Mostly Preventable Losses

"The road of by and by leads to the house of never."

    - Spanish proverb

Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia Tucker has written a thoughtful tribute to her father. He died of colon cancer in 1984 at the age of 57. I can identify with many of the things Cynthia writes about the disease that took him from her, for I lost my own father to colon cancer in 1984. He was 66. I was also diagnosed with this disease in 1998, but am now in remission thanks to drugs that were not available to cancer patients in 1984.

Cynthia expresses regret that her dad's cancer was not discovered earlier:

"...had he undergone regular colonoscopies starting at age 50, it's quite likely his life...would have been spared. Colon cancer is among those rare malignancies in which early detection usually ensures a cure."

The same was true of my father. By the time he experienced symptoms, it was too late. The cancer had spread to his lungs and did its deadly work in less than two months from the time his affliction was recognized. Earlier detection might have given him a chance of survival, but Pop was not one to see a doctor unless he was "really sick," and in his case, that was hardly ever. Getting a colonoscopy never entered his mind. Even today, most people view this test as uncomfortable and inconvenient, and put it off for as long as they can. Ms. Tucker elaborates:

"I have friends with a family history of colo-rectal cancer who have had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to their screening tests...And I'll admit that I didn't greet my first colonoscopy with a champagne toast."

If you're over 50 and haven't been screened, pick up the phone and make an appointment. Don't wait until you have symptoms or pain. I had none, and the cancer had already spread to my lymph nodes. My doctor's insistence that I have the test saved my life. Enough said?

Swimming Against the Tide

"The search for someone to blame is always successful."

    - Robert Half, American businessman

Barbara Amiel, of London's Daily Telegraph, has written an excellent op-ed about America's lack of concern with terrorism pre-9/11. She talks about the circus which is the Senate Commission, and expresses dismay over our efforts to find someone to blame for not preventing the 9/11 attacks:

"I can't see how...either party could have prevented...terrorism. The question is not whether Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush actually knew about the...intentions of radical Islam or...took what they knew seriously, but what the public mood would have let them do about it before 9/11. Not much, I wager."

She tells us of Steve Emerson, whose chance encounter with a Hamas leader speaking about the need to carry out jihad in the U.S., led him to try to awaken us. His film, Terrorists Among Us, spelled out the Islamists' murderous intentions, but got little coverage.

"...people rarely welcome Cassandras...Not wanting to believe uncomfortable things until it is too late is a universal tendency...If 9/11 can be reduced to being Washington's fault, the irrational hate...becomes more manageable. Change administrations, and the Islamists will go away."

Would Americans have allowed Bush to act on Clarke's warnings about Al-Qaeda, attacking them in earnest before 9/11? And today, would we support attacks on North Korea or Iran, who his current advisors view as threats? Unlikely, but if one of them nukes us, some will say that Bush was warned, and failed to act. Our enemies have to be elated at how we're trying to destroy their worst nightmare.

Update: A lefty view.

 

Have a Snickers

"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to."

    - Sondra Anice Barnes

For the past few months my wife, Elisabeth, has been on the "South Beach Diet." I, by default, have been on it too. I haven't whined too much about all the salads, steamed veggies, fish and chicken we've been eating almost everyday. I do get a hamburger occasionally, but I'm not supposed to put any ketchup, mayo, or cheese on it. Putting it on a bun is illegal too, but a burger with no bun just isn't a burger, so she relents.

The Edy's "French Silk" ice cream that once occupied a prominent spot in our freezer is no longer there. In its place are low-carb popsicles and sugar-free jello. Something called Splenda has been substituted for the sugar I've always used in my morning coffee. Maybe it's my imagination, but I don't like it, so at the risk of being ostracized for my departure from the plan, I've continued using the real stuff in my brew. So far, the diet-police have not arrested me, but I'm watchful.

