et ceteras

My previous post opened with a mention of Barack Obama’s “tendency to stab our allies in the back,” and proceeded to deal with the innate dangers of his nuclear policy. It so happens that Charles Krauthammer has applied his sharp intellect to those issues, and I highly recommend his pieces about them. Here is his piece about the first issue, and here is his one about the second.

There are two things I have believed for a long time but never written into a single, concise post. One of those beliefs is that America’s military protection is the only reason Western European nations are able to exist as they do, bogged down by entitlements and infatuated by social policy whimsies. The other belief is that if America were to mimic Western Europe’s ways, there would be no one else to do the serious work, and therefore both we and Western Europe would crumble. Now I may not have to write that post, because Jonah Goldberg did an outstanding job in this commentary a few days ago. It is very much worth the few minutes it takes to read it.

My final post from last month talked about our trip to the Suwannee Springfest Music Festival, but failed to mention how many independent artists and artisans were on hand selling their wares. They were all following the American dream of doing what you want in your own way, and I want to take a moment to recognize two of them. Based in Jensen Beach, FL, Bamboo Groove turns thick bamboo stalks into mood lighting that is quirky and unique. Meanwhile, Evening Shade Farms crafts a surprisingly large variety of homemade soaps (and other skincare products) in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. We bought from each and recommend them without hesitation.

I know this et ceteras sounds like a litany of recommendations, and I guess that’s what it is, so I will close it by revisiting the charity suggestion I made on March 24th. As you may recall, one of my fellow St. Pete High Class of 89’ers is participating in Revlon’s Annual Run/Walk for Women, which raises funds for women’s cancer research. It will take place on May 1st and you can rest assured that any money you donate will be put to good use. To help that worthy cause, go here.

Description Defied

Last night I started writing a post about Barack Obama’s recent bellicosity toward Israel, and how it is the most chilling example of his tendency to stab our allies in the back. I planned to spend much of the post dealing with the contrast between our president and Israel’s -- for example, how Obama has never faced danger, and is so self-absorbed that he considers it a hardship to be criticized; whereas Benjamin Netanyahu spent time as a Sayeret Mat’kal commando, and was nearly killed by machine gun fire at the age of 19, and has lived most of his life in a tiny country surrounded by genocidal enemies who frequently commit suicide bombings on its soil.

I went to bed planning to finish that post tonight. But before I even made it to work this morning, it was announced that Obama has agreed to the most foolish, reckless, and life-threatening foreign policy in American history, and how can I let that pass without comment?

I am talking about the changes Obama is making when it comes to nuclear arms. By now you have probably heard the most immediately alarming thing about the changes -- namely, that he is going on record saying we will not use our nuclear weapons, even in self defense and even in response to being attacked with biological weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. It is obvious that such a policy would amount to national suicide by inviting our enemies to attack us without fear of serious repercussions.

Looking for a silver lining, we should note that as of right now it is not entirely clear that Obama has agreed to that, as evidenced by this post on National Review. But that is no reason to applaud, because the policy change does include something else that is every bit as frightening and foolish, and is not in question: It explicitly renounces any development of new nuclear weaponry by America.

No doubt, many people will think that is not a big deal, and those people are sure to be found dusting off 1980’s talking points claiming we already have enough nukes to destroy the entire planet. Unfortunately, the reality is that our nuclear weaponry (which includes not only the warheads, but also the delivery systems for those warheads) is outdated and poorly suited to current purposes. Much of our weaponry has not been tested for years, and thus there is no guarantee how much of it would work if we did use it. And while our stockpiles have been aging and our development of new ones stagnating, our enemies have been rapidly designing advanced nukes that are newer and more agile.

In this environment, the president of the United States is telling the world he has no intention of giving his country the tools it needs to defend itself. By the same token, he -- the leader of the free world -- is telling the world at large that he does not have the will to defend freedom from totalitarian attack. What else is there to say?

Obama has put the entire world at greater risk than it was 24 hours ago, and endangered future generations’ chances for freedom and prosperity. Even I, who have been critical of him since before he was elected, find this morning’s news to be so unfathomable that I can not find words to adequately describe what is going on. But then again, his actions scream so loudly that descriptive words may not be necessary.