Olympic Theme Was One World - So Let's Be a Part of It Again

I am personally glad that President Bush didn't bow to the pressure to boycott the Beijing Olympics. I have to admit my first thought was that it was a good idea, but on reflection I decided that it would accomplish little positive, and more than enough negative. It would not help to boycott what turned out to be an American success story, or indeed, many of them.

I do think the Chinese really tried to impress the world with their hosting and they too succeeded as well, especially in the Opening Ceremony. I still shake my head at the accomplishments and precision of those thousands of "volunteers". It took far more practice and unpaid volunteers than the U.S. or likely any other free country could muster. And how many U.S. cities could virtually shut down their smokestack industries or tell half the people that they could not drive during the run up to the Games? I guess Communist or other totalitarian countries could order this kind of compliance, but most free countries could not.

Yet China was saying nearly all the right things - One World, Openness, Teamwork, Friendship, and on and on. Maybe if they keep saying it to themselves more and more...well, practice makes perfect. We can only hope.

Of much bigger import is that the U.S. continue its openness and commonality with the other nations and peoples of the world. It is tempting right now to isolate because it seems so many countries "do not like us". We could stop our foreign aid to those who would vilify us for various things. We could even rattle a few more swords to try to get some regimes to comply with our wishes. Some of that might work, but a better angle might be to keep providing aid to starving countries; send $1 billion to Georgia for reconstruction after their mini-war with the big bear, Russia. We need to keep doing what's right (and more if it - Darfur, anyone?) and to hell with the America-bashers. Once we get disentangled from Iraq after we are successful at "Iraqification", we can raise our world standing to what it once was by being strong and firm to dictators, friendly to struggling pre-democracies, and kind to the people everywhere. Yes, kind to the people who, as I have said before, are not our enemies even in those countries where the government leaders may be hostile to us.

We may have to share the high rank of "superpower" sooner than we think, but we can enhance our chances to retain the first position by smart diplomatic efforts backed up with a strong military and humanitarian force. Let's hope whoever wins our Presidential Election in November has the smarts and determination to not give in to bullying anywhere, while helping to the extent we can, everywhere.

Stop That Heartbeat, or Just the Talk About It

I was as shocked at everyone else at the naming of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska to be the VP running mate for Senator McCain. I am willing to hear more about her, as well as hearing her define her own role in this campaign. My first impression is good, however, I can see that she is a set-up for a Tina Fey parody on Saturday Night Live. The beehive hair, the glasses -- I can't wait to see what SNL does with her. All in good fun, of course.

I too am worried about her foreign policy experience but unless the unthinkable happens (well,, not THAT unthinkable), then she won't have to make the big decisions for someone at her pay grade (around $167,500). I just get tired of hearing the the very tired cliche of "just a heartbeat away from the Presidency". It is overused in normal times, but it has been repeated ad nauseam by every news person, talk show host, Democratic political hack, and others. Enough.

I don't mean that the concern is not legitimate, but let's couch it in more creative terms. Like when "McCain's last plane goes down", or when "President McCain buys the farm (the eighth home)", or when "President McCain gets to meet his namesakes". I could think of many more and challenge any of you to come up with a couple better than "a heartbeat away..."

The American Image - Where is the Love?

It is common knowledge that the image of America has been dimmed and even tarnished in the past few years. Most will blame President Bush and his foreign policy (some would say a lack of it), the Iraq war, and a general bumbling along with a grin on his face.

Yet we often hear from the real people of free and not so free countries that they have nothing against the American people, per se, but more with the current government in power. It is the U.S. government's actions - invasions, bombings, possible torture, denial of trials to foreign citizens, and on and on. Yet, if they have any view of the citizenry at all, either through TV or other media, they seem to like us better than we might think.

So how about the flip side? We condemn Iraq for its resistance to democracy, Iran for its nuclear ambitions, North Korea for its nukes, and on and on. But after seeing the 29th Olympiad in China recently, I wonder if we might have been too hard on the people of those countries. Maybe it is their leaders and governments who we need to criticize and berate, but the people, especially those in Communist or other totalitarian states, have few choices and even fewer media options so need to be given a bye. If they can say they have nothing against us as Americans, we have to at least consider that those people of those evil empires might be more like us than we think.

