The rain continues to pour, so there actually a bit of time to read today--first time in over a week.
From the Acton Institute, an entertaining book review of John-Francois Revel's
Last Exit To Utopia
Revel can certainly write:
We had long been accustomed to the disasters of socialism, since it had never managed to produce anything but disasters anywhere. What had now become obvious was that it could not produce anything else. A liberating truth had emerged: Marxism had suffered from defective DNA all along.
Somebody, please, ring up the White House, and share the news with them...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Great Middle Tennessee Flood: May 2 2010
Word may be making the rounds outside of the area by now.
Middle Tennessee has been hit with well over a foot of rain since the morning of May 2. The area is overwhelmed, as the ground was already saturated from rains a week earlier.
This part of the world has been the subject of constant and expert flood control and drainage engineering since the 1930's, resulting in a sophisticated system of dams, locks, hydro, river channels, levee, drainage ditches, storm sewers, etc. Nothing could have been engineered to withstand what has occurred here.
Vanderbilt Children's Hospital has cancelled all elective surgeries tomorrow, as the basement and lobby are flooded. This is a fabulous facility, the best of everything, erected within the last ten years, if memory serves. Vanderbilt University is not a part of Nashville prone to flooding, miles away from any creek, and no expense is ever spared on the physical plant of the place. Given what is happening there, the situation in other parts of this area, intersected by its numerous creeks and small rivers, is grave. Looting has just been reported at the Farmer's Market downtown.
Interstate highways are overwhelmed at several locations, passable only by boat. Normally high-and-dry roads and neighborhoods are underwater, under a lot of water. There are three routes into Nashville from the west, and all three are now impassible.
The storms are still coming, stretching back well into Mississippi, with a cold front stalled to the northwest, and copious amounts of warm air pushing up from the south.
Power is still on here, but it is unknown how long it will remain with us in our little county.
For further viewing, and to follow progress, the websites of the local network affiliates:
WSMV
WTVF
WKRN
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
A recent slideshow from one of the affiliates.
Red Cross donation site. Hundreds, if not thousands, have lost literally everything.
Middle Tennessee has been hit with well over a foot of rain since the morning of May 2. The area is overwhelmed, as the ground was already saturated from rains a week earlier.
This part of the world has been the subject of constant and expert flood control and drainage engineering since the 1930's, resulting in a sophisticated system of dams, locks, hydro, river channels, levee, drainage ditches, storm sewers, etc. Nothing could have been engineered to withstand what has occurred here.
Vanderbilt Children's Hospital has cancelled all elective surgeries tomorrow, as the basement and lobby are flooded. This is a fabulous facility, the best of everything, erected within the last ten years, if memory serves. Vanderbilt University is not a part of Nashville prone to flooding, miles away from any creek, and no expense is ever spared on the physical plant of the place. Given what is happening there, the situation in other parts of this area, intersected by its numerous creeks and small rivers, is grave. Looting has just been reported at the Farmer's Market downtown.
Interstate highways are overwhelmed at several locations, passable only by boat. Normally high-and-dry roads and neighborhoods are underwater, under a lot of water. There are three routes into Nashville from the west, and all three are now impassible.
The storms are still coming, stretching back well into Mississippi, with a cold front stalled to the northwest, and copious amounts of warm air pushing up from the south.
Power is still on here, but it is unknown how long it will remain with us in our little county.
For further viewing, and to follow progress, the websites of the local network affiliates:
WSMV
WTVF
WKRN
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
A recent slideshow from one of the affiliates.
Red Cross donation site. Hundreds, if not thousands, have lost literally everything.
Tick-Tock: Greece Bailout Announced
Via NPR: European Union, Greece Devise Bailout
We've heard this a few times before, haven't we?
The devil is, of course, in the details.
They have a deal if:
1. The German Parliament approves Germany's role. (Damn! That old 'rule-of-law-follow-the-Constitution' thing just impedes progress...)
