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North Koreans prove again their PR insanity

Merrill Newman is on his way home after being held captive in North Korea.

In a bizarre tale — as if anything involving North Korea is ever not bizarre — Newman, an 85-year-old Korean War veteran, admitted to committing dastardly acts while fighting that war. The North Koreans, out of the goodness of their hearts, accepted his “apology” and let him go.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/07/world/asia/north-korea-american-newman/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

And what did this man do, according to the North Koreans? He committed “hostile acts” against them.

OK, let me see if I have this straight.

The North Koreans invaded South Korea in 1950, igniting a ferocious conflict that would last three years. United Nations forces, led by the United States, intervened on the South’s behalf. They fought bloody battles against the North Korean army, which later was aided by a massive force from the People’s Republic of China.

Is there anything non-hostile about any of this?

Newman had been recorded making some kind of apology for his actions while serving in the Korean War. He read the script. His reading of it sounded for all the world like one of those bogus “confessions” we heard during the Vietnam War by captured U.S. service personnel.

Well, now the North Koreans have “deported” Newman.

They can call it whatever they want. I prefer to call it a ridiculous public relations stunt gone bad.

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Economy gives GOP reason to cheer Obama policies

I can sense it, sort of.

The Labor Department said today the economy created 203,000 jobs in October. The jobless rate fell to 7 percent, the lowest level in five years. The jobs report provided the first “clean” look at the state of the economy, according to Politico.com, meaning a report that wasn’t shaded by the government shutdown and other external political factors.

And … the Federal Reserve Board just might start dialing back its stimulus efforts with the realization that the economy is finally — finally! — gaining some actual strength.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/november-2013-unemployment-numbers-100780.html

What am I sensing? The Republican leadership in Congress might be willing to give President Obama a little bit of credit for what appears to be a full-blown economic recovery.

I say “might be willing.” Whether it happens is anyone’s guess.

Perhaps the most encouraging element of this report, if you’re a Republican, is that the Fed might start drawing back on the bond-buying program it had instituted to help jump-start the economy. This government “intrusion” is anathema to congressional Republicans. It well might be that the Fed has seen enough improvement in the economy — which includes significant strength in the private sector — that it no longer has to pump billions of dollars to keep the economic engines running.

The stock market gets jittery at that kind of news. Still, the market took off like a rocket today when the jobs figures came out. It helped yours truly’s retirement account immensely, for which I am grateful.

The president cannot get a break these days, what with the Affordable Care Act rollout being the disaster it has become. That problem appears fixed, too.

Remember when the economy was Issue No. 1 in the GOP’s plan to defeat President Obama’s attempt at re-election? It didn’t work. Voter returned him to office for another four years.

Today’s jobs report seems to suggest that’s why virtually no one is talking smack about the economy these days.

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West Texas A&M has explaining to do

I’ll leave it to folks who are more in the know on West Texas A&M University athletics issues, people who are adept at parsing language or looking for things said or not said.

Jon Mark Beilue, writing for the Amarillo Globe-News, writes that he smells a rat in the sudden resignation/retirement of head WT men’s basketball coach Rick Cooper.

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-12-06

My pal Beilue has been around more WT locker rooms than most individuals. He knows the lay of the land at the Canyon campus.

But from my vantage point here in the peanut gallery, I have to concur that something’s just not right with the WT athletic program. This year has produced a couple of stunners.

First came the firing of head football coach Don Carthel, just two weeks before the start of what has turned out to be a successful season. The Buffaloes are still in the Division II playoff hunt for the national title. Carthel was canned for an NCAA ethics violation.

Now comes Cooper’s “retirement.” Beilue believes Cooper just walked away because he’d “had enough.”

Of what? Or of whom?

The common denominator in both coaches’ departure is WT athletic director Michael McBroom. Is he the reason for Cooper’s decision to quit barely a quarter of the way into this basketball season?

About four years ago, WT made a big deal out of its desire to create a first-class athletic environment. Its strategy was to become a magnet for blue-chip athletes who could come here to participate in revenue-producing sports — such as football and basketball. They would bring fans to the games, generating revenue for the school, enabling WT to build better facilities. It all sort of feeds on itself and that was WT President Pat O’Brien’s stated mission.

Then — poof! — the two most successful coaches in the school’s history are gone. That is no way to build the kind of athletic program a university envisions.

Something smells at West Texas A&M University. Are you paying attention, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents?

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Mandela’s example of grace could benefit U.S.

It didn’t take long for this example to come forth in the wake of Nelson Mandela’s death.

It came in the form of questions about how the great man’s spirit of grace and forgiveness could somehow be brought to bear on the poisonous political climate that afflicts Washington, D.C.

Think about this for a moment.

Mandela was sentenced to 27 years in prison. The South African government had charged him with treason because he fought to bring basic human rights to the majority of residents of his country. Black people did not enjoy the fruits of freedom in their country because the white minority imposed the rule of apartheid. Mandela said that was wrong and lead demonstrations against his government.

