Comments on: Obama and the Gravel Pit Theory http://colorcomments.com/2008/11/19/obama-and-the-gravel-pit-theory/ Southern Utah is Color Country! Thu, 13 May 2010 05:16:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dan Mabbutt http://colorcomments.com/2008/11/19/obama-and-the-gravel-pit-theory/comment-page-1/#comment-629 Dan Mabbutt Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:50:22 +0000 http://colorcomments.com/2008/11/19/obama-and-the-gravel-pit-theory/#comment-629 Wright and Ayers ... Wright is a nut. Obama disavowed him. Surely we're beyond getting overheated about religious nuts in Utah! As for Ayers, I finally learned something about the man himself by listening to an hour long interview with him on National Public Radio. Although Obama really has no association with him ... the canards of the McCain campaign was below-the-belt "guilt by association" in the finest tradition of McCarthy ... as a result of listening to the NPR interview, I think I would be proud to be associated with him. Ayers and I are about the same age and confronted the same demons during the VietNam War. I would not ... and did not ... go as far as Ayers did during his days with the Weather Underground, but he was on the right side, and our country was not. In the finest "Boston Tea Party" tradition, he did his best for his country. Today, I wonder whether I should have done more. "All the proposed solutions involve better security for ships ..." Au Contraire, mon freire. Associated Press: "The African Union urged the United Nations to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia ..." The Guardian (UK) "The United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed fresh sanctions on Somalia today amid calls for armed peacekeepers to be sent to the Horn of Africa." "Analysts say that in the long term the key to ending piracy is establishing an effective authority on land in Somalia." Voice of America "Seven Arab states, including Egypt, Yemen, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are meeting in Cairo in a bid to find an effective response to the growing threat of piracy in the Red Sea." "Mohammed Shazly (analyst, Arab daily al Hayat) said the Cairo conference is debating every possible solution to the piracy crisis, military and otherwise." But, I admit, most nations are having difficulty reconciling their distaste for disturbing the principal of "national sovereignty" with the practical requirements of actually doing something about this mess. Nonetheless, the pressure is clearly there. I was always careful to note that this "might" (not "will") create the kind of "world response" that might be precedent setting and that we so clearly need. The dilemma that this mess is presenting to nations is described very well in this article from the Asia Times (Hong Kong) about the problems China is having in deciding where to position themselves: China all at sea off Africa http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JK21Ad02.html "China is merely discovering that Africa isn't as simple as it looked." Few things are. Wright and Ayers …

Wright is a nut. Obama disavowed him. Surely we’re beyond getting overheated about religious nuts in Utah!

As for Ayers, I finally learned something about the man himself by listening to an hour long interview with him on National Public Radio. Although Obama really has no association with him … the canards of the McCain campaign was below-the-belt “guilt by association” in the finest tradition of McCarthy … as a result of listening to the NPR interview, I think I would be proud to be associated with him.

Ayers and I are about the same age and confronted the same demons during the VietNam War. I would not … and did not … go as far as Ayers did during his days with the Weather Underground, but he was on the right side, and our country was not. In the finest “Boston Tea Party” tradition, he did his best for his country. Today, I wonder whether I should have done more.

“All the proposed solutions involve better security for ships …”

Au Contraire, mon freire.

Associated Press:
“The African Union urged the United Nations to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia …”

The Guardian (UK)
“The United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed fresh sanctions on Somalia today amid calls for armed peacekeepers to be sent to the Horn of Africa.”

“Analysts say that in the long term the key to ending piracy is establishing an effective authority on land in Somalia.”

Voice of America
“Seven Arab states, including Egypt, Yemen, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are meeting in Cairo in a bid to find an effective response to the growing threat of piracy in the Red Sea.”

“Mohammed Shazly (analyst, Arab daily al Hayat) said the Cairo conference is debating every possible solution to the piracy crisis, military and otherwise.”

But, I admit, most nations are having difficulty reconciling their distaste for disturbing the principal of “national sovereignty” with the practical requirements of actually doing something about this mess. Nonetheless, the pressure is clearly there. I was always careful to note that this “might” (not “will”) create the kind of “world response” that might be precedent setting and that we so clearly need.

The dilemma that this mess is presenting to nations is described very well in this article from the Asia Times (Hong Kong) about the problems China is having in deciding where to position themselves:

China all at sea off Africa
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JK21Ad02.html

“China is merely discovering that Africa isn’t as simple as it looked.”

Few things are.

]]> By: RPMcMurphy http://colorcomments.com/2008/11/19/obama-and-the-gravel-pit-theory/comment-page-1/#comment-627 RPMcMurphy Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:45:58 +0000 http://colorcomments.com/2008/11/19/obama-and-the-gravel-pit-theory/#comment-627 I consider myself fairly conservative (by Washington County standards I am probably somewhat liberal.) I used to be a Democrat but when I moved to Utah I registered independent. I feel as Ronald Reagan did that I did not leave the Democratic Party but it left me. I am not as dismissive as you about the good works of McCain over his years in the Senate. Nor am I quite as enamored with Obama. I did vote for him but might have had second thoughts had there been any chance he would carry Utah. However I must say that I am quite impressed with the President-elect as to personality, temperament and intellect. I agree that he comes to the Presidency with relatively clean hands -- although I do not believe that he was totally honest about his relationships with Wright and Ayers. I am skeptical about some of his policies, but time will tell. Change of subject – I have noticed numerous news stories the last few days about the Somali pirates. All the proposed solutions involve better security for ships transiting the dangerous waters. I have seen none that suggest actually going in and cleaning out the pirate’s safe havens. I consider myself fairly conservative (by Washington County standards I am probably somewhat liberal.) I used to be a Democrat but when I moved to Utah I registered independent. I feel as Ronald Reagan did that I did not leave the Democratic Party but it left me.
I am not as dismissive as you about the good works of McCain over his years in the Senate.
Nor am I quite as enamored with Obama. I did vote for him but might have had second thoughts had there been any chance he would carry Utah.
However I must say that I am quite impressed with the President-elect as to personality, temperament and intellect.
I agree that he comes to the Presidency with relatively clean hands — although I do not believe that he was totally honest about his relationships with Wright and Ayers.
I am skeptical about some of his policies, but time will tell.

Change of subject – I have noticed numerous news stories the last few days about the Somali pirates. All the proposed solutions involve better security for ships transiting the dangerous waters. I have seen none that suggest actually going in and cleaning out the pirate’s safe havens.

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