Things people believe

History shows people can believe almost anything and still function adequately to survive until reaching a natural death. Ancient people worshipped a wide variety of purported gods, modern people believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim who secretly funds Daesh, and Elon Musk believes the universe is probably a computer simulation.

Prophets at parties (2)

So this other friend of mine is having a Christmas Eve party at his fine country home with catering and a band, incredible outdoor light display, the whole nine yards! The ambience is perfect and I’m chatting up a very shapely blonde in a Santa suit when that weird character with the robe and beard walks by looking way out of place. I pretend not to see him but he stops and stands there sort of glaring at me, which is a bit awkward, so finally I say,

“How’s it going, brother?”

Well, he just keeps staring for a few more seconds, then he comes out with this non sequitur:

“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart.” 

“Well,” I say, “it has been a tough year in terms of special people dying, I mean, Prince, Bowie, George Martin, now Leonard Cohen…”

As if I didn't say anything, he keeps talking right over me.

“The devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

What do you say to that? Merry Christmas to you, too, brother!  Sheesh. And as I walk off, he’s still muttering crazy talk.

“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue?

Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars?...”

the Internet is a series of tubes, and those tubes are filled with Russian hackers disguised as cats pic.twitter.com/UcDvE1quNq

— StockCats (@StockCats) December 16, 2016

Dream

Just before the 8am alarm went off, I was dreaming a somewhat elderly woman was driving me around Florence, Alabama. A male friend was also in the car. I was reminiscing accurately about visiting Florence as a child when my parents went to visit the Reeder family.  The Reeder's were my prototype for a normal American family. We would also visit the Scott's in Montgomery on these trips but the Scott's were noticeably eccentric in sharp contrast to the Reeder's. However, both families had a benevolent ambience about them.

Honors 2000 wrap up

As you head off for the holidays, congratulations to all on your performance in my section of Honors 2000. Scores on the final exam were very good resulting in many A’s and A+’s as your final grades.  Obviously, the class learned from the midterm format and developed effective study strategies for the final which paid off in high grades. The quality of the research projects was also very good. If I haven’t sent you a copy of your final report with comments, I will do so shortly in case you want to keep it for future reference.

Before departing from Critical Analysis entirely, I want to share one observation about the long essay question on the final exam. I believe everyone got full credit for that item and it won’t surprise you to hear the information content was similar for most of your answers. What is interesting, however, is your conclusions about whether WW1 and WW2 were inevitable varied quite a bit.  I tallied the results and summarize them in the following table:

                                    World War 1

                        Preventable     Inevitable    Total   

World War 2

Preventable        7                     4                 11       

Inevitable           3                     6                  9

Total                 10                   10

Seven of you believe both wars were preventable, six said both were inevitable, and seven said one was inevitable and the other was preventable but disagreed 3 to 4 about which was which. This table illustrates a universal about critical analysis: Intelligent people analyzing the same facts can come to completely different conclusions. The bigger question, of course, is “Can we prevent the next one?”

I also want to mention that many of you will be applying for summer programs requiring references from person familiar with you. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you’d like me to fill in a form and/or write a letter for you based on your performance and participation in Honors 2000.

You’ve been a very enjoyable class and I hope everyone has a fun, relaxing and safe Christmas break.

Yours truly,

February 2, 2003

Dear ML,

Just a quick note to say I am alive and well here in Cameroun and am having numerous interesting experiences.  The internet connection here at the hotel is dreadful (it connects at 9.6 kps which is the slowest possible speed worldwide), so I will not say much until I can find a decent one.  This should be possible later today (Sunday) with the aid of my new friend Pascal from the Fang (say "Fong" without aspirating the "g") tribe.  Besides Pascal, my local personal assistant and chauffeur, I have hired Godfroy of the Ewondo tribe to scour the area for old postcards and letters.  The only other thing I will mention for now is that Pascal and his two uncles took me out into the forest yesterday to drink palm wine from their personal supply, straight out of a felled palm tree.  In return for this honor, I took them out for a few rounds of beer and dinner at the best restaurant in Zoétélé, the biggest town in their area. This was the first time in the lives of the two uncles that they had ever sat down to dine in the company of the local big shots at so fine a place.

Total cost, 10,000 CFA (about 6.50 US).

I hope you and Jenny had a great time at the ball. Since it's about 3:50 AM in Washington, I presume you are all back in your rooms fast asleep.  If you are not, you are having more fun than I am!

