crime life to kitchen knife

• When Benny Se Teo was released from prison it was impossible to find a job


• So he decided to start his own chain of restaurants, Eighteen chefs


• Now he gives ex-offenders the chance he never had by employing them

(CNN) -- After several stints in prison and rehab for heroin addiction, Benny Se Teo was a reformed character, but society didn't want to know.

After finding it nearly impossible to get a job he decided to forge his own future. Now, over 20 years since he kicked his drug-habit, the Singaporean is the successful owner of a chain of restaurants called Eighteen Chefs.

While the restaurants focus on providing quality food, from the beginning Teo was determined that his business venture would also concentrate on helping those marginalized by society.

We are able to provide training and give them their self-respect which they lost many, many years ago.

Benny Se Teo, Founder Eighteen chefs

"I realized that in society there is this gap. Where once you have a criminal record you are unable to live a normal life, you are unable to integrate back to society," he says.

"We are able to provide training and give them their self-respect which they lost many, many years ago."

Before setting up Eighteen Chefs, Teo trained at Fifteen, Jamie Oliver's London restaurant. He then went on to run a 200-seater Chinese restaurant, with 80% of the staff having a criminal record.

However, Teo found that the high number of ex-offenders was too difficult to manage. His first Eighteen Chefs establishment started off with a smaller proportion, 35% in 2012, and now 50% of his employees are troubled young people and people with criminal records.

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There have been a number of success stories among staff, one of Teo's employees began as a server and is now a regional manager at an international restaurant earning more than $6,000 a month.

Learning to smile after Japan's tsunami

Teo does not even mind if his employees steal recipes and ideas from him to start up their own small businesses, he's just happy they aren't going back to their old ways.

While his new life is free of his old habits and addictions, his restaurants retain an allusion to his former ways: the number 18 refers to a well-known Singaporean street gang.

But rather than advocate his breaking bad past, he would rather young people tempted by a thug life would pick up a pan and chopping knife rather than a switchblade.

How Kim's aunt reportedly died

Jang Song Thaek (left), uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right), in 2012. Jang was executed in 2013, after being accused of attempting to overthrow the regime.

• Kim Kyung Hee was the sister of Kim Jong Il


• The late leader died three years ago and left his son in power


• The son executed Kim Kyung Hee's husband, Jang Song Thaek

(CNN) -- The aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un suffered a fatal stroke while she was on the phone with him, arguing about her husband's execution, according to a defector from the secretive nation.

Kim Kyung Hee was the sister of Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader who died three years ago and left his son in power.

Her husband, Jang Song Thaek, was executed in December, shocking many observers around the world.

Jang, the younger leader's uncle by marriage, was considered instrumental in his rise to power.

Before his execution, he was described as the second-most powerful figure in North Korea.

But the young leader turned his back on Jang in spectacular fashion late last year, having him executed on charges that he tried to overthrow the government.

"In the seething period of the effort for building a thriving country last year, we took the resolute measure of removing the factionalists," the North Korean leader said in a New Year's address shortly after the execution.

Days after the execution, Jang's wife suffered her third stroke, according to Kang Myung-do, a defector who was son-in-law to North Korea's ex-Prime Minister, Kang Sun San.

She was on the phone with the North Korean leader when she suffered the stroke, Kang said. She was hospitalized and later died.

The death was not announced because she died a few days after her husband and the government did not want people to link her death to his, according to the defector.

Korean media have reported that she committed suicide five days after her husband's execution.

Obama 'puzzled' by turkey pardon

• President Barack Obama pardons Cheese, this year's national Thanksgiving turkey


• Obama says he is "puzzled" by the annual tradition


• The turkey will be sent to "Turkey Hill" at Morven Park in Leesburg, Va., to spend the rest of its life

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama pardoned the national Thanksgiving turkey with a smile on Wednesday, but he admitted before saving the bird from it's likely demise that he found the decades-old tradition somewhat "puzzling."

"It is a little puzzling that I do this every year, but I will say that I enjoy it because with all the tough stuff that swirls around in this office it's nice once in a while just to say, 'Happy Thanksgiving,'" he said.

And with a wink and a nod, the president also made joking reference to the controversy dogging his administration over his unilateral move to offer protection from deportation to some 5 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

"I am here to announce what I'm sure will be the most talked about executive action this month. Today I am taking an action that is fully within my legal authority," he said to laughter from the crowd, in reference not to the immigration move, but the turkey pardon.

Joined by his teenage daughters, Obama went on to pardon Cheese, the turkey chosen by Americans as this year's national Thanksgiving turkey via Twitter.