We read the labels on everything now, and foods with carbohydrates rarely get purchased. My orange juice and apple juice are no-no's, and heaven forbid if I sneak a few pieces of chocolate candy after dinner. Should I complain about the new diet, Lisbeth comes back at me with how easy it's all been. I'd been wondering if anyone else has been struggling with the low-carb regimen, and this morning discovered that Dave Barry has:

"...in the old days we didn't recognize the danger of carbohydrates. We believed the reason you got fat was from eating 'calories,' which are tiny units of measurement that cause food to taste good. When we wanted to lose weight, we went on low-calorie diets in which we ate only inedible foods such as celery, which is actually a building material..."

Dave's weakness for Snickers bars is undermining his resolve, while my weakness for bread and sugar is undermining mine. Is anyone else out there struggling with this as the two of us are?

Liberal, Or Conservative?

"It only takes twenty years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea."

   - Robert Anton Wilson (1932-Never), scientific philosopher

Beverly Crane, writing commentary for The Christian Science Monitor, expresses dismay at how liberals are getting a bad rap. Ms. Crane tells us the popular definition of a liberal has come to mean people who are "generous with other people's money (as in raising taxes) and are always complaining and blaming someone else for their problems."  Having said that, she proceeds to elaborate on where she stands on a number of issues:

"While I think that some taxes are necessary for a civilized society, I am appalled by governments that feel they must spend more than they take in...While I believe that government policies can be instrumental in improving people's lives across the economic spectrum, I also believe that giving people money outright with no work in exchange is just as bad for the recipient as it is for the taxpayer who provided it...While I am dismayed by the easy access people in this country have to handguns and by the ability to hide guns legally on one's person, I am a hunter and own a beautiful 20-gauge shotgun."

As I read through her column, I realized that she and I share lots of common ground, which is her point. Quizzically, she asks:

"How can someone who deplores deficit spending and government intrusion into personal affairs, opposes giveaway welfare, believes in fiscal responsibility and self-defense, supports the military and hunting, and views the future optimistically be a liberal? Maybe liberals and conservatives aren't so different after all."

Indeed. I can't say I disagree with any part of her summary. Certainly those who call themselves liberals, or conservatives, wouldn't subscribe to all her views, but I would imagine many would feel she's right on in a lot of them. That being the case, it would seem that we could agree more often, and advance the cause of the country over our partisan differences. Don't you think?

One of My Favorite Democrats

"Prudence is the virtue by which we discern what is proper to do under various circumstances in time and place."

    - John Milton (1608-1674), British poet

Last October I wrote about Georgia Democratic Senator Zell Miller and his disenchantment with his party. From the tenor of his recent speech at the Democrats for Bush rollout, his opinions haven't changed, and perhaps have grown stronger:

"I am honored to stand squarely with President George W. Bush as he leads America at this defining moment in our history. The road that brought me here today is paved with a lot of frustration, but also a lot of hope. I was born a Democrat and I expect I'll be a Democrat until the day I leave this earth. But I have grown mighty frustrated with the direction my party has taken over the last few years. National Democratic leaders today are moving further and further away from the principles that made our party great."

There you have it. Senator Miller plans to campaign for the president because he believes he more closely fulfills the traditional principles of the Democratic party than does its candidate for president, John F. Kerry.

"On tax cuts, on education reform, on adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, and most importantly on the war against terror, some national Democratic leaders are so eager to defeat George Bush that they don't realize he's acting on the ideals we have supported for years: promoting prosperity and equal opportunity, giving help to Americans who need it most, defending America's security and promoting freedom."

If you're a Republican who plans to vote for Bush come November, you've got to love ol' Zell. If you're a Democrat, or a voter of the "Anybody But Bush" ilk, however, he's got to be driving you crazy.

Is the Libyan Turnaround for Real?

"A decent boldness ever meets with friends."