Love,

Owen

January 30, 2003

Dear Mary Lou, I regret that I could not email you yesterday (Wednesday)as Djankou and I left around 7 AM for the day and did not return until the business center was ready to close.  Djankou left his laptop at home (on purpose) and there is no other internet access at the Hilton.  I awoke around 5 AM and was dressed and ready when my 6 AM wake-up call arrived at 6:15.  I noticed some kind of controls on the console next to my bed; and when I activated it, I found one of my favorite Mozart symphonies, the Jupiter, playing on the radio.  It occurred to me that the old German colonists would be happy to know that I was listening to an Austrian composer in Yaoundé. I am not sure whether you will get this before you leave for Washington, but I wanted to reassure you as quickly as possible.  I don't blame you for being concerned about me, especially after my first letter.  Actually, though, I am having a very interesing and enjoyable visit and feel quite secure as far as my physical well-being.  The main stress I am having stems from adjusting to an alien cultural environment and being concerned about how I am relating to Djankou.  He is a truly outstanding human being and is being very kind and gracious.  However, I also can see that he is complicated and very sensitive; so I am very mindful of his feelings when we are together. I am also having a French language immersion experience, but, I find this challenging and fun.  I am getting lots of instruction and coaching from Djankou, whose French is beautiful, and people I encounter along the way. Yesterday, we left early on the second anniversary of Djankou's mother's death so that he could pray and meditate at her grave.  The family burial site is in a small village in the Western province of Cameroon near a town called Bazou.  You will notice that most of the places in this area begin with "Ba-."   Since it is not allowed in the Bamileke society for outsiders to visit a burial place, we agreed that I would be dropped off for a few hours in the small city of Bangangté which is near his ancestral family village.  Djankou's parents moved to the east to M'Balmayo ("a" prounced like long "i" in English) on the other side of Yaoundé before he was born; but, his family, like all Bamileke people, have a very strong connection with the land of their origin.  Bamileke never sell their land so they can always go home and find their kinfolk and ancestors to welcome them. The roads we have travelled on between Douala, Yaoundé and points to the northwest have been surprisingly good.  For the most part, they have been as good or better than those in Louisiana!  Everything is more or less two-lane blacktop, divided only by a wide unmarked center lane to allow room to pass.  There are periodic toll stops, indicated by a nail-studded board lying across the road, and occasional police and military check-points with one or two uniformed sentries carrying a variety of weapons, most typically clean and modern assault rifles.  On our return drive last night, I noticed one fellow carrying what appeared to be an Israeli Uzzi, the gold standard of automatic weapons.  Riding in a quality vehicle marked with UN decals, we are waved through the checkpoints without incident.  Our two drivers, Ahmidou and Olivier, have been excellent, driving very steadily and calmly and continuously adjusting their speed and tactics to fit conditions.  I have felt quite safe in their hands. As one heads north west from, Yaoundé, the hills gradually become higher and you begin to see lovely landscapes covered with tropical trees.  I was reminded of the terrain of western North Carolina and Virginia except for the palm and baobab trees and the buldings with French and native influence.  In addition to the small dwellings constructed of wood, cinder blocks or whatever material was handy, familiar to me from the drives I made earlier, we also encountered new, large and well-maintained buildings and compounds, some impressive even by American standards.   Arriving in Bangangté after passing through Bafia (a place familiar to me from my missionary research), we located a hotel bar and cafe where we stopped and had liquid refreshments.  Djankou encouraged me to try a non-alcoholic Guinness malt beverage which was very satisying and full-bodied.  Here, I found that essential character in the life of the cultural anthropologist and the green American pilgrim, a native assistant.  My "assistant supérieur," Yves is a soft-spoken, fit-looking young man of about 5 feet 7 inches and 20 years who spoke only French.  Armed with my French dictionary, bag of odds and ends and one-use cameras, and a pocket full of Central African Franc notes, we set out on foot to the post office.  This was a short walk down and up a hill.  I realized quickly that communication with Yves was going to be a tedious and somewhat tortuous process characterized by my throwing out my few words and phrases and consulting the dictionary repeatedly during each transaction.  Djankou tells me that my French pronunciation is good, a factor which causes my listeners to expect me to comprehend their lengthy replies.  I must constantly tell people "Je ne comprende pas Francais." I just lost the end of this story when I was trying to send it, so I must sadly leave you hanging as it's time to meet Djankou for lunch.  I will recreate it later as the ending is very funny. Have a wonderful time in Washington and give Bunny a big kiss for me. Love, Owen

January 26, 2003

Dear Mary Lou, Last night, I arrived safely at our hotel in the capital, Yaoundé, with life, luggage, and money intact.  The Hilton Yaoundé is probably on a par with an average Holiday Inn in the USA except that the food is very good.  Djankou and I took a tour of the city with our Muslim driver, who also met us at the airport in Douala (which in case I didn't tell you is pronounced "dwa-luh").  Yaoundé (Ya-oon-day) is built on hills and reminds me of Birmingham, Alabama except very run-down.  Djankou tells me that in most of Africa, maintenance is considered a waste of money.  Another example:  The clock in the lobby of the airport in Douala was stopped.  Can you imagine the main clock in an airport not working?  Now I can.   I must admit I felt some fear and apprehension this morning when I awoke to the air conditioning sounding like a train trying to make it to the roof of the hotel.  This is definitely the Third World.  My first thought was "I don't want to be here; I want to go home!"   After processing this with Djankou, I felt relaxed again; although, he admitted to me that after living for 30 years in Europe and other civilized places, coming back makes him feel the same way!  Djankou is very cautious and security conscious, so I think I will be able to stay away from trouble.  Probably the most disconcerting thing in Yaoundé and the little bit of Douala I saw is the masses of poor people everywhere.  Looking out from the balcony of my 6th floor hotel room, I saw people living as squatter's on \the opposite hillside.   I hope this letter doesn't alarm you too much.  I think my reactions are normal.  Eating a delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant, I saw lots of Caucasians looking like either business people or tourists.  It was reassuring to hear the people at the next table speaking English (instead of French) with American accents! It's about 2 PM here, 7 AM in Baton Rouge.  I hope your class went well and I'm sure it did.  Keep me posted on everything:  I need to maintain a connection with the familiar world as I adjust to this one! Much love, Owen PS  Djankou gave me his cell phone number which can be used to reach us anywhere in Cameroon during our stay. It is, (can you believe this) 237-974-4643.

