While America Sleeps

President Obama has been playing a lot of golf lately and he’s been getting plenty of criticism for it. But is his attention really elsewhere? Or is he feverishly trying to figure out what the deal is with ISIS and Iraq/Syria?

Last night he appeared at a press conference and informed the world that he is not about to “put the cart before the horse,” in dealing with this horrific problem. He’s too busy trying to understand the subtleties of the question.

Well, maybe I can offer some help. It’s the same help we’ve been offering for weeks now (along with politicians on both sides of the aisle, and a busload of editorial page writers). Mr. President, this is not our war yet. So it isn’t time to send in hundreds of thousand of troops to defeat the ISIS threat. But it will quickly become our problem if you do not ARM THE KURDS of northern Iraq right now, this minute. As we speak.

The Kurds are loyal and trustworthy American allies but we have not always returned that trustworthiness and loyalty. It is time to take the battle to ISIS by helping the Kurds with money, weapons and support. The American people are behind that move, Mr. President. You should be, too.

Fergsuon; death and devastation vs soccer and world peace!

Forget Ferguson, ISIS and Putin...Soccer is what we should be thinking about!
The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson...the march of ISIS in Iraq and Syria...the push of Putin in Ukraine... These are days when I can’t help wondering where the smiles have gone. And we’ve been thinking a lot about...soccer.

Maybe it’s time for everyone all over the world to lay down their arms and their agendas and concentrate on the only thing that seems to bring everyone, all over the world, together–soccer.

Yes, you read that right. So much of the world loves the sport of soccer and the U.S. has been slow to join the rest of the globe’s fascination with the flying white ball. But, it’s a fact of life that when people are playing soccer, they’re generally not killing each other. A good thing.

Maybe we should think more about the rumble of the crowd and the flight of the ball into that far-off goal post the next time we’re inclined to concentrate on the death and devastation that seems to be the only thing on our plates these days...

Don Lemon of CNN pushed around in Ferguson...

A few days ago I was sitting around, watching the festivities in Ferguson, MO. when we saw the spectacle of CNN reporter Don Lemon being pushed back behind a barricade by what seemed like a very angry Ferguson police officer. The look on the officer’s face suggested that Lemon would be well advised to listen to the officer’s instructions.

Now, it turns out that this very officer has been suspended, following the reveal of a videotape in which said officer rants and raves about gays and women and the generally good idea of “killing people.”

We’re not taking sides in the Ferguson debate because, like everyone else, we’re waiting to see the results of what will be a very careful (and media scrutinized) investigation. But the news that this particular toxic cop has been on the job for thirty years seems especially distressing. How can a police department claim to be working for the benefit of its citizens when behavior such as this is tolerated, if not embraced, by the supervisory staff and government officials of Ferguson? Just thinking about that...

What really happened in Ferguson?

Days and days of protest and violence in Ferguson MO. have resulted in a better understanding of racial prejudice and intolerance in America...or not.

What I have witnessed over these last two weeks is a wild media frenzy and a widening gap between the parties in the confrontation. Each side blames the other for transgressions–supposed “proof” of police brutality or “proof” of the culpability of the dead young black man surfaces almost on a daily hour. Videotapes furnished by both sides demands attention and these tapes are dutifully offered for public scrutiny by a hungry press corps, eager to hand us the next “major break.”

The Chief of Police of Ferguson releases a store video revealing someone who “looks like” the dead black man, robbing a convenience store. There was no choice but to release the tape, he tells the press. The carnival rolls on. Al Sharpton is already in MO. “helping” the family of the dead man. The Governor of MO. has already apparently decided where the blame lies.

And the process of investigation has barely even started. Isn’t this the time for everyone to step back a pace and let the truth bubble up to the surface? Do any of us really know yet what happened that terrible night in Ferguson? Do any of us really want to know? Or are we all too busy pushing our own agendas? It’s time to let the process play out and see where it goes. That just might be satisfying to some. Or it might lead to even more confusion. But we owe it to the facts to wait and see where this goes.

The beheading of James Foley in Iraq...

Now I have to report the news that an American journalist has been beheaded by forces aligned with ISIS in Iraq. What do we think about this? What can any sane person think about a political movement that would resort to such a barbaric act for no other reason than to make a statement to its enemies?

And what exactly is that statement? It is nothing more than a show of power, an exhibition of brute force to be used whenever the mood fits. We are supposed to respond to this thuggish, execrable act by being cowed (as the troops of the Iraqi army were cowed when they were called upon to defend their own nation and their own people against the Isis forces).

What should our response be? At first, the West should respond by recognizing this act for what it is. And then it should respond by letting ISIS know, in any and all certain terms that this sort of behavior will not be greeted with diffidence. Instead, the West must do everything it can to cut off any, and all economic chains that support and finance this group. Let us not be confused. ISIS is now a state, and states require funding. We must insure that no further funds are siphoned off by this group, and that no Western nation allows their money to find its way to these barbarians–savages who are, indeed at the gates of democracy.

