The United States has spent a lot of money and its citizens have sacrificed a substantial number of lives creating a democracy in Iraq.  We’ve had some modest success and are hopeful that Iraq will join the list of the world’s democratic nations.  The theory is that when nations in the Middle East begin to elect their own governments, freedom will take root and democracies and peace will spread around the region.

On Wednesday, January 25, 2006 a landmark election was held in Palestine.  Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, and European nations, won an overwhelming political victory taking 76 out of 132 seats and crushing Fatah, the former ruling party established by the late Yasir Arafat.  Many Palestinians, tired of the rampant corruption of Fatah, decided it was time for a change.  It is often said that “all politics is local” and Hamas had recently built a lot of trust among ordinary Palestinians by stepping in to provide public services that the crooked Fatah-led government did not.  This recent election was a huge political event in the Middle East with Hamas overthrowing 40 years of Fatah rule.

By all accounts this recent Palestinian election was both democratic and legitimate.  International observers were present and there is no hint of fraud.  The outcome was undoubtedly the will of the majority of the Palestinian people.  Hamas will desire to make fundamental Islamic changes in education, industry, social aid and health.  Palestinian society may become more fundamentalist and less secular.

Neither the Bush administration nor the Israeli’s are happy with the Hamas victory.  How can the United States support a militant group that denies the right of Israel to exist?  Of course, the Israelis have announced that they will not deal with Hamas or any government that does not recognize Israel.  Mahmoud Abbas, who remains as the President of Palestine, desires to remain in peace negotiations with Israel, but has a lot less leverage now than before Hamas took control.  The results of this Palestinian election present a dilemma for the United States.  How can we claim to be in favor of free elections and democracy while refusing to recognize those who are elected?  If we truly believe in democracy this must not be conditional upon whether or not the people we favor are elected.

While the United States and Israel are shaken, Hamas has an even bigger dilemma.  Being a radical, fundamentalist, militant group is easy; having the burden of running a government is not.  Hamas must now rise above the role of agitator and complainer.  They are, in fact, the government of Palestine.  As such they will be held accountable by the masses for everything that happens in that country.  Their newfound responsibility and the consequences of leadership may cause Hamas to moderate their views over time, including recognizing Israel’s right to exist and the denouncement of terrorism.  Hamas has to decide whether it wishes to be a militant group or a legitimate political entity; they cannot be both.  With the sentiment of their citizens hanging in the balance and millions of dollars of foreign aid at stake, there is real possibility that Hamas will become more moderate, perhaps even legitimate.

Now is not the time for saber rattling.  It is time for all sides to sit back and take a deep breath. After all, Hamas rules and they rule democratically.  As such they deserve some time to sort things out.  Their decisions will dramatically affect the Middle East for years to come.

Monday, January 9, 2006 was a nervous evening for Marcus Harnack. After all, this was his first experience in a college classroom and at 23 years old he looked a bit out of place sitting amongst 18-year olds. Nevertheless, he showed up, fresh notebook and pen in hand, ready to attack Chemistry 201.

The other students seemed pretty casual about their circumstances, joking and kidding around before class. They were light-heartedly gabbing about their cars, boyfriends, girlfriends, Tom Cruise and the parties they attended over the Christmas holiday. Equipped with I-Pods, laptop computers and cell phones, they looked like little techie robots. Some of them weren’t saying anything but were giggling at their computers. Marcus glanced at the laptop of the fellow next to him to see what was so funny. All he saw was some words the guy was typing and a screen titled “MSN Messenger.” None of the fellows working with Marcus at the foundry owned a personal computer, let alone a laptop. Guys that spend 8-10 hours a day grinding castings don’t have much time for computers. However, the thing that really surprised Marcus is that prior to the arrival of the Professor not one student had mentioned a thing about Chemistry, the course for which they were enrolled.

Unlike the other students, who seemed relaxed and confident, Marcus was really up tight. First of all, the $1,100 he paid for the course had eaten up all of his savings from working at the Foundry, making this course serious business for him. Second, he was unsure if he could tackle the rigors of academia. Third, he was sitting there without any of the electronic gadgets of his fellow students. He did not wear the fashionable clothing they possessed, relegated instead to a clean pair of jeans and a new pullover his Mother got him for Christmas. He felt very much out of place. He was about to get up from his chair and leave the room when the Professor entered.

