Obama Diplomacy is a Mess Mike Huckabee Commentaries: Reality Shows Friends and family of reality star Gia Aleemand are still in shock over the news that she died Wednesday, apparently after trying to take her own life. The star of ABC’s “The Bachelor” was just 29. She was beautiful, famous and envied by countless strangers. She seemed to be well-grounded and happy. Once again, it serves as a sobering reminder to young people who worship celebrities and wish they could be beautiful and famous, too, that those things alone don’t protect you from the pains of life. With the rise of reality shows, people feel they truly know the person on their TV screens, but there has yet to be a reality show that actually showed reality. We can never really know what goes on behind other people’s closed doors. If you want the truth, don’t look for it on television, any more than you should look to fame, beauty or wealth for happiness and fulfillment. That cautionary tale was first told over a century ago, in a poem called “Richard Cory,” about a handsome, wealthy man admired by everyone – a perfect candidate for “The Bachelor” - who suddenly, one night, killed himself. And in the poem, as so often in real life, we never do learn the reason why. Hillary Bandwagon Hits Speedbump Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bandwagon just hit a supersize speed bump. And surprisingly, the source is the New York Times. The paper ran an investigative piece on Bill Clinton’s global charity, the Clinton Foundation. They concluded that while it’s had many successes, it’s also a sprawling, organizational mess. Despite vast amounts of money flowing in, it ran deficits for years. And it was rife with corruption, cronyism and extravagant, wasteful spending. I know what you’re thinking: does overseeing that make Hillary Clinton less or more qualified to run the federal government? In a related story, the same day this news broke, the New York Times website went down for several hours. Well, maybe it’s not really related. But it’s hard not to imagine it is. Wise Diplomacy Maybe it’s time to trade in “smart diplomacy” for “wise diplomacy”… Yesterday, Egypt’s cabinet met to discuss how to end the violence in the streets between the military and Muslim Brotherhood protesters. There have been upwards of a thousand deaths and dozens of churches burned. The deputy prime minister wants to end it by bringing all parties into the government. Other cabinet members say they tried giving a seat of power to Islamic radicals, and look what happened. They want the Muslim Brotherhood banned. And the Brotherhood won’t negogiate: they threaten endless protests if they don’t get Morsi back in power. What can America do? We could cut off military aid. But that might destabilize one of our few allies who’s kept the peace with Israel. And for what? To put Islamists back in power? What can you do when two pit bulls are locked in mortal combat? You just stand clear and hope your dog wins. That may not be smart diplomacy. But it’s wise diplomacy. Maybe if we stay out of Egypt for awhile, they’ll start to miss us. That’s already happening in Iraq. Less than two years ago, Baghdad wanted the US to get out and let them handle their own affairs. They wouldn’t even protect American soldiers from prosecution. So in 2011, US forces left Iraq. What followed was a resurgence of violence from al-Qaeda radicals, launching deadly bombings at a rate that hasn’t been seen since the worst days of the Iraq war. In July, more than a thousand Iraqis were killed in terror-related attacks. It’s so bad, Iraq’s Foreign Minister is now saying to America, come back, all is forgiven! Iraq is requesting American help – some military advisors, intelligence analysis, surveillance assets, including lethal drones. Will the White House agree? President Obama couldn’t wait to get Iraq into the rear view mirror, but the resurgence of al-Qaeda there can’t be sitting well with the Pentagon. And it gives rise to another worry: is this just a coming attraction for what will happen the minute we leave Afghanistan? Invention Afredo Moser is just a humble mechanic from Brazil. But he’s not only a Huck’s Hero, he’s also a modern day Thomas Edison. A couple of years ago, he was thinking about how to light his house during one of Brazil’s frequent power outages, and a light bulb appeared over his head. Literally. He took a clear plastic bottle with a black cap, and filled it with water and a little bleach to prevent algae. Then he drilled a hole in his roof, stuck the top of the bottle through it, and water-sealed it with polyester resin. Sun shines on the top of the bottle, and the water refracts it, filling the house with as much light as a 60-watt bulb, only using no electricity. His invention, the “Moser lamp,” has caught on in at least 15 nations. It’s saved poor people millions of dollars in electric costs, while reducing pollution. Moser told the BBC that he gets goosebumps thinking about how many people he’s helped, but he credits divine inspiration. He says God gave the sun and light to everyone. So hasn’t made a dime off it. Of course, Mr. Moser could still be rewarded if he won a Nobel Prize. But that would require the Nobel Committee to give the prize to someone who actually did something to deserve it.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 19:19:33 +0000
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