After World War II, the general who led our troops in a resounding defeat of the Nazis, came home and started building our interstate highways.
He supported the Marshall Plan, which helped Europe, including Germany, from starving due to destruction of both farms and the means to get the food from the farms to the people.
He helped Japan recover and become a modern democracy.
He helped our former enemies so that they would become our friends.
He warned that the military industrial complex would continue to lobby for expensive and unnecessary weapons systems.
Russia loves to foster fighting in poor countries. When poor countries can not provide upward mobility for its citizens, some citizens become so frustrated that they embrace terrorism. A small amount of foreign aid can bring peace and emerging prosperity.
By cutting the budget of the State Department, much intel about what other countries are doing and saying will be lost.
The proposal to spend hundreds of billions on defense and nothing on US infrastructure makes only defense contractors rich. It does not help the interior of the country repair and build bridges, roads, DAMS.
The new administration has a love affair with military men.
Even military men are saying that the priorities in the possible new budget are stunningly incorrect.
This is not just about expensive equipment. What is the life of a Navy Seal worth?
Foreign aid and intelligence based diplomacy can make it less necessary to expend the lives of our spies, our soldiers, our sailors, our pilots and our diplomates.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
I LOVED 'THE WALL'
I am a life time fan of sword and sorcery movies. 'The Wall' is more of a sword and medieval science movie. I loved it!
Trolls seem to be ruining the intercultural movie experience. 'The Wall' has a Chinese woman protagonist who thinks, fights, and talks often. She is not the love interest. All but two of the roles are Chinese. The Europeans fight better in one on one combat because they have been fighting for their lives since childhood. The Chinese are excellent fighters, but practice is not the same as combat experience.
How is all this racist?
It is amazing to see the Great Wall of China recreated. I noticed that as The Wall ran through the mountains, it provided a quick road through very rough territory. (The top of The Wall is a fairly wide road.)
The Wall has a wall lesson. The bad creatures tunnel through The Wall. With the army concentrating on defending The Wall, the interior of the country is defenseless.
In The Wall, a young, frightened soldier blows himself up to block a passage, giving the heroes time to try to kill the enemy leader. If you wanted a definition of jihadist, then such an action is what being a jihadist means.
If you want to call a Muslim a terrorist, the please use the word, mufsidun. It is pronounced muf-see-dune. It means evil-doer.
Bill Maher has been looking for the correct word to call Muslim terrorists. He can be helpful by using the word mufsidun.
BTW, someone once said that it is unwise to build a wall that blocks your view of the other side.
Trolls seem to be ruining the intercultural movie experience. 'The Wall' has a Chinese woman protagonist who thinks, fights, and talks often. She is not the love interest. All but two of the roles are Chinese. The Europeans fight better in one on one combat because they have been fighting for their lives since childhood. The Chinese are excellent fighters, but practice is not the same as combat experience.
How is all this racist?
It is amazing to see the Great Wall of China recreated. I noticed that as The Wall ran through the mountains, it provided a quick road through very rough territory. (The top of The Wall is a fairly wide road.)
The Wall has a wall lesson. The bad creatures tunnel through The Wall. With the army concentrating on defending The Wall, the interior of the country is defenseless.
In The Wall, a young, frightened soldier blows himself up to block a passage, giving the heroes time to try to kill the enemy leader. If you wanted a definition of jihadist, then such an action is what being a jihadist means.
If you want to call a Muslim a terrorist, the please use the word, mufsidun. It is pronounced muf-see-dune. It means evil-doer.
Bill Maher has been looking for the correct word to call Muslim terrorists. He can be helpful by using the word mufsidun.
BTW, someone once said that it is unwise to build a wall that blocks your view of the other side.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
REBEL vs TERRORIST
In the English speaking world, a rebel is admired and a terrorist is denigrated.
In the Muslim world, we are using the WRONG TERM for terrorist. THE CORRECT TERM IS "MUFSIDUN". If all people used the correct term there could be an instantaneous change in attitudes.
I will quote Nathaniel Burney*, because I do not think I could write a better explanation.
"You can mis-use words yourself, giving an advantage to the enemy.
"'Jihadist,' for example, is the wrong word to use when attacking islamist terrorists. In Islam, the word 'jihadist' has strong connotations of goodness and proper behavior. Calling someone a jihadist confers on them real religious legitimacy. The proper word to use would be 'mufsidun,' which means 'evildoer.'
