The Crime of Punishment in America

 The Crime of Punishment in America

"We either believe in the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, or we don't. There is no middle ground."

Leon Panetta, White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, 

Director of the CIA, Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

 What do we know about jails and prisons?  We all seem to know, or at least suspect, that incarcerated persons undergo horrible experiences behind bars; they do.  There are almost two million people in federal and state prisons and local jails, far more than any other country.  The poor are overrepresented in the inmate population, especially those who are suffering from mental illness and drug addiction.  In many ways, our jails and prisons are warehouses for these populations, while institutions for the mentally ill are in short supply, and addiction treatment centers are poorly funded.  Starting in the 1980s and continuing to the present day, tough drug enforcement laws have flooded our jails and prisons with convicted offenders; the overcrowding has become insufferable.    

Who goes to prison?  Mostly the poor who lack the resources, both for bail and for a proper defense.  Other reasons stem from discriminating enforcement practices, for example, the different treatment of powder cocaine, used by the wealthy, and crack cocaine, the cheaper version used by the poor.  The latter is actively pursued by the police and carries mandatory prison for small amounts.  Powder cocaine is often not on the police radar, and imprisonment requires a violation involving very large amounts.  Some argue that the creation of for-profit administration of prisons is behind the increase in incarcerated persons, and there is probably some degree of corruption in this area as well.  Humans will be humans

What happens once in prison?  A phrase attributed to inmates suggests that newcomers to the inmate population are either Vikings or victims.  That is to say that if you are not tough and strong, you will be a slave; you will be continuously raped and frequently beaten. If you can fight your way out of slavery, then you must join one of the racial and ethnic prison gangs and be always at war.  Since there is usually only one jail or prison guard per hundred inmates, guards are usually on the other side of the bars.  Inmates run the prison blocks and yards.  It is believed by many that official corruption is significant and everything is for sale.

What happens to inmates after jail or prison?  Rehab programs are poorly funded and inefficiently run inside, so employment opportunities outside are usually beyond their reach.  The poor transition leads to a much higher recidivism rate than it needs to be.

How can it be made better? It will require more funding for additional security personnel, anti-corruption mechanisms, and rehabilitation efforts, including work-release programs, as well as other diversion programs.  It is not rocket science, but it does not happen when only the poor are imprisoned, and the middle and upper classes have to foot the bill.  Plainly speaking, there is no voting constituency.  Proportional bail and uniform enforcement of drug laws should be an offer the middle and upper American classes can't refuse.

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The Proper Route to Globalization

The Proper Route to Globalization

I

As communications and knowledge began to travel around the world at lightning speed with the birth of The Internet and the information revolution, humans everywhere have gotten to know more about each other.  The feeling of global brotherhood predicated in that reality has been a blessing in which we all rejoice.  Humans, nevertheless, are still the architects of world communities and continue to be far from perfect.  Globalism expressed in a rush to create open borders, open markets, and international laws regardless of intentions, has produced serious complications for our nation and for others.  Poor people from neighboring nations have flooded our land in unprecedented and indigestible numbers, and well-paying jobs have moved to other nations that have no minimum-wage laws and few regulations.  It has been a noble experiment, and nothing is gained by retro-blaming; rather, forward-looking changes in policies must be adopted.

It would be irrational to suggest that anyone is going to deport the tens of millions of undocumented immigrants in our country, although the deportation of the many thousands of criminal aliens and freeloaders is essential.  It would be equally foolish to insist on maintaining an open border that inevitably invites millions more to come across.  International trade must not be stifled, provided that nations can agree to respect the need for and bring about reasonable, balanced trade policies.  There is nothing wrong with sovereignty and a measured degree of nationalism in today's world.  The paramount concern is the continuous existence of absolute rulers in Communist China hellbent on historical revenge and world domination.  

Ultimately, the goal is a universal world order instead of an arms race and mutually assured destruction (MAD).  Even if we manage to avoid total war, inescapable environmental realities will some day compel the creation of a world government.  For my part, I pray.

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A National Youth Service Program

Food for thought

A National Youth Service Program 

"For the very first time, the young see history being made before it is censored by their elders."

