There’s a chill wind blowing through Casa Clinton tonight.
Last week Hillary Clinton was passed over – blatantly and callously by Obama - as THE obvious Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate. Then, adding insult to injury, the Republicans – the ‘boy’s club’ - stole the Democratic convention thunder by announcing a woman - Sarah Louise Palin - as the Republican choice for VP.
Ms. Palin’s selection piled salt into the already festering wound of Mrs. Clinton’s political ambitions and self-esteem.
The move by McCain not only accommodated the female voter - indeed checkmated the potential Democratic Party’s lock on it - it was done using someone with credentials that would be a mere footnote on Mrs. Clinton’s resume.
The boldness of the selection left many Democrats stunned, gasping like beached fish. Who’d have thought McCain could have come up with such a plan? Republics historically, despite having numbers of excellent female members, are known for their selection of women for administrative positions as mere window dressing, a la Rice, while the boys do the important jobs.
With the female vote already stirred up and with 50% of voter’s female, hiring a female VP was an obvious move that Obama missed. Did he think that by passing over Hillary that these motivated voters would simply go away? The stupidity of his lack of foresight is mind-boggling.
Democrats were stunned further in their horrified realization that the golden and historic opportunity to break two glass ceilings in one fell swoop had been lost forever. Gone. They had handed the victorious playing piece of the first female president to the opposition, gift-wrapped, with a bow.
Ms. Palin seems tailor made for the job.Pretty. A life member of the NRA (what are the chances?). The mother of a large Christian family. The all-American woman; well traveled. Pretty. A pregnant daughter does no harm; it proves she’s part of the real world. Sarah has killed her own meat, is an expert at firing an M-16 and drives big snow machines. Pretty. The Republicans must be salivating.
As long as she doesn’t prove to be as dumb as a pile of rocks, the Republican’s can start practicing singing “Hail to the Chief” tomorrow after lunch.
After Hillary’s speech at the Democratic convention last week it was glaringly clear to all that Obama had made a whopping mistake in selecting Biden. Here, throwing her clout behind him was a political giant; eloquent, wise, experienced, fierce and tough. With enough political momentum to bulldoze the Republicans out of the White House for 16 years – 4 terms. And in what will become know in history as the ‘mother of all screw-ups,’ Obama ignored her. He turned away a king maker. What a dope.
Speaking of which, Palin admitted to smoking the wacky-backy openly and without repercussion. Nobody cared. There are few Americans who have not wrapped their lips around a cracking dube, including a significant number of members of congress. Indeed it is alleged that our illustrious sitting President may have smoked a bale or two of Jamaican Gold back in the day, before he found Jesus and Dick Cheney.
Sarah, a seemingly pleasant governor from the largest, oil-rich, U.S. state, could well become what Hillary Rodham Clinton should have been - what had been Hillary’s manifest destiny; the first female President of the United States of America.
Good for her.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
How Bush can deliver the Presidency to McCain.
As the Presidential election draws closer, George Bush is keeping a not-so-well hidden October Surprise up his sleeve.
A little something that has Obama’s camp a smidge nervous and McCain's a tad smug.
No matter how good a campaign Obama runs, no matter what the 'hey, check out my teeth' Biden brings to the table, no matter how many babies are kissed, Bush has the power to take it all away in an instant.
And what is that Ace-in-the-Hole you ask? You already know what it is; an attack on Iran.
It is doubtful that America would switch political horses in the midst of an active military campaign, especially one with such potential destructive capability as a run-in with Iran has.
Military uncertainty has a way of uniting us behind a leader and as such the election could become not so much of a race as a relay as one Republican hands off to another.
Iran is a confrontation for which we are amply ready. We have enough steel, in the form of aircraft carriers and their accoutrements, off the Iranian shore to raise the anticipatory blood-pressure of local Middle East governments significantly. These dogs of war are straining on their leashes having missed out, for the most part, on the action in Iraq. Bush knows it, McCain knows it and so does Omama.
To counter, and perhaps in full realization of this, Obama has taken a more assertive professional stance since Biden has come on board. Obama has done this particularly with regard to making more effective the UN sanctions against Iran, to take the pressure off Israel.
