James Pyle – Author

Today I’ll share my views on the first of two distinct topical issues; climate change and religion. Both share a common phenomenon: conflict between strongly held beliefs (dogma) and facts.

Climate Change

A few questions to ponder:

                Has the global climate changed over time? 

                Does man play a significant role in that change?

                Can man prevail over nature?

Some facts:

The United States is home to 321 million people, or 4.4% of the total world population of 7.2 Billion. The five largest countries: China, India, USA, Indonesia and Brazil: comprise 3.5 billion, or roughly half the world total. U.S. individual actions to slow global warming have, and will continue to  have, minimal effect.  Efforts by the other four countries have been zilch.

Most of the other 191 sovereign nations of the world are poor and unable or unwilling to commit to effecting climate change.

Their primary concerns (after killing their neighbors) are:

• Clean Water
• Adequate Food
• Access to Health Care
• Development of Mineral Resources

Climate change (formerly: global warming) does not even appear on their to-do lists.

A better, more attainable, goal for the  U.S.  would be to form an alliance among the ‘big five’ to address those primary concerns of the under-developed world, leading eventually to a more sustainable environment.  Instead, the UN, a historically inept entity, is convening a Paris Conference on Climate Change in early December of 2015.  Its goal: To obtain financial commitments from all attendees to limit global warming.  Good luck with that.  History shows that only flatulent speeches and unfulfilled financial commitments will result. (And millions of gallons of jet fuel will be expended getting these ‘world leaders’ to Le Bourget. )

Meanwhile, all you doomsday believers:  keep using those stupid light bulbs and searching for an outlet in Kansas to re-charge your car.  I’ll keep driving with cheap gas.

Stay tuned right here for some ecumenical thoughts on religious beliefs.

You are welcome.

Few would question the verity of this sentiment. But at whom should it properly be directed?

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an decentralized activist movement that campaigns against violence toward black people at the hands of police brutality. The movement began with the use of the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin. The movement then received fresh impetus from the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown—that resulted in protests and unrest in Ferguson—and Eric Garner in New York City. Several other African Americans who died at the hands of police officers have had their deaths protested by the movement.

However – careful analysis of the facts, as gathered by an independent research organization, Neighborhood Scout, shows that the majority of crimes against black citizens are perpetrated by other blacks – not by the police.

A survey of the total number of violent crimes and murders in the nine cities cited by the FBI as the nation’s most dangerous reports that, during 2014, 260,241 violent crimes, including 1,274 murders, were committed in those nine* cities alone, where the black population happens to exceed 50%.  (Nationwide black population is 12.6%)

A web site KilledbyPolice.net purporting to show an increase in police violence towards blacks states that 238 blacks were killed by police during 2014, but purposely does not state whether (or not) those killed were involved in criminal acts.

The problem is black-on-black crime: not police on black crime!

Before we demonize our entire police community using irresponsible blasphemes over social media with the help of an always-too-compliant media, we should demand the black community take responsibility for the irresponsible acts committed by peers and neighbors in their own communities. Brutal barbarism is still prevalent in many African nations. We cannot allow its importation to continue in America.

Poverty and inferior education cannot continue to be the excuses. Civil responsibility and adherence to the law goes hand-in-hand with citizenship in this country.

Our continuing freedom and safety require that all members of this melting pot obey the rules – not just the white ones.

* Detroit, New Orleans, Camden, NJ, Memphis, Oakland, St. Louis, Birmingham, Baltimore and Newark.

In 1883,  Emma Lazarus wrote:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

She intended her poem as a beacon summoning immigrants to America. It is now recorded on a plaque at the entry to the Statue of Liberty.

Fair enough!  Virtuous and magnanimous!  A creed by which we should all live!

But, like many virtues, it is vulnerable to abuse. I doubt Ms. Lazarus could have foreseen the unintended consequences of her plea. One recent example is New York City’s charter schools, conceived (and succeeding)to improve the lives of disadvantaged inner-city children.

The New York Times reported today, 132 years later,  on the outrageous requirement by the superintendant of  the Success Academy in Ft. Greene Brooklyn, that the kids behave themselves while in the classroom. Failure to do so results in expulsion. (Gasp!)