Email to Mary Lou- January 23, 2003

Mary Lou,

It is Sunday at 5:15 PM here in Paris.  That is 10:15 AM in Baton Rouge.  I met Djankou yesterday around 4 PM when he arrived at the hotel which is connected to Charles DeGaulle Airport.  I met him for coffee in the restaurant adjacent to the lobby.  In person, he is tall and handsome, nicer looking than his photograph, I think.  He is very kind and gracious in person as in his letters; however, he has a stronger personality which comes out face-to-face.  We had a very interesting discussion that covered a lot of ground.  One interesting aspect was that he is part of a tribal group called Bamileke (pronounced "Bama leaky").  This is a very industrious and entrepreneurial group who have a traditional system of community banking which leads to strong support for starting and succeeding in business.  They have been called "the Jews of Africa" in a complimentary sense because of their industry and strong community wherever they go. We touched on many other things which I will not try to cover here;  suffice it to say, Djankou is very smart and interesting as well as ambitious and generous.

He retired after our visit and I spent the evening in my room.  I didn't go out yesterday as I was unpacking and I also spent quite a bit of time on the hotel internet cafe computer doing this and that.  As you know, I had a pleasant IM session with Lauren about 4 AM Baton Rouge time.  I used the TV internet computer in my room last night to listen to the Georgia-Auburn basketball game!  I'm sure you will not be surprised to find that I spent 2 hours in Paris doing that.  However, it was very pleasant and I read and did other things while listening to the game (which I'm glad to say Georgia won).  Djankou and I had planned to meet at 9 AM for breakfast.  I took my trazadone and went to sleep at 11 AM.  I woke up about 4 AM Paris time and felt a little anxious as things I didn't get done before I left kept coming into my mind.  Nothing major, really, but I guess I was feeling guilty about taking off on this African jaunt while leaving some loose ends.  I went back to sleep and the next thing I knew, the phone rang. It was Djankou calling to tell me that I was 30-minutes late for our breakfast meeting!  I had slept 10 1/2 hours!  I ran downstairs without shaving or taking a shower and we had breakfast.  The French food in the hotel is very good with lots of tasty breads and cheeses and fresh fruit as well as other hot food. I have eaten very lightly so far.  Djankou and I met back after breakfast at 11 AM and took a taxi into Paris to the outdoor stamp market.  The weather was wet and about 35 or 40 degrees; but, we stayed for an hour or so and both found some good items.  Djankou spent a lot more than me but I bought more things than I anticipated.  One hour in Paris is like a year on Ebay and we didn't even go to any private shops (which were closed with it it being Sunday).  We talked and had lunch and walked around some and generally had a very enjoyable time.  He has again retired to his quarters for the evening.  We are meeting at 8 AM to check out so that we can get to our plane early.  It is scheduled to leave at 10:30 AM.  This time I am going to arrange for a wake up call in case I am still adjusting to the time change.

I enjoyed hearing about the party for Sarah.  I know you are getting excited about the Mardi Gras Ball- in just three more days, you will be leaving for your own adventure.  I will write tomorrow when I get to Cameroon.  Djankou changed plans again and we are going to Yaounde immediately rather than staying the first night in Douala.  So, I should be in Cameroon by this time tomorrow!

Love and kisses,

Owen

A second and third comment

The survivors always feel that somehow they are guilty when, in fact, they are feeling the pain of those the guilty have oppressed. This is the fate of those who care deeply and who grieve, having seen the worst of humanity inflicted upon the innocent.

By the way, I felt the same anxiety and dread about Mosul Eye عين الموصل when you were writing from inside Mosul with death seeking you on every corner. What a relief to know you're in a safer place.

A comment for Mosul Eye

This page has nearly 130,000 "likes," evidence that many people have found something positive here. Personally, I have found  powerful inspiration during a time many intelligent and capable people seem to have drifted away from the high values all great religions and their wisest followers teach. No one person may defeat the evil of the world single-handedly but one person may set an example that shows the rest of us that courage, dignity and truth shine all the more brightly in the darkest of nights. Thank you for being my example. <3

Russian eulogies for Fidel Castro (1926-2016)

Castro “showed that political will oriented toward the national interests of one's own country are stronger than any internal or external factors,” said Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Russia's upper house of parliament.

I agree.

"He made an enormous personal contribution into the making and development of the Russian-Cuban relationship, of a close strategic partnership in all areas.” Vladimir Putin

"They miss him from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok." Owen Scott, III

Feedback on the rough draft of your Honors 2000 research report

(Name of student),

A copy of your rough draft with my editorial work showing via Track Changes is attached. Your paper is quite good in most respects, the one exception being the actual writing could be described perhaps as "unpolished." The strong points are the quality of the research, the powerful and coherent narrative thread, and the inherent importance of the compelling stories of both Tillman and Lynch.  

You will see I edited your writing rather thoroughly to demonstrate how to correct or improve on the various issues I found. I think the rationale for the changes I made will be for the most part obvious. In fact, I wrote comments to explain a number of them. My changes are not intended to produce the definitive forms for expressing your thoughts. They're just one possible way to improve the sentences.

