James Pyle – Author

February 27, 2014

Gates’ recent book should be required reading for every high school Social Studies and/or English class.  Not because it is grammatically correct – it is not – but because of the insight it provides into the non -workings of the U.S. government. The reader is afforded a front-row seat at most major debates faced by the country during the eleven years Gates served as Secretary of Defense (under Bush 43 and Obama) and the years prior when he was CIA chief.

Granted, his views are mostly Conservative – but that’s okay; so are mine. A few take-aways merit mentioning:

• Gates and Hillary Clinton seemed in agreement on most critical issues.  Surprise.
• He faults Bush 43 on the decision to invade Iraq and properly cites the fallout – explosive unrest in North Africa.   Not a surprise but candid.
• Cheney and Rumsfeld get a pass – and barely a mention.  Hmmmm.
• Self-serving and pandering members of Congress are called out by name and brutally trashed. It’s about time someone inside the beltway did so. Where is the press on this problem?
• Obama and his inner circle are disdainful of military leaders while lacking any experience of their own.  Scary.
• Biden is characterized as an inept blowhard.  So, what else is new?
• Gates’ concern for the safety of troops is heartfelt. That being so, I wonder why he did not spend more of his considerable capital on finding a way to disengage from Afghanistan militarily while simultaneously working to isolate the bad guys in Kabul.  That surge did not work.

Our self-serving Congress is again shown to be the root of all problems, domestic and international. The uninformed and under-educated electorate that keeps them in power are equally blameful. Is anarchy around the corner?  Gates’ memoir could be a catalyst if the youth of the country are listening.

Stay tuned.

February 24, 2014

Despite the fear mongering over Russian security (or the lack thereof) and the constant drum-beat of anti-gay angst spewed by the U.S. media, Russia pulled off one of the best Olympic events ever. The blending of technology with culture in the opening and closing venues was fabulous. Their ability to deal with mother nature’s lack of snow on Rosa Khutor kept the games on track despite sniping by the commentators. All-in-all:  a great performance.

NBC, however, dropped the ball – over and over again.  One example: rather than show 62 pianos playing Rachmaninoff beneath the world’s most beautiful chandelier, they elected to go back 20 years and run an insipid one hour report on Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding’s dust up. What moron thought that was a good idea?

Another example:  The Christin Cooper interview with Bodie Miller after he won bronze in the Super G made me want to throw a chair through the TV. That she could be so insensitive after he recently lost a brother (and the gold) can be explained by her inexperience and lack of empathy for anything sports related. Her intense badgering cannot. She came off as a bully and shame on NBC for not cutting the segment short.  An NBC spokesman said: “We understand how some viewers thought the line of questioning went too far, but it was our judgment that his answers were a necessary part of the story. We’re gratified that Bode has been publicly supportive of Christin Cooper and the overall interview.” It is my judgment that Bodie Miller has much more class than anyone at NBC.

Maybe the Olympic Committee should contract Netflix for the Korean games.  NBC is clueless about sports and tone deaf to viewers wants.

The following is stolen from a friend in Colorado:

In this New Year, 2014, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union
address will occur on the same day.

This is an ironic juxtaposition of events. One involves a meaningless
ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little
intelligence for prognostication.

The other involves a groundhog.

January 21, 2014

Spring is just around the corner – must be time to bash the French, again. This time it’s their President. Maybe we should ban French Fries again.

It is indeed the silly season in the world of journalism – between elections and super bowl – when the left wing NY Times can find nothing more substantive to report on the front page than today’s two top stories: 1)”You Don’t have to be Jewish to love a Kosher prison meal”, and 2)”France and a First Lady, and a second. and…”

For the moment, let’s forget the Kosher meals which cost four times more than non-Kosher, and focus on poor Monsieur Hollande’s love life, which, by the way, appears non-Kosher but nevertheless fascinating to the Times’ editorial staff.

French President François Hollande is an unmarried 58 year old man, emphasis on French, who happens to enjoy the company of women! Sacre bleu! Comme terrible! He has a mistress and a mistress in waiting. (Oh, the stress of it all – Who’s birthday is next week? Valérie? Julie? Or Ségolène again?)

As we say in France: Tout le monde a besoin a passé-temps. Everybody needs a hobby.

I very much admire the French. They have great taste in food, wine, art, architecture (except the Jeu de Paume), literature and, dare I say it – women. They also have a penchant for intrigue. (Recall: Inspector Clouseau)

The American press also loves intrigue. This time: Who will accompany President Hollande on his visit to the White House next month? Comment Perplexe! Would an unmarried couple be welcomed at a state dinner with the Obamas?