Barack has to hone to perfection his Presidential 'acting-as-if' approach from now until Election Day if he is to have any hope at all at countering that dastardly spoiler to his chances of election.
More importantly, he should expect the Iranian incursion as a given so that it's no surprise for him or for us. He has a tough road ahead of him in convincing the voting public that he should be our leader if, perhaps when, Bush decides to play the Iranian card however late in the day.
A little something that has Obama’s camp a smidge nervous and McCain's a tad smug.
No matter how good a campaign Obama runs, no matter what the 'hey, check out my teeth' Biden brings to the table, no matter how many babies are kissed, Bush has the power to take it all away in an instant.
And what is that Ace-in-the-Hole you ask? You already know what it is; an attack on Iran.
It is doubtful that America would switch political horses in the midst of an active military campaign, especially one with such potential destructive capability as a run-in with Iran has.
Military uncertainty has a way of uniting us behind a leader and as such the election could become not so much of a race as a relay as one Republican hands off to another.
Iran is a confrontation for which we are amply ready. We have enough steel, in the form of aircraft carriers and their accoutrements, off the Iranian shore to raise the anticipatory blood-pressure of local Middle East governments significantly. These dogs of war are straining on their leashes having missed out, for the most part, on the action in Iraq. Bush knows it, McCain knows it and so does Omama.
To counter, and perhaps in full realization of this, Obama has taken a more assertive professional stance since Biden has come on board. Obama has done this particularly with regard to making more effective the UN sanctions against Iran, to take the pressure off Israel.
Barack has to hone to perfection his Presidential 'acting-as-if' approach from now until Election Day if he is to have any hope at all at countering that dastardly spoiler to his chances of election.
More importantly, he should expect the Iranian incursion as a given so that it's no surprise for him or for us. He has a tough road ahead of him in convincing the voting public that he should be our leader if, perhaps when, Bush decides to play the Iranian card however late in the day.
Crash a Boeing 777. Get a Medal from British Airways
They say that if it looks like a duck, flies like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
And so it was when BA flight #38 crashed short of the runway at Heathrow Airport in England on January 17, 2008. It landed heavily and fortunately there were only nine injuries and no fatalities.
Initial thoughts were that it has run out of fuel – THE major ‘no, no’ for a pilot, THE worst of mortal sins, THE big Kahuna of screw ups – but British Airways insisted that we all wait for the investigation and promptly gave the pilots and crew medals.
In fact in the pre-launch days of ButlerReport our editor argued in a number of short articles strongly in favor of the ‘out of fuel’ theory based on considerable insider aviation knowledge from a friend of a friend who dates the sister of a pilot.
The BA reports that have been made available stated that on approach to the airport the autopilot ordered an increase of engine power and that none was available; first on one engine followed by a reduction in power on the second engine, eight seconds later. The pilots were left to coast - glide – and control-crash at the end of the runway. On crashing there was no fire or fuel leak emergency.
After seven months of testing, analysis and head scratching all of the obvious reasons for the crash have been ruled out. The fuels pumps tested well, the flight computer checked out as did the fuel management system, no water or contaminants in the fuel, no weather anomalies and the rest of the plane seems to have been working fine.
The smoking gun of running out of fuel lies in the fact that the engine power reductions were eight seconds apart - as opposed to both engines losing power at the same time - a typical response for fuel starved engines.
The investigation has taken a surprisingly long time to complete considering the plane had the good manners to land in Britain, right next to a British Airways facility and did not burn or get destroyed. Tools, technicians, equipment were readily available. It was, may I say, a technically perfect crash for the investigator. It could only have been better if it had slid to a halt in a hanger.
Major air crashes have been analyzed and their results released far more quickly than this one. One has to wonder why.
At risk of course is a potentially gigantic lawsuit if the pilots were indeed negligent and flew into London low on fuel, “on fumes” as we say in the car-driving business. Boeing certainly wants to rule out any liability on its part for the same reason.
The pilots - one of whom was featured as a bit of a ladies man in a racy newspaper article - who were praised as ‘heroes’ (who isn’t a hero these days?) have got to be biting their nails down to the quick. The consequences to their career and possibly their personal fortunes for this potentially major faux pas are unimaginable, except that future career options may include working for that Scottish sounding food company – McDonalds.