I'll list a few recurring issues: 1) Best use Tillman instead of Pat throughout. Pat is too familiar, even for an article, unless you happened to be a personal friend of his; 2) Certain military and other terms require capitalization (e.g., Silver Star, 2nd Battalion); 3) Most instances of the word that can be cut without the reader noticing they're missing. Excessive use of this and that causes the narrative to feel vanilla to the reader, leading to disengagement and losing the reader's interest; 4) I made changes to give more and/or clearer information where I knew something about the point you were making; 5) In places where more information was needed to give a fuller picture to an interested reader and I didn't know the answer, I asked you to give more details; and, 6) I rearranged and edited sentences to make them more economical and to flow better, with the idea of giving them more punch.

I may have done other things, too, but hopefully I've explained my thinking adequately. I've edited everyone's papers with a similarly obsessive eye. You and many of your peers in Honors College have the potential to become very accomplished writers and I want to encourage and assist those who wish to make the trip. From my perspective it's well worth the investment of time and energy.

 Let me know if you have questions. Take care of the things I pointed out and your papers will be in good shape. OS

Now, now..

...Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning and now checking the Now Clock, the precise, permanent and absolutely perpetual time is now now which means it's now time for Now, the show that always brings you continuous nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. So for Now, be mindful of the continuous Now happening mantra: Be here now or be here now!

Mosul Eye

(this space to be filled with a post explaining about him)

What is "critical analysis?"

Applying a process of rational deliberation to a set of facts obtained from reliable, representative sources by personal research to arrive at and argue for one of two or more possible conclusions on an important, controversial question.

The remarkably high standard of 'jus in bello' of the Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga

Philosophy and international law distinguishes 'jus ad bellum', the moral justification of going to war and 'jus in bello,' the moral conduct of combatants. My close following of news reports on "Nineveh, We are Coming," the unified military offensive to liberate #Mosul from #ISIS convinces me that the Iraqi military (ISF) and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are striving to maintain a very high standard of 'jus in bello.' Committed efforts by ISF to spare civilians have resulted in 1) slow progress to take the densely populated urban neighborhoods back from ISIS and 2) higher casualties for the ISF. The increasing numbers of civilian casualties result from ISIS violating every standard of military conduct going back to Muhammad and St. Augustine and shamelessly putting civilians in harms way to deter ISF use of effective weapons and tactics. ISIS tactics themselves kill and wound numerous civilians trapped in the combat zones and those trying to flee to safety.#RememberMosul #IsisMustGo

The Truth according to Uncle Altie Wright

You see, when Bill Clinton left office, the economy was in shambles and the Free World was about to fall to Muslims and communists. George W. Bush came in and turned everything around completely, increasing wealth and opportunity for everyone, creating jobs, dispelling the insidious hoax of climate change, paying for the whole thing with oil money piped over by the newly liberated Iraqis who were all waving little American flags (bahaha, Arab suckers!), and once more making the world safe for democracy. W handed the next President a well-oiled (haha, get it?)machine that needed nothing more than maybe a few tweaks. Then, the public was duped into electing that closet-Kenyan Muslim Antichrist, Obama, not once but twice (and only by our heroic efforts did the Republic survive), and it all went down the tubes again! We’ve lost millions of jobs, people are poorer, we’re going along with the Chinese on the climate change lie, Syrian immigrants in every community are waiting to blow up your schools and declare Sharia Law, and he’s caused white people to hate on so-called 'people of color' (God, what these Commie tools come up with!).  Fortunately for the USA, we’ve come to our senses and elected a guy who has all the answers… Hey, you on the left! Stop fact-checking me, you ignorant, politically correct imbecile! Whose country do you think this is, anyway?

Letter to a friend in the aftermath Trump and Pence winning the election

Hi, Talesia,

 I'm glad I've earned the privilege of you sharing these thoughts with me. There's a lot I don't say on Facebook, either, as we have to consider what other people are willing and able to hear. For me the sharply focused outrage that "rich white guy" Gregg Popovich expressed is the truest reflection of my feelings I've found since the disaster of the election.

 I've been thinking that since it happened the way it happened, we must take it and work with it. At least it brought the destructive forces at play in American society to the forefront and embodied them in the form of Trump and Pence. I'm very encouraged by the immediate, passionate backlash of so many people. Keeping in mind that Trump didn't even get a majority of people who voted and Hillary failed to energize her natural base sufficiently to win, if people stay angry and motivated to fight back, we can turn things around in a relatively short time. I fully expect Trump/Pence to do most or all the bad things we're afraid of and it will not bring economic opportunity to the segment of his coalition who banked on that. I just hope the damage they do can be kept to a minimum because it doesn't always work that way (take the Civil War, for instance, or the various events during the Civil Rights movement of our times which obviously is still a work in progress). But the country has worked through everything so far and managed to gradually move forward and the next chapters haven't been written.

 I decided within a day or so of the election I needed to support my friends who see and feel like us and to send a stern message of warning to my friends who fail to see how dangerous and truly depraved the winners are. These friends of mine, all of whom are white and privileged to varying degress, like and respect me; and, I wanted to make sure they knew how bad I think this is and how dangerous and destructive their term could be to everyone's future including theirs. That and my little posting requirements kept most of them from trying to argue with or rationalize my concerns. Most of them probably think I've gone overboard but actually I restrained myself, somewhat like you're doing. I feel now that I delivered the message and I plan to back off on it. I was already focused on the offensive to liberate Mosul prior to the election and that's actually a more pressing matter since Trump won't take office until January.