2. The Greek government can actually survive the imposition of the austerity measures demanded. Deficit is now 13.6% of GDP, and they've promised to cut it to 3% by 2014. (Ever tried to reduce your expenditures by a factor of 4? Ever tried to impose that on anyone else?)
3. If today's meeting in Brussels approves it, or if another meeting of the Great and Good will be required.
They have to get all this done by May 19.
Tick.
Tock.
We've heard this a few times before, haven't we?
The devil is, of course, in the details.
They have a deal if:
1. The German Parliament approves Germany's role. (Damn! That old 'rule-of-law-follow-the-Constitution' thing just impedes progress...)
2. The Greek government can actually survive the imposition of the austerity measures demanded. Deficit is now 13.6% of GDP, and they've promised to cut it to 3% by 2014. (Ever tried to reduce your expenditures by a factor of 4? Ever tried to impose that on anyone else?)
3. If today's meeting in Brussels approves it, or if another meeting of the Great and Good will be required.
They have to get all this done by May 19.
Tick.
Tock.
One Reason The Greek Government Is Broke
There's a lot of wealth in Greece, and very little tax collection. With some outrageous percentage of the workforce on the government payroll, that creates a real 'doughnut hole', both culturally and fiscally.
Instead of dealing with the real problems, like governmental corruption and trade unions, the government chose to live on borrowed money. The wealthy (and/or productive) parts of the society turned toward an underground economy life. One can only assume a great deal of wealth has been off-shored, to a stable place like Switzerland, where the government is prohibited from living beyond its means.
From the New York Times:
Various studies have concluded that Greece’s shadow economy represented 20 to 30 percent of its gross domestic product. Friedrich Schneider, the chairman of the economics department at Johannes Kepler University of Linz, studies Europe’s shadow economies; he said that Greece’s was at 25 percent last year and estimated that it would rise to 25.2 percent in 2010. For comparison, the United States’ was put at 7.8 percent.
Hmmmm....the 7.8% figure seems low, from observation of life in these parts.
The entire article is an interesting read, demonstrating how the economy expresses the virtues and vices of the underlying culture.
Instead of dealing with the real problems, like governmental corruption and trade unions, the government chose to live on borrowed money. The wealthy (and/or productive) parts of the society turned toward an underground economy life. One can only assume a great deal of wealth has been off-shored, to a stable place like Switzerland, where the government is prohibited from living beyond its means.
From the New York Times:
Various studies have concluded that Greece’s shadow economy represented 20 to 30 percent of its gross domestic product. Friedrich Schneider, the chairman of the economics department at Johannes Kepler University of Linz, studies Europe’s shadow economies; he said that Greece’s was at 25 percent last year and estimated that it would rise to 25.2 percent in 2010. For comparison, the United States’ was put at 7.8 percent.
Hmmmm....the 7.8% figure seems low, from observation of life in these parts.
The entire article is an interesting read, demonstrating how the economy expresses the virtues and vices of the underlying culture.
The Arizona Illegal Immigration Bill: Read It For Yourself
Here's a reasonable idea to help you sort out fact from fiction in the chaos that has erupted over Arizona's decision to deal with illegal immigration, which the Federal government has refused to do.
Read the bill.
This links you to the Arizona Secretary of State site. Halfway down the list, you'll see the link to CH_113. Click it, and the pdf of the bill as passed and signed will download to you.
Read the bill, and think it over for yourself. Unlike the incomprehensible verbiage we are treated to by bills passed in Congress, this is written in clear English, carefully avoiding nuance. The Arizona legislature, unlike Congress, knew the content and intent of the bill, as a responsible legislative body does. This may explain the rage directed at them by the left side of Congress, born of humiliation.
OS has gone through it once, plans to do it a few more times. At no point does it authorize any agent of law enforcement to detain any person just because they are brown of skin. Furthermore, Governor Brewer signed amendments to clarify the bill's intent. No authorization of mass deportations. No authorization of inhumane treatment of persons detained. No double-talk. Very little 'legal-ese'.
Basic, understandable English.
