3 BLIND MICE AT ANNAPOLIS

 I have watched with interest the preparations for and beginning negotiations of the Mid-East ‘peace’ conference being held at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland.  I have been fortunate to count among my friends several graduates of the Naval Academy, and know two young men who currently attend this fine institution.  I greatly fear that this storied place may become synonymous with images of failure, meaningless pronouncements and the possible sellout and subsequent destruction of a democratic ally of America.

 I am no foreign policy wonk, nor do I have any particular expertise as a professional pundit or expert observer.  On the contrary, I have a healthy distrust of anyone advertised as an ‘expert’.  My Grandfather often reminded to beware of those who call themselves experts.  The Titanic, he would say, was built by experts with extensive schooling; while the Ark was built by amateurs with common sense.  Using his reasoning, I can only equate this conference as the bound being led by the blind.

 When I say the bound, I am referring to the multitude of attending countries that have a firm anti-Israel position, based on culture, religion and prejudice.  Indeed, many of them have codified this attitude within their laws, firmly cementing a predicable bias in anything they say or do.  I am going to ignore those countries in this piece, as I think anything further I would say or write would be superfluous to the main issues.

 What is germane to the conference is the participation of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, and United States President George Bush.  Or, as I cited in the title, the three blind mice.  And why, you may ask, do I feel this analogy is appropriate?  My simplistic view, as a certified resident of flyover country, is based on my application of common sense, as taught to me by my grandfather.  As a casual observer, I can only base my opinions on the positions taken by these men, and the position of the two countries that are the actual prime movers of the current situation in that troubled area of the world.

 Prime Minister Olmert has the lowest opinion level by his own countrymen of any Israeli leader in recent memory.  His withdrawal from Gaza has established a terrorist enabling autonomous region that launches almost daily attacks against Israel, and is governed by Hamas, an organization whose very charter demands the destruction of Israel and elimination of all Jews from the area.  He has not learned yet that the Palestinians do not want a separate state.  Rather, they want it all, with no compromise, and no Israel.  Yet he continues to offer the Palestinians more land and independence, further endangering Israel’s very existence.  Thus his lack of support by Israelis.  He is indeed both blind, and mouse like in his actions.

 President Abbas has no control over Gaza, and his grip in the West Bank is tenuous, enforced by his police with assistance from the Israeli security forces.  Hamas won the election in the West Bank, as well as Gaza, and have called this conference meaningless.  Abbas can’t even control Fatah, the paramilitary and terrorist based wing of his own organization.  If he thinks any negotiations by him will be accepted by the Palestinians, he is also blind to reality, and will (if lucky) be soon banished to some mouse hole.

 President Bush has a domestic approval rating only slightly better than Congress.  His positions on illegal immigration, and other issues, have even eroded his support among those who elected him.  He has invited a myriad of nations to the conference, all but two with no real involvement or influence over the issues being discussed.  Four of the participants, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon could have resolved the Palestinian issues over the four decades when they had control over the Palestinian people.  All they did was segregate these people from their own citizenry, and aid in establishing the attitude of victimhood and revenge that has grown over the years.  If Mr. Bush thinks their participation helpful, he is blind to the facts, and is being toyed with as a cat plays with a mouse.

The only countries that have any actual influence are Saudi Arabia, and Iran.  The Saudis have religious credibility within the Sunni community and financial credibility through their infusion of money into the region.  Unfortunately, the financial support goes mainly to terrorist organizations, to insure them the money necessary to arm and carry on the attacks on Israel.  Their standing within the social and religious areas is through their support of spreading the precepts of Wahabism within the Muslim populace.  This brand of Islam preaches racial and religious hatred, and specifically calls for the genocide of Jews.  That the Saudi representatives refuse to shake hands with the Israeli attendees, or even appear in photos with them, makes it pretty clear to this observer that they have no interest in any peaceful settlement.

 Iran continues to support and arm Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, rearming them so that they can restart their active campaign to destroy Israel.  Hezbollah, like Hamas, has at its core belief the complete destruction of Israel.  Let me remind you that Hezbollah is second only to Al Qaida in the murder of Americans, and are as much an enemy of the United States as is Al Qaida.  The President of Iran has repeatedly called for the destruction of both the United States and Israel, and a continuation of the Islamic Jihad against all things Western and democratic.  Somehow, I doubt that an equitable settlement is in their interest.

