Topical Tapas

With the smorgasbord of news items that have accumulated since the first of the year, what better way to nibble away at this cornucopia of juicy current events than to offer them up as tidbits for instant absorption, rather than feasting on an entree which would require greater mental digestion.  So, bon appetit!
1.  Mr. President, You Are Welcome Anytime - Contrary to recent comments by certain Republican operatives in Arkansas that President Obama has never come to our state because he would be snubbed by Democrats, I believe he would be welcomed with open arms.  After all, there is a strong history of presidents visiting our state going back to both Roosevelts, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, both Bushes, Nixon, Carter and others, so why would the first African American elected to that high office want to avoid the state which in 1957 was the face of strident racism, but has overcome that stigma and begun to move progressively forward?  Then, there is the obvious fact that fellow Democrat Bill Clinton, the only Arkansan ever elected president, has his Presidential Library and School of Public Service located right here in Little Rock, both wonderful venues, along with Little Rock Central High School, for public appearances.  Finally, we have one of only three elected Democrat governors among the thirteen "deep south" states, so come on down, Mr. President.   I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the hospitable and supportive reception you would receive here.     
2.  Welcome to Little Rock, Veterans -  Once again our city leaders have found it in their hearts to dissuade the establishment of a downtown facility for the homeless.  Only in this case it is one that would provide needed services to those who risked their lives in battle to ensure our freedoms.  Instead of accepting their congregating at the corner of Markham and Cross each day, as I again witnessed just last week, the Veterans Administration has opted to convert an old automotive dealership building on Main Street which has been vacant for years into a day resource center to minister to their needs.  And what was City Hall's response?  Of course, it was the same as several years ago when they stopped a homeless shelter from being established at 900 West Capitol.  When will they learn?
3.  Mitt Romney Meet Win Rockefeller - While Mitt Romney continues to plod away at seeking the Republican Party's nomination for president, he would be well advised to take a page from the history of one of our former governors of Arkansas, Winthrop Rockefeller, also a Republican, whose 100th birthday was posthumously celebrated this past Thursday evening at the Governor's Mansion here in Little Rock.   Unlike the stiff and reticent Mr. Romney, "Win" never shunned coming from a very wealthy family and wore that fact well, but he also knew how to connect with the common man and do many good deeds to their benefit in the process.  As highlighted in The Governor's Proclamation dated December 22, 2011, he created a viable two-party political system; made government more efficient; led the efforts to improve health care, education, race relations and cultural offerings; and set the example for Arkansans to look beyond themselves through philanthropy.  In short, he was the primary force in setting our state on course for the progressive prosperity we enjoy today.
4.  And the Killing Rolls Right Along - There have been five violent deaths in Little Rock in just the first three weeks of 2012, a year in which we could establish another record at this rate.  What more is there to say?
5.  The Other Side of General Lee - I was struck by the dedication of the entire Editorial Page of the January 19th edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to Gen. Robert E. Lee in recognition of his 206th birthday on January 19, 1807.  As President Lincoln's first choice to lead the Union Army, which he declined out of devotion to his beloved Virginia, he championed morality on the battlefields of that awful civil war which ripped our country apart for four long years.  Unlike his ruthless counterpart, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, whose famous march to the sea destroyed everything and everyone in his path, Gen. Lee fully recognized the difference between civilian and military targets and so commanded his troops to avoid "wanton destruction of private property", to "make war only upon armed men" and "not take vengeance for the wrongs our people have suffered".  Too bad he is more often cast as an icon of the more deplorable faction of southern sentiment at the time. 
6.  That Keystone XL Pipeline is Just That, Nothing More - While many supporters of this project are railing against President Obama for not approving the construction of this pipeline, as they feel it would create jobs and lessen our dependency on foreign oil, Cornell University issued an independent assessment of this project last fall which, basically, refutes those arguments.  First, that report concludes that it will create far fewer jobs in the U.S. than its proponents claim due to flawed data provided by the oil industry, and that, in fact, it may even "destroy more jobs than it creates".   And, more importantly, this pipeline is just a means to transport toxic tar sand oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada through the heartland of America to the ports of Houston and Port Arthur, Texas for refining.  From there most of it will then be exported to foreign countries, rather than being consumed domestically, so there is no real energy benefit to America.  Read it for yourself at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/01/20/the-truth-about-keystone-xl-few-jobs-no-energy-security-60041.     
7.  Gee Thanks, Boeing -  When the Boeing company sought help from the State of Kansas to secure a $3.5 billion government contract to build 18 tankers for the Air Force at their Wichita facility, of course the economic development machine in that state revved up to answer the call.  After all, they were promised that not only would the 2,100 jobs be preserved but an additional 7,500 jobs would be created.  Who could say no to that?  But a funny thing happened after Boeing was awarded that contract last February.  In November Boeing decided that production costs were too high there and that they would parcel out the work among their other plants in the U.S.   So, having enjoyed over $650 million in tax breaks from various government entities in Kansas over the past thirty years, they break their promise and say adios to Wichita.  There is a profound lesson to be learned here by other states, counties and cities all across this nation who go out of their way to give away millions of tax dollars in hopes of attracting jobs, but get short-changed in the process.  Be careful what you wish for!  