Read the bill, and decide for yourself.
But, as a starter, here's just the first bit of it--plain English, no spin here:
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Intent
The legislature finds that there is a compelling interest in the cooperative enforcement of federal immigration laws throughout all of Arizona. The legislature declares that the intent of this act is to make attrition through enforcement the public policy of all state and local government agencies in Arizona. The provisions of this act are intended to work together to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States.
Could it be, at the end of the day, that the real objection by Our Beloved Leader and the Left is to the intent of the bill: '...to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States.'?
At the end of the day, neither Obama, nor Bush the Second, nor Clinton, nor Bush the First embrace(d) the idea of enforcing our borders. The assertion that immigration enforcement is a Federal prerogative is simply a means of avoiding responsibility, not embracing it.
This whole mess is not about race. It is about the Constitution and the rule of law. The Federal government has despised both the Constitution and the rule of law, and now has a grassfire on its hands.
The only sense of surprise felt here is that it took so long to get started.
Chin-straps on. Watch for other legislatures to pass similar measures.
It is unfortunate that it has come to this, and there is definitely a human side to this story. Were OS of Hispanic heritage, he would be certain to always carry his driving license, just to be certain. He might even avoid Arizona for a while, just to be doubly certain, while things settle down.
But, give the bill three to five years to work, and it won't be an issue, 'cuz the problem will be greatly alleviated. If enough states follow suit, the solution will arrive more quickly.
Final story: A few years back, Mr. and Mrs. OS spent a fabulous vacation in Canada.
When we arrived at the border in our car, we waited in line, presented passports and title to the car. We were questioned by firm-but-friendly border control officers about where we were traveling, what we were transporting, and when we planned to return home. When changing money, every teller in every bank followed the same script: 'Passport please. When did you arrive? Where are you visiting? When do you plan to depart?' Polite, but firm.
And it was all perfectly fine, 'cuz it's their country, and we were guests visiting there.
We had a wonderful visit, and we came home, where we belong. Where we work, and live, and hold our citizenship. Our country.
'Nuff said?
Read the bill.
This links you to the Arizona Secretary of State site. Halfway down the list, you'll see the link to CH_113. Click it, and the pdf of the bill as passed and signed will download to you.
Read the bill, and think it over for yourself. Unlike the incomprehensible verbiage we are treated to by bills passed in Congress, this is written in clear English, carefully avoiding nuance. The Arizona legislature, unlike Congress, knew the content and intent of the bill, as a responsible legislative body does. This may explain the rage directed at them by the left side of Congress, born of humiliation.
OS has gone through it once, plans to do it a few more times. At no point does it authorize any agent of law enforcement to detain any person just because they are brown of skin. Furthermore, Governor Brewer signed amendments to clarify the bill's intent. No authorization of mass deportations. No authorization of inhumane treatment of persons detained. No double-talk. Very little 'legal-ese'.
Basic, understandable English.
Read the bill, and decide for yourself.
But, as a starter, here's just the first bit of it--plain English, no spin here:
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Intent
The legislature finds that there is a compelling interest in the cooperative enforcement of federal immigration laws throughout all of Arizona. The legislature declares that the intent of this act is to make attrition through enforcement the public policy of all state and local government agencies in Arizona. The provisions of this act are intended to work together to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States.
Could it be, at the end of the day, that the real objection by Our Beloved Leader and the Left is to the intent of the bill: '...to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States.'?
At the end of the day, neither Obama, nor Bush the Second, nor Clinton, nor Bush the First embrace(d) the idea of enforcing our borders. The assertion that immigration enforcement is a Federal prerogative is simply a means of avoiding responsibility, not embracing it.
This whole mess is not about race. It is about the Constitution and the rule of law. The Federal government has despised both the Constitution and the rule of law, and now has a grassfire on its hands.
The only sense of surprise felt here is that it took so long to get started.
Chin-straps on. Watch for other legislatures to pass similar measures.
