Having tried and failing hopelessly with Sarah Palin and the gender card, the snake-bitten and pathetic Republican Party has decided to play the race card. The measure of their desperation can be seen firstly in the naming of an African-American as their party leader and secondly in selecting Piyush "Bobby" Jindal to give their reply to Pres. Obama's speech to Congress.

     It was painful listening to Jindal. He tried to play the poor immigrant card, then the hard working ethnic card and finally the " we Americans can-do card". He contradicted himself on the Katrina fiasco, saying that the rebuilding was done by private actions, when in fact most of the spending ( in the billions) has been by the federal government. He also seem to have forgotten that it was the Bush " great job Brownie" administration that failed the people of New Orleans and responded so incompetently, whether it was the rescueing, the housing or the rebuilding. I guess he (Jindal) was overcome by the assignment, and to think that he is being touted as the saviour of the Republican Party.

      Jindal may truly believe in the conservative values of the Republican party. Is this why he has changed his name to Bobby? Is this why he has changed his religion to Catholic, waituing until the death of his grandfather to do so? No,No,No. It 's all political expediency. He obviously did not think that having an exotic name..Piyush and being a Hindu would be good for his political career. Louisana, one of the poorest states, with a very low literacy and high corruption among public officials. is overwhelmingly white, catholic and conservative. That is why the Indo- American, Hindu Piyush became the American, Catholic Bobby. Talk about self-serving. Even denying his identity and his heritage

     Barak Obama, on the other hand, an African- American (white, Christian American mother and a black Muslim Kenyan father) was Barry as a teenager, wandering the world from Hawaii to Indonesia to Chicago, discovered and celebrated his identity. He embraced his "exotic" name and was proud of his heritage. How re-assuring for the growing number of "mutts" that are increasingly a part of the American political, social and cultural mosaic. One offers hope and pride in self, the other limbo. The contrast is stark.

      The Republican party has become a shadow of itself. Eight years of George Bush. two draining wars, an economic meltdown, the failure of free enterprise/ capitalism, the greed of Wall Street, the growing unemployment, the toxic mortgages and the corruption have created a perfect storm that has engulfeed the Republicans. They are hapless and leaderless and so they have come up with this latest racist gimmick......create this Potemkin village, this facade that they have seen the light and are so eager to show that they are not out of touch with the changing demographics/ realities of the 21st century that they are willing to let an African-American and an Indo- American lead the party. They have allowed their "house servants", to come upstairs. Some of them (Shelby), have even resorted to again questioning whether Pres. Obama is really an American. What a pathetic, morally bankrupt, intellectually challenged, craven and crass bunch.    

 

        

      India has the second largest Muslim population in the world( after Indonesia), and they have been quite categorical in their condemnation and rejection of the Paki/Muslim terrorists who attacked Mumbai. Their abhorrence is clearly indicated in their refusal to allow the nine who were killed to be buried in its cemetery. Their bodies still remain in the Mumbai morgue, unclaimed and shunned. It should be noted that of the more than 170 people killed, most were Hindus, but 33 were Muslims and there were Jews and Christians killed also. The terrorists killed indiscriminately, killing for the sake of killing.

      India's Muslims refer to them as "murderers" not "martyrs". A spokesman for the Muslim Jama Masjid Trust said " people who committed this heinous criome cannot be called Muslim". M.J. Akbar, The Muslim Indian editor of the Covert, an investigative journal , wrote that "Indian Muslims are proud of being Indian and Muslim, and the Mumbai terrorism was a war against both India and Islam. Terrorism has no place in Islamic doctrine. The Quranic term for the killing of innocents is"fasad". Terrorists are fasadis not jihadis. In a beautiful verse, the Quran says that the killing of an innocent is akin to slaying the whole community. Since the terrorists were neither Indian nor Muslims, they had no right to an Islamic funeral in an Indian Muslim cemetery"

