Prior to leaving for our summer in England, we visit family in the Toledo, Ohio area. I am an Ohioan by birth, and it is always enjoyable to "come home". I love Florida and our island paradise, but it is good to escape the steam bath atmosphere of southwest Florida in the summer.
I also love the lushness of Ohio in the early summer before extreme heat dies it out and dulls the green. We had dinner outside on my daughter's and son-in-law's patio on the occasion of the visit of their eldest daughter and her boyfriend to whom she will be married next year in South Carolina where they both live. It was one of those soft nights with a gentle breeze, a sunset like a Monet painting and, much to my grandaughter's amd my delight, an armada of fireflies (or lightning bugs to us midwesteners). We don't have them in South Carolina or Florida, so this was a real treat. My granddaughter reverted to her childhood and chased several lightning bugs around to capture them, and, if my old knees were better, I would have joined her!
The midwest in early summer has its own unique softness and verdancy. Rain in the spring had been heavier than usual and the result was this extra lushness. The only problem with it is that you have to mow the lawn more frequently. but it will dry out soon enough when the oppressive midwestern heat gains momentum and control.
In the meantime, it is a special time, and I'm sure the English poet, William Blake, won't mind if I use his line applied to England and apply it to Ohio; it is truly 'a green and pleasant land".
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
DAMNED IF YOU DO OR DON'T
I see the President's speech last night on the oil crisis got mixed reviews: to his supporters, he showed he was on top of affairs; to his detractors, exactly the opposite---he is floundering.
This is totally predictable. the right wing had opinions ready to propagate even before the speech was finished---prefab hatchet jobs like Sarah Palin and a host of Neo-Cons were ready, willing and able to smear the speech. To be fair, I think some of the more liberal-minded also had their supporting commentaries ready in advance.
In this era of rabid partisanship, positions have for some time been set in concrete on almost all political subjects with no apparent willingness to talk to see if common ground can be found.
It is now Obama's war, Afghanistan. It is his recession, especially the jobs (or lack thereof) market. The financial mess is his. And it certainly is his oil crisis since it occurred on his watch.
Let's get a little perspective. The beginnings of many of these problems go back, not only to G.W. Bush but to Clinton and Reagan, as well. Go back to Reagan, the supreme capitalist who encouraged the free market and minimal controls. Clinton had a "laissez-faire" attitude: don't touch a thing while things are going so well. W. encouraged this kind of thinking in market and financial terms, plus he added the expansionary democratic imperialism where we propagate the American virtues of free enterprise and democracy at a killing cost to us, both literally and figuratively. And cronyism between government agencies and industry is far from new.
At the time many of these programs seemed to make sense, although, personally, I was against going into Iraq when we had Sadam Hussein in a box amd should have concentrated on Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and other trouble spots. I am a defender of the free market system but not uncontrolled or unregulated free market. You need safeguards and deterrents to control the unprincipled and greedy.
I've said this before: I like Obama, but sometimes he is too cool for his own good, too much the rationalist and needs to demonstrate some emotional passion. He has been trying to do that recently. but his enemies refuse to notice.
I'm off with my wife at the end of the month for our usual summer in England. (She's an American citizen but still has feelings for where she started.) It will be interesting to see America from a different perspective. I love this country, warts and all, but sometimes it is good to step away to see things here.
I wish our President Godspeed and good luck as he pursues the rekindling of the economy and tries to deal with the crisis in the gulf. We live on an island in that gulf, so, believe me, we have a vested interest in seeing it cleaned up. I'll keep watching and praying...for progress in cleaning up B.P.'s mess and hoping the job market shows dramatic improvement. Then we can all start to breathe a bit better.
This is totally predictable. the right wing had opinions ready to propagate even before the speech was finished---prefab hatchet jobs like Sarah Palin and a host of Neo-Cons were ready, willing and able to smear the speech. To be fair, I think some of the more liberal-minded also had their supporting commentaries ready in advance.
In this era of rabid partisanship, positions have for some time been set in concrete on almost all political subjects with no apparent willingness to talk to see if common ground can be found.
It is now Obama's war, Afghanistan. It is his recession, especially the jobs (or lack thereof) market. The financial mess is his. And it certainly is his oil crisis since it occurred on his watch.