  -Homer (9th Century B.C.E.), Greek poet

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, Seif, is urging Arab countries to support the spread of democracy in the Middle East. An article written by Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef for the Guardian Unlimited has the details:

"Instead of shouting and criticizing the American initiative, you have to bring democracy to your countries, and then there will be no need to fear America or your people,' said Seif al-Islam Gadhafi. 'The Arabs should either change or change will be imposed on them from outside.' "

Seif goes on to praise Israel for its democratic government, which in the Arab world, is tantamount to asking Islamic assassins to pay you and your old man a visit. To what extent is Seif speaking for his father? A great deal it appears, based on Moammar's use of his son in negotiating Libya's weapons concessions: 

"...Moammar Gadhafi made Libya one of the world's most notorious sponsors of terrorism. He built an arsenal of chemical weapons, and was well on his way to a nuclear bomb. But recently, Seif Gadhafi--with a nod from his father--helped broker a deal to give it all up."

Add to that Moammar's historic meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Tripoli today, and you get the feeling that this is the real deal. If it is, this is another giant step in the war on terrorism for the U.S. and its allies.

Keep your fingers crossed. 

Fearless Forecasters

"The future: you shall know when it has come; before then, forget it."

    - Aeschylus (c. 525-456 B.C.), Greek playwright

I was surprised to see that people are already predicting who will win the 2004 election. Seven months from now seems a life-time to me, but maybe these oddsmakers know something I don't.

Jim Miller on Politics links to an op-ed by one of my un-favorite people, Dick Morris. Morris predicts the race will not be close--that Bush will win in a blow-out. Not to be outdone, Miller refers back to one of his early March entries in which he also predicts Bush will win big, 59% to 41%.

Miller links to several other prognosticators, none of whom I've visited before. The most interesting and colorful site to me was Scott Elliot's, The Blogging Caesar. Scott's "Twenty-One Reasons Why Bush Will Win" is very partisan, but he presents some interesting rationale for your consideration.

These prophets fail to mention the impact the 9/11 Commission's investigation might have on voter attitudes, and from where I sit, I'd say people are pretty stirred up about all that's being aired. It's a long time until November, though, and lots of things can happen that will influence which candidate people support when the time comes to cast their ballots. 

What's your prediction? Kerry? Bush? A tight race, or a landslide?

If You Enjoy Quotations...

"Stronger than an army is a quotation whose time has come."

    - W. I. E. Gates

I've been collecting quotations for years, gathering them from a wide range of sources--quotation books, works of fiction and non-fiction, magazines, newspapers, movies, plays, songs, radio, television, friends, enemies, family, acquaintances, and the internet. I've even coined a few myself.

I use to record my finds on slips of paper and store them in manila folders. Many of my priceless treasures got lost this way and it was virtually impossible to put my hands on a particular quotation very quickly. I decided to get better organized and began putting them on 3 x 5 index cards which I stored in little plastic boxes designed for the purpose. That worked for awhile, then I developed an interest in calligraphy and began transcribing them into journals, one to a page. I continue doing that to this day.

Last year when I began this weblog, I decided I would introduce each of my posts with what I thought was an appropriate bit of wisdom from my collection, hopefully from someone of greater notoriety than I. This entailed searching through my quotation journals, often for great lengths of time, to find just the right words for your entertainment and edification. With nothing arranged by topic or author, it has often been a pain to dig up something appropriate, so this week I decided to devise a better system.

I discovered my solution at this site. The free (donation appreciated) software that anyone may download contains a data-base of over 43,000 quotations sorted by subject. You can delete or edit quotations, and even add your own to the data-base, a feature I had to have. You can search by author, quotation or subject, and look for a phrase or part of a phrase if you don't know the entire quotation. You can change fonts, backgrounds and other properties of the program. There are many other features that anyone who writes or gives speeches, professionally or otherwise, will find useful. Take a look, and have some fun with it.

Dissent: An American Privilege

"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."

