America the resurgent
Beneath all the doom and gloom, what strikes one this late summer is the sheer resurgence of the United States. I am up in the high Sierra this week and decided to drive to a couple of lakes, visit campgrounds, and talk to vacationers, with laptop and ears open. This is not America’s elite at Tahoe or Carmel, but the working classes who drove up from Fresno County to the nearby Sierra National Forest.
One from Mars would be hard-pressed to see poverty. Shaver Lake (50 minutes above Fresno) is a traffic jam of jet-skies, power-boats, water-skiers, and houseboaters churning up $6 a gallon boat gas. The campgrounds have none of the simple tents and cook-out gear of my youth. Instead mammoth SUVS, Winnebagoes, and trailers cram in, with satelitte dishes, plug-in microwaves, and all sorts of kayaks, canoes, and others lakecraft. Every race imaginable was here, every class, every age.
Next I walked around Huntington Lake: the camps—boy scout, religious, and private— were stuffed with boats at the docks, camping gear, and all sorts of conveniences. The parking lots are full of massive 4×4s, double-cabbed trucks, and all-terrain vehicles. This is not the 1930s, crede mihi.
I drive a 2004 Honda Accord with a 105K on it, and feel lucky to have it. The vehicles ahead of me were all in the $40-50K range, half of them towing something more expensive than my car.
I talked to one fellow who was backing his 26-foot sailboat down the lake ramp, via his Honda Ridgeway truck, complaining to me about gas prices and the “Depression”. He said he came up for two days of sailing, a rented condo, and partying. The snacks in his boat would have fed the Joads ten times over. Why the appeal to poverty? He couldn’t afford driving to Yellowstone this summer, he said.
Some summer of our discontent
The War in Iraq is no longer a war as we would usually define it, and the unthinkable is occurring—a consensual society rising in the middle of a nightmarish region. The US military has been superb—despite its top general derided as a traitor, movies, one after another, depicting our soldiers as animals and terrorists, and our politicians declaring that our military was either incompetent or amoral. And yet, here we are with the unimaginable: a working Iraq, and our greatest enemies either dead or in hiding.
The economy should have tanked long ago, we are told. But despite the mortgage collapse, fuel spikes, and spiraling deficits, millions get up every morning and create billions of dollars in goods and services beyond the comprehension of most economists. The truth is that Americans work more efficiently in a climate of legality, meritocracy, and nonviolence than any others in the world.
While the world salivates over our misdemeanors, the Russians threaten Georgia, the Orwellian Chinese lock up whom they please, the Europeans finger point and snooze—and the US just plods along without the slightest of praise. I pass on the other continents where corruption and killing make no news.
Energy
Despite the political acrimony, we can begin to see a WWII-like push to more energy production on the horizon, as we will build nuclear plants, more refineries, drill, conserve, and press ahead with alternatives. Oh, the Obamaniacs will, as in the case of the surge and Iraq, damn these multifarious efforts— and then quietly sign on to them as they gain steam, postfacto sermonizing that their principled opposition in fact explains their sudden success.
The truth is we have been in a collective slumber and are slowly wakening to the reality that the U.S. is blessed with coal, natural gas, and oil. Nuclear power and hydro were once American trademarks. Wind and solar are likewise American specialties. I watch during the week in Palo Alto the so-called nerds of Silicon Valley in cafes as they type and jot; I don’t think there are any smarter, more competent engineers in the world, and their blood is up to find something better than gas.
Tar sands and shale are ubiquitous in North America. All we need is a push, and then the momentum would be unstoppable and the national enthusiasm likewise cascading. We forget that offshore, ANWR, the shelf, coal, nuclear, are not merely mechanisms to greater self-sufficiency, but unappreciated national assets worth trillions in today’s market.
“Tragic history”
I didn’t care much about Obama’s decision not to wear a flag lapel. And I expected the usual cant from him about reparations, the need for more oppression studies, and the feigned charges of racism. But finally when one collates it all up (and here I am thinking about his latest, Michelle-like sermons; try “I personally would want to see our tragic history, or the tragic elements of our history, acknowledged” or “America is — is no longer what it could be, what it once was”), I get tired of it all.
In other words, there starts to emerge a portrait of someone who always thinks first of what is wrong with America and only later what is right. Given his meteoric rise in the United States, one would expect some acknowledgment of what a wonderful country this, without the weepy qualifiers especially given his rudimentary knowledge of how life works in Indonesia, or second-hand, in Kenya.