Margaret Mead

Before we rush to reaffirm free college tuition, student loans, FHA Mortgages, and other entitlements to our youth, things we can barely afford, why don't we offer these luxury entitlements only to qualified young people willing to give back to the country?

Our nation desperately needs a National Youth Service Program to remedy the personnel shortages in areas like classroom teachers' assistants, school tutoring, neighborhood youth program workers, border patrol auxiliary force, police auxiliary force, environmental improvement, military service, and much more. Let's offer our youth a fair deal, not a free lunch.  Fairness must be guaranteed with a random lottery draft system, where military service is but a choice.

A large portion of our American youth are accustomed to protection from foreign foes, automatic entitlements, Godless relative morality, oblivious to patriotism, disregard for meritocracy, government services, and more, without rendering any service to society. This has never been conducive to a sense of belonging, direction, national pride, and goals.  Let's not waste our most valuable resource.

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Relative Morality: Surrender Management

 Relative Morality: Surrender Management

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland 

The future of our successful society is intrinsically predicated on the outcome of our culture wars. We must resolve our differences concerning what is good and what is evil, the making of American general moral values, and the evolution of a multi-cultural America.  We are witnessing the growth of moral tolerance and how it continually pushes the limits, as well as the emergence of active secularism and moral relativism.

Many are the frightening questions we inevitably face:

1. Will we continue to deny the poor credible police protection in their neighborhoods, adequate representation in our courts, and humane treatment in our prisons?

2. Will the battle over homosexual marriage and the rights of bisexuals morph 

into a debate over polygamy?

3. Will the argument over late-term abortion grow into a debate over how human

is a baby in a woman's womb before being born or shortly thereafter?

4. Will this generation of Americans continue to borrow and spend until our children inherit only a bankrupt state?

5. Will recreational drugs be prohibited or accepted as a normal way of life?

Intelligent people disagree on the causes and solutions to our dilemmas, or if there are any. Yet, Dostoyevsky's words continue to resonate with me: "If there is no God, everything is permitted."

 

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 The U.S. Must Accelerate the Creation of a Moon Base

We are in a space race with China, and the creation of a base on the Moon is the next finish line.  We are doing great things in the field of scientific exploration, and our military is surely developing a formidable Space Force; nevertheless, nothing outweighs the establishment of our permanent presence on the Moon.  The Moon is not only the highest ground in our confrontation with China but also the near-term supply of Helium 3 for nuclear fusion and the gateway to the conquest of space.  At a time when we are spending trillions of new money, NASA and private space entrepreneurs should be provided whatever they can efficiently use.

Living on the Moon in an American base, which will auto-develop into a city, is surprisingly feasible.  It will necessitate living underground to avoid the cosmic rays that relentlessly bombard the surface.  This will not require digging into the underground; the universe has already provided for our needs.  We now know that both the moon and Mars contain gigantic underground tunnels.  These are the remnants of volcano lava outlets dubbed “lava tubes.”  They could be kilometers in diameter and many miles long, large enough to accommodate millions of human inhabitants.  We can create airtight compartments filled with oxygen, artificially illuminated, and climate-controlled.  The moon offers minerals for building materials and water to drink and to extract oxygen.  Energy is available from hydrogen, also extracted from water.  An endless supply of energy is also readily accessible from perpetual, unfiltered sunlight on the windless, flat lunar surface.

Communist China has a robust and growing space program. It already has a secret presence on the dark side of the moon and has demonstrated its ability to wage an anti-satellite offensive. They threaten to blind us, disrupt all of our communications and utilities, and create a condition of national chaos. A recent movie, "Leaving the World Behind," has illustrated how such a war could affect our nation.     

The rapid development of our conquest of space as the leading space-going nation would excite the public and inspire our youth to pursue science. Turning our moon into an American manufacturing and space travel hub will enhance our national security, magnify our prestige in the world, and rekindle our pride as an exceptional nation, the shining city on a hill.  