Let's get a little perspective. The beginnings of many of these problems go back, not only to G.W. Bush but to Clinton and Reagan, as well. Go back to Reagan, the supreme capitalist who encouraged the free market and minimal controls. Clinton had a "laissez-faire" attitude: don't touch a thing while things are going so well. W. encouraged this kind of thinking in market and financial terms, plus he added the expansionary democratic imperialism where we propagate the American virtues of free enterprise and democracy at a killing cost to us, both literally and figuratively. And cronyism between government agencies and industry is far from new.
At the time many of these programs seemed to make sense, although, personally, I was against going into Iraq when we had Sadam Hussein in a box amd should have concentrated on Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and other trouble spots. I am a defender of the free market system but not uncontrolled or unregulated free market. You need safeguards and deterrents to control the unprincipled and greedy.
I've said this before: I like Obama, but sometimes he is too cool for his own good, too much the rationalist and needs to demonstrate some emotional passion. He has been trying to do that recently. but his enemies refuse to notice.
I'm off with my wife at the end of the month for our usual summer in England. (She's an American citizen but still has feelings for where she started.) It will be interesting to see America from a different perspective. I love this country, warts and all, but sometimes it is good to step away to see things here.
I wish our President Godspeed and good luck as he pursues the rekindling of the economy and tries to deal with the crisis in the gulf. We live on an island in that gulf, so, believe me, we have a vested interest in seeing it cleaned up. I'll keep watching and praying...for progress in cleaning up B.P.'s mess and hoping the job market shows dramatic improvement. Then we can all start to breathe a bit better.
Friday, June 11, 2010
A LETTER TO BRITAIN
Dear Brits:
As an American having been married to an English (half Scot) woman for fifty-seven years with whom, the last few years , I have spent summers in England, I am most definitely an Anglophile. Those credentials should qualify me to be a reasonable cultural bridge between the two nations of America and Britain.
Right now in U.K. great concern exists about anti-British sentiments in America and the President’s recent fiery remarks concerning BP when he said there needed to be “some asses kicked”. I know that came as a shock to Britons to hear the usually imperturbable and cool Barack Obama use such a non-Presidential perjorative. The Daily Telegraph ascribed it to political pressure and jingoism, which I think is a fair assessment. The President has been catching hell from a variety of sources, and he needed to demonstrate some emotional heat and passion to mollify his critics. I know many Brits call us Americans “O.T.T.” (over the top) on many occasions and think we are guilty of hyperbole, which, I admit, is an American characteristic on occasions. We are frequently emotional and don’t hide our feelings.
But---and it’s a big but---I suspect even the understated Brits, if subjected to the pressure of the present Gulf crisis due to the fire and destruction of the Deepwater Horizons rig and the subsequent uncontrolled pollution of a a large area of the Gulf of Mexico, threatening and despoiling the shores, so far, of Louisiana, Alabama, the panhandle area of Florida, and, I fear, a lot more to come, would be inclined to fits of pique and temper.
Put the shoe on the other foot. Let’s suppose that an oil rig was destroyed in the North Sea and was spewing millions of gallons of filth toward the English coast,. say near Great Yarmouth and then spread south, invading the English channel past Dover, Folkestone, Hastings, Eastbourne (where my wife and I live in the summer), carrying on to Portsmouth and then the resort coast of Devon and Cornwall, spreading into St. George’s Channel separating the U.K. and Ireland, etc., etc.. I think we might hear a few choice expletives from politicos in U.K. and certainly from the more rabid newspapers which I say, as an outside observer, are not noted at best of times for understatement. The yellow journalists in England are equal to the worst rags in America,
B.P. is an important corporation for the Brits and one of the mainstays of many U.K. pension funds and investments. The U.K. economy is hurting, and B.P. is a major player. 40% of its shareholders are here in the U.S,, which means it’s pretty important to us. Their P.R. during this mess has been far from perfect, and they have not added any stars to their crown, for sure. To be fair, they are really trying now to do the right thing, but they have not convinced those poor souls who earn their livings as shrimpers, fishermen, motel owners on the resort beaches or the naturalists and biologists seeing what is happening to the sea creatures and birds in the blighted areas.
