“Certainty is an illusion. Perfect safety is a mirage. Zero is always unattainable, except in the case of absolute zero, where, as you remember, all motion and life itself stop.”
Purdue University President Mitch Daniels
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This from a close friend and fellow memo reader:
Our National Emergency
A Commentary by Lloyd Thompson
Never in our long, proud and imperfect history has there been an Administration so openly contemptuous of the people…we the people that is. This is truly a national emergency. Inflation, taxes, crime, and anti-Americanism are on the rise. The police are disparaged at every opportunity and crimes go unpunished. Our religions, values and traditions are under a barrage of withering attacks from the least qualified people to ever reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. An endless stream of mandates, lockdowns and unconstitutional actions are issued with the single objective of controlling our lives…all aggressively supported by craven bureaucratic toadies. Those citizens who chose not to be vaccinated have been labeled as pariahs. The wide-open southern border allows the torrent of drugs, criminal gangs and scores of COVID-carrying “migrants” to overwhelm law enforcement and devastate local communities.
BUT, the heart-rending scenes from Kabul may be the beginning of the end for our national emergency. Over this past weekend, some in the so-called mainstream media have begun to take notice and realize they have been misled and it galls them.
Take, for example, an article by George Packer in the August 15 edition of The Atlantic*, hardly a conservative journal, had this to say about the current and temporary president. “There’s plenty of blame to go around for the 20-year debacle in Afghanistan—enough to fill a library of books. Perhaps the effort to rebuild the country was doomed from the start. But our abandonment of the Afghans who helped us, counted on us, staked their lives on us, is a final, gratuitous shame that we could have avoided. The Biden administration failed to heed the warnings on Afghanistan, failed to act with urgency—and its failure has left tens of thousands of Afghans to a terrible fate. This betrayal will live in infamy. The burden of shame falls on President Joe Biden.”
Of course, the Biden blame game team is hard at work looking for fall guys or gals as the case may be. It is Trump’s fault! Pompeo is to blame! It’s a failure of the intelligence community! The Afghan military caused this disaster!
Thanks to these dangerous, feckless Washington hypocrites who profess to support women’s rights, millions of Afghan women and girls will be relegated to serfdom. America again will be in the crosshairs of terrorists. Communist China will more than likely control the strategic airbases that our forces built to put us within easy reach of China and Iran.
Our military presence shielded our homeland from attack. Those who gave their lives for that mission should be remembered and honored.
The burden of shame does fall on President Joe Biden, for his witting or unwitting stamp of approval.
• https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/bidens-betrayal-of-afghans-will-live-in-infamy/619764/
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Can the West be honest about the Islamist threat?
For 20 years, Americans have failed to adequately confront radical Islam as an ideology and faith. The fall of Afghanistan is a reminder that defending liberal values requires truth-telling.
By JONATHAN S. TOBIN
(August 17, 2021 / JNS) It was only two months ago that the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, boasted on Twitter about flying a gay pride flag to signal its support for “supporting civil rights of minorities including LGBT persons,” and added the hashtags #Pride 2021 and #PrideMonth. Some derided that move, which was repeated at U.S. embassies and consular establishments around the world as an empty gesture. Others worried that the flying of such flags would endanger Afghans who worked at the embassy or at other facilities where similar events occurred.
For 20 years, Americans complimented themselves on saving Afghan women from abuse and virtual slavery at the hands of the former Taliban rulers and for promoting the kind of liberal values that pride flag symbolized in a country where support for women’s rights was marginal, and those of the LBGT community, nonexistent. But now that the Taliban, emboldened by America’s strategic retreat and the Biden administration’s feckless abandonment of our allies there, has taken complete control of the country, the controversy about the flags seems like it happened in another century.
In a rambling speech in which the president claimed to accept responsibility for the debacle, he also cast blame on every conceivable actor in this drama but himself and his administration. Biden added that the United States would continue to “support” the Afghan people, and stand for human rights and the women of Afghanistan. That kind of meaningless rhetoric is more of an insult to the people he left behind, including tens of thousands who worked with the United States and its NATO allies, than anything else. America is no longer in any position to do a thing to help them.