One mother claims her 6 year old son has  ‘hyperactivity disorder’ resulting in 19 suspensions last year. She claims he struggles with behavior issues, “often hitting, kicking, biting and spitting at other children”.  Now, she and other parents with abusive, disruptive progeny at Success Academy are up in arms that their kids are being suspended – after multiple warnings from the administrators. These parents deny any personal responsibility for instilling discipline in these kids at home.  “It is the school’s fault.”

Presumably when they enrolled their children at Success Academy it was to obtain a better education than that provided by NYC’s public schools – arguably, a low bar.

Unfortunately for parents, permitted entry through that Golden Door comes with rules and responsibility. Responsibility the parents seem to ignore, (because it’s inconvenient?).

Heed the message parents:  Ignore the rules if you will, but don’t complain when your ‘wretched masses’ can’t seem to light Ms. Lazarus’ lamp of learning; or when your child can’t find a job because employers ‘disrespect’ them because of sagging pants, tats, piercings and foul language.

And don’t blame the schools or the teachers who assume considerable personal risk coming into troubled neighborhoods to help your children. The least you can do is enforce the disciplinary rules that make it possible for all children to learn – including yours.

Perhaps if all else fails they can always get a job at the NY Times writing about how hard it is to ‘get along’. Standards there are abysmally low.
You are welcome.

Via full page ads and interviews with reporters, Oscar Munoz, United’s new CEO  seeks input from the public on how United can improve.  I have one suggestion for Mr. Munoz:  Buy a ticket on United (personally, not through a secretary) and travel anonymously around the world in coach class.

By the time you arrive back home you will understand why the flying public views the company with disdain.  That experience and the views of fellow travelers will tell you all you need to know about United’s problems regarding crew attitudes, poor in-flight service, schedule delays, aircraft cleanliness, etc.

Your experience at CSX might prove valuable in the board room, but just one trip should answer all those questions about customer malaise.  Boxcars can’t provide feedback.  Passengers can, and will.

I spent years as a supplier of avionics and telecommunications equipment to airlines worldwide, including United. It is a tragedy to witness the devolution of a once-proud company and  industry. Government actions and unions may share some of the blame, but it is ultimately a management responsibility to keep customers satisfied.  That cannot be achieved through mergers.

You are welcome.

How many of us recall Hillary Clinton’s boastful promise, made in 1999 at a Copenhagen conference on global warming, to raise $100 Billion by 2020 to stop the spread of man-made global warming?  Very few would be my guess.

How’s her promise working out?  Let’s ask the ‘experts’.

US Secretary of State – John Kerry (this month in Paris) – “We’re well on our way to achieving this $100 Billion goal.”   Really? Read on!

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary: “There is no credible roadmap to the $100 Billion.”  Oops.

Climate Policy Initiative of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Barbara Buchner, Senior Director: “We still don’t have an internationally agreed definition of what is climate finance… We still don’t have a consistent estimate of the money mobilized thus far.”

US Agency for International Development – Rajiv Shah, Director: “If we start cutting vaccines for poor countries to fund climate change, we will be doing a disservice to the world.”

Natural Resources Defense Council – Jake Schmidt, Director: “There are not many developed countries with a lot of free cash. The question is – how do we create innovative financing?”   Perhaps Goldman Sachs could help.

World Resources Institute –

Athena Ballesteros, Director of Sustainable Finance: “It’s not about the dollar figure per se but about the quality of the number and the type of money.”   Whaatt?   Ms. Ballesteros continues: “The US, Japan, and to a certain extent Australia and the U.K.(the bad polluters) have a hard case to build. The $100 Billion is needed for everything else to fall in place.”   What is ‘everything else’?  Anyone want to guess?

Jennifer Morgan, Global Director of Climate Program, speaking about the $100 Billion:  “It’s kind of like a trust piece for developing countries and it’s the easiest tool to block progress for those who want to block progress.”

What do these ‘experts’ do for forty hours every week?

