Big News Today--Israel on the Line

Fatah and Hamas negotiators Azzam al-Ahmad and Musa Abu Marzouk, September 24, 2014.



if the Palestinians can agree on a single government for Gaza and The West Bank it will put pressure on Israel to step up realistic efforts at peace.   We should be able to see how serious the parties are about reaching an agreement, finally, after all these years.

Here We Go Again

Deja
Vu All Over Again

The ascension to power of the Islamic
State in the Levant (ISIL) is providing fodder for all sorts of
demands for retaliation. So far, no one has warned of a mushroom
cloud. The beheading of journalists and aid workers has galvanized
public opinion and increased the shrillness of those who clamor for
war at the first threat, imagined or otherwise. This group is
barbaric, of that there can be no doubt but have we reached the
threshold for a declaration of war? I am not certain that we have
although I do think there is a risk that must be addressed.

Air strikes have begun in Syria against
various targets of terrorism and have been going on in Iraq for some
days now. The talking heads on TV are scorching the earth to find
anyone that may be presumed to have any kind of intelligence or
military credibility to comment on the topic. Actually, they are
looking for anyone that can drum up some kind of ardor for military
action. They aren't too interested in those who think this isn't
such a great idea. In its enthusiasm the new “coalition of the
willing” is quite excited to participate in aerial bombardment but
those willing to actually put people on the ground to do the nasty
work of rooting out combatants from their urban hideouts are scarce.
Of course, our group formerly known as the “neocons” are champing
at the bit for the United States to return warriors to the
battlefield to die in the quest for Middle Eastern hegemony but so
far the President has been unwilling to furnish them. Only the
Kurds, whose homes and peoples are under attack, and the imaginary
Iraqi army are willing to provide what we so euphemistically call
“boots on the ground.”

The past few days have revealed yet
another threat to the “homeland” so the bloodlust is stoked to
provide political cover for the President to send bombs and missiles
to avoid the prospect of those radicals reaching across the Atlantic
Ocean to visit mayhem on the American people. But has the case for
war been made? Has a clear and present danger been identified that
would justify the expenditure of more lives and treasure? At last
count the cost was $7.5 million per day and I am certain that has
risen precipitously since engaging the enemy inside Syria. After the
snow job we got in order to provide “probable cause” to invade
Iraq I must confess to a bit of skepticism about NSA and CIA reports.
This is another one of those cases where there are no good options
and we have been cleverly played to provide the means of knocking off
the enemies of Hafez Assad in Syria and the Ayatollah in Iran who are
jubilant to see the United States making recruiting posters for their
efforts.

Here is my problem. The chief
instigator of radical Islam is the ruling family of Saudi Arabia.
All but a couple of the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack were Saudis.
Wahhabism is the brand of radical Islam that the Saudis practice and
Osama Bin Laden was a Saudi. They are the chief financiers of
radical Islam along with Qatar and Kuwait, both ostensibly allies of
ours. The Saudi ruling family has been promising the Caliphate for
years and they are deathly afraid of their own people rising up and
overthrowing them like the people of Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Syria
and they need a way to blunt the threat without fighting their own
people. In addition, the Saudis really don't want Iran to be a
bigger power than they are because the Iranians are Shiite Muslims.
Sort of like Baptists and Catholics a few centuries ago. If you
don't understand the history of the region you can't understand the
present and the present is much more complicated than we are led to
believe.

So, here we go again and who else is
excited besides the Syrians, Iranians, Saudis, Kuwaitis and Qataris?
Why, those who profit the most from the machinery of death, the
armaments industry. All of that money we spend on war, where do you
think it goes. As an old investigative phrase goes, “just follow
the money.” Current reports are of billions in defense contracts
to the private sector for all sorts of support machinery and
intelligence gathering. The benefactors? Northrop-Grumman,
Lockheed-Martin, General Dynamics and a myriad of acronyms of
surreptitious companies that provide deep surveillance for the
military. You may ask “what does the military actually do?”
Well, the military takes those products provided to them by those
contractors and adds the human element. The folks we put in harm's
way and those millions of taxpayers who have their taxes siphoned off
from schools, roads and hospitals to feather the nests of the
stockholders of those companies. Incidentally, defense stocks are
up.

I realize there is some level of threat
to the United States proper and its citizens. I just think the
response is poorly conceived and lacks a clear definition of our
goals. The most incisive comment I have heard made concerning this
military action was made in a Charlie Rose interview with President
Rouhani of Iran. I will try to quote it as accurately as I can. He
said, “why do you think you can solve the problems you created with
actions that only recruit more enemies?” There you have it.
President Obama knows this and that is why he has been resisting
action as long as he has but the dogs of war have been unleashed and
no one knows when they will be called to heel.

My Take is this. I wish we perceived
the threat of climate change as clearly as we perceive this threat.

Write me with your thoughts.