It is unfortunate that it has come to this, and there is definitely a human side to this story. Were OS of Hispanic heritage, he would be certain to always carry his driving license, just to be certain. He might even avoid Arizona for a while, just to be doubly certain, while things settle down.
But, give the bill three to five years to work, and it won't be an issue, 'cuz the problem will be greatly alleviated. If enough states follow suit, the solution will arrive more quickly.
Final story: A few years back, Mr. and Mrs. OS spent a fabulous vacation in Canada.
When we arrived at the border in our car, we waited in line, presented passports and title to the car. We were questioned by firm-but-friendly border control officers about where we were traveling, what we were transporting, and when we planned to return home. When changing money, every teller in every bank followed the same script: 'Passport please. When did you arrive? Where are you visiting? When do you plan to depart?' Polite, but firm.
And it was all perfectly fine, 'cuz it's their country, and we were guests visiting there.
We had a wonderful visit, and we came home, where we belong. Where we work, and live, and hold our citizenship. Our country.
'Nuff said?
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Man Bites Dog: Switzerland Cancels Bond Sales, Because They Are Running Surpluses
Hmmm....amazing what happens when the voters force the government to live within its means.
From Bloomberg(with bold added by OldSouth):
Swiss officials are making decisions their peers in Greece or Portugal envy: Canceling bond sales as a budget surplus reduces the nation’s borrowing needs. Soaring public debt in the 1990s prompted Swiss voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring that revenue and expenses must balance over an entire economic cycle, though the government may run annual deficits.
That restraint has paid off, pushing Switzerland’s borrowing costs to the lowest in Europe as investors rush to the safest investments. Switzerland called off bond sales in November and December, saying it didn’t need additional funds to finance the budget. The benchmark 10-year note yields 1.80 percent, compared with Portugal’s 5.48 percent and Greece’s 9.06 percent.
Let's read that bit again:
Soaring public debt in the 1990s prompted Swiss voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring that revenue and expenses must balance..
Let's focus in a bit more, for that reader in Washington DC who keeps checking in:
a constitutional amendment requiring that revenue and expenses must balance...
Ya' gotta speak slowly, short sentences composed of short words, when dealing with our friends in Washington. So, let's explain it in terms they can understand. Again.
The Swiss voters said NO to the guv'mint spending more than guv'mint takes in.
'Surplus' means the guv'mint takes in more than it spends.
When the guv'mint stops spending more than it takes in, it has money left over, and the whole country prospers.
Damn! Why didn't we think of that?
And, they retained their national sovereignity by retaining the integrity of their currency.
Greece is, therefore, not their problem.
Damn! Why didn't we think of that?
Damn!
From Bloomberg(with bold added by OldSouth):
Swiss officials are making decisions their peers in Greece or Portugal envy: Canceling bond sales as a budget surplus reduces the nation’s borrowing needs. Soaring public debt in the 1990s prompted Swiss voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring that revenue and expenses must balance over an entire economic cycle, though the government may run annual deficits.
That restraint has paid off, pushing Switzerland’s borrowing costs to the lowest in Europe as investors rush to the safest investments. Switzerland called off bond sales in November and December, saying it didn’t need additional funds to finance the budget. The benchmark 10-year note yields 1.80 percent, compared with Portugal’s 5.48 percent and Greece’s 9.06 percent.
Let's read that bit again:
Soaring public debt in the 1990s prompted Swiss voters to approve a constitutional amendment requiring that revenue and expenses must balance..
Let's focus in a bit more, for that reader in Washington DC who keeps checking in:
a constitutional amendment requiring that revenue and expenses must balance...
Ya' gotta speak slowly, short sentences composed of short words, when dealing with our friends in Washington. So, let's explain it in terms they can understand. Again.
The Swiss voters said NO to the guv'mint spending more than guv'mint takes in.
'Surplus' means the guv'mint takes in more than it spends.
When the guv'mint stops spending more than it takes in, it has money left over, and the whole country prospers.
Damn! Why didn't we think of that?
