Mellifluous Name, Bitter Heart

His name, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, rolls off the tongue almost melodiously. But there is no music in the man’s heart, just evil and hatred for the U.S. It’s the name of the jihadist Islamic extremist who, on Christmas day, allegedly attempted to blow up a plane en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan. 

In his failed attempt, Abdulmutallab burned himself instead and was admitted to one of this nation’s best burn facilities, the University of Michigan Burn Center as his reward. He has since been charged under civil criminal law and already has civilian legal representation.

The Obama administration should have detained this man as an enemy combatant, and immediately handed him over to the U.S. military for interrogation and trial under military law.

In an interview on Monday, that is precisely what Congresswoman Candace Miller (R-MI) advocates. Miller, who sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security, says that we are at war, a rather obvious thought.

But with Eric Holder heading the Justice Department and Janet Napolitano in charge of Homeland Security, there is no chance.

President Obama is reported to be upset over the flaws in a system which failed to prevent this near-disaster, one which was thwarted only by the failure of a concealed explosive device to detonate properly. Al-Qaida won’t make that mistake a second time.

Despite President Obama’s reported outrage and stern statements to the media, it remains to be seen whether he has truly internalized the mortal threat posed to the United States and its citizens by the worldwide militant jihadist movement.

His transfer of enemy combatants to U.S. soil from Gitmo, and his insistence on bringing a high-profile terrorist to New York City for trial under civilian law are signs that he needs a transformative change of mind.

Musing about Healthcare

The lead-off editorial in The Sunday Star-Ledger calls the U.S. Senate bill on healthcare “Change, as Ordered.” While fawning all over the Senate’s work, the editorial writer finds it “curious that President Obama’s popularity is at a low ebb,” dismisses New Jersey residents as “a squeamish bunch,” and pontificates that “the restrictions on funding for abortions are obnoxious.”

Just as preposterous is the claim that this bill will “put a brake on rising costs by encouraging frugality.” When it comes to your health, you get worried, you want the best care, and you think about getting well, not about “frugality.”

Furthermore, a government which has never been able to demonstrate even an iota of self-restraint on any type of spending will never succeed in achieving “frugality.” Au contraire, what Washington bureaucrats will do is to deny you proper medical treatment.

On the same opinion page, columnist Paul Mulshine chastises his own editorial board, writing that “This health care plan could be the biggest ripoff of them all.” Mulshine is correct: His column describes a scenario in which the New Jersey Congressional delegation stood by blissfully, while Obama and Reid paid off senators like Nelson of Nebraska, leaving New Jersey badly represented and out in the lurch.

On December 22, I commented in The View from Bridgewater about how Senators Menendez and Lautenberg are AWOL by ignoring New Jersey interests on healthcare legislation.

Merry Christmas . . . .

To all my readers in Bridgewater and beyond who celebrate this joyous holiday, and to all others who share in the same spirit of those who do:

May we rejoice together in the peace of this world, wherever we can find it, however fragile it may be.

Stay safe in the company of your friends and family, and may the angels look over you throughout the coming New Year.

Thanks for reading. See you in the next blog post.

Photo credit: Original artwork by Patty Borgman, an illustrator living in Miamisburg, Ohio

The Angels Came. . . . .

They don’t all have wings.  They don’t all fly. And you can find some right here in the customers who patronize the Bridgewater Commons Mall who have responded to the Salvation Army’s call for help.

Remember those two Angel Wish Trees, one in front of Macy’s on the main floor and the other on the lower level near the courtesy booth?

The wish tags are gone from those trees now, and the evidence that human angels have responded can be seen in the photo of the large box brimming with come-true wishes in front of the customer information booth on the lower level, near Santa’s workshop.

The box is now gone as well, and the gifts are on their way to making Christmas brighter for people whom we don’t really know and whom we will never see. Then again, who knows? Perhaps there will come a time when all those local angels who helped someone have a Merry Christmas will indeed come face-to-face with those they benefited. . . . .

New Jersey’s Senators and our Governor: AWOL on Healthcare $ for our State

While nearly a dozen Democratic senators were busy keeping the U.S. Senate hostage by withholding their votes on the massive healthcare bill in order to obtain special concessions for their states, our two New Jersey senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg have been conspicuously absent from the debate.

New Jersey is one of the most populous and heavily taxed states of the country, and it disgorges one of the greatest outflows of cash into the national treasury. Yet, we are represented by two of the meekest dealmakers in the U.S. Congress.

Moreover, our governor, Jon Corzine, made a mid-course correction to support Barack Obama’s presidential campaign by dumping his endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Corzine moved close to Obama and was one of his preferred economic advisors during the campaign.