Shep Smith of Fox takes a stand on Ferguson

I was watching the spectacle of events going down in Ferguson, Mo. the other night and I was appalled at the carnival that this tragedy has become. I have seen plenty of public tragedies turn into circuses before but this one seems to carry with it a special tint of sadness. That’s because the Press has turned out in droves, in numbers we haven’t seen before, to cover...what exactly?

A group of angry protesters, incensed at the shooting of a black man by white cops, all flanked by a coterie of reporters that would seem more appropriate at a major war scene.

And into the fray has stepped the estimable talking head, Shep Smith of Fox News, who surprised everyone last night by asking the unaskable question: are the reporters and their presence doing more harm than good at this event?

At one point Smith pointed out that those with a vested interest in the riots had mostly gone home. Who was left? The police, National Guard, a few protesters and very many reporters, whose sole function seemed to be fanning the flames of an event that required their presence in the same way a flame requires the presence of a moth.

It was refreshing to hear the brave Smith opine such a thing on national television. On Fox News, no less.

Should Obama go to St. Louis?

I have some thoughts on this subject today. The rioting in Ferguson is now in its second week and show no signs of abating. Despite the pleas of community organizers and Missouri politicians, including the democratic Governor, rioters continue to set the agenda in the small city of Ferguson. Such is the anger than has taken hold following the shooting of an eighteen-year-old black man by Ferguson police.

What can be done to stop the looting and destruction?
How about a visit from the President of the United States, who, after all, was elected because he held out the promise of a nation undivided by racial animosity? Isn’t this the time–the moment for a Roosevelt-like fireside chat–when presidential leadership might actually have an effect on the heated events of the day?

A personal plea, an in-person pleas–from POTUS might be just the thing to show protesters and police, alike, that the time for reconciliation has arrived. The people of Ferguson and the people of the United States are wary of the unrest that has befallen the small city in Missouri. The president can do something about it. He should act immediately to quell the fires of outrage, and to calm the mood of the nation.

Zelda Williams bullied on social media following the suicide of her father...

America, You’ve Got Way Too Much Time on Your Hands.
This morning I woke to the news that Zelda Williams, the twenty-five year old daughter of actor Robin Williams has deleted her Instagram and Twitter accounts after users posted disturbing and offensive reactions to her father’s death.

Yes, I’m not making this up. 

How could anyone make up something as vile and obnoxious as that? I realize that the internet is supposedly anonymous, and that it’s there so users can do basically whatever they want. But do these people know no constraints on their personal behavior whatsoever? Are they just immature or is it simple stupidity? Or is it boredom? Or is it a toxic combination of all of the above? 

At any rate, there is absolutely no excuse for behavior like this, and unfortunately, this sort of thoughtless activity on the web has already caused many deaths (and will cause many more in the future). Web bullying is exactly the same as bullying. And bullies need to look in the mirror more often, if they’re looking for someone to bully.

I Remember Robin Williams

This morning I sadly–and happily–remember the great actor, Robin Williams. And I remember him personally because he played a part in my life, far away from the glitz of Hollywood television and movie studios.

 When I was a young man, growing up in New York City, I used to sit on the steep steps out in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with hundreds of Sunday strollers and tourists. There, slightly uncomfortable with my back wedged against the stiff stone of the steps, I would pass the time watching a young mime perform his smooth magic. At the end of his brief show, he would pass the hat and the people who had been watching his amazing work would eagerly support him with their quarters and dollars. The mime was always gracious, always appreciative, and he would go on to do many shows for the rest of the long afternoon. And then, the next Sunday, he would be back in the same spot.

 Robin Williams made people feel good about life, and about themselves; generations of people laughed and cried along with him. But before the big TV break, or the Academy Award, Robin Williams performed live and made people smile.

 That mime in front of the Metropolitan Museum, all those years ago, was Robin Williams. Good Night, Robin.

Mr. President, SAVE THESE PEOPLE!

I have just witnessed something that will stay with me for the rest of my life: the evacuation by helicopter of a few “fortunate” Yazidis from the mountaintop in Northern Iraq, where they have been hiding for seven long days and nights from the savage, detestable forces of ISIS below. The face of a fifteen year old girl spoke volumes about the plight of these people. I have never seen such abject terror in the face of a young child. And she was one of the “lucky” few who made it off that mountain.

A CNN reporter was on one of these helicopters helping with the evacuation. But the whole process, as he reported, was somewhat futile, since there are just a few helicopters and thousands of stranded human beings, pleading and weeping for help.