I’m sure B.P. is not alone in its past philosophy of putting profits first and safety second; I suspect most of the oil companies in America would be just as guilty. What has to be done is to shore up the safety laws to prevent this ever happening again by making the punishment so harsh, including criminal charges, that they can’t afford to cheat., as well as emphasizing alternative sources of energy to minimize our dependence on oil.
It is a time in today’s climate in so many areas of harsh rhetoric. So many people are so busy talking they can’t find time to listen.. But it also a time when the worst oil disaster in American history is threatening the physical lives of so many creatures and the economic lives of so many Americans.
We’re not anti-British. I think most of us want to continue that “special relationship” existing between our two countries. Try to understand that the trials of this crisis are weighing heavily upon us. The economic news in the world as a whole is bad enough---and this oil crisis only exacerbates it.
It’s getting hot here. Let’s all try to stay cool--- but hot to trot when it comes to cleaning up this mess. I think you Brits can relate to that..
Yours Sincerely,
Fleshhpot
As an American having been married to an English (half Scot) woman for fifty-seven years with whom, the last few years , I have spent summers in England, I am most definitely an Anglophile. Those credentials should qualify me to be a reasonable cultural bridge between the two nations of America and Britain.
Right now in U.K. great concern exists about anti-British sentiments in America and the President’s recent fiery remarks concerning BP when he said there needed to be “some asses kicked”. I know that came as a shock to Britons to hear the usually imperturbable and cool Barack Obama use such a non-Presidential perjorative. The Daily Telegraph ascribed it to political pressure and jingoism, which I think is a fair assessment. The President has been catching hell from a variety of sources, and he needed to demonstrate some emotional heat and passion to mollify his critics. I know many Brits call us Americans “O.T.T.” (over the top) on many occasions and think we are guilty of hyperbole, which, I admit, is an American characteristic on occasions. We are frequently emotional and don’t hide our feelings.
But---and it’s a big but---I suspect even the understated Brits, if subjected to the pressure of the present Gulf crisis due to the fire and destruction of the Deepwater Horizons rig and the subsequent uncontrolled pollution of a a large area of the Gulf of Mexico, threatening and despoiling the shores, so far, of Louisiana, Alabama, the panhandle area of Florida, and, I fear, a lot more to come, would be inclined to fits of pique and temper.
Put the shoe on the other foot. Let’s suppose that an oil rig was destroyed in the North Sea and was spewing millions of gallons of filth toward the English coast,. say near Great Yarmouth and then spread south, invading the English channel past Dover, Folkestone, Hastings, Eastbourne (where my wife and I live in the summer), carrying on to Portsmouth and then the resort coast of Devon and Cornwall, spreading into St. George’s Channel separating the U.K. and Ireland, etc., etc.. I think we might hear a few choice expletives from politicos in U.K. and certainly from the more rabid newspapers which I say, as an outside observer, are not noted at best of times for understatement. The yellow journalists in England are equal to the worst rags in America,
B.P. is an important corporation for the Brits and one of the mainstays of many U.K. pension funds and investments. The U.K. economy is hurting, and B.P. is a major player. 40% of its shareholders are here in the U.S,, which means it’s pretty important to us. Their P.R. during this mess has been far from perfect, and they have not added any stars to their crown, for sure. To be fair, they are really trying now to do the right thing, but they have not convinced those poor souls who earn their livings as shrimpers, fishermen, motel owners on the resort beaches or the naturalists and biologists seeing what is happening to the sea creatures and birds in the blighted areas.
I’m sure B.P. is not alone in its past philosophy of putting profits first and safety second; I suspect most of the oil companies in America would be just as guilty. What has to be done is to shore up the safety laws to prevent this ever happening again by making the punishment so harsh, including criminal charges, that they can’t afford to cheat., as well as emphasizing alternative sources of energy to minimize our dependence on oil.
It is a time in today’s climate in so many areas of harsh rhetoric. So many people are so busy talking they can’t find time to listen.. But it also a time when the worst oil disaster in American history is threatening the physical lives of so many creatures and the economic lives of so many Americans.
We’re not anti-British. I think most of us want to continue that “special relationship” existing between our two countries. Try to understand that the trials of this crisis are weighing heavily upon us. The economic news in the world as a whole is bad enough---and this oil crisis only exacerbates it.