-Adlai E. Stevenson (1900-1965), American politician & ambassador

Glenn Reynolds at InstaPundit has an interesting post on the anti-war protests that have taken place around the country on the first anniversary of the war in Iraq. He links to Citizen Smash who attended one of the demonstrations and was able to garner an interview with Rebecca, a student who was a speaker at the event.

While Rebecca's views may not be representative of all those she was addressing, I suspect they were representative of a majority of them. Though the post is lengthy, especially if you read "Rebecca's Remarks," and the "Interview with Rebecca." I'd recommend it as a means of getting some insight about the folks who protested the war over the weekend. 

Glenn also links to James Lileks' The Bleat, whose post includes a rather inflammatory poster being displayed by one of the marchers. Lileks' comments about the poster, the person who's carrying it, and the marchers in general, communicate his displeasure with all of them in his usual articulate and thought-provoking way.

I'm in favor of demonstrations, free speech, dissent and protest. It's a part of what makes this country great. I just wonder sometimes if those who are involved in these activities always understand what they're doing, or simply demonstrating for the sake of demonstrating.

If Only They Had Listened to Me

"We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all of the motives which produced them."

- Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), French author

On 60 Minutes tonight, Leslie Stahl interviewed Richard Clarke, a former National Security Council member. Clarke, who served in the the last four administrations and is now retired, had nothing positive to say about President Bush's handling of terrorism pre or post 9-11. He suggested that if Bush had listened to him, the 9-11 attacks could possibly have been prevented.

Clarke, upset that Iraq was being viewed as a possible target after the attacks on our homeland, urged the Cabinet to focus on Afghanistan instead, which eventually they did. The discussions leading up to that decision, however, didn't meet with Clarke's approval, though they seemed logical to me. Many possibilities, including Iraq, were considered, each weighed, and Afghanistan emerged as the initial objective.  

My impression as I listened to Clarke was that he has an axe to grind, did it in his interview, and plans to continue doing it in his new book Against All Enemies. Why? I don't know, but would bet he has a problem with Bush. That's politics as usual, but trying to convince viewers that his cause is noble was a stretch. 

Many bloggers are commenting. Two good ones are John H. Hinderacker's PowerLine post for a "right" view and Brad Delong's Semi-Daily Journal for a "left" perspective.

Update: The White House rebuttal to Clark's allegations.

Freedom for Iraq: Worth the Price?

"The ground of liberty must be gained by inches. It will not be won overnight."

   - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), 3rd U.S. President

Donald Rumsfeld, our Secretary of Defense, has written an op-ed for the N.Y. Times titled "The Price of Freedom in Iraq," in which he makes the case for American involvement in the Middle East. Registration is required in order to view it, but it's brief and not too much trouble.

In explaining why we're in Iraq, he references a trip he made to South Korea during the time when their government was debating whether to send troops to help us. He cites a question posed to him by a Korean journalist: "Why should Koreans send their young people halfway around the globe to be killed or wounded in Iraq?"

Rumsfeld answered the young journalist with a question of his own. He doesn't indicate how the young lady responded, but details how he compared her country's freedom to that of her neighbor to the north. He told her about a night-time satellite photo of the Korean peninsula which he keeps in his Pentagon office. In that photo the North is in almost total darkness, while the South is ablaze with light. That light, which he calls the light of freedom, cost the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. "Was it worth it?" he asks, and answers his question in the affirmative.

"You bet. Just as it was worth it in Germany and France and Italy and in the Pacific in World War II. And just as it is worth it in Afghanistan and Iraq today...Americans do not come easily to war, but neither do Americans take freedom lightly...when freedom and self-government have taken root in Iraq, and that country becomes a force for good in the Middle East, the rightness of those efforts will be just as clear as it is today in Korea, Germany, Japan and Italy."

Read the whole thing, and if you'd like to take a look at the night-time shot of Korea to which Rumsfeld refers, you can find it here. Just scroll to the right.

