Uncategorized

Ariel Sharon, the warrior’s warrior

Ariel Sharon was fearless in his belief in Israel.

He fought valiantly for its creation and fought against its enemies when they attacked it. Sharon, who died this week after lying in a coma for years, made no apologies for anything he ever said or did on behalf of his country.

As New York Times essayist Ronen Bergman notes, Sharon could have been the one to make peace with the Palestinians. Somehow he fell short of that noble goal.

I’m kind of reminded of the axiom of how “only Nixon could go to China,” referring to the notable cold warrior President Richard Nixon opening the diplomatic door to the People’s Republic of China, governed by the hated communists. President Nixon made the correct overture in the early 1970s and it changed the geopolitical landscape forever.

Sharon, who served as Israel’s prime minister, also had that kind of credibility is it related to the Palestinians, with whom he fought on the battlefield. He could have been the one to broker a deal with the hated neighbors who have been committed to the destruction of Israel.

As it turned out, it fell to another battle-hardened warrior, Israelis Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, to reach a peace accord with the Palestine Liberation Organization and its leader Yasser Arafat. The two men shook hands at the White House in a ceremony moderated by President Bill Clinton.

Two years later, Rabin would die at the hand of a rabid Israeli nationalist assassin who hated him for the deal he reached with Arafat.

Would such a fate have befallen Ariel Sharon? He could have shown additional courage by striking a peace deal. Sadly, he didn’t take fullest advantage of his own Nixon moment.

Uncategorized

Apology accepted, Mr. McCombs

Red McCombs says he’s sorry now for the outburst he leveled at the University of Texas’s hiring of Charlie Strong as its next head football coach.

I accept your apology, sir.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/red-mccombs-sorry-0

I’ll stipulate, of course, that I never attended UT. I’ve lived in Texas for just shy of 30 years now, so I consider myself a Texan, given that my wife and I pay our taxes here, our sons came of age here and graduated from college here and I’ve watched a fair amount of Texas football.

McCombs, the zillionaire San Antonio auto dealer and UT booster, popped off about being “kicked in the face” when UT hired Strong from the University of Louisville. He questioned whether Strong had the credentials to be a head coach.

Now he regrets saying those mean things.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10272385/red-mccombs-apologizes-criticizing-charlie-strong-hire

UT has a new athletic director, Steve Patterson, who’s first major hire suggests he isn’t going to listen as intently to deep-pocketed boosters as some of his predecessors had done.

What’s more, as Paul Burka notes in the link attached to this blog, UT has now embarked toward a new era by hiring its first African-American head football coach.

Hook ’em, Coach Strong.

Uncategorized

Jobs numbers may help insurance fight

December’s disappointing jobs report may have a beneficial consequence for a lingering political fight.

The White House is bickering — nothing new there — with congressional Republicans over whether to extend unemployment benefits for long-term jobless Americans for another three months.

The Labor Department then released figures Friday that showed job growth crept up by just 74,000 in the past month, far below what economists had predicted. The White House thinks extending the insurance for long-term unemployed is the decent thing to do in an economic environment that is still struggling to gain completely firm footing.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/december-2013-jobs-report-white-house-response-102020.html?hp=l16

Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers keep insisting on government budget cuts to pay for the insurance extension.

White House officials shrugged at the disappointing numbers, but say any refusal to help unemployed Americans is going to damage the recovery, which they insist is occurring.

It’s hard to dispute the trend over the past two years that job growth has returned and that the economy is recovering from the worst recession in many Americans’ memory.

Congress ought to do the right thing by those seeking work by lending a hand where it is needed. Those paltry jobs numbers suggest the recovery still needs a boost.

Uncategorized

U.S. attorney to probe N.J. bridge fiasco

A word of caution is in order as the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane closure picks up steam.

I said I wouldn’t comment on the closure itself until or if we learn Gov. Chris Christie knew more than he’s let on. I’ll stick with that pledge.

The entry of the U.S. attorney into this matter deserves a brief look.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/us-attorney-bridge-closure/2014/01/09/id/546188

Paul Fishman holds the job that Christie held before Christie was elected governor of New Jersey. Fishman is now the federal government’s chief prosecutor in New Jersey.

U.S. attorneys are political appointees. They are chosen ostensibly by the president of the United States. The current president, of course, is a Democrat. Thus, so are U.S. attorneys who are appointed by him. Fishman, therefore, is an ally of sorts of Barack Obama.

Chris Christie is a Republican whose office allegedly closed some lanes of the world’s busiest bridge to get back at the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., for failing to endorse Christie’s bid for re-election as governor.

A Democratic U.S. attorney is investigating a case involving a Republican governor. Will politics get in the way of a thorough, unbiased and objective investigation? My guess is that GOP faithful will say it does if the investigation turns up some dirt on Christie, such as determining that he knew all along about the lane closures and endorsed the move to punish the Fort Lee mayor.