The nearly 50-pound snow-white turkey calmly accepted the president's pardon as flashbulbs burst and officials looked on.

Cheese and his alternate turkey, Mac, were both raised by National Turkey Federation Chairman Gary Cooper's son Cole, both of whom were in attendance at the ceremony Wednesday.

The two 20-week-old turkeys will enjoy a much more tranquil Thanksgiving than many of their fellow fowl, as they're headed to "Turkey Hill" the historic turkey farm at Morven Park, the Leesburg, Va., home of former Virginia Gov. Westmoreland Davis, according to the White House.

There, they'll be on display for visitors seeking a second-degree brush with the president.

Though the event is meant as an opportunity for the president to express a bit of Thanksgiving cheer, it's not without controversy. Earlier this month, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called on Obama's daughters to encourage their father to end the "offensive turkey pardon" and go vegan for the holiday.

But the tradition, which the National Turkey Federation says has been around since President Harry Truman, went on. Obama will also volunteer with his family on Wednesday, another longstanding presidential Thanksgiving tradition.

Other elected officials got in the spirit of the holiday on Wednesday, tweeting out their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. House Speaker John Boehner revealed the details of his special "Boehner Brine," while Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted her family's chocolate mousse recipe.

The real 'Grand Budapest Hotel'

Currently being restored, the Goerlitz Department Store was the setting for Wes Anderson's "Grand Budapest Hotel."

The Goerlitz department store's interior is opulent but empty, making it an ideal film set.

Perhaps the most picturesque prewar German town, Goerlitz has been the film set for various films including "The Reader," "Inglorious Basterds" and "The Book Thief."

The Sanssouci Palace is a Rococo villa with a grand, terraced vineyard to the south and sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

U.S. President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin negotiated the partition of post-war Germany in 1945 at Potsdam's Tudor-style mansion, Cecilienhof.

Leipzig was the center of the East German movement that brought down the Berlin Wall. A small prayer group at Nikolaikirche grew into a protest involving thousands of people.

Leipzig's Spinnerei is a 19th Century cotton mill that was converted into a kind of artists' collective in the 1990s. The complex now comprises artist studios, workshops and galleries

Part of the music trail, Thomaskirchhof houses the Bach Museum. Johann Sebastian Bach lived in a now-demolished building across the street.

• Gorlitz was the film set for "The Reader," "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "The Book Thief"


• President Harry Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin negotiated the partition of post-war Germany at Cecilienhof


• Nikolaikirche was the birthplace of the East German movement that instigated the collapse of the Berlin Wall

(CNN) -- Europe's hottest destination for tourists, Berlin offers more than bargain-priced nightclubs and Cold War nostalgia.

Some of the most interesting sights in Germany are just a few hours away -- and with the deregulation of the intercity bus system, getting around is cheaper than ever.

Here's a shortlist of three great day trips from Berlin.

Potsdam

The site of the famous "Potsdam Conference" that negotiated the end of World War II and a series of opulent Hohenzollern palaces, Potsdam lies only about an hour from the center of Berlin, with all the major attractions easily reachable by public transport.

It's a day trip not because of the travel time, but because there's so much to see.

Highlights include the breathtaking Sanssouci Palace (Maulbeerallee, Potsdam; +49 331 9694200), the former summer residence of Frederick the Great -- who ruled the Prussian Empire from 1740 to 1786.

A pale and beautiful Rococo villa, its name means "without a care" and reflects the idyllic atmosphere of tranquil reflection Frederick sought to create with a grand, terraced vineyard to the south and sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

An audio tour covers the palace interior, where most of the original furnishings remain just as the Prussian king preferred them, and on a fine day the huge gardens are perfect for an impromptu picnic.

Hardcore palace fans may have enough energy for a gander at the Orangery and the Spielfestung, or "toy fortress" -- a miniature fort, complete with a working cannon, built for Frederick's son.

Audio guides are always advisable unless you're a major history buff.

But in our opinion it makes a better write-up than it does a visit, and it's better to take the audio tour of the Cecilienhof (Im Neuen Garten 11, Potsdam; +49 331 9694 200)

This mammoth, Tudor-style mansion is where U.S. President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin negotiated the partition of post-war Germany in 1945. (As always in German museums, it's advisable to spring for the headphones unless you're a history professor).

Depending on where else you're headed, the Old Town of Potsdam itself can be underwhelming -- cluttered as it is with garden-variety shopping.

The varied architecture of the Russian and Dutch Quarters -- built in Germany's first, misguided effort to attract "desirable" immigrants in the 18th century -- is, however, worth strolling through.

