One bi-product of taking a leave of absence from blogging is that the world continues piling up stories of conflict, abuse of power, sex scandals, political shenanigans, education turmoil, etc., all of which provide great fodder for not only print journalist and television talking heads, but also for those of us who are much less formally qualified but still have a passion to offer commentary on such issues. The problem is simply choosing one subject from this vast array of topics. However, one recent event in the news just screams for attention if for no other reason than its profound importance to the world. Specifically, I am referring to the seemingly endless Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
First, let me offer a little personal history on this subject. On March 13, 1956, while on a trip to the Middle East as part of a Mediterranean cruise with my grandmother, aunt and three cousins, we were on the way from Beirut to Damascus to visit the Holy Land by car when our caravan was stopped at the Syrian border for routine passport checks. When what should have been a simple brief event turned into a prolonged process, it became apparent that something was wrong. To make a long story short, my grandmother and I were informed that we would not be allowed to enter Syria because they thought we were Jewish and the tour operators could not guarantee our safety. The point being that this was my very first experience with the same discrimination that many Jews have long felt which some think caused many to flee their Arab neighbors for Europe, so I am not insensitive to their situation. In any event our entire family elected to abandon that segment of our trip and return to Beirut and accept the kind invitation of a Lebanese politico, whom we had met on board ship after one of his lectures on the Arab/Israeli conflict, to visit him at his home in Tripoli should we have time. Little did we know at the time that we would. This brings up the second point of this little sidebar - i.e. he was the very first person I can ever recall framing this problem in the historical context of having gone on for centuries, and that it may take centuries to solve it. History seems to be confirming his prophesy, which brings me back to the subject at hand.
Since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 there have been 13 different Prime Ministers (four served subsequent second terms), most of whom have proclaimed "We want peace". My first personal memory of this position goes back to Golda Meir in 1969, followed in succession by Yitzhak Rabin (who was assassinated in 1995 for his support of the Oslo Peace Process), Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and now Mr. Netanyahu again. What's astounding to me is that several of these leaders also supported some form of land grant back to the Palestinians, most notably Ehud Olmert who actually proposed the very same pre-1967 War plan suggested by President Obama this week which caused the current prime minister to make such a big issue of something that had been discussed for years by parties to the on-going peace negotiations. And then for him to object to these borders just as a starting point stating that they are "indefensible because of certain changes on the ground" was somewhat disingenuous, as he actually was referring to the thousands of Jewish settlements which President Nixon first called "illegal" and President Reagan then termed "not constructive". But that did not stop Mr. Netanyahu from ordering while still here this week that 1,500 more be built.
Even George Mitchell, the venerable and highly respected former senator who has been working tirelessly to resolve this conflict until his announced resignation, confirmed the validity of the pre-1967 War borders as an accepted starting point just today on ABC's This Week with Christiane Amanpour. In his words there is "no major shift" in policy and that protecting Israel's interests "with agreed swaps" is "significant" because it addresses the settlement issue mentioned above. With the entire Middle East now in the throes of revolution and reform, it's quite possible that Israel might find itself odd man out if continued intransigence prevails, particularly if the Palestinians are successful in getting the United Nations to grant them statehood this fall. King Abdullah II of Jordan on the same ABC program got it right by suggesting that it's always easy "to find an excuse why not to do the right thing". To watch both and hear their exact statements go to (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamas-comments-israel-1967-borders-major-policy-shift/story?id=13658890.
To lighten up the atmosphere and shamelessly promote a very talented daughter, may I suggest that you enjoy some great new original music now available free at http://phoebelichty.com/.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Mr. Brooks, Meet Mr. Krugman
First, in answer to several inquiries as to the absence of posts since March 27th, I have been dealing with some personal issues that caused this hiatus, not the least of which was a tree falling through our house one month ago today during the first wave of recent tornadoes that swept across Arkansas and the south. With recovery well under way, my hope is to resume postings again on a regular basis, but as I have said here before, events will always trump intentions.