We are lucky in that we are able to criticize our leaders vehemently and can vote them out in four years if we desire. Some of the world's peoples might just disappear if they utter a discouraging word in the public square. So let us work to accept the peoples of the world and continue to help them as we have done over the years of our republic. We are a generous people, a friendly people, and not the war-mongers that some around the world think of us now.

John McCain's Memoir

I just finished John McCain's 1999 book, Faith of My Fathers, as I always try to read books by the major candidates. This book was written before he planned to run for president in 2008, clearly. While I have no doubt the Senator was honest in this book, his admitted bad behavior and obstinence in his early years was a bit scary. He managed to barely make it through the Naval Academy and then continued his push back as he became a U.S. Navy pilot and eventually began to fly missions in Viet Nam.

The book was interesting but a little repetitive. He is generous in his praise for others, especially his father and grandfather, and then later his fellow POWs. He is self-effacing and overly modest about the terrible trials he had to go through in the Hanoi Hilton and other enemy prisons. He often came off, to me at least, as the overly eager junior naval officer who was only trying to please his father and his senior officers. I know that this may not now translate to today's McCain. I know that I am different from who I was at 18 and even 25. But his inability to control his quickly rising gorge, even in the past few years, might be scary to some.

Like Obama's first book, this book was written before this campaign was not yet perfectly formed in his mind. I would like to read a newer and fresher book from McCain on his views of how to handle the myriad problems our country faces today. Obama penned his own books and did not have his thoughts interpreted and filtered and enhanced by a co-author. I would like to read the same from John McCain without 90% of the work done by Mark Salter (from McCain's own statement about how much of the books were really his).

Mamma Mia - The Movie

We had to go to this one soon after its release. We had already seen the Broadway touring company in Toronto and then with four of our granddaughters in New York a couple of years ago. It was a feel-good Broadway musical and it is a feel-good movie as well. It will be even more memorable if you either are already familiar with the music of ABBA (guilty), or if you download or buy the CD of the original music and play it loudly a few times before the movie.

Most know by now that this musical was written around the varied songs of the mostly Swedish (OK, one Norwegian) 1970s hit rock group. Now it takes considerable talent to forge a believable story around the catalog of the Best of ABBA. So it still takes some talent to tell the story of Mamma Mia even if you have to suspend your pragmatism a bit to stretch the believability factor. After all, it is a musical, and how believable is it that people sing to each other in the streets? It is also a stretch to say that Pierce Brosnan is an accomplished singer, but he does reasonably well for a shower singer.

But never mind all that -- it is a delightful story and even knowing the ending, it is fun to watch as Meryl Streep and cast break into song. You will smile at how the familiar ABBA songs are made to fit the situation; some quite well.

This is not Academy Award material but I doubt it ever set out to be. It is not meant to be deep; it is meant to be a love story, or many love stories as it turns out.

My only complaint was that I thought that the part of Sky was miscast. I can't put my finger on it but there are others out there who could have carried this better than Dominic Cooper. I had the same feelings early in the movie about Christine Baranski, but she won me over with her hard work and panache. The supporting ensemble cast did a fine job as well but I had the feeling that most of their hard work was on the cutting room floor to make the movie fit the time allowed.

Have fun going to this one, and take your ABBA CD along to play in the car on the return home so you can sing in full voice to "Dancing Queen".

Russia - A Not So New "Rogue" Nation?

With the not-so-subtle invasion of Georgia by Russia, the first thought that came to mind was Iraq's attack on Kuwait. A well-funded militarized nation leading an incursion into a far weaker country - just because it could. The U.S. response was swift and decisive and the Iraqi military faded faster than my last tan.

Now we have Russia, a nation that never could quite be trusted to be a full partner in the fellowship of responsible nations, as the overwhelming aggressor with very weak justification for its actions. The U.S. and the European Union has now harrumphed a number of times, threatening this and that, and getting only lip service from the Russian leadership who stall more each day. I wasn't around back then but I do recall reading that Hitler made some of the same moves in the late 1930s on Poland. He was joined then by the Soviet Union in this illegal foray as well. Once he got away with that piece of business, he was on to Norway and Denmark in 1940.

