Hurricane Kate (September 4, 2006)
Posted in Society on September 4, 2006 by e-commentary.orgLiving for even just a month in the French Quarter is much more vibrant than a year existing in suburbia. Music, lights, crowds, crawdads, irregular hours. A situational ethical perspective is the prevailing ethical standard, and not many situations arise that appear to require one to act ethically. At least everyone knows the rules. Still not sure what to make of The Confederacy of Dunces even after reading it in country. One must wonder whether the response and recovery would be underway if the National Guards were around to guard the nation. [See the e-ssay dated May 2, 2005 entitled “Ohio – Not Forgettin’ Ohio: The Battleground State Battles On.”] What if 25,000 troops from LA, MS, AB, TX and FL could have been deployed for one year to restore and rebuild the region? They would have been embraced with open arms and could have begun the reconstruction of basic services. They should be rebuilding Biloxi not hiding in Baghdad. Cities and democracies are not really built as much as they emerge. What will emerge is not clear. Will there be much noticeable difference in five years?
The Residue of Unrelenting Fear: PTSD Afflicts The Populace (August 28, 2006)
Posted in Bush, Society on August 28, 2006 by e-commentary.org“Which is worse, ignorance or apathy,” the lad asked. “I don’t know and I don’t care,” he responded. “The only response is to not think and to not feel,” he proposed. Bush’s observation that his war is “straining the American psyche” is observant. Bush’s power springs from his ability to keep the public in a constant state of fear and dread and anxiety. Bush is terrorizing the populace. The fear paralyzes thought and stifles dissent. If the restive public is given a rest, it may reflect. Bush will proudly proclaim that America is at war as he lifts off from the White House lawn in Marine Corps One in January, 2009. His war; his legacy. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder now afflicts the populace not just tens of thousands of returning vets. Roosevelt’s perspective on fear itself and his reassurances to the public are the marks of a true leader. The world needs hope not fear.
The Zero Sum Game in the Mideast/World (August 21, 2006)
Posted in Bush, Middle East on August 21, 2006 by e-commentary.orgHezbollah: 0 (or + 1/4 ?)
Israel: 0 (or – 1/4 ?)
Iran: 0 (or + 1/8 ?)
United States: 0 (or – 1/4 ?)
Britain: 0
North Korea: 1
China: 2
Darfur: -1
The Free World: -9
It does not add up.
Bush responds by declaring that Hezbollah lost. He is inspiring them. We don’t need him to challenge them to “Bring it on.” They will. Napoleon is said to have observed: “If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna.” Israel took Vienna and got taken. Nietzsche is said to have said: “That which does not kill me only makes me stronger.” Among Hezbollah and their cohorts, that which kills them only makes them stronger. As a policy, dropping bombs is bombing.
The United States is one of the few if not the only country that can broker a resolution. Bush is focused on escalating hostilities. Bush triggered World War III. Bush has abandoned his command and repeated that the next president must clean up his mess. This situation could be considered disquieting.
The Terror In The Skies (August 14, 2006)
Posted in Bush, Foreign Policy on August 14, 2006 by e-commentary.orgBush has spent much of his time in office flying around the world in Air Force One above and beyond the cares of the world. Those who must fly must deal with the consequences and fallout of the worst foreign policy blunders in American history.
The Arab world is united in their hatred of Bush; the non-Arab world is disunited except in their hatred of Bush. All the hatred and anger is coming home to fester. The lack of terrorist activities over the last five years is surprising. However, the enemy is patient in planning its attacks against an impatient people. A gin and tonic is today’s Molotov cocktail. Practice safe flying, we are now directed, don’t use condiments on board. Ketchup in a plastic container is the new weapon of mess destruction. It’s not just for putting under car tires anymore. Passengers cannot carry contact lens solution because Bush cannot see clearly. The enemy has enough chutzpah to keep attacking the one transportation sector–aviation–that has attracted the most security screening resources. The next likely move is against the ports.
The Fed: Deal with “Stag”; Deal with “Flation”? (August 7, 2006)
Posted in Economics, Federal Reserve on August 7, 2006 by e-commentary.orgThe economy has been heading toward stagflation for over a year. The trade deficit reflects the fact that America does not make anything other than houses that are consumed domestically. Inflation is taking off with a vengeance. Calculating the core price index without accounting for food and energy prices assumes that citizens do not eat or travel or heat and air condition their homes and businesses. The rising cost of energy will act synergistically to drive up the cost of food.
The Fed meets tomorrow. The Fed must not raise the Federal Funds Rate (FFR) because it would exacerbate the stagnation. However, the Fed must raise the FFR to dampen the current and impending inflation. In his academic writings, the Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke refers often to “price stability” as the primary goal of the Fed. Raise the rate .25 percent? Or defer to those on Wall Street who are more concerned about the slowing economy and leave the rate unchanged? Inflation is the graver threat. Raising the rate .25 percent is painful but necessary.
