"Immigration reform" in the USA

Perhaps US immigration rules are flawed in fundamental ways. The long delay in processing spouse visas for US citizen family members is terrible. The bureaucracy of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) often seems deliberately oppressive & unfriendly. Giving citizenship under jus soli rights to children born in the US to foreign students and visitors (yet not to their parents) seems illogical -- in some ways unduly liberal, in another sense regressive.

Should foreigners be given amnesty after criminally entering the USA? I think not.

Of course they have contributed. Their illegal work has received compensation. Most are nice people. Private parties may be satisfied, but the social contract is damaged by these illegal operations.

Americans should be encouraged to invest in their communities and nation. Allowing unrestricted entry is costly. Providing services to new arrivals subtracts something from the common wealth. Perhaps future contributions by immigrants might offset many such costs. Yet who is to be "welcome in" should be a decision for the citizenry. Otherwise there is little incentive to invest in society.

Many Americans may believe that kindness and charity should guide such policies. But the world's people outnumber Americans 20 to 1. Too many to integrate. Darwinist competition and raw untrammeled dog-eat-dog capitalism grow closer with unrestricted immigration.

I know there are many nice, hardworking and friendly people everywhere in the world. But those who force their way into my home and demand feeding at my table are abusive and should be strongly discouraged.

Who's the bigger Jerk?

The USA is endangering East Asia and wasting huge resources jerking around with North Korea. Why?

The US agreed many months ago to return $24 million in frozen North Korean funds they'd demanded confiscated in September 2005 due to what the USA considers irregularities.

North Korea is fundamentally irregular. They wish to be irregular (examine juche ideology to somewhat understand). They're part of the "Axis of Evil" according to President Bush.

But returning those funds was a clear condition for dismantling North Korea's nuclear program. Weeks and months have passed; numerous news reports have cited progress; but the North Koreans still don't have their money.

Now US$24 million may seem like a lot of money to you or me, but to nations it ain't much at all. The South Koreans are forced to remain on alert with 650,000 troops: the North keeps 1,000,000 troops, while US deployment in South Korea is 30,000 troops. How much does that cost? Let's be silly and make a very conservative estimate: for a US soldier, $100 each day: for South Korean soldiers (most under mandatory conscription) $10 per day; and let's say a soldier's maintenance in North Korea costs $1 each day. Thus pure costs are (3,000,000 + 6,500,000 + 1,000,000) well upward of US$10 million each day. How much damage will a nuclear accident do to East Asia? How much would military intervention cost? The USA now spends $195 million every day on the Iraq conflict. And how much are the lives of soldiers and civilians worth? The agreements were reached in so-called "Six Party Talks" requiring great coordination. A one-off $24 million is clearly cheap. But some plump jerks in Washington are stringing this along, and angering close allies in the process.

C'mon USA - you said you'd return North Korea's money. It's clearly more a matter of principle than the funds themselves. Fix it. Cough up. Don't endanger us all with dumbass brinkmanship.

Unlamented (a poem by Genki)

The lineup marches forward
Unlamented
Surging broken & gristly
Optimism mutilated
America's Finest
Taste distant desert sand
Final finest service.

It happened slowly; Unlamented
A tragedy. A hero.
The President himself repeats.
A loss to all who knew her
Family beyond recovering
That last understanding
of dust

LaVena Johnson
Major Gloria D. Davis
Two names, among many
Heroes. Enlisted to serve.
But systematically outmaneuvered.
Pray gone to heaven
Not lost to blackness
White bones wonder why.

Withdraw from Iraq? Don't hold your breath...

The US government is under pressure from a wide range of interests, both foreign & domestic, to withdraw military forces from Iraq. This is unlikely to happen - here's why:

The USA, with close ally Israel behind & urging them forward, needs the military bases now commandeered/occupied/rented in Iraq. Most US resources have now been withdrawn from Saudi Arabia, esp. Prince Sultan Air Base. (This gave a key victory to Osama Bin Laden -- as forcing US withdrawal from Saudi Arabia was a central focus for 9/11 terrorism, where 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian).