So where’s the beef for New Jersey? States like Louisiana, Nebraska, Connecticut and others are, through the personal influence of their senators, getting hundreds of millions in special healthcare dollars, concessions, and tax breaks for their states.

Meanwhile Senators Menendez and Lautenberg are busy playing Mr. Nice Guy with Barack Obama and Harry Reid in Washington, D.C., as New Jersey comes out of this legislation empty-handed and more heavily burdened.

A Snow Job from the Nation’s Capitol

Have you ever listened to Ben Nelson, the Senator from Nebraska? He was the lone Democratic holdout for the healthcare bill currently working its way through the sausage factory of the upper house in the U.S. Congress.

This weekend, I viewed Nelson deliver a live press conference explaining the decision by which he committed his vote in favor of the healthcare legislation being shoved through Congress in the dead of night. The 60 votes needed to pass the bill in the Senate are now sealed.

Nelson is very impressive when speaking. “Gee,” I thought, “This guy should be in charge of the senate instead of Harold Reid from Nevada.” Nelson is much more suave, knows his stuff, appears resolute, and is persuasively calm in his delivery. I was very impressed.

But hold on! That was before I heard of the Cornhusker Kickback to Senator Nelson on Sunday. His deal with Senator Reid contains a singular provision which gives Nebraska – and only Nebraska – tens of millions in undisclosed funding for Medicaid and for insurer tax breaks. (As of this writing, the cost of these special perks has not been revealed.)

According to MSNBC and The New York Times, “Mr. Nelson committed his vote after winning tighter restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions, as well as increased federal health care aid for his state — special treatment denounced by Republicans.”

Except for Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) who opposed the bill, yet also sold her vote for $300,000,000  in extra federal health care dollars for her state, Ben Nelson is thought to be the only other senator who, although he strongly opposed the overall healthcare measure, traded his vote for the same reason.

There is a commonly used noun to describe women and men who sell their bodies for cash. What is the noun used to describe senators who sell their integrity for an analogous reward?

Blitzing Snowflakes

When I awoke and alighted from bed early this morning, it was still very dark outside, and there were no signs of the impending snowstorm. I like to get up early on Saturdays – no sleeping in for me. There were a couple of choices this morning: Go out and get some Christmas shopping done or stay snugly at home.

I chose a variation of the second choice: Get outside in the back yard and do some cleaning up and wood cutting before the storm hits. (I’m not a big fan of crashing the Bridgewater Commons Mall on a Saturday when everyone else will be frantically shopping before the snows come down.)

For those of you who will bravely drive to that big luxurious emporium off Commons Way, you will be pleased to discover that some soft new seating has been installed for your tushes to rest upon as you take a breather in between store visits. The new seating replaces all of the old wooden benches which were slowly being removed as they started deteriorating and eventually broke down. I thought they would never be replaced!

As for me, I headed outdoors after breakfast to do a little cleaning up and to saw some wood for the fireplace. It was 22° when I bundled up and walked into the back yard towards the wood pile. Not a soul outdoors but me. Even the traffic out front was light. I’d bet a $10 bill that not a dozen people in Bridgewater were out working on their properties at that hour.

Having spent half my life in Massachusetts; four years half-way up the state of Maine; and nearly another four years about a mile from the shore of Lake Ontario in New York State, getting out in the cold today was no big deal. After a little outdoor exertion the body warms up and the air becomes invigorating – another blessing from just being alive.

I finished everything ahead of the snows: At the moment, around 3:20 pm, the storm is claiming Bridgewater. Thanks for reading and be sure to take care of yourselves. Be especially careful to drive safely on those soon-to-become treacherous roadways.

“The System Worked”

Last night, a father of three school-age children in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District told me that “the system worked.” He was, of course, referring to the alleged bomb threat at the high school on Garretson Road, one which was providentially averted when an unidentified female student reported to authorities that another 16 year-old student spoke of his plans to allegedly carry out that threat.

When I first heard about this through an e-blast sent out by the B-R Superintendent of Schools, I hesitated to write about it right then and there. The situation had such a high emotional content that it would have been too easy to write some pretty dumb things. Better to let it settle down and get some perspective.

It turns out that this father was right. The system did work. And it is highly edifying to discover that the process and procedures in place at the B-R High School had one key ingredient in place, without which chaos could have struck: the guts of that female student to do what needed to be done.

High school administrators and the on-site police officer have consistently encouraged students to come forth with any information that might somehow threaten the safety of the student body. That is official policy.

Yet peer pressure to conform and to distrust authority can be at its peak during high school years. No student wants to make a mistake and to look like a snitch within his or her peer group. The prospect of a teen being shunned by others is not a pretty one.

So I repeat the words of the father who told me that “the system worked.” And it did so because of one kid who knows the difference between right and wrong and who was willing to stick her neck out.