Thumbs Up!

With the holidays firmly behind us, we can all focus on the new year with our respective obligatory resolutions to do a variety of things to improve our lives (e.g. eat right, drink water, exercise more, lose weight, help someone, attend church, etc.), most of which will be either discarded or forgotten by the end of this month, if not sooner.  But one endeavor we cannot escape will be the ever increasing drumbeat to promote a select group of movies that are up for an Oscar this year.  You know some of the contenders - The Artist, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Descendents, Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, Margin Call, Shame, Tree of Life, Bridesmaids, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and War Horse, just to name a few.  However, there is one movie that is strangely absent from any best movie list for reasons that totally escape me - Another Happy Day, which I would like to plug.  It certainly beats dwelling on the crazy scenes in Iowa and New Hampshire of the past few weeks.

To begin with, it has an outstanding cast which includes Ellen Barkin (one of its producers), Ellen Burstyn, Demi Moore, Thomas Haden Church, Kate Bosworth, George Kennedy and Ezra Miller.  Yes, it centers around a totally dysfunctional family that makes one of my all-time favorite movies Parenthood, the prototype for the most popular series on TV by the same name, seem like Bambi, but it is beautifully written by Sam Levinson, as recognized by the Sundance Film Festival, and superbly acted.  In reality it could have been more accurately titled Another Unhappy Day, but that would probably have driven even more viewers away than have seen it to date.  In all honesty, my wife and I saw it only out of default because there was no other movie playing at the time which we were interested in seeing, and we were two of only three people in the theater at the time it showed.  

While some critics have tried to frame it as a failed comparison to Rachel Getting Married just because a family gathering for a wedding is the setting, I never even gave that link a thought while watching this movie.  From the opening scene to the final fade away, I was captivated by this family's history and dynamic.  It all begins with Lynn's (Barkin) road trip to her parents Joe (Kennedy) and Doris' (Burstyn) home with two of her sons, Elliott (Miller) and Ben (played by Daniel Yelsky) to attend the wedding of her oldest son, Dylan (played by Michael Nardelli).   Along the way young Ben can't help but record the event with a camcorder while his older brother Elliot, just out of drug rehab, continues to prod his mother with cutting and hurtful remarks.  As expected, that ribbing culminates in an emotional reaction that exposes the torment Lynn feels about her life which stays with her pretty much throughout the movie.  Naturally, her ex-husband Paul (Church) and his new wife Patty (Moore) will be there to add to her angst, but unknown is whether Lynn and Paul's daughter Alice (Bosworth) will even show up, as she has her own issues from the past with her abusive father.  Add to the mix Lynn's absent-minded and ailing father and a mother who has also reached her breaking point in dealing with all of this family trauma, and you know this is not going to be a Father Knows Best experience for her.  When Alice does finally appear, tension begins to rise, and you really begin to feel Lynn's pain.  It is an adult movie with raw, powerful and poignant emotion true to probably more real life situations than most of us care to admit, which alone sets it way above most of the movies coming out of Hollywood today.   For that reason, coupled with a wonderful screenplay, great cinematography and superb acting, it gets my nod for one of the best movies of 2011.  But for the lousy distribution, Another Happy Day would have been more widely available in mainstream theaters, thus allowing a greater audience the opportunity to see it, in which case this movie might have earned the higher degree of respect from the critics it deserves.   Thumbs way up for me! 

Was It Worth It?