The Chemistry Prof was in his mid-forties, sporting a neatly groomed beard and dressed in slacks, shirt and tie. He wasn’t wearing a sport coat, importing to his students at least a hint of informality. He introduced himself and referred the students to the course website, where they could download the syllabus. Marcus thought the Professor would hand out a piece of paper but the syllabus was in cyber space, a fairly inconvenient location for someone who doesn’t own a computer. Prior to the arrival of the Professor Marcus overheard one of the students mention that he hoped the Professor would just introduce the course and dismiss class after 15 minutes. This often happened, according to the student. Marcus hoped otherwise. This course met only one night a week and was scheduled to run for three hours. Marcus wanted his money’s worth!

Marcus got his wish. The Professor lectured for the entire three hours, pausing for only a 10-minute break. What really surprised Marcus was that he didn’t have any problem understanding the material. Of course, Marcus had gone to the University Bookstore and had purchased the textbook ahead of time. He had even read the first three chapters prior to class, making notes about the items that had given him difficulty. Providing that the Professor had time after class, Marcus planned to discuss those things with him. When the class ended the students fled the room as if a fire had broken out. A couple of them were really upset that the class had lasted the entire three hours. Only Marcus and his Professor remained in the classroom. Much to his surprise the Professor greeted him warmly and mentioned that he was always glad to have “non-traditional” students in his classes. Marcus didn’t quite know what the Professor meant by this, but he proceeded to ask the Professor the three questions he had prepared. After explaining the concepts further to Marcus, the Professor asked him why he was so interested in Chemistry. Marcus mentioned that he worked at the Hubbard Foundry and had a particular fascination with metallurgy. “That’s interesting. I worked summers in a foundry in Racine to help pay for college,” said the Professor. “It was tough work, so I know what you are going through.”

As Marcus walked home in the cold January air he felt a sense of exhilaration. He could go to the University Library and use their computers. The Professor seemed interested and supportive. He didn’t know yet whether he could “cut it” in college, but this had been a good start. It was 10:30 p.m., only six and a half hours before Marcus had to report for work. He had better get some shut-eye. He could always start reading chapter 4 tomorrow evening.

To:  Residents of New York City
From:  The American Public
Re:  Over-reaction to 911
Date:  January 15, 2006

Dear citizens of the city of New York:

On September 11, 2001 Islamic Fascists destroyed your World Trade Towers killing 2,752 people in our greatest American city.   Another 189 were killed at the Pentagon and 44 perished in Pennsylvania.  We mourned with you, realizing the enormity of this needless tragedy.  As you struggled to rebuild we helped with money and time.  We saluted your heroic police and firefighters and prayed for your recovery.

Sorry, New York, but things have changed.  It’s been over four years since 911.  That’s a long time.  There have been no more terrorist attacks in the United States.  No offense intended, but like the holocaust, the whole incident is kind of a distant memory for us.

We over-reacted to your losses by going into Afghanistan and Iraq.  We should have negotiated with the Muslim Fascists instead.  It would have saved us a lot of time and money.  We falsely believed that the best way to keep Bin Laden and other terrorists at bay was to hunt them down, kill them, and keep them on the run.  We now realize this was an unfortunate and inconsistent position for a civilized society.  This war is worse than Vietnam.  Worse than World War II!  We’re being beaten up every day.  We are defeated.  We can’t take it anymore.  We need to get out!

The Patriot Act is a disgrace.  After all, if we have to take basic freedoms away from Americans to guard against terrorism, our country isn’t worth defending.  We’ve got to have our privacy.  If there are Islamic fascists making telephone calls within the United States, so be it.  We don’t need the CIA and FBI checking telephone records and searching mail.  The Bush administration talks about a reasonable trade-off between security and privacy, but there is no tradeoff where personal freedom is concerned.  We’d rather see an entire American city destroyed than have to suffer the indignity of some FBI goon tapping a domestic phone conversation without a federal warrant.  This wire-tapping also irritates Muslims living in the United States.  If they find out their mail is being opened they’re likely to stop being loving, responsible family men and might end up becoming suicide bombers.

We also acknowledge that George Bush is a sick man who has caused immeasurable suffering among the Iraqi people.  They were certainly better off under the leadership of Saddam Hussein than they are today.  AARP spokesman Harry Belafonte had it right last week when he called our President “the greatest terrorist in the world.”  What an evil man George Bush is.  For that matter, what an evil society we are.

