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U.S. primed to pick fight with China?

You have to hand it to the brass at the Pentagon, not to mention the commander in chief.

With foreign policy crises either erupting or about to erupt in places like Iran, Syria, Egypt, Libya, North Korea and sub-Saharan Africa, the folks at the Pentagon decide to provoke China by flying B-52 bombers into airspace the Chinese claim as their own.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/27/21641914-china-deploys-only-aircraft-carrier-after-us-sends-b-52s-over-disputed-islands?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=1

China has declared ownership of space over some mineral-rich islands near the coast of Japan. The Japanese also claim that territory. Who’s right is just about anyone’s guess.

Now comes the United States, with its immense military presence in the region. The Air Force launched a couple of B-52s over the disputed area. The Chinese responded by sending their only aircraft carrier into motion, along with a couple of guided-missile frigates.

Nothing happened. No shots were fired.

I’m betting the United States isn’t going to let China bully Japan — our key ally in East Asia. Heaven knows the Chinese have done a number on Taiwan for many years, claiming that the now-independent nation remains part of the mainland empire, given that Taiwan created a separate government after fleeing the mainland in 1949 after losing a bloody civil war with the communists who now run China.

I also should add that Vietnam, another ancient foe of China, is worried about Chinese aims on the region. Vietnam and China fought a fierce border war in the late 1970s after the United States withdrew its forces from Vietnam in 1975.

What are the Chinese up to remains anyone’s guess.

They do understand the showing of force, which is the United States did with the B-52 flyovers. Yes, the birds were unarmed — but there’s plenty of firepower nearby.

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Memo to Alec: Watch your foul mouth, young man

This has been a tough week for TV news personalities masquerading as broadcast journalists.

First, it was Lara Logan of CBS’s “60 Minutes” being forced to take “administrative leave” for a botched news segment on the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya; four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, died in the firefight. Logan and her producer trotted out a security analyst who told “60 Minutes” he was there when it happened, except that he really didn’t get there until the next day. His credibility came into question after the report that was highly critical of the State Department’s reaction to the tragic event.

See ya, Lara.

Now it’s MSNBC’s turn to wipe the egg off its face. It had hired actor/comedian Alec Baldwin to do an hour-long show every Friday night. Baldwin is known for a lot of things. Yes, he’s a talented actor. He’s also capable of doing some great comedy sketches.

Baldwin also is a loudmouth with a hair-trigger temper.

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=841043

Seems that that Baldwin got into an altercation with a photographer recently and spit out some highly inflammatory names to the fellow. He let loose with an anti-gay slur, preceded by an extremely vulgar adjective.

Hey Alec. You should know that the world is listening to every word you say. Dude, you’re a star and as such, you are not immune from prying eyes and ears. Two words need mentioning here, man: social media.

MSNBC has pulled Baldwin’s show. He says a leading gay-rights organization, GLAAD, and Andrew Sullivan, a noted columnist and author — who happens to be gay — had a hand in “killing” his show.

So what if they did?

He behaved reprehensibly and, as a symbol of a network devoted to news and commentary, he becomes one of the faces of the network.

Alec Baldwin had to go.

One final word of advice, although it will be ignored: Keep your mouth shut, Alec.

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Babies skew one’s perspective

It’s been a very long time since we’ve had a baby in our immediate family.

By “immediate,” I mean a direct descendant of my wife and me. Our sons have been all grown up for many years. One of them got married in March 2012 and this past March, he and our daughter-in-law delivered us a 7 pound, 14 ounce angel named Emma Nicole.

So, we now have a baby in our immediate family.

I mention this because I’ve learned how babies change one’s perspective about time.

I’ve been fond for years of kidding other family members and our younger friends who would say something like this: “Oh, I cannot believe our baby is three months old already. Where in the world does the time go?”

I usually chuckle at that and come back with this: “Talk to me in about 20 or 30 years … when you’re still asking the question about where time has gone.”

Everyone has a chuckle and I might get a knowing nod and an “OK, I get it.”

I say that because I remember as if it was yesterday the moment both of our sons entered this world. The first one arrived nearly 41 years ago, the second one joined us 39 years ago. I remember how I felt when I held them for the first time. I remember my mother squealing with joy when the nurse uncovered our first son to reveal that her first grandson had just arrived. I remember the task of naming our second son when he was about 15 minutes old.

This all happened decades ago. The memories are as fresh now as they were then.

Now, though, I’ve become like a new parent. Our little granddaughter is growing in front of our eyes. She changes every time we see her, which isn’t nearly often enough. Our son and daughter-in-law live in Allen, which isn’t exactly across town.

What’s even more interesting is that I now find myself saying things like, “Emma? Oh, she’s eight months old, going on nine months. Where in the world does the time go?” I say all that without the slightest hint of irony or self-awareness of the kinds of responses I have given for years to others who say the very same thing.

I become aware of it only after the fact.

What am I going to do about all of it? Not a single thing.

I love sharing the joy of having this new life in our midst. I just wish time would slow down just a little bit.

