Category Archives: Americana

A State Dinner

Americana, Obama

I am blown away that today Barrack Obama and Michele Obama, or as it said on the official program – The President & First Lady Michelle Obama – had a State Dinner. It brings tears to my eyes.

Years ago I heard a speech given by Pat Schroeder, then the US Representative from Colorado’s First District. In the speech, she talked about taking some sort of government trip to India aboard an Air Force plane. The Air Force, sort as a RF according to Schroeder, sent along a ground crew composed of women and racial minorities. Schroeder talked about how the diversified and hard working (no George Bushes at Yale there) crew impressed the Indians.

The Indians saw the diversity as a strength that only the United States had. It was what, in their eyes (and mine), made this a great country. And now, years later, the Obama Administration’s first State Dinner is to honor India and it was a showcase of diversity. Starting at the top!

And, Wow!, did the Obama look like they were having fun.

The Obamas

Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and his wife Ms. Gursharan Kaur were there, of course; along with expected guests such as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Deepak Chopra and his wife Rita Chopra, and Secretary of the Department of Energy Steven Chu and his wife.

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Steven Spielberg should be expected, I guess, but Alfre Woodard (I’ve been in love with Alfre ever since Passion Fish) with a black guy named Blair Underwood is a surprise, and I had to Google Jhumpa Lahiri and Alberto Vourvoulias to find out she is an American Indian author and he, her husband, is the editor of the nation’s oldest Spanish language newspaper. Of course, Colin Powell and his wife, Alma Powell were there. And Katie Couric and Obama’s sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng with her husband, and Mrs. Marian Robinson. Think about that, a white woman who probably helped Obama get elected just by doing her job; a half Indonesian woman teacher; and a black woman from Chicago’s south-side. These were people who were invisible when I was growing up.

Maybe the important things aren’t the bogged down Healthcare Bill, or Afghanistan, but the fact that Obama is changing what it means to be an American. No wonder the birthers are going nuts.

 


 

 

 

It is our country.

Americana, What's a man?

Sarah Palin is still talking about the real American and the goofy birthers
are still saying Obama is not a real American. Now Pat Buchanan is complaining that
"Old heroes like Columbus, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee are
replaced by Dr. King and Cesar Chavez." – For God's sake, Pat,  Robert
E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were traitors, is that the best you can
do?  Listening to them, I have starting thinking about what does make a real American?

Maybe a real American is like pornography: hard to define, but you know it when you see it. One real American is Hung Ba Le, a native of Hue, Vietnam, who left that country
as a five-year-old refugee and was picked up at sea by a U.S. Navy ship. This this month, he became the commander of the USS Lassen, a guided missile
destroyer.

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There is so much that I like about this (and this picture). The delicious irony that Le was saved by a US Navy ship and is now the commander of US Navy ship. The Navy is the most conservative of all the US armed services – by far. Just look at the picture, Le is wearing a sword… a SWORD! and they still use a pipe whistle as part of the boarding ceremony. Sixty years ago, the Navy was all white except for black mess stewards and Filipino cooks, now three of the six people in this picture are minorities and the new commander is a Vietnamese American.

The new America, the real America is not Sarah Palin's America.   

” The people of Afghanistan represent many things in this conflit – an audience, an actor, and a source of leverage – but above all, they are the objective.”

Americana, Current Affairs, Politics, Psychological Musings

What a great sentence. It is from the Commander's Initial Assessment  by Lieut. General Stan McChrystal, and it says almost everything about the war in Afghanistan – except why we are there and how long, whatever we are doing, will take. Obama ran on Afghanistan being the good war, the just war, the war we have to win to make the world safe. I think that the sub-text was that we abandoned Afghanistan once with disastrous results, and we can't – shouldn't – do it again.

And now Obama is president, and the war seems much harder and more complicated than it did a year ago from the campaign trail. The new commander, seems to actually understand the situation; unfortunately, he wants more troops. In his report, he writes about the five different players in the war, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force, the insurgency, the external players, and the people of Afghanistan. And each of the players, it seems to me (and I think, McChrystal) is a problem.

The Government of the Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan (or GIRoA as it is referred to in the report) has legitimacy problems and has problems with the people supporting it. Without a legitimate government, who are we fighting for. 

The  report sez that the International Security  Assistance Force (that's us – good ol'  ISAF) has completely mishandled their role.  Until now, the ISAF has had almost no idea of Afghan culture, have tried fighting the war with drones rather than people on the ground, and we have alienated more people than we have converted. 

The insurgency, on the other hand, does seem to know what it is doing. 

The major two external players, Pakistan and Iran, are completely out of our control. And they each have an agenda which is different than ours.  

 

Ted Kennedy

Americana, Politics

I never really got Ted Kennedy – actually, I never really got any of the Kennedys. OK, maybe Bobby in retrospect, but not Jack or Ted. I don't think that I have ever recovered from reading The Best and the Brightest  or my dismay over Chappaquiddick. And I feel bad about that.

I believe everybody when they say he was the most influential Senator ever.  I believe everybody when they say he did more for me than most presidents. I really appreciate that he endorsed Barack Obama early – when it was a risk, when it really made a difference. He seemed to be on the right side on most issues (the definition of "right side" being the side I agree with). And I am sad that he will not be around to see Universal Health Care passed (hell – maybe none of us will be around to see UHC passed).  

A while ago, Michele and I (separately), got an heartfelt email from Obama on Kennedy (we like to think that we are on Obama's short email list of 1.75 million).

Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives — in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education's promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me.

In the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. He battled passionately on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintained warm friendships across party lines. And that's one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy.

I personally valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've benefited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

His fight gave us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you and goodbye. The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives.

For America, he was a defender of a dream. For his family, he was a guardian. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today — to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.

Today, our country mourns. We say goodbye to a friend and a true leader who challenged us all to live out our noblest values. And we give thanks for his memory, which inspires us still.

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

The Mobil Station

Americana, California, Sierras

I think that because I was born in California and grew up here, I am used to driving around California and the west rather than flying. It seems much more reasonable to me to just drive to LA, for example, than to fly there and then rent a car (getting around by Public Transportation or Taxi would be inconceivable). The downside is that, once one leaves the Bay Area and until one gets to the next real urban area (that would probably be Chicago – going east), there are no interesting, fast, places to eat.

Finding an interesting place to eat in the American Outback is almost impossible. The choice is between stopping at a known fast food place like Carl's Jr. or an unknown authentic local place like the Jerk Water Cafe. There are a few exceptions: Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi, was a lucky find, or the long gone Nut Tree in Vacaville, and ….The Mobile Station on Hyway 395.

The Mobile Station is slightly uphill from where Highway 120 hits Highway 395 on the eastern side of Yosemite's Tioga Pass and it overlooks Mono Lake,

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otherwise, it looks just like any other gas station in the boondocks,

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selling – maybe – slightly better junk than most gas stations.

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But, inside is the Whoe Nellie Deli

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which is a very fun cafe (Café – really) serving such things as actual Espressos and Smoked Trout on a Bagel; as well as the usual bacon and eggs for breakfast. For lunch or dinner, there are – among lots of other choices – Fish Tacos, or a Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap,  or Wild Buffalo Meatloaf, or Lobster Taquitos, or St. Louis Style Ribs. And all of it is good.

It is well worth going out of your way (but probably not worth the five hour drive from Reno or San Francisco, or the seven hour drive from Los Angeles).