It’s getting hot here. Let’s all try to stay cool--- but hot to trot when it comes to cleaning up this mess. I think you Brits can relate to that..
Yours Sincerely,
Fleshhpot
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
MIDYEAR SPORTS REFLECTIONS
1. The Armando Galarraga/Jim Joyce saga, though sad, had about as happy an ending as could be expected due to the class of the two principals: Galarraga for his incredibly good sportsmanship and demeanor, Joyce for his prompt confession of an error and apology. I have to admit, even, under the circumstances, Commissioner Bud Selig did the right thing in not reversing the decision, which would have made a mockery of the rules and undermined the authority of umpires. He also agreed to reconsider instant replay, which is desperately needed. In this instantaneous electronic age, I can’t believe that instant replay could not be used without excessive delays to undo such mistakes. Umpires, referees and line judges are still human and prone to honest errors. There is no reason such errors should not be promptly corrected.
2. Rafa Nadal proved at the French Open and the whole clay season that he is King of the Clay and, with Federer approaching 29, old in tennis years, maybe King of Tennis. I still have concerns about his physical health and the stress he puts on his body due to the extreme torque he puts on his body and knees. He is resting more between tournaments and not practicing endless hours as he did before. What a treat to have two champions of such unparalleled talent at the same time!
3. I am impressed: the Cincinnati Reds have not yet folded. They still may, but it looks like they have the makings of a competitive team. The G.M. and owner are doing some long-term thinking, which is great.
4. I would not like to be in Stephen Strasburg’s shoes and the pressure cooker of expectations surrounding him. I hope he lives up to the hyperbolic press notices. We need some new genuine heroes! On second thought, I would like to be Stephen Strasburg and be that young with so much promise ahead of me!
5. Speaking of expectations and the pressure cooker, how about Tiger Woods? I think the stress of his private life---going through what appears to be a quiet but expensive divorce, continuing therapy for his serial sexual problems and the fact that at 34 his body is not indestructible---is taking its toll. As a result, he has not had the competitive rounds he needs to fine-tune his game. I still think, with his immense talent, he will eventually return to form. He may well keep his number one rating, but a host of young guns----not to mention that Mikkelson guy pushing 40---are lining up to take a shot at him.
6. Will they please shut up and just quietly investigate thoroughly, once and for all, the doping scandal in cycling, especially concerning Lance Armstrong. Don’t come back to us until you are satisified you have an objective true decision.
7. I’m still worn out with the N.B.A. Can we please hurry up and end this interminable season?
8. I sincerely hope Ben Roethlisberger keeps his word and reforms. Stay quiet, work hard now that you are back to practice and show that great talent is matched by a rehabilitated character.
9. “ ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished”, in Hamlet’s words, for the U.S.A. to beat England in the first round of the F.I.F.A. world championship in South Africa. I don’t think that will happen, but, hey, remember the hockey team of 1980?
10. The tributes to John Wooden have been heartwarming. That good ole Indiana boy with his Midwestern work ethic and sense of values could make a significant tribute to the betterment of the sporting world---if more sportsmen would follow them. God bless him!
That’ll hold me for now!
2. Rafa Nadal proved at the French Open and the whole clay season that he is King of the Clay and, with Federer approaching 29, old in tennis years, maybe King of Tennis. I still have concerns about his physical health and the stress he puts on his body due to the extreme torque he puts on his body and knees. He is resting more between tournaments and not practicing endless hours as he did before. What a treat to have two champions of such unparalleled talent at the same time!
3. I am impressed: the Cincinnati Reds have not yet folded. They still may, but it looks like they have the makings of a competitive team. The G.M. and owner are doing some long-term thinking, which is great.
4. I would not like to be in Stephen Strasburg’s shoes and the pressure cooker of expectations surrounding him. I hope he lives up to the hyperbolic press notices. We need some new genuine heroes! On second thought, I would like to be Stephen Strasburg and be that young with so much promise ahead of me!
5. Speaking of expectations and the pressure cooker, how about Tiger Woods? I think the stress of his private life---going through what appears to be a quiet but expensive divorce, continuing therapy for his serial sexual problems and the fact that at 34 his body is not indestructible---is taking its toll. As a result, he has not had the competitive rounds he needs to fine-tune his game. I still think, with his immense talent, he will eventually return to form. He may well keep his number one rating, but a host of young guns----not to mention that Mikkelson guy pushing 40---are lining up to take a shot at him.