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Logan takes ‘leave’ from ’60 Minutes’

That ticking sound you hear at the start of “60 Minutes” each Sunday has taken on a new symbolic meaning.

I’m guessing it now might symbolize that time is running out on of the formerly premier news show’s correspondents, Lara Logan, who has been ordered to take an undetermined leave of absence.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/lara-logan-60-minutes-leave_n_4344883.html

Logan and her producer have earned this kick in the backside.

“60 Minutes” recently broadcast a segment that depended heavily on reports from someone who told the news agency that he was present at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012 when it came under attack from terrorists.

Well, it turned out that the source for the story, security officer Dylan Davies, told the FBI something quite different. He told the feds he didn’t arrive until after the shooting stopped.

The report had been highly critical of the State Department and the CIA response to the attack that killed four Americans, including Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya. “60 Minutes,” though, based its reporting on a source who, it turned out, was not credible. He wasn’t there. He didn’t see anything.

Logan went on the air later to offer what she called a “correction.” She apologized for the report.

Now it seems that CBS News has taken the next step in ordering Logan to take a break, along with her producer, Max McClellan.

I wouldn’t bet on Logan’s return to “60 Minutes.” These types of high-profile “leaves of absence” usually result in termination.

The network’s next big task is to repair the damage done to its reputation and to a news program once considered to be the gold standard for broadcast journalism.

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Cornyn offers insulting tweet on Iran deal

I’ve long thought that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was a serious man.

Then came this response to the deal brokered over the weekend involving Iran’s nuclear development program.

“Amazing what WH will do to distract attention from O-care”

http://blogs.star-telegram.com/politex/2013/11/sen-cornyns-iran-tweet-sparks-reaction-in-twitter-sphere.html

Huh? That was the response from the senior U.S. Republican senator from the great state of Texas?

So, in Cornyn’s mind an agreement that seeks to guide Iran toward a dismantling of its nuclear program, protect Israel — our nation’s most stalwart Middle East ally — and restore some semblance of stability in one of the world’s most explosive regions is a mere “distraction”?

Cornyn’s tweet drew some harsh response, some of which was equally unfair.

My larger point, though, is that Sen. Cornyn should know better than to suggest an intense negotiation involving the United States, Iran and several other great world powers is some kind of political feint to take interest away from an unrelated domestic policy dispute.

Ridiculous.

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George Zimmerman should have gone away quietly

I’ve been thinking for the past little while about George Zimmerman, the guy who was acquitted of murdering Florida teenager Trayvon Martin in that terrible case, which drew international attention.

My thoughts have been this: If I had been found not guilty of a crime that had drawn such intense scrutiny, I just might find a way to go quietly into the night, never to be heard from again.

Zimmerman has chosen quite a different path since his acquittal.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/26/21627985-george-zimmerman-had-five-guns-when-arrested-police?lite

He and his wife have separated and are headed for divorce.

And now we have this case involving his alleged threatening of his girlfriend with some kind of firearm, a shotgun, a high-powered rifle, a pistol … something.

The latest involving Zimmerman reveals that he possesses a number of weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle. If you’ve never seen an AR-15, they look and operate very much like an M-16 — the kind of rifle soldiers were issued when they went to Vietnam way back when.

AR-15s, as well as M-16s, are extremely deadly weapons. They fire a bullet that is barely bigger than a .22-caliber round, but they inflict maximum damage with these high-velocity projectiles.

I guess it’s not illegal to own these kinds of weapons in Florida. A judge ordered him to surrender them after Zimmerman pleaded not guilty to the charges of endangerment leveled against him.

This matters to me only because of Zimmerman’s standing as someone who was in the news — a lot — because he was accused of killing that teenager in a confrontation that occurred on a dark street one night in Sanford, Fla. He became the poster boy for — depending on your point of view — for vigilante justice or for citizens’ rights to self-protection.

I would have thought Zimmerman had gone through enough public scrutiny. He avoided punishment for a high-profile crime. He should have left town, sneaking away without being detected.

Oh, but no. He’s back in the news once again.

And he’s still packing heat.

Hasn’t this guy had enough of the limelight? Apparently not.

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Two senators: same ideology, different styles

Ross Ramsey’s analysis of Texas’s two Republican U.S. senators reminded me of a political truism authored by none other than the late President Richard Nixon.

Nixon, who essentially wrote the modern political playbook, used to say that candidates run to their extremes during the primary and tack toward the center in the general election. The president’s theory applied to Democrats and Republicans.

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/25/senate-matter-style/

That might work in most eras and in most states. Not in Texas. Not now.

Ramsey, the editor of the Texas Tribune, says Sen. John Cornyn has stepped right out of “central casting” to be a U.S. senator. White hair, former judge, former state attorney general, handsome features. “Soft face.” He says Sen. Ted Cruz presents a different image. Black hair. Fiery temperament. He’s a TV camera hustler.

Cornyn is running for re-election this year. He might face a serious challenge from his right, from the tea party — aka the wacko — wing of his party. Why? Mainly because he opposed Cruz’s tactic of tying Affordable Care Act funding with the government shutdown earlier this year.