 

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Russia: Our Necessary Ally

 Russia: Our Necessary Ally

--Russia is no longer pursuing a communist ideology nor trying to impose its government system on the world.  It is now following a nationalist agenda and seeking to recover its grandeur (MRGA).  Albeit, with an economic oligarchical system distasteful to us.  It does not present an immediate economic or military threat to the U.S. and its allies, although its nuclear arsenal and its invasion of Ukraine are always worrisome.  Global geopolitical reality has always required strategic alliances of nations across ideological divides.  Unsavory friends like Russia must be part of the coalition that confronts China’s growing threat.  It was once a critical component of the coalition that defeated Nazi Germany, and its considerable economic, scientific, and military prowess is once more in need.    

Russia’s challenges to the U.S. in weapons development and cyber security can have a salutary effect in that it is a competition that forces us to become better at these endeavors.  On the other hand, China’s challenges are existential and immediate.  Every indication suggests growing economic and military confrontation with the United States and its allies.  In the economic area, China has taken advantage of overtures from the West to cheat its way to economic parity and plans to achieve global superiority.  The West welcomed China into the World Trade Organization, expecting that it would abide by international law and fair trade.  It has instead manipulated its currency, stolen intellectual property, restricted access to its market, subsidized its industries for competitive advantage, used slave labor, and more.  While militarily, it has continued to rapidly grow and modernize its forces, and it has used its new strength to intimidate its neighbors and to threaten international shipping lanes in the South China Sea.  It is also inching closer to military aggression against the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan.

We must rapidly find a negotiated solution to the Russo-Ukranian War and proceed to integrate Russia into the Western block of nations that will ultimately have to confront Chinese hostility.  Russia has already paid dearly for its invasion of Ukraine with global opprobrium, the expansion of NATO, and a humiliating military failure. The world is rapidly becoming polarized between China and the West; nations everywhere will be compelled to choose sides and we should be laying the groundwork to have Russia be in ours.

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The American Education Winning Team

 The American Education Winning Team

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

Abraham Lincoln

Education has always been more than a way out of poverty for many and more than the mechanism to supply skilled workers for the economy; it has been the most effective social equalizer.  Today, it has also become an imperative of national security.  Our best-educated youth is competing internationally with the best students from China, a communist totalitarian dictatorship committed to our demise.  It is suicidal for our society to pursue educational parity for all American students as a form of achieving social equality.  Granted, we must always subscribe to the policy of no child left behind, but while making sure that no child is held behind.  We need to provide the best possible education for all our students, nevertheless, mainstream students must be provided advanced learning to the limit of their capacity; they are the American Winning Team that will win the international competition for us.  Private schools are continuing to supply a portion of the best-educated youth, but the mass of American students depends on a failing public school system.

Today, many public school districts in the country are requiring classrooms to allow slower-learning students to catch up with faster learners.  Furthermore, disruptive students in the classroom are nearly impossible to be expelled from neighborhood-assigned public schools.  This may sound politically correct to some, but it is a guarantee that our society will be grossly outcompeted in the global economy.  In the international arena, not every child gets a trophy.  Equal opportunity, personal responsibility, and individual merit are the basic elements to achieve the desired fairness.  Underperforming public schools are the problem, not slow learners. Equitable school choice for parents is the answer.  All public schools should gradually become privately administered as chartered schools without the stranglehold of the teachers' unions.  Their individual survival should depend on their ability to attract students with locally uniform government-funded vouchers.  All private schools must be able to compete on a level playing field.

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The Balanced Budget, Debt Repayment, and Entitlements Protection Constitutional Convention

 The Balanced Budget, Debt Repayment, and Entitlements Protection Constitutional Convention

“When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."   Benjamin Franklyn

The national debt becomes a problem when we borrow to keep up with runaway entitlements, not for economic development, infrastructure projects, natural disasters, or wars.  Entitlements, once given by the elected official, can never be taken back without losing their next election; in fact, the opposite is true. 

 This national debt is now over 35 trillion dollars, without counting state and local government debts and national unfunded obligations to Medicare and Social Security funds. Estimates for those run as high as over 70 trillion dollars of unpayable debt. These entitlement funds are not running out of money; their money has been stolen by Congress. 

There is also inevitable emergency funding in our future for earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, infrastructure crumbling, pandemics, a new cold war, hot wars, national workers strikes, a new space race, environmental protection, economic crisis, civil disorders, crime prevention, undocumented immigration, criminal justice reform, educational restructuring, …  Where can money come from for any of these, if not from added national debt?  The clock is ticking.