Perhaps the allied effort to stave off the Taliban’s resurgence was always doomed, and it’s clear that most Americans had tired of the effort even if the relative cost of the commitment was low compared to other conflicts in which the United States engaged. And as I previously noted, there’s plenty of blame to go around in assessing the American failure in Afghanistan across four administrations from both parties. As Afghanistan slides back into the Middle Ages, it’s worth examining not just the strategic failures and poor leadership that produced this result, but the fundamentally unserious approach of the West to an ongoing conflict with a set of foes whose hostility is not so much rooted in economics or national rivalries as it is in religion.
The Taliban and their spiritual confederates elsewhere, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, ISIS and Al-Qaeda—not to mention state actors like Iran—pose a real threat to the liberal approach to 21st-century life. So it ought not to have been too much to ask that our government and those tasked with informing and educating Americans about these issues be honest about the fact that all of them are, in one way or another, waging a religious war on the West and all it stands for.
And given that these forces are also waging war on the rights of women and gay people—rights that liberal democracies are sworn to protect at home and to encourage abroad—one would think that honesty about recognizing that Islamism is incompatible with modernity and equality would also be a must.
Yet almost from the moment that the planes hit the World Trade Center nearly 20 years ago, U.S. leaders have been loath to acknowledge these facts.
The reason for that was obvious. The United States had no interest in fighting a religious war against all Muslims, a population that numbers nearly 2 billion. And, of course, not all Muslims, including those living in the West, supported the Islamists. What America wanted was to create an alliance of moderate Muslims and Western allies to crush the fundamentalists who posed a threat to everyone.
The desire to avoid what some called a “clash of civilizations” was understandable. But it was also almost immediately apparent in the early days of what the Bush administration ineptly termed a “war on terror” that a sensible fear of exacerbating an already wide-ranging struggle was breeding a tendency to obfuscate the cause of the conflict.
Though it remains an article of faith repeated endlessly in the mainstream media that 9/11 led to an anti-Muslim backlash, the fact remains that this is a myth. Nothing has ever provided better proof that Americans are, on the whole, a fair-minded people, than the fact there was no wave of violence or hate crimes against American Muslims. Throughout the last two decades, as FBI hate-crimes statistics have consistently shown, attacks on Muslims remained rare and represent a fraction of the total of anti-Semitic incidents that were recorded during this same period. Hate crimes against Jews continue to be the most prevalent form of religious prejudice with rates going up in recent years.
That fact notwithstanding, since 2001, Americans have been preoccupied with the idea that Islamophobia is our greatest worry with respect to conflicts in the Middle East. But while any instance of prejudice against Muslims is deplorable, that has produced a mindset that has seemed to argue that anyone who speaks the truth about radical Islam and those who enable it are Islamophobes. Indeed, in one of the worst such instances, the Anti-Defamation League—the organization tasked with defending Jews against anti-Semitism—actually opposed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s nomination for the post. They claimed that he was an Islamophobe because he called upon American Muslims to condemn acts of terror committed by Islamists. Groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center also regularly smear those who are honest about the Islamist threat as bigots.
The left is preoccupied with criticisms of American conservatives with whom they have disagreements on many domestic political issues and whom they have falsely accused of waging a “war on women.” And yet, liberal groups are curiously unenthusiastic about calling out those who are waging an actual war on women such as the government of Iran and other Islamists.
Just as some who deplore terrorism seem to exclude Palestinian terror against Israel from their concerns, the same people are more concerned that the Jewish state’s liberal policies that ensure freedom for gays be used as a reason—what they call “pinkwashing”—to refute attacks on the legitimacy of Zionism.
The result is that discourse about the subject has become hopelessly distorted, and the misogyny, homophobia and anti-Semitism that is normative in most of the Muslim and Arab worlds is downplayed or ignored. That makes a mockery of any attempt to stir up advocacy for human rights in countries dominated by Islamists simply because to speak up exposes those who do so to false charges of prejudice. The willingness of too many to give a pass to members of the left-wing congressional “Squad” because two of them are Muslims—Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—for their anti-Semitism and relative silence about the fate of their co-religionists under the thumb of groups like the Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah and their Iranian allies do more to undermine human-rights advocacy than anything said by their critics.