Minimum Wage and Maximum Earners (July 31, 2006)
Posted in Economics, Estate Tax, Politics on July 31, 2006 by e-commentary.orgRaising the minimum wage to provide a livable wage is virtuous. However, the economic evidence is almost irrefutable that a rise in the minimum wage leads to a reduction in employment. The head says no. The heart says yes. Support the higher wage.
The Democrats are critical of the effort to raise the amount exempt from the estate tax. However, raising the exemption to 10 million per couple would protect the assets of many hard-working members of the Greatest Generation. [See the April 18, 2005 e-ssay entitled “Death and Taxes: $10 M and 33 1/3 %.”] The more substantial figures suggested in the pending legislation are excessive. Some who seek to eliminate the estate tax altogether may view this change as a start. However, if reasonable legislation is adopted, the momentum to eliminate the estate tax altogether may dissipate.
World War III Escalates As Proxies Participate (July 24, 2006)
Posted in Bush, Middle East on July 24, 2006 by e-commentary.orgMembers of Hezbollah crossed a border they dispute. That creates a challenge. That action provided an excuse for Israel to do what it sought to do for some time. Israel’s response is obscenely and criminally out of proportion to the provocation. The U.S. sits and watches its proxy battle Iran’s proxy in this first round. Condi Rice is busy buying shoes while babies die. Israel may now have created its own Vietnam/Iraq. Israel is reading from the failed American play book and uniting its many enemies and dividing its few allies. Both America and Israel have lost the moral high ground as they have descended into the swamp.
When a person sees no hope in life, he often does one of three things: he 1) kills others, 2) kills himself, or 3) kills others and then kills himself. There is no hope for many in the Mideast today. Their reaction to their plight is logical and predictable. America and Israel must deliver hope not ordinance. The behavior in the Mideast is a corollary of the “flight or fight” response experienced by all threatened animals. If they cannot flee, they will fight. There is no place to run. Any time you have someone cornered, you are caught in the same corner. Few acknowledge that the chemical components in the tears of a Lebanese mother and an Iraqi mother and a Palestinian mother and an Israeli mother and an American mother are identical. Hydrogen 2, Oxygen 1, Grief 10. There is at least one seven year old boy who will survive the killing and dedicate his life to seeking revenge at any cost. Events are quickly overcoming everyone.
(On July 19, Bush vetoed the stem cell research bill that would have allowed surplus embryos from fertility clinics to be used for scientific research rather than tossed in the rubbish can. Bush used his first veto to deprive others of hope. The “pro-life” president vetoed life for many of the living.)
(July 23 is the four year anniversary of the meeting reflected in the document described as the “Downing Street Minutes/Memo.” The document exposes the lies and self-deception underpinning America’s invasion of Iraq. See www.afterdowningstreet.org.)
World War III Is Expanding (July 17, 2006)
Posted in Bush, Iraq on July 17, 2006 by e-commentary.orgMore that four years after Bush triggered World War III, others are joining the fray. [See the March 20, 2006 e-ssay entitled “The (Unreal) March Madness” and the January 3, 2005 e-ssay entitled “Boycott Red America.” ] The thug in Baghdad–Hussein–maintained order but not law among the three religious/cultural factions. He served as the Tito of the country and by extension in the region. Sunnis and Shiites inside and outside Iraq knew their place. Iraq balanced Iran; Iran balanced Iraq. Bush’s Crusade destabilized the country and the region. In the last few years, Iraqis of all religious persuasions united in ousting the American aggressor. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Others came across a border even more porous than Americas southern border and joined the fight. Now the fight has been exported. A war on two great fronts appears possible. The Sunnis and Shiites can both fight the U.S. and fight each other. The enemy of my enemy is now also my enemy. The Turks and the Kurds are now free to battle for power and real estate. American military might is now dissipated and weak. America may have no option other than to pursue a diplomatic approach, but a diplomatic approach is effete without a viable military threat. America is now incapable of fighting or resolving World War III.
2006 Is A Year of Birthdays (July 10, 2006)
Posted in Society on July 10, 2006 by e-commentary.orgDuring 2006, the rosewood frame and black leather chair and ottoman designed by Charles and Ray Eames turn fifty. The National Interstate Defense Highways Act creating the Interstate Highway System also reached that milepost. One allowed us to sit in modern style, while the other allowed us to move with speed even if we did not see anything. Len Bias died twenty years ago of a cocaine dose. President Johnson reluctantly signed the Privacy Act of 1966 known as the Freedom of Information Act forty years ago on July 4. His presidential signing order stated in part “I signed this measure with a deep sense of pride that the United States is an open society,” although he privately disdained the legislation. Freedom was 230 years young on that very day last week. Thomas Jefferson, with some help from James Madison and Ben Franklin, penned the essay declaring the rationale for independence in a pamphlet captioned “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” In the same year, Adam Smith published An Inquiry Into The Nature And Causes Of The Wealth Of Nations, the economic declaration of independence, interdependence, competition, choice and free trade.
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