And, they retained their national sovereignity by retaining the integrity of their currency.
Greece is, therefore, not their problem.
Damn! Why didn't we think of that?
Damn!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Apparently, No One Learned One Damned Thing: The Tin Cup Approach To Life
Jesse shared this nugget earlier this evening from Bloomberg.
Ya'll remember OldSouth quoting that bizarre interview with the German finance minister last week?
The one where he admitted 'We don't really know who holds all that Greek debt, and how much is held by whom.'?
You know, that one!
Apparently, the domesticated feline mammalian unit has escaped the portable burlap transportation unit.
JPMorgan’s exposure to the five so-called PIIGS countries is $36.3 billion, equating to 28 percent of the firm’s Tier-1 capital, a measure of financial strength, Wells Fargo analysts including Matthew Burnell wrote today. Morgan Stanley holds $32.4 billion of debt in the region, which equates to 69 percent of its Tier 1 capital, Burnell wrote.
Now, really, OS is not in the habit of cursing in print, but this one deserves a rousing:
Well, Shhhheeeeeeeuuuuuuuttttt!!
It's so satisfying to say that sometimes, releasing all that air, spittle, frustration and utter disbelief in one extended dipthong.
What sort of moron places 36 billion dollars on the table on: 'I'm gonna buy me a bunch of debt instruments from those paragons of progress and capitalist free markets, Greece and Portugal.'
'OK, spin that there roulette wheel, Bubba! What could go wrong?'
In other words, not one damn thing was learned in the Great Meltdown of 2008, except that no matter how bad the screw-up, Uncle Sam will shovel in enough money to make everything all right.
OS saw a rerun of the classic movie 'Tin Cup'
last night. The final ten minutes is almost unbearably painful to watch, which is one reason it is such a great flick. OS was struck by how wonderfully the screenwriters did their job. That 'focal point moment of truth' happens before the carnage begins. 'Tin Cup' Roy McAvoy, totally amped up on his own ego, begins ranting about 'his moment of immortality' as he is about to risk his whole life on a golf shot that has maybe a 10% chance of success. He is Don Quixote at the windmill. His Sancho Panza of a caddy, played by Cheech Marin, totally loses patience and shouts: 'Homes, you don't need your immortality! You need your seven-iron! Lay the ball up!'
Of course, reason did not rule, and that final painful ten minutes proceeds.
Romeo the caddy, the eternal Sancho Panza, stands on the 18th fairway with his friend who has spent his life snatching disaster from the jaws of success, pleading with him to act sanely at least once in his benighted existence. Play the seven iron, reduce your risk, win the US Open. Think of all the people who have invested so much of themselves in you. Play the seven-iron!
Here in the small towns and neighborhoods of America, we don't ask for much from the Great and Good, really. Just that they not act like Tin Cup McAvoy.
We wish they would locate the seven-iron in the bag. Before they blow themselves, us, and everything around them to kingdom come.
Ya'll remember OldSouth quoting that bizarre interview with the German finance minister last week?
The one where he admitted 'We don't really know who holds all that Greek debt, and how much is held by whom.'?
You know, that one!
Apparently, the domesticated feline mammalian unit has escaped the portable burlap transportation unit.
JPMorgan’s exposure to the five so-called PIIGS countries is $36.3 billion, equating to 28 percent of the firm’s Tier-1 capital, a measure of financial strength, Wells Fargo analysts including Matthew Burnell wrote today. Morgan Stanley holds $32.4 billion of debt in the region, which equates to 69 percent of its Tier 1 capital, Burnell wrote.
Now, really, OS is not in the habit of cursing in print, but this one deserves a rousing:
Well, Shhhheeeeeeeuuuuuuuttttt!!
It's so satisfying to say that sometimes, releasing all that air, spittle, frustration and utter disbelief in one extended dipthong.
What sort of moron places 36 billion dollars on the table on: 'I'm gonna buy me a bunch of debt instruments from those paragons of progress and capitalist free markets, Greece and Portugal.'