Yet each time Obama recites American history or mentions his country in the abstract, one of two things follow: either a brief narrative about its protest movements, or some such “not perfect” or “tragic” adjective. I know his handlers, who muzzled Michelle, Trostkyized Ayers, Wright, Pfleger et al, and teleprompted his speeches, can do better, but in their defense they are working against a quarter-century of saturation in which Columbia, Harvard, Trinity and Chicago politics have drummed into him that starting with what is wrong with your country ends up with you doing pretty good by it—a hard habit to break, that siren-song of grievance.
A different election
Some liberal posters note that the world won’t fall apart should Obama win. I agree. But I still believe that we have not seen as liberal a candidate on the national scene since the Henry Wallace Vice Presidency. With two houses of Congress in his camp, Obama’s agenda, to the extent we can ascertain it due to his many metamorphoses, seems the final reification of the European socialist dream: Our top tax rates would reach 62-5%. Inheritance, payroll, and capital gains taxes would spiral. The ensuing cash—to the extent that it materializes given the suppression of aggregate economic growth—would not pay down the debt, but rather fund ever more entitlements, that would in turn increase the Bush deficits, further erode personal responsibility, and add to the national crybaby malaise in which every particular group claims victimization to garner more cash.
We would defer to the UN and EU in foreign policy, back peddle out of Iraq, talk tough on Afghanistan but do less than we do now. And as in energy policy, America would lecture the rest of the world, while doing little ourselves. Nothing has hurt the Democrats more than this image of an America that cries, borrows, threatens to sue, begs for more oil abroad, and then with nose up in the air refuses to put an oil rig in ANWR or another off Santa Barbara. These elites evoke images of fallen aristocrats, strolling on the croquet lawns, flat broke but humiliated by the thought of working.
Under Obama, high gas prices would be seen as good, the higher the less the carbon footprint, the more government-controlled mass transit, and the more the restless American lifestyle is turned down.
Of course, as was the case of Jimmy Carter when his utopianism met the Soviets in Afghanistan, the communists in central America, the mullahs in Teheran, double-digit interest rates, and the genocide in southeast Asia, this latest liberal perfectionism would not last too long, though just long enough to do a great deal of damage.
Europe, as is always the case with the contemporary Left, is the model. And that is scary. On each occasion I visit, I come away struck by the secularism, the scarcity of children, the ubiquity of government, the unassimilated minorities, the weird religion of anti-Americanism that has devolved into jeans on the legs, I-pods in the ears, and venom out of the mouth, the sensualism and gratification of the appetites.
Leftists here seem almost obtuse to European intrusion into the private sphere: do they visit Europe and see the omnipresence of video cameras on corners, on highways? Or government cards and regulations everywhere? Or the degree to which the judicial system simply is not guided by law?
A Final Note
I had a wonderful grandfather, born, raised, and died in the same house, where I still live, who, born in 1890, was absolutely mystified by modernism and especially the 1960s (he still called my bike “the wheel”). Before dying in 1976, although a strong Harry Truman Democrat, he once asked me, “Victor, what will happen when all these crazy people have to take over from us?” I think if one were to collate Al Gore’s lifestyle with his ‘10-years all wind or solar–or else’ rhetoric, John Edward’s personal and professed morality, the radical failure to use our own energy resources, the vapidity cum coarseness of Hollywood, or the antics of a Moveon.org or Media Matters, one could understand his worry and how the twenty-somethings of the 1960s are aging badly. Before they are gone, they will have given us a lot more than Botox and bankrupt Social Security.
A final note. I get hundreds of emails a week on the Tribune column, NRO postings,and here at Pajamas, many of them outraged and worse. I’ve noticed a rule of thumb. Those on the right who are angry, lecture me, and often point out something I missed, an article to read, or a logical fallacy; those on the left are more likely to use profanity, name-call–and, yes, refer to themselves in self-absorbing fashion. The almost unconscious resort to profanity, four-letter words, and quasi-threats is quite astonishing, especially when juxtaposed to the titles and self-referencing that accompanies their screeds.