For that he was imprisoned until his release on Feb. 11, 1990. Did he condemn his captors? When he was released, did he launch reprisals against those who took away his freedom? No. He sought to reach out to them. Mandela said the end of apartheid meant he had won. He demonstrated grace and compassion. Nelson Mandela became a living symbol of forgiveness.

Is there a lesson for American politicians who cannot put aside their hard feelings? Do their differences now seem even more petty and petulant when compared to the deep schisms that afflicted politicians in South Africa?

I believe there exists a lesson that should not be lost on those who have crippled our government.

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Ice coats sidewalks needlessly

As the song goes, the weather outside is frightful.

So are the conditions of streets and sidewalks all over Amarillo that are covered in ice. Funny thing, though. The sky isn’t producing any moisture. The air is crackly dry. The water is coming from irrigation systems that the owners fail to turn off when the weather gets so, um, frightful.

I drove yesterday from extreme southwest Amarillo toward downtown and I lost count of the number of large spots of ice covering sidewalks. Water had spilled into the street at many locations, covering the asphalt with ice as well.

From where I come from, that constitutes a hazard to (a) pedestrians brave enough to be walking in weather like this and (b) motorists who might not see the ice sheets covering the street in front of them.

The temperature was about 11 degrees when I awoke this morning; the wind chill took it to 3 below zero.

The good news for my wife and me is that we live on a secluded residential street. Most of the residents on our little corner of heaven have irrigation systems. Make no mistake, many of them are still spewing water even though the outdoor temps freeze the water almost on contact. We have no compelling need to walk in front of our neighbors’ homes, where we might take a header while slipping on the ice.

The other areas with a lot of foot and motorized traffic, though, need some attention.

A final request: Turn off the irrigation systems.

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WT men’s basketball coach retires at ‘right time’?

I’ll admit right up front that I am not in the know about West Texas A&M University athletics.

I’ve not been a close student of the dynamics that run the program. I do, however, wonder — right along with a lot of other Texas Panhandle residents — about the timing of today’s stunning announcement that WT men’s basketball coach Rick Cooper is retiring seven games into a 30-game season.

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-12-05/wt-mens-basketball-coach-rick-cooper-resign-immediately

He says this is the “right time.” The right time? What in the world can possibly by “right” about leaving your team when its season is just getting started. He won his last game, against Pittsburg State. He had a whole rest of the season to play.

He retires? Now?

That, of course, assumes there isn’t some compelling health reason that forced him to retire.

Cooper was the most winning coach in WT men’s basketball history. He put together a solid program.

I don’t know Cooper. I’ve heard that he coaches with, um, intensity. I was visiting at lunch today with some of my fellow Rotary Club members about Cooper’s announcement. One of my pals talked about Cooper’s aggressive coaching style, and I mentioned the late Joe Kerbel, the fiery WT football coach who dropped dead at a young age. Kerbel routinely went ballistic on the sidelines of WT football games. Perhaps the men’s basketball coach wanted to avoid that fate.

I don’t know the particulars.

Nor do I know what prompts a coach to declare his retirement is coming at the “right time” barely a quarter of the way into a season — unless there is some unknown factor at play here.

I’m hoping for a more complete explanation.

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R.I.P., Nelson Mandela

One of the world’s greatest men has left us.

The life of Nelson Mandela, who died today at age 95, can be summed up, for me, in a single word: courage.

He endured 27 years in prison because he fought for equality for the majority of South Africa’s citizens, who were denied basic human rights under a policy called “apartheid.”

He emerged from prison in 1990 with his head held high. He became, in an instant, a towering world figure.

Mandela then ran for president of his country in 1994. For the first time in their history, millions of black South Africans were given the chance to vote. They stood in line for days to vote. They wept. They cheered. They performed their rights as citizens with immense pride. Mandela won, becoming the first black man to lead his country.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/05/17500450-nelson-mandela-dead-at-95

In the summer of 2004 I had the privilege of laying eyes on the great man. I attended the International Conference on AIDS in Bangkok, Thailand. Mandela was there to talk about tuberculosis, another communicable disease that he contracted while imprisoned. He came into a room full of journalists. I stood about 40 feet from him. He spoke for a few minutes and then left the room.

I didn’t speak to the great man, shake his hand, pat him on the back, nothing. Just being in the room with him — in its way — had some undefined effect on me. I am proud to have seen him.

Yes, he had his critics. He was too cozy with communist leaders, they said. Mandela’s response: They were the folks who stood behind him during his time in prison. He owed them for their loyalty.

He also said something else upon his release. He spoke of his lack of bitterness at his captors. A coward might lash out, casting aspersions on those who had deprived him of his freedom.

Mandela, courageous man that he was, instead spoke of the triumph he had scored. Apartheid had come to an end upon his release from prison. That, he said, was cause for joy.

He was a happy man. He also embodied courage beyond measure.

Well done, Mr. President.

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Pauken pulls out, paving way for Abbott in GOP primary

This just in: Tom Pauken has announced he won’t run for governor of Texas.

Man, that makes me sad.

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/12/05/tom-pauken-withdraws-gop-gubernatorial-primary/

I consider Pauken to be a friend. We’ve known each other about 25 years, going back to when he wrote a column for the Dallas Times-Herald and I was editorial page editor of the Beaumont Enterprise. We’d publish his work frequently and that’s how we got acquainted.

