Oil Spill Measures - Too Little, Too Late

Every step of the way so far, it seems like those responsible and those in a position to do something have understated the problem and minimized their response. BP - just business as usual. Obama - tall talk with no connection to his actions or lack thereof. And Al Gore - Al who?

Obama Report Card

Unlike most new presidents, Obama seems to be doing just as poorly on the international front as he is on the domestic front. Oslo (Nobel Prize) and Copenhagen (Environment Conference) were both disastrous in terms of public relations, if nothing else. On the home front, the health care bill seems to be mired again, unemployment is increasing, prices are rising, terrorism - or allegation of terrorism - is once again a daily occurrence, and ordinary civil liberties are set to
erode further.

Instead of Barack Obama, we might as well call him Bush Obama. That's "Bush" on two counts - historical and semantic.

First, Obama's key economic and military advisers and hence his policies in those areas are little different from that of his predecessor, George Walker Bush. And, though Obama speaks more coherently than his predecessor, the content of his speeches is comparably inane and his conduct with others is comparably tactless.

Second, Obama's performance is indeed bush, that is, "falling below acceptable standards" and "unprofessional". Little wonder that the majority of Americans now disapprove of their president's performance.

At the rate with which Obama's approval ratings have been sinking, he is soon likely to make Bush look good. In that case, I may have to find a new moniker for the man.

Nobel Peace Prize?

Thirty-five years ago, I wrote an article about the political nature of the Nobel prize selection process. But over the years - with all the questionable choices that were made - none struck me as so thoroughly undeserved as Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize. What has he done? Sent more troops to Afghanistan?

Obama's acceptance speech spoke more of war than peace. Obama described himself as a Commander In Chief, engaged in two wars, who, "like any head of state, reserve[s] the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend [his] nation." To soften that saber-rattling remark, his only concession was a platitude: "Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards strengthens those who do and isolates and weakens those who don't."

An honest man would have refused the Nobel Prize as undeserved. Had he done so, I would have thought higher of Obama. Today, he just looks like a pompous hypocrite, rather a polished satan. "Great humility"... I think not.

Roman Polanski - Exposing the Hollowness of American Ethics

When it comes to ethics, are the rules not common to all? Or is there one set of conduct rules for celebrities and another set of conduct rules for everyone else?

With few exceptions, Americans seem to be universally appalled when a Catholic priest abuses children. But when the same abuse is committed by a celebrity, many Americans would turn a blind eye. Yes, the priest's hypocrisy does have a compounding effect. But that is not a sufficient explanation for the double standard. The misuse of power or influence to sexually abuse children is more appalling than any priestly hypocrisy.

Michael Jackson or Roman Polanski - child abuse is child abuse. Regardless of any artistic skill, there is no excuse for drugging and molesting a thirteen-year-old.

Chavez=Ahmadinejad?

According to Hugo Chavez, currently in Iran:

Tehran and Caracas should help revolutionary nations through further expansion and consolidation of their ties.

Everyone knows that Hugo likes to portray himself as a revolutionary. And, as Hugo is a revolutionary, therefore Venezuela is a revolutionary nation. If Hugo says that Iran is also a revolutionary nation, then presumably he considers Mahmoud to be a revolutionary like himself. The question is: Does anyone else in the world define revolutionary the same way as Hugo?

The Continuum Is The Goal

While Obama tries to push through a reform bill on health care, it seems that there is an urgent health issue that is not being adequately addressed:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The H1N1 flu virus could cause up to 90,000 U.S. deaths, mainly among children and young adults, if it resurges this fall as expected, according to a report released Monday by a presidential advisory panel...

And that apparently is on top of:

Up to 40,000 U.S. deaths are linked to seasonal flu each year, with most of the fatalities occurring among people over 65...

Unfortunately:

... the H1N1 vaccine isn't expected to be available until mid-October, and even then it will take several weeks for vaccinated individuals to develop immunity, the report says. The potential "mismatch in timing" could significantly diminish the usefulness of the H1N1 vaccine, the report says.

So what does the report recommend?

Speed up the production of the H1N1 vaccine and have an initial batch - enough to vaccinate up to 40 million people, especially those who are at risk of serious disease - by mid-September...

One can only wonder why it takes a report by a presidential advisory panel to come up with a recommendation as obvious as this? Why hasn't this been done already? Perhaps the answer is hidden in the words of Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:

...the government's preparation and guidance for the public was based on the need to strike a balance "on a continuum of being paralyzed with fear versus complacency."

What type of continuum is that? Typically there would be opposites at the two ends of a continuum. For example you could have a continuum from bad to good. In this case, rather ironically, the Health and Human Services Secretary is offering a continuum from bad to bad, from static to static.

So perhaps the continuum is the goal. Perhaps it is all about having the government and the general public both paralyzed, either with fear or with complacency.

PROUT (The Movie)

A new movie to introduce the Five Fundamental Principles of PROUT is currently scheduled for release around the end of October. Have a look at the promotional video at PROUTfilms.