The investigation, led by the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), has kept the media apprised with the odd update now and again to keep the sharks at bay. One hopes there is nothing iffy going on and British Airways are not trying the public relations ‘last year’ tactic of letting the report slide into next year so the press will refer to it as “last year’s crash…” which makes it all the more disinteresting. Mere speculation on my part of course as the British establishment are well known for their fairness, humility and transparency in matters that have the potential to make them look bad.
We may as well wait a little longer and see what news waddles out of the final report.
Background:
British Airways Flight 38 (call sign Speedbird 38) was a scheduled flight from Beijing Capital International Airport which crash landed just short of the runway at its destination, Heathrow Airport, London, on 17 January 2008 after an 8100 kilometer (4400 nm) flight. There were no fatalities, but nine people sustained injuries. It was the first accident that resulted in a Boeing 777 hull loss.
Overview of results so far at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_38
And so it was when BA flight #38 crashed short of the runway at Heathrow Airport in England on January 17, 2008. It landed heavily and fortunately there were only nine injuries and no fatalities.
Initial thoughts were that it has run out of fuel – THE major ‘no, no’ for a pilot, THE worst of mortal sins, THE big Kahuna of screw ups – but British Airways insisted that we all wait for the investigation and promptly gave the pilots and crew medals.
In fact in the pre-launch days of ButlerReport our editor argued in a number of short articles strongly in favor of the ‘out of fuel’ theory based on considerable insider aviation knowledge from a friend of a friend who dates the sister of a pilot.
The BA reports that have been made available stated that on approach to the airport the autopilot ordered an increase of engine power and that none was available; first on one engine followed by a reduction in power on the second engine, eight seconds later. The pilots were left to coast - glide – and control-crash at the end of the runway. On crashing there was no fire or fuel leak emergency.
After seven months of testing, analysis and head scratching all of the obvious reasons for the crash have been ruled out. The fuels pumps tested well, the flight computer checked out as did the fuel management system, no water or contaminants in the fuel, no weather anomalies and the rest of the plane seems to have been working fine.
The smoking gun of running out of fuel lies in the fact that the engine power reductions were eight seconds apart - as opposed to both engines losing power at the same time - a typical response for fuel starved engines.
The investigation has taken a surprisingly long time to complete considering the plane had the good manners to land in Britain, right next to a British Airways facility and did not burn or get destroyed. Tools, technicians, equipment were readily available. It was, may I say, a technically perfect crash for the investigator. It could only have been better if it had slid to a halt in a hanger.
Major air crashes have been analyzed and their results released far more quickly than this one. One has to wonder why.
At risk of course is a potentially gigantic lawsuit if the pilots were indeed negligent and flew into London low on fuel, “on fumes” as we say in the car-driving business. Boeing certainly wants to rule out any liability on its part for the same reason.
The pilots - one of whom was featured as a bit of a ladies man in a racy newspaper article - who were praised as ‘heroes’ (who isn’t a hero these days?) have got to be biting their nails down to the quick. The consequences to their career and possibly their personal fortunes for this potentially major faux pas are unimaginable, except that future career options may include working for that Scottish sounding food company – McDonalds.
The investigation, led by the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), has kept the media apprised with the odd update now and again to keep the sharks at bay. One hopes there is nothing iffy going on and British Airways are not trying the public relations ‘last year’ tactic of letting the report slide into next year so the press will refer to it as “last year’s crash…” which makes it all the more disinteresting. Mere speculation on my part of course as the British establishment are well known for their fairness, humility and transparency in matters that have the potential to make them look bad.
We may as well wait a little longer and see what news waddles out of the final report.
Background:
British Airways Flight 38 (call sign Speedbird 38) was a scheduled flight from Beijing Capital International Airport which crash landed just short of the runway at its destination, Heathrow Airport, London, on 17 January 2008 after an 8100 kilometer (4400 nm) flight. There were no fatalities, but nine people sustained injuries. It was the first accident that resulted in a Boeing 777 hull loss.