Now, to the current issue at hand which was addressed by both David Brooks and Paul Krugman on the very same page of last Friday's New York Times - i.e. the budget debate raging in congress. Not surprisingly, Mr. Brooks in his own unique way has boiled the solution down to a marriage between "spending caps" which the Democrats hate, and "deficit caps" which the Republicans hate, as the former would drastically change Medicare as we know it, and the latter would trigger tax increases. To get around this divide, if substantial spending cuts could be negotiated between both parties, then that would open the door for support for a tax reform package that would raise major tax revenue through closing various loopholes, but leave tax rates in place to conform with a Republican pledge never to raise. It really just gets down to semantics, as the end result is exactly the same, tax revenue is increased which is essential to any successful future budget plan.
Right next door to Mr. Brooks' column is Paul Krugman's slant on the budget question which takes an entirely different tack in that he views any reduction in spending created by "spending caps" would severely reduce funding the very social programs like Medicare on which an ever increasing number of Americans will come to rely. To illustrate his point, if you take the proposed spending cap of 20% of GDP bantered around in both Mr. Brooks' and Mr. Krugman's columns and apply that to health care for our older population that is expected to increase from 20.9% of Americans 65 or older per 100 members of the working population in 2007 to 31.7% in 2025, a 52% increase, and then compound that with ever increasing costs of that health care, there will be a multitude of older Americans who would be devastated by that loss of support. However, he also points out that the older population represents a mighty powerful voting bloc which should cause the Republicans some real heartburn as they attempt to drastically curb spending on very popular social entitlement programs like Medicare.
And then there is the looming issue of using approval of a raised debt limit by both sides as their wedge to achieve their respective objectives. Some say not raising it would trigger an economic Armageddon, others say it really will have little effect. Frankly, I have no idea who is right, but I do know that it's not a risk I would be willing to take were I a voting member of congress. Having suffered through one of the worst economic periods since the great depression that is still in a fragile recovery, I would think most Americans would have little patience with those who would make that irresponsible gamble with our future, as well as a very long memory should the catastrophic theorists be correct.
Now, to the current issue at hand which was addressed by both David Brooks and Paul Krugman on the very same page of last Friday's New York Times - i.e. the budget debate raging in congress. Not surprisingly, Mr. Brooks in his own unique way has boiled the solution down to a marriage between "spending caps" which the Democrats hate, and "deficit caps" which the Republicans hate, as the former would drastically change Medicare as we know it, and the latter would trigger tax increases. To get around this divide, if substantial spending cuts could be negotiated between both parties, then that would open the door for support for a tax reform package that would raise major tax revenue through closing various loopholes, but leave tax rates in place to conform with a Republican pledge never to raise. It really just gets down to semantics, as the end result is exactly the same, tax revenue is increased which is essential to any successful future budget plan.
Right next door to Mr. Brooks' column is Paul Krugman's slant on the budget question which takes an entirely different tack in that he views any reduction in spending created by "spending caps" would severely reduce funding the very social programs like Medicare on which an ever increasing number of Americans will come to rely. To illustrate his point, if you take the proposed spending cap of 20% of GDP bantered around in both Mr. Brooks' and Mr. Krugman's columns and apply that to health care for our older population that is expected to increase from 20.9% of Americans 65 or older per 100 members of the working population in 2007 to 31.7% in 2025, a 52% increase, and then compound that with ever increasing costs of that health care, there will be a multitude of older Americans who would be devastated by that loss of support. However, he also points out that the older population represents a mighty powerful voting bloc which should cause the Republicans some real heartburn as they attempt to drastically curb spending on very popular social entitlement programs like Medicare.