This is a holocaust in the making, President Obama. Sixty years ago the Jews of the world pleaded with President Roosevelt to take the thousands of Jews that Germany offered America and Europe. The world turned away. Six million men, women and children were slaughtered in death camps.

 And now, the same thing is happening and once again the world is being asked–begged–to come to the aid of desperate, doomed human beings. Where is the support? A few planes of relief cannot save these people. Mr. President, it is time to take the leadership in this humanitarian catastrophe. Nothing less than full commitment to save these lives will work, and history will not look kindly on America–and the world’s–failure to act. Now.

 Please pass this comment on so other people will take up the cause of these desperate people.

Will Russia invade Ukraine...?

NATO has said that they see a high probability of an outright Russian invasion of Ukraine. What is the reaction to this? This morning, I am very anxious about the state of the world, and if Vladimir Putin has his way (as apparently, the West is allowing him to do so) things are not going to get much better in the foreseeable future. The nations of the NATO alliance simply do not seem to have the stomach to stand up to Putin in any substantive way, and it’s easy to see why they don’t. Putin is a bully and he is about to bully his way into a sovereign country for one reason only–because he can.

Why is the West at such a loss to handle Putin? The reason is simple. It needs him. There are Russian oil demands to be met in Europe and the nations of Nato are reluctant to make Putin mad. America has been suffering from war-weariness after more than a decade of foreign conflict and its people are in no mood to take on the mighty Russian Bear.

So…clear field for Putin to do pretty much whatever he feels like doing. And this, friends, is exactly what he’s going to do.

 Why? Because there don’t seem to be very many reasons not to.

Should the US get involved in Iraq?

There has been a debate ongoing about whether or not we should get involved in any substantive way– in any military way–with Iraq and the present problems with the marching “armies” of ISIS. This seems to me to be a no-brainer.

There are forty thousand civilians trapped on a mountaintop in Northern Iraq and their life-choices are as follows: stay on the mountaintop and die of starvation and dehydration, or come down from the mountaintop and face certain slaughter by the ethnic cleaning maniacs of ISIS. If this situation were happening in Europe and forty thousand Americans were at risk, the planes would already be headed to the conflict area.

I’m not suggesting that we need to send the cavalry in. Modern technological warfare has produced enough planes and drones and computer systems to be able to render ISIS DOA from a relatively safe distance. We need to get those planes over ISIS NOW.

And we need to arm the Kurds IMMEDIATELY. This is their country and they want to defend their own land. They are not asking for American boots. Just American support from the air and American guns for self-defense. We either choose to help now or face the prospect of battling a terror state later. Three thousand American casualties after 9/11...lessons have been taught. Have we learned them?

Where is Lindsay Lohan when we need her?

I have been wracking our brains lately, wondering where the previously ubiquitous Lindsay Lohan has been hiding during all these terrible days and nights.

While the world seems to crumble before our eyes–the Mideast is exploding with violence and death, the Russian Bear is once again on the march, doctors are catching Ebola from patients in Africa and on and on...where is the girl everyone seems to love to hate and love and hate and love?

Lindsay, please let us know what you think about the on-going crisis in this country and that country. We need to hear your opinions again, because, frankly, we no longer trust CNN and Fox to give us the fair and balanced view of things. And lets face it, we’re tired of all the grit and gore. We long for the good old days when “news” consisted of nothing more devastating than your comings and goings–and also the comings and goings of your great contemporaries, the Kardashians and the Hiltons. Come to think of it, all this international news has pretty much pushed the Kardashians to the back pages, too.

Please ladies (and the gentlemen who stand behind you), come back to the front pages and the nightly news broadcasts, and the pages of our favorite blogs. We won’t put you down anymore or call you vapid and meaningless. These headlines are giving us a headache, ladies. We need you now. Please, it’s a matter of international consequence...

Anti-Israel Boycott By Celebrities

The Anti-Israel Boycott by music and movie personalities is again in the news.
I've been mulling over the recent spate of celebrities who have joined (or supposedly joined) a well-organized boycott of The State of Israel.

Many of these performers have cancelled dates in Israel after being pressured by pro-boycott groups.
The list reads like a what-the--#@@# of well-known singers, writers, actors and performers, including Elvis Costello, Carlos Santana, Alice Walker and others.

The news isn’t that these performers and artists have supported the boycott. The news is the number of performers who have not. Elton John appeared in concert recently in Israel and proclaimed that “no one” is going to tell him where to play. Ditto Neil Young. And Madonna. And the list goes on.

Why the divide? Artists have long argued that art must stand above politics and many artists today seem to have forgotten that notion. 

The latest laugh from the anti-Israel boycott crowd is that scientist Stephen Hawking has endorsed the boycott. After learning of his own participation, Hawking made it clear that his supposed membership in this fraternity had come as news to himself. Another day, another boycott...or not.