The new US embassy compound in Iraq will be the world's largest embassy by far. On 104 acres (42 hectare) in the heart of Baghdad, the riverside site would fit three Pentagon buildings (that building is 29 acres plus a 5 acre central plaza) - and the Pentagon is one damn big building; the US Capitol building footprint is just four acres. How many visas they plan to issue?

US claims for staying in Iraq to install democracy seem poppycock. The duly-elected lawmakers of Iraq themselves asked for a US withdrawal timetable (8 May 2007), and have been thus far ignored. As with Guantanamo and many other US bases around the world, "y'all Irakis'd best prepare 4 permanent Aw-Q-Pay-Shun."

Haiku by Genki

One skinny lawyer
Truth Quest leveraged: Gandhi
Lead by example
-- 2007-05-27 Seoul


Outside traffic sounds
4 AM; slumber beckons
Enough Now for now
-- 2007-05-27 Seoul

Colin Powell: A Murderous Duck

Colin Powell is no longer the U.S. Secretary of State. Where is he? As Powell's deception and the multiple lies of Bush White House unravel, Powell is playing duck-and-cover. Doing a bit of charity work, trying to hunker down and wait until the day seems right for rehabilitation.

Forget it Colin. You are worse than bankrupt. You were trusted as a voice of reason and balance. Now thousands of Americans & tens of thousands of Iraqis are dead, the killing continues, and it is largely due to you. Your complicit absence with empty near quotes -- "according to statements from an associate" or "a former colleague of Powell explains" -- only compound your crimes. Months pass, taxpayer dollars in the hundreds of billions are poured into Iraq (and denied to US domestic needs), yet from you we hear only very quiet whimpers of "i didn't know..."

Yet you told the United Nations, and the entire world, "WE KNOW..." 32 times. It was baloney. You spoke also of obligations; now you duck all codes of honor.

Wolf at the door

The saga of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank continues. Yes there has been misunderstanding, but the underlying problem is politicization. Some of this was generated by Wolfowitz, some of it from the favoritism allowed to the US government and its stranglehold insistence on deciding who can be the World Bank President.

Many definitive statements can be seen at:
http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.3302.aspx

Quoting from the above report (by Bank Information Center, a 'watchdog' organization), perhaps the statements by former World Bank General Counsel Roberto Dañino are most condemnatory:

• Dañino: "PW [Wolfowitz] acted incorrectly, not only providing the additional benefits discussed...above, but also by trying to blame the Board, the EC, the General Counsel and the VPHR (Vice President of Human Resources) when these actions became public. It is only after the inaccurate assertions of PW or his spokespersons were denied by the affected parties and when PW's express instructions in writing became public, that PW admitted he had made a mistake.

• Dañino: "In my opinion, the matter presents not merely questions of legal compliance but also - and more importantly - questions about the moral authority of the Bank's President and the confidence he commands from the Bank's own staff and around the world. I believe that PW made serious substantive errors by providing unauthorized benefits to a person with whom he had a relationship that created a conflict of interest...He then failed to disclose these actions and later blamed them on others, apparently trying to deceive the board, the staff and the general public. He or his spokespersons falsely suggested that his actions had been approved by the Board, the EC, the GC and/or the VPHR. Later statements have charged his accusers with political motivations. In my judgment, these actions and statements have badly hurt the morale of the staff, damaged the reputation of the Bank, and eroded his moral authority to lead the Bank."
  

Maybe there was misunderstanding and miscommunication. But there also seems a try to steamroller underlings and summarily to stifle criticism.

At least Wolfowitz has done the world a service by highlighting the anti-democratic dimensions of how the World Bank President is appointed.

Y Iraq?

Picture a nation in mourning, which had been grievously attacked. People around the world supported America's loss on 9/11 with sympathy, but many Americans responded with anger, and military enlistments soared. Soon the US military would begin a "war on terror" for justice.

Five and a half years later, many of the top planning perpetrators of 9/11 remain at large. The US leadership moved the battle to Iraq; thousands of American young people (and dozens from the Coalition of the Willing) are dead.

Those on the sidelines talk and wring their hands. Those who lost loved ones wonder deeply - just what the hell is going on?