Once again, I have a solution: Bring a guy. Gay couples are always welcome there. (Très simple.)

Another problem solved. Bienvenue M.Hollande et whoever.

You are welcome.

January 14, 2013

Some background: There are currently 1.2 million lawyers in the U.S. – more than any other country regardless of size. That’s one lawyer for every 270 citizens.

Meaningful comparisons:

• 1.1 Million U.S. military personnel, including reserve units
• 945,000 Doctors
• 800,000 Police, including federal law enforcement
• U.S. has 203 ABA accredited law schools vs. 141 medical schools.
• 2/3 of Congress have law degrees

With this disproportionate number of lawyers seeking work, is it any wonder there is so much corruption in our society? Or, so many class action law suits in which the only winners are the lawyers?

A few current examples of legal zeal:

• BP’s allegations of corruption in their Gulf Coast Settlement Agreement whereby lawyers file bogus claims and receive huge fees for ‘manufactured claims’.
• Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy from Long Island, a life-long smoker, has filed a suit claiming that clothing worn by her father, who was a boilermaker, contributed to her “asbestos-related” cancer.
• Apple Computer is currently resisting an investigator charged by an activist federal judge with proving Apple illegally fixes prices. The investigator, a lawyer, Apple claims, is disrupting operations and threatening to disclose confidential research programs to competitors. One unintended outcome may be that the company moves the bulk of research to their Beijing campus.

The moral of the story?: Mothers, don’t let your babies grow up to be lawyers. They’ll be reviled.

You are welcome!

January 3, 2014

The election of DiBlasio as mayor of New York City and Obama’s campaign to re-distribute wealth has my panties in a knot. Each of these gentlemen is a socialist, one step removed from being a communist.

Some definitions:

Socialism advocates that the means of production, distribution and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole

Communism advocates class warfare to insure that all property is publicly owned by the people and each is paid according to his/her ability and needs. It was promoted by Karl Marx in response to oppressive capitalism, i.e.: private vs. public ownership of industry.

Note the distinction between the above – ‘class warfare’. That is what these two elected officials advocate. It is scary.

Our form of Democracy promises ‘equal opportunity for all’ citizens (and most non-citizens who are here illegally). Examples of opportunity include, but are not limited to: education, police, highways, armed defense forces, etc. Nowhere in our founding documents does it say everyone shares equally in the nation’s wealth. Controlled capitalism built this nation to the point where millions from third world countries now strive to live here.

If one is honest, the distinction between the so-called wealthy and the rest of us: is failure to take individual responsibility. If your kid doesn’t have an education, shame on you. If he’s in jail, most likely it’s because he committed a crime. Because you chose to have seven kids and can’t feed or clothe them, you have no one to blame but yourself. Social welfare programs and charities exist to deal with exceptions – not the norm.

Re-distributing the nation’s wealth will not solve social problems. In fact, it will exacerbate them. Only when you – by taking control and responsibility for your individual actions/inactions – will you rise above the perceived injustices you claim. Your politicians deceive you. Don’t trust them.

December 23, 2013

In my never ending pursuit of federal agencies that should be abolished for incompetent managerial practices I now add the Federal Trade Commission.

Apparently none of the five commissioners (all well connected lawyers whose firms have active lobbying practices) ever watch the evening news on TV or listen to drive-time radio. Most sponsors of the evening news shows are drug companies inundating the publicly owned airwaves to promote “new breakthrough” drugs with a list of mind-boggling side effects. Radio is replete with ads promising to: a) refinance your mortgage at no cost, b) cure your impotence, c) help you fight the IRS, and, d) my all-time favorite in the NYC market, buy low-cost term life insurance from a broker called “Big Lou”.

I have two questions: 1) Where is the FTC in all this inaccurate and misleading advertising? 2) What ever happened to ‘Truth in Advertising’ which the media management was supposed to enforce?

Answer to both: Corporate Profit, Personal Greed and Job Preservation overtook their societal responsibility.

The following statement, copied verbatim from the FTC web site purports to be their mission:

When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it’s on the Internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence. The Federal Trade Commission enforces these truth-in-advertising laws, and it applies the same standards no matter where an ad appears – in newspapers and magazines, online, in the mail, or on billboards or buses. The FTC looks especially closely at advertising claims that can affect consumers’ health or their pocketbooks – claims about food, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, alcohol, and tobacco and on conduct related to high-tech products and the Internet, such as the dissemination of spyware. The FTC also monitors and writes reports about ad industry practices regarding marketing of food, violent movies, music, and electronic games to children.