The fall of Afghanistan and the abandonment of its people to the tender mercies of Islamists are a reminder that the struggle against those who are a real threat to the rights of women and minorities must involve a frank discussion about what it is that we oppose and why. As long as we fail to note that the oppression that these illiberal groups promote is rooted in a popular version of their faith, we will fail to help those under their power and to prevent the further spread of this illiberal movement.
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Israel's PM is coming to D.C to meet with Biden. Wonder how he feels if he get's a pledge?
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Iceland, Chapter 7 – Finale
Today is Monday, Aug. 16, and I am sitting at a table in the Grand Hotel in Reykjavik, awaiting transfer to the airport to begin the trek home. We have a little more cruising to cover, plus a few final thoughts and comments.
On Sunday, we arrived at Heimæy (HAME-ah-AY) Island in the Vestmannaiyjar (Westmann) archipelago. Heimaey is the only inhabited island in the Westmanns, which Rick Steeves describes as his “favorite backdoor destination” in Iceland. They are southeast of Reyjavik. The islands were, according to the sagas, named for Irish slaves who had escaped after killing their owner.
We were really excited to be taking “rib boats” AKA jet boats, to see caves and wildlife. We were part of a group of about 10 who had opted for this trip. We walked across the dock to the office of the boat trips, only to learn that it was too windy today and the trip had been cancelled. Our guides from the ship had not been alerted to this cancellation, and they were caught a bit flat-footed by the news. They offered us a walking tour or a bus tour of the town, but Jim and I decided to just do our own walking tour.
It was early on a Sunday morning, so no shops or museums were open. We walked past most of them, just to be sure. The shopping here is quite limited, anyway. If you don’t need any ski clothes, an Icelandic sweater, or a cap that says “Iceland”, you are pretty much out of luck. There is some nice, delicate jewelry made by local craftsmen, but I didn’t see anything that needed to come home with me.
We wandered all around the town, taking photos of a few interesting buildings, but that was about it. We happened upon one very interesting “house”. It was just one room of a house that had been destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1973. There was a video of before and after photos. Behind this house had been a large community of houses, (about 1/3 to half of the town) all of which were completely covered by the lava. The eruption went on for six months. By then, many of the residents had moved to the mainland to avoid future eruptions or to find jobs.
We got back to the ship for lunch, and then enjoyed some very scenic cruising through the Westmanns. These islands are mostly just singular piles of lava that have grown up over the years. One island, Surtsey, was just formed in the mid-1960’s, so most of you are a lot older than this island. It was about the largest, and looked from some angles like a humpback whale. While we were cruising through these islets, a few orca whales showed up, so the captain followed them for a while. They never got close enough for a decent photo, but we able to see their white markings. Lisa, the “whale lady” on the ship, said she saw an adult with two younger ones alongside.
The birds here were fascinating. There were thousands of them rooking on these islets, and they seemed to enjoy flying next to the ship. The bird expert said they were gannets. Here is a professional photo of one. (My photos were not as good.)
We had dinner at the Italian restaurant on the ship. This was our first meal at Prego, and it was fabulous. Jim had lasagna and I had the most wonderful, tender lamb chops. Molto bene! Plus, we had fun watching the birds play in the ship’s wake. They would fly low over the water and let the waves crash into them, only to do it again and again. Silly birds!
We got all packed and put our bags out around 10:30 and had an early lights out in preparation for the long trip home. The flight to Boston is only about 5 hours long, but they get us off the ship and have us sitting in a hotel for several hours before they take us to the airport. We had looked at possibly getting back into that helicopter trip to the volcano while we were waiting, but the timing didn’t work. Just as well, because the weather is not conducive to helicopter flights today.
We’ll spend the night in Boston and then get an early flight to Savannah tomorrow.