Deadly Anomalies

War is most perverse when only a few people are involved in a life & death struggle, and others are essentially unaffected. Too many Americans contribute to supporting war merely through displaying a tacky ribbon on their automobiles...

But there are other anomalies even less explainable.

Young American men are required to register with the Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. This has been the law since 1980. The system is for "emergency manpower needs of the Military by conscripting untrained manpower, or personnel with professional health care skills, if directed by Congress and the President in a national crisis."

According to the government's website:

Registration is the law. A man who fails to register may face a fine of up to $250,000 and/or a prison term of up to five years.

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
Men who aren't registered won't qualify for Federal student loans or grant programs: Pell Grants, College Work Study, Guaranteed Student/Plus Loans, and National Direct Student Loans.

CITIZENSHIP
Registration is a condition for U.S. citizenship if the man first arrived in the U.S. before his 26th birthday.

FEDERAL JOB TRAINING
The Workforce Investment Act offers programs to train men (& women) for jobs in auto mechanics and other skills; (but for men,) only open to those who register with Selective Service.

FEDERAL JOBS
A man must be registered to be eligible for jobs in the Executive Branch of the Federal government and the U.S. Postal Service (required only for men born after December 31, 1959).

Some states have added additional penalties for those who fail to register.

We live in a society that demands equality. Why are women not part of the system?
We live in a democracy. But women are not directly threatened by the Selective Service or its penalties. Why not? Perhaps because if all voters needed to register for the draft, those involved might adjust the system. Only putting young men at risk is sexist, inequitable, and perhaps illegal.

Many young men detest appearing cowardly. They would serve their nation honorably. Yet allowing others to weasel away (women & Dick Cheney) is wrong. Women could proudly serve if called. This system now places us all closer to war, and closer to a draft.

America in Iraq: A deceptive "bill of goods"

Many otherwise-clever Americans have been led to believe that the USA should "stay the course" in Iraq, because a U.S. military withdrawal would leave a dangerous and tragic vacuum.

But there are nearly 200 other nations in the world; those concerned can assist if necessary, probably in cooperation with Iraq's nearby neighbors.

Various others people of the world (also) have vested interests in Iraq. Most Americans do not.

Many Iraqi and Kurdish people detest continued American interference. Most Americans would be better served by US federal spending at home, not in far-off Iraq. Persistent violence in Iraq is killing & brutalizing far too many people. The USA never should have taken the unilateral decision to invade; the key reasons given at the time have now been accepted as erroneous.

Let's imagine a North American scenario -- the USA and Mexico are presently arguing about border security: what if a belligerent European, African or Asian nation inserted troops?
No way José.

Bring US troops home from Iraq.

Haiku

by Genki 元気


A single red rose
Graces a saké bottle
By my Chinese lunch
      -- 2006-01-23

Bohemian road
Aimless Czech discovery
Balance elusive
      -- 2006-08-07

Mountains and water
Rhythms to be listened to
Away from the crowds
      -- 2006-08-07

Ultimately one
Life is shared, I die alone
Calm, scared -- otherwise
      -- 2006-09-24

Big Italian meal
With pickles in Korea
Very far from home
      -- 2006-11-26

Lights beneath the clouds
Night glimpses from a jet plane
Hurdling the globe
      -- 2006-12-03

Twelve hours thus far
Still yet I'm folded narrow
Seat 46K
      -- 2006-12-03

Watada and Nuremberg

US Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada has been on trial -- in essence, for undermining the military. Is he guilty - most certainly! What should be his penalty? The case should be dropped. He should receive our thanks.

The government of the USA took a great and costly risk to unilaterally enter war. There actually was no clear and present danger from Iraq. The Bush administration claimed to know of weapons of mass destruction, etc.; but they did not know. They were wrong, or perhaps deliberately they lied.

Is this important? Yes.

An article by Paul Rockwell in the Baltimore Sun (1 Feb 2007) discusses this key issue (here is an excerpt):

"Under the enlistment contract, every soldier has a right, even a duty, to disobey illegal orders. The legality of Lieutenant Watada's orders pursuant to a "war of choice" is the central issue of the trial.