We in the Bridgewater-Raritan community cannot praise enough the courage that it took to disclose this potential catastrophe. It’s a great Christmas gift to all of us.

Note: Please see this afternoon’s plea to parents by School Superintendent Michael Schilder concerning rumors and student texting in school.

Prince of Peace or Prince of War?

Suddenly, after Obama’s Oslo speech, warfare seems to have become more respectable. While campaigning for the presidency, this man consistently criticized Bush’s position on the war on terror. He now appears to have had a major epiphany with his discovery of the “just war” theory.

The person who once declared himself to be a peacemaker now advises the world that, “We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes.” and, “There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.”

He was supposed to be different, but no: Forget Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. because, “As a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone.”

Those quotes from Barack Obama’s Oslo address are high rhetoric from a man who was supposed to “draw down troops.” Look: Nothing has changed in the war on terror from the time that Barack Obama began campaigning for the presidency to the time that he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize. Except, that is, his reversal of campaign promises concerning the war on terror.

In the Oslo speech some of which was “fine-tuned” by Jon Favreau, a 27 year-old speechwriter who graduated from Holy Cross College, a Jesuit institution, the President was ill advised when he stated, “To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."

Nonsense! With the use of that last phrase, the President could not be more wrong. It is not the limits of reason which necessitate the use of force. On the contrary, it is the failure to reason.

If our President is going to use “just war” theory as his basis for engaging in major military conflicts, then he needs to read Augustine and Aquinas, the men who wrote the book on it. Neither would it hurt for him to bone up on the full text of Benedict XVI’s Regensburg address on the use of reason, the one that world media completely distorted and which discombobulated such a large segment of Islamic intellectuals.

Marine recruiting ads emphasize the need for “a few good men.” Perhaps Obama could also use a few good Jesuits.

Each Tag Seeks its Own Angel

I think that I’m a sucker for those “Angel Giving Trees” at the Bridgewater Commons Mall, but their raison d’être is worth a second blog post for those of us who are fortunate enough to spend some money this year on gifts.

There are many who will be completely unable to do that, yet deserve a visit from Santa.


Americans, it is said, are a most generous people. I believe that, because the combined charities in this country raise hundreds of millions each year. And plenty more is given out in support of churches and synagogues who also have programs for the needy.

The Salvation Army is one of those charities, and Bridgewater’s Mall management has again generously agreed to allow that charity to place two “Angel Giving Trees” inside the Mall. One is on the first floor, near the customer courtesy booth. The other is situated just outside Macy’s on the main level (the second floor).

There are still plenty of tags on those angel trees – too many left, I think. Each one bears the name of a person – either a needy child or senior – and a request for a specific gift. All that you need to do is to peruse those tags, find one that appeals to you and buy the gift.

It’s easy. You don’t even have to wrap it. Just purchase it and place it in the large box near the courtesy booth on the lower level directly in line with Santa. Done! Go ahead – make your day.

Barack Obama's Peace Prize

Why would the White House downplay the honor associated with President Obama’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize? Could it be the comparative achievements of previous recipients?: People like Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela, the 14th Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Anwar al-Sadat & Menachem Begin.

The list of such notables goes on and on. The names above, as well as those of other people awarded the Nobel Peace Prize mostly share a common characteristic.  With few exceptions, they have clearly demonstrated a lifetime of accomplishment in furthering peace and human rights, each person in his or her own way. Not talk. Results. Most with humility and some only after experiencing great hardship or death.

Mere days after announcing that he will increase troop levels in Afghanistan, the President of the United States will leave for Oslo, Norway where, amid great fanfare on Thursday, he will accept the Peace Prize. It should be a great honor for him and, by extension for this country.

But where’s the beef? We are still in Iraq and the recent increased violence in Baghdad since our troops have begun pulling out from major population centers only points to the ineffectiveness of the Iraqi regime to maintain order.

The strategy which Obama will use in Afghanistan is similar but confusing: deploy 30,000 more troops while simultaneously announcing their withdrawal in 18 months. The Afghan president has already announced that his country will not be prepared to take over in 18 months.

For that you get a peace prize?

They Came by Stealth

On a quiet Sunday morning, sixty-eight years ago today, when Japanese military planes flew low over the mountain peaks of Oahu, Hawaii headed for the U.S. Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor, they would precipitate a conflict that would end only after President Truman made his fated decision to drop nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

That conflict is but a faint memory in the minds of many Americans, and today’s activities will probably be taken up more with shopping for the holidays than it will be memorializing the conflicts of World War II which, among other tragedies, brought us the Holocaust.

My brothers Roland, Roger and Harvey served in that war, and our family was extraordinarily lucky that they came back home to our cottage on a street where other homes displayed in their windows the gold stars representing fallen men and women.

