Here the topics for this week's blog: Mediterranean crossings; symbolism; an aging budget; momentous decisions; national/regional bankruptcies.
Immigrant flood. Having just returned from a Mediterranean cruise, I have been watching the news stories of the thousands of Middle Eastern refugees flocking to southern Europe. On our cruise (Rome -- Istanbul -- Athens -- Rome), I am sure the ship's bridge
kept a wary eye out for those frail, crowded, less-than-seaworthy craft. Last Tuesday's news showed a lucky boat-load that had made the relatively short crossing to a small off-shore Greek island.
Symbols, abroad and at home. In the second Gulf War, with the fall of Saddam's regime, I remember that most Americans did not understand why irate Iraqis took off their sandals/shoes to beat Saddam's face on the fallen statues. For them this was their ultimate, traditional way of showing disrespect -- shoes to the face. Last Tuesday, one Syrian refugee (male), safely on Greek soil, with no statue to disrespect, faced the camera and shouted disparagingly, "Bashar al-Assad, may God rip out your mother's eyes!"
Here at home, the mass shooting in Charleston, SC, awakened (again) debate over the Confederate flag. Needless to say, responses ranged from the well- to less-well considered. Among the well-considered remarks were those of Charleston's mayor, Joseph Riley. I am sure that for the first time most Americans found out that Riley (a Democrat) has served for forty years. You are not re-elected ten times without being a respected member of the community. On the less-well considered side, were comments from the white primacy sector, led by the right wing Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC).
This is as good a time as any to highlight the "even handed" approach of the often disparaged Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to groups granted charitable status (501C3). For example, you have National Public Radio (NPR) and the CCC. Talk about equal opportunity. Brings tears to your eyes!
As the week ended, one stalwart African American woman scaled the flag pole on the SC capitol grounds and took down the offensive flag. She and a fellow cohort were arrested and quickly released on personal recognizance bonds. The flag was run up again, to await a final decision by the SC legislature.
The "greying" US budget. In last Wednesday's Washington Post, economic columnist Paul Samuelson took up the always controversial subject: the portion of the national budget devoted to the elderly. In the mid-1980s, when CO's three-term governor, Richard Lamb (Democrat), talked about aspects of the elderly, he earned the monicker, Governor Gloom, and his comments on a "duty to die" brought forth a storm of comment. Imagine the response in today's even more closely interconnected world.
Last Wednesday, Samuelson, too, wrote about the increasing portion of the US budget devoted to our fast-aging population. The very nature of the subject raises the unspoken question, "For how long is this spending level sustainable without changes elsewhere in the federal budget?" We are an aging nation, while in many other nations more than half of their population are less than 30. US: 2%; world: 52% This has both economic and political implications -- a fact often lost on our own aging law makers at all levels of government.
Momentous decisions. As is often the case, the Supreme Court waited until the last week of the current session to announce decisions on two issues, important both socially and politically: same sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obama-care). The former was much awaited, will be much debated, and no doubt subjected to delaying actions in some states. For some, same sex (gender ?) marriage is an issue with religious and moral overtones. It is not just controversial, it is value ladened.
The ACA, on the other hand, was a volatile, long standing political issue, seemingly the defining anti-Obama issue for the Republican party. With the Court having given state insurance exchanges its affirmative imprimatur, one would assume derisive howls would echo outside the beltway far into the hinterlands. Problem: what is the alternative? Here the GOP is at somewhat of a loss. They have no firm, agreed upon alternative to ACA. There was much baying-at-the-moon, but little else.
What's in your wallet? This is not a good time to be in Greece and in need of cash from the local ATM. The Greek government has shuttered its banks until July 6th and limited ATM withdrawals to 60€/day -- if you can find one that still has cash. We should not feel smug, though; Puerto Rico has announced it, too, is also facing bankruptcy. Now about that cruise that stops in San Juan.........
Fair winds and smooth sailing in the coming week. Thank you for reading.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Tuesday, June 23. Here are topics for this week's blog: some satire about presidential candidates; climate change; Charleston's sorrow; political translations; Middle East map; small venue production; much ado about a new coin; summer's arrival in CO.
P. J. O'Rourke. In his recent column, the satirist comments on the less than sterling nature of the candidates now in the race for the November prize. He quotes an earlier writer, a kindred spirit, H. L. Mencken, who famously said, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” Perhaps so. O'Rourke then goes on to comment on Donald Trump's being a part of this long the parade.
