A Mid Eastern View Of The U.S.

When there are blocks of time when I disappear I'm usually off somewhere I love.  This time it was March in Montana for the Charles M. Russell Art Show and Auction.

The best part of it is looking at work by artists who depict imagery of what made this country great.  Stalwart men and women doing what needed to be done.  I wonder what they would think were they alive today.

They did make this a great country through sweat and hard work and belief in our way of life and the willingness to do whatever was necessary to preserve it. Until modern times when self-interest and an arrogance among our leaders, of both parties, thinking they know better than the rest of us what's good for us and the world.

We've been fighting that arrogance for quite awhile now and those around the world who have been our friends are wondering what happened to us. I need not go into detail about the recent presidential snit over Netanyahu's visit and re-election. Or the petulance over the nuclear negotiations with Iran.

A would be friend, Egypt's President Al Sisi, is trying mightily to bring about change in Islam to where it is reformed just as was Christianity over the centuries.  It is a mighty undertaking and will take decades to change the mind set of a large portion of the world.  It is an insult, not an oversight, he has not been invited to the White House since his election for the worst of reasons.  He replaced the radical Muslim Brotherhood's Morsi and no matter how bad he was, Morsi was our man.

As matters in the Mid East continue to disintegrate Mr. Al Sisi asks for us to assume the responsibility that is ours due to the strength we have achieved through the greatness of the people I have described.

In assessing our retreat from the region and why we should not continue to do so he had this to say in a Wall Street Journal interview:

The United States has the strength and with might comes responsibility.  That is why it is committed and has responsibilities to the whole world.  It is not reasonable or acceptable that with all that might the United States will not be committed and have responsibilities toward the Middle East.  The Middle East is passing through the most difficult and critical time and this will only entail more involvement, not less. 

This is exactly why the world is wondering what has happened to us.  From the generals on down this is accepted as fact.  Only the highest levels of the administration and unfortunately the ones who set the policy, have turned their backs on a region in need of our wisdom, guidance and support.

It's indeed unfortunate that that very highest level of our elected officials have chosen for whatever reason to turn their backs on a world in need.  Include Russian aggression in the package.

As we should heed the words Netanyahu spoke about Iran so should we heed the words of President Al Sisi and live up to the obligations of the super power we are.  Or were.

Because we haven't and under this administration won't, it is not an easy time to be a proud American.

The World Waits And Watches

Not a day goes by any more without word of new atrocities enacted by ISIS.  The Jordanians stepped it up when one of their pilots was burned alive.  The Egyptians are now stepping it up since the mass beheading of 21 of its Christian citizens yet it isn't enough to dissuade the ever growing ranks of the terrorists.

The truce in Ukraine has already been broken. A dirty little war being allowed because it's not ours. Forget treaties and obligations and broken promises.

People are being slaughtered throughout the world in the most heinous of ways yet for the most part every one is watching and waiting.  Why?  Mostly politics.  And if anything could give politics a bad name I should think this would be it.

The ability to understand has long ago passed me by.  How any country or its leadership can sit back and watch what's happening and pass on acting is beyond me.  Don't tell me it's because we're war weary that the President won't authorize boots on the ground.  I cannot believe the American people are willing to let this massacre continue because no one wants boots on the ground.  If it's true I really can't get my head around it.

More likely it's political.  Our President has chosen to give the barbarians a pass.  Others follow suit because they don't know how to take the lead.  Since we've always taken it before I think we have a moral obligation to humanity to take it now.  But we won't.

Other efforts will be marginal because we aren't there. I think we're guilty of crimes against humanity just as much as the Russian aggressors and the Islamic extremists.  We're doing nothing even though we have the ability to wipe them off the face of the earth.  Those in the region should help.  Yes. But they have neither the man power nor the expertise to do it themselves. They look to us and we aren't there.  So everyone sits and waits.

What atrocity will hit the headlines next?  The group of Kurds who have been captured and are being kept in cages like the Jordanian pilot? Will they be burned to death as threatened?  Would that be enough?  Or will we sit and wait for even worse though what could be worse is beyond my imagination.

It is not a proud moment in the history of the world.  It is not a proud moment for America for we offer no leadership.  Even worse, we have none to offer.  What a sad state of affairs.

Obama Is No Jean-Luc Picard

Remember when on Star Trek Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so" and the very competent 'Number One' would do just that?  I find myself wondering why our President couldn't do more to align himself with Picard. Well, for one thing he doesn't have competent 'Number Ones' and he doesn't hold anyone, including himself, responsible.  He just blames others.

As such, he gives the order and no one makes it so.  Especially with Obamacare as more and more faults are being found.  The lesson, of course, is read the legislation before passing it.

It goes further, however, and that takes us back to foreign policy.  Nothing in ours is concrete. If we even have something that is called policy.  Take the promise of having our troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 being negotiated into a broken promise.

We have the National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, at odds with Secretary of State John Kerry as to whether we back Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood or the Military who is on track to having elections and a new constitution rather than an entrenched Islamic regime.  Side with Kerry on this one.  One wonders where the President is.  Probably with Rice.  The wrong side as usual.

Then there is Syria. By partnering with Assad and Russia over the supposed destruction of WMDs, if anyone will take them, we have left the Syrian people exposed to systematic slaughter.  The cause, of course, is Assad who is practically guaranteed to stay in power and continues to be a strong ally of Iran, an even bigger nemesis. Plus, if they need WMDs again, North Korea stands ready to help them out from their ample supply.

Stay tuned to Syria.  The al Qaeda rebels have brought in their own mercenary to run the show, a well known Chechan terrorist who was looking for a new gig.  We fear him.  The Russians fear him.  Assad fears him.  And the time when we could have intervened to help the 'good' rebels has long since passed.  Nothing good can come of this.  Now everybody's lives will be at stake! What lengths will Assad go to in order to remain in power?

Back to Iran.  Some have been suggesting that sanctions should not be tightened while negotiations are pending. Every minute of every day the Iranians continue their march toward weapons grade enrichment.  There is nothing in their past history with us nor the rest of the world that suggests they will stop that march or dismantle or destroy anything already at hand.

No one trusts them.  Why are we so willing? I don't believe one phone call between historically adversarial leaders should carry that much weight.  What can I say other than Vive la France!

Come to think of it Jean-Luc Picard was French!