I have a better plan to improve climate health:  Disband every one of the above useless, clueless social engineering organizations and fire the wackos feeding at their troughs.  That should eliminate a lot of hot air and free up enough cash to buy vaccines, food and water for all of the undernourished in all of the undeveloped world.

Oh: and don’t ever let Hillary come within sniffing range of uncountable and unaccountable billions of U.S. taxpayer money.

In addition to my roles as brilliant writer and social commentator, I am also chief cook and bottle washer at home. As such, I spend considerable time in the grocery store. (I only buy organic pretzels – Great with Vodka.) Anyway, I’ve begun to view the upcoming presidential primaries from the perspective of a selective shopper. I offer the following summation.

Passed ‘Sell By’ date –  (Think Moldy or Stale Bread)

                You’ve been rejected too many times. What don’t you get?

1. Lindsay Graham
2. Rand Paul
3. George Pataki
4. Jim Gilmore
5. Mike Huckabee
6. Bobby Jindal
7. Rick Santorum
8. Rick Perry
9. Hillary Clinton (D)

Not yet ripe (Bananas or Avocados)

                Hang in there, on the vine – your time will come – just not now

1. Marco Rubio
2. Ted Cruz
3. Scott Walker
4. Carly Fiorina

Exotics  (Mushrooms)

                Choose with Caution: Could be Poisonous

1. Donald Trump
2. Chris Christie
3. Bernie Sanders (D)

Today’s Best Buys  – (alphabetical order)

1. Joe Biden (D)
2. Jeb Bush
3. Ben Carson, MD
4. John Kasich

Just some crazy thoughts.  No guarantees.  Just like all the candidates.

You are welcome

When Americans go to the polls in 2016 will we be voting for a  charismatic individual or a philosophical  view of the United States’ role in a changing world?

After the Berlin wall fell, the West relaxed and rejoiced at what appeared to be a fundamentalist return to liberal democracy around the world, led by China’s capitalistic surge and Brazil’s new found oil. But events of the past decade give pause to the celebrating. The West’s victory over Communism now seems a hollow win in the effort to push Democracy, especially when viewed in light of new Chinese authoritarianism, Russian revanchism and Middle East and North African uprisings.

Now individual rights, transparent justice and religious tolerance (America’s values) are being touted as Imperialistic and solipsistic by masses formerly persecuted by dictators but now enlightened by the Internet and Social Networks.  But to those persecuted Yemeni Shiites or Syrians who lost home and family to a bloody insurrection, the Democracy of America or Germany looks appealing; certainly a better alternative to the horrors at home.

But, simultaneous with this tectonic shifting of world powers, a sexual revolution is also playing a role. Western liberal democratic values of choice as applied to women and gays are in violent conflict with Islamic, Russian, African, Catholic and even Evangelical-Christian beliefs and teachings. These two worlds are now co-habiting; not necessarily coalescing. A steady adult hand will be needed.

The question then becomes: Is liberal Democracy the solution to the world’s problems?  And, if so, which form of Democracy?  Judeo-Christian or a free-form, no-holds-barred form of rule? (Think Egypt, Afghanistan and Libya.)

All of which is illuminating background for the current, neo-natal, political obfuscations pouring from aspiring candidates on both sides.

With the world in flux – Russia on the march, Islamic fundamentalists laying claim to much of North Africa and the Middle East, China spying on America’s businesses and government , migrants pouring into Europe – what does the world hear in these early presidential debates?

• Should gays serve in our military? Should they be allowed to marry?
• Should we have allowed the Israel’s Prime Minister to address Congress? How about the Pope?
• Who voted against the Iraq war?
• Gee – why are there no jobs for the middle class?
• Which candidate has the worst hairdo, is the most obese or has the most unglamorous face?
• Can bakers/florists be permitted to disallow service based on sexual preference?
• Might withholding funds for Planned Parenthood shut down the government?
• Should trans-genders have separate toilet facilities?

Should this vainglorious form of American Democracy be imposed by brute force on the rest of the world? . . . We must require our candidates to debate a more meaningful list of priorities and demonstrate America’s understanding of greater global issues, showing the adult path to meeting those needs .

