October 2006 Archives

Everyone is getting all spun up over Rush Limbaugh's response to the Michael J. Fox commercial supporting a Democratic candidate. To my mind, this is a little bit like getting spun up over something that Howard Stern says. Limbaugh has positioned himself as a conservative shock commentator. Making brash, rude comments is a fundamental part of his performance. To get spun up over anything he says is to play into his hand. A political commentator's worst fear is that they will be ignored. Want to get Rush Limbaugh's goat? Convince people to ignore him.

That still leaves us with the Michael J. Fox commercial. In the end, Limbaugh is only saying out loud what a lot of people are thinking. Michael J. Fox wants Americans to vote for Democrats in the hope that by swinging the House to the Democrats, the block on funding for embryonic stem cell research will be removed. From Michael J. Fox's view point, this is understandable. Fox believes that the research might provide a cure for the disease that ails him.

Much as I sympathize with Michael J. Fox and others who suffer from Parkinson's disease, I'm not at all ready to make it the primary focus of my voting strategy. Single Issue Politics is a travesty foisted upon the American public primarily - but not solely - by the Democratic party. Many Republicans are also single issue voters. Pro-Life proponents being the first and most outspoken to come to mind.

This is a complex world we live in. What we need in office are smart, rational, hard working men and women with broad experience who can wrestle with the problems that face our people and our nation. Here California we will be voting on a laundry list of propositions all of which deal with funding of various things within the state. These propositions are being put to the voters because our elected officials either will not or cannot make a decision. They want to absolve themselves of the political responsibility of the decision. Cowards, all of them.

I could not really care less whether Michael J. Fox was under-medicated, over-medicated or putting on an Oscar performance. I like Mr. Fox and I truly hope that a cure is found for Parkinson's disease. And Alzheimers. And breast cancer which took my mother at the age of 52 one week before my wedding reception which she had planned. And colon cancer. And lung cancer. And heart disease which ails my favorite uncle.

I am not willing to put embryonic stem cell research ahead of all other issues in deciding my vote. I am looking for a person who can convince me that they have the wisdom and the strength to sort through the very difficult issues and make sound choices. Unfortunately, it seems that people like that are in short supply. In one race in my district I have the choice of the incumbent Democrat or a Republican candidate who is apparently doing no campaigning whatsoever. It is impossible to find out anything about him. The worst part about election day is almost always the candidates we have to choose from.

aloha

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: health, politics, sociology

Every once in a while, a direct mail campaign works on me. Which is, I suppose, why we have junk mail in all it's nastiness. 1% of the direct mail actually works.

yourmusic.com is pretty cool. There are probably other similar services out there but this is the first one I've become aware of. The deal works like this. You pay a 'membership fee' of $5.99. Each month they will send you the first available CD from your queue. Everyone knows what the queue is, right? We've all been trained by NetFlix. But, just in case. The queue is your wishlist of CDs. You go to yourmusic.com and add CDs that you want to your queue, your WishList. Every month yourmusic.com sends you one. You can buy additional CDs at the same price, $5.99 per, multi-disc sets are priced at $5.99 per disc. Better than iTunes Store and I get the physical CD, which I really like.

Up to now, iTunes Store has been successful in trapping my impulse buying. Once or twice a month I'll click the button and buy one to three CDs, songs, and music videos -- and now even the occasional TV show and movie -- from iTunes Store. Not no more! I'll undoubtedly still do a lot of discovery through iTunes but now I'll jump over to yourmusic.com to make the purchase.

aloha

Technorati Tags: music

There are three stories that I stumbled across today that I thought are very relevant given the coming election.

This article illustrates one of the major issues today. We have seen all over the media this number of 665,000 Iraqi civilian casualties. Many of us only read the headline. If the headline agrees with our pre-conceive notions, we remember it, quote it, and treat it as fact. Some of us even read the article to discover that the number comes from John Hopkins University, which most of us believe to be a very reputable source of information. So, that cinches it. It must be true. If the headline does not comply with our view, we dismiss it. "Lies, damn lies, and statistics." You can't believe statics. In the article, Steven E. Moore, an experienced Iraq pollster, dissects the Hopkins survey in clear layman's terms. You might still choose to believe the John Hopkins University survey but you should at least know it's weaknesses.

We believe that a survey conducted by John Hopkins University must be true despite the fact that the vast majority of us lack the knowledge to determine the accuracy of the information provided. Those that do have knowledge often lack the ability to get their analysis into the public eye to the same level of penetration. Consequently, much of what we use to form our opinions is not fact but unqualified data dressed to convince us that it is believable.