Europe stepped up and eventually declared war but the United Kingdom and the United States did not seem to think this conflict worthy of investment quite yet. England's Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, still bears the mantle of appeaser. FDR was less the culprit because the fight was nowhere near our shores, but decided to come to the party later.

I know that there is always a danger if drawing these analogies or parallels because they never quite fit exactly. But we have to ask if they fit close enough to worry not just for Georgia, but for the future if the rest of the world lets this invasion stand with little or no consequences.

Not bringing our ships to the pond to play war games may not be enough sanction to make Russia step back and say, "Whoa, we done wrong. We need to play well with others, at least to put on a good face so that they can see into our soul".

It is bad enough that Russia made the move, but to then pretend to accede to a cease-fire and agree to a pull back while still moving deeper into Georgia is as disingenuous as it is reckless. And it is reckless only if there is a consequence that will make a difference. So far there seems to be none.

Funding Iraq - Am I Repeating Myself?

Last April 9 I wrote about the rank unfairness of the U.S. taxpayer having to pay to rebuild the infrastructure in Iraq. At that time it was noted that the Iraqi government had over $30 billion in its treasury, yet little was being spent to build the roads, the electric grid, schools, and the like.

Our own Ambassador served as the apologist for the Iraqi government saying it was complicated. I am sure it is and I had hoped that by now they would uncomplicate it a little and give us here in the U.S. a break.

Now we hear that their bank account has swelled to $79 billion. In April Ambassador Crocker told Congress that the U.S. wasn't funding rebuilding anymore. In August we hear differently. Why can't we get a decent answer, or better yet why can't we turn off the spigot? It is human nature to let others pay the way or take the risks if these others just keep doing it.

I hope Senator Carl Levin and others do not let this go this time. The Iraqis have to step up and pay their own bills. To be clear, I am not talking about all the funds we pour into Iraq. We fund our military and continue to fund the training of the Iraqi army and police force. I understand that some of this is necessary. But when the invoices come in the mail for the latest road or school, they should go to the Iraqi Finance Minister and not to the U.S. Treasury Secretary.

There are a lot of things that are complicated in this world and during this time of our own economic troubles, we have enough to worry about. Having to pay for Iraqi infrastructure while our own bridges, power grid, and roads continue to deteriorate, should not be one of them.

The United States of North America?

A new book is coming out by Jerome Corsi titled The Late Great U.S.A.: The Coming Merger with Mexico and Canada. I haven't read the book or much of anything about it, but I'm sure it posits that with the current trade deals (and other agreements north and south) that the time is coming when the three North American countries will form some sort of union, maybe similar to the European Union, or maybe an entirely new country.

I posed in a prior blog, somewhat tongue in cheek, that we could begin to solve the illegal immigration problem by annexing Mexico. We had done so in the past (Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona) so it is not without precedent. From the title of Corsi's book, I suspect he doesn't see that merger as a good thing.

But hey (and Ola and eh?), it might just work to bring us Norte Americanos together. First, as I had said previously, U.S. businesses would race to open sites in Mexico to be closer to the now legal work force causing the need to move north for a job to evaporate. Second, the money we already send to Mexico would be used to help our own states (those created in Mexico) and not a foreign nation. Then, of course, we are already bi-lingual is so many ways (For Spanish, press 2).

And who wouldn't want to join Canada? Its people are nearly like us demographically, with their own accents that would then join our Midwestern twang, southern drawl, and New England's dropped Rs. Plus with so much room to expand if you just don't mind the cold.

And what an economic force we could be when all were united. The natural resources alone could be mined and drilled to make us energy independent, and the winds across the Yukon would excite T. Boone Pickens no end.

So I may read the book to see what the downside might be, but right now it sounds not half-bad as we used to say. I already planned to brush up on my Spanish, and I can say "oot and aboot" as well as any of them. Now, Quebec might be a problem.