When the FTC finds a case of fraud perpetrated on consumers, the agency files actions in federal district court for immediate and permanent orders to stop scams; prevent fraudsters from perpetrating scams in the future; freeze their assets; and get compensation for victims.

Violent movies?  Electronic games sold to children?  Stop scams?

Maybe these five commissioners are unable to watch the news or monitor their kids’ game selections because they spend most of their time on airplanes travelling to foreign countries giving speeches on consumer protection and unfair competition.  FYI: They employ 1,200 people and enjoy a budget of $300 Million.

December 17, 2013

The Hippocratic Oath has historically been taken by physicians and healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine with integrity. It is widely believed to have been written in the late 5th century by the Greek Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine. The original oath required a new physician to swear upon a number of healing gods that he would uphold the highest professional and ethical standards.

The oath is still considered a rite of passage for medical practitioners in many countries, though nowadays the modernized versions of the text vary. The original ‘healing gods’ have been supplanted by more secular entities, but the majority of modern physicians still feel its moral burden.

While there is no legal obligation for medical students to swear an oath upon graduating, 98% of American medical students swear some form of oath, basically; To do no harm and to keep the patient’s medical issues private.

Today’s media is enthralled by the overwhelming number and financial weight of pharmaceutical companies advertising today. I submit that, these companies too, should be held to a higher standard. How about an oath taken by the CEO of every drug company swearing to elevate patient well-being above profit? These pariahs have bought and fought their way to the forefront of current medicine and need restrictions that no government agency is willing to impose.

May the side effects they warn us against come back to inhabit their greedy corporate bodies.

You are welcome.

December 10, 2013

Today, Mother Nature sent snow – the first of the year, pristine, as yet unsullied. I am in delicious hibernation, morning coffee at hand, enjoying the view while reminiscing about younger days on a ski mountain. One of my early morning rituals is reading the paper. Today, one particularly irritating comment buried deep in an article on ‘Victims of Assault in Military’ caught my eye.

Quoting verbatim: “But in the strange first session of the 113^th Congress, precedent has rarely held, and in a legislative year that is likely to go down in history as the least productive ever, Monday’s accord on defense policy was something of a victory for Congress.”

At the closing of our last fiscal year, USA Today claimed: ‘These statistics make the 112th Congress, covering 2011-12, the least productive two-year gathering on Capitol Hill since the end of World War II. Not even the 80th Congress, which President Truman called the “do-nothing Congress” in 1948, passed as few laws as the current one, records show.’

(Snowy days are perfect for reading, reflection and renewal.)

First point: To be picky, I’m not sure Congress was elected to score victories. (In all fairness that is probably an editorial miscue; but, nonetheless telling about the news vs. opinion that creeps daily onto the front page of the NY Times.)

Second point: How does one measure the productivity of a Congressional session? And, who holds the yardstick? Is the number of bills passed a measure of accomplishment – regardless of content? (You have to pass this bill to know what’s in it.)

Given the efficacy of bills passed in the last eight years and their unintended consequences (… if you like your current insurance plan you can keep it.) wouldn’t we be better served by passing fewer new laws, enforcing those that make sense and repealing those that are obsolete and/or unworkable? And why do we tolerate lawmakers who bundle unrelated issues into a single bill just to gain support for pet projects?

I suggest the most productive thing Congress could do is to only show up every other year. Give us a break!

You are welcome.

December 1, 2013

I typically disagree with the NY Times’ political and social commentary, but find it fascinating to view the juxtapositions that occur on a regular basis. The most recent example appeared on November 29^th, Black Friday.

A front page photo shows hordes of shoppers pushing and shoving to get in the door of Macy’s in search of ‘must have’ bargains, somehow convinced that saving a few dollars on stuff they don’t really need will improve their lives and/or make them feel superior to those who pay bust-out retail. (Gotta get that discount waffle iron for that no-account cousin Grace.)

Buried on page eight, is another photo: this one showing hundreds of desperate Indonesians queuing up for food and water following a devastating tornado and floods that wiped out their relatives, homes, possessions, electricity and water sources – and no Wal-Mart in sight.

Isn’t it amazing how Mother Nature (that cruel mother) can up-end what is truly important in our lives? Income inequality notwithstanding.

And, isn’t it amazing that our media, largely supported by advertisers of luxury goods, can quickly lose their compassionate focus – like skin off a growing snake?