North Korean Deja Vu

Here we are again.  In unilateral talks, the United States has conceded to North Korean demands that we trade food aid for North Korean suspension of weapons testing and uranium enrichment plus a return of IAEA inspectors – we wanted food aid to be decided purely on humanitarian grounds.

·         We’ve been here before, only to see North Korea take the food and then back out and demand more concessions.  They expelled inspectors and went on to test nuclear devices in 2006 and 2009.

·         Food aid is critical at the moment for the North:

o   To be able to establish the new leader, Kim Jong-un.

o   To deliver on Kim Jong-il’s promise that this would be a breakout year for North Korea.

o   And to be able to mark the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the nation’s founder, with the lavishness North Koreans have come to expect when their leaders are feted.

·         Where is the agreement that we “will trust but verify” that the 140,000 tons of food aid will go to the North Korean people rather than to fatten the administration and its military with the remainder perhaps sold by the cash starved tyrants?

·         Why don’t the Chinese feed their ally?

I don’t know whether it’s better to do things bi-laterally with these thugs or whether the multi-lateral talks – North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan – is the better approach. 

The American left demands diplomacy, foreign aid and multilateralism everywhere but with North Korea.  The right wants unilateral agreements, especially on trade and aid, sanctions and containment but with North Korea when it’s their turn at the helm.  Should we expect a President Romney to reverse this agreement?  Again?

I think we need to stop politicizing foreign policy and let the experts formulate longer term strategies for dealing with the world’s threats.  We need to take positions our friends and enemies can rely upon.

North Korea Agrees to Curb Nuclear Work;  U.S. Offers Aid

By Steven Lee Myers and Choe Sang-Hun, NYT

Published: February 29, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/world/asia/us-says-north-korea-agrees-to-curb-nuclear-work.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

North Korea Agrees to Halt Nuclear Activities for Food

By Jamie Crawford, CNN

Wed February 29, 2012

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/29/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-deal/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

Where’s the Honor in Our Politicians?

Here is a surprisingly angry column form David Brooks indirectly but no less pointedly about today’s Republicans and, though unnamed, Romney in particular.  You might take it differently.  Either way, if you are one of us that are angry about both government and politics, give this a read.

The Possum Republicans

By David Brooks, NYT

Published: February 27, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/opinion/brooks-the-possum-republicans.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

I think Brooks is right.  It’s time for America’s politicians to start defying their radical parties and for the center to start supporting them, regardless of consequences.  It really is becoming a war between governance and the forces of darkness as represented by Occupy and the Tea Party. 

How can the right wingers see the prejudice of the NYT but not that of the awful Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity and the army of others, particularly on AM radio and the internet?

The Republican primary circus has never contained more than one plausible candidate for President.  We should be ashamed that any American political party would tolerate let alone vote for any of the other 2012 Republican pretenders.  Bachmann, Trump, Cain, Perry, Gingrich, Santorum:  this is the best America has to offer? 

It is so pathetic that we look at Romney as weak and unprincipled because he doesn’t want to lower himself into the torrent of passion and resentment that is so full of intolerance and hate and is so far from both the true problems of the nation and the path to resolutions.

But Brooks is right again to be angry with what’s left of our national leadership.  Avoiding confrontation is a good thing but when the forces of darkness are at the gates of sensible governance or fiscal survival, it’s war.  Romney and his supporters and the rest of us must now realize that there is no honor left in avoiding conflict.  Brooks is right;  Romney and other sensible people on both sides of the aisle have been genuflecting before those who despise them.  It is time to stop.

I hope that Mitt Romney will finally begin to lay out his vision for his Presidency and some suggestions regarding the nation’s problems.  Do not talk about the competition, not even the President.  List the priorities, talk about ways forward.  Speak the simple truth.  Lead by example.  Act with honor.  Damn the consequences.  The same expectations apply to you Mr. President.

In my view, all this applies just as equally to Democrats and the left wing crazies.  The 111^th Democrat controlled Congress, particularly the House, was not an example of competent governance.  And it is clear that the Democratic Party is left of that House and that the Party has purged itself of as many moderates as it can.

Try to forgive me for saying so but the Nazis came to power by capturing populist anger.  Their leaders were disgusting little creatures who brilliantly used and fomented resentment to overwhelm competence, common sense and the rule of law.  Once elected, they became far worse.  As a nation, we should be rejecting both political parties and looking for leadership wherever we can find it.