'OK, spin that there roulette wheel, Bubba! What could go wrong?'
In other words, not one damn thing was learned in the Great Meltdown of 2008, except that no matter how bad the screw-up, Uncle Sam will shovel in enough money to make everything all right.
OS saw a rerun of the classic movie 'Tin Cup'
last night. The final ten minutes is almost unbearably painful to watch, which is one reason it is such a great flick. OS was struck by how wonderfully the screenwriters did their job. That 'focal point moment of truth' happens before the carnage begins. 'Tin Cup' Roy McAvoy, totally amped up on his own ego, begins ranting about 'his moment of immortality' as he is about to risk his whole life on a golf shot that has maybe a 10% chance of success. He is Don Quixote at the windmill. His Sancho Panza of a caddy, played by Cheech Marin, totally loses patience and shouts: 'Homes, you don't need your immortality! You need your seven-iron! Lay the ball up!'Of course, reason did not rule, and that final painful ten minutes proceeds.
Romeo the caddy, the eternal Sancho Panza, stands on the 18th fairway with his friend who has spent his life snatching disaster from the jaws of success, pleading with him to act sanely at least once in his benighted existence. Play the seven iron, reduce your risk, win the US Open. Think of all the people who have invested so much of themselves in you. Play the seven-iron!
Here in the small towns and neighborhoods of America, we don't ask for much from the Great and Good, really. Just that they not act like Tin Cup McAvoy.
We wish they would locate the seven-iron in the bag. Before they blow themselves, us, and everything around them to kingdom come.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Trombone Shorty: A Fresh Voice
Again, out early, in late. But Amazon delivered the Trombone Shorty album ordered last week.
OS is not a huge fan of the latest and greatest heavily hyped pop album, in general.
Trombone Shorty, however, lives up to the press he's received.
Moh' latuh.
OS is not a huge fan of the latest and greatest heavily hyped pop album, in general.
Trombone Shorty, however, lives up to the press he's received.
Moh' latuh.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
End Of April, A Thought For The Culture
It's one of those weeks--out of the house at 8:00 am, back in at 10:00 pm. No time to think, much less write.
In the meantime, these wonderful words from the Sunday Times on the subject of music and worship.
It's not a subject the general public spends a lot of time thinking about, but trust OS on this, it really matters. How we say what we say at what should be our most serious and unguarded moments really matters.
Away we go....
In the meantime, these wonderful words from the Sunday Times on the subject of music and worship.
It's not a subject the general public spends a lot of time thinking about, but trust OS on this, it really matters. How we say what we say at what should be our most serious and unguarded moments really matters.
Away we go....
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Ballantine Championship: European Tour PGA In South Korea
OS is a golf geek. It's one of those things, and he knows there are therapists out there who can help with this sort of stuff. He just enjoys this vice too much for the moment.
It's Saturday morning in Tennessee, and European Tour Golf is broadcasting from South Korea, actually an island off the southern coast of South Korea. Household names like Gareth Maybin, Ted Oh, Marcus Fraser, and Soren Hanson are near the top of the leaderboard. The course is beautiful, striking flora and terrain, and these guys really play well, even if there aren't thousands of screaming fans. Not one fist-pumper among them...
Here on the third cup of coffee, it strikes OS that we live in a remarkable world, that allows that live broadcast from South Korea. Considering events of sixty years ago or so, it's remarkable there is a South Korea to broadcast from, much less one that has developed the kind of wealth and order that would allow the event to take place. Golf clubs don't come cheap, and they certainly aren't life-and-death essentials to any nation's economy. But they are built in places that are orderly, where wealth and literacy have developed.
Let's consider where the golf courses aren't, beginning with North Korea, which managed to stage a war sixty years ago that killed several millions, spread misery all over East Asia, and accomplished nothing. They still can't feed themselves, but are working feverishly to develop nuclear weapons with which to blackmail the world. No time for golf, or music, or much of anything else.