Time To Shoulder The Burden

The climate change generation finds its voice | MSNBC

It is time for this generation to step up and contribute its energy to this demanding issue.  My generation took on the War in Vietnam, Civil Rights, Women's Rights and many other issues and forced change that remains with us today.  There is no substitute for youthful enthusiasm and idealism.  Without motivated people in each genertion there will be no progress.  The pressure from monied interests is relentless in its efforts to strip public advantage and add to profits.

Victim: the poor and helpless

A New Way Insurers are Shifting Costs to the Sick - ProPublica



It is things like this in which business efforts to game the system are so prevalent that they result in skirting the regulations meant to control costs and treatments.  They are relentless in their pursuit of profits even if it means harming the consumer.  It reveals that the insurance companies have absolutely no interest in health and are focused on the bottom line.  This scam is known to me.  Just this last week I went to refill a prescription I have had for years.  It quadrupeled in cost going from $10 for a 3 month supply to over $40.



The pursuit of short term gain will inexorably lead to such a strict regulation of health care that single payer will be preferable.  Just another example of the short sightedness of our corporations.

If you build it, they will come

Chattanooga's Gig: how one city's super-fast internet is driving a tech boom | World news | theguardian.com







Evidence that building the infrastructure can result in being very attractive for business.  Perhaps we ought to do this as part of a comprehensive plan.

Who's going to pay for it this time

House Could Vote On $500 Million To Arm, Train Syrian Rebels : The Two-Way : NPR





I am totally upset.  And I have to say that I am upset with my President and my political party.  He we are spending money that we say we don't have for other things to benefit our citizens to address a nebulous threat that has every possibility of leading us back into our men and women dying in some desert half way around the world.  It is hard to keep from cursing.  500 M here, 7.5 M per day and who knows what else.  I simply do not accept that this group poses a "clear and present" danger that cannot be addressed in a less spectacular way.

With U.S. Oil Supply Climbing, Some Call For End To Export Ban : NPR

With U.S. Oil Supply Climbing, Some Call For End To Export Ban : NPR

The "some" certainly does not include the American consumer.  The United States is already the largest worldwide exporter of refined products but to allow export of crude oil would only do more to place the United States at the mercy of the giant oil producers and the world market rate for crude oil.  This is perhaps the last hedge that the consumer has against extreme pricing and it is a lucrative export market for our refined products.

Held Hostage

Sisi says coalition must battle Islamic State and others | World | Reuters



it seems action in the Middle East to combat ISIL will require supporting despotic regimes in their efforts to remain in power.  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq.  They all want us to deal with their problems of restive populations.

Art in the Vineyard and Cooperative Efforts

Art in the Vineyard is an oasis, literally and figuratively, nestled in the rolling hills of Eastern Pulaski County. Shown as a cooperative effort between Cedar Creek Vineyards and the Watershed Arts Alliance it celebrates wine-making, music, arts and crafts in the setting of the residence and vineyards of Jeff, Debbie, Isaiah and Micah Wiles. After a long driveway through the deep woods one suddenly bursts into the sunlight and sees open fields and grapevines on the slopes and a home in the middle of it all.

This event, Art in the Vineyard, has become an annual event that allows the different arts and crafts to come together in a bucolic, rural setting to showcase some of the best efforts of the mostly local artisans. At least two of our local authors were present to sell and autograph their works as were the widely varied artisans there.

A decade ago an event such as this would have been nearly inconceivable. Over the past few years things have happened in our local area that I did not expect to live long enough to see but it just reinforces the idea that there is a tipping point after which the floodgates open and change becomes the norm. It isn't that people were not working in areas that have recently become more visible but it is that their efforts are now being rewarded. The long quest for legal alcohol sales was a critical part of the solution but is wasn't just so people could go out and party like it's 1999. That one thing allowed the creation of many venues for artistic expression by providing a way to actually make those things a profitable venture. New businesses are still feeling their way around to get an understanding of the competitive nature of their endeavors. The business models are still evolving. Free enterprise will determine which of these businesses find success and also those who will fail. On the other hand there has been an explosion of community based efforts to provide entertainment and revenue opportunities to people in the area. The Market on Main comes to mind as a successful community based effort that draws hundreds of people to the downtown area to buy the products of the local farmers and other entrepreneurs. In the meantime, some exposure is given to local talent and that has a rebounding effect of drawing even more people to downtown.

The long struggle to reclaim the Virginia Theater for downtown has regained the public's attention. Even if the business model has not yet been determined it has the potential to be a valuable source of attraction to the downtown area and that will encourage other venues to open up to both serve and take advantage of business opportunities. These are some fine examples of public/private partnerships and how they can be immensely favorable in the development of a progressive community. In the same manner as the entertainment venues there is also a tipping point when a community becomes recognized as being one that is eager to support new business ventures. Once that tipping point is reached then there will be an explosion of jobs and new opportunities. Our children will no longer have to leave home to find their version of the American Dream.

