Did wearing an Israeli flag pin at the tea bag convention expose Sarah Palin's affiliation with or belief in religious extremism? She wore an Israeli flag alongside an American one. Some Christians on the fringes of mainstream Christian theology see Israel and the Jews as part of their end times apocalyptic prophecies.  They believe these prophecies require Israel to retain sovereignty over all the land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. Therefore they have aligned themselves with the Israeli extremists opposed to the two state solution. The majority of Israelis and their supporters around the world see permanent peace as in Israel's short and long term interests. A two state solution is recognized as essential part of any final agreement. Another part of their "prophecy" requires the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. After doing their part to create the conditions so Jesus can return, Jews will be offered one last chance to convert to Christianity or suffer the wrath of god. So much for these Christians' "special love" of Israel and Jews. The end of times conversion offer can be seen as a denial of the validity of Judaism as a religion. by Ann Gerhart, 44 The Obama Presidency, The Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2009 |
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sarah Palin's Israeli flag pin
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
President Obama needs more like General Buford
President Obama is angry that our intelligence agencies instead of sharing and analyzing the intelligence about Christmas underwear bomber Umar Faruk Abdulmutallab seemed to have barely done the minimum required.
In 1863 Union cavalry General Buford had intelligence gathering responsibilities to find the Confederate army that had invaded the North. He found them outside of Gettysburg.
At that point, General Buford could have done the minimum required by simply reporting to his superior the Confederate's location then withdrawing.
As a professional who took his responsibilities seriously, he quickly analyzed what he just learned. He recognized that the terrain around Gettysburg may be the best place to repel the invasion. He included that in his report and added that he was digging in to hold that ground.
For several hours on the first day of the battle, General Buford and his cavalry delayed the advance of the Confederates until enough of the Union army arrived to secure most of the positions he identified.
President Obama is asking the intelligence community to drop their "what is the least I can do and still keep my job" attitude and start acting more like professionals in the tradition of General Buford.
General Buford died five months after the Battle of Gettysburg from an illness probably caused by contaminated water, a common cause of sickness and death among Civil War soldiers.
 General Buford (Matthew Brady/Library of Congress/Public Domain) |
At that point, General Buford could have done the minimum required by simply reporting to his superior the Confederate's location then withdrawing.
As a professional who took his responsibilities seriously, he quickly analyzed what he just learned. He recognized that the terrain around Gettysburg may be the best place to repel the invasion. He included that in his report and added that he was digging in to hold that ground.
For several hours on the first day of the battle, General Buford and his cavalry delayed the advance of the Confederates until enough of the Union army arrived to secure most of the positions he identified.
President Obama is asking the intelligence community to drop their "what is the least I can do and still keep my job" attitude and start acting more like professionals in the tradition of General Buford.
General Buford died five months after the Battle of Gettysburg from an illness probably caused by contaminated water, a common cause of sickness and death among Civil War soldiers.
General Buford's Gettysburg story is dramatized in Michael Shaara's novel, The Killer Angels and General Buford is portrayed by Sam Elliott in Gettysburg, the movie based on the novel.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
It's not the Nobel "Pacifism" Prize
Some have criticized the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to a commander in chief of a nation that has just announced an escalation of one of the two wars in which his nation is involved.
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for renewing America's commitment to diplomacy, the rule of law, and a decreased emphasis on the use of military force, not for pacifism
Few Nobel Peace Prize winners have been pacifists. Many were military commanders or political leaders of nations at war.
President Theodore Roosevelt's 1906 prize was for his diplomatic work in ending the Russian-Japanese War. President Roosevelt had built his career on his record as a war hero in what was an unjust war of aggression and conquest, the Spanish-American War, and believed in the aggressive use of military force.
President Wilson's 1919 prize was for his diplomatic efforts after World War I to prevent future wars. As commander in chief he just presided over the American military's decisive contribution to the defeat of Germany and its allies.
General George C. Marshall's, the American Army's chief of staff in World War II and a major architect of the Allied victory, won the Peace Prize in 1953 for his post war reconstruction work in Europe.
The 1973 prize Henry Kissinger shared with his then North Vietnamese counterpart for negotiating the end to the war in Vietnam may have been to most disturbing and least deserving of any. Along with what has generally been judged to be the unjust use of excessive force in Vietnam, Henry Kissinger's policies set off the chain of events that directly contributed to the Khmer Rouge's massacre of millions of their fellow Cambodians.
Rather than an acknowledgment of anyone's accomplishments, the 1973 prize was perhaps more a collective sigh of relief that the Vietnam War appeared to be reaching a conclusion.