Getting there

Pay an extra 2 euros over the standard charge for the Berlin WelcomeCard and get free travel and discounts for various attractions in Potsdam (not the biggies).

Otherwise, day passes for the A-B-C zones of the Berlin transit system -- which covers buses and trains within Potsdam, as well as the so-called "regional train" -- are available for 7.20 euros.

MORE: The airport that refuses to die

Leipzig

In the wake of the recent 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the nearby cultural capital of Leipzig -- which was the real nerve center of the peaceful East German revolution, as well as the longtime home of Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach -- makes an especially compelling day trip.

It's two hours by bus or 70 minutes by train from Berlin.

Though it was virtually destroyed by Allied bombs in World War II, the reconstruction of Leipzig's old town is so seamless that it's difficult to recognize the Renaissance churches and old market square as reproductions.

Meanwhile, a growing community of artists and hipsters have created a mushrooming bar, dance club and arts scene that has some people calling it "the new Berlin" (or, more disparagingly, "Hypezig").

Not just a beauty, this church was a pivotal location in German history.

For a tribute to the movement that brought down the Wall, visit the Nikolaikirche (Nikolaikirchhof 3, Leipzig; +49 341 1245380), the church where a small, East German prayer group known as "Swords into Plowshares" grew into a protest involving thousands of people.

Founded in 1165, the church is a mash-up of Roman, Gothic and Baroque architectural styles, but its moment in history gives it an atmosphere that can't be beat.

You can get a glimpse of Hypezig at the Spinnerei (Spinnereistrasse 7, Leipzig; +49 341 4980200; guided tours by appointment) -- a 19th century cotton mill that was converted into an artists' collective in the 1990s.

Put on the map by the so-called "New Leipzig School" -- which includes the post-reunification works of Neo Rauch, Christoph Ruckhaberle, Matthias Weischer and others -- the complex now comprises artist studios, workshops and galleries.

For classical music fans, the Leipziger Notenspur -- or "Music Trail" -- links prominent sites from the city's musical history along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) walking route.

It includes the homes of the renowned 19th Century composers Felix Mendelsohn and Robert Schumann as well as museums devoted to Bach and Ludwig Beethoven.

Regardless of your take on literature -- or deals with the devil -- it's worth enjoying a meal at the Auerbachs Keller (Grimmaische Strasse 2-4, Leipzig; +49 341 216100).

One of Germany's oldest restaurants, it's where 18th century poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a frequent patron, imagined Mephistopheles downing a few with his eponymous hero, Faust.

Getting there:

Tickets on the high-speed train to Leipzig can currently be had as cheap as 29 euros (around $40) from Deutschebahn.

Luxury coaches with snacks, toilets and WiFi can get you there almost as quickly, starting at just 7 euros. Try MeinFernbus (+49 180 5 15 99 15) or Berlin Linienbus (+49 30 338 448 0).

MORE: A spies' guide to Berlin

Goerlitz

Wee little Goerlitz, about three hours from Berlin if you time the connections right, is a bit more off the beaten track.

But the number of Hollywood productions shot here -- "The Reader," "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "The Book Thief," among others -- testify to its status as perhaps the most picturesque prewar German town, even if it doesn't make many guidebooks.

In many respects, it's a place to witness Germany's moribund East -- despite thriving larger cities like Leipzig, many areas are struggling to make a comeback.

A shopaholic's worst nightmare -- a department store void of clothes.

There's not a lot in the way of tourist infrastructure, so it's best visited when the weather is good.

It's the kind of place where the renovation team at the famous Goerlitz Department Store (Bismarckstrasse 21, Goerlitz) -- once an icon in the style of London's Selfridges or New York's Bloomingdales -- and more recently the setting for Wes Anderson's "Grand Budapest Hotel" -- will drop what they're doing to give guided tours.

In nice weather, there are walks along the Neisse River and across the bridge into Poland -- still fun even if the days of passport stamps are long gone.

For some traditional Silesian food, such as pork cooked in plum gravy, the town has several fine sidewalk restaurants.

Other highlights include a series of late Gothic merchant houses, some of which still have interior fittings dating back to the 1500s, a stunning Schonhof, or town hall, built in 1526, as well as a street where local glassblowers still ply their trade.

The real joy of the place, though, is the feeling of discovery from exploring the streets -- which really do look like, well, a film set.

Getting there:

From Berlin, regional trains run from Alexanderplatz more or less hourly for around 40 euros (about $60). But consult the schedule to avoid a wait when transferring in Cottbus.