A few suggestions:

• How to provide better educational opportunity for all: not by simply pouring more money into the process, but by stimulating kids to value and desire better education.
• How to restore a crumbling infrastructure without the cronyism of current day contracting by government agencies. (Not just at home but at military installations abroad.)
• Serious proposals on how to restore jobs for middle class workers (Including revisions of the tax rules that encourage outsourcing).
• Creative discussion about immigration policies that would entice creative, productive immigrants to come here without scaling a porous wall.
• What is the proper role of America’s military around the world: trainers, policemen, occupiers?
• How can the U.S. help transform the UN and NATO into credible, helpful entities when facing truly evil insurrections?

What to do and where to start?

First, let’s stop re-electing the same old tired and ‘paid-for’ politicos who have demonstrated that selfish interests come before those of the country.

Second, let’s demand that any serious candidate for the presidency name his/her economic, international and military advisors in advance of the elections. (Possibly even their choices for key cabinet positions.)

Third, members of the current U.S. Congress should indicate their choices in the primary election cycle and pledge to support that candidate should he/she be elected. Future gridlock must be avoided.

Before the U.S. attempts inflicting its form of Democracy on the rest of the world, we must demonstrate, by example, that the form of Democracy that once built America into the greatest nation on earth still has the structure (and the courage) to face and solve complex problems, thus making this the land others aspire to emulate, not conquer.

RE: Today’s front page NYT story headline:  Obama Considers Talks With Putin on Syria Crisis.

Considers?  What’s to consider?

Wouldn’t it seem reasonable for the leaders of the two most powerful nations on earth to discuss a crisis that threatens the very survival of world order? You think maybe together they could strong arm President Assad to stop the air strikes that are killing his people?

It seems to me that the radical Islamic uprising is a far more dangerous peril than manmade global warming, Obama’s signature issue that he thinks will guarantee his legacy.

The real truth emerges on page ten of the Times’ article. “Meeting with the Russian strongman would only make the president look weak,” said John Herbst, a former ambassador to the Ukraine and member of the Atlantic Council in Washington (whatever that is).

For seven years, Obama has assiduously avoided Putin who has outgunned him at every turn. Putin won in Ukraine, he intervened in the Iran talks and got the Iranians to finally talk with John Kerry.  U.S. imposed sanctions have shaved only 1.5% of Russian economy.  Oil prices have had a much larger impact on their GDP than did the sanctions.  (Side note:  Exxon Mobil lost over $1 billion when its deal with Russia on the Sakhalin oil and gas project was cancelled due to the sanctions.)

So, with the U.S. paralyzed over intervening in the Syrian mess and ISIS getting stronger every day, Putin has acted by sending in tanks, planes and troops to help bring the slaughter to a halt. Give the guy credit; at least he has the balls to try something. If Russia benefits in the long run by selling Syria guns or tanks – so what! That’s how the world works;  something Obama will never comprehend. Perhaps with American planes in the air and Russian troops on the ground ISIS could be wiped out. We’ll never know if we don’t try.

The list of lawless countries with no controlling authority after a dictator falls is long:  Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia and Yemen: not to mention all the jungle countries of Sub-Sahara Africa. Parenthetically, the absence of help from America’s oil rich friends in the Middle East, from quelling violence between the Islamic sects to accepting refugees,  is likewise appalling.

If Syria is to avoid a similar fate it will be due to the efforts of strong leaders from the developed world, not the weakling in Washington.

All those European weenies struggling to keep Islamist refugees from their doors should pray Putin wins.

You are welcome.

For more commentary go to: http://www.jameshpyle.com

On this infamous date, if you didn’t already have enough reasons to hate flying, along comes Jeff Smisek.

He resigned as CEO, president and chairman of United Airlines this week amid a corruption probe by federal investigators.

Of course, Smisek denies any wrongdoing.

Because he quit instead of being sacked, he’s entitled to his full severance package, which is, to put it mildly, pretty darn impressive. According to a regulatory filing, United will gift Smisek nearly $5 million in cash plus other financial compensation that could top $20 million. (Remember, he resigned: he was not fired.)