6. Will they please shut up and just quietly investigate thoroughly, once and for all, the doping scandal in cycling, especially concerning Lance Armstrong. Don’t come back to us until you are satisified you have an objective true decision.
7. I’m still worn out with the N.B.A. Can we please hurry up and end this interminable season?
8. I sincerely hope Ben Roethlisberger keeps his word and reforms. Stay quiet, work hard now that you are back to practice and show that great talent is matched by a rehabilitated character.
9. “ ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished”, in Hamlet’s words, for the U.S.A. to beat England in the first round of the F.I.F.A. world championship in South Africa. I don’t think that will happen, but, hey, remember the hockey team of 1980?
10. The tributes to John Wooden have been heartwarming. That good ole Indiana boy with his Midwestern work ethic and sense of values could make a significant tribute to the betterment of the sporting world---if more sportsmen would follow them. God bless him!
That’ll hold me for now!
Monday, June 7, 2010
THE FRAGILE NET
My granddaughter, recently engaged and planning a marriage next year, went home to Northwood, Ohio, a suburb southeast of Toledo, to attend a wedding reception for an old school friend and to visit her parents. She called Sunday in a state of shock at the terrible tragedy of the tornado that killed five people in Millbury, Ohio.
Millbury, Ohio was the former address of this granddaughter and her family, and Northwood where they live now is only a couple of miles from Millbury. She and her sister attended Lake High School, which was heavily damaged by the storm; in fact, the gymnasium where they were planning to hold the graduation ceremony for Lake seniors on the Sunday was destroyed.
You may have read that one of the victims, Ted Kranz, was father of the valedictorian of the class. Father of two daughters and a son in a closeknit, loving, Midwestern family, Ted Kranz was one of those parents who never missed an athletic contest involving his kids. He had only recently started a computer programming business which, according to his brother, Tim Kranz, was just turning the corner toward profitabiltiy.
We are reminded when tragedy strikes close to home or close to those you love what a fragile net separates life from death, and life is like a tight rope above that fragile net. We simply hope and pray we won't fall, but sometimes we slip.
Fifty homes and businessses were destroyed in the hamlet of Millbury, and five people died. Requiescat in pace to each of those five.
Millbury, Ohio was the former address of this granddaughter and her family, and Northwood where they live now is only a couple of miles from Millbury. She and her sister attended Lake High School, which was heavily damaged by the storm; in fact, the gymnasium where they were planning to hold the graduation ceremony for Lake seniors on the Sunday was destroyed.
You may have read that one of the victims, Ted Kranz, was father of the valedictorian of the class. Father of two daughters and a son in a closeknit, loving, Midwestern family, Ted Kranz was one of those parents who never missed an athletic contest involving his kids. He had only recently started a computer programming business which, according to his brother, Tim Kranz, was just turning the corner toward profitabiltiy.
We are reminded when tragedy strikes close to home or close to those you love what a fragile net separates life from death, and life is like a tight rope above that fragile net. We simply hope and pray we won't fall, but sometimes we slip.
Fifty homes and businessses were destroyed in the hamlet of Millbury, and five people died. Requiescat in pace to each of those five.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
THE GREAT BASEBALL ROBBERY
I could not believe my eyes. I was watching my Reds play the Cardinals on ESPN last night when ESPN broke the news that Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers had pitched a perfect game for seven innings against the Cleveland Indians. They kept cutting back and forth between the featured game of Cincinnati and St. Louis and the innings in Detroit when Galarraga was pitching in the eighth and ninth. My heart was pounding when he got the first two batters in the ninth, with the help of the center fielder Trevor Crowe who made a Willie Mays-like-running-full speed-over-the-shoulder catch.
Then the unthinkable happened: with two out in the ninth, the first base umpire, Jim Joyce, made an erroneous call of safe on a grounder to first fielded by first baseman Miguel Cabrera who lobbed to Galarraga covering the bag for (to me and a few thousand others) an obvious out. An instant replay showed the batter was clearly out by a full step. Galarraga was the model of decorum and took the bad decision with admirable stoicism; the rest of the Tigers went bananas, as I'm sure I would have if I were on the field.