If the current collection of candidates is the best America has to offer, the Republic may be imperiled.
The Vatican Priest.... This from a recent article in the Daily Beast. Brings to mind the lyrics from the Sonny James ("He's everywhere") and Paul Simon ("Me and Julio down by the school yard"). One can only hope that "the Vatican Priest" brings more to this cause than he has to priestly pedophilia.
ROME—It almost sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but on Thursday a Catholic cardinal, an Orthodox theologian and an atheist scientist will walk into the Vatican synod hall and present Pope Francis’s hotly anticipated encyclical on the environment. The hype around the document has been so fevered that it even spawned a silly spoof movie trailer in which the super pope fights an epic battle to save the planet. And the Vatican City state secrecy that surrounded it only increased the drama.
The papal encyclical numbers six chapters and two new papal prayers dedicated to “the communal home that is planet earth.” The article continued, saying the "leak .... was clearly an “act of sabotage” against popular Pope Francis by his enemies." Judy Woodruff's interview (PBS, June 18) with Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., provides a good summation of Francis's thoughts.
America's politicians, take heart, even His Holiness has political enemies. Jeb B, for one, weighed in, commenting that he (a practicing Catholic) went to church for spiritual guidance, not public policy pronouncements. Jeb is, I fear, one of those with his head in the sand, even as the rising waters along FL's coasts wash away his sand. Does he not realize that he would face the same challenges in the "not-too-high White House? Oh, of course, he can retreat uphill to Camp David.
Charleston (SC) church shooting. Just as the Aurora (CO) theater-shooting trial winds down, Thursday's (18th) sad news of the deaths of nine congregants at a church. Much will be written and said about the motives of the young male perpetrator. For what it's worth, here are a few of my thoughts.
I think it is increasing clear that many off-center Americans are becoming increasingly fearful of losing their imagined positions of social and political dominance, no matter how low they actually rank in their community's social hierarchy. Morris Dees, a founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, discusses the concept of "white genocide" in a New York Times op-ed. Dees asserts that the ideas espoused by Dylan Roof, the alleged (?) perpetrator of the violence in Charleston, are "popular among white supremacists in the United States, [and] also signs of the growing globalization of white nationalism....Unlike those of the civil rights era, whose main goal was to maintain Jim Crow in the American South, today’s white supremacists don’t see borders; they see a white tribe under attack by people of color across the globe."
The need to feel superior was, after all, one of the historical motivations for white suppression of blacks before, during, and after the Civil War. Reconstruction's Jim Crow system was merely a continuation of that belief/social system. Blacks were not alone in being "kept down." Hispanics, Native Americans, all minority groups were similarly disadvantaged.
The woeful under-education promoted in segregated, inferior schools was a virtual guarantee that whites, no matter their social status, could feel superior. If the imagined privileged position of you or your group is suddenly threatened, some will strike out in anger. Why else would you wear a jacket with the flags of two former, dreadful apartheid nations, South Africa and Rhodesia?
"Ye reap what you sow." Job 4:8
"Cruz, Paul and Rubio Make Their Case to the Faithful." This was the headline of story of a recent Roll Call article. One wonders, just who are "the faithful," and what happens if there are not enough of them to get you elected? Do you stand steady, face to the wind, or do you alter/dilute your message as necessary? Pander to the audience? Heaven forbid! Perish the thought! You can, of course, change the above names depending on the political race, the forum involved, and/or the current hot button issue.
What's in a map? A recent column by Charles Krauthammer began, "It’s time for a new strategy in Iraq and Syria. It begins by admitting that the old borders are gone, that a unified Syria or Iraq will never be reconstituted, that the Sykes-Picot map is defunct." The treaty (formally, the Asia Minor Agreement) was signed May 9, 1916, in the heat of WW I with the impending collapse of the Ottoman Empire looming large. As noted by a colleague who follows the Middle East, the public has little understanding of the complex and convoluted tribal/sectarian/clan structure of this vast area. I strongly suspect that the diplomats who negotiated those borders were similarly clueless and/or unable to formally structure nations around these complexities. Even is today's diplomats appreciate the region's complexity, it is quite another thing to secure a new arrangement that can be recognized and used by all concerned.
There has been much discussion about the wisdom "nation building," but redrawing national boundaries is quite another matter.