 BTW, I seriously hope President Obama uses his power to put his Supreme Court nominee into the 9th chair during the recess. I would take real satisfaction in the howling that would result from that. I have to think he's strongly considering if he hasn't already decided. The country needs him to do it and the GOP has it coming. And finally I'm very grateful to have you as a friend. Besides the fact I just like and respect you, your voice as a strong, intelligent, wise African-American woman is a huge asset to my little part of the mission to fight back against those wicked forces and not stand for "making American great again" by undoing all the hard won progress that's been made.

 Yours truly,

 Owen

From Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861)

"A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people. Whoever rejects it does of necessity fly to anarchy or to despotism. Unanimity is impossible. The rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible; so that, rejecting the majority principle, anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left."

"...constitutional questions are to be decided by the Supreme Court, nor do I deny that such decisions must be binding in any case upon the parties to a suit as to the object of that suit, while they are also entitled to very high respect and consideration in all parallel cases by all other departments of the Government. And while it is obviously possible that such decision may be erroneous in any given case, still the evil effect following it, being limited to that particular case, with the chance that it may be overruled and never become a precedent for other cases, can better be borne than could the evils of a different practice. At the same time, the candid citizen must confess that if the policy of the Government upon vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they are made in ordinary litigation between parties in personal actions the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having to that extent practically resigned their Government into the hands of that eminent tribunal. Nor is there in this view any assault upon the court or the judges. It is a duty from which they may not shrink to decide cases properly brought before them, and it is no fault of theirs if others seek to turn their decisions to political purposes." 

"Physically speaking, we can not separate. We can not remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced and go out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other, but the different parts of our country can not do this. They can not but remain face to face, and intercourse, either amicable or hostile, must continue between them."

"Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In our present differences, is either party without faith of being in the right? If the Almighty Ruler of Nations, with His eternal truth and justice, be on your side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will surely prevail by the judgment of this great tribunal of the American people."

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

Fired up! Ready to go!

For the past two years, I’ve been meditating on how I may best use my remaining time on earth to contribute to humanity. Five days after Donald Trump’s stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in the US Presidential election, something remarkable is happening to me. I’m energized with a renewed sense of purpose. Had Hillary won, I’m pretty sure I would have been relieved but in about the same place mentally. With Trump and Pence as the incoming leaders, I’m galvanized and ready to do my part to further human rights and opportunity for everyone. Whatever small good I can do for the cause, I commit myself to do.

Thinking about my Dad

Thinking about my Dad yesterday was sweet. Dad came up during the Depression and could barely afford college. He had a brilliant mathematical mind and wanted to be an engineer; but, due to finances he settled for an undergraduate degree in Education, which was cheaper. He and Mom met when they were both teaching high school in Florence, Alabama. Dad was a social liberal and a foreign policy ‘hawk.’ He and Mom taught us not to be prejudiced. He liked to have foreign students over for dinner.

In the late 60s, Dad and I disagreed over the Vietnam War. My first vote was for George McGovern. Mom and Dad voted for Nixon. When the truth came out about Nixon, Dad said voting for a Republican was a terrible mistake and he would never do it again. He didn’t. Both of us were deeply disappointed when Bill Clinton’s moral failures became public knowledge. Bill’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky wasn’t an affair- it was an abuse of power. Anyone who knows the principles of ethics would recognize that the power imbalance between them made him a perpetrator and her the victim.

Dad died before Obama’s first election but I know he would have been proud of the first African-American President, a man of great intelligence, civility and moderation. A man whose respect for women is unquestionable. Dad wasn’t as cool as Barack but he and Mom exemplified the same qualities as the President and First Lady, true family values, not just lip service. I’ll always remember when Dad was dying of pancreatic cancer, and I was helping him shave because he could barely stand up in front of the mirror, how politely he said, “Owen, please hand me the shaving cream. Please hand me the razor.”

Mom and Dad both died before the current election. I don’t have to guess how they would have felt about Donald Trump’s behavior- it would have sickened both of them. But it occurs to me, if Trump does the same things in office Nixon and Bill Clinton did, I’m not sure anyone would think much of it.

Since Mom and Dad are in Heaven now, I know they’re at peace with this world and they understand that no matter what we do, the human race can’t undo the profound grandeur and beauty of the vast universe where this little planet exists. The creation will continue to unfold according to plan and it will be OK. It’s always been OK and always will, no matter what we humans are doing.

But it’s good while they were alive they didn’t have to see how low the standard of US Presidents has fallen. It would have pained their kind and compassionate hearts. In my mind I can see them shaking their heads and saying, “I just don’t know how this could happen.” But it did.

I don’t want to keep writing about it and posting it on Facebook. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. But if I don’t, know that my disgust and my fear for my country, for my family, for you, my friends whom I care about each and every one, for all who out there, these are still with me.

So thanks, Dad and thanks, Mom. You’re always in my heart and I promise, I will never, never let the standards you taught me by example go down into the gutter. As Dad would often say, au revoir, until we meet again.

Laura Taylor said "Read this when you get a few minutes."

I read the article and also found it made a compelling point. Natural processes frequently unfold through disasters where a number of major forces converge in a way that builds up "pressure" (metaphorically speaking) until something gives.