I don't condemn the ump, Jim Joyce. He had tears in his eyes after the game when he apologized to Galarraga and candidly admitted he screwed up. He is by reputation a good and seasoned umpire with 22 years of experience. He is also human and prone to errors, as all of us are. Can you imagine how he feels today and what vituperation he will doubtless receive from the stands in future games, probably for the rest of his career?
It is time for baseball to leave the 19th century and join the modern electronic world of replays which can reverse a wrong decision. The only time it is used today in baseball is to judge whether a ball is fair or foul or subject to fan interference. I'm not a big Bud Selig fan, but he as Commissioner should, for once, show some guts and put instant, reviewable and reversible replays at the top of the agenda.
At least the Governor of Michigan did the right thing by making a proclamation that Galarraga had pitched a perfect game. Unfortunately, that won't work in Cooperstown NY in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
What a travesty and pity...Time for baseball to be part of the 21st century.
Then the unthinkable happened: with two out in the ninth, the first base umpire, Jim Joyce, made an erroneous call of safe on a grounder to first fielded by first baseman Miguel Cabrera who lobbed to Galarraga covering the bag for (to me and a few thousand others) an obvious out. An instant replay showed the batter was clearly out by a full step. Galarraga was the model of decorum and took the bad decision with admirable stoicism; the rest of the Tigers went bananas, as I'm sure I would have if I were on the field.
I don't condemn the ump, Jim Joyce. He had tears in his eyes after the game when he apologized to Galarraga and candidly admitted he screwed up. He is by reputation a good and seasoned umpire with 22 years of experience. He is also human and prone to errors, as all of us are. Can you imagine how he feels today and what vituperation he will doubtless receive from the stands in future games, probably for the rest of his career?
It is time for baseball to leave the 19th century and join the modern electronic world of replays which can reverse a wrong decision. The only time it is used today in baseball is to judge whether a ball is fair or foul or subject to fan interference. I'm not a big Bud Selig fan, but he as Commissioner should, for once, show some guts and put instant, reviewable and reversible replays at the top of the agenda.
At least the Governor of Michigan did the right thing by making a proclamation that Galarraga had pitched a perfect game. Unfortunately, that won't work in Cooperstown NY in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
What a travesty and pity...Time for baseball to be part of the 21st century.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
NO EASY ANSWERS
I read a column recently by David Brooks in the New York Times which really stirred my thinking. Brooks is one of my favorite columnists, and I frequently like what he has to say. He is a contradiction in terms: a progressive conservative, basically sympathetic to the philosophy of the Republicans without the vitriolic hatred and rantings of the far right and able to follow a compassionate social agenda.
In any case, Brooks was commenting on the extraordinary technological advances of the last few years, especially in view of the recent oil crisis. He states:
"In the weeks since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the political debate has fallen into predictably partisan and often puerile categories. Conservatives say this is Obama's Katrina. Liberals say the proof is the government should have more control over industry.
But the real issue has to do with risk assessment. It has to do with the bloody crossroads
where complex technical sysyems meet human psychology."
Brooks goes on to analyze the problems of human interactions with systems not understood. He at the end makes the point: "This isn't just about oil. It's the challenge for people living in an imponderably complex technical society."
I think that last statement sums up my deep concerns, as well. Here we are in this complex technical world---a world where in the last twenty years the knowledge accumulated is greater that the sum of all past knowledge---trying to live and deal with these complexities.
We love to look for quick and facile solutions, simplistic answers for our deep-rooted concerns. Unfortunately, the easy answers, in Don McLean's famous words, "took the last train to the coast"; in fact, they did so a long time ago. Assessing risks in this modern world gets harder all the time, and the answers just don't jump up at the ring of a bell.
Take the oil crisis. We are all frustrated. With good cause, residents of the gulf states are incensed at the spoiling of their coast, the loss of income, the long-term effects on wildlife, et al. The first thing we want to do is strike out, and of course the real villain is BP, a ready target for our collective wrath. Then we turn to the government and scream, "Do something!" The President in his Mea Culpa press interview a couple of days ago shouldered the responsibility and rephrased Harry Truman's famous adage that the buck stops at the President's desk and that he was in charge.
