A NEW POLITICAL MOTTO

I have two very conservative sons-in-law, both bright, industrious and well informed, hard workers who have achieved success by dint of individual and admirable industry, who delight in having fun with their more liberal (or moderate) father-in-law by sending him anti-Obama literature and quips. I think they shake their heads at such a poor misinformed old guy who has been seduced from the true path of Republican orthodoxy. One of them sent me a list of bumper stickers, of which one really caught my eye:

TRY BEING INFORMED

INSTEAD OF JUST OPINIONATED

As a former Republican of the ill-fated and almost defunct moderate wing, I think this is the perfect motto for the Far Right Neo-Cons who have taken over the Republican party. This group specializes in having a multitude of strong opinions but a paucity of factual information. Indeed, they have every right to their opinions, but I could respect them more if they had a factual basis for many of them.

Any deviation from the cant of their interpretation of capitalist doctrine is traitorous--and automatically makes the trespasser (oh, cursed word) a socialist. Their orthodoxy commenced about 1925 in the Cal Coolidge era and has gone through only minor transformation since. The fact that we had a minor blip called the Great Crash of '29 and the Great depression of 1930-1940 has not significantly altered their worldview.

That is why they ignore the current lessons of the Recession and the problems facing us today. Unfettered capitalism is A-OK and should be left alone to sort itself out.

That is why it's fine for us as world leaders to sustain two wars that are costing us a trillion dollars and more and putting the youth of our country at risk.

That is why it is considered criminal to admit on the world stage that some of our policies have not always worked and that it is not wrong to listen to other world opinions on occasion.

That is why it is just fine for the major world leader to be the only world power without a health plan.

I could go on. The point is, the world constantly changes. I am a believer in the free market capitalist system, but it has to change and become more responsible to the needs of the majority of people and cannot be without scrutiny and supervision to ensure that greed does not always win. Capitalism in our republic must always be in a state of flux, adjusting to different times and conditions. The Far Right refuses frequently to accept these realities. They are expert at criticizing but amateurs at suggesting concrete solutions or alternative plans.

May I suggest a new bumper sticker:

YOU MAY DISAGREE

BUT TRY TO AGREE

YOU MIGHT EVEN LIKE IT!

IT'S BIG BROTHER TIME

I noted an aricle in the Sunday NY Times regarding a case in Poole, England where a young matron with three children was objecting strenuously to the violation of her privacy rights. The Poole local school officials, suspecting the lady of falsifying her home address in order to get a daughter into a neighborhood school, commenced a covert spying operation, secretly following her around and keeping a log of her and her three children's activities and even accessing her telephone billing records. It turns out she was not breaking the law and her daughter was admitted to the school. But this lady is really feeling violated and is seeking an enquiry into this situation.

Local governments in England have a wide latitude of investigatory powers due to RIPA, the Regulatory Investigatory Powers Act, which allows them to investigate without being overseen by judges or law officers. They can nail you for such "heinous" crimes as not picking up dog poop and noise pollution as well as more serious crimes like industrial waste pollution, loan sharking and false benefit claims.

England has 20% of the surveillance cameras, the CCTVs (closed caption TVs) in world operation. It seems like there is one every twenty-five yards sometimes when you are driving in England. It is truly "the surveillance society", as the Times dubbed it.

I realize the world has changed, especially since 9/11, and we all, for good reasons, have become more paranoid and anxious about our safety. George Orwell was a real prophet in "1984", warning us of the dangers of a "Big Brother" society where an omnipotent supreme authority would be regulating our lives. Most people have no idea they are under surveillance which compounds the problem. The lady from Poole only found out about her surveillance after the fact when the school authorities summoned her to discuss her school application.

We are treading on dangerously thin moral ice when invasion of privacy reaches this level. In matters of national security you can understand the need for extra precautions, but infringing on the rights of citizens with no background of criminality is a real danger zone to human rights. Let Big Brother exercise special care.

IT GOES WITH THE TERRITORY

Latest poll figures demonstrate, for the first time, that a majority of Americans (51%) disagree with the President. In view of the variety and complexity of issues facing the President---Afghanistan, health reform, the economy et al--such results are hardly surprising. In every President's term, you run into cyclical variations, mood swings that cover the gamut of emotional reactions.


