August 20, 2009 by pecoskid.

The August political doldrums have arrived, Congress is in recess and President Obama, after having already given us six months presidential service, has gone on vacation. What better time to evaluate his job performance, catching the politicians off-guard. If CNN can do it, so can I.

After six months at the helm, has President Obama met his expectations? Has he achieved or set in motion any of his campaign goals? Let’s take a look shall we:

First, I’d like to take this moment to offer my congratulations to the American voting majority who helped set a historical precedent this last presidential election. Through their actions, President Obama became the 21st century’s first intelligent, articulate, and humane U.S. president.

The heartfelt euphoria that erupted in the Santa Fe, New Mexico bars and streets after hearing Obama’s victory announcement was palpable. Everyone grinned and hugged, each person’s smile expressing a joyous collective recognition that a truly significant shift in our country’s direction had just occurred.

Two decades ago, this joyous energy reverberated throughout Berlin during the Berlin Wall dismantling, the iconic symbol that represented Communism’s collapse. Our November U.S. election night symbolized America’s defeat of Fascism or at least a crucial turning point in our social/political tide. On a personal note, I felt strange finding myself on the side of Victory, a rare occurrence since for two decades I’ve advocated honest, courageous yet politically obscure Libertarian, Green and Independent candidates.

However, as in Berlin, the jubilation subsides and everyday life settles back in to its various forms of reality. The Wall Street players may be celebrating a recovery gain this summer but back on Main Street, most Americans are still feeling the pain. Grist to the mill, roll up the sleeves, let’s give an honest review.

A seemingly innocuous achievement happened for Obama one warm July evening. The man looked cool throwing the first pitch at the All-Star Game. Name the last president we had that accomplished coolness: Bushes, forget about it. Clinton tried, Reagan tried, Kennedy probably qualified while Calvin “keepin’ the cool” Coolidge, sporting that colorful Indian chief headdress, was arguably the last to succeed in cool.
Why is this significant? Image is important, in our citizens’ eyes, as well as the worlds and our country’s image has been extremely tarnished by the last administration’s actions so coolness, as well as Obama’s propensity for intelligence, reason, and common decency, has already elevated our country’s stature.
Show respect, you get respect in turn. Recent polls indicating a distinct admiration for President Obama among young Arab and Persian men has to be disastrous for Muslim extremist recruitment. Bush was their best recruitment poster. Just by Obama’s presence, America has gained ground here.

Leave it to our friendly neighbors to the north, Canada, to provide a kind reminder on how people should behave. On a community center billboard in Vancouver, B.C., reads four simple rules for the children at the center to follow:
BE RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL, PLAY FAIR AND SHARE, SAY ‘NO’ TO ABUSE, and BE POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING.

A president should set the tone and direction for his country. Former president Bush simply used America as a place for his wealthy business cronies to pillage and plunder. Reviewing recent Obama administration domestic policy changes, I believe he’s following those four simple rules’ philosophy. Here are a few of those policy changes already implemented:

Renewing stem cell research
Renewing the GI Bill benefits for Vets
As part of his economic/education stimulus plan, increased spending for Community Colleges which is central to his job creation strategies, part of a large push to retrain unemployed workers and prepare our US workforce.
Increase infrastructure funding including proposal for high speed rail system.
Increase environmental protections such as protecting Oregon’s old growth forest by repealing Bush-era clear cutting executive orders.
The expansion of the Americorp volunteer youth civil service program, creating new programs focused on strengthening schools, improving health care for low-income communities, boosting energy efficiency and cleaning up parks.
Alternative energy initiatives and greenhouse gas reforms
Tax incentives for new homebuyers to help stimulate housing market and for new car buyers to purchase more fuel efficient cars.