O.K., that is a lovely ringing phrase to have the President of the United States reaasure us that he is in charge. But of what? Who in the government has a ready solution to the oil spill problem? The President made a candid statement of fact when he admitted he was fooled when he thought BP and the oil industry had the rechnical knowledge to cure the problem. They don't; plain and simple, they have never dealt with a problem of a massive oil spill miles under water, so all we can do---and here the President can use his power to make it happen---is assemble the best brains available and use their collective power to seek a solution. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix, even with all that brainpower.
This world, whether in politics, war, economics, religion or just simply living, is fraught with problems that do not lend themselves to easy answers. The Euro countries thought they had the answers in their union, now in deep doo-doo. Bear Stearns and Lehman thought they knew the secrets of financial success, and now they are in the financial obit column. Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan were supposed to be military pieces of cake, but the cake ended up in our faces.
What we have to do is slog along, work to find solutions and accept the fact that this world is too much with us and that there is as much (or more) bad news as good news which we must deal with patiently and persistently. David Brooks is dead on: it is a challenge in this 'imponderably complex society". We must have the strength to accept this fact and deal with it realistically by thinking things out, finding rational solutions and not panicking by looking for scapegoats and easy answers.
That is our assignment for today and tomorrow. Happy Memorial Day, and try to remember the unlucky ones who died to help us live to see this new world, warts and all, but still our world of freedom.
In any case, Brooks was commenting on the extraordinary technological advances of the last few years, especially in view of the recent oil crisis. He states:
"In the weeks since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the political debate has fallen into predictably partisan and often puerile categories. Conservatives say this is Obama's Katrina. Liberals say the proof is the government should have more control over industry.
But the real issue has to do with risk assessment. It has to do with the bloody crossroads
where complex technical sysyems meet human psychology."
Brooks goes on to analyze the problems of human interactions with systems not understood. He at the end makes the point: "This isn't just about oil. It's the challenge for people living in an imponderably complex technical society."
I think that last statement sums up my deep concerns, as well. Here we are in this complex technical world---a world where in the last twenty years the knowledge accumulated is greater that the sum of all past knowledge---trying to live and deal with these complexities.
We love to look for quick and facile solutions, simplistic answers for our deep-rooted concerns. Unfortunately, the easy answers, in Don McLean's famous words, "took the last train to the coast"; in fact, they did so a long time ago. Assessing risks in this modern world gets harder all the time, and the answers just don't jump up at the ring of a bell.
Take the oil crisis. We are all frustrated. With good cause, residents of the gulf states are incensed at the spoiling of their coast, the loss of income, the long-term effects on wildlife, et al. The first thing we want to do is strike out, and of course the real villain is BP, a ready target for our collective wrath. Then we turn to the government and scream, "Do something!" The President in his Mea Culpa press interview a couple of days ago shouldered the responsibility and rephrased Harry Truman's famous adage that the buck stops at the President's desk and that he was in charge.
O.K., that is a lovely ringing phrase to have the President of the United States reaasure us that he is in charge. But of what? Who in the government has a ready solution to the oil spill problem? The President made a candid statement of fact when he admitted he was fooled when he thought BP and the oil industry had the rechnical knowledge to cure the problem. They don't; plain and simple, they have never dealt with a problem of a massive oil spill miles under water, so all we can do---and here the President can use his power to make it happen---is assemble the best brains available and use their collective power to seek a solution. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix, even with all that brainpower.
This world, whether in politics, war, economics, religion or just simply living, is fraught with problems that do not lend themselves to easy answers. The Euro countries thought they had the answers in their union, now in deep doo-doo. Bear Stearns and Lehman thought they knew the secrets of financial success, and now they are in the financial obit column. Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan were supposed to be military pieces of cake, but the cake ended up in our faces.
What we have to do is slog along, work to find solutions and accept the fact that this world is too much with us and that there is as much (or more) bad news as good news which we must deal with patiently and persistently. David Brooks is dead on: it is a challenge in this 'imponderably complex society". We must have the strength to accept this fact and deal with it realistically by thinking things out, finding rational solutions and not panicking by looking for scapegoats and easy answers.
That is our assignment for today and tomorrow. Happy Memorial Day, and try to remember the unlucky ones who died to help us live to see this new world, warts and all, but still our world of freedom.
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