Together, my brothers covered a wartime territory from Alaska to the Panama Canal Zone; from England to the European continent; and in the Philippines where Roland might have been part of a multi-point force of hundreds of thousands of troops prepared for a massive invasion of the Japanese homeland – an event which became moot after Truman’s decision.

Decades later, Roland would argue for NOT heading into a land war in Iraq. Perhaps he surmised that there would be no political will for the kind of total, overwhelming and unconditional victory which was the only result that America would accept following the six-year conflict brought on by the attack of December 7, 1941.

I miss you, my brothers. Jo-Jo wishes that you were still here for our crazy family get-togethers, especially those we had on New Year’s Day and all of the others on your farms.


Photo by Bergeron: It features a partial view of the Atlantic Theatre section of the WWII Memorial which is located at the end of the Reflecting Pool, opposite from the Lincoln Memorial.

A Long Grey Line Always Turns into a Long Grey Wall

At West Point, the name used for the endless stream of brave young men and women who enter the military academy is referred to as “The Long Grey Line.”

I thought deeply about the meaning of that phrase as I watched President Obama deliver his rationale for sending thousands more of our youth to Afghanistan.

Media commentators like to refer to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as “boots on the ground.” It’s become a catch phrase for talking heads on TV and others who claim that more “boots on the ground” will fix the problem. I strongly dislike and disapprove the use of that term, because it dehumanizes and trivializes our men and women who are sent to face the terror of warfare. In reality, I despise that misnomer.

Soldiers, marines and special ops people serving in Afghanistan and Iraq (and clandestinely in Pakistan) are flesh and blood American warriors with human emotions. They have parents at home; wives, husbands and children; girlfriends and boyfriends; classmates from high school and college which they left behind. They are not inanimate “boots on the ground.” They are not faceless people.

And when they die in combat they leave behind the endless grieving of survivors at home. If you don’t believe me, please go to Don't Be Afraid to Say His Name. You’ll understand.

I hope that I haven’t dampened the joy of your Christmas shopping weekend, but there are too many Americans who are for more “boots on the ground.” Just so long as they or their loved ones don’t have to fill those boots.

Photo by Bergeron: It features a portion of the Vietnam Wall War Memorial with its names stretching in a long grey line, as it points to the Washington Monument.

Seniors Get Dissed by Interest Rates

In today’s edition of the Courier News, guest commentator Silvio Laccetti discusses how prevailing interest rates are hurting seniors. That’s a topic that’s been bugging me for a long time, because the monetary policies of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are the reason why financial institutions are paying their depositors so little on savings and CD’s.

By holding the Federal Funds rate to virtually zero and the Discount Rate to half a percent, Bernanke is giving the banks a bonanza of cheap money: This is strengthening their balance sheets at the expense of average depositors and senior citizens who have seen their income drop as the Fed keeps rates artificially low.

A quick back-of-the-envelope analysis shows that seniors – over 36 million in the U.S. according to 2004 Census data – may have lost as much as $44 billion in annual income since Bernanke dropped rates to the current artificially low level.

Think about it the next time you visit your bank: cheap money for them, lost income for you. The low return on deposits mandated by Federal Reserve policy is in large measure paying for banks’ stability.

The Angels Came . . .

They don’t all have wings and they don’t all fly. And you can find some right here in the customers who patronize the Bridgewater Commons Mall who have responded to the Salvation Army’s call for help.

Remember those two Angel Wish Trees, one in front of Macy’s on the main floor and the other on the lower level near the courtesy booth?

The wish tags are gone from those trees now, and the evidence that human angels have responded can be seen in the photo of the large box brimming with come-true wishes in front of the customer information booth on the lower level, near Santa’s workshop.

The box is now gone as well, and the gifts are on their way to making Christmas brighter for people whom we don’t really know and whom we will never see. Then again (who knows?), perhaps there will come a time when all those local angels who helped someone have a Merry Christmas will indeed come face-to-face with those they benefited. . . . . .

A Symbol with Impact

Tonight the President will lay out his case for more U.S. troops to be deployed in Afghanistan. He will deliver his speech from the United States Military Academy at West Point, in New York State.

It’s a first, because modern presidents have delivered such addresses to the nation from the Oval Office. I don’t know why he has chosen that venue. Presumably he will explain it this evening.

But I firmly believe that if he wanted a symbol for expanding the war, then he could have chosen a location that depicts much more graphically the results of warfare – our dead and wounded – like, for example, the site of the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.

I was there Sunday, and I assure you, my respected readers, that The Wall and the statues underscore the carnage of that conflict much more realistically than the one the President chose to rationalize what he is about to do. But if he delivered that address near The Wall, what impact would it have on his credibility?

Photo by Dick Bergeron:  Vietnam Nurses War Memorial, Washington, D.C.