Overview of results so far at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_38
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Iraq: Bush's Blunder
I have to ask. Are we the dumbest nation on earth?
On one hand we impeach a president for a lying about having oral sex with an intern and on the other we allow a president and his henchmen to go to war in Iraq without a conceivable outcome, no personal or fiscal responsibility or exit strategy.
Let's take a quick look at the cost of the U.S. invasion of Iraq so far. The Iraqi numbers are a smidge elastic as we, to quote General Tommy Franks, "don't do body counts." As of today's date:
On one hand we impeach a president for a lying about having oral sex with an intern and on the other we allow a president and his henchmen to go to war in Iraq without a conceivable outcome, no personal or fiscal responsibility or exit strategy.
Let's take a quick look at the cost of the U.S. invasion of Iraq so far. The Iraqi numbers are a smidge elastic as we, to quote General Tommy Franks, "don't do body counts." As of today's date:
- US military deaths in Iraq war: 4,143
- Wounded: 30,509. Wounded includes maiming, head injuries, amputations, dismemberment.
- Iraqi civilian deaths from 86,658 - 94,553 civilian deaths in Iraq since the U.S. arrived there. Other estimates exceed 150,000 to 1.25 million.
- Iraqi Injuries: Unknown
- Iraqis Displaced: Unknown
- Cost estimate: $3 trillion for the cost of the war and the clean up afterwards including long term treatment of our soldiers, the wearing out and replacement of military equipment, rebuilding Iraq.
- Who pays the bill: US taxpayers.
- Who benefits? To be determined.
The mission on entering Iraq was changed from a search for weapons of mass destruction - when they were found not to exist - to a "war on terror." I've got news for you: there is no such thing as a war on terror any more than there can be a war on outrage or anger. Have a war on hunger, cancer, or poverty. At least those are tangible.
The people who are fighting us in Iraq, labeled as insurgents and terrorists, are in fact religious and cultural groups, fanatics perhaps, who are opposed to our being there. They have been in Iraq and the environs a lot longer than we. Their response to our presence is a perfectly normal and healthy response; one that we Americans would gladly give an invader to our country.
After his capture, Saddam Hussein told his interrogators that what he had said about weapons of mass destruction before the invasion was bluster to keep the Iranians - a very real daily threat - at bay. Bush accused him of massacring his own people. True, but compared to what we have done in Iraq, Hussein looks like a rank amateur. At the end of the day there wasn't even the slimmest of connections between weapons of mass destruction, 9/11, Al-Queda, Osama and Iraq.
One Man
The reality is that we are facing one man, Osama bin Laden, who, with a pocket-full of family cash and 19 highjackers, killed 2,974 people from 90 different countries, destroyed the World Trade Centers, four airliners and put, unimpeded, a large hole in the center of U.S. Defense, the Pentagon. Bin Laden, the brains of the operation succeeded in accomplishing what seven years of war, untold expense and loss of life have not repaired, unraveling the social fabric of the United States.
Bin Laden is linked to an organization that gave Bush a focus to respond to in his call for revenge because having just one person responsible, while true, would have been incomprehensible and a hard sell to the gullible (us); al-Qaeda (meaning 'database,' formed in 1988 to fight the Russians in Afghanistan).
Unfortunately due to its inherent secrecy and structure of semi-autonomous cells, al-Qaeda's size and degree of responsibility for particular attacks are difficult to establish if at all, its leaders and operatives geographically dispersed.
We fought groups we named as al-Qaeda's (they have no distinguishing marks or uniforms) - an unconventional enemy - with conventional methods and lost; much as the British did when our founders fought them. Silence doesn't signify that we've won the hearts and minds of the Iraqis, it means we've killed the opposition or they're waiting it our for us to leave. The more adequate response to catching Bin Laden would have been to allow our military - our special forces - to pursue their own actions in finding him using covert means.