 We desperately need a constitutional convention to pass a balanced budget amendment, a debt repayment amendment, and, finally, an entitlements protection amendment.  Entitlements must be self-sufficient and immune from government borrowing.  If left to Congress, the Social Security and Medicare Funds will always be in peril, and the promised bonanza from American energy will only result in a new spending orgy.

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Undocumented Immigration, The Great Misunderstanding

 

Undocumented Immigration, The Great Misunderstanding

“I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

      I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Matthew 25: 31-40

The undocumented immigration crisis will not be resolved without an effective mechanism to prevent future illegal immigration, both through border crossing and Visa overstaying.  Most opposition to the legalization of the millions of undocumented residents will eventually disappear after that.  The insistence by some on the granting of another amnesty, number eight since 1986, without preventing future illegal entry, is disingenuous and divisive; it also prolongs the suffering of the millions living in the shadows.  

Undocumented immigrants who want to avoid deportation must register with the government. We do need millions of legal immigrants to come to America, but they must want to become Americans, not just live here. They need to be potentially self-supporting, law-abiding people; criminal behavior must result in automatic deportation.  They must be of diverse backgrounds, representing many parts of the world.  Finally, each cultural group needs to arrive in digestible numbers so that our natural assimilation machine continues to work without being overwhelmed by any cultural group.  We do not need sub-nations in our American nation.

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Common Sense, Not Billions More to Protect Our Leaders

 Common Sense, Not Billions More to Protect Our Leaders

“Common sense will tell us, that the power which

 hath endeavoured to subdue us, is of all others, the

most improper to defend us.”

― Thomas Paine, Common Sense

We Americans have gotten used to systematic failures in our society: unpayable national debt, failing schools, open borders, inhuman conditions in poverty, energy dependence, and infrastructure decay... 'At Nauseum.'  A new failure has been added: our incapacity to protect our leaders.  The monthly assassination attempts on the life of a former President and leading presidential candidate are incomprehensible, and perhaps providential intervention has precluded a national funeral. 

The finger-pointing is predictable, and its aftermath is invariable: more money. It makes everyone more hopeful and avoids a sense of social paralysis. It is probably correct that a little bit of added funding will help, but so will a reexamination of the use of available funds. How can gross inadequacies in the Secret Service's protection performance go unaccounted for?  What happened to the use of technology: drones in the air, infrared vision for the dark concentration of bushes, ground-based robots, motion detectors, trained police dogs... 

When I served as an infantry special forces sergeant in the Vietnam War, I was periodically assigned to the perimeter defense of what we called LZs for Landing Zones. These were small jungle bases with a dozen or more bunkers arranged as circling wagons embedded in a soil-berm that bulldozers had created as a defense perimeter.  The LZs were surrounded by a wood line of interminable dense jungle.  I protected myself and my 5-10 men in my bunker area with every tool and tactic at hand.  We had directional Claymore Mines in front of the bunker, boxes full of hand grenades, loaded rifle magazines, and hand flairs near every man lying on the berm; the bunkers were avoided during combat since they were magnets for rocket fire.  Trip flairs were all over the barbwire that encircled the perimeter.  A nightmarish, directed napalm-filled 55-gallon drum in front of the soil-berm was always loaded and ready for remote detonation. Every bayonet was fixed.  The base commander pre-aimed artillery fire on the woodline, frequently called for large artillery flairs over the LZ, Cobra helicopter gunships to circle above, and occasional 'Mad Minutes,' 60-second prophylactic free-for-all firing at the woodline. Then we prayed; no atheists there.  Enemy suicide assaults were, at times, almost daily.  I can sarcastically state that if the modern Secret Service leadership had directed the operations at the time, our casualties would have been much higher; we would have been overrun.

Aerial drones would have detected a sniper on a nearby roof or an unoccupied vehicle with a Harris-Walz bumper sticker parked on the road just outside the gulf course fence.  Low-flying drones could have been patrolling the inside of the surrounding chain-link fence.  Infrared drone-mounted cameras should have been observing the bushes attached to the chain-link fence.  Ground-based and aerial time-interval photos and videos would have detected changes between camera shots.  Smart computers can flag forms in a picture, like an aiming sniper.  Military-style communications should keep all security personnel in the loop.  The command post officer must be liable for obvious failures.  The opposition presidential candidate and the sitting president should be guarded with equal care.  Let's not have another 'nothing can be done' moment.        

