A couple of paragraphs I read recently made me think about the world around me. And then there was some sad news more personal and closer to home.
"The drone and surveillance program, like much of counterterrorism today, are driven principally by two phenomena: on the one hand, previously unthinkable terrorist threats, and on the other, equally unanticipated technological developments. These twin factors have motivated and enabled security agencies to undertake measures that were once impossible--and to do so in secret, without the awareness, much less approval of the people on whose behalf they act." (David Cole, Must Counterterrorism Cancel Democracy, The New York Review of Books, January 5, 2015. Pg 26.)
Thirteen years after 9/11, much thinking is looking back. At 9/11, I, and most Americans, did not care what the security agencies did with or without our approval. We only wanted to strike back. We did not ask to be consulted then; why now complain?
"When my mom picked me up at the airport from my LaGuardia flight, she was wearing a designer coat she got on eBay. It was too tight, and it made her look like she was hunchback. She hadn't been washing her hair, and she had a pronounced bald spot . It was Thanksgiving, in 2009." (Amie Barrodale, My Mother's Apartment, Harper's, December, 2014.Pg. 38.)
My mom never picked me up at any airport nor bought clothes on eBay. As she got older she was fastidious about her hair and had it done almost weekly. Amie has written ten short stories, all revolving around her mother.
Closer to home, my brother-in-law, Edward Cooper, died January 8 in Florida early in the morning. A few hours later his sister, Bertha Cooper Westbury McMillan, died in Georgetown, S.C., where she was born and lived all of her life.
At my marriage to Mary Cooper in 1954, Edward walked his sister down the aisle and gave her in marriage; Bertha and Mary were always close as sisters ought to be. I visited Bertha and her husband Harold, in December 2014.
Showing posts with label Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Security. Show all posts
Thursday, January 15
Wednesday, June 26
What I would like to see...
Just once I would like to see the President express a bit of public pique or even anger with the Russians. President Obama has not responded aggressively, so far as I know, to Russian President Putin's statement that Russia will not hand over Edward Snowden. Unless you have been sleeping on the moon you must know Snowden has released U.S. classified information to the world and has been indicted for his violation of American laws. If he is returned to the U.S., he would be tried in Virginia and if convicted could be sentenced to a term in a federal prison.
Granted Russia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. Since Snowden is at the airport in Moscow, however, the Russians could put him on a plane to the U.S. He has no passport and whether he has a visa or not is immaterial.
So what shape could President Obama's displeasure take without turning U.S. - Russia relations into a 1950's Cold War era nuclear standoff? He could recall the American ambassador to Russia for consultations. He could call in the Russian ambassador in Washington and give him a dressing down. He could order a halt to whatever commercial, social or cultural exchanges are set up for the next six to twelve months. (President Carter cancelled American participation in the 1980 Olympics in Russia.) This might put a crimp in some Americans' interests, but a little hard ball from time to time would do wonders for the national psyche.
You might ask if Mr. Snowden is worth all this. It is not only about that blabbermouth. It is about our country, our laws and the right we have to expect cooperation from other countries and officials. Granted, President Obama has to play the long game and prudence dictates he take these humiliations in silence. Waiting to get even, however, is not in the American tradition. Such pettiness at a later date would be looked upon by the rest of the world as third-graders getting even over a playground argument. So, for just once, I would like President Obama to let Mr. Putin and the world know he is p****d off. It might not do any good for U.S. - Russia relations, but it would make me and - I believe - a lot of other Americans feel good. It might lead Mr. Putin to sit up and take notice, and it would put the rest of the world on notice.
(To opt out send "Delete" to arch@archibald99.com)
Granted Russia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. Since Snowden is at the airport in Moscow, however, the Russians could put him on a plane to the U.S. He has no passport and whether he has a visa or not is immaterial.
So what shape could President Obama's displeasure take without turning U.S. - Russia relations into a 1950's Cold War era nuclear standoff? He could recall the American ambassador to Russia for consultations. He could call in the Russian ambassador in Washington and give him a dressing down. He could order a halt to whatever commercial, social or cultural exchanges are set up for the next six to twelve months. (President Carter cancelled American participation in the 1980 Olympics in Russia.) This might put a crimp in some Americans' interests, but a little hard ball from time to time would do wonders for the national psyche.
You might ask if Mr. Snowden is worth all this. It is not only about that blabbermouth. It is about our country, our laws and the right we have to expect cooperation from other countries and officials. Granted, President Obama has to play the long game and prudence dictates he take these humiliations in silence. Waiting to get even, however, is not in the American tradition. Such pettiness at a later date would be looked upon by the rest of the world as third-graders getting even over a playground argument. So, for just once, I would like President Obama to let Mr. Putin and the world know he is p****d off. It might not do any good for U.S. - Russia relations, but it would make me and - I believe - a lot of other Americans feel good. It might lead Mr. Putin to sit up and take notice, and it would put the rest of the world on notice.
(To opt out send "Delete" to arch@archibald99.com)
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