Quest for Land & Fortune

The Quest for Land & Fortune, a work of narrative nonfiction, by Alfred Allan Schmid, traces the great themes of the American experience through five generations of actual interconnected families whose patriarchs and their intrepid wives could never be satisfied with the status quo. Whether led by their ideals or propelled by the yearning for more land or greater fortunes, these immigrants and plantation owners, Unionists and Rebels, agrarians and industrialists shaped their emerging nation even as they were shaped by seemingly greater forces.

Available on line at

http://www.schulerbooks.com/product/quest-land-and-fortune

Vain Glory in South Africa

The disease of vain glory is in all countries.  In 1999, the South African ruling party the African national Congress, wanted to be a player in African politics.  To do that they needed a military--an army air force and navy.  It involved US$ 4.8 billion for purchase of weaponry Included was 28 fighter jets from Sweden at a cost of US$65 million per plane.  The manufacturer donated money to an industrial school, but it was alleged that the money went to politicians and to the ANC to finance election campaigns.  (see Wikipedia South African Arms Deal)
    This military expenditure would have financed a lot of housing for the poor.  The poor rioted and drove President Mbeki out of office for not delivering promised aid. The irony of it is that their anger focused on Mbeki and not on the folly of huge military expenditures.  Zuma exploited their anger and  became President where he is in office today.    Zuma excited voters with a song that featured arms to get a redistribution of wealth.  Mostly it was redistritbution to a different set of polititions.

Goldman Exploits

Goldman Sachs exploits pricing regulations set up by an overseas commodities exchange to make billions.  There are 27 industrial warehouses in Detroit and each day trucks shuffled aluminum between warehouses to fulfill the letter of the regulations.  This increases storage costs and consumers thus pay higher prices.  (NYT July 21 2013)
    Never have such brilliant people put their smarts to work for evil.  It is complex thievery, but thievery nevertheless.

Civililzation

 Civilization depends on self-restraint, an idea forgotten by CEOs who give themselves obscene salaries and Republican Congressmen who use the filibuster frequently.

Hypocrisy again

The Republican majority says they want smaller government, but they are ready to pass a huge military budget that prohibits any closing of unnecessary military bases.  Every Congressman wants to protect spending in their district.  They understand that government spending is good for employment, but they don't get it as they sequester spending for everything else.  I do not understand how Guantanamo prison is necessary for national defense--pure symbolism.

Hypocracy

Why does the Republian majority vote huge subsidies for rich farmers and cut food aid to the poor?

Spy who came in from the cold

John LeCarre comparing today's undercover operations with those when he wrote his famous spy novel:
"Today, the same man, with better teeth and hair and a much smarter suit, can be heard explaining away the catastrophic  illegal war in Iraq , or justifying medieval torture techniques as the preferred means of interrogation in the twenty-first century, or defending the inalienable right of closet psychopaths to bear semiautomatic weapons, and the use of unmanned drones as-a risk-free method of assassinating one's perceived enemies and anybody who has the bad luck to be standing near them. Or, as a loyal servant of his corporation, assuring us that smoking is harmless to the health of the Third World, and great banks are there to serve the public."
      We have not learned a thing!  LeCarre asks, "How far can we go in the rightful defense of our Western values without abandoning them along the way?