Author Archives: RF_Alum

President Obama’s Use of ISIL Instead of ISIS

Posted on by

I’ve been baffled since the early days of the Obama administration’s about the focus semantics rather than policy. I think the first time I noticed was when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano began using the term “man-caused disaster” instead of “terrorist attack.” That was just the start. “War on Terror” became a forbidden phrase and was replaced by “Overseas Contingency,” which I still don’t understand. “Jihad” became a forbidden word and “violent extremism” replaced either “Islamists or Islamic terrorists.” I have come to believe that the original confusion about the attack on Benghazi was caused by Obama administration officials being convinced they weren’t allowed to use the term “terrorist attack.” Perhaps even they thought it would be silly to call it a “man-caused disaster” and instead referred to it as a “demonstration.”

The latest in the quest to use semantics is the conscious shift of the administration from the term ISIS (Islamic State in Syria) to ISIL (Islamic State In the Levant) to describe the terrorist organization creating carnage in Iraq. I had to look up “Levant” and learned it consists of the Eastern Mediterranean. Wiki describes that the Levant today “…consists of the island of Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria Palestine, and part of southern Turkey.” I was even more confused, because I hadn’t heard of any of the ISIS or ISIL attacks being in any of those countries other than Syria. I thought most of the attacks that had made the news occurred in Iraq, which isn’t mentioned. Continue reading →

A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles

Posted on by

bkcvr-conflict-of-visionsI was loaned Thomas Sowell’s book by a friend who warned me that it is brilliant but very complex.  Many books are “page turners.”  This book was also a page turner, but I was turning back to the previous page in an attempt to reconnect and comprehend.  I would recommend anyone interested in what drives social and economic policies based on divergent political philosophies should read this book regardless of “political leaning.”   I’ve found I can review a complicated book by giving a brief overview of the my  impressions followed by some snippets I found interesting, and that’s the formula I’ll use for this book.

My interpretation is that the “Constrained Vision” is constrained by practical reality, and is driven by the policies found in property rights, free enterprise, and strict adherence to the Constitution.    The “Unconstrained Vision” is that “Social Justice” can be achieved based on what is “fair, right, and good,” and urges activism by judges and “social responsibility” by businessmen.  The constrained vision is that judges should never create the confusion that results when the rules are changed and that the moral duty of the businessman is to the stockholders who have invested their savings in his business.   Adam Smith, the patron saint of laissez-faire capitalism (people should not be directed how to invest their capital), believed that moral and socially beneficial behavior can only be achieved by incentives that promote self interest.   William Godwin, advocating for the unconstrained vision, believed that the willingness to selflessly create social benefit for others is the essence of virtue.  Continue reading →

Indian Giver

Posted on by

This “playground insult” was used by the wife of a former co-worker to describe the recent move by the government to reduce health care benefits for the people who had retired from the Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado and had believed they had a promise of lifetime benefits. The expression is used to describe a person who gives or promises a gift and then takes it back. I guessed it was a description of the practice of the American government signing treaties with the Native Americans and then ignoring what they had promised, but I was completely wrong. It seems the insult originated with Lewis and Clark’s distrust of natives during their expedition. They rejected an offer of a present consisting of roots believing they would be expected to reciprocate with a gift that was “…three or four times their real worth.” Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals that their hosts, who they had insulted, were “forward and impertinent, and thievish.”

Author David Wilton explains that “Indian gift” “…arose when white settlers misinterpreted the Native American concept of bartering…Europeans misunderstood it, considered it uncouth and impolite.”

Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department

Posted on by

present-at-creationThis autobiography by Dean Acheson, who was President Harry S. Truman’s trusted Secretary of State, is filled with information that would be interesting to anyone wanting to know more about the people and policies of the Truman administration. It is a very long book (over 700 pages excluding notes, references, and the index), and it is in small font. The title is derived from a quote from King of Spain Alphonso X, the Learned, 1252-1284, “Had I been present at the creation I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.” I certainly had the impression that Mr. Acheson had no lack of confidence in his ability to make wise decisions about solutions to problems or making accurate judgments about people. There were a few cases where he writes that decisions proved to be a mistake, but those were the exception. He either writes with admiration and often affection for people or with open contempt. I don’t recall anyone being described other than in the two extremes. I also don’t recall a single circumstance where he describes Harry S. Truman with anything other than admiration. I have read in other sources that the respect was mutual; Harry considered Acheson his “second in command.” The office of the Vice President was vacant until Truman and his running mate, Alben Barkley took office in 1949 after winning the election in 1948. I don’t recall Barkley being prominently mentioned.

The book follows Acheson’s State Department career chronologically from being an Assistant Secretary of State 1941-1945, Under Secretary of State 1945-1947, to his tumultuous years of Secretary of State 1947-1953.  My primary interest in reading the book was the decisions of the Truman administration in containment of the Soviet Union during the Cold War and whether Acheson and others in the State Department were, as described by critics, “in the pocket of the Soviets.” To the contrary, Acheson describes relations with the Soviets in a non-flattering manner beginning early in the book. He says the Soviet diplomats “…cultivated boorishness as a method of showing their contempt for the capitalist world, with which they wanted minimum contact…” He mentions one Soviet diplomat named Oumansky who was killed in “…a plane crash of suspicious cause…” and that “…we felt no sense of loss.” Acheson would eventually come under constant attack and suspicion during the “red scare era,” but I never found an instance in the book where he displayed anything but distrust of Stalin and the Soviets. Continue reading →

Sincere

Posted on by

This is a bit of a departure from expressions, but I thought the origin of sincere was interesting. One story is that it resulted from unscrupulous marble dealers covering imperfections with wax. “The practice eventually became illegal, as the Roman Empire certified that all marble must be ‘sine cera’ or ‘sincerus,’ meaning without wax—genuine.” Therefore, to be sincere is to be genuine.

Rocky Flats Benefits Changes—August Update

Posted on by

I’ve previously summarized important information on scheduled changes to Rocky Flats retiree healthcare benefits. These changes were described in June 2014 letters to retirees and also further elaborated in public briefings by the new DOE benefits contractor (Washington River Protection Solutions)  implementing healthcare benefit changes for Rocky Flats retirees 65 or older. These healthcare benefits changes are currently scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2015 and require near-term action by 65+ year old, benefits-eligible retirees to avoid loss of benefits. Please note: I’m acting in a purely unofficial capacity, do not endorse the benefits changes, and want mainly to make sure that my former colleagues are aware these important, upcoming changes so they can take timely and appropriate action. My main concerns are that some retirees may believe that they can safely ignore these changes because they were promised ‘lifetime benefits’ or, alternatively, some may be frustrated or overwhelmed by the apparent complexity of these changes. As I understand what is happening, these changes are moving forward and delay or inaction may result in Medicare-eligible retirees losing Rocky Flats-provided healthcare insurance coverage.

I’ve received many questions and comments since my initial blog postings and have myself attempted to find more information on the website provided in the healthcare benefits changes information letter (and packet) that I received by mail in June. That website has many links, but I was unable to find the correct pathway to access Rocky Flats information. When I called Rocky Flats Benefits Office at 1-866-296-5036 and United Health Care at 1-877-893-7224, they provided another link to a website a video recording of one of the informational briefings given in the Denver area in July 2014. For those that did not attend a briefing, I recommend watching the 1-hour video to learn what you will need to do over the next three months. Continue reading →