And then there is the looming issue of using approval of a raised debt limit by both sides as their wedge to achieve their respective objectives. Some say not raising it would trigger an economic Armageddon, others say it really will have little effect. Frankly, I have no idea who is right, but I do know that it's not a risk I would be willing to take were I a voting member of congress. Having suffered through one of the worst economic periods since the great depression that is still in a fragile recovery, I would think most Americans would have little patience with those who would make that irresponsible gamble with our future, as well as a very long memory should the catastrophic theorists be correct.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Packing Heat in the Pews
Just when you think that our state legislature has exhausted their capacity to craft unnecessary and sometimes mindless legislation, along comes proposed House Bill 1958 "TO ALLOW A CONCEALED HANDGUN LICENSEE TO CARRY A CONCEALED HANDGUN IN CHURCH OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP". In truth, this bill just amends the current prohibition against carrying concealed weapons to church by allowing all churches and other places of worship to decide for themselves who may carry such weapons, but that does not make this legislation any less onerous Go to http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=HB1958 to learn more about this bill and its sponsors, as well as http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Bills/HB1958.pdf for a copy of the bill itself.
What is it about the New Testament that the 65 members of the House who voted yea don't understand? I was always taught that it is, essentially, a message of love, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance as described in various verses including 1st Corinthians 13:1-13 (the Love Chapter), Galatians 5:22-23 (listing the Fruits of the Spirit) and Matthew 5, 6 & 7 (The Sermon on the Mount), to name a few. So, what's next, preachers suiting up with ammunition belts crisscrossed against their chests holding a rifle much in the image of Pancho Villa just to set the tone of the service? Or maybe churches could sell guns and ammunition in their vestibules as fund raising events. It brings an entirely new dimension to the expression "Clinging to God and guns" which got so much attention in the 2008 presidential campaign. If there is one place on earth where we should all feel free of any possible chance of armed violence, it is sitting in our place of worship regardless of faith. If Jesus chased the moneychangers from His "house of prayer" for their contemptible acts, I wonder what he would do today with people packing heat in his temple?
And, finally, isn't it the responsibility of the state legislature to protect its citizens with prudent and reasonable statutes, rather than create the possibility of a "Gunfight at the OK Corral" environment, particularly in a place of worship? This is one really bad piece of legislation among some 3,235 total bills filed just this session (go look for yourself at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/SearchBillsByRange.aspx ) that should immediately be, pardon the pun, shot down in my view.
What is it about the New Testament that the 65 members of the House who voted yea don't understand? I was always taught that it is, essentially, a message of love, tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance as described in various verses including 1st Corinthians 13:1-13 (the Love Chapter), Galatians 5:22-23 (listing the Fruits of the Spirit) and Matthew 5, 6 & 7 (The Sermon on the Mount), to name a few. So, what's next, preachers suiting up with ammunition belts crisscrossed against their chests holding a rifle much in the image of Pancho Villa just to set the tone of the service? Or maybe churches could sell guns and ammunition in their vestibules as fund raising events. It brings an entirely new dimension to the expression "Clinging to God and guns" which got so much attention in the 2008 presidential campaign. If there is one place on earth where we should all feel free of any possible chance of armed violence, it is sitting in our place of worship regardless of faith. If Jesus chased the moneychangers from His "house of prayer" for their contemptible acts, I wonder what he would do today with people packing heat in his temple?
And, finally, isn't it the responsibility of the state legislature to protect its citizens with prudent and reasonable statutes, rather than create the possibility of a "Gunfight at the OK Corral" environment, particularly in a place of worship? This is one really bad piece of legislation among some 3,235 total bills filed just this session (go look for yourself at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/SearchBillsByRange.aspx ) that should immediately be, pardon the pun, shot down in my view.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
When Will It All End?
When will it all end? After experiencing one of the most deadly years in history last year (re: ABC video at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/2010-deadliest-year-12506831 ), we are now on track to possibly exceed that record this year with a wide array of natural disasters having already happened including droughts in China; floods in the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, Brazil and the northeastern United States; tornados (178 in the US alone this year); wildfires in Australia; snow storms in the United States; and devastating earthquakes in China, Myanmar, Chile, Argentina, Pakistan, New Zealand and now Japan for the second time. Not included are the continuing effects of the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 killing 230,000 people, as well as Haiti's earthquake just last year where another 230,000 may have died. And this list does not even consider the man-made disasters that have wreaked havoc on mankind, most notably the BP oil well debacle last year right off our own gulf coast.