      The clear and decisive stance of the Indian Muslims is a far cry from the praise lavished to suicide bombers and others terrorists, who are acclaimed as matryrs, by some of the mainstream Arabic media and by extermist Islamist religious leaders. Young and impressionable Muslim men and women who are recruited for suicide missions are fed the lie of martydom, while their procurors spread their venom from the comfort and safety of their earthly paradise. The Muslims of Mumbai must be congratulated. They have sent a strong message that they will not support terrorism and the killing of innocents, and they will not reward the perpetrators and that furthermore, they will reject them as true Muslims and shun them. Islam teaches that if you commit suicede, you will be punished, even after death and that is what has happened to the Mumbai terrorists, unburied and unwanted in a Mumbai morgue.        

      The two "yahoos" of Israeli politics have decided that their self-interest is more important than the well-being of the country. They, together with the religious extremists who have won seats in the last election, are plotting how to divvy up the spoils, but this is not going to be easy. Too much egos, too much shibboleths, too much religious zealotry and too much " tails wagging the dog". Paralysis is the order of the day and Shimon Peres, the president, is twiddling his thumbs impotently.

      Compare this to Pres. Obama, who in one month, has managed to get so much done, including, getting his stimulus package passed, even with an obstructionist Republican party. He has also, in visits to various parts of the country and to Canada been able to re-assure and bring hope. It is truly amazing to see him at work. Thousands brave the weather and wait for hours just to get a glimpse of him, and they leave with smiles and a feeling that they matter and that they are being heard and that they are not alone. Spring is around the corner and you can see them skipping along, uplifted by his presence, a tune begining to play in their heads. They believe.  

              

      After a visit by Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy, Pakistan has acknowledged for the first time, that parts of the Mumbai attack were planned in Pakistan and that 6 suspects including the "main operator"are being held pending trial. Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible and Harper's( March 2009) has a detailed transcript of the  conservations between the terrorists and their handlers eg. " are you setting the fire or not?" "not yet, I am getting the mattress ready" " we have set fires in four rooms"... "keep throwing a greanade every fifteen minutes or so" "throw one or two grenades on the Navy and police teams" and " we have three foreigners, including women from Singapore and China".. Kill them" " don't saddle yourself with the burden of hostages"... Israel has made a request through diplomatic channels to save the hostages. If the hostages are killed, it will spoil relations between India and Israel"

      Pakistan has signed an agreement with the Taliban, operating in the Swat Valley,  whereby the system of Islamic law/ Sharia will be adopted. This area of 1.3 million voted for the secular Awami National Party in the last election and the Taliban (3000) have frustrated the Pakistani military (12,000) and gained control. This concession has exposed the Pakistani military as bloated and weak, able only to wage war in concert with terrorists in Kashmir., but when called upon to face a hard-core, internal enemy is found to be quite lacking. Is this the begining of the unravelling of the Pakistan? The 25 million Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan may be the next to win concession and maybe set up their own state.   

      The battle for the soul of Israel continues. Ego and selfish ambition (Netanyahu and Lieberman), against hope( a National Unity Gov't....a Grand Coalition). In the meantime Hamas has offered a six-month truce, but Israel is demanding an open-ended truce and the release of captured Israeli soldier. At least the fighting has eased, but Israel has to find a solution to its political tug-of-war, five elections in nine years and still waiting for a government .

      Protectionism is like pouring oil on flames. The spectre of protectionism has not vanished but is still present in the Obama's $787 billion stimulus package. There is a proviso that "buy America" will not be applied to Canada and Europe, if it violates trade agreements. Caterpillar, whose sales outside of the U.S.A. is 75% of its total sales, is one company that opposes protectionism, due to this and the fear of retaliation by China, Brazil and Europe. Canada which is America's largest supplier of oil and gas, and with whom it has $1.5 billion in trade with millions of jobs dependent on it on both side of the 49th paralell, and with NAFTA, is well placed to avoid this protective trap.