As for the 2012 election, we should select the candidates that tell the most truth.

·         Governance is first about choices.  Does the candidate have his priorities right or is he on populist tangents? 

·         Problem solving first requires digging out root causes;  other approaches make things worse.  Does the candidate know that?

·         Does the candidate seem to care most about the good of the nation or most about some ideology or grudge?  Is he talking about the future of the nation or the other guy?

·         Choose the candidate that spouts the least propaganda.  The right candidate will likely tell you things you hate.

·         Americans are not currently paying for the services we receive from government.  We will have to get less and pay more in the future.  Is the candidate telling us that?

·         The single most dangerous root problem facing America is the rapidly escalating cost of medical services.  Our current approach to providing that service is the most wasteful and expensive in the world.  Doing nothing is not an option.  Is the candidate saying that?

Frankly, I think the federal government is far too big and far too intrusive in our lives.  Never the less, I hope the 2012 candidates will stay away from such arguments and focus solely on fiscal discipline and economic growth.  National healthcare, burning more coal and a host of other hot buttons are not the goal but if it turned out that they were part of the solution, so be it.  If the candidate is not a RINO or DINO, why should we vote for her?

Ike the Leadership Role Model

If you have any interest at all in the outcomes of the coming Presidential election or the current Republican nomination circus, I urge you to read the Douthat column at the link below.

Most Americans remember Dwight Eisenhower as a sort of hero but nothing to write home about.  In a 2011 Gallup poll on the greatest president, Eisenhower came in a lame 12th, in a tie with Jimmy Carter.  How dumb can we be?

Washington is planning a memorial to Ike and the only significant statue will portray Eisenhower as a barefoot boy, rather than a war leader or president.  There could not be a greater distortion of historical personal achievement and impact.

In this column, Ross Douthat attempts to show just how far we have strayed in our understanding and expectations for leadership.  Please read this, it’s brilliant.

The Greatness of Ike

By Ross Douthat, NYT

Published: February 25, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/opinion/sunday/douthat-the-greatness-of-ike.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Now, consider Douthat’s view of Ike and everybody’s current view of Romney. 

Nobody can know whether a President Romney will be any better than Obama.  What we do know is that President Obama has not only failed to lead but blames his failure on others – he cannot be rewarded with a second term.

What we can also plainly see is that Mitt Romney is a boy scout and a man who prefers quiet competence to bumper sticker grandstanding and AM radio rabble rousing rhetoric.

Let’s try to get this right folks.

For Groaner Lovers - From Bud

ARBITRATOR: A cook that leaves Arby's to work at McDonalds.

AVOIDABLE: What a bullfighter tries to do.

BERNADETTE: The act of torching a mortgage.

BURGLARIZE: What a crook sees with.

CONTROL: A short, ugly inmate.

COUNTERFEITERS: Workers who put together kitchen cabinets.

ECLIPSE: What an English barber does for a living.

EYEDROPPER: A clumsy ophthalmologist.

HEROES: What a guy in a boat does.

LEFTBANK: What the robber did when his bag was full of money.

MISTY: How golfers create divots.

PARADOX: Two physicians.

PARASITES: What you see from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

PHARMACIST: A helper on the farm.

POLARIZE: What penguins see with.

PRIMATE: Removing your spouse from in front of the TV.

RELIEF: What trees do in the spring.

RUBBERNECK: What you do to relax your wife.

SELFISH: What the owner of a seafood store does.

SUDAFED: Brought litigation against a government official.

Hey, some of ‘em were worth it.

Drinking and Driving

I would like to share an experience with you about drinking and driving.

As you well know, some of us have been known to have less concern about this subject than others.  A couple of nights ago, I was out for a few drinks with some friends and had a few too many.  Knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I've never done before – I took a bus home. 

I arrived back safely and without incident which was a real surprise since I had never driven a bus before and am not sure where I got this one.

[From Bud]

On Economic Central Management – Solar Energy Chapter

Germany once prided itself on being the “photovoltaic world champion”, doling out more than $130 billion to pay citizens to install solar panels.  American Greens and progressives demanded that we do the same.  But now Germany is cutting solar-power subsidies because they are expensive and inefficient.  They will be completely gone in 5 years.

·         Germany’s minister of economics and technology has called the spiraling solar subsidies a “threat to the economy.”