That too is a legacy of the 60s…
PJM Home
A War Like No Other How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War
Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power
Mexifornia : A State of a Becoming
Why the West Has Won: Nine Landmark Battles in the Brutal History of Western Victory
Between War and Peace: Lessons from Afghanistan to Iraq
The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece (Paperback)
Wars of the Ancient Greeks (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Paperback)
Who Killed Homer: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
Fields Without Dreams : Defending the Agrarian Ideal (Paperback)
The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny
The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War (Paperback)
Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:
1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.
2. Stay on topic.
3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.
4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.
The clause regarding "hate speech" has been deleted because readers criticized it as being too loosely defined. We agreed.
These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pajamasmedia.com.
38 Comments
1. Bill Podany:Dear Dr. Hanson:
I rely on your cogent articles and insights into the negative affects and dynamics at play currently within our great country. I am a life long conservative, and retired CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. For the first time in my life, I am scared about Obamama and the left wing radicals getting control of the Executive and Legislative Branches of Federal Government. How can an American Electorate be so ill-informed and ignorant as to what these idealogues are doing to our core American values of individual freedom, personal ingenuity, hard work, and creating wealth through individual creativity. The fundamental principles of our Republic requires that our government is not intrusive into the lives of its citizens. I want to thank you for your wealth of intelligence and articulate writings on these principled topics. I try to read “pajamas” daily. May God bless you.
Bill Podany
Aug 8, 2008 - 2:23 pm 2. One Fine Jay » When I grow up…:Knoxville, TN
[...] …I want to write as well as Victor Davis Hanson. [...]
Aug 8, 2008 - 2:45 pm 3. DougW:Yes, the future is scary, especially one with BHO as president. My concern is not whether this country will survive, it’s how much damage BHO could do to us. If the USA leaves Iraq as it did from Vietnam, then it’ll be years before the USA come earn credibility.
It’s not just what energy will costs, it’s will BHO succeed in turning back the clock and return us to some mythical time past. Of course, in his future, he and his fellows will have access to everything they want, the Hoi Polloi are the ones who’ll have a bleak future.
In my view, it’s the so-called Hoi Polloi who are the important ones, those who represent the many, us, not “them!” So, we are indeed cursed to live in interesting times; both exciting and very scary for us and our children.
Aug 8, 2008 - 3:11 pm 4. Jimmy J.:“I personally would want to see our tragic history, or the tragic elements of our history, acknowledged” or “America is — is no longer what it could be, what it once was”), I get tired of it all.
So do I. My view of history is that mankind has slowly but steadily evolved from ethnic/racial intolerance, suspicion between nations, and religious intolerance to more tolerance in all spheres. The very fact of Obama’s candidacy for POTUS is testament to that.
Rather than look back in condemnation, I prefer to look forward to trying to make the playing field as level as possible with encouragement to people of all talents/abilities and from all backgrounds to do their best. As you point out, everyday people go to work and do their jobs, working to raise themselves to a better standard of living. In doing so they drive the engine of progress forward in tiny increments that, when added together, amount to a mighty engine of commerce that rolls on like a mighty river.
We will never be perfect, but in 75 years I have seen immense progress in tolerance, in communication, in knowledge, and in openess. We still have far to travel but I’m convinced we are moving in the right direction.
Looking backward in anger and blame takes us backward into identity politics, tribalism, and racial/ethnic division. We don’t need to go there.
Aug 8, 2008 - 4:00 pm 5. Ron Kean:Who are the Joads? My son moved to Boston and he’s close to people who work for a Democratic website. He talks about the economy being in the tank. Meanwhile he bought $300 jeans.
I just got a safety inspection for my 98 Camry. I asked them to check the air in my tires. 2 tires were perfect but he had to put a pound of air in my other 2. They gave me the impression that a pound wasn’t a lot.
I’m happy that it seems that McCain is loosening up.
I don’t get it. We see financial collapse or insolvency but what about Briton and France? Less vital economies, much more government spending, they seem to be able to afford greater entitlements then us but I don’t hear anything about their red ink.
My grandfather came over from Odessa in 1917. He always called his car, ‘the machine’.
I remember the late ’60’s. I remember when the Mamas and the Papas sang, ‘You got to go where you want to go, do what you want to do, with whoever you want.’ I smile when I look back.
