Saturday, September 14, 2013

News from last night – Dan Gorske has set a world record, eating a Big Mac or two every day since May 17, 1972. In 1911 he hit a total of 25,000 and in 2013 26,000. One article on him said that his taste buds don't work well. It also said that he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – he has also kept every receipt he received when he bought the Big Macs. His blood cholesterol is under 200, and he is not overweight. That's the only food he eats. It didn't say whether he takes vitamins or not. He published a book of his life in 2008. I wonder if I could get a copy. It's probably not at the public library.

Two days ago Vladimir Putin published an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times with the help of an American public relations firm called Ketchum, which has been doing work for the Russian Federation since 2006. According to this article there are a number of American firms working for foreign governments, including Syria. The world is too complicated to keep up with and follow the news without dropping the ball, much less reading every viewpoint expressed. This Putin publication seemed too bold (to put it politely) to ignore, so I have copied his article in a Washington Post version with commentary and fact-checking by Max Fisher into a file on my computer to keep. Fisher defends the American stance on foreign affairs. Senator John McCain has stated that he will write an answer to Putin within the next few days. I am curious to see what Putin has to say and the general tone of his comments. I think Putin's move was disrespectful of American boundaries, but he stated that he wanted to speak to the American people. It seems possible that he is genuinely concerned about the possibility of American strikes on Syria, and the state of world peace. I must admit, I think we intervene too frequently in the affairs of other countries, all in the name of democracy. Some peoples don't want democracy, and consider America to be an aggressor. The world is too big for the US to rule and dominate totally, and when we think we are so very good and great we are being blind and arrogant. In my opinion we are in over our heads now, with Afghanistan still going on. I fear that we may lose our leader status by pushing the envelope too far, maybe even starting World War III. Our economic problems are partly due to our high level of spending on foreign enterprises, while things like public education and healthcare at home are slighted.

According to Fisher, though Putin has a number of compelling points, his writing is hypocritical and dishonest in some places. Fisher does a line by line criticism of the writing, with Putin's words in bold text and his own in plain. I have just read Putin's comments. The tone is mild and seeks consensus, though that is part of what Fisher calls hypocrisy. He does not attack Obama, except to express concern that his recent speech described the US as being “exceptional,” which I, too, think we do as a society too often. It's as though we have a right to take aggressive stances because we are better than others. That viewpoint has been prevalent in our society since World War II, when our entering the fight made a difference between Hitler's winning and losing, and anyone disagreeing with the extreme nationalism that was rampant in this country, was in for a fight, especially in the 1950's and 60's. We should remember that hatred against Jews and blacks is still too commonplace in our society as is the great disparity between the rich and the poor here, so how is it that we are so virtuous? I think we should have some humility.

Fisher, who has a Masters Degree in security studies and is the Post's foreign affairs blogger, conceded that Putin has a number of compelling and valid points, but shows hypocrisy and dishonesty in others. He also voices doubt that Putin actually wrote the piece without the help of his Public Relations firm Ketchum. Putin defends the veto power by leading nations within the United Nations as being wise, helping to maintain the stability of relations between the major nations. Fisher doesn't think it's so wise, just inevitable to get the UN on its feet in the beginning, and states that the US and Russia both use their veto power too frequently, thus making the UN less powerful. He states that Putin's fear that the UN won't survive US strikes on Syria is unrealistic. He also thinks that a US strike on Syria would be less important than Putin says, given the state of civil war currently going on. I did see on the news a Syrian militant saying that he would welcome a US strike against Assad – it would be a case of his enemy fighting his enemy, and thus be good fortune for the rebels. Fisher stresses the hypocrisy of Russia criticizing American interference, since Russia has been giving Assad weapons. Putin also, according to Fisher, has not been promoting peaceful dialogue in Syria, but instead supporting them in an all out victory over the rebel forces. Putin has also blocked efforts in the UN to censure Syria for use of chemical weapons, while saying that he proposed peace through the UN. Putin claims that the rebels were the ones to use chemical weapons, while Fisher says that there is “strong circumstantial evidence” to the contrary. I, like many others, can't forget the strong US claim that Iraq had chemical weapons, only to find that if they had had them at one time, they had already destroyed them, so our pretext for the Iraq War was a false one. Finally, Putin says that Syria has become willing to place its stockpiles of chemical weapons under international supervision to destroy them. Fisher states that this seems to contradict Putin's argument that Assad wasn't the one who used the chemicals. Also it is an attempt to portray Russia as a peacemaker, rather than an involved party in the Syrian war.

I wonder what stance McClain will take – hawkish on the issue of attacks on Syria, or trying to cover up US embarrassment over Putin's daring to issue the op-ed. The boldness of it must be troubling to Obama, as it constitutes a loss of face. The White House reportedly responded that Russia's actions internationally show the US to be indeed an “exceptional” nation, and said that our freedom of speech is evidenced in his freedom to put opposing comments in the Times, which would not have been allowed in Russia.

The relationship between Obama and Putin has been in the news. A satirist on the New York Post wrote a report of Obama calling Putin a jackass, and going on to say lots more highly inflammatory remarks against him. It was untrue, but it hit the Internet and went viral, with many people thinking it actually happened. They don't get along well, though, and have had conflicts that may have been unnecessary, making it hard to interact peacefully. Obama did say that Putin looks like a rebellious teenager at the back of the class, referring to his body language. We don't need a “pissing contest” between heads of state. It can't be helpful.

1:48 PM I went past my lunch hour again. I'm hungry!

3:19 I just got back from the grocery store, carrying a heavy load with two bags in each hand, and noticed that I was having labored breathing. I'll have to do some walking with the ankle weights to tone myself up and get some cardiovascular exercise. I need to be stronger. Of course my bronchial tubes are tight, too, from my recent allergy trouble. I have some congestion in there, more than usual. I took Claritin this morning, but it isn't as effective as it was the last few days. Maybe the pollen is worse.

Reading my mystery now. 6:28 It's getting really good. I have about another hundred pages to go.