Small venue theater. "Unmarried in America" is now playing at the Vintage Theater in Aurora, CO. Another good production in a small theater where the audience is not quite on the stage. The performance was well done, reflecting the current status and uncertainties of gays, lesbians, and straights in today's America. I could not help but wonder about the Supreme Court's impending decision on same sex marriage. At intermission, a colleague commented that the phrase "same gender marriage" seemed more appropriate, a better description of this still contentious, grey area.
The new 2 € and the Little Corproal . On June 18th, Europe celebrated the 200th anniversary of Waterloo, the momentous battle that transformed world politics. Some nations celebrated more than others. Belgium issued a new 2€ coin, to which France took great exception. For their part, the Belgians proclaimed that they could not understand France's reaction. Some aspects of history die hard.
Amid the current crisis involving the huge influx of refugees into Europe, it might do well to remember that Napoleon was a Corsican immigrant and political refugee. Is this perhaps one of the reasons Frenchman do not hold the "Little Corporal" in high esteem?
Summer heat. The all too frequent monsoon rains have slackened and the dry heat of summer seems to be taking over. Even at 92+ our low humidity means sitting in the shade is not overly tiring.
I wish you a week of calming repose and reflection. Thanks for reading.
P. J. O'Rourke. In his recent column, the satirist comments on the less than sterling nature of the candidates now in the race for the November prize. He quotes an earlier writer, a kindred spirit, H. L. Mencken, who famously said, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” Perhaps so. O'Rourke then goes on to comment on Donald Trump's being a part of this long the parade.
If the current collection of candidates is the best America has to offer, the Republic may be imperiled.
The Vatican Priest.... This from a recent article in the Daily Beast. Brings to mind the lyrics from the Sonny James ("He's everywhere") and Paul Simon ("Me and Julio down by the school yard"). One can only hope that "the Vatican Priest" brings more to this cause than he has to priestly pedophilia.
ROME—It almost sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but on Thursday a Catholic cardinal, an Orthodox theologian and an atheist scientist will walk into the Vatican synod hall and present Pope Francis’s hotly anticipated encyclical on the environment. The hype around the document has been so fevered that it even spawned a silly spoof movie trailer in which the super pope fights an epic battle to save the planet. And the Vatican City state secrecy that surrounded it only increased the drama.
The papal encyclical numbers six chapters and two new papal prayers dedicated to “the communal home that is planet earth.” The article continued, saying the "leak .... was clearly an “act of sabotage” against popular Pope Francis by his enemies." Judy Woodruff's interview (PBS, June 18) with Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., provides a good summation of Francis's thoughts.
America's politicians, take heart, even His Holiness has political enemies. Jeb B, for one, weighed in, commenting that he (a practicing Catholic) went to church for spiritual guidance, not public policy pronouncements. Jeb is, I fear, one of those with his head in the sand, even as the rising waters along FL's coasts wash away his sand. Does he not realize that he would face the same challenges in the "not-too-high White House? Oh, of course, he can retreat uphill to Camp David.
Charleston (SC) church shooting. Just as the Aurora (CO) theater-shooting trial winds down, Thursday's (18th) sad news of the deaths of nine congregants at a church. Much will be written and said about the motives of the young male perpetrator. For what it's worth, here are a few of my thoughts.
I think it is increasing clear that many off-center Americans are becoming increasingly fearful of losing their imagined positions of social and political dominance, no matter how low they actually rank in their community's social hierarchy. Morris Dees, a founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, discusses the concept of "white genocide" in a New York Times op-ed. Dees asserts that the ideas espoused by Dylan Roof, the alleged (?) perpetrator of the violence in Charleston, are "popular among white supremacists in the United States, [and] also signs of the growing globalization of white nationalism....Unlike those of the civil rights era, whose main goal was to maintain Jim Crow in the American South, today’s white supremacists don’t see borders; they see a white tribe under attack by people of color across the globe."
The need to feel superior was, after all, one of the historical motivations for white suppression of blacks before, during, and after the Civil War. Reconstruction's Jim Crow system was merely a continuation of that belief/social system. Blacks were not alone in being "kept down." Hispanics, Native Americans, all minority groups were similarly disadvantaged.
The woeful under-education promoted in segregated, inferior schools was a virtual guarantee that whites, no matter their social status, could feel superior. If the imagined privileged position of you or your group is suddenly threatened, some will strike out in anger. Why else would you wear a jacket with the flags of two former, dreadful apartheid nations, South Africa and Rhodesia?