Spain Bails Out

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

   - Albert Einstein (1879-1955), German born physicist

Charlie Eklund at The Other Other Shoe has written two excellent posts. The first, titled "Interesting Times," discusses the recent terrorist attack in Spain and links to an essay by Canadian journalist, David Warren. The second, "Steven Den Beste on Europe's Prospects for Peace," is about what we might expect in the aftermath of the attack now that Aznar's pro-U.S. Popular Party has been ousted by Spanish voters. It links to a post on Den Beste's weblog, USS Clueless.

Does what has happened in Spain mean that Al-Qaeda has a tactic that will result in the loss of our allies in the war on terrorism? If similar attacks occur in other countries that have provided troops in Iraq, will they fold? And what about us? If we're attacked on the eve of our elections in November, how would we respond to the bloodshed?

I don't know the answers to my questions. I don't believe anyone else does either. I do believe that attacks on U.S. citizens would elicit a much different response than occurred in Spain, such aggression angering us so much that we'd allow Bush to retaliate in any way he felt appropriate. 

I don't believe you can sit down over a cup of coffee with these madmen and settle this. They want us dead. They've made that quite clear. So who will it be? Us or them?

Jobs and Outsourcing: A Simple Problem?

"It is not possible for this nation to be at once politically internationalist and economically isolationist. This is just as insane as asking one Siamese twin to high dive while the other plays the piano."

- Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965), American politician

As I waited for my flight last night, I browsed the March 22, 2004, issue of Business Week, drawn to it by the large WHERE ARE THE JOBS? on its cover. Intrigued by what I was able to scan, I decided to spring for the five buck cover price and read their Special Report as I flew to Savannah.

The lead article, Where Are The Jobs? by Bruce Nussbaum, is about how the traditional link between economic growth and job creation doesn't seem to be working right now. Nussbaum's theory about why it's not revolves around productivity:

"The real culprit in this jobless recovery is productivity, not offshoring...One percentage point of productivity growth can eliminate up to 1.3 million jobs a year. With productivity growing at an annual rate of 3%...rather than the expected 2%...the reason for the jobs shortfall becomes clear..."

He talks about the benefits of higher productivity and how America has been at "economic inflection points" such as this in the past, always emerging economically stronger after the period of adjustment.

"The Price of Efficiency" and "Productivity: Who Wins, Who Loses?" are also in the report and are good reads. There's commentary as well. All in all, this is one of the best collections of articles I've seen about what's happening in our economy right now. Kudos to the Business Week writers for sharing their insight.

Another Absence

I'll be away for several days, this time a planned absence to be with some old friends in Biloxi, Mississippi. I'll try to stay away from the casinos.

I believe my computer problems have disappeared, at least for the time being, and when I return from my trip I'll get back to my regular posts.

Everyone take care of yourselves. See you when I get back home.

Ron

The Real Mr. Kerry Stands Up

"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's."

   - Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825), German novelist

Hugh Hewitt on his weblog HughHewitt.com has written a post that you may want to read. Hugh, obviously incensed at some unkind remarks made by John Kerry in an unguarded moment, calls for Kerry to make a public apology to President Bush and his Cabinet.

I wasn't watching CNN when the incident occurred, so this is second-hand for me, but if what Hewitt claims is true, the campaign has sunk to a new low. No, on second thought, it's not a new low. It's pretty much business as usual.

Hewitt links to another post about Kerry's comments at Captain's Quarters. It's also worth a read. This race is going to get really interesting between now and November. It will be entertaining to watch and listen to if you can be a casual observer with no attachment to either of the candidates. If you can't, it will probably have a tendency to piss you off. I have no doubt there's plenty more where this came from, so stay tuned.

The Angry 9/11 Families

"Falsehood is never so successful as when she baits her hook with truth, and no opinions so fatally mislead us as those that are not wholly wrong; as no watches so effectually deceive the wearer as those that are sometimes right."