     

 

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Surrender Management: America in Retreat

Surrender Management: America in Retreat

When I wrote my book series entitled "Surrender Management: America in Retreat" in 2006, I argued that our nation was surrendering to critical problems without solving them.  From national debt to undocumented immigration, from inferior education to criminal justice injustice, from a weak defense to the abandonment of the space race, from energy dependence to drug abuse, it all seemed that our political leaders were leading us over the cliff.  I wondered how long the public would wait to say enough.  I'm delighted to see the volatility of the current presidential contest because whoever wins, I believe many things will finally change. 

 

Russia, the Essential Ally

---Russia is no longer pursuing a communist ideology, nor trying to impose its government system on the world.  It is now following a nationalist agenda and seeking to recover its grandeur.  It does not present an immediate economic or military threat to the U.S. and its allies, although its nuclear arsenal is always worrisome.  Global geopolitical reality has always required strategic alliances of nations across ideological divides.  Unsavory friends like Russia must be part of the coalition that confronts China’s growing threat.  It was once a critical component of the coalition that defeated Nazi Germany, and its considerable scientific and military prowess is once more in need.    Russia’s challenges to the U.S. in weapons development and cyber security can have a salutary effect in that it is competition that forces us to become better at these endeavors.  On the other hand, China’s challenges are existential and immediate.  Every indication suggests growing economic and military confrontation with the United States and its allies.

On the economic area, China has taken advantage of overtures from the West to cheat their way to economic parity and plans to achieve global superiority.  The West welcomed China into the World Trade Organization expecting that it would abide by international law and fair trade.  It has instead manipulated its currency, stolen intellectual property, restricted access to its market, subsidized its industries for competitive advantage, use slave labor and more.  While militarily, it has continued to rapidly grow and modernize its forces, and it has used its new strength to intimidate its neighbors and to threaten international shipping lanes in the South China Sea.  It is also inching closer to military aggression against the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan.

We must integrate Russia into the Western block of nations that will ultimately have to confront Chinese hostility.  The world is rapidly becoming polarized between China and the West; nations everywhere will be compelled to choose sides and we should be laying the groundwork to have Russia be on our side.

 

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The Breakup with China

 

The Breakup with China

---The threat is China, and we must never lose sight of it.  A game of chicken is being played along economic, military, and scientific lines.  We are marching towards a confrontation in the South China Sea, and the trigger will probably be the island nation of Taiwan, which we hold as a strategic ally, while China sees it as a renegade province.  It is where the formerly democratic government of China took refuge after it escaped the communist revolution in the mainland in 1949.  We welcomed the democratic government in Taiwan, with a population of some 20 million people, under President Chiang Kai-shek, to its membership in American-led military alliances.  The U.S. then began a policy of containment of communist China, with over a billion people under Chairman Mao Zedong.  The policy of containment and isolation has led to two proxy wars with China, first in Korea in 1950, which ended in a stalemate, and later in Vietnam in 1955, which ended with our humiliating defeat in 1975.   

President Richard M. Nixon moved to end the isolation of China with a personal visit to its capital, Beijing, in 1972.  China was later admitted to the World Trade Organization in 2001.  It was all done to try to integrate China into the international community of nations in exchange for neighborly behavior.  China became rich as a cheap manufacturer for the U.S. and Europe while violating treaties and international rules of behavior.  It has used its newfound wealth to enslave the people of Hong Kong and to pursue global economic and military dominance.  American accommodating policies are facilitating their agenda.

Will China engage in acts of war against the U.S.?  Yes, as soon as it achieves overwhelming military superiority in the Asia-Pacific region.  The communist Chinese may restrict free navigation in the South China Sea, and it may outright invade Taiwan.  Will we have non-nuclear military options? No, but we can decouple China’s economy from ours, which will cause unbearable pain to the Chinese.  An economic breakup with China can be brutally disruptive for the U.S. as well unless it prepares in advance for it.  The U.S. must begin to lead Western democracies in the process of shifting production of essential supplies from China to the U.S. and its allies.  Products like antibiotics, rare earth, critical computer parts and many others must have alternative sources of supply.  We should in fact transfer much of our supply chain from China to Mexico, South America and to the U.S., which would bring great benefits to us.  We should also rush to increase robotic manufacturing to minimize dependance on Chinese cheap labor.  Once we develop a fail-safe supply chain infrastructure, the Chinese leverage will be arrested, and their cost of aggression will become prohibitive.  If this strategic production is not counter balanced, the risk of confrontation and war will continue to grow.