No American soldier has any obligation to participate in military aggression, in "crimes against peace," or in any operations that violate the Geneva Conventions. Under constitutional government, the authority of military command derives not from one person alone but from the rule of law itself.

There are only two conditions in which a war is legal under international law: when force is authorized by the U.N. Security Council, or when the use of force is an act of national self-defense and survival. Apart from these conditions, war is an act of aggression. The U.N. Charter, based on the Nuremberg Conventions, prohibits war "as an instrument of policy." And the war in Iraq is just that - a war of choice.

There is a common tendency among lawyers and military commanders to sneer at international law. But the Constitution is unambiguous. Article VI states: "All treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby."

There is no exception for the military, no wall between domestic and international law.

Lieutenant Watada reminds us that the U.S. Army Field Manual states: "Treaties relating to the law of war have a force equal to that of laws enacted by Congress. Their provisions must be observed by both military and civilian personnel with the same strict regard for both the letter and spirit of the law which is required with respect to the Constitution and statutes.""

>> full article at: http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0201-30.htm

Ultimately this is the bottom line. We say soldiers must stand up to their leaders in refusing illegal orders. Concentration camp SS guards and common soldiers were held personally responsible for atrocities. If this war is illegal, our soldiers should not be there. End of story.

--------------------------------------
Ehren Watada (和多田) grew up in Hawaii and was an Eagle Scout. He completed deployment to Korea before refusing to deploy to Iraq.

The Waiting Alien

published in The Korea Herald, 2007-01-23
Op-Ed (p.13)

The Waiting Alien

Waiting in an immigration line is never pleasant. Aliens face long waits, while returning nationals pass quickly by. Waiting in line offers time to reflect; some lines are more enduring and unpleasant than others.

Where I live, in Stockholm, Sweden, the wait at immigration is never more than a minute or two; I look at the quickly-moving line for EU nationals and imagine the day not far off that I can join that line, as a dual national of the USA and Sweden. The line at Seoul's modern Incheon International Airport is much longer, and more bitter. The boundary to Korean nationality, perhaps insurmountable in my lifetime, clearly separates those coming home from us who are visitors. The boundaries of East Asian nations are often a focus of national pride, while the boundaries of the EU (and of ASEAN, and even South America), grow more flexible. With many worldwide opportunities for the highly-skilled, I patiently wait to enter Korea; perhaps I'm a fool.

Prof. Bruce Henry Lambert

Downshift

In many years of schooling, I was never taught how to shift gears to find fulfillment. Analytic side-stepping and lateral thinking were part of my training, but each is built on a problem's centrality. I was taught rather grimly to persevere with analysis, generating alternative scenario, secondary or tertiary relationships, and policy options. Tenacious cybernetic non-stochastic immersion.

In personal life we all learn to downshift and change the subject of attention. I might go from school to home, meeting loved ones oblivious to the wrangling of my environment elsewhere. Refuge can be found by walking in nature, by turning to entertainment, or by listening to others. I learned conscious shut down of problem-solving and more simply to enjoy life.

Energy industries

One unfortunate dimension of energy development in the USA is that the oil and associated industries have hijacked debate via the political process. George W. Bush & Dick Cheney are shortsighted unapologetic supporters of oil. This has helped enshroud the USA in Middle Eastern affairs to the detriment of our future.

Alternative energy is not merely a rallying element for disaffected environmentalists. Alternative energy businesses have huge potential, and promise in the future to grow into efficient and important large-scale industries. This is recognized in Germany, Japan and elsewhere, but has been denigrated in the USA.

It's an oily morass. Valuable options being developed elsewhere leave the USA with old, polluting smokestack industries and prospects of paying royalties offshore for generations. At the same time, the environment is degraded, while the USA foolishly blunders in Iraq and the Middle East.

Sunshine

Thus far, this blog has been grim. I've been motivated to write mostly on dark & dreary political problems, attacking the narrow drives of belligerent self-interest among those who refuse to display uncertainty.

Oops! ...started again to get wound-up...

Anyhow, it is perhaps more important to try to display a better way. I pledge to write about goodness for awhile.

With the sovereignty of the empty page confronting this decision, I'll now do meditative breathing, then go outside and play.