As the military withdrawal from Iraq proceeds on schedule with the official end of the war declared in a ceremony today in Bagdad, no doubt we all can savor a collective sigh of relief that the major part of that conflict is now over.  But, obviously, it remains to be seen if the government of Iraq will be able to provide a safe and flourishing environment for all of its people and thwart any outside intervention and interference from Iran or other neighbors in the region.  Time will tell.  However, the main question that is probably on the minds of most Americans is "Was it worth it"?    
As we ponder that question, perhaps just a few of the known facts to date about the nine year war in Iraq might be helpful in framing an answer, so please consider the following and decide for yourself.
1.  American soldiers killed - 4,485.
2.  American soldiers seriously injured 32,219.
3.  Tax dollars spent through 2011 - $1 trillion.
4.  Funds lost or unaccounted for funds - $9 billion.
5.  Funds lost and reported stolen - $6.6 billion.
6.  Lost or unaccounted for guns - 190,000.
7.  Missing material provided to Iraqi security forces - $1 billion.  
8.  Funds mismanaged and wasted funds - $10 billion through just 2006.
9.  Portion of $20 billion paid to KBR deemed "questionable" by Pentagon - $3.2 billion. 
10.  Cost of deploying one American soldier - $390,000.
11.  Iraqi police and soldiers killed - 10,125.
12.  Iraqi civilians killed - somewhere between 100,000 and 600,000.
13.  Iraqis displaced inside Iraq - 2,225,000.
14.  Percent of Iraqi professionals who have left Iraq - 40%.
15.  Average daily hours Iraqi homes have electricity - 1 to 2.
16.  Iraqis without access to adequate water - 70%.
So, it is not as if the population of Iraq has not suffered great loss, too.  What is not known is the cost to America's prestige, credibility and moral leadership in that part of the world at the very time we need them the most in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.  And then there is still Afghanistan to worry about.  Yes, a malevolent dictator is gone, but many others still remain around the world.  And even though an elementary form of democracy may exist, strong sectarian and tribal passions still boil underneath that seemingly calm surface which could erupt with a vengeance at the slightest of provocations.  Consequently, it would be very interesting to know if the majority of Iraqis feel that they are better off today than they were nine years ago. 
In any event, with Christmas just around the corner I think we all can at least share the joy of the thousands of American families who for the first time in almost a decade will be able to enjoy this holiday season together with the return of their military members from Iraq.  It is in that spirit that I extend my very best wishes to all for a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Also, please note that future blogs will be suspended until after the first of the year.

The Other One Percent

With all of the recent publicity about the 1% of wealthy Americans who own 40% of the nation's total wealth but who pay a proportionately lesser personal income tax than the remaining 99%, there is another 1% of our population on whom we need to focus.  They are the 1% who constitute our all voluntary military who are now fighting two concurrent wars in the Middle East, as well as defending our other interests all around the globe.  In the process they are constantly separated from their families for extraordinarily long periods of time which Colin Powell contends even eclipses that experienced by our military during WWII.  Furthermore, they are experiencing more life altering injuries to their brains and extremities due to the preponderance of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), land mines, armor-piercing rockets and suicide bombers.  And, finally, they  often times return home to find their domestic and financial situations in a total state of turmoil, compounded by such difficulty in finding a job that Vice-President Biden felt it necessary to make a public appeal just last week for employers to give special consideration in hiring our veterans. 
By contrast, service in the U.S. military has historically been an involuntary part of our national fabric dating back to 1778 when the Continental Congress first recommended states draft men from their militias to fight in the Revolutionary War.  However, that early draft was not very successful so, subsequently, an attempt was again made to institute conscription during the War of 1812, but it, too, failed.  It was not until the Civil War that there was any success with mandatory drafts when both the Confederate and Union forces employed them in 1862.  But it was President Woodrow Wilson's Selective Service Act of 1917 that corrected most of the flaws of previous legislation by mandating military service for all male citizens for WWI.  After that draft effort ended, another attempt was made by the Army in 1926 to develop an even more workable conscription program.  That initiative became the basis for the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 which created the first peacetime draft in the United States when signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on September 16, 1940.  In fact it became the cornerstone of manpower recruitment following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 which continued throughout WWII, and with some later modifications in 1948, 1951 and 1955 formed the basis for the current Selective Service System.  Oddly, the very existence of a draft prompted an estimated 11 million men to volunteer for military service either through active or reserve enlistments from January 1954 to April 1975.              
However, for most male Americans born after 1973 service in the military became a non issue, as that was the year the mandatory draft ended and the United States went to our existing all voluntary military.  That brings us back to that nagging "Other One Percent%" and whether it may be time to reinstate involuntary military service in America.   Will that ever happen?  Probably not, but there might be a rationale for requiring some form of mandatory service to this country whether in a military capacity or otherwise.  First, it would definitely spread the sacrifices of war among the remaining 99%.  That alone might just cause those in power who make such decisions, and may have never served one day in the military themselves, to think twice about sending our fathers, mothers, sons and daughters into harm's way.  Just last week Mark Weisbrot of McClatchy-Tribune News Service opined in our local newspaper that a majority of Americans now want our troops out of Afghanistan and two thirds think we should have never invaded Iraq in the first place.  I wonder if it would have taken ten years to come to these same conclusions if a broader cross section of America's young men and women had been over there fighting those battles since 2001.  Another plus would be to instill in our youth a deeper sense of responsibility about serving their country and not just take their secure and safe worlds for granted.  There are many other viewpoints on this issue, but please go to http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Mandatory_military_service and decide for yourself. 
In just two days we will once again honor that Day of Infamy on December 7, 1941, which, as a direct result of the draft, was met with a huge mobilization of men and material to fight and win WWII.   If nothing else, that terrible four year conflict should have at least taught us the value of not having just 1% of our population fight the battle for the remaining 99%.