·         The average German consumer now pays an extra $260 per year for power as a result of this program. 

·         After spending $130 billion to add 1.1 million panels to private homes, Germany gets 0.3% percent of its energy from solar – read it carefully: much less than 1%.

·         Germans pay three times more than Americans for electricity.  German electricity costs are the second-highest in the developed world, exceeded only by Denmark, which aims to be the “world wind-energy champion”.

·         By the end of the century, Germany’s $130 billion solar panel subsidies will have postponed temperature increases by 23 hours.  Despite all the unrealistically generous assumptions, Germany’s CO2 emissions will be reduced by about 1 percent over the next 20 years.

·         Using solar, Germany is paying about $1,000 per ton of CO2 reduced.  The current CO2 price in Europe is $8.  Germans are wasting more than 99 cents of every euro that they plow into solar panels.

·         Because Germany is part of the silly socialist European Union Emissions Trading System – cap and trade, folks – Germany’s solar panels have made it cheaper for Portugal or Greece to burn coal.

·         Germany’s solar subsidies have helped to create “green jobs.”  But each job created by green-energy policies costs an average of $175,000.

·         Germans appear to hate nuclear power and the government has announced a complete shutdown of all existing German nuclear plants in the coming years but as a result of solar panels, the country is forced to import considerable amounts of electricity from nuclear power plants in France and the Czech Republic.

This is what Nancy Pelosi’s 111^th Congress had in mind for America.  If that sounds good, vote for President Obama or if you are a Republican, nominate Rick Santorum, it’s the same thing.

Goodnight Sunshine

By Bjørn Lomborg, Slate Magazine

Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012   http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/project_syndicate/2012/02/why_germany_is_phasing_out_its_solar_power_subsidies

Exercise for Older People

This is from Bud who shares my deeply rooted attitude about the importance of exercise.  He adds:  For all my friends who have not reached my age - hold on to this for later reference.

To build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders, it is suggested that the routine be repeated three days a week.

 

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.  With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.  Try to reach a full minute, then relax.

 

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

 

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.  Then 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arm straight for more than a full minute.  [I'm at this level.]

 

After you feel confident at this level, put a potato in each of the sacks

Using a Booger to Bring Nations Together

Did you know that Voice of America is still out there?  Do you think young people have even heard of VOA? 

If you are hoping to keep up with the grandkids even a little bit, then these short Jessica Beinecke videos are not to be missed.

'OMG! Meiyu' Introduces China to American Slang, Idioms and Jay-Z

Uploaded by PBSNewsHour on Feb 10, 2012

7 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6hE5XzqfhQ&feature=related

OMG! Exporting American Slang to China

Uploaded by PBSNewsHour on Feb 10, 2012

2 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op6uyyEL5xY

Wow, the YouTube generation addresses Official Cultural Exchange.  I thought Ms. Beinecke was about 17, not 25, but that’s a different problem.  As one who always believed that it was MTV that ended the cold war, I had to bring this to your attention.

Canadian Right Wing View of the Obama Pipeline Decision

Bud turned me on to this.  I don’t know much about Ezra Levant or the right wing companies that own his TV show, TV network and newspaper.  [It’s interesting that the parent company of the papers and TV network is French Canadian.]  Anyway, in this segment at least, Levant is reminiscent of Mark Steyn.

In my view, the President’s decision on the pipeline was not only dead wrong but also made for the most despicable reasons.  He really did put other interests ahead of the nation’s.  This 12 minute segment may seem a little over the top to some but I encourage you to give it the time and to stay with it – there are compelling arguments here.

Ezra Levant:  Host of Canadian Talk Show, The Source.

The Keystone Calamity

January 20 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NEu98L7_2c

Did you catch the two internal video moments that will surely be part of the anti-Obama ads in the fall? 

·         Candidate Obama guarantees us that he will eliminate importing oil from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 years – he’s consistently acted against that promise.

·         Be sure to move the slider to 12:51, where Candidate Obama shouts to his cheering supporters, “We are 5 days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”  Did we want that then?  Do we want it now?

As I’ve written before, this XL pipeline decision should be more than enough reason to defeat the President.  If only the nation is listening.  If only the Republicans offer an alternative that is even remotely plausible as a President.