Lamont vs. Lieberman

There is a distant drumbeat for change in the USA. Americans read the USA spends $10 million every hour in Iraq (for who knows what?) while local services (in the 'homeland') decline. The government has waged war for years, telling people they know what's best.

Business-as-usual is being buffeted. Just now the Connecticut Democratic primary challenge of Ned Lamont has energized a segment of America. Sitting Senator Joe Lieberman is under attack as being a Republican in disguise. We're told that ousting Lieberman for Lamont is a first step to building new hope for America.

I'm sceptical, and believe it's a semi-permitted sideshow. Joe Lieberman should not top anyone's enemies list. He's a clever and hard-working insider, whose recent work on the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (FRPAA; S.2695), for example, has been a great public service.

Yes, Joe takes up a chair that someone else might better use. I can't say if one such someone is Ned Lamont - too many people after election suddenly go quiet. One broadcast of Ned's candidacy, however, puts the contrast of energetic challenger and complacent toad very clearly; the editors of this Fox61 report clearly favor the challenger. Viewers are eagerly led to the sideshow; the truly major rollbacks of American integrity are ignored...

==2006-03-13 Fox61 news clip: Lamont candidacy==
(6MB media file)

Terror: terrible, not novel

Too many Americans seem to feel, or perhaps have been led to believe, that the terrorist tragedy of 9-11 was an unprecedented horror, worthy of unique retribution at any cost. But organized man-made horrors have existed since time immemorial; the Bible lists dozens. Proper perspective is an important part of problem-solving. Simply lashing-out in rage is no solution. Nearly five years after 9-11, our situation is worse.

Lay down dead

Convicted fraudster Dr. 'Kenny-Boy' Lay of Enron has passed away -- perhaps.

I'm sceptical.

But I believe that the U.S. government 'spiked' Muhammad Ali; and that one day I might see 'Whitey' Bulger at a harbourside marina (what could be done?...)

It is reported that Kenneth Lay died unexpectedly & tragically while holidaying in Aspen. Or maybe now he is cleverly protected in some far-off paradise...

The man no doubt did many good things; but he never accepted responsibility for Enron's swindles. He took credit for his management skills (and accrued a sizable fortune) when the firm seemed to be doing well; when things fell apart, he claimed to know nothing.

I ain't no lawyer, but Habeas corpus for multi-millionaire mega-weasels. He may be in Costa Rica, Calgary, Cardiff, or anywhere. He's left ample reasons for distrust. Many thousands of people were deeply damaged by Enron's frauds. Is it fair that death might lead to erasure of Lay's criminal conviction?

----
Update: Lay's convictions were vacated following his death as appeals were not exhausted -- though no appeal was filed. The cheat continues...

Government responsibility?

The aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami was a scandal in Sweden because of the government's slow and insufficient response. Tragedy could have been somewhat mitigated with timely intervention by the Swedish government. But was it clear (or is it clear) where responsibility starts and ends?

If a Swede runs out of money abroad, should the government help? How about if a storm causes a family to lose their money; what is the government's responsibility? Even if we say - "It is only money, not life" what if during processing time, without money, the unfortunate Swedes or their children suffer another accident, or violence?

I'm not sure that consensus exists on how much the State is responsible for people's welfare outside the country. Are consular people and ministers on call constantly? Should all taxpayers be charged with getting travelers out of trouble?

What of responsibility by innkeepers, travel agents, and the traveler's themselves?

Having said that, governments should be somewhat prepared, and have planned for various accidents and changing circumstances; then implementing policies, plans and limits: risk management procedures, emergency mitigation and relief.

Take a Haiku in Sweden

Disappearing snow
Autumn trash & lots of sand
Stockholm in April

More light and more light
Stockholm faces shining bright
More glow from within

Kristi Himmelsfärd
But Annandag Pingst no more
Just thanks for days off

Airline spring puppets
ESCC people plan
Our summer travel

Too eagerly baked?
From autumn to Shrove Tuesday
When to eat semlor?

Feathered birch twigs and
Funny-looking witches: Spring!
Songs by the bonfire

Do April showers
Bring May flowers when we're at
Sixty degrees North?