In case he’s ever in the mood to travel; no problem. Smisek gets free first-class tickets on United for the rest of his life, cocktails included. What United should have done is force him to fly coach for the rest of his life along with the majority of his customers, knees against their chins, while his company is losing their luggage. Aviation Week magazine reported that United is now planning to add a 10th seat to some nine-seat coach rows on its Boeing 777s. Good move, Jeff. We’ll all remember you for that.

Smizak also gets free airport parking for life, health insurance until he’s eligible for Medicare in about four years and, oh yes, the keys to his company car.

That’s a mighty sweet deal for a bungling ex-CEO whose company’s stock is down 15% this year, who screwed up United’s merger with Continental (more on that later), who hasn’t been able to make nice with labor groups and whose airline is rated last in customer satisfaction among big carriers by J.D. Power.

Take airfares. Average ticket prices fell 5.6% in July, the steepest decline in almost two decades, government statistics show. But considering that the cost of jet fuel is down nearly 50% from a year ago, it hardly seems as if passengers are sharing in the carriers’ newfound wealth.

Go forth in hell, Jeff, with your degrees from Princeton and Harvard Law: maybe you should have taken courses in marketing and human relations.

Mergers:  Today’s airlines are in the hands of lawyers and accountants with no training or practical experience in running a successful business. These narcissist egoists think their self-worth is measured by the size of the corporations they head, not by the quality of service they provide to customers or the public in general. They are abetted in this folly by the greed of the investment banking community – always too anxious to construct a merger – then bludgeon a clueless government agency into approving it – all in the misguided notion it will help the flying public.

Never has an airline merger benefitted consumers,  shareholders of either entity or society in general.  The only beneficiaries are the bankers who command huge fees to put the deal together and the incompetent CEOs of the companies who, like Mr. Smisek, receive outsize payouts for running the company into the ground. (Note to Board of Directors:  If your CEO can’t run a small enterprise, how in hell do you expect him/her to run a larger one?)

For years, I was a marketer of large scale computer and communications equipment to airlines worldwide. I loved to fly. I loved the industry and the people in it. They were intensely loyal to their employers and sincerely concerned with building loyal customer relations. CEOs then included people with broad industry experience, many were former pilots, including: Bob Six of Continental, Eddie Rickenbacker of Eastern, C.R. Smith of American, Harding Lawrence of Braniff, and Juan Trippe of Pan Am. These pioneers are gone now, replaced by puppets approved by investment bankers.

Along with the sheer insanity of airline management practices (hub/spoke system, frequent flier miles, baggage fees.etc.) comes the added government interference called TSA.

In late June the American people learned that, in a test of airport security, the Transportation Security Administration failed miserably. Simulated explosives and weapons got past airport screeners on 67 out of 70 occasions.

That’s a failure rate of 95 percent!

Where is the Congressional outrage? They must be too busy extolling the latest employment numbers which include all those empty suits at TSA.

Sadly, anyone who has passed through an American airport in the last dozen years has removed shoes, laptops and shampoo, experienced mind-numbing delays and endured seemingly arbitrary rules—all without any real sense of security. Grandma’s walker might not get past these gimlet-eyed professionals, but apparently the actual dangerous stuff still does.

So our air transportation system is now roiling in a Perfect Storm of incompetence and chaos, all brought to us by investment bankers and lobbyists.

Nowadays, my destinations of choice when leaving home in Connecticut are Colorado and/or Florida.

I always drive! That way I know I can take my golf clubs and gun (if needed).

You are welcome.

For more insightful commentary go to my blog at Jameshpyle.com

I’ve been watching and reading the media coverage of migrant incursion into Europe. It’s a real problem – larger by far than our southern border issue.

But one thing puzzles me. Why do migrants being welcomed into Germany appear to be white, well dressed and well spoken? Whereas the boat people washing ashore in Italy and Greece are all black, slovenly dressed and illiterate.

I don’t know the answer. I only read the papers and see the coverage provided by well meaning Progressives.  They lament the plight of sub-Sahara Africans and praise Germany for their humanitarian efforts.

Could Germany, once again, be up to her old tricks of selective integration?

Just asking.  Stay tuned.

You are welcome.