      At the recently concluded G7 meeting in Rome, it was agreed to avoid protectionism, which is viewed as a response to short-sighted and short term demands in the USA. There was also a pledge to discuss and implement stimulus measures at the G20 meeting, scheduled for April 2, in London.

      In the meantime Pres. Obama's offer of bi-partisanship has been soundly rejected by House Republicans and supported by only three Republican senators. It is very apparent that Republicans are not interested in working with Obama for political reasons. They do not want him to be successful, because to them this will bad for them in the mid-term elections in 2010. These are the same Republicans who gave gave George Bush whatever he asked for in tax cuts for the wealthy and tens of billions to fight the draining wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bi-partisanship is good politics for Obama but is also good for the nation and the "brain dead" ideological, shortsighted and bitter Republicans will pay a heavy price in 2010. The President is using all his selling skills to win public approval and his town- hall type meetings and his recent press conference have been highly successful. His package, and it is clearly his, will work, not merely because it will redress the problems, but because he has credibility, and the American people believe in him.             

      The votes have been cast and fear and racism won over hope . You make peace with your enemies or you continue to dance the " dance of death"( see fig. 1a). Netanyahu and Lieberman preach the politics of hate and exclusion and found a receptive audience among Israelis. Together they campaign, not for the future of Israel but their own selfish ambitions. They have sown the seeds of division and destruction and the crop will be bitterness and death. They are now the captive of the settlers/religious extremists and Israel is diminished as a result, and its prospects are becoming more and more dim.

      The electoral system of P.R. played true to form and not even a viable coalition is possible. The tail will have a lot of fun wagging the dog, especially as the tail is Lieberman and the irredentist and gun-toting settlers. It is a recipe for disaster, unless a Grand Coalition between Kadima, Likud and Labor can be formed. This may seem unlikely, but it has happened before. If ego and ambition and self-interest can be set aside for the greater good of the country, then this potential debacle can be avoided and "the dance of death" can be slowed. The Palestinians have to shoulder their responsibilty and act in concert. Hamas has to stop its war on Israel and work with Fatah and this is a tall order. However if the Saudis and Syria and even Iran can be prevalied upon to use their influence, especially with Hamas, then slowly but surely this intractable situation can gradually be brought to heel. Keep your fingers crossed and hope. 

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      Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, may well be the election that defines the Israel of the future.  Will it continue to be the secular, democratic state that was the dreams of its creators and the hope of a people longing for a home or will it continue its slide into a settler, driven fundamentalist state, denying the million Israeli-Arabs even more of their rights and making them even more of a second- class citizenry. The Moldavian thug/ bouncer, Avigdor Lieberman has pushed himself and his hate-filled message to the brink of king-maker. His openly racist campaign has garnered so much support, that it is expected that he will hold the balance of power between Likud and its hawkish leader Netanyahu and Kadima and its " I am Golda" leader Tzipi Livni.

      Israel's electoral system is Proportional Representation by party list. Its 120 members of the Knesset are chosen from a list submitted by each party. Seats are allocated based upon votes obtained eg. if you get 10% of the votes you get 10% (12) seats. This allows fror a multiplicity of parties, and prevents any one party winning a majority. Governments are coalitions of two or more parties and the result is that the government is held hostage by small partners, It is the tail wagging the dog. The surge of Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, is the result of getting support from outside its Russian/ Jewish base.It has outflanked Likud on the right by campaigning to strip the Arab Israelis of their citizenship, unless they swear an oath of loyalty to the Jewish state ( this is going further than the Nazis). Of course no such oath has to be sworn by the Jewish majority even those who oppose the existence state of Israel and/ or those reservists who refuse to serve during the recent attak on Gaza and those reservists who in the past refused to serve in the West Bank and Lebanon and those Israelis who have constantly questioned and opposed the Israeli government policies on settlements and the general treatment of Palestinians. 