Both of the 1978 winners for their diplomatic work, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime minister Menachem Begin had dubious histories of terrorism. During World War II, Anwar Sadat was imprisoned by the British for his efforts to work with Nazis against the British in Egypt. Menachem Begin was part of an organization that committed terrorist attacks against both the British and Arabs in Palestine before Israeli independence.
The 1989 winner, the Dalai Lama, does not claim to be a pacifist and supports the just use of force, perhaps because he sees that as among the options to achieve his goals for Tibet. From the late 1950s until the mid 1970s, the Dalai Lama was publicly silent about the CIA supported guerilla war the Tibetans waged against the Chinese. When as part of the process of normalizing relations with China, the CIA withdrew support for the Tibetan guerrillas, the Dalai Lama called on the Tibetans to cease the war, implying that he long had some authority over the fighters.
The 1993 Prize was shared by leaders who after a prolonged period of waging war against each other, agreed to peace, South African President F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela.
Ironically in some ways the accomplishments of these South African practitioners of armed force may have been greater that those of the iconic pacifist of the 20th century, Mohandas Gandhi. After independence, India descended into a maelstrom of Hindu versus Muslim violence with up to one millions deaths. British Indian broke into two then three nations that have repeatedly warred with each, two of which have armed themselves with nuclear weapons.
In contrast, South Africa achieved a much less violent end to Apartheid without civil or racial war or a break up of the nation. South Africa also dismantled its incipient nuclear weapons program.
The 1994 prize was awarded to three leaders who had long waged both conventional and terrorist wars with each other, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin
The 2002 prize was awarded to Navy veteran and former President Jimmy Carter for his post presidency diplomatic and humanitarian work
Vietnam War Army veteran and former Vice President Al Gore shared the 2007 for his environmental work.
For more information:
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for renewing America's commitment to diplomacy, the rule of law, and a decreased emphasis on the use of military force, not for pacifism
Few Nobel Peace Prize winners have been pacifists. Many were military commanders or political leaders of nations at war.
President Theodore Roosevelt's 1906 prize was for his diplomatic work in ending the Russian-Japanese War. President Roosevelt had built his career on his record as a war hero in what was an unjust war of aggression and conquest, the Spanish-American War, and believed in the aggressive use of military force.
President Wilson's 1919 prize was for his diplomatic efforts after World War I to prevent future wars. As commander in chief he just presided over the American military's decisive contribution to the defeat of Germany and its allies.
General George C. Marshall's, the American Army's chief of staff in World War II and a major architect of the Allied victory, won the Peace Prize in 1953 for his post war reconstruction work in Europe.
The 1973 prize Henry Kissinger shared with his then North Vietnamese counterpart for negotiating the end to the war in Vietnam may have been to most disturbing and least deserving of any. Along with what has generally been judged to be the unjust use of excessive force in Vietnam, Henry Kissinger's policies set off the chain of events that directly contributed to the Khmer Rouge's massacre of millions of their fellow Cambodians.
Rather than an acknowledgment of anyone's accomplishments, the 1973 prize was perhaps more a collective sigh of relief that the Vietnam War appeared to be reaching a conclusion.
Both of the 1978 winners for their diplomatic work, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime minister Menachem Begin had dubious histories of terrorism. During World War II, Anwar Sadat was imprisoned by the British for his efforts to work with Nazis against the British in Egypt. Menachem Begin was part of an organization that committed terrorist attacks against both the British and Arabs in Palestine before Israeli independence.
The 1989 winner, the Dalai Lama, does not claim to be a pacifist and supports the just use of force, perhaps because he sees that as among the options to achieve his goals for Tibet. From the late 1950s until the mid 1970s, the Dalai Lama was publicly silent about the CIA supported guerilla war the Tibetans waged against the Chinese. When as part of the process of normalizing relations with China, the CIA withdrew support for the Tibetan guerrillas, the Dalai Lama called on the Tibetans to cease the war, implying that he long had some authority over the fighters.
The 1993 Prize was shared by leaders who after a prolonged period of waging war against each other, agreed to peace, South African President F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela.
Ironically in some ways the accomplishments of these South African practitioners of armed force may have been greater that those of the iconic pacifist of the 20th century, Mohandas Gandhi. After independence, India descended into a maelstrom of Hindu versus Muslim violence with up to one millions deaths. British Indian broke into two then three nations that have repeatedly warred with each, two of which have armed themselves with nuclear weapons.
In contrast, South Africa achieved a much less violent end to Apartheid without civil or racial war or a break up of the nation. South Africa also dismantled its incipient nuclear weapons program.
The 1994 prize was awarded to three leaders who had long waged both conventional and terrorist wars with each other, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin
The 2002 prize was awarded to Navy veteran and former President Jimmy Carter for his post presidency diplomatic and humanitarian work
Vietnam War Army veteran and former Vice President Al Gore shared the 2007 for his environmental work.