"Ye reap what you sow." Job 4:8
"Cruz, Paul and Rubio Make Their Case to the Faithful." This was the headline of story of a recent Roll Call article. One wonders, just who are "the faithful," and what happens if there are not enough of them to get you elected? Do you stand steady, face to the wind, or do you alter/dilute your message as necessary? Pander to the audience? Heaven forbid! Perish the thought! You can, of course, change the above names depending on the political race, the forum involved, and/or the current hot button issue.
What's in a map? A recent column by Charles Krauthammer began, "It’s time for a new strategy in Iraq and Syria. It begins by admitting that the old borders are gone, that a unified Syria or Iraq will never be reconstituted, that the Sykes-Picot map is defunct." The treaty (formally, the Asia Minor Agreement) was signed May 9, 1916, in the heat of WW I with the impending collapse of the Ottoman Empire looming large. As noted by a colleague who follows the Middle East, the public has little understanding of the complex and convoluted tribal/sectarian/clan structure of this vast area. I strongly suspect that the diplomats who negotiated those borders were similarly clueless and/or unable to formally structure nations around these complexities. Even is today's diplomats appreciate the region's complexity, it is quite another thing to secure a new arrangement that can be recognized and used by all concerned.
There has been much discussion about the wisdom "nation building," but redrawing national boundaries is quite another matter.
Small venue theater. "Unmarried in America" is now playing at the Vintage Theater in Aurora, CO. Another good production in a small theater where the audience is not quite on the stage. The performance was well done, reflecting the current status and uncertainties of gays, lesbians, and straights in today's America. I could not help but wonder about the Supreme Court's impending decision on same sex marriage. At intermission, a colleague commented that the phrase "same gender marriage" seemed more appropriate, a better description of this still contentious, grey area.
The new 2 € and the Little Corproal . On June 18th, Europe celebrated the 200th anniversary of Waterloo, the momentous battle that transformed world politics. Some nations celebrated more than others. Belgium issued a new 2€ coin, to which France took great exception. For their part, the Belgians proclaimed that they could not understand France's reaction. Some aspects of history die hard.
Amid the current crisis involving the huge influx of refugees into Europe, it might do well to remember that Napoleon was a Corsican immigrant and political refugee. Is this perhaps one of the reasons Frenchman do not hold the "Little Corporal" in high esteem?
Summer heat. The all too frequent monsoon rains have slackened and the dry heat of summer seems to be taking over. Even at 92+ our low humidity means sitting in the shade is not overly tiring.
I wish you a week of calming repose and reflection. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
To any who are following my meanderings, my apologies for "wandering away" without giving due notice. It has been a bit hectic here on South Xeric Way.
Prospective changes. The Abells are tentatively in the process of making arrangements for hosting a Swedish high school student for this coming fall semester. Here is the short version.
In 1984, we hosted Ted, one of Christine's second cousins from Helsingborg, Sweden. He spent a year and, based on his Swedish transcript, received a graduation diploma from Denver's Thomas Jefferson high school. Then, in 1986, Anja, another cousin came for a year. She, too, graduated from TJ. Time flies! Now we are in the process of deciding /making arrangements for Anja's 15 year-old daughter, Sanna, to spend a semester with us.
Needless to say, making the arrangements for Sanna are vastly more complicated than for her mother. As you might imagine, the major complications relate mostly to September 9, 2011, the immigration debates here at home, and all that's followed.
Another difference is Sanna's plans beyond her semester with us. Ted and Anja, both of whom are now successful small business entrepreneurs, came with no plans of going on to college. Sanna, on the other hand, has applied for the Swedish gymnasium, a preparatory requirement for college entrance. This means closer attention has to be given to the high school courses she will take if she stays with us. It will also involve a certain amount of academic telecommuting with her home school in Rydebäck. This is not a problem; she has already done this when her family comes for their ski vacations with us.
So, as they say, the beat -- and the paper work -- go on.
Reading, non-fiction. A fellow blogger (and former colleague) recently recommended Andrew Levy's Huck Finn's America: Mark Twain and the Era that Shaped His Masterpiece (Simon and Schuster, 2015). I, too, heartily recommend this book.