Aug 8, 2008 - 5:09 pm 6. jp:Anyone seen Mad Magazine yet, with a picture of Alfred E. Obama on the cover? Guess this will send Mr and Mrs Alfred E. ballistic again. How dare the New Yorker and Mad do such things to The One? snicker
Aug 9, 2008 - 10:24 am 7. TLM:VDH,
I’ve noticed a bit of an edge to your articles this week, on this site and others. The tone used was entirely appropriate, especially re Obama’s look back in anger at our “tragic history” approach to winning converts to his cause. I take it your impressions are based on an optimistic view that America is resurgent, that our economy will right itself and the country will address the energy issue with good ol’ can do spirit. And that our political system will select suitable leadership for this country in November. I sincerely hope you are right.
For me, it’s hard not to play the Cynic. This is not 1992, where the end of the Cold War and the successful expulsion of Saddam Hussein from Kuwait seemed to forecast an era of prosperity and relative peace. Back then America dumped a reasonable president and used that time period of relative calm to turn inward in narcissistic self-absorption. Now sixteen years later, we have a whole generation of kids raised on this lifestyle. And their baby boomer parents seem to have forgotten whatever meager lessons they had learned about world history.
9/11 should have been a wake up call, and not just to the threat of Muslim terrorism. Al Qaeda’s desire to resurrect the times of the Caliphate, when Arab culture reigned supreme, should have convinced us that the old fashioned forces of history (nationalism etc) didn’t die with the Cold War, and pertained to other peoples besides just white Europeans and their progeny. Thus we see a resurgent Iran, determined to regain through nuclear armaments and proxy warfare a sense of Persian pride, and possibly former Persian territory. And now a resurgent Russia, demonstrating its perennial imperialistic impulses, seeks to exert its authority over its weaker neighbors while keeping an energy stranglehold on western Europe. Will her invasion of Georgia be seen as the first salvo in the wars to come for ever scarcer energy supplies?
That said, I’ll adopt your optimism professor if over the next few months a consensus develops in this country to restore energy independence, and if on November 5th we have elected a president who understands the way the world works. In the meantime, I very much appreciate your writings.
Aug 9, 2008 - 11:53 am 8. srlucado:As I’ve said many, many times, the US isn’t perfect, but we’re way ahead of whoever’s in second place. That doesn’t mean we can sit back and snidely watch the world fall apart, but neither does it mean we should slash our throats as an apology to the rest of the world.
Let’s face it; America has brought peace and prosperity to more people than any nation in the history of the world–and we continue to do so. We should never lose sight of that.
Scott
Aug 9, 2008 - 12:09 pm 9. Ray N.:I know it is not part of the article that you wrote, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the Russo-Georgian war going on right now. From the what I have read in the media, theywould have us believe that Georgia invaded South Ossetia and the Russians took the opportunity to send in more troops. How convenient for the Russians. given the state of the Russian Military, (regardless of any improvements made by Putin), how is that 24 hours after a ’surprise invasion’ by Georgia, 150 Tanks, support vehicles, reconnasiance, helicopters and troops can enter into Tshkinvali? There is only one road through the Caucasus’ to get to Georgia. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is already in position off the Georgian coast, a cyber attack has apparently occurred against Georgian Websites. Attack aircraft have already struck multiple targets inside Georgian territory. And here is President Medvedev, who genuinely comes accross as surprised that this is happening. Contrast that with Putin’s quick and unequivocal statement. Makes me wonder if Putin had this in place without Medvedev’s knowledge. Could we be on the verge of another Cold War? Or is this akin to Reagan’s invasion of Grenada? A notice to the world that our Military is back up to snuff and we are not afraid to use it? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Aug 9, 2008 - 12:15 pm 10. Jeff Perren:Dear Dr. Hanson,
For what it can be worth coming from a stranger, far from desiring to lecture or condemn you, I am extremely grateful for your work.
Though I’ve only lately become acquainted with your writing, I place you in the same category as Dr. Sowell — and not only for the same high intelligence and wisdom or even the many shared views and values as his.
The most important parallel I see is the richly informed outlook; beliefs backed up by a knowledge of history and the long view of human action.
While I am neither a so-called liberal nor a conservative, I deeply appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge on a wider stage than the university classroom. I know it takes courage to accept the slings and arrows of contemporary public discourse and I salute you for enduring them with such equanimity.
Respectfully,
Aug 9, 2008 - 2:12 pm 11. RJ:Jeff Perren
Doc, you know what Plato said about lawyers. Now we have all these lawyers within our government, few warriors. Putin thinks of himself as a warrior. The leader of Georgia is an American trained lawyer. Reading Tacitus tells us how difficult government can be, is, and most certainly was.