  -Charles C. Colton (1780-1832), English author & clergyman

I'm back, but holding my breath everytime I touch my keyboard. Locked in DOS, wielding a Windows StartUp Disk, and editing my Registry are not my idea of fun, but I survived. Let's see if my "fixes" do. I appreciate the encouragement I received from those who visit my blog.

Last week, Bush's campaign ads, which included some footage of the 9/11 attack, reportedly came under fire from families of the victims of the tragedy. When I heard this on the news, it surprised me.  If a member of my family had been murdered in the 9/11 attack, I would be encouraging all of our leaders to constantly remind us of what happened on that terrible morning. To me, it was a historically defining moment for our country--one that should be an example of how vulnerable we are and how vigilant we must be as we go forward, one we should never allow ourselves to forget.

As it turns out, there was more to this story than initially met the eye. Glenn Reynolds at InstaPundit has written a lengthy post delving into the ins and outs of the reporting that took place. Glenn uses many links in his coverage, but I enjoyed the one to Tom Perry at Isntapundit the most. Tom reveals the backgrounds of many of the complainers with surprising results. Take a look. It may be interesting to you too.

I'm to the point that I'm believing hardly anything can be taken at face value anymore, especially if the media or politicians are involved.

 

Computer Crash

My computer mysteriously "crashed" the other night, hence my absence from posting. I'll be back as soon as I'm able to figure out what needs to be done to get up and running again.

A most knowledgeable friend tells me I'll either have to install a new hard drive, which he doesn't recommend for my 4-year-old machine, or buy a new computer, which I'm not prepared to do right now. Hopefully, I won't be down too long. Please bear with me.

Ron

 

Lou Dobbs' Other Side

"Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few."

   - Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753), Irish philosopher

Those of you who tune into CNN for your business news no doubt have heard Lou Dobbs promoting restrictions on business practices like outsourcing and suggesting that President Bush's top economic adviser, Gregory Mankiw, be fired. His criticism of American companies that send work outside the U.S. and his disparagement of the economic policies of the Bush administration, have been constant messages to his viewers. In an editorial last week, The Economist magazine said:

"CNN's flagship business-news programme, Lou Dobbs Tonight, which you might expect to strive for economic literacy, has embarked on a rabidly anti-trade editorial agenda, with its host greeting every announcement of lost jobs as akin to a terrorist assault."

James K. Glassman who hosts the website Tech Central Station and was recently interviewed by Dobbs, reveals another side of the man:

"Actually, Dobbs only acts like an anti-trade zealot in public. In private, where he is appealing to subscribers to the Lou Dobbs Money Letter, a 'private and confidential market report,' he carries a different tune entirely...'Investors,' writes Dobbs, 'often misled by the chronically liberal media, are making a huge mistake right now. They are underestimating the good that George Bush is doing for the economy...the boom he has created is truly one he can take credit for.' "

Of course, you won't hear any of this on Dobbs' CNN program, but Glassman says you can get the real story by subscribing to Dobbs' newsletter. It only costs $199 a year, and there's a $99.95 special if you act now. 

Compromise Wins The Day

"Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change."

   - Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, 1929

Following up on my previous post in which I mentioned the difficulties the Iraqis were experiencing in drafting their interim constitution, this N.Y. Times article (brief registration required) by Dexter Filkins reports they have succeeded:

"If approved, the interim constitution would be the most progressive such document in the Arab world. Even before the hard bargaining began, there was wide agreement on many of its major features, including the freedom of speech, press and assembly and the free exercise of religion." 

The document also provides for an independent judiciary, civilian control over the military, some autonomy for the Kurds, and for 25 per cent of the seats in the national assembly to be held by women.

We are witnessing historical precedents in Iraq. I hope we will continue giving these people our support as they move closer to creating a new government and taking control of their own destiny.

I believe that many of the citizens of Iran, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries are watching what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan and wishing it were happening for them too. Who knows? Perhaps some day it will, and that would be wonderful.

My hat's off to everyone who helped make this happen. They should be proud of what they have accomplished and recognize it as a huge step in their journey toward a free society.