Somalia--nope. Chad--nope. Iran--definitely no. Don't expect to see the 'Tehran Open' in this lifetime, do we? But, then again, in 1950, who could have imagined this middle-aged guy drinking his third cup of coffee in Tennessee, watching the tournament live from South Korea, writing about it on a laptop, chatting with his wife on a mobile phone as she drives home from her business trip?
Lots of moving parts there...but made possible in great part by brave people like Harry Truman who decided that the West should make a stand against the Marxist plague in Korea, and all the brave people from all parts of the world who sacrificed so much in that cause. And by people who live their lives believing that making money by making things that make life better is a worthy pursuit. You know...capitalists. And that things like a free press and rule of law with the consent of the governed is the best way to live. You know...Western constitutional principles, which have thrived best in places like the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. (Funny, that's where a lot of golf courses are located. How did that happen?)
See the connection yet? This generation's totalitarian plague is Islam, actually a repeat performance from previous centuries, but that's another discussion. We can't make it go away entirely, just like Marxism (after all, Harvard, Oxford and Berkley will always be with us...), but we can maintain the will to say: 'No. You don't get to take over. You can't even feed yourselves, and all you produce is murder and mayhem. You are the ones with the intrinsic problem, even if we have flaws. We're not going to apologize for being right, and we don't care if you get your feelings hurt.'
If we stand fast, here at home, and in other places where we have to, who knows? OS's grandson might watch Mickelson's grandson tee off in Tehran...
Here's hoping.
It's Saturday morning in Tennessee, and European Tour Golf is broadcasting from South Korea, actually an island off the southern coast of South Korea. Household names like Gareth Maybin, Ted Oh, Marcus Fraser, and Soren Hanson are near the top of the leaderboard. The course is beautiful, striking flora and terrain, and these guys really play well, even if there aren't thousands of screaming fans. Not one fist-pumper among them...
Here on the third cup of coffee, it strikes OS that we live in a remarkable world, that allows that live broadcast from South Korea. Considering events of sixty years ago or so, it's remarkable there is a South Korea to broadcast from, much less one that has developed the kind of wealth and order that would allow the event to take place. Golf clubs don't come cheap, and they certainly aren't life-and-death essentials to any nation's economy. But they are built in places that are orderly, where wealth and literacy have developed.
Let's consider where the golf courses aren't, beginning with North Korea, which managed to stage a war sixty years ago that killed several millions, spread misery all over East Asia, and accomplished nothing. They still can't feed themselves, but are working feverishly to develop nuclear weapons with which to blackmail the world. No time for golf, or music, or much of anything else.
Somalia--nope. Chad--nope. Iran--definitely no. Don't expect to see the 'Tehran Open' in this lifetime, do we? But, then again, in 1950, who could have imagined this middle-aged guy drinking his third cup of coffee in Tennessee, watching the tournament live from South Korea, writing about it on a laptop, chatting with his wife on a mobile phone as she drives home from her business trip?
Lots of moving parts there...but made possible in great part by brave people like Harry Truman who decided that the West should make a stand against the Marxist plague in Korea, and all the brave people from all parts of the world who sacrificed so much in that cause. And by people who live their lives believing that making money by making things that make life better is a worthy pursuit. You know...capitalists. And that things like a free press and rule of law with the consent of the governed is the best way to live. You know...Western constitutional principles, which have thrived best in places like the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. (Funny, that's where a lot of golf courses are located. How did that happen?)
See the connection yet? This generation's totalitarian plague is Islam, actually a repeat performance from previous centuries, but that's another discussion. We can't make it go away entirely, just like Marxism (after all, Harvard, Oxford and Berkley will always be with us...), but we can maintain the will to say: 'No. You don't get to take over. You can't even feed yourselves, and all you produce is murder and mayhem. You are the ones with the intrinsic problem, even if we have flaws. We're not going to apologize for being right, and we don't care if you get your feelings hurt.'
If we stand fast, here at home, and in other places where we have to, who knows? OS's grandson might watch Mickelson's grandson tee off in Tehran...
Here's hoping.
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