We worry over “civilian” damage in our wars, Russia wants to win…bombs were meant to break the enemy’s will, so they do just that.
We want to send in our lawyers to work out a “passive aggressive” solution yet muscle waits for us as our legal teams walk to their cars in victorious strides. Obama is a lawyer, nowhere close to being a warrior.
What do we need at this time? Not a lawyer who is skilled in passive aggressive warring; ambushes only work so long, plus they are just one part of a game…for winning, if that is what one wants to achieve.
The Russian bear has awakened while the Chinese horde has dressed up to show the world how millions can be in harmony when trained constantly.
Anyone notice the look on those Chinese soldiers’ faces as they raised their flag during the opening ceremony?
Here come all the visual messages we Americans need to get a sharp focus, but will you see what I see?
It’s always been this way, I suspect.
Aug 10, 2008 - 7:08 am 12. steve:Ron Kean – RE. your Questions on France and UK: the telegraph and times continually have articles about how the brightest and best Brits are leaving. The steady erosion in quality of life brought on by an ever shrinking gap between disposable after tax income and the cost of goods has driven many bright young people out.
Aug 10, 2008 - 10:03 am 13. J.E. Dyer:Sakorzy on his highly publicized initial visit to the UK on winning the election, made a special plea to the French who have moved TO THE UK to get better opportunities than exist in France to return to help revitalize the country.
I see nothing to envy from either place – except the value – quality ratio one gets in French wine – although I live in Spain where it is even better.
Ron Kean — The Joads are the family of Oklahoma sharecroppers in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath. They migrated to California in the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s — the migration that gave us the term “Okie” — and have been a literary reference signifying “the dirt poorest of the dirt poor” for quite a while now.
Sign me,
An Okie born, now living in California
Aug 10, 2008 - 10:13 am 14. Clifford Bate:Ralph Peters have rather good article in the NY Post–
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08092008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/raping_georgia_123664.htm
I think this is a very important even that needs firm and resolute US action. The timing of this was perfect all aimed at Russia crushing Georgian effort to detach itself from Russian control. I hope Dr Hanson writes on this asap. I think what this reminds me of is 1938 when the Germans once they got control of Sudetenlands from Czechoslovakia took the rest of it without a shot from the Czechs who could have resisted the take over of Sudeten lands with their military but agreed to international promises in lieu of fighting and ended up being taken over.
Aug 10, 2008 - 11:14 am 15. mike devx:I too am finally becoming convinced that an Obama Presidency would be tragic. After four years of neglect, so many things that currently hold promise will have gone stale or worse. And the government solutions he would enact would inevitably only make things worse. It wouldn’t be a disaster; nor would your paycheck being cut in half by your boss; but there would be a great deal of pain to be sure.
But just as the Tree Of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots, it appears we must sometimes have to look the Gorgon full in the face to be convinced if its reality. We may very well elect Obama as president solely because we do not believe that his policies and naivete could really cause results THAT BAD. We just don’t want to believe it. And then reality will wake us all up, and we’ll have learned the very painful lesson. Lack of wisdom will do that to you.
Aug 10, 2008 - 12:02 pm 16. BRussell:America the resurgent? You’re kidding, right?
Honestly, Russia’s move into Georgia only, once again, proves that the US is now officially the “sick man of Europe.”
Russia is resurgent, daring the west to do something, anything. But, alas, we don’t. We’re too interested in spending the stimulus check (bribe) that our goverment sent us at the nearest mall, watching the latest “Girls Gone Wild” video, or just sitting around watching the Chicom’s Olympic games.
Americans are more interested in John Edward’s whore or what blonde is missing this week to care a damn about ANOTHER American ally being thrown under the bus.
Face it, if we had a binding plebiscite today the American public would throw our Iraqi comrades under the same bus also.
We’ve become a nation of wimps, no, check that, a nation of “prison bitches”, if I may be so crude.
Aug 10, 2008 - 4:27 pm 17. TLM:“The days of overthrowing leaders by military means in Europe — those days are gone…” (Ambassador Khalilzad to the Russian Ambassador at the U.N. re Russia’s apparent intentions to overthrow the democratically elected government of Georgia).
He may be wrong. What exactly does Putin have to fear? The U.N.? Sanctions like we imposed on Saddam? Military intervention from NATO? Doubtful.