But it is the horrific devastation of the recent 9.0 earthquake and tsunami and possible nuclear reactor meltdown ("The China Syndrome" playing out in real time) now threatening Japan on which world-wide attention is currently focused that has caused the most recent alarm. For those of us living in Arkansas this concern is more than just casual for two reasons. First, while there has been some concern about the possible connection between 950 earthquake events that have occurred in Faulkner County in the past few months and the drilling of injection wells nearby, attention also needs to be focused on the existence of Arkansas' one and only operating nuclear power plant located just a stone's throw to the southwest of this seismic activity and only 75 miles west of Little Rock where the shock of the 4.7 quake, the largest thus far, of February 7th was felt. Just imagine an isosceles triangle 75 miles per side and you've got the relevant distance between earthquake activity, nuclear reactor and the most populated metropolitan region in our state. While I am sure every precaution and safety measure have been taken to protect the public against such an event, I'm sure the same, if not even to a greater degree, were taken in Japan, and nature still got the upper hand.
For the second thing, we need to also recognize that there may be an even greater threat to public safety than the situation described above, and that is the New Madrid Fault that traverses northeastern Arkansas approximately 100 miles to the east from the Faulkner County activity. In 1811 it caused an earthquake of such magnitude that among other things it is believed to have caused the Mississippi River to flow backward for several hours, and has been periodically active ever since to a much lesser degree. Just this year there have been almost two dozen relatively small seismic events along that fault, but we are 30 years overdue for 6.3 or stronger earthquake to happen with 20 times more devastation than in California due to the geological formations in this region of the United States (learn more at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/geores/techbulletin1.htm ). Consequently, prudence would dictate that some careful planning and forethought be given to these possibilities.
And if you don't have enough to worry about locally, just consider what may lie ahead for planet earth in the coming years at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGgEKgAGdxE. It's enough to make one believe that we're watching a Biblical prophecy unfold right before our very eyes.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com
But it is the horrific devastation of the recent 9.0 earthquake and tsunami and possible nuclear reactor meltdown ("The China Syndrome" playing out in real time) now threatening Japan on which world-wide attention is currently focused that has caused the most recent alarm. For those of us living in Arkansas this concern is more than just casual for two reasons. First, while there has been some concern about the possible connection between 950 earthquake events that have occurred in Faulkner County in the past few months and the drilling of injection wells nearby, attention also needs to be focused on the existence of Arkansas' one and only operating nuclear power plant located just a stone's throw to the southwest of this seismic activity and only 75 miles west of Little Rock where the shock of the 4.7 quake, the largest thus far, of February 7th was felt. Just imagine an isosceles triangle 75 miles per side and you've got the relevant distance between earthquake activity, nuclear reactor and the most populated metropolitan region in our state. While I am sure every precaution and safety measure have been taken to protect the public against such an event, I'm sure the same, if not even to a greater degree, were taken in Japan, and nature still got the upper hand.
For the second thing, we need to also recognize that there may be an even greater threat to public safety than the situation described above, and that is the New Madrid Fault that traverses northeastern Arkansas approximately 100 miles to the east from the Faulkner County activity. In 1811 it caused an earthquake of such magnitude that among other things it is believed to have caused the Mississippi River to flow backward for several hours, and has been periodically active ever since to a much lesser degree. Just this year there have been almost two dozen relatively small seismic events along that fault, but we are 30 years overdue for 6.3 or stronger earthquake to happen with 20 times more devastation than in California due to the geological formations in this region of the United States (learn more at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/geores/techbulletin1.htm ). Consequently, prudence would dictate that some careful planning and forethought be given to these possibilities.
And if you don't have enough to worry about locally, just consider what may lie ahead for planet earth in the coming years at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGgEKgAGdxE. It's enough to make one believe that we're watching a Biblical prophecy unfold right before our very eyes.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
Sherry Williamson at http://meowbarkart.com
Julie McNair at http://juliemcnair.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com
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