I've taught from Adam Hochschild's "To end all wars" for the last 3 fall semesters. Everything in Europe appeared to be going fine and no one expected a war to break out until it did. People argue to this day whose fault it was but I see it as something that was going to happen one way or another because of the conflicts between competitive empires each of which thought it was better than the others and had a right to get it's way. There were no good guys, just empires vying for power and wealth. It was no one's fault, everyone's responsibility.

The rise of the H person (if you mention his name you invoke Godwin's Law) and World War 2 were just part 2 of the same war. Hermann Hesse predicted it with incredible accuracy before the H person even became a significant player. And when I look around at the geopolitical landscape, the dynamics look very similar to those in 1914. We have various powerful countries competing for power and influence: the USA, China, Russia whose nuclear weapons make up for having less people plus India and Pakistan and others who have nukes and don't like one another). They all think they're better than one another and have a right to get their way. Their leaders think they are smarter than the others and are fueled by national pride.

Obama, who is an exception, has been heavily criticized for removing our troops from Iraq and not using them in Syria even though that has forced the Iraqis to take out ISIS largely on their own (we supply equipment, air power and some specialized) and has brought hostile factions together for the time being. His political enemies think his approach is not manly enough. But the point not to lose is this: Disaster seems to produce benefits, like a forest fire clearing old growth. Does that process still work in a world armed to the teeth with nukes? Can we be confident we won't wipe each other out and clear the planet for some other species to emerge, perhaps after a few thousand or million years? That's the real long view, isn't it?

Welcome sign

المسلمين وجميع المهاجرين وسهلا بكم في بيتي

You may not want to hear this (Facebook post following the election)

but don't hate someone just because they voted for him. Many of those people feel let down by the Democratic Party and they hope he will bring about better economic conditions for them. His closing video said he would take power back from the wealthy elites on behalf of Americans who have been left behind by globalization. I don't believe for a second he will do any such thing but it resonated with voters in Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and motivated them to turn out and vote. We need these people to wake up and they will when his true colors become evident. And that will happen pretty quickly.

So don't confuse him with that important segment of his voters, many of whom voted for Obama. Not everyone who voted for him is a stupid racist or a misogynist, a homophobic or a fascist (although he got those votes, too). But do hold Donald Trump and the cynical politicians who supported him accountable for the damage they've done in the past and will do when he takes office.

Partial list of communities liberated in Mosul offensive

Abbas Rajab (Qaryat al Abasi) Liberated from Daesh by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Kani Harami Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Al-Bestala Liberated by ISF 17 Oct 2016

Xirbat (Kaarabat Sultan) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Kebirli (Kabarli) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Badana Xwaru (Badanah Sufla) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Badana Saraw (Upper Bedana) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Sheik Emir (Qaryat Ameer etc) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Shaqulli (Qaryat Shaquli) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Tarjala Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Bazgirtan Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Bashkira (Basakhra) Liberated by Peshmerga 17 Oct 2016

Al-Adlah (aka Adiya etc) Liberated by ISF 17 Oct 2016

Al-Hawd Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Al-Jayf Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Balawat Liberated by ISF 17 Oct 2016

Karamlish Liberated by ISF 17 Oct 2016

Kubaybah Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Makhlat Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Kani Harmi Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Xidir Ilyas (aka Khidr, Khidir etc) Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Al-Zawiyah Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Qereshur Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Qarayat Abdulaziz Liberated by ISF on 17 Oct 2016

Bartella Liberated by Peshmerga 20 Oct 2016

Qapisi Liberated by Peshmerga 20 Oct 2016

Fadiliyah (aka Fesile etc.) Liberated by Peshmerga 20 Oct 2016

Khazna Tappa Liberated by ISF 24 Oct 2016

Bakhdida (Baghdeda, Qaraqosh) Liberated by ISF 24 Oct 2016

Terbaza Liberated by ISF 24 Oct 2016

Teshkharab (aka Tisxerab) Liberated by Peshmerga 24 Oct 2016

Khorsabad (aka Xursabad, Dur-Sharukin) Liberated by Peshmerga 25 Oct 2016

Batnaya (aka) Liberated by Peshmerga 25 Oct 2016

Shura (Shurah) Liberated by ISF 29 Oct 2016

Ali Rash Liberated by ISF 30 Oct 2016

Bazwaya Liberated by ISF 30 Oct 2016

Gogjali Liberated by ISF 30 Oct 2016

Dallāwīyah Liberated by PMF Shia militia 30 Oct 2016

Zarkah (Zarjah) Liberated by PMF Shia militia 30 Oct 2016

Qaryat Sananik (Sanarik) Liberated by PMF Shia militia 30 Oct 2016

Al Quds neighborhood. Liberated by ISF 1 Nov 2016

Sharezed Liberated by ISF 1 Nov 2016

Ketyle (Qaryat Khuwaytilah) Liberated by ISF 1 Nov 2016

Ayn Shahlub Liberated by PMF Shia militia 3 Nov 2016

al-Rahmaniyah. Liberated by PMF Shia militia 3 Nov 2016  36°11'21"N 42°48'9"E

Um Izzam Liberated by PMF Shia militia 3 Nov 2016

Khubairat Liberated by PMF Shia militia 3 Nov 2016

Shalub Liberated by Iraqi Federal Police 3 Nov 2016

Munirah Liberated by Iraqi Federal Police 3 Nov 2016

al-Khafsan Liberated by ISF 3 Nov 2016

Qutba Liberated by ISF 3 Nov 2016

Khadra Housing complex Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 4 November 2016.

al-Kharama Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 4 November 2016.