"In 2008, the local sheikhs and tribal leaders in Iraq began using the word 'mufsidun' when describing terrorism, with real results. Their people began opposing and punishing terrorist behavior, and generally began acting like terrorism was wrong and bad. Even with the significant progress under the military's 'surge' strategy, this single conceptual change was considered the biggest change on the ground in 2008."
* Nathaniel Burney, author of Primer on International Law
Monday, February 13, 2017
DROWNED BY THE DAMN DAM*
A dam is a potentially lethal weapon. After one builds a dam, one has to continue to maintain the dam. Dams do not last forever, they sometimes need to be replaced early.
Right now, in California, officials are worried about the small possibility of complete failure of the Oroville dam. The latest news is that 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.
How did it come to this?
Unfortunately, in California, we have voters who object to paying taxes, and voters who want environmental perfection in any new energy expenditure. This makes it fairly easy to stop necessary funding for maintenance and/or repair of already built systems.
California is not the only US state to have a dam that needs replacement or repair. A dam in Nevada has already failed.
I believe it is time to have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspect every dam in the US, starting with known problems, and with dams where the failure threatens people. I am fairly certain that the POSTUS** has the authority to order such inspections.***
After the Corps inspects, then our 45th president can introduce emergency legislation to fund necessary repairs or replacement.
These dams provide flood control, generate electricity without using fossil fuels, and provide recreation. We often forget that major roads are located along the tops of dams.
It would be fun to be Dumbledore, and have a spell called DAM FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. Then 200,000 people could go home tonight.
* Damn is the special word used when you ask God "to damn someone to Hell." It is considered to be impolite to use this phrase. Dam is the construction that stops up a river.
** President of the United States.
*** The federal government has authority over any moving body of water that is large enough to float a log down the waterway.
Right now, in California, officials are worried about the small possibility of complete failure of the Oroville dam. The latest news is that 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.
How did it come to this?
Unfortunately, in California, we have voters who object to paying taxes, and voters who want environmental perfection in any new energy expenditure. This makes it fairly easy to stop necessary funding for maintenance and/or repair of already built systems.
California is not the only US state to have a dam that needs replacement or repair. A dam in Nevada has already failed.
I believe it is time to have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspect every dam in the US, starting with known problems, and with dams where the failure threatens people. I am fairly certain that the POSTUS** has the authority to order such inspections.***
After the Corps inspects, then our 45th president can introduce emergency legislation to fund necessary repairs or replacement.
These dams provide flood control, generate electricity without using fossil fuels, and provide recreation. We often forget that major roads are located along the tops of dams.
It would be fun to be Dumbledore, and have a spell called DAM FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. Then 200,000 people could go home tonight.
* Damn is the special word used when you ask God "to damn someone to Hell." It is considered to be impolite to use this phrase. Dam is the construction that stops up a river.
** President of the United States.
*** The federal government has authority over any moving body of water that is large enough to float a log down the waterway.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
ATTORNEY v PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVICE
Generally, attorneys can advise you on how best to win a lawsuit. Attorneys are UNABLE to advise you on how a lawsuit can RUIN your IMAGE.
Currently, Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail for a story they later withdrew, which implied that Melania may have been an escort back when she first came to the US.
Almost certainly told that the libel suit would bring no money without damages, Melania's attorney advised Melania to state that Melania intended to use her position as First Lady to make money from the products Melania sells.
This excellent legal advice was an incredibly stupid political move. Now we all get to talk about the lawsuit and its salacious allegations. (It is not slander or libel to report on a filed court case.) Worse, Melania's image as a First Lady has been seriously undermined. Making money off of being First Lady is incredibly tacky if not actually illegal.
Corporations make this mistake all the time. We can WIN that lawsuit, they tell themselves. They rarely check with their public relations department about the stupidity of using a lawsuit to beat up a vulnerable person. SOMETIMES SETTLING QUICKLY IS THE BEST WAY TO GET THE ENTIRE MATTER OUT OF THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION. (The Disney crocodile incident is an excellent example of a corporation (probably) accepting responsibility for something even if they had a robust defense available.)
There is absolutely NO WAY to PROVE the allegations against Melania.
My first reaction was, WHO CARES? A slightly racy First Lady is OK by me.
My second reaction was, DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT PRETTY WOMAN WAS BASED ON A REAL ROMANCE?
As a fan of the fallen woman with a heart of gold fictional plot device, I found Pretty Woman to be an entirely new take on the issue. Could it have been based on rumors of a real relationship?
Melania should drop her lawsuit, have lunch with Julia Roberts and then move into the White House.