Who the Wealthy Are

If you have been watching the primary circus, perhaps you have also scoffed at the huffing and puffing over Romney being a rich guy.  Maybe that stuff will work on somebody out there but not on any ordinary folks. 

Romney is successful;  he’s exceptional, he’s part of the 1%;  this is all good.  Does anybody really want one of us to be President?  Would you vote for one of the girls at work?  The barber or plumber maybe?  How about your brother-in-law?  Please.

But I digress.  I saw this today about the folks that Obama wants to tax – those families that earn $200 grand or more.  Really rich guys are not our problem although their kids might well be.

Rethinking Paths to Wealth

By Michael Smerconish - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2012

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/07/2142908/smerconish-rethinking-paths-to.html#storylink=cpy

I think we should remember who it really is that the anti-capitalists work against.  Let’s remember who it actually is that creates the jobs and pays the bills.  Folks like President Obama have never had a job and some of them have no ordinary real life experience.

At the same time, I think Warren Buffet is right about a lot of things and one of them is not passing real wealth on to the children.

The Founder’s Protections Ridiculed

After golf the other day my oldest grandson questioned the relevance of the “300 year old” document called the Constitution of the United States of America.  I was aghast;  I told him I wanted to meet his high school civics teacher so I could beat the living spit out of him.  Make no mistake, my grandson is neither a kid nor a dummy – he is well informed and means what he said.

Part of the political polarization in the nation today is a renewed populist propaganda campaign to overturn every aspect of what America’s Founders had in mind.  This comes, of course, primarily from the traditional, radical left who would slice up the Golden Goose in order to “care for us all” from cradle to grave.  These folks have no confidence in any form of government other than direct democracy – government by twitter.  And this appeals to the cooperative minded, social network oriented younger generations.

Here is an example of the plausible sounding attack against the continued viability of the Constitution by Adam Liptak, legal writer and columnist for the NYT.

‘We the People’ Loses Appeal with People around the World

By Adam Liptak

Published: February 6, 2012, NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/us/we-the-people-loses-appeal-with-people-around-the-world.html?_r=1&ref=adamliptak 

Convinced?  I am animated with outrage.   

·         Liptak points with pleasure to documents created by lefty activists and hopes to equate them with actual governance.  Has any European nation adopted the nonsense in the European Convention on Human Rights?  No. 

·         That food, education and health care are entitlements rather than things to be earned and charity when given is un-American anathema – it’s conceptually worse even than communism.  Think about it. 

·         The presumption of innocence is a corner stone of American law – see the 5th, 6th, and 14th amendments as well as countless decisions by the SCOTUS.  Only a lawyer could see otherwise. 

·         It should be axiomatic that a thinking person would be informed by the actions, conditions and thinking around the world.  But unless we wish to give up on American exceptionalism and base our rule of law on something other than personal liberty, then we must address ourselves to our own system and not concern ourselves with outsiders calling us parochial. 

·         Lefties want world government;  sensible people look at the UN and are prepared not only to wait but be very watchful in the interim – don’t drink the kool-aide, no nation does otherwise.  Shall we decide for ourselves about gay marriage, guns, capital punishment, election funding, et al or must we take an international poll? 

·         It is true that Justice Ginsburg and others are impatient with our system but many more, even on the left, join former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in attempting to revive the teaching of civics in our high schools. 

·         Jefferson is indeed misused by modern activists of every stripe but what he had in mind was periodic refreshment of the Founder’s intent, not its dismantling by each successive generation.  

·         The Constitution of the United States of America is no more “18^th century thinking” than democracy is 6^th century thinking.  The Constitution is an essential component of an exceptional system and is not to be treated lightly let alone abandoned. 

If other nations are advancing the cause of liberty or democracy, that could not be more wonderful.  But do we really want the Supreme Court of the United States to base its decisions on those taken in India or South Africa – how about France or Germany?  Do people have no sense of history? 

This nation was founded on the principle of individual liberty – nobody is supposed to be able to make us eat our broccoli.  The Founder’s distrusted monarchy, factionalism and most of all, populism [the tyranny of the majority].  They constructed a government intended to have no power other than to protect the rights of individuals against government and the nation against attack.  They installed mechanisms to keep the government in check and to make changing these things a slow and deliberate process. 

The cause of progressives is seriously hampered by these mechanisms – thus their frustration.  Personally, I am not only comfortable with that but ready to use the system to test some of what they’ve already accomplished.