To appease the Russian Bear the Europeans hung Saakashvili out to dry, when all he wanted was to be like them. No problem. America’s loss of influence in the world will be blamed for this too. Seems to me, though, the Russians pounced when they detected weakness in European resolve, just like they’ve done so many times before.
Hope our military trainers in Georgia keep their heads down and stay out of the fight. The results of this little war are a foregone conclusion.
And I hope Americans take another look at Barack Obama. McCain had Putin’s number a long time ago, despite Bush’s famous gut impression of this former KGB apparatchik. The world remains a dangerous place. There may not be much time for on-the-job training. This is not 1992 — far from it.
Anticipating a perceptive analysis from VDH.
Aug 10, 2008 - 7:43 pm 18. Gregg Calkins:I can’t say that I have always agreed with you, that may be a bit much, but I quote you favorably quite often and wish that I had known who you were and had the opportunity to meet you when I lived just up the road in Jackson. I live in Costa Rica these days, I’m 73 and opinionated, but I find you a remarkably solid and level-headed young man with whom I rarely feel the need to disagree because you make good sense to me. If I did feel the need to disagree, however, I’d certainly present my reasons for discussion so that you, upon careful reflection, could then adjust your stance appropriately. It is, after all, the responsibility of the older generation to teach and gently nudge youngsters into the path of wisdom. My father died a few short years ago, and he was still doing that for me. These days, my adopted son is 5 years old and I’m doing the best that I can. I appreciate the help you are giving him along the way.
Aug 10, 2008 - 9:42 pm 19. Pops in Vienna:Dr. Doc Hanson,
Please let us hear your thoughts about Georgia. I think the military planning (by Moscow) was brilliant. Bait the Georgians into moving on the Ossetian rebels and then follow up with a full fledge invasion and attack on Georgia. Arranging this during the Olympics and during the EU vacation month of August was another master stroke. The Euroweenies won’t fight and I don’t see how the USA can fight. Doesn’t this make the USA look like a less than reliable friend? I wonder how the Lithuanians are sleeping nights? They have a rather large Russian “minority” that may need protecting too.
Aug 11, 2008 - 4:19 am 20. JJ:Dear Dr. Hanson,
I am an Asian American of Filipino descent and have worked in the US for 8 years and became a US citizen this January 2008.
I am proud to be a citizen of the United States. This country has given me the honor and privilidges as well as the opportunity to be successful. I know the US is not perfect and yes, I have encountered prejudice and cultural misunderstandings but I have learned from the American way to adapt, improvise and move on.
I am a supporter of Affirmative action but I agree with you that it needs to be fixed and revised. For me the goal of affirmative action should be to obsolete itself. I have more confidence that the US will achieve this in the future…better than Europe.
Yes, I do have my fair share of experiences of prejudice shown against me due to my race and cultural background; but I don’t blame the US government, nor the country for this. My American mentors told me that the best way to combat prejudice is to fight back thru education and ideas. Diversity is America’s strength. It should be consolidated and encouraged …not by numbers or quotas but for diversity of thought. Each person of a different culture can contribute. Different perspectives can offer different approaches and solutions to problems. As a scientist, I find this a valuable assett.
Keep writing and provoking. More power to you and I look forward to your next book on Military history.
Regards,
Aug 11, 2008 - 7:48 am 21. Mike Myers:Color me an optimist–about our ability to survive Obama if it should come to that. I would hope not.
On the other hand, I’m reading historical material relating to “face to face” meetings between FDR and Uncle Joe Stalin in WWII. Either FDR was unprepared for a one on one meeting with Stalin at Teheran, or Uncle Joe played him like fiddle. One can argue that the Cold War really started when FDR told Stalin that the Polish borders weren’t going to be a big problem. Of course at the time (late 1943) this was “theoretical” in the Obama sense; the Soviets hadn’t yet reached Poland –still stuck in the Ukraine at the time.
I don’t want to claim that all dictators or folks that Dubya might characterize as “evil doers” have a long range plan. But Stalin did–and neither FDR nor Churchill had thought sufficiently about what Eastern Europe should or would look like once Hitler was finally forced into unconditional surrender. And to some extent, we’ve all paid the price for that lack of planning ever since.
Many people criticise Messrs. Bush, Rumsfeld et al for “failure to plan” for success after the initial run-in to Baghdad. But they are hardly the first American political and military leaders to fail to plan. In fairness, that criticism should be extended to most political and military leaders, whatever their nationality.