I have long found comparisons between Iraq and Vietnam interesting. To my mind the two are as different as cheese and chalk. I thought maybe I wasn't remembering my long ago lessons on the Vietnam war correctly so I've been reading up on the history of that war. Interestingly enough, there's more in common with the current conflict that I thought. All of which is for another blog entry. More immediately, President Bush has drawn his own comparison to Vietnam. The reference was the Tet Offensive.

This article points out that the Tet Offensive is, even today, a very misunderstood event in history. Many believe that the Tet Offensive was a military turning point in the Vietnam war. The reality of the event is that the North Vietnamese suffered severe losses and failed to achieve any of their objectives. However, Americans watched one of the fiercest battles of the Tet Offensive play out in their living rooms on the nightly news. Joe Six-pack, sitting in his living room didn't think what he saw looked like U.S. military superiority in Vietnam. To him, it looked like we were losing. Moreover, it looked brutal, even barbaric. The Tet Offensive was not a military setback for the U.S. It was a psychological win for North Vietnam delivered by the U.S. media. In that light, the month of October might well have been Iraq's Tet Offensive.

[Added 27Oct] Oliver North agrees and expounds.

And, in the context of the coming election, probably most important of all this article. The war in Iraq is the center piece of most Democratic campaigns and a point that most Republican campaigns are trying desperately to avoid. However, the simply fact is that for all of the complaints about the current policy in Iraq there aren't any better plans being offered. As the article points out, even if they are elected, there isn't a lot that they can do differently. The simple fact is that the work left to be done in Iraq is long, dirty (or rather deadly), hard work. And, it is just possible that we are winning the war in Iraq and losing it in America. That, ultimately, was the lesson of Vietnam.

Thanks for enduring the news cruise.

Aloha

Technorati Tags: iraq, politics

Phillip Carter, writing for Slate Magazine, provides candid criticism of current policy in Iraq based on his service there (click here for article). More significant is the fact that Mr. Carter also offers some real suggestions on how it might be done correctly.

Real solutions in Iraq will require greater commitment of resources and increased risk. Which is why those who criticize current Iraq policy seldom want to talk about what should be done. There are no simple answers where Iraq is concerned. The road is long and hard. It will be long and hard no matter what we do. If we pull out of Iraq, it will make the road longer and harder for the Iraqis who, up to now, have had no real choice but to trust us.

aloha

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: iraq, military, politics

"The Company" (Robert Littell)

One of the books I got was The Company: A Novel of the CIA by Robert Littell. My audible.com account says I originally purchased the audio book on 17 October 2003. Today, almost exactly three years later to the day, I finished the book. There were two false starts over the course of that three years. I have the unabridged edition which means that I have listened to 40 hours of audio book. For all of that, it is a great book.

Littell tells the history of the CIA from it's formation, out of the ashes of the OSS, to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of the more significant events are told accurately. One of the things I enjoy about historical fiction is that it drives me to find out what actually happened. Some times only in a lightweight fashion (look it up on Wikipedia). A few events are handled with more drama than accuracy. The character of James Angleton being the most evident.

In the course of the story we meet three presidents; John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. Kennedy is presented as an overbearing, egotistical man. Ronald Reagan is presented as almost senile and bumbling. Bush is presented in a rather flat light. All of which I found interesting.

It was interesting to look up each character's name to find out if they were real or fictional. James Angleton, a major character in the book, was a real person. William J. Donovan makes an appearance. Allen Dulles is there, of course. Kim Philby has a major part in the book while the rest of the Cambridge Five make only cameo appearances. Harvey Torriti, one of the main characters through whom much of the story is told, appears to be a fictional character.

All in all, a good book. I enjoyed it though I must admit I was glad to finally reach the end today.

aloha

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: book, review

Had an interesting conversation with a co-worker this afternoon. He told me that Donald Rumsfeld had said that "we are not in Iraq to engage in nation-building..." Ben's use of the quote is slightly misleading. The complete statement was, "We are not in Iraq to engage in nation-building -- our mission is to help Iraqis so that they can build their own nation." Ben's use was only slightly misleading. Suggesting that we will help the Iraqis build their own nation is a lot like me offering to help my dad write his own computer program. My dad is a smart man but he'll be the first to tell you he knows jack about writing computer software. This got me to looking around the web, to see what was out there on the topic of nation building. Nation-Building 101, published in the Atlantic Monthly in the January/Febraury 2004 issue hits the nail on the head.

Criticizing the current administration for the situation in Iraq is very nearly a national pastime and I have to guess it will grow in popularity as we close in on election day in November. However, all those who want to criticize the current policy on Iraq need to provide an reasonable and believable plan that takes into account the issues raised in the Atlantic Monthly article. Secondly, they will need provide a reason that we should believe the plan will actually work. In the military we believe that any plan, no matter how well devised, will only be good until boots actually hit the ground. Once boots are on the ground, it's a crap shoot with the odds not in your favor.