A few thoughts on this trip and on Iceland:
• The staff and crew on this ship were the best we’ve ever encountered on any cruise. They all seemed to learn our names and always included them in any conversation. The restaurant people all knew about my allergy to lobster – even in the Sushi and Italian restaurants. They were always upbeat and smiling behind their masks, which staff were required to wear. (Passengers were mask free since all had been vaccinated and tested prior to boarding. They did take our temperatures every evening before we entered the restaurant. )
• As good as the staff was, the food was maybe even better. Every dish was a work of art. Hot things were served on hot plates, and cold things on chilled plates. Every detail was considered and planned. Decorative touches on the food were placed with tweezers to get them just right. Every meal was a delight.
• With 100 passengers and 226 staff, you can imagine how great the service was. They were tripping all over each other to find ways to be helpful. Out butler, for example, brought us a platter of canapés every afternoon. After a few days, he said “I noticed that you seemed to like the salmon and the fruit the best. Would you like me to bring those tomorrow?” We got a new box of chocolates every day. They were really good, and Adrian must have noticed that I liked them, so he gave me 3 boxes as a going-away gift.
• The captain was Norwegian, I think, and was very friendly and had a great sense of humor. He spoke to us all a few times, and was always amusing.
• The itinerary of the trip changed from time to time, due to the birds having left or the weather. We were never quite sure, but they did their best to keep to the listed itinerary.
• Icelanders seem to be mostly pretty friendly, but in some of the small towns they viewed us with some suspicion. I waved at a lady one day, and she gave me the New York-style “what do you want?” look. She did finally at least lift her hand in response. For the most part, though, they were very kind and open, and everyone spoke English.
• The small towns are getting smaller and Reykjavik is growing by leaps and bounds. They can’t keep up with the growth, so housing is expensive and hard to find. At the beginning of the trip, we were told that Reykjavik had half of the population. Today we heard that it is 2/3. It is probably somewhere in-between.
• The best reason to come to Iceland is the topography, and the best way to see it would be by helicopter. A ship is also a good way, but viewing it from above would be the best. The ship’s photographer took a lot of video by drone, and they gave us each a copy of his video. The landscape is unique and dramatic, with the mountains formed by lava and the waterfalls. Truly magnificent.
• Many Icelanders believe in elves and trolls. The elves, or “hidden people” are said to be the result of an encounter Eve had with God. In this tale, Eve had several children. She knew that God was coming for a visit, and some of her children were not cleaned up in time for the visit, so she tried to hide them. When God arrived, He asked to see her children, and she just brought out the clean ones. God asked, “Are these all your children?” and she lied and said yes. God got irritated and said, “Don’t you know that I can see everything and I know everything, and I know that you have hidden some of your children. So be it. Those who are hidden shall remain hidden forever.” That was the beginning of the elves. The elves are said to have helped many people who were lost in the snow or in other difficulties, but no one sees them. There is a mountain where the king of the elves is supposed to live. The trolls are a different story. They are not friendly or helpful. You don’t want to encounter a troll.
• Iceland is closer to the New York than New York is to LA. It is half-way between Europe and the US. Easy to get to.
• The winters here must be unimaginable. Dark all the time, with cold, blustery winds. Snow stacked up several feet in depth. There are lots of ski runs, but how does one ski in the dark? There are also lots of golf courses which are open only when the snow melts. Summer here is ending, as evidenced by the departure of the puffins and other birds.
• Sunshine has been rare these last 10 days. Most days, we had clouds and some rain. We were glad to have our fleece and jackets and hiking boots. The ship gave us parkas with removable, warm liners. Some days I just needed the liner, and some days I need to the whole thing. In August.
• We are very glad that we came, and that we took the ship instead of driving ourselves around the ring road. We probably saw some things we would never have seen driving ourselves, such as the Westmann Islands and some of the magnificent waterfalls that were off the beaten track. Also, there is the ease of unpacking just once and having the world’s best food available at all times.
Thanks for reading along, and for your questions and comments as we went. It is always fun to hear from you, dear readers. Bless for now!
Photos are at: https://www.mmemery.com/Iceland-Chapter-7-Finale
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