      This is a crucial election. It can set Israel on the path to recovery....its ideals. its fractured society and its future or it can continue to slide into division and eventual demise, not by external enemies, but by narrow, self-seeking politicians, who have forgotten the teachings of the Talmud that
" you must not tell the people what they cannot hear"

      Just look at the noise that Netanyahu is now making to counteract Lieberman's gains with the extreme right...he is promising to remain " forever ' on the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967 and he is also proclaiming that "Jerusalem will remain undivided forever". This is a desperate and panicking politician who wants to be Prime Minister too badly and will do anything to win. A politician who has been haunted by corruption charges, will corrupt the political process and to hell with the consequences for the country. Netanyahu appeals to all that is wrong for Israel.   

      June 17, 1930, the U.S. Congress passed the Smoot/Hartley Tariff Act and the Great Depression became even more of a disaster, not only for America but the world. This protectionist action raised tariffs on imports and the reaction was a world-wide trade war. History is there to teach us so we do not repeat the mistakes of history. Americans have never been keen students of history, unless it is made in Hollywood. The result has been a steady repeat of the mistakes of the past. The response to the present economic situation is no different...... circle the wagons and look inward. In this case it is the "Buy America", clause in the Obama recovery/stimuls package.

      It must first be understood that unlike, the Parliamentary system of "fusion of legislative and executive powers", which allows the government to propose and pass legislation, by its dominance of the legislature( when it has a majority gov't), in the American system of "separation of powers with checks and balances", the President proposes and Congress disposes ( even though the Democrats have a majority in both the Senate and the House and the President is a Democrat, it does not mean that he gets to do what he wants). The American system forces compromises. The parties are not disciplined( like their parliamentary counterpart). Every elected member's first loyalty is to himself and his re-election, which means representing local needs, even to the detriment of national interests. As such, there is always grandstanding and obfuscation and of course, ideology. The Democrats are wary of the unions who want to protect their workers and the Republicans not only are out to make mischief, but many are ideologically driven.

      Deals have to be made...to save face for some; to show that they will protect their constituents by all; to send a message to Obama that they will not be overwhelmed by his popularity; and to get attention and be invited to the Talk Shows. Politics as theatre is what it is all about and no where more so than in America. Change, is what Obama campaigned on, but America is about incremental change. As I have written previously, revolutionary changes are few and only happen when the direst of situations threaten....the Civil War and the Great Depression, when a leader dares to lead. Obama is trying to do so, but he has to be firm, take to the "bully pulpit", rally his foot soldiers and not cave in. If he allows Congress to snip away at his package this time, they will want more the next time, and that will be the end. He will be just another President bargaining away any chance to solve problems

     Protectionism will not work. It will force other nations to take similiar action. Countries have interests not friends, and they will act in their interests. Protectionism goes against the terms of the W.T.O, and also N.A.F.T.A. in the case of Cnada. The trade between Canada and the USA is about $1.5 billion a day. It is responsible for the creation of millions of jobs in both countries. Imposing a " buy american" clause in the stimulus package will cost Canada billions and thousands of jobs. The US will also pay a steep price in product costs, sales and job losses.

      Canada is not weak. It can deal from a position of strength eg. it is the largest supplier energy to the USA.... oil, gas and hydro. This gives additional leverage to go with NAFTA, WTO also APEC. Use them or lose. By the way, in Canada we have some of the most restrictive trade laws.....between provinces, especially Quebec eg. construction workers and materials from other provinces are not allowed in. Also the Montreal- based Shoe Manufacturers Association of Canada want the Canadian Government to restrict waterproof foot wear from Vietnam and China. It seems everyone wants protection, while complaining about protection.

      C'est la vie.         
                                     

                                     Update...Feb.4.......

      Pres. Obama in interviews on CNN, fOX AND ABC, made it clear that he does not support protectionism and that he is aware of the consequences. Now he has to convince the Democrats in Congress and the Unions.

      Two of his nominees have stepped down, because of income tax problems. The loss of Daschle is bad for Health reform.