There are several important ventures in the pipeline, all of which will require a measure of public/private partnerships. The project we keep hearing of to build a new hotel near the Center for Rural Development in order to attract more convention business to the area is one. An upgrade to Pulaski County Park that will attract more vacationers and water sports enthusiasts to come here and spend their money here is another. Perhaps one with the most potential is the redevelopment of Burnside Island. I am no fan of turning public properties over to private industry but there are ways to do this that can be of great benefit to everyone.

Personally, I think what I have seen of the plans for Burnside Island are far too short sighted. Bring the chair lift spoken of on over to Lakeshore Drive and create a corridor right up French Avenue to Main Street and Burnside has potential to become a Gatlinburg on Lake Cumberland. It is the only city that has direct access to the lake with an existing dock. The possibilities are endless but Burnside may need some help with capital requirements and this is where Pulaski County government can step in to become a partner. I have spoken from time to time about there being no advantage for Somerset to accept a merged government but with an improved financial outlook and evidence of progressive government that could change. It will be a while down the road but Rome was not built in a day. Lexington was a one horse college town until IBM came to town. That one thing opened the floodgates and now Lexington is a very attractive place to live.

Just like the advances made in the arts and entertainment communities these efforts will be built piece by piece until the tipping point is reached. When that happens we will experience a growth of opportunity for every citizen of the area but we will never get there is we continue to do things the same old way. Sometimes progress is frightening but a community can't just stay in one place. You are either going forward or falling back and we don't need to fall back another inch.

My take is that we should take the advice of that old gospel tune, “Step into the water.”

Neither Democrats nor Republicans on sure footing ahead of midterm elections

Neither Democrats nor Republicans on sure footing ahead of midterm elections

Towers of Remembrance

9/11/01 is burned into the collective
memory of people who were alive on that date. Watching those planes
hit the great towers in New York created a national trauma that will
last for the reach of those generations. The symbolism of the attack
on the edifice that represents our military might was not lost on us.
The bravery of those passengers who refused to allow Flight 93 to
complete its mission to attack the symbol of our great nation, the
White House, was inspiring. Much like 12/7/41 represents the bombing
of Pearl Harbor that date marks the national memory of a long battle
to combat extremism that desires harm for our country world wide.

We have draped those towers in the
national flag of remembrance and resolve to seek out those who gained
from that tragedy and bring them to justice. We have used those
towers to create a lasting enmity toward anyone we perceive to be
anti-American. Those towers represent justification for our response
and any excesses we may have committed in that response. We have
failed to take into account in our response the effect on the
national freedom and independence of the people who have given up a
bit of freedom in the quest for security.

Our initial response was appropriate
and directed. Our execution of that response had flaws that led us
into a decade and more of war in which very few had to feel the
effects of. It led us to establish a gigantic security bureaucracy
that had never existed before and, in some minds, create a government
that is prying into our private affairs. Did this improve security.
I am doubtful. One thing that has never reached the level of
national conversation is the why of the question. Why did they do
this? It is not enough to say they hate our democracy. It is not
enough to say it is a spiritual war of Islam against Christianity.
It is not enough to say there is a military solution and it is not
enough to continue sacrificing our young men and women to maintain a
sensation of actually doing something.

Even though those terrorists can
inflict pain on our national psyche they have no chance of defeating
us with such tactics. We could lose numbers like this weekly for a
long time, and these powers are unable to do that, without sustaining
great harm to our systems if we refused to be terrorized. Their
motive is to create dysfunction in our society and they have
succeeded in that goal. Not the least of the effects is the great
treasure we have expended world wide in combat. Perhaps the greatest
effect has been the surrender of our individual freedoms which is
what the terrorists wanted to do. That is what damages us most.

But, today we can mourn the loss of our
fellow citizens. They were victims of a cowardly attack, not on our
military but of the symbols of American Power. They were going about
their lives in a routine way without a thought for desperation and
hatred from places most had never given a moment's thought. We can
mourn the loss of the men and women who have died in the fog of war,
some necessarily and some not. And we can mourn the loss of our
innocence and our complacent attitude that we were looked upon with
envy by everyone.

But, just as we met the threat with
resolve we can also resolve to show that the United States is a land
that loves peace and compassion. We can resolve that, in addition to
defeating our enemies, we can meet them at the tables of negotiation
and attempt to resolve differences. Make no mistake, all of the
fault is not our own. Terroristic attacks on innocent people will
never be a proper response to perceived grievances but we are the
United States of America. We can afford to be great.

Why won't the Arabs fight their own battles?

US faces Arab reluctance in Islamic State fight - The Washington Post: “They need to be involved. This is their neighborhood. The dangers that are posed are more directed at them right now than they are us,” Obama said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”





The Saudis are scared to death that some group like ISIL is going to pop up on the Arabian Peninsula and try to overthrow the monarchy.  Jordan is the only country that has been helping the problem by taking in thousands of refugees from Syria and Iraq.  In the past the United States has jumped right in and took the lead role in the fighting.  Now, the President is insisting that the Arab states put some skin in the game.  I'm down with that.  I'm sick and tired of the United States being used as a mercenary army by the Saudis and other oppressive regimes.