SamSaid!

BELIEVING

     Most people believe what they want to believe. Maybe that is a cynical view of my fellow man, but I think it is true for a distressingly large percentage of people. Over the centuries some of the finest intellects have devoted enormous amounts of brain power and energy to rational thought, logic, deductive reasoning, data acumulation, analysis, fact-finding, etc., all in an effort to reach decisions and conclusions devoid of wishful thinking and emotion. Sadly, it all comes down to that tongue-in-cheek phrase, “Don't bother me with facts”.

     There is no better case that the Iraqi Madman. Saddam's track record is hardly that of a State secret. He has attacked Iran and Kuwait; he has gassed the Iranians and Kurds; he has killed and terrorized his countrymen, he has fired missiles into Israel, he has thumbed his nose at the UN and has refused to disclose the whereabouts of bio weapons.  But in the view of some, that isn't enough evidence. To most people with IQs over 50, that should be pretty convincing. But for people who choose not to believe the obvious, it is not enough evidence and will never be enough. They just do not want to believe what is plain to see.

     George Bush I, Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell are not lightweights. Given the chance to dispatch Saddam once and for all, they stopped short  –  believeing that he could be controlled by sanctions and the UN. They very badly wanted to believe that they were right. They were wrong. Saddam doesn't respond to typical pressures. He only knows force  — and he knows it well. At this stage it is senseless to refer to historical precedent involving appeasement, diplomacy and/or normal reasoning. Far too many folks, here and abroad, WANT to believe that there are other ways to deal with Saddam. They simply follow the pattern of believing what they want to believe  –  “don't bother me with facts”.

     If we don't take him out now, I believe that we will rue the day. But then, maybe I am like all of the rest, I believe what I want to believe. But I think the facts are on my side.

A BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

I clearly remember that classic 1950s Spencer Tracy movie and the title that became a term of folklore for a couple of generations. If it is a bummer and all goes wrong, it is a “bad day at black rock”

I was awakened this morning by our little dog with a cold nose on my arm and a little woof that meant “It is time for my pre-breakfast walk, and I am hungry”. By the time I had dressed, the early reports of the Columbia tragedy were on TV. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach because it is hard not to expect the worst when something goes wrong in a small capsule traveling at 17,000 miles per hour at 200,000 feet above the earth in an immediate environment of incinerating heat. Within an hour the tragedy was confirmed — that the Columbia had disintegrated and the 7 crewmen did not survive. However, the extent of the tragedy did not hit home until the portrait of the 7 was shown — 7 real people whose lives were snuffed out in a matter of seconds or minutes. That really got to me. Here were seven highly intelligent, well educated quality people with so much to offer — all gone. No body ever said that life was fair, but it shouldn’t be that unfair.

A few days ago I sat in the familty room and watched thugs and hooligans trash the streets of Oakland because the Raiders lost in the Super Bowl. The week before, these same dimwits trashed the streets when the Raiders won and qualified for the Super Bowl. I thought then that we would all be better off if a big tidal wave washed them all out to sea — one way. Keeping this sad bunch is not a very good trade for the Astronauts we lost this morning.

Will the space program continue? Sure, as long as space is out there, courageous people will visit and explore. And they will do so with the full knowledge of the dangers involved. Some people will say that they died doing what they wanted to do, but that really understates the tragedy since these fine people will not be able to enjoy and share an entire generation of experiences with friends and family. As people age, they come to accept the inevitability of mortality — some stoically and some grudgingly. But they will die with a lifetime of memories — not one abruptly shortened in their primes.

There were two women among the seven. I guess in days of gender equality, that’s par for the course. But I must be an old male chauvinist because seeing the death of those two young women bothers me. I simply am not comfortable with mothers dying that way.

In thinking about this tragedy, I keep seeing the image of the portrait of the seven in their space suits flashing across my mind. I don’t think I will sleep very well tonite.

It was a bad day at black rock.

STRAIGHT-TALK

     No matter what critics may say about George Bush, he is a gutsy guy. Early on he was dismissed as a guy who wasn't the brightest light on the boulevard, and he clearly struggled in some of the campaign appearances 2 years ago. By comparison, he will never match the eloquence (glibness?) of Slick Willie  –  and maybe that is not all bad.To most people, he comes across as a straight-talking guy who can look you in the eye. He is believable    

      Confronted by the now famous Michigan Law School affirmative action case, Goerge didn't duck it . He faced it squarely and described it for what it is  –  a preferential quota system. No doubt, some of his advisors voiced nervous Nellie opposition to his stance, but there was no weaseling from George. Viewed from a political perspective, maybe he figured that the only votes he would lose were the ones he wouldn't get anyway. And we might concede a margin of safety since we all know that the final decision will come from the Supremes. But his direct approach using unmistakeable language was impressive  — and laudable.

     Then we come to the State of the Union Address which by all accounts was very well delivered. The 1st half of it may have been politically motivated –  covering a lot of bases;  but the second half assuredly was not. By US standards, we have the classical face-off where someone is going to blink. I have no idea how Saddam's mind works, but I have a hard time believing that George is going to blink. For a rookie in dealing with international relations, it seems to me that he has done pretty well in nuetralizing the nay-sayers and getting allied support. Can't you just imagine Al Gore in that role??  If we do have to go to war, maybe Barbara Streisand will go to Tel Aviv to bash George stage a fund raising concert for the Palestinians

     Anyway, I trust George to tell it like it is.