He went on to become head of the Texas Republican Party. He’s written some books, one of which — “Bringing America Home — he signed for me. We’ve met many times over the years for breakfast or lunch. My wife and I have visited him in his Dallas office, where he practices law.

He’s a good guy, quite smart and is a very strong conservative. He’s no fan of George W. Bush or Karl Rove.

Would I want him as governor? Probably not. Then again, one shouldn’t vote for someone solely on friendship.

I just wish he could have stayed the course and challenged Attorney General Greg Abbott for his party’s nomination next spring. He bowed out today, saying he cannot compete against someone as well-financed as Abbott.

With that, Abbott now goes from prohibitive favorite for his party’s nomination to lead-pipe cinch. He won’t be challenged seriously by anyone on his right. I was hoping Tom Pauken could provide that challenge.

I hope he stays active in some fashion, perhaps to remind Texans that the state’s Republican Party doesn’t speak with one voice.

Keep ’em honest, Tom.

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Red-light cameras become campaign issue

Republican Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who’s running for governor, had this — among other things — to say to a North Texas tea party group: “Both the advocates of red light cameras and their detractors have a point. One emphasizes safety, and the other emphasizes privacy.”

Let’s hold it right there.

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/12/05/governors-race-draws-spotlight-red-light-cameras/

I am an advocate of red-light camera technology, which is being deployed in many cities across the state, including Amarillo. I see it as a safety issue. It is making it safer for people to drive without getting clobbered by idiots who ignore street lights instructing them to stop.

The other side, I am presuming from Abbott’s remark, suggests that the cameras are “invasive” and that they intrude on people’s “privacy.”

I’ve had this argument with more anti-red light camera residents in Amarillo than I care to count.

My point about the so-called privacy issue simply is this: Motorists driving vehicles on public streets, putting other people’s health and their very lives, by ignoring traffic laws have no inherent right of privacy. Period.

Some of those foes suggest that government is overreaching by allowing cities to implement these devices. They stand behind some bogus conservative political theory that says government has no right to intrude in this manner.

My answer? That is pure crap.

The state used to prohibit cities from deploying these cameras. Then the Legislature changed part of its collective mind by allowing the cameras, but then requiring cities to dedicate revenue raised from fines to traffic safety improvements. That’s all fine. The state also takes a significant cut of the revenue raised. That’s OK too.

The people elected to govern cities deserve the chance to determine what’s best for the communities. Amarillo’s elected commission (now city council) decided in 2008 that it was in the city’s best interest to deploy these cameras at selected intersections. Have the cameras stopped red-light runners? No. They have, however, deterred some folks from doing it and they have raised revenue to pay for improvements in traffic signalization around the city.

I am tiring rapidly, though, of the argument that the anti-camera crowd keeps harping on regarding privacy. These clowns aren’t protecting anything except their bogus “right” to break traffic laws.

Tom Pauken, another GOP candidate for governor, opposes the cameras. He says they’re intent is to raise money, not make streets safer. Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth — which has the cameras deployed — also is running for governor; she favors the cameras.

Let us have this debate. I want to hear candidates for governor explain rationally how privacy matters when it involves motorists traveling along publicly owned streets.

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Clear the decks for this county judge race

If anyone out there is interested in joining the Republican Party primary field in the race to be the next Potter County judge, they ought to go find something else to do between now and next March.

The developing contest between Nancy Tanner and Debra McCartt is shaping up to be a barn-burner.

http://www.connectamarillo.com/news/story.aspx?id=978847#.UqB8Hkrnat8

The two candidates appeared recently on a local TV news special and addressed specific concerns critics have leveled at both of them. They acquitted themselves well.

Tanner and McCartt bring specific and unique strengths to this campaign.

Tanner brings 20 years of experience as administrative assistant to County Judge Arthur Ware, who’s not running for re-election. She knows the county, its elected and appointed department heads, and how its government works. Ware fired her earlier this year for reasons he — nor Tanner — have yet explained publicly. My guess it had something to do with the fact she announced her intention to consider running for the office before Ware — who’s been recovering from a devastating stroke — declared his intention to step down.

McCartt lacks Tanner’s hands-on experience. She doesn’t lack, however, any public relations skills. McCartt had a successful run as Amarillo’s first female mayor, where she proved to be an effective spokeswoman and advocate for the city’s policies, strategies and goals. She showed significant courage in pushing the city forward in implementing its red-light camera program and has made no apologies for that decision. I applaud her for that. The major question facing McCartt, though, will be: Can her PR skills and political backbone transfer easily into the detailed work required of a county judge?

I heard a rumbling earlier this week about a possible third candidate stepping in the race. I won’t reveal the name I heard, other than to describe him as a longtime political gadfly. Other names have been bandied about the County Courthouse almost since Ware’s stroke in 2010.

My hunch also is that Democrats need not apply.

This campaign is going to boil down to which of these two well-known women will win the GOP primary next March.

If the early indicators play themselves out, we’d better strap ourselves in for a wild ride along the campaign trail.

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