Democrats will say quite the opposite in trying to protect the integrity of the investigation that could harm Gov. Christie’s dream of running for president himself in 2016.

Politics. They get in the way all the time.

Uncategorized

Blogging is a blast … most of the time

Now that I’m a more-or-less full-time blogger, I reckon it’s time to get a few things off my chest about this form of recreation.

This blog has had its current name since the early fall of 2012 when I left daily journalism and pulled all my previous blog entries onto this current platform. With a lot of help from one of my sons, I have been able to share my blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google and LinkedIn — social media outlets that have served me well so far.

The Facebook sharing, though, presents at times a bit of an annoyance for me.

I share these posts on Facebook and they’re distributed among 400-plus “friends” — actual friends, mere acquaintances and even some people I don’t know personally but who are pals with others I do know. And every so often, these posts develop a lot of conversation on Facebook among my shared friends/acquaintances.

Why the annoyance?

Because sometimes these exchanges get personal. They’re sophomoric on occasion. They produce ad hominem attacks from one contributor onto another.

I wish I could control that kind of activity. Maybe this brief message to my fellow Facebookers will sink in.

A member of my family responded to a recent post about the New Jersey bridge lane-closing fiasco. Then an argument of sorts ensued between my family member and some others who hold differing views on the matter. Another respondent apparently wondered aloud why I don’t defend my family member. He responded with a few “maybe” suggestions, thinking maybe I believe he can take care of himself or that maybe I don’t want to offend my meager assortment of “fans.”

He can defend himself. As for offending my “fans,” well, they do a good job of offending others while being offended by those on the other side of whatever argument they’re having.

The truth is I have neither the patience or the interest — not to mention the time — to get involved in protracted discussions about issues on Facebook. My intent with the blog and other social media distribution outlets is to put stuff out there … period. I’ll let others take what they want from whatever I happen to say.

I’ll respond occasionally to someone who might misrepresent what I say while making some other point. I have been known to set the record straight on factual matters or just offer two- or three-word responses to someone’s statements.

I don’t have the stomach to keep going back and forth with someone whose opinion I won’t change — and who won’t change my opinion.

Long ago I learned a lesson when I got started in opinion journalism. It is that everyone views issues through their own set of principles, core values and biases. I have my own. Others have theirs. I’ll state my view and then move on. If it makes someone perhaps rethink a position on an issue, then that’s fine with me. Do I expect anyone to change their mind? No.

Meanwhile, I’ll just keep spewing out my take on issues large and small and add a few kind words when the need arises to salute those who have touched my life along the way. I also intend to write occasionally on life’s challenges, particularly as they relate to retirement and the onset of grandparenthood.

Meanwhile, let’s keep enjoying the ride together.

Uncategorized

Economy takes a hit … or does it?

Economics question of the day: When does a drop in the unemployment rate mean bad news?

When the drop is caused by people giving up on their search for jobs.

So it is that the Labor Department today reported that the jobless rate fell to 6.7 percent, the lowest rate since 2008, but the economy added only 74,000 jobs in December, which is far below economists’ prediction.

Is it time to push the panic button? Time to throw in the towel? Time to storm the White House with torches and pitchforks?

No to all of the above.

As my financial adviser keeps telling my wife and me: Take the long view.

The nation added 2.2 million jobs in 2013, which is about what it added in each of the previous two years. The labor market isn’t great. As one economist said on NPR this morning, it’s gone from being “terrible to just plain bad.”

I’m not going to join the amen chorus of critics who keep insisting the economy is in the tank.

We’ve recovered all the jobs lost during the great recession of late 2008 and early 2009; manufacturing is up; the budget deficit is down, as is the trade deficit; domestic energy exploration is way up, as evidenced by all those pump jacks working furiously along the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles.

Let’s just wait for next month’s job figures … and maybe the month after that.

Uncategorized

Mourning a far-away friend

I am in mourning this evening.

News came in this morning over Facebook of a death that has hit me hard. I feel the need to share briefly why I am grieving.

My friend’s name was Shlomo Bleiberg, who lived in Be’er Sheva, Israel with his wife, Liora. Shlomo was a physician, a big bear of a man and a kind gentleman who opened up his home and his heart to a group of strangers who had come to visit his country for a month in May-June 2009.

I was one of those strangers. I had the honor of leading a Rotary International Group Study Exchange team to Israel more than four years ago. Our flight was late arriving at David Ben-Gurion International Airport, and we were met by our Israeli hosts along with a GSE team from The Netherlands, with whom we would travel through the country for the next month.

We scurried off to Be’er Sheva, our first stop. One of our hosts was Shlomo Bleiberg.