 The bottom line to me is that the entire comedy of this conference is an exercise in futility.  The Palestinians do not want an accord, they want Israel to disappear.  Almost all of the attendees want the same, even if they do not want to participate directly in Israel’s destruction.  Any pronouncement by the three main participants will be considered meaningless due to their weak standing at home and the overwhelming opposition to the continued existence of Israel by most other nations at the table.  My only question is how destructive the results can be to our only true friend in the region, and ultimately, to our own interests and influence.

But that is just my opinion, and I could be wrong.  After all, I am no expert.

THANK YOU COLONEL TIBBETS

 They are all gone now, except the youngest, my Uncle Bobby.  The last of my own greatest generation.

 Dad was in the Coast Guard, considered too old for active Navy duty.  Uncle Roy was in the Navy, as was his brother Wally.  Their youngest brother, Bobby, was a Marine pilot.  He had begun flying at fourteen, using the money from the job my Dad got him at a drug store to pay for his flying lessons.  Sneaking off to Palwaukee airport outside Chicago, where a sympathetic World War One veteran gave a young boy a chance to learn to soar with the eagles.

 Wally and Roy served on aircraft carriers, with the hope they could watch out for their younger brother.  But Bobby flew off fixed bases in the Pacific, flying the top line F4U Vought Corsair.  What Wally and Roy wound up watching were Kamikaze pilots trying their damnedest to kill them.  Uncle Roy had back problems the rest of his life from one of those pilots.

 Dad went first, while I was still in High School.  Uncle Wally was next, a few years after Dad.  Uncle Roy held on until after I was married, and had transferred away from Chicago.  But I went back, with my then small children, for his services.  Two of my nephews blew taps at the cemetery.  It was the first time I remember my retired career Marine Uncle Bobby crying.  He is in North Carolina now, still playing his beloved golf, and still referring to my Aunt Helen as his bride.

Gone too is my oldest cousin, Bob.  He landed at Utah Beach on D Day.  Temporarily blinded by an artillery shell air burst, he returned to the front after only a few days of recovery.  He lost a leg in France.  His oldest son gave the eulogy.  Until he spoke, most of the family never knew about the medals for valor Bob received.  Like my other family members, he never talked much about the war.

 I hear a lot of discussion about the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki.  It seems many historians, commentators, and pundits are still discussing the use of these weapons.  Serious debates about the need for their employment, the moral implications, and the precedents set.  Speculation, coupled with revisionist history, seem to make this an academic issue, open to many interpretations.  However, to me, it is not academic.  It is very personal.

 You see, all of my family survived World War Two.  Unlike 405,399 other American families, mine never received that dreaded visit from the Western Union man, bearing a telegram that started “We regret to inform you”.  One limb lost, burns, scars and shed blood were all felt deeply, but at least they came back.  But that could have been very different.

 An invasion of Japan would have resulted in an estimated one million American casualties, over a third of whom would have been killed.  Based on the experience of Okinawa, up to twenty million more Japanese civilians would have died.  Would my Uncle Bobby, Uncle Roy and Uncle Wally have survived?  Cousin Bob would have been here, as he had already been discharged with the loss of his leg.  Dad too, would have survived, as he was never called to combat duty.  But of the others, I understandably can’t say.  But I can say that ending the war without an invasion of Japan insured that those who were still alive would remain so. Because the war ended when it did, I grew up with an Uncle Roy, Uncle Wally, and Uncle Bobby.  And because the war ended when it did, 350,000 other American families welcomed back their sons, brothers, fathers and uncles.  And twenty million Japanese survived to rebuild both their country, and their society.

 Colonel Paul Tibbets passed away this week.  He piloted the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima that, together with the bombing of Nagasaki, finally ended World War II.  We flew the American flag at half staff at my house, not to commemorate a bomb, but to say thank you to Col. Tibbets on behalf of my family.

Thank you, Colonel Tibbets for completing the mission that you knew would affect the rest of your life.  Thank you, Colonel, for making the right decision.