Civil Rights
In doing all of this, we as Americans have seen our civil rights eroded, for example, when we transfer money, it's recorded and reported - lest we be terrorists or money launderers. Huge databases of information have been compiled on each and every one of us. At political rallies protesters are put in special 'protest pens.' We have now a special category of prisoner, for ones held on U.S. territory without charge, recourse to their detainment, without representation or hope of justice in Guantanamo Bay. Neither they - the prisoners - not we, know why there are being held. We use mercenaries to fight our wars and call them "Security Contractors," to whom we have paid $100 billion to date. Moreover, unlike our military, we made the mercenaries immune from prosecution. Torture is a routine practice for prisoners, condoned by our president. We no longer televise the return or burial of our soldiers and our war coverage is severely censored.
Of course even the most mentally challenged among us know that the country we should be invading is the self proclaimed 'in your face' soon-to-have-nuclear-weapons-that'll-fit-on-top-of-our-rockets Iran. Who knows? We may yet pay them a visit as it might help secure a Republican president.
Bushes inner circle included Cheney, Rumsfeld ("look at me I can stand at my desk for eight hours") , Karl Rove. Colin Powell disappeared after his mistruth to the UN. Condoleezza Rice was never one of the guys, and was, and still is, used as a runner for Cheney and Bush. Eventually public outrage got Rumsfeld the boot and Rove got out when the vultures began to circle. Cheney is hardly ever heard from any more. As a lame duck president Bush has become increasingly irrelevant. Just when we needed him the most. The war, however, goes on.
While the buck stops at Bush, and so it should, both Cheney and Rumsfeld are career politicians and knew exactly what they were doing. They lied to the American people and continue to deny it, hiding behind executive privilege and arguing about semantics much as Clinton did about the definition of the word "is."
Our politicians in the White House are a living example of absolute power corrupting absolutely; without any personal responsibility for their actions. Let's not forget: Our soldiers were sent into battle with piss-poor vehicle armor, low on ammunition and no personal protection. The President declared "Mission Accomplished," years ago. In January, when the as yet to be elected new president is sworn in, Bush, Cheney and their merry men - and woman - will pack up their stuff and quietly slip away, without any accountability.
So what have we achieved in Iraq? Bottom line - nothing. We have created a power vacuum which will be filled by Iran and Syria as soon as we leave.
Meanwhile, bin Laden remains at large.
[http://www.butlerreport.com/BREditorialBushesblunder.html]
10 reasons why Barack Obama won't be President
1. A percentage of people are emerging who say they won’t vote for a man of color no matter what.
2. Obama’s inexperience in politics and life is working against him. Being a nice guy isn’t a presidential qualification.
3. If McCain picks a great Vice President – like Colin Powell - the Reps have it in the bag.
4. Obama’s VP pick will sink him right away unless he picks Hillary Clinton. She is the only Democrat with the power, experience and votes to bring home the prize. No one else comes close. Current Vice Presidential balloons demonstrate that Obama is clearly out of touch with political reality - see elitism point below.
5. We’re off to war again – this time with Iran and we’re saber rattling with Russia. Incumbent parties at time of war generally stay in place. Who wants to risk our troops to a new, inexperienced, President?
6. Barack and his wife’s reported elitist statures are beginning to show through the veneer. Winning the Presidency is a down and dirty job; there’s no getting around that.
7. Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe, while certainly educational and fun, did nothing to lift his poll numbers. A quick visit does not experience make.
8. John Edwards woes aren’t helping. Unless Condi Rice comes out of the closet in the next 60 days, that balance will stay decidedly against him.
9. The Jesus effect is wearing off. Obama's popularity peaked too early.
10. Ralph Nader is back. He will easily pick up 3 - 6% of Democratic votes which means Obama needs a double digit lead on election day. The ghost of 2000 isn’t out of sight yet.
There you have it - 10 reasons.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Or not.
2. Obama’s inexperience in politics and life is working against him. Being a nice guy isn’t a presidential qualification.
3. If McCain picks a great Vice President – like Colin Powell - the Reps have it in the bag.
4. Obama’s VP pick will sink him right away unless he picks Hillary Clinton. She is the only Democrat with the power, experience and votes to bring home the prize. No one else comes close. Current Vice Presidential balloons demonstrate that Obama is clearly out of touch with political reality - see elitism point below.
5. We’re off to war again – this time with Iran and we’re saber rattling with Russia. Incumbent parties at time of war generally stay in place. Who wants to risk our troops to a new, inexperienced, President?