What I really think is the President is a victim of his own doing---overexposure. In his efforts to be, like Reagan, a Great Communicator, he is being seen and heard too much and thereby losing some of his effectiveness. We need a quiet period with less press conferences and speeches, a time when he quietly meets with his advisers, works behind the scenes with his very persuasive skills to influence key congressional people and develops policies for our domestic and international problems. In this situation, silence can be golden. Then, later, he can pull an F.D.R. and present some fireside chats to the American people, which will be even more effective if followed after long silence.


He is enough of a seasoned politician to know you can't stay on an eternal high but are subject to these mood swings and variations. It is an integral part of the great game of politics. It's time, Mr. President, to take five, reflect and, to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, carry that big stick but, for a little while, don't even speak softly.

THE PECKERS ARE STILL UP

Just a brief update. Back in the spring I reported on our new "tenants'", a pair of red-headed woodpeckers, who were occupying a dead palm tree next to our house. When we returned to our home after an absence of four months, we thought they were gone: there was no sign of activity or life. Then, a couple days ago, momma stuck her head out of one of the holes and later was spied on top of the palm. HOORAY!!! We certainly did not want to lose our prized guests! It's so difficult today finding the right kind of neighbors that you want to hang on to the good ones...

I'M SO OLD I CAN REMEMBER..,

I am reminded frequently of my accumulated years by the different way things are done today. Let me give you a short list of ten:

I can remember when

• banks made money by lending to and servicing accounts, not just by trading
• a hand shake validated a deal
• people talked to each other instead of screaming at each other
• you sat down to dinner and had conversations
• you wrote letters (called snailmail now) and shared ideas in English, not shorthand
• a kid's idea of porno was a four-letter word on a wall
• games were played outside in the real, not the virtual, world
• money was earned by hard work, not financial manipulation
• morality was an asset, not a liability
• love was a lot more than a four letter word

I'm sure you can add to the list.

THE NOBEL PRIZE: HONOR OR ONUS?

I have mixed feelings about the Nobel Prize awarded to Barack Obama. I am a supporter of our new President, but I think this award adds unnecessary pressure to a job which is already the toughest in the world. I think it is premature in terms of expectations and results.

I understand that the Nobel committee appreciated the direction in which our President was taking us in terms of seeking international cooperation and listening to what other countries are thinking. I believe the committee was also making a political statement intended as a slap at the imperialism of the previous administration. But our new President---it's only been nine months---has not had time to effect some of the changes in thinking and philosophy he has proposed. It gives the Neo-Cons the opportunity to chortle and disparage his accomplishments, a process that has already begun.

It would have been better to have waited and given Barack Obama some time to put his varied international programs into effect. I hope and pray he will be able to do so, as I hope that the Republicans can bring themselves to think of the good of the country with positive programs and a willingness to find a middle ground for cooperation in the varied agenda of urgent needs facing us today.

I want him to have the time to prove he deserves the Nobel prize and has truly earned it. I have every confidence he will prove it.

HOME, SWEET HOME

It's nice to be home---in America. Right now my wife and I are visiting family (a daughter and son) who live in Toledo, Ohio. We got back in time to get some really good corn on the cob, thanks to an extended season of perfect weather, the right amount of sun and rain in the proper proportion. Although we live in Florida, I was born in Ohio and still have that innate Midwestern prejudice that Midwesteners are the best: friendly, caring and generous.

Some things never change, it seems: my sports teams are as bad as ever. The Cincinnati Reds are far from a contender for the pennant, although they have ended the season on a relative high and are fighting for fourth place in their division. The Cleveland Browns are hapless, to put it as charitably as possible, and may possibly succeed the Detroit Lions as the worst team in professional football.

Another thing, unfortunately, that has not changed is the political rancor and extremes of opinions , like artillery shells being lobbed between opposing lines. Our President has commented on rudeness and lack of civility, as have I in past blogs. One of these days, we may surprise ourselves and actually hear what the opposing view is, and I hope that inspires the conflicting sides to seek a settlement.

I get annoyed at America and, when I'm in England, I'm exposed to a more international view. (I must admit, they have their share of screamers on the left and right, as well!) But the U.S.A. is still home and I love it, warts and all. Anyway, it's great to be home...