I mentioned this article earlier in the month. Given the prevailing rhetoric, it is an extremely important article. Many campaigns are taking as their central point the situation Iraq. Yet, no one is offering a viable alternative plan. If not the current course, then what? And let's be clear what the current plan is. Because the administration is doing a pathetically poor job of articulating it. The current plan is that Coalition Forces will continue to be responsible for security in Iraq until Iraqi forces are properly prepared to take over for the internal and external security of their state. It is not a date driven timetable, it is an event driven timetable. It is still a timetable.

We are very much in the business of nation building. Bosnia and Kosovo at the very least. And it looks like North Korea will be next though we might be able to pass that responsibility off on South Korea and bill it as a re-unification. I will be surprised if we don't end up with a very different political landscape in the new year. I hope we're careful in what we wish for.

aloha

Technorati Tags: iraq, military, politics, sociology

The following is taken from the online Santa Cruz County, CA Ballot (as provided by SmartVoter.Org:

United States Representative; District 17

• Sam Farr, Democratic
• Anthony R. De Maio, Republican

Please notice that the Republican candidate, Mr. De Maio, has no links. Mr. De Maio has submitted nothing to any of the online voting resources. Nothing. Nada. A Google search of Mr. De Maio also turns up nearly nothing. Mr. De Maio apparently did not submit anything to Project Vote Smart. Open Secrets has no record of his campaign funding. Voters First Pledge, no response. Monterey County Republican Party web page? You guessed it.

No where. Nothing. Nada. I'm half tempted to send him an email to see if he's actually running for office or if it was just a joke. But the sad fact is, the joke is on us, the voters. With only two candidates running in this particular district and one of them MIA by all appearances, the ramifications are significant.

1. Vote for Sam Farr
2. Vote for Anthony De Maio
3. Vote for Neither

Option 1 is simple. A vote for Sam Farr is a vote for Sam Farr. He is the incumbent. We could say that a vote for Sam Farr is a vote against Mr. De Maio but that would only make sense in the expectation that Mr. De Maio were going to win.

Option 2 is more complicated. One might vote for Mr. De Maio because they want him to win. One might vote for Mr. De Maio because they want Mr. Farr to lose. One might be more inclined to vote for Mr. De Maio if we knew something about him. Since he has not provided any information to any of what are now considered standard sources of information on candidates, issues and propositions finding out whether Mr. De Maio is a candidate that one would vote for is much more difficult or even impossible.

Theoretically, we should vote for candidates that represent our views and will vote, for the most part, in accordance with our views. Given that Mr. De Maio has chosen not to provide any information about himself or his political views, he has made it impossible or at least very difficult to vote for him on the basis of his views. Which brings us to option 3. For those voters who do not agree with Mr. Farr's political posture and have not been able to find out anything about Mr. De Maio's political posture, the only honest option is option 3. Which is, effectively, a vote for Mr. Farr albeit a vote that at least reduces any notion of a mandate.

I single out Mr. De Maio but in fact it amazes me how many candidates do not take the time to develop their presence on the web. Developing a cohesive web campaign strategy is paramount in winning the under 50 vote.

America uses the web!

Aloha

[posted with ecto]

I apologize for being a news-bot today. So far, I've read two stories that I think are really worthy of comment.

The second involves an AWOL soldier turning himself in to face the music. In the first part of the article the soldier, Specialist Darrell Anderson, claims that he fled to Canada rather than deploy with his unit because he felt the war was illegal. However, later in the article we found out that Anderson suffers from mental and emotional issues as a result of his first deployment. The article clearly implies that the real reason for Anderson's desertion had to do with the mental and emotional trauma that has been left untreated

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a significant problem for returning soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. There are indications that suicide among returning military is high. There have been suggestions that the increase in marital issues for returning military members is due, at least in part, to the difficulties in adjusting to the return to civilian society or, in the case of reservists, to civilian life.

I've been talking about this with a friend of mine who is a Marriage and Family counselor in the Central Coast area, Clay Watkins. He's been telling me about a therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). Studies have shown that EMDR is effective in the treatment of PTSD. Clay has told me that EMDR is so simple and so effective that Combat Medics, Hospital Corpsmen and other frontline medical personnel could be trained in the administration of EMDR. This would enable battlefield medics to treat traumatized soldiers and even civilians in the field.

Aloha

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: friends, health, military, psychology

That is the only conclusion I can draw after reading this article.

Aloha

[posted with ecto]