6. Barack and his wife’s reported elitist statures are beginning to show through the veneer. Winning the Presidency is a down and dirty job; there’s no getting around that.
7. Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe, while certainly educational and fun, did nothing to lift his poll numbers. A quick visit does not experience make.
8. John Edwards woes aren’t helping. Unless Condi Rice comes out of the closet in the next 60 days, that balance will stay decidedly against him.
9. The Jesus effect is wearing off. Obama's popularity peaked too early.
10. Ralph Nader is back. He will easily pick up 3 - 6% of Democratic votes which means Obama needs a double digit lead on election day. The ghost of 2000 isn’t out of sight yet.
There you have it - 10 reasons.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Or not.
To win Obama has to announce Hillary Clinton as Vice Presidential candidate. And soon.
Breaking News July 28, 2008 - updated August 11, 2008
After weeks of speculating, Barak Obama is to announce Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate for the upcoming Presidential Election, possibly as soon as this week. He has to.
Barak has little choice in the matter - the fact is he needs Clinton if he is to win the Presidency. He can't win the election alone or with an unknown VP candidate as his recent alarming dip in the polls have shown. Clinton brings the hammer-blow to the table; enough to convince skeptical voters that Obama as President is a winning proposition for the country.
Clinton also brings with her street-cred in Washington, the Democratic Party and indeed the world, as a tough, outspoken and seasoned politician. She has a lifetime of political experience Obama is so lacking, with eight years in the White House and as a two term Senator in one of the toughest States in the Union, New York.
Clinton has been quiet since suspending her own campaign, retiring her campaign debt and preparing her way for the forthcoming Democratic Convention. This writer believes that she knew this moment would come and it has.
Mrs. Clinton is at a point in her life where she knows that she will either be remembered as the Senator from New York or as the next Vice President of the United States. Having won such support during her own campaign she is very much focused on the latter. Mrs. Clinton is not going to walk away from the VP slot and pressure has been on Obama to pick her. Doing so will ensure his election as President. Not doing so will allow a unique moment in history to slip away as McCain picks a VP that the Republicans will rally behind and win the election.
Remember too that the Democratic vote is once again faced by critical dilution as Ralph Nader throws his hat in the ring. His candidacy risks absorbing those critical 3 to 6% of votes that could snatch the Presidency from right under the noses of even the best Democratic candidate. A lesson hard learned in 2000.
Hillary is the best and most logical choice. More so since Obama's Grand Tour in the Middle East and Europe which has had a disappointing return on investment and left voters relatively unimpressed. Unable to break out on his own, Obama needs to buy in his credibility as world leader and price of that ticket is Hillary Rodham Clinton.
After weeks of speculating, Barak Obama is to announce Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate for the upcoming Presidential Election, possibly as soon as this week. He has to.
Barak has little choice in the matter - the fact is he needs Clinton if he is to win the Presidency. He can't win the election alone or with an unknown VP candidate as his recent alarming dip in the polls have shown. Clinton brings the hammer-blow to the table; enough to convince skeptical voters that Obama as President is a winning proposition for the country.
Clinton also brings with her street-cred in Washington, the Democratic Party and indeed the world, as a tough, outspoken and seasoned politician. She has a lifetime of political experience Obama is so lacking, with eight years in the White House and as a two term Senator in one of the toughest States in the Union, New York.
Clinton has been quiet since suspending her own campaign, retiring her campaign debt and preparing her way for the forthcoming Democratic Convention. This writer believes that she knew this moment would come and it has.
Mrs. Clinton is at a point in her life where she knows that she will either be remembered as the Senator from New York or as the next Vice President of the United States. Having won such support during her own campaign she is very much focused on the latter. Mrs. Clinton is not going to walk away from the VP slot and pressure has been on Obama to pick her. Doing so will ensure his election as President. Not doing so will allow a unique moment in history to slip away as McCain picks a VP that the Republicans will rally behind and win the election.
Remember too that the Democratic vote is once again faced by critical dilution as Ralph Nader throws his hat in the ring. His candidacy risks absorbing those critical 3 to 6% of votes that could snatch the Presidency from right under the noses of even the best Democratic candidate. A lesson hard learned in 2000.