On the military front, China is engaged in a massive buildup, with gigantic efforts in the research and development of new weapons.  They have publicized their capacity to sink American aircraft carriers, knock down our communication satellites from orbit, and to disrupt our cyber infrastructure.  It has also amassed a huge army, far more than their defensive needs.  The U.S. has no choice but to continue its military modernization of the past four years, and to rapidly advance its development of the American Space Force.  The communist government of China is not likely to change its ways voluntarily, only internal regime change, or confrontation from the West can do that.  A strong and decisive America is the only defense against Chinese domination of the world and the imposition of global totalitarianism.

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Vital Need for the 28^th Constitutional Amendment 

---I propose, as I’m sure others have, that we rush to pursue a 28^th Constitutional Amendment that will defend a nine-judge Supreme Court and maintain a permanent filibuster parliamentary system in the Senate.  It should also reverse the “nuclear option” and require a 3/5 majority in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices and other matters as well.

 Foolish politicians will always be foolish, and political expediency trumps national interest at any time.  Mark Twain classically said that “no man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the congress is in session.”  To this, we can add Henry David Thoreau's thought, “The best government is that which governs least.”  There are no philosopher-kings to be found or that last forever. 

The secret to American government success is simply compromised, which precludes excesses.  The Supreme Court is and has been the conscience of the country; respect for it is vital.  By allowing for only 51% of the votes in the Senate for confirmation of justices, as former Democrat Senate Majority Leader created by fiat in 2013, justices can be inherently partisan, and their credibility lessened.  The 3/5 majority rule requires a significant number of votes from the other side of the aisle and leads to moderation in the philosophy of confirmable justices.  This safeguard should also apply to the preservation of the filibuster in the Senate by again requiring a 3/5 majority to invoke “cloture” and end debate.

 These rules of a supermajority in the Senate have assured its role as a restraint over the more emotion-based House of Representatives.  The idea that any party with simple majority control can pack the court with justices from one side of the philosophical divide is inherently destructive.  Majority control changes from party to party; we cannot afford a series of court packing as with every election.  There will be other opportunities for both sides to replace judges among the complement of nine.

 The Supreme Court is the guardian of the Constitution, not a competing, non-elected legislature.  Simple majorities in the House and Senate cannot become tyrannical; the minority must participate and share some power.  The system needs to be codified in the Constitution; it will serve us well.

 

 

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An American Education Winning Team

---Education has always been more than a way out of poverty for many and more than the mechanism to supply skilled workers for the economy; it has been the most effective social equalizer.  Today, it has also become an imperative of national security.  Our best-educated youth is competing internationally with the best students from China, a communist totalitarian dictatorship committed to our demise.  It is suicidal for our society to pursue educational parity for all American students as a form of achieving racial and social equality.  We need to provide the best possible education for all our students, nevertheless, outstanding students must be provided advanced learning to the limit of their capacity; they are the American Winning Team that will win the international competition for us.  Private schools will continue to supply a portion of the well-educated youth, but the mass of American students depends on the public school system.

Today, some public school districts in the country are seeking to eliminate advanced courses to allow slower-learning students to keep up with faster learners.  This may sound politically correct to some, but it is a guarantee that our society will be grossly outcompeted in the global economy.  In the international arena, not every child gets a trophy.  Equal opportunity, personal responsibility, and individual merit are the basis for fairness.  Failing public schools is the problem, not “slow learners.” School choice for parents is the answer.  