Cornyn is a virtual shoo-in for re-election. To secure his party’s nomination in the spring, he’ll have to say all the right things. He might even have to harden that soft face of his while saying them. He’ll blast the ACA to smithereens. He’ll say mean things about Democrats in general. He might even accuse the president of being something other than a true-blue American.

In another time, though, Cornyn then would veer toward the middle, saying more reasonable things. He would talk about his desire to reach across the aisle to work his “friends on the other side.” He might even mention that he is pals with a few of those Democrats.

But these days, in Texas, the Nixon Axiom no longer seems to matter. Cornyn likely will stay focused on the far right. He might even get more inflammatory as the campaign progresses into the summer and fall of 2014. That’s because so many Texas votes seem comfortable with their senators tossing bombs.

Look at Cruz’s popularity among Texas Republican at this moment. If you’re a Texas politician, all that seems to matter is whether the GOP faithful will stand with you.

All of this could play out as described here, except for one possible factor: whether Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis’s campaign for governor gins up enough support among women angry at the GOP’s stance on abortion rights. I’m not predicting that will happen.

However, if it does, then President Nixon’s general election strategy is back in play.

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Headlight repaired … hooray!

Allow me this brief post script to a blog posted on Monday.

I griped about the frustrations of dealing with a motor vehicle repair that I thought would be a simple, do-it-myself procedure.

It wasn’t.

I’d mentioned that I purchased a headlight bulb that I had hoped to install with a simple removal of installation. Then I learned that I had to remove the entire headlight assembly. I threw in the towel Monday morning and made an appointment with the service department at the dealership where we purchased our 3/4-ton pickup, which we’ve named Big Jake.

My wife took the truck in, as I had to work this afternoon. She was in and out of there in 30 minutes.

The bulb we bought from the auto parts store? It was the wrong bulb. The service tech who sold us the bogus bulb had it all wrong.

I’ll return the bulb to the store … and hope the tech is there for me to, um, set the record straight.

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Iran must pay huge price for non-compliance

Congress is going to step into the Iranian nuclear program dismantling discussion if the need arises.

Go for it, lawmakers.

http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/middle-eastnorth-africa/191416-congress-prepares-to-punish-tehran

The deal hammered out over the weekend between several of the great powers and Iran calls for the mullahs to take down its nuclear program over time. They must not develop a nuclear weapon. In return Iran will see a partial lifting of economic sanctions that have punished that country’s economy — and which, in my view, have helped bring the Iranians to the negotiating table after years of refusing to discuss their nuclear development program.

Iran has six months to make good on its promises. If it doesn’t, or if it reneges on any element of the agreement, then Congress is going to take action to clamp down even tighter on the Islamic Republic.

The decision to take action if Iran doesn’t comply forestalls any effort to derail the agreement brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister. Yes, the agreement has drawn heavy fire from congressional Republicans and Democrats, not to mention from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who calls the agreement a “historic mistake.”

Israel remains prepared to take unilateral military action against Iran if it feels threatened. Who can blame the Israelis, given the constant battles they fight with many of their neighbors who are intent on destroying Israel?

The agreement might not be perfect, but Iran has paid a heavy price already for its refusal to talk — until now — with the rest of the world about its nuclear intentions. As for Israel’s security, Kerry says our nation’s key Middle East ally will remain secure and that the United States will continue to stand foursquare behind it.

Meanwhile, Congress is right to prepare a punishment option to have ready in the event Iran doesn’t comply with the agreement.

The task now is to persuade the Iranians that additional suffering makes it necessary for them to follow through.

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Life with vehicles is never simple

I’m frustrated.

It’s not the political world about which I comment on this blog that frustrates me today. It happens to be the day-to-day life of someone with a motor vehicle that has me pulling out my hair.

I discovered this morning the headlight in my 2011 3/4-ton pickup was out. Easy fix, right? Go to the auto parts store, pick up the replacement bulb, lift up the hood, find the fitting, pull it out and insert the new bulb. Close everything up, turn on the lights and all the beams would come on.

That’s how it’s supposed to work. Right?

Wrong!

The auto parts store clerk informed us of how easy it would be. We bought the bulb for 16 bucks and change. We came home. I lifted the hood. Then I looked and looked some more for the place where the clerk said I could access the headlight. Couldn’t find it. I looked everywhere. I even looked on the other side of the massive engine compartment, thinking it might be in a special place, connected by long wires.

No luck.

So … I went to another auto parts store — same company, different location — and asked one of the sales reps there about how I access the headlight. He came out, took one look at the headlight and informed me I had to remove the entire headlight assembly to get to the bulb.

There you have it.

I’ll admit right up front that the Almighty did not bless me with automotive maintenance skills. I have learned to rely on others’ expertise for such things.

I had hoped, however, that I could repair what appeared to be a simple problem all by ownself. Alas, it’s not meant to be.

We’ll take the beastly truck this afternoon to the dealer who sold us the vehicle. The service department will spend, oh, maybe 10 minutes to replace the bulb.

I just hope they don’t charge me for the whole hour.

There. I feel better already.

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