Provocative Cartoons

Cartoons published in Denmark ridiculing the Prophet Muhammed have been republished widely in Europe. Is this a case of freedom of the press?

I believe that this problem shows poor sensitivity, and was deliberately provocative. To demean what others hold dear is stupid.

Someone can legally write that your mother is ugly. But they'd best prepare for your strenuous and perhaps angry disagreement...

Haiku 2006-01-11

Mussolini Bush
Dragged Colin Powell to hell
Uncertain? Never.

No unwelcome News
Plays for long in Disregard
Sweet Karl Rove gets blamed

Haiku

Sabra Shatila
Butchered thousands refuge lost
Sharon's legacy

Ways to celebrate living

Adult life is not simple and sweet - we do not allow it to be so. It is easy to generate dozens of reasons why something can't be done, or how my personal condition is tough, inelastic and grim. Frankly, I'm not much interested in comparing who has the life more mired in shit and despair. There's plenty of that around, no need to look far. I'd like to hear from those who've overcome adversity. Let's hear from those who've risen above mediocrity. Please tell us how / why you enjoy or celebrate life.

An Open Letter

To MP Boris Johnson & MP George Galloway

Has the government of George W. Bush sought to wage war on Al Jazeera? Why was the Official Secrets Act invoked recently by Lord Goldsmith - to reaffirm the confidentiality of US-UK discussions, or to coverup maliciousness?

These governments overstate their assertions, refuse to divulge uncertainty, and aggressively promote highly-troubling chauvinistic political policies. They proactively attack their critics.

A vigorous press should be an important counterbalance. But too few people are willing or able to give voice to objections or to provide correctional guidance.

I am not from a British parliamentary constituency. But each of you represents much more: you have been defiant & bold; you've a freshness and special spark, developed in very different political backgrounds.

Together, and uniquely, you two MPs can shine light on this deadly morass.

Bruce Henry Lambert, D.Phil. (Oxon.)
Stockholm, Sweden

Thanksgiving for everyone?

In the USA, Thanksgiving is a great holiday. Lots of vittles and family togetherness, and a time for reflection (which for many may be unusual). It is also a secular holiday that people of all faiths and backgrounds can join.

Yet there is something disturbing about yesterday's NASA press release:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:10:30 -0600
From: info@JSC.NASA.GOV
Subject: International Space Station Status Report #58

2005
Report #58
10 a.m. CST, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

International Space Station Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev will enjoy a day off Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving. The holiday highlights a week in orbit of robotics operations, routine maintenance and early preparations for a shipment of supplies and Christmas gifts.

McArthur and Tokarev are the 12th crew of the space laboratory and will be the sixth station crew to observe Thanksgiving on the complex. They sent holiday greetings to Earth this week and described their plans to feast on irradiated smoked turkey, dehydrated green beans, powdered drinks and a thermo stabilized cranberry-apple dessert.

On Monday, McArthur powered up the station's 60-foot robotic arm and maneuvered .....(snipped)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

There seems to be the assumption here that all the world celebrates Thanksgiving (and that the ISS is a USA project). A bit too US-ethnocentric a report I think. Perhaps as a US-expatriate working on Thanksgiving I'm sensitive. Anyhow, Tokarev count your blessings. I'd have you working.

(Perhaps both are working; no beers or NFL / high school football 230 miles up)

Lodz, Poland

Myku by Genki

Myku
(Watashi no English-language haiku)
by Genki   元気

Cold morning washroom
Lit up grey around my face
My father's stubble


My smile is wider
Greeting a familiar face
Whose name I forgot


reawakened stress
frosty dawn barely witnessed
the sound of water


encircled craving
one bite leads to another
another plate to wash


Crack!
My belly relaxes
Welcome winds of spring

----------------------

late 1980s, Tsukuba, Japan

Winter in Maine

by Genki  　元気

Everyone has known these things
Since indeterminate
That poets, beggars, clowns & Kings
Have routinely to bend and shit.

January 1980, Waterville, Maine

Pretrend : what is it?

This blog is named Pretrend

It is a preview of things developing

I also own the website:
http://pretrend.com

Perhaps most important why this blog's named Pretrend: cause my first two Blogspot choices were taken...