For more information:
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Afghanistan and the lessons of history
The history of Vietnam is not the only source of historical insight into Afghanistan.
Because of the threats from violent racist ideologues , Republican President Eisenhower used Federal troops and U.S. Marshalls to protect African-American children as they attended integrated schools to obtain a quality education.
In Afghanistan, violent religious extremists who oppose the education of women have thrown acid into the faces of little girls attending school.
One of President Obama's goals is provide support and training for Afghan police and soldiers so they will protect Afghan girls attending schools.
The violent racist ideology that threatened American children is still active but is marginalized, isolated, and mostly ineffective. In a similar way, another goal is to help create conditions in which Afghan society can isolate and marginalize those who opposed the education of women.
Because of the threats from violent racist ideologues , Republican President Eisenhower used Federal troops and U.S. Marshalls to protect African-American children as they attended integrated schools to obtain a quality education.
In Afghanistan, violent religious extremists who oppose the education of women have thrown acid into the faces of little girls attending school.
One of President Obama's goals is provide support and training for Afghan police and soldiers so they will protect Afghan girls attending schools.
The violent racist ideology that threatened American children is still active but is marginalized, isolated, and mostly ineffective. In a similar way, another goal is to help create conditions in which Afghan society can isolate and marginalize those who opposed the education of women.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Why Tiger Woods is a public issue
What is publicly known continues to suggest that domestic violence may be involved. Years of consciousness raising has made domestic abuse a community issue. That doesn't change because celebrities are involved or a male may have been the victim.
Endorsements are a major source of Tiger's fortune. Where does that money come from? Do products such as Gillette razors include a Tiger "endorsement surcharge"? Many buy such products because of long years of use and not because of Tiger's relatively recent endorsement.
Is another source the continued underpayment of the workers who manufacture the products Tiger endorses, such as Nike? Instead of paying workers fairly, is Nike paying a fortune to Tiger?
When Tiger sold an entire image package of not only the greatest golfer but nice guy and family man, Tiger sold his privacy.
For more information
Danish Comsumer Council's report on working conditions at a Nike factory in Vietnam
Endorsements are a major source of Tiger's fortune. Where does that money come from? Do products such as Gillette razors include a Tiger "endorsement surcharge"? Many buy such products because of long years of use and not because of Tiger's relatively recent endorsement.
Is another source the continued underpayment of the workers who manufacture the products Tiger endorses, such as Nike? Instead of paying workers fairly, is Nike paying a fortune to Tiger?
When Tiger sold an entire image package of not only the greatest golfer but nice guy and family man, Tiger sold his privacy.
For more information
Danish Comsumer Council's report on working conditions at a Nike factory in Vietnam
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Disturbing White House security breach
The New York Times reported uninvited guests got past security into the state dinner with the Prime Minister of India..
Coming two days after the 46th anniversary of the Secret Service's failures which contributed to the death of President Kennedy, this is seriously disturbing.
No matter what the cause, security breaches like this cannot be allowed with the threat level against President Obama.
Coming two days after the 46th anniversary of the Secret Service's failures which contributed to the death of President Kennedy, this is seriously disturbing.
No matter what the cause, security breaches like this cannot be allowed with the threat level against President Obama.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
46th anniversary of the assasination of President Kennedy
Today on the 46th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy, I'm reading Brothers in arms:The Kennedys, the Castros, and the Politics of Murder, by Gus Russo and Stephen Molton.
The authors researched recently released archival material. The cover up which has fueled conspiracy theories was not of who killed President Kennedy but the extensive U.S. war against Cuba. Oswald acted alone but was motivated by a desire to retaliate for the attempts to assassinate Fidel. The authors found evidence that Cuban intelligence had been in contact with Oswald and may have known of his plan.
Are among the reasons that relations with Cuba are not normalized the lingering bitterness towards the Castro because of the Cuban intelligence service's relationship with Oswald?
On a related note, I hope the Secret Service learned from their incredible failures on that day to improve security for our president today.
The authors researched recently released archival material. The cover up which has fueled conspiracy theories was not of who killed President Kennedy but the extensive U.S. war against Cuba. Oswald acted alone but was motivated by a desire to retaliate for the attempts to assassinate Fidel. The authors found evidence that Cuban intelligence had been in contact with Oswald and may have known of his plan.
Are among the reasons that relations with Cuba are not normalized the lingering bitterness towards the Castro because of the Cuban intelligence service's relationship with Oswald?
On a related note, I hope the Secret Service learned from their incredible failures on that day to improve security for our president today.
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