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The U.S. Must Accelerate the Creation of a Moon Base

 

The U.S. Must Accelerate the Creation of a Moon Base

We are in a space race with China, and the creation of a base on the Moon is the next finish line.  We are doing great things in the field of scientific exploration, and our military is surely developing a formidable Space Force; nevertheless, nothing outweighs the establishment of our permanent presence on the Moon.  The Moon is not only the highest ground in our confrontation with China but also the near-term supply of Helium 3 for nuclear fusion and the gateway to the conquest of space.  At a time when we are spending trillions of new money, NASA and private space entrepreneurs should be provided whatever they can efficiently use.

Living on the Moon in an American base, which will auto-develop into a city, is surprisingly feasible.  It will necessitate living underground to avoid the cosmic rays that relentlessly bombard the surface.  This will not require digging into the underground; the universe has already provided for our needs.  We now know that both the moon and Mars contain gigantic underground tunnels.  These are the remnants of volcano lava outlets dubbed “lava tubes.”  They could be kilometers in diameter and many miles long, large enough to accommodate millions of human inhabitants.  We can create airtight compartments filled with oxygen, artificially illuminated, and climate-controlled.  The moon offers minerals for building materials and water to drink and to extract oxygen.  Energy is available from hydrogen, also extracted from water.  An endless supply of energy is also readily accessible from perpetual, unfiltered sunlight on the windless, flat lunar surface.

Communist China has a robust and growing space program. It already has a secret presence on the dark side of the moon, and it has demonstrated its ability to wage an anti-satellite offensive. They are threatening to blind us, disrupt all of our communications and utilities, and create a condition of national chaos. A recent movie, "Leaving the World Behind," has illustrated how such a war could affect our nation.     

The rapid development of our conquest of space as the leading space-going nation would excite the public and inspire our youth to pursue science. Turning our moon into an American manufacturing and space travel hub will enhance our national security, magnify our prestige in the world, and rekindle our pride as an exceptional nation, the shining city on a hill.  

 

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We Cannot Shake & Bake Foreign Soldiers

---American soldiers are the best in the world; they are well-trained and equipped, and they are standup men and women.  We tend to train and equip foreign forces fighting alongside our troops, but we do not really test them on the battlefield.  We count their troops in a total number when only a fraction is battle-ready. 

We will send American troops to other countries in the future, and we will again train local forces to prop democratic governments.  We cannot allow all democracies in the world to be overrun by totalitarian forces, and China will continue to pursue the creation of a Chinese-dominated totalitarian world government.  Nevertheless, future American military interventions need to establish two basic principles.  First, the nation that we go to defend must draft all available men to be trained and equipped for battle, and the created indigenous military force must relentlessly pursue and destroy its enemy, albeit with American air power and general support.  Second, we should never allow American troops to fight in a war against an enemy that hides in a sanctuary.  It is never a winning strategy, and it should never be allowed.

 In the Vietnam War, we created a South Vietnamese military of over a million men, but we never had them confront the North Vietnamese Army head-on.  Yes, they had their major battles, but they never tried to close the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  Thus, men and supplies continued to pour down the jungle routes through Laos and Cambodia. The political uproar arising from crossing into Cambodia and Laos to destroy enemy sanctuaries would have been managed.  A nation that allows the creation of a sanctuary for our enemy in a war must be prepared to have our allied forces occupy the same real estate in self-defense.

 We pursued the same foolhardy approach in the 20-year war in Afghanistan.  We created an Afghan force of 300,000 men, trained and equipped by us, but it was not used to expel the Taliban from its territory.  Yes, they also had their major battles, but the Taliban occupied major parts of the country and enjoyed a sanctuary in Pakistan throughout the war.  We should have used the Afghan army to both relentlessly attack Taliban forces inside their country and to conduct raids into their sanctuaries in Pakistan.  We would have had a more accurate count of real soldiers in the Afghan army.  American logistical support and air power would have made the difference if, once in the war theatre, it would have been used to its full capacity.

After we create an indigenous fighting force in a protected country, and they face and defeat their enemy head-on, albeit with American air power and support, we can begin our orderly withdrawal.

The real questions are, why did the U.S. allow the South Vietnamese army to allow the existence of the Ho Chi Minh Trail? And why did the U.S. allow the Afghan army to allow the occupation of part of its territory by the Taliban?  Our shake-and-bake foreign armies will always postpone the final battle for tomorrow if we allow it, and the result will always be predictable.  

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