George H. Mead: "We see ourselves as others see us!" Health aides take heed! Be happy!

There's nothing worse than having a prophet of gloom as your health aide!  Get happy, health aides--you've preserved your patient to live another day; and the patient should be busy, too (not just couched in a sheet and pillow)!

That's what my health aide has taught not only me, her patient, but everybody living at my senior residence.  Thank you, Diga!

And thank the United States Government who is helping me on this project of making life precious and still meaningful for the old people who get busy and make their life precious, for just another day of living!  

Lesson for the new day: Enjoy life (with pain killers, if need be)!

Russia, yes; but China, too!

I'll be glad to work with the Kennan Institute in near future.

I'm also active in China!  Going well, there.   I live just outside of Gallery Place.

P. S. Mike O'Hanlon of Brookings has a line to the Pentagon, whom I've worked with. 

Putin is said to have committed war crimes. These charges have historic proportions; and the US government should pursue.

I hope the humanitarian groups have all the data they need.  I recommend the process that should be followed be similar to how the Allies handled the trials in Kosovo.  I am thankful to have been involved in that situation! 

The world is in change, indeed.

My opinion.

Willing and will try to handle more!

I was speaking with the Maryknoll sisters yesterday and indicated I could help them.  That one is pretty important.

Will consider other new projects, too.  We can probably add  personnel!

Here goes!

   

I don't want to lose my health aide; and she's good potential, outstanding!

 Esther Ford of  Miriam's Kitchen is a trouble-maker!  Help!

My health aide just called.  I hope it means I got her back--permanently.

I go to Kennedy Center each week!

I attend the Millennium Stage 6 PM on Saturdays.

Since the pandemic, and the new changes, the programs have been "God-awful!"

I get out and around ok, but I don't go out late nights (for me).  Anyway, I'd like to have the programs improved like they used to be before the Virus!  What they did was turn the programs over to ethnic groups to perform.  

If anything can be done.   

Church is fine on Sundays. 

Saudis are making the adjustment to save Europe in time of need!

The Saudis are turning green.  Thank you.  Plans are underway now.  But there's a green future for Saudi Arabia.

The world is responding well to what would otherwise be a disaster to the planet.

My opinion.

Brookings--Fireside Chat: "Power Politics--Trump and the assault on American Democracy"

Moderator from USA Today Ms. Susan Page interviewed Mr. Darrell M. West, VP of Brookings on his most recent book regarding the Trump phenomenon in American politics.  Autocracy frequently features a populist leader that enamors himself with the people.  It's a cult worship of the leader, who in the eyes of the citizenry is virtually St. Peter at the pearly gates of heaven welcoming in the true believers!

Once it is found out that this "St. Peter" is only a man, heading a government, possibly representing a rich cartel of business leaders, the people don't know what to do.  Should they continue to follow him or look yet for another?  Is this St. Peter not the guide to the heavenly kingdom on earth?

Mr. West assured us in his presentation that he is both a conservative from his rural roots and a progressive by his joining the university crowd of scholars and analysts.  Therefore, he has the wisdom to recognize a con artist from a politician interested in improving the lot of the average citizen.  And what that average citizen is in quest of during his time on earth is personal economic opportunity to develop his God-given talents for himself and his family.  

But the populist is out to maintain a system he has created that benefits himself, above all, and his coterie of devotees.  Accordingly, Mr. Trump falls into the category of populist leaders as rule in Hungary, Turkey, Brazil, and the Philippines--brutally, egotistic and swaggering!

Ms. Page asked the question of Dr. West, how can we make sure to know an egotistical populist, when he runs for office to take money from the regular people to benefit his coterie of licensed bandits of the public till?  Page recommends: make sure there's a very large number of citizens that vote; insist corporations pay their fair share in taxes; expect from your democratic government the opportunity of freedom to all to climb the economic ladder to the top through one's own effort and ingenuity; and seek to establish innovative voting practices such as rank choice voting as in Alaska whose voters want to find the best qualified leaders for themselves.

For in America democracy works through institutions within it to make good its promise for fairness and equality of all persons.  It is that which makes the passing on of the baton of governmental leadership to the next President every four years or so, an easy thing for the former President to do (in a democracy).

My take on Mr. West's interesting conversation with Ms. Page..

           

    

Where Nation-building went wrong in Afghanistan.

I have argued that Dick Cheney's US military version of nation-building was a success in Iraq and could have been more successful in Afghanistan. 

Events in Iraq over time have shown that wholesale re-modeling the governmental and to an extent the society works with a significant emendation: namely, an accepted leader that has support of the people.

Thus, with al-Sadr, an individual I believe that could be a vital unifier of the diverse groups, Iraq should be well on its way to becoming a new nation, far different from that under Hussein.

In Afghanistan, however, the cities of the country have more of an opportunity to join modern society as compared to the hinterlands, still mired in the traditional Muslim faith that embraces Shira law and interferes with modern governance of society by creating religious states, viz., the caliphates.

But the government in Kabul had barely control of its own environs less more that of the manifold cities of the entire country.  That meant the Taliban could infiltrate the urban communities--linger on--and dominate the rural populace, too.  There was strong reluctance at home for the US to become involved in the Afghan countryside, especially where the growing of plants was used in the making of drugs--I am led to believe.  So, to my mind, it would have taken much longer to become a transformed new nation-state.  Yet, largely through the use of US contractors, the population was slowly becoming Westernized nonetheless.  (Thanks to Blackwell.)