We weren’t with Shlomo for very long, just a few days. But in that time he endeared himself to us forever. He was a kind man. It turned out we were fortunate he had extensive medical training, as one of our GSE team members, Shirley Davis of Levelland, suffered a sprained ankle on the second or third day of our trip. Shlomo treated it, wrapped it and told Shirley to take it easy on the tender ankle.

He would take us swimming in the Dead Sea and would accompany us to Masada, two of the most popular sites in the Holy Land.

Now he’s gone. I think I can speak for all of our team members that we wish we could be there for Liora. All that’s left is to mourn our friend.

I mention this because these exchanges sponsored by Rotary International routinely produce the kind of friendships and warmth that last long after we part company. Indeed, part of Rotary’s famed Four Way Test compels us to act in ways that “build good will and better friendships.”

Our time spent in a far away country did all of that for us who had the honor of taking part in this grand adventure.

Shlomo Bleiberg was a big part of an experience that changed all of us.

Rest in peace, Shlomo.

Uncategorized

Lane-closing story going to get very ugly

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hoped he could have put down the story about the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge.

His marathon press conference this morning didn’t do the job. It only has fanned the flames.

The battle lines are being drawn. Republicans say the kerfuffle is a diversion from the Affordable Care Act debate. Democrats say the growing scandal speaks to a possible extreme abuse of power by the Republican governor.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/01/09/embarrassed_christie_fires_aide_in_bridge_scandal_121179.html

Christie fired a couple of key aides today. One of them, his former deputy chief of staff, reportedly is the author of an email that said it was “time for a traffic” jam on the bridge. The lanes were closed allegedly as payback for the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J.’s refusal to endorse Christie’s re-election. Christie said he knew nothing about the email until just two days ago.

This is a big deal because Christie is considered a probable candidate for president in 2016. He’s sold himself as a hands-on, no-nonsense chief executive. Yet this situation seems to suggest the governor had his hands off the levers of power while his underlings went rogue right under his nose.

Let’s not dismiss this as much ado about nothing. This is the kind of story that gets the media worked up, kind of like it did over the Benghazi disaster in September 2012, the phony controversy over President Obama’s place of birth, and the IRS probe of political action groups’ tax-exempt status … to name just three recent examples.

This is how the game is played. Gov. Christie had better steel himself for a rough ride.

Uncategorized

Gov. Christie isn’t out of the woods

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of my favorite Republicans.

His press conference today, though, leaves a key question unanswered. It is simply, how did he not know the details until now of a story that has been boiling for weeks around the state he governs with an admittedly firm hand?

http://politicslive.cnn.com/Event/Christie_news_conference_2?hpt=hp_t1

At issue is what the governor knew about a lane-closure on the George Washington Bridge, the busiest span in the world.

He fired the aide today who reportedly was responsible for closing the lanes. We still do not know why the bridge was effectively shut down. Allegations have been swirling that the governor’s office did it to get back at the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., who had declined to endorse Christie’s bid for re-election. Christie said today he didn’t know the mayor and said he “couldn’t pick him out of a lineup” if he stood before him.

The worst case is that Christie’s office has exercised a terrible abuse of power, using the authority of his office to get back at a political opponent. The best case might be that a governor who proclaims himself to be a hands-on, no-nonsense chief executive has been duped by staffers who did bad things without his knowing it.

This story is going to keep bubbling.

Uncategorized

What’s so new about Gates’s memoir?

Robert Gates is a great American patriot.

He served two presidents with honor and distinction as defense secretary. He’s an expert in national security issues. I honor his service and thank him for it.

His new book, “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War” has the political class all a flutter in Washington.

http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2014/01/08/bob_gates_scathing_indictment_of_obamas_white_house_107021.html

My question is this: Why is this such a huge deal?

Yes, he criticizes President Obama’s alleged lack of commitment to the Afghanistan War; he says Vice President Biden has been wrong on every decision the White House faced; he says the West Wing’s grasp on national security power is tighter than since the Nixon years.

Gates’s book is no different than many memoirs written after key government officials leave office. They have this habit of spilling the beans on their bosses once they’re clear of the place. Presidents of both political parties have fallen victim to this kind of remembrance.

Gates is no different.

What’s been interesting has been the emphasis certain media have placed on the book.

Conservative media, for instance, have devoted many hours and column inches to Gates’s criticism of President Obama and Vice President Biden. Other media outlets take note that Gates saved arguably his harshest criticism for Congress, half of which is controlled by Republicans, the other half by Democrats.

Gates has been pretty thorough in his trashing of the political establishment in Washington, now that he’s gone.

I’ll stipulate that I haven’t read the book. I plan to read it once I get through the other books I received as Christmas gifts.

I’m betting I won’t see anything I haven’t read before.

Commentary on politics, current events and life experience