Samah Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 4 November 2016.

Karkuli Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 4 November 2016.

Al-Quds Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 4 November 2016.

Hamam al-Alil Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 5 November 2016.

Al-Zahra Liberated by the ISF from ISIS on 5 November 2016.

Bashiqa Liberated from Daesh by Peshmerga 7 Nov 2016

(From various news sources. English names via Wikimapia)

The USA is in trouble

(I plan to post this on my Facebook page Monday morning.)

I've mostly stayed away from Facebook posts about the presidential election because few if any minds are changed when people argue via social media and I usually don't have time to moderate my page. When I see my friends broadcasting their contempt for the views of friends on the other side of the fence, I shake my head, realizing the post that gives one friend a brief sense of righteous empowerment motivates another friend to respond back in kind. When I see a more positive post encouraging people to reconsider the position they've taken, I appreciate the spirit of the attempt but don't expect the intended audience to receive the message with an open mind.

It's sad our country of almost 324 million extremely diverse citizens, the economic and military powerhouse of the planet, whose policies and actions profoundly affect not just us but the people of every other country,  is so politically polarized that our Congress no longer works to govern and people of different views don't listen to one another. But, at this critical point where so much is at stake, whether anything is accomplished by my effort,  I am compelled to speak up and let my friends know what I think.

Trying to get to the truth about candidates and issues is like taking a long journey through thick fog with a set of conflicting maps, none of which are entirely accurate. But with perseverance, care and good luck, it is possible to reach the destination and redraw the map to conform to the geography.

Some of you will agree with my conclusions and some of you won't. If you disagree I won't take it to mean you are stupid. I'll take it to mean you haven't considered the information I've considered in the way I've considered it. If you disagree so strongly with my opinions they infuriate you, I won't take it personally or think ill of you. I understand why people are angry and frustrated with the dysfunction of our government. I understand why people have different views about what needs to be done. Every side has valid complaints, needs and aspirations that must be addressed through a constructive dialogue if the country is going to get onto on a more positive track. But looking at the situation today in light of the history of polarizing political conflicts (I came of age during the 1960s) and the deterioration of our legislative process in the past 24 years, I'm pessimistic about such a turnaround happening. I foresee considerable pain and suffering that may or may not result in things being better.

But in keeping with my hopes for wisdom and fellowship to prevail, I'm suspending my rule against arguing on my page until the election is settled and inviting you to comment and argue whatever you believe. I plan to spend Monday monitoring this thread and engaging in a conversation with those who wish to participate. The only limit I'll enforce is you must write respectfully, refraining from inflammatory language, insults, personal attacks against anyone, or other forms of ugliness. Unfolding events, not arguments on this page, will show whose opinions are valid.

Fact: either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be our next President. We survived 8 years of George W. Bush and 8 years of Barack Obama and we will probably survive 4 years of Clinton or Trump. We will never know what the loser would have done and how it would have worked out for us. We will only know what happens with the winner leading the country for at least one term. Either way it comes out,  the winner's terms likely will be a very dangerous time. However, I strongly believe one winner will produce much better results and the other, much worse results for the USA and the world over the course of the next 4 years.

Prediction: If Clinton wins and the GOP controls Congress, government will remain paralyzed until something catastrophic forces change to happen.

Prediction: If the Donald Trump wins, he will bring disaster down on us. 

So, if my opinion counts for anything with you, I urge you not to sit this one out or vote for a third party candidate. I urge you not to vote for Donald Trump for President. I strongly urge you to vote for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party candidate for Senate in your state. Our best hope for a safe world, reconciliation, prosperity, and a return to a functional government under the Constitution is if Clinton wins and we elect a Democratic majority in the Senate.


It's true both candidates have made large amounts of money and told lies. Hillary was not my preferred candidate and I have major concerns about her; but, if you think her personality is as bad or worse than Trump's, you're wrong. If you think she lies as much as he does, you have not looked carefully at nonpartisan fact checks.

You may think you want Donald Trump as your President. You don't. You want the false image of himself he projects, not the real Donald Trump.

If you think Trump cares about your interests, believes the things he says, and will accomplish the things you want him to accomplish, you're sadly mistaken. Donald Trump believes only in himself. He changes his positions on key issues like an actor changes costumes. Fact check his record of lying and compare it to Clinton's.

Donald Trump is not a great businessman- he's a great self-promoter. He's left a trail of failures, debt and victims of his lies and scams in his wake. Trump will say or do anything to get his way because he believes he's entitled to take what he wants.

If you or anyone you love has ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape, a vote for Donald Trump says it was ok that it happened. Donald Trump believes it's OK for an important man like him to use a woman or girl against her will if he wants to. I have a wife, three daughters and many female friends and relatives. It's not OK for anyone to use them as a sexual object without their consent. It's a crime.

Donald Trump doesn't respect women. He doesn't respect the disabled, people of color. He especially doesn't respect the truth. He only respects himself. You don't have to take my or someone else's word for it, you just have to look and listen to the words coming out of his mouth and the manner they're said.