Monday morning quarterbacking never makes mistakes. In the real world, not so much.
Aug 11, 2008 - 11:16 am 22. JA Lineberry:Russia is sending a message to the world: This is what you get for cozying up to Westerners.
When I think of the situation in Georgia, I fear the worst is happening. I fear this is a test from Putin, a direct challenge to the United States, the so-called defenders of freedom. I fear we don’t have the national will or the available military might to respond appropriately. I hope the Russians do not actually intend to subjugate the Georgian people, but my fears currently outweigh my hopes. All I can hear are the words of the king of Ethiopia echoing in my mind.
Aug 11, 2008 - 11:18 am 23. JA Lineberry:Another observation: IF Putin actually does annex Georgia, and this is stating the obvious, this will fundamentally alter the US election to McCain’s advantage.
Aug 11, 2008 - 11:20 am 24. Ron Kean:We fault the Europeans for not wanting to fight. But we don’t really understand the carnage they’ve seen. Our civil war was brutal. But they’ve had it just as bad, many times over.
Iran is still the/a priority.
Putin, at least, probably doesn’t want to get into a nuclear war (he and his buddies are swimming in money). I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush sent a carrier force or 2 into the region and challenged an old friend.
The question is if Putin wants the Georgian government and total control. Or can he be satisfied with subservience only.
A greater percentage of the public wants Obama to win. Not by much but let’s say half. It’s amazing that they hate Bush & Co. so much that they’ll take somebody with so little real, logical, practical, hands-on experience. Anybody but… Somebody’s answering phone calls. Somebody’s calling and measuring public sentiment. We can only hope they’re honest.
Aug 11, 2008 - 5:35 pm 25. Bill Bradley:That never happened.
As one senior fellow to another, I think it’s important to stay focused on what really occurs.
>I didn’t care much about Obama’s decision not to wear a flag lapel. And I expected the usual cant from him about reparations,
Aug 12, 2008 - 10:17 am 26. Doug:Rah Rah Rah USA All The Way. ya well anyway, oil shortages will hit soon. things will change dramatically.
Aug 12, 2008 - 10:43 am 27. L Nettles:I just got a email for The RNC membership services director headed “Meet Victor” naturally I wonder what’s going on with VDH and the Republican Party. Then I see they are promoting “Victor the Victory Elephant” plush toy.
Aug 12, 2008 - 11:43 am 28. George Best:Are we the only ally of Georgia? This is just another reminder that we have no allies. If we did, some unnamed European country would step up and challenge Russia. We are doing the dirty work elsewhere right now. But instead, Europe cowers and blames the USA for reminding them of their cowardess. I see a UN resolution coming. If Europe does not care about being invaded by Muslim immigrants, then they wont care about Georgia.
Someone tell me what good Europe is to us? Its like being friends with someone so they wont be your enemy. Is there nothing else? Europe should be ashamed.
Aug 12, 2008 - 11:43 am 29. John:Ron Kean:
“Who are the Joads?”
Tom Joad is a fictional character from John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath portrayed by Henry Fonda in John Ford’s film adaption.
Aug 12, 2008 - 2:17 pm 30. jp:To my mind, Putin is the greatest threat to America. Iran and North Korea are desperate to have nuclear weapons, but Russia already has them, plus some of the largest supplies of oil and gas in the world, and the money and power to bully countries to his advantage. He may not want to get into a nuclear war, but I bet he is salivating at the thought of having the power to manipulate America and other countries as he wishes. Plus, he is completely ruthless, and it seems that the KGB mentality never goes away.
The attack on Georgia was certainly diabolical and well planned, and now he can thumb his nose at the rest of the world. However, I guess we should not really have been surprised, as BHO is saying that he has been warning us about Ossetia and Georgia for some time now.
Aug 12, 2008 - 2:49 pm 31. Pops in Vienna:Doc Hanson,
It appears that the French have won the day (in Georgia). I think the Russians were finished with their work anyway but I am certain this will be touted as a victory for diplomacy….French diplomacy no less.
Do you agree that it looked bad that Bush remained in China, being photographed with the girls’ volley ball team while Rome burned?
French Foreign Minister Kouchner was in Georgia. President Sarkozy was in Moscow. Where was Dr. Rice?
One also wonder what the US military advisers and “instructors” have been doing in Georgia during the past few years. It doesn’t look like the Georgians put up much of a fight or had the necessary weapons to at least stall a Russian attack. Think 300 Spartans.