Utilizing the rules “play fair and share” and “say no to abuse” the Obama Administration has implemented the following changes to curb corporate abusive practices:

Helping the average American through the enacted Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act 2009, which implements credit card reforms on credit card companies.
The attempt to close corporate tax loopholes in the Cayman Islands.
Greater FDA rule enforcement on Big Business.
Greater accountability on Wall Street and corporate executive compensation.

I’m not a big government intervention fan, however, these efforts toward rebuilding, retooling, and rethinking a more egalitarian approach to our society, including an overhaul of our corrupt financial systems, are prudent solutions for this country at this time and I commend President Obama for making these efforts; efforts that I have not seen attempted during my adult years by any of our former presidents.

The big issue today is Obama’s healthcare reform bill. Should be easy right. Just eliminate the inflated greedy profits built into our current corrupt system by the insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, HMOs and the occasional doctor. Let’s face reality, we have socialized medicine today, whether through VA benefits or medicare. According to the World Health Organization’s latest survey, United States is #1 in total health expenditure per capita yet ranked #37 for overall health system performance. The problem with our American system is the only ones receiving tender loving care are the private corporations that are richly benefiting from our healthcare fiasco.

A pity the conservative political right doesn’t realize they’re being used and conned again by these very same corporations, thanks to their political and corporate media hacks. Stay vigilant Obama and don’t capitulate to the Republican corporate pressures.

I do feel however the corporate bailout he endorsed was wrong, very wrong, rewarding irresponsible behavior. Would the other political candidates have done different? Only Kucinich, Paul and Nader. Could Obama have defied the establishment powers on this issue, if he wanted to. Probably not. Hence, I do feel he is a transitional president in this regard. The definitive “real change” this country needs may not happen under his watch. We’ll have to wait and see.

I’m less encouraged by the Obama Administration’s foreign policy. The strategies for Afghanistan and Iraq are too similar to the Bush’s administration. The Iraq withdrawal timetable has gone slower than Obama originally promised. Both transitional steps, not necessarily the correct steps. Status quo, long range objectives within the halls of the military industrial complex are still being achieved.

My main concern with President Obama is the company he keeps. His Cabinet is inundated with Council on Foreign Relations members, albeit a smarter, possibly kinder, gentler representation than those members in Bush’s cabinet. Could there be a darker agenda hidden underneath the perceived and tangible benevolent intentions? I have to say I’m not clear yet on the answer to this question.

Best to stay vigilant, keep Obama to his word, keep him focus on accomplishing prudent, humane policies for this country’s citizenry, and to maintain a stewardship that guides this country toward (what the heck I’ll say it) a brighter tomorrow. Make those Vancouver community center kids proud!

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August 9, 2009 by pecoskid.

(Writings from my recent Southeast Asia travels)

The tour to the Hill tribe villages began innocently. We started our journey in Chiang Mai, chauffeured in a nice a/c minibus, watching the city limits gradually fade into a serene countryside. We were driving north to the mountains, an infamous region known as the Golden Triangle, a remote region that encompasses the connecting borders of Thailand, Burma, and Laos.

A dirt road detour leads us to our starting point. We trek deep into the jungle until we come to a river crossing. Our guide points up to a large tree. We look at each other, shrug, and decide “why not?” In good shape, I scramble up the tall banyan tree, get a good grip on one of the many elongated vines, give a good push off the tree and swing to safety to the other side of the river.

Once on solid ground, it’s a brisk hike through the poppy fields to reach the local village. After warm salutations in different languages, we immediately get down to business sipping snake wine and passing the opium pipe. It’s not long before I feel I’m entering an altered state of mind, feeding the lotus eaters and drifting into a prolonged dream…

I don’t know how long I was under. The salt spray coming off the bow of the ship must have finally awakened me. Quite startled, I awaken, physically quite sore. Pushing myself off the wooden deck, I gradually get my balance and stare incredulously at an infinite ocean horizon. I glance around and see the rest of our group, including Texas Bob, are still sleeping on the deck. After several inquiries, to my chagrin I discover that we were all shanghaied aboard a slave ship freighter bound for Dubai.
Man, I don’t remember that part mentioned in the tour guide brochure!