Currently, Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail for a story they later withdrew, which implied that Melania may have been an escort back when she first came to the US.
Almost certainly told that the libel suit would bring no money without damages, Melania's attorney advised Melania to state that Melania intended to use her position as First Lady to make money from the products Melania sells.
This excellent legal advice was an incredibly stupid political move. Now we all get to talk about the lawsuit and its salacious allegations. (It is not slander or libel to report on a filed court case.) Worse, Melania's image as a First Lady has been seriously undermined. Making money off of being First Lady is incredibly tacky if not actually illegal.
Corporations make this mistake all the time. We can WIN that lawsuit, they tell themselves. They rarely check with their public relations department about the stupidity of using a lawsuit to beat up a vulnerable person. SOMETIMES SETTLING QUICKLY IS THE BEST WAY TO GET THE ENTIRE MATTER OUT OF THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION. (The Disney crocodile incident is an excellent example of a corporation (probably) accepting responsibility for something even if they had a robust defense available.)
There is absolutely NO WAY to PROVE the allegations against Melania.
My first reaction was, WHO CARES? A slightly racy First Lady is OK by me.
My second reaction was, DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT PRETTY WOMAN WAS BASED ON A REAL ROMANCE?
As a fan of the fallen woman with a heart of gold fictional plot device, I found Pretty Woman to be an entirely new take on the issue. Could it have been based on rumors of a real relationship?
Melania should drop her lawsuit, have lunch with Julia Roberts and then move into the White House.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
THE BETRAYAL OF THEIL
Peter Theil* was an early supporter of Trump, donating a million dollars to his campaign.
In response, Trump made numerous comments that he supported gay rights and that gay marriage was settled law. Then Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court.
Gorsuch is an originalist, which is the belief that he should make legal decisions as if he was one of the people who wrote the constitution.
I greatly admire the people who wrote the constitution. They wrote a document that is still a vibrant outline of how our government should be run.
At the time of the US revolution, women were chattels, with about the same legal status as a cow. Practicing gay sex was considered to be immoral, illegal, and beyond reprehensible. Child labor was common.
As a Judge, Gorsuch was able to reach the conclusion that a person could use religious belief as a legally acceptable reason to deny rights to another person. I believe our founders would have been appalled at such a ruling.
If you are gay and/or a woman, you should do everything you can to oppose the confirmation of Gorsuch.
If you believe that my analysis of Gorsuch is incorrect, please talk to a gay rights attorney, to a labor lawyer, or a women's rights advocate.
The cleanest way to stop this appointment is to pressure Republican Senators to vote against the confirmation of Gorsuch. I think snail mail is an excellent way to get the attention of YOUR Senator. Please write "Re: Gorsuch" in the lower left of the envelope to make mail sorting easier.
Every person who lives in a state with a Republican Senator should write a snail mail letter to each Senator, send an email copy, and make a phone call to the Senator. WE DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. WE OPPOSE THE CONFIRMATION OF GORSUCH.
* Peter Theil is a Silicon Valley billionaire who said, "I am proud to be gay," when he spoke just before Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
In response, Trump made numerous comments that he supported gay rights and that gay marriage was settled law. Then Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court.
Gorsuch is an originalist, which is the belief that he should make legal decisions as if he was one of the people who wrote the constitution.
I greatly admire the people who wrote the constitution. They wrote a document that is still a vibrant outline of how our government should be run.
At the time of the US revolution, women were chattels, with about the same legal status as a cow. Practicing gay sex was considered to be immoral, illegal, and beyond reprehensible. Child labor was common.
As a Judge, Gorsuch was able to reach the conclusion that a person could use religious belief as a legally acceptable reason to deny rights to another person. I believe our founders would have been appalled at such a ruling.
If you are gay and/or a woman, you should do everything you can to oppose the confirmation of Gorsuch.
If you believe that my analysis of Gorsuch is incorrect, please talk to a gay rights attorney, to a labor lawyer, or a women's rights advocate.
The cleanest way to stop this appointment is to pressure Republican Senators to vote against the confirmation of Gorsuch. I think snail mail is an excellent way to get the attention of YOUR Senator. Please write "Re: Gorsuch" in the lower left of the envelope to make mail sorting easier.
Every person who lives in a state with a Republican Senator should write a snail mail letter to each Senator, send an email copy, and make a phone call to the Senator. WE DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. WE OPPOSE THE CONFIRMATION OF GORSUCH.
* Peter Theil is a Silicon Valley billionaire who said, "I am proud to be gay," when he spoke just before Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2016.
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