From Levy's preface: "For anyone who wants to try to unravel the tangled knot that ties modern Americans to their past, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) remains essential." Indeed! Loved, disparaged, certainly much debated, Huck has remained controversial since he was introduced to Americans and the world. Levy examines Twain and his work as a window of the past that continues to resonate with modern day America.
The literati will no doubt continue their debate as to which is the great American novel, Huckleberry or Moby Dick. I think it certain, though, that for a fair majority of future young readers, Huck will carry the day.
Jeb. On Monday Jeb Bush is in, finally; he is, perhaps, the last biggie to throw a hat in the ring and the eleventh Republican. Earlier, last Saturday, Hillary officially jumped in. Why do candidates wait so long? One reason is that once you are officially in, there are sorts of those "sticky" new rules that impinge on a candidate's ability to raise money willy-nilly. Such a pain have to now have to require your donors to reveal themselves. That is, of course, why those super-pacs exist.
Monday afternoon, a NPR "All Things Considered" segment talked about Bernie Sander who is actually drawing huge crowds. Thousands drawn to several not so large venues. Ever the odd one, he tweeted the Clinton campaign that "objects in their rear view mirror might be larger than they appear!"
Monsoon rains. The so-called monsoons, afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms, that normally come in late July/early August, have continued unabated here in CO. The roadsides, meadows, and forest floors are spectacularly green this year. It is amazing how different it is on our trips to clean the condos in Breckenridge.
I hope your week ahead is untroubled weather-wise. Thank for reading.
Prospective changes. The Abells are tentatively in the process of making arrangements for hosting a Swedish high school student for this coming fall semester. Here is the short version.
In 1984, we hosted Ted, one of Christine's second cousins from Helsingborg, Sweden. He spent a year and, based on his Swedish transcript, received a graduation diploma from Denver's Thomas Jefferson high school. Then, in 1986, Anja, another cousin came for a year. She, too, graduated from TJ. Time flies! Now we are in the process of deciding /making arrangements for Anja's 15 year-old daughter, Sanna, to spend a semester with us.
Needless to say, making the arrangements for Sanna are vastly more complicated than for her mother. As you might imagine, the major complications relate mostly to September 9, 2011, the immigration debates here at home, and all that's followed.
Another difference is Sanna's plans beyond her semester with us. Ted and Anja, both of whom are now successful small business entrepreneurs, came with no plans of going on to college. Sanna, on the other hand, has applied for the Swedish gymnasium, a preparatory requirement for college entrance. This means closer attention has to be given to the high school courses she will take if she stays with us. It will also involve a certain amount of academic telecommuting with her home school in Rydebäck. This is not a problem; she has already done this when her family comes for their ski vacations with us.
So, as they say, the beat -- and the paper work -- go on.
Reading, non-fiction. A fellow blogger (and former colleague) recently recommended Andrew Levy's Huck Finn's America: Mark Twain and the Era that Shaped His Masterpiece (Simon and Schuster, 2015). I, too, heartily recommend this book.
From Levy's preface: "For anyone who wants to try to unravel the tangled knot that ties modern Americans to their past, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) remains essential." Indeed! Loved, disparaged, certainly much debated, Huck has remained controversial since he was introduced to Americans and the world. Levy examines Twain and his work as a window of the past that continues to resonate with modern day America.
The literati will no doubt continue their debate as to which is the great American novel, Huckleberry or Moby Dick. I think it certain, though, that for a fair majority of future young readers, Huck will carry the day.
Jeb. On Monday Jeb Bush is in, finally; he is, perhaps, the last biggie to throw a hat in the ring and the eleventh Republican. Earlier, last Saturday, Hillary officially jumped in. Why do candidates wait so long? One reason is that once you are officially in, there are sorts of those "sticky" new rules that impinge on a candidate's ability to raise money willy-nilly. Such a pain have to now have to require your donors to reveal themselves. That is, of course, why those super-pacs exist.
Monday afternoon, a NPR "All Things Considered" segment talked about Bernie Sander who is actually drawing huge crowds. Thousands drawn to several not so large venues. Ever the odd one, he tweeted the Clinton campaign that "objects in their rear view mirror might be larger than they appear!"
Monsoon rains. The so-called monsoons, afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms, that normally come in late July/early August, have continued unabated here in CO. The roadsides, meadows, and forest floors are spectacularly green this year. It is amazing how different it is on our trips to clean the condos in Breckenridge.
I hope your week ahead is untroubled weather-wise. Thank for reading.
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