Or maybe, the journey went something like this:

The Hill tribes we would encounter in the Golden Triangle region are the Akha, Hmong, Karen (including Longneck), Lahu and Lisu. Each Hill tribe has its own language, customs, style of dress and spiritual beliefs.
This region WAS infamous for the cultivation and production of opium. These Southeast Asian tribes, fiercely independent, unwilling to succumb, have for centuries been subjected to continual displacement by an array of conquering dynastic regimes; regimes whose kingdoms and nations, through the great equalizer of time, have themselves risen and fallen into obscurity.

Through Thai government and military intervention, gradual pacification progress was implemented in the Golden Triangle region. Also, programs such as the King Project, have helped redirect the Hmong and Akha tribes from the economically enticing cultivation of opium-producing poppies to healthier cash crops such as edible herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Gone are the smuggling days that brought fright and bullets, ill winds that carried secret whispers and dangerous characters; druglords, drugpins, desperadoes and the ubiquitous CIA spooks and Air America yahoos. An illicit chapter in this remote region’s turbulent history that at present has been filed under folklore.

In today’s Golden Triangle marketplace, you won’t find drugs, guns and money. Instead, you’ll find grinning faces and a more pleasurable selection of home grown fruits, vegetables and perhaps a hand-woven scarf.

Several Hill tribes had Tibetan origins, as well as southern China and Laos, while others, such as the Karen tribe, are refugees from neighboring Burma. Within the Karen tribe is a sect known as the Longnecks, a term used to describe the women in the tribe who wear the coiled brass rings around their necks.

Contrary to popular belief, the brass coils, which are loose fitting, do not cause any structural damage to the neck muscles, however, with prolonged usage a slight physical deformation can occur across the collar bone due to the additional weighted pressure.
They may also choose whether or not to wear the brass coils.

There are women within the tribe known as Big Ears that do have distinctly deformed earlobes. I thought to mention to these ladies the large tribe of women we have back home known as the Large Asses, however, I decided otherwise. They just wouldn’t understand.

Which popular theory/story do you think best explains the origin to the “longneck” tradition: (A) the Karen tribesmen had the women wear the neck bracelets to protect them from tiger attacks while the men were away hunting or (B) one tribal queen thought they would be quite fashionable and enhance her physical attraction to which other women would choose later to emulate her and make themselves more beautiful with their bracelets as well.

If you chose (B) you are an astute studier of the human condition and women in particular. Even today, the women do not consider themselves exploited when outsiders come to greet them. On the contrary, they are now considered “celebrities”, unique and very beautiful, by foreigners and local Thais alike.

As to celebrities, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had visited these Karen refugee camps several days earlier which explained why there were so few visible children. There was one little girl, however, who not only wore the neck bracelets but also wore metal braces on her teeth. She was quite popular when it came time to tune in to the local Thai soap operas on T.V.

The ladies I had the pleasure meeting were very gracious. One woman played a tribal folk tune on her guitar that was reminiscent of U.S. Appalachia music, her voice soft and sweet. The older ladies, since retired from wearing their bracelets, demonstrated with big smiles their deeply blackened teeth, permanently stained from years of steady beetlenut chewing. Fortunately for good marital relationships, they claimed they’re husbands liked the look.

The Karen villagers’ dwellings were constructed of modest, wooden, partitioned huts, not unlike those found in faraway African villages. Driven from their Burmese homelands by a brutal military regime, where the corrupt former Golden Triangle practices have now transferred, the Karen tribes people have adapted well to their new Thai environment, learning quickly including a fair fluency in Thai language and even grasping a fair command of English words. A very impressive, enjoyable visit, even without the shanghai to Dubai experience.

To read more of my travel writing, or to see my travel photography on Southeast Asia, and more, please visit www.michaelmcguerty.com

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