The USA, in my opinion, comes out of this looking real bad. Russians get the gold, French get the silver. The USA goes home with nothing.
Aug 13, 2008 - 12:17 am 32. Jaybee:Dr. Hanson:
Aug 13, 2008 - 8:34 am 33. BRussell:You might have asked those people with all those expensive toys what their share of ownership was. It would not surprise me that the bank owned a bigger share than the “owner”.
George said,
“Someone tell me what good Europe is to us? Its like being friends with someone so they wont be your enemy. Is there nothing else? Europe should be ashamed.”
Well, given that Russia supplies 50% of Germany’s natural gas and 25% of her oil, what exactly do you want Europe to do about Russia, given that they would rather not freeze to death this winter.
I’m all ears George.
Aug 13, 2008 - 8:51 am 34. DEK:Pops above: Most of the American cycling squad were back at the team car getting iced drinks when the eventual winners made their key breakaway into the Beijing heat. Or perhaps we’re more like the girls’ gymnastics squad…a stumble here, a bobble there– and we find ourselves, again, to our shock, behind the ambitious and more assertive.
Aug 13, 2008 - 11:51 am 35. Bill S.:BRussell said:”Well, given that Russia supplies 50% of Germany’s natural gas and 25% of her oil, what exactly do you want Europe to do about Russia, given that they would rather not freeze to death this winter.
I’m all ears George.”
I’m not going to speak for George, but I will respond.
Just because Germany imports 25% of their oil from Russia and 46% of their natural gas does not mean that Germany cannot change their import deals does it? Perhaps even at equal costs, or even better, or maybe a little more, nonetheless, there are alternative source countries – and Germany is not a bad producer of natural gas in it’s own right, being the 3rd largest producer in the EU. Germany could also seek alternative energy (wind, solar etc.) more aggressively as well.
The question should be one of what will Russia do if it no longer enjoys sweet export deals with the EU?
Aug 14, 2008 - 12:12 pm 36. Bill S.:Dr. H noted: “those on the left are more likely to use profanity, name-call–and, yes, refer to themselves in self-absorbing fashion.”
This is always the case. I have an uncle who is a very respected trial lawyer and former DA, and another uncle who is an “investigative journalist” for Knight-Ridder – both of whom are very liberal.
I have had epic debates with both of them, and I always take great pride in the fact that it is ALWAYS my uncles who turn to profanity and ad-hom attacks. I take pride in knowing that I can make a proven trial lawyer lose his cool. I strive to always state that I respect their right to opinions, but when I flame them with the historical facts, the debate usually goes south to the world of cussing and not one of an exchange of differing ideas and opinions. This is the normal way of the liberal. They are accepting of others as long as one agrees to their ideals.
Aug 14, 2008 - 12:20 pm 37. blogengeezer:Mr Hanson since working for a living not associated with any ‘government work’, for a period in excess of 50 years, I have now retired and travel. We see the ‘entire’ USA, not just some infested hovel or some elitist compound such as Hilton Head. One thing we notice, the states that have the least legalities to suppress innovation and creativity are doing just fine thank you. The wind turbines covering the western edge of Texas are in a non-stop building mode. The new business developements with their surrounding housing of all levels of society, are quite evident. You are exactly right that this is the strangest media proclaimed recession in history. The National Parks are obviously in building mode. Of course it is never enough for some detractors. My own son’s are expanding their own hard earned business to accomodate more customers than ever. New employees must be found to do the job. The payroll must be geared for a greater fiscal bottom line. Times are still good in this One Nation Under God, no matter what ‘the godless’ and their media proclaim. daflikkers dot B logspot
Aug 14, 2008 - 2:13 pm 38. BRussell:Bill S said:
“Just because Germany imports 25% of their oil from Russia and 46% of their natural gas does not mean that Germany cannot change their import deals does it? Perhaps even at equal costs, or even better, or maybe a little more, nonetheless, there are alternative source countries – and Germany is not a bad producer of natural gas in it’s own right, being the 3rd largest producer in the EU. Germany could also seek alternative energy (wind, solar etc.) more aggressively as well.”
So the middle of one of those great European winters the Germans are going to discard their NG and switch to solar and wind.
Right, I got it. If only the Germans knew how easy it was.
Aug 16, 2008 - 1:03 pm