THE GREAT IOWA PUMPKIN CAPER

 Now that the excitement and activities of Halloween are past, I would like to share some thoughts about the GREAT IOWA PUMPKIN CAPER, and its national implications.

 Over the past few days, Iowa has been the subject of many humorous comments from television and newspaper commentators and pundits, internet news sites, and bloggers of every stripe.  Usually, comments about Iowa are limited to the Caucus season, or have to do with our rural background.  We have come to expect that, and quietly continue to provide our children with an educational system that is consistently ranked in the top four of the fifty states, a crime rate that is infinitesimal compared to most states, and an agricultural system that not only feeds the Nation, but provides foodstuffs to the world.  From a personal standpoint, I am rarely embarrassed to say that although a Chicago native, I have happily lived in Iowa for more than nineteen years, and continue to do so even though now retired.

 However, what I and many of my neighbors and friends are calling the Pumpkin Caper is not only an embarrassment, but is an indicator of a new governmental program that may portend issues of concern to all of us.  I can think of no other way to describe this other than to call it a stealth tax that could be applied many other products and services, both at a state level, and a national level.

 The short version is that Iowa is now charging sales tax on pumpkins.  That this happened in an agricultural state is the reason for the recent surge of media comments. How this happened should be a fair warning to us all.

 The news stories have the basic story wrong when they call it a new tax.  It is not a new tax passed by our state legislature and signed into law by our governor.  Rather, it is based on a decision by those nameless and faceless government bureaucrats who are answerable to no one.

 Like many states, Iowa does not levy a sales tax on food.  Therefore, most farm produce is sold tax free.  However, in a secretive move not covered by any oversight, and not noted or reported on by any local media, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Department of Revenue, reclassified pumpkins from an agricultural product to a decoration.  As a decoration, pumpkins are now subject to the state sales tax.  This action was taken under the radar, by two department heads appointed by our newly elected Democratic governor.  A new tax, without any legislative action.

 I want you to take a moment to consider the implications of this action.  The state has opened a new source of revenue by simply reclassifying a product.  If we want to avoid paying sales tax, we must request a tax exemption form, and certify that the pumpkin will be used for food, and not as a decoration.  Most retailers were not aware of this tax change until after the Halloween season was upon us, and most pumpkins sold.  They must now pay the tax out of their own revenue, putting a strain on the small grocers who have a limited income already.  Does this mean that if I hang some leftover ears of sweet corn from my door for Thanksgiving, that the Department of revenue will knock on my door demanding that I pay a tax on them, because of its use as a decoration?  How about if my grandson carved the pumpkin, but my wife then baked the seeds as a treat for him?  Is this dual use, requiring a different form.  I don’t know, because this entire process was completed in secret.

 With national elections looming, and so many candidates already talking about instituting new taxes, or allowing previously passed tax cuts to expire, will this strategy expand to other states or federal taxes.  Can other states or the Federal government increase our taxes by reclassifying certain products and services?  Can other Governors and a new President, with their own appointees in place, use the process of product classification to increase their revenues without any opportunity for either the electorate or our representatives to consider the issue?  You may think not, but are you willing to bet your spendable income on it?

 While you may consider me an alarmist, I would ask that you read the wording of the original Stamp Act put in place by the British Government when we were still a colony, and then remember what stimulated the patriots who fought for our independence.  Their first battle cry was “No Taxation Without Representation”.

UPDATE

 A little light can often cure a multitude of ailments.  And embarrassment can even work on our politicos, even in today’s liberal environment.

 The good news is that the Governor of Iowa has suspended implementation of the pumpkin sales tax, and advised the Iowa Department of Revenue to refund the tax monies already collected.

 The bad news is that the classification of pumpkins as a decoration rather than an agricultural product was suspended, not rescinded, as the media reported.  That means the process and the classification remains in place, and can be reinstated by executive order, again without legislative oversight.  In addition, as a test application, the use of product classification to change tax status was a success, and can be applied to many other products and services in the future to enhance governmental revenues.  And not just in Iowa, but at state and Federal levels.  I am confident that this is not the last we have seen of the use of a stealth tax.