Regardless of what you've heard, Hillary has a track record of helping others. Beyond that, the much-attacked Clinton Foundation have done considerable good for literally millions of people. The percentage of their funds going to help others is not 7% or 15% or 20% as you may have heard- it's over 80-90. If you fact-check this honestly, you'll find a consensus of independent raters agree with these figures. Numerous expensive partisan investigations have failed to find any wrong-doing on her part warranting criminal charges. The FBI Director himself said so and his recent announcements about additional emails do not change that fact.

I'm voting for Hillary Clinton for positive reasons as well as to prevent Donald Trump from having the vast power of the President of the USA. If you vote for Trump and he becomes President, life will go on but you will deeply regret it when you see the chaos and misery he brings down on the USA. I sincerely hope we don't have to find out if I'm right.

Why do I care about the battle for Mosul? Ten reasons

 1) The USA and coalition partners invaded Iraq in 2003 under false premises (Saddam possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Iraqi people would wave US flags and happily adopt our democratic model, money from oil production would pay for the invasion and occupation). With no plan to manage the conquered territory, the USA and its partners spent vast resources, caused immense human cost to all concerned, and created predictable chaos by unleashing sectarian forces Saddam had contained by force. The subsequent 13 years have been spent trying to put the pieces back together into a stable country and adding to the material and human cost of the project.

2) Many American and coalition military and civilian personnel served and died in the cause of achieving a free and stable Iraq. The survivors have a strong stake in the outcome.

3) One side-effect of the coalition invasion of Iraq was the development of Sunni insurgent groups due to the rapid exchange of power from minority Sunnis under Saddam to majority Shiite Muslims under coalition supervision and the retribution taken by Shiites against Saddam’s followers and Sunnis in general. The most recent and successful insurgent group is Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (aka ISIL, ISIS, IS, Daesh). Numerous key figures in IS were skilled and experienced military and civilian officials of Saddam's government who were out of work and not given any chance to participate in remaking Iraq.

 4) In 2014, after most US military were withdrawn from Iraq, Islamic State forces succeeded in taking over Mosul and a large territory in Northern Iraq in a sudden and unexpected blitzkrieg from their power base around Raqqa in Northern Syria. Iraqi military forces that had been trained and equipped by the US and allies dropped their weapons and fled as IS forces approached. Many were captured and summarily executed by IS shortly thereafter. IS began releasing graphic videos of executions as a propaganda and recruiting tool. Large numbers of disaffected Muslim youth from Europe, Asia and Africa flocked to Syria and Iraq to enlist. IS set up a well-organized governmental system that generated huge amounts of money which it used to pay and equip its burgeoning forces. Captured weapons and equipment were also valuable resources acquired by IS during this period of success and expansion. Iraq and its allies were taken completely by surprise as IS forces took over cities close to Baghdad that US and coalition forces had fought hard battles to subdue (e.g., Fallujah and Tikrit). The Iraqi government and army were completely humiliated and the entire coalition mission was in doubt.

 5) Mosul was a diverse multicultural city of 1.5 million people prior to the US invasion. Mosul has a long and rich history. The ancient Assyrian capitals of Ninevah and Nimrud were located within the urban area of modern Mosul. Under the IS regime, cultural life and creativity were suppressed and irreplaceable national treasures such as shrines, archaeological sites, manuscripts and art works were looted, sold or intentionally destroyed. 

 6) After the Islamic State victory, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS, went to Mosul and made a dramatic announcement in the Grand Mosque that IS was declaring itself as the new caliphate, echoing the history of the Empire of Islam that existed 1000 years ago. As caliph, al-Baghdadi was claiming to be the Commander of the Faithful, the rightful successor to Muhammad and the Islamic caliphs who fought the Crusaders.

 7) Throughout its territory, IS instituted a reign of terror, imprisoning, torturing and executing people it considered to be enemies and violators of it's version of Sharia (an extreme version not accepted by most Muslims worldwide) and enslaving thousands of non-Sunni girls and women as sex slaves for its fighters. IS/Daesh also sent well-trained, funded, equipped, and organized suicide units to European and other countries to execute deadly terrorist attacks.

 8) Mosul, already adversely affected under Saddam and the US occupation, was transmogrified (changed for the worse) from a vibrant metropolis where diversity flourished to an anachronistic Sunni Muslim police state. Huge numbers of non-Sunnis fled, many going to the Kurdish semiautonomous region around the city of Erbil. The Arab-majority city of Kirkuk was taken over by Kurdish forces (known as Peshmerga, “those who face death’) after the Iraqi army fled. The Kurds fended off the IS forces and prevented IS from advancing further. The predominantly Sunni Kurds provided shelter and protection to many Christian and other non-Sunni refugees from IS.

 9) Approximately one million people have suffered life and death in Mosul under IS for the past 2 years.

 10) The current offensive is a coordinated mission bringing together traditional adversaries in a common purpose with Peshmerga, Iraqi Army, Shiite militias, coalition advisors, and smaller anti-IS forces all taking major roles to encircle and retake Mosul from the horrific grasp of IS. It represents the best hope for recreating Mosul as a multicultural social and economic mosaic to serve as a model for the rest of the country and region. Ambitious and challenging? Absolutely. A guaranteed success? Not at all. Aside from facing the most difficult urban warfare in human history, a positive political outcome will be very difficult to achieve. And well worth an unrelenting committed effort.