Hillary is the best and most logical choice. More so since Obama's Grand Tour in the Middle East and Europe which has had a disappointing return on investment and left voters relatively unimpressed. Unable to break out on his own, Obama needs to buy in his credibility as world leader and price of that ticket is Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The World Owes China an Apology
When we are invited to a home as a guest we are obliged to behave in a certain way.The invitation is not an opportunity to criticize the host’s family. Nor to call into question the host’s culture, mores or morals. We should not criticize the host’s staff, their food, their home, their ways. To do so would make us unforgivably bad guests and brings shame on all involved.
That said, this is exactly what have done to China in response to their hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games.
President Bush this week, opening the new U.S. embassy in China criticized what he perceived as China’s populations inability to speak out. His comments were inappropriate, out of context and rude; and did little to forge a bridge between our two inter-dependent cultures.
Athletes arrived in Beijing wearing face masks. This was an immature gesture; a slap in the face to a welcoming nation. China has literally moved mountains to ensure clean air for athletes. If air quality offends these visitors they had the option of not attending.
China is not some insignificant country. It is the a world Superpower, second only to the U.S. but with less debt. Indeed China carries a lot of American’s debt and it’s investment in our currency keeps the ailing dollar afloat. It is the seat of one of the earliest human civilizations. It has its own space program – an undertaking enjoyed by only three other continents – the U.S., Russian and Europe.
China was a nation and a culture long before America was conceived. It used piped natural gas when Europe was Dark Continent. It had armada of ocean going vessels – a navy of 50,000 marines - in the 1100s, long before Europeans considered the notion that the earth might not be flat.
The Chinese invented gunpowder, paper, toilet paper, - a plethora of innovations developed centuries - millennia - prior to their discovery in the Western world. It is a home to 1.33 billion people – 1/6th of the world’s population; a country equal in size to the United States. China is a country in transition racing from ancient to modern times at breakneck speed. They are second only to the U.S. in military might.
Yet we speak of the Chinese as if they are barbarians, that their differences make them and their culture less than ours. How pompous and disingenuous - how rude of us.Respect is what is needed.
Respect for the country, its people and culture. We may not see eye to eye on some issues with China but now is not the time, the Olympics are certainly not the venue, to air those opinions.
We are in China to honor the country, the event and the athletes. And when in Rome....
That said, this is exactly what have done to China in response to their hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games.
President Bush this week, opening the new U.S. embassy in China criticized what he perceived as China’s populations inability to speak out. His comments were inappropriate, out of context and rude; and did little to forge a bridge between our two inter-dependent cultures.
Athletes arrived in Beijing wearing face masks. This was an immature gesture; a slap in the face to a welcoming nation. China has literally moved mountains to ensure clean air for athletes. If air quality offends these visitors they had the option of not attending.
China is not some insignificant country. It is the a world Superpower, second only to the U.S. but with less debt. Indeed China carries a lot of American’s debt and it’s investment in our currency keeps the ailing dollar afloat. It is the seat of one of the earliest human civilizations. It has its own space program – an undertaking enjoyed by only three other continents – the U.S., Russian and Europe.
China was a nation and a culture long before America was conceived. It used piped natural gas when Europe was Dark Continent. It had armada of ocean going vessels – a navy of 50,000 marines - in the 1100s, long before Europeans considered the notion that the earth might not be flat.
The Chinese invented gunpowder, paper, toilet paper, - a plethora of innovations developed centuries - millennia - prior to their discovery in the Western world. It is a home to 1.33 billion people – 1/6th of the world’s population; a country equal in size to the United States. China is a country in transition racing from ancient to modern times at breakneck speed. They are second only to the U.S. in military might.
Yet we speak of the Chinese as if they are barbarians, that their differences make them and their culture less than ours. How pompous and disingenuous - how rude of us.Respect is what is needed.
Respect for the country, its people and culture. We may not see eye to eye on some issues with China but now is not the time, the Olympics are certainly not the venue, to air those opinions.
We are in China to honor the country, the event and the athletes. And when in Rome....
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