Why can’t we just have peace?  Everyone knows that peace is better than War!  The celebrities in Hollywood and other intellectuals have determined that the term “terrorist” is a misnomer.  Those who took down the trade towers were not “terrorists”.  They were, of course, dedicated Islamic freedom fighters, battling against Israel and the evils of capitalism.  If the United States and all Americans would support the destruction of Israel, immediately leave Iraq, apologize to the world for being imperialist aggressors, help North Korea and Iran with their nuclear programs, declare the French government to be the most enlightened on earth, and convert to Islam, we’re reasonably sure that they would leave us alone.

Sorry, New York.

This week eleven of twelve trapped miners in Tallmansville, West Virginia were tragically killed by carbon monoxide.  The lone survivor is Randal McCloy, 27, the youngest of the miners.  He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and his future is doubtful at best.

While this is a headline-making news story in the United States, every day in China roughly 15 people die in mining accidents.  About 5,000 miners die every year in China’s coal mines and this is a figure that has been consistent over the past decade.  The death toll in China could be much lower if regulations and safety standards were improved.  There are also many illegal coal mines in China that are completely unregulated.  When deaths occur in these unregulated mines the bodies and debris are removed and mining immediately resumes, much as if a traffic accident had occurred.  Sometimes deaths in the unregulated mines aren’t even reported.  Nevertheless, mining is a large industry in China where over 50% of the nation’s electricity is generated by coal.

Why do people throughout the world go down into holes and mine coal, knowing that there is a distinct possibility that they will never emerge from the earth?  Every man who makes the decision to become a coal miner knows the relative risks.  He weighs that risk against the higher income gained from mining.  Those who are highly risk averse make a rational decision to accept lower incomes and not become miners.  Those who are less averse to risk become miners and enjoy higher incomes, which is an equally rational decision.

In West Virginia coal miners can make as much as $60,000 a year.  In a rural, economically depressed Appalachian community a miner can live like a king on that kind of money.  Even with no education beyond high school he can buy new vehicles, live in a nice house and give his family many of the luxuries that would be otherwise unaffordable.  Economists have a model to explain the thought process used to decide whether not to become a miner.  Those who contemplate becoming miners weigh the additional family and personal satisfaction from the higher miner income (the marginal benefits) with the probability of additional family and personal tragedy resulting from injury or death (the marginal costs).  For some, the marginal (additional) benefit exceeds the marginal (additional) cost, and they become miners.  For most, the marginal costs exceed the marginal benefits and they choose not to go down into the mines.  It is important to note that while one may decide to be a miner and another may decide not to engage in mining as an occupation, both decisions are entirely defensible and rational.

Like the tuna fisherman who risks his life on the Alaskan seas, the utility lineman who climbs live power poles, the person who chooses to use methamphetamine, or the person who chooses to risk his life savings to start a business, the coal miner makes a conscious decision to participate in a risky and potentially harmful activity.

While we grieve this week for the families who mourn in Tallmansville, and likewise remember the families of the minors will die this day in China, there is dignity in the decision made by all of these men.  Given the circumstances of their existence, they weighed their alternatives and made their choices.  Like each of us, they were subject to the consequences, should things not work out as expected.  As sad as the outcome is, such is the way the world works.  This is life as it must be.

For 2006 I hope:

1.    That the United States will aggressively embark on an energy policy designed to lessen our dependence on foreign oil.  Geo-political considerations are reason enough to expand our nuclear, coal, and alternative fuel sources.
2.    That Iraqi citizens will have enough pride in their country to turn in terrorists and secure a peaceful future for their children.  If Iraqis don’t care enough about their homeland to do this for themselves, they can’t expect us to spill our blood and treasure forever.
3.    That the US economy will continue to be as resilient as it has been in the last four years.   In spite of the shocks of 911, Iraq expenses and several hurricanes, our economy has compensated, recovered and continued to grow.
4.    That the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will search fewer 80 year-old grandmas and start searching more shifty-eyed nervous young men.
5.    That the United States can continue to “import” enough engineers, scientists, and physicians from South Asia to keep our country strong.  They don’t teach “Self Esteem 101” in Indian high schools; they teach science and mathematics.
6.    That we can continue to make progress in the treatment and cures for cancer, especially breast and ovarian cancer.
7.    That Americans will exercise more and eat less.  The societal costs of obesity are larger than any of us can imagine.
8.    That Democrats will finally learn that profits are not evil but are the direct result of the creation of products and services that benefit society.  Profits are good.  Robin Hood is evil.
9.    That Republicans will stop their excessive federal spending and finally learn that a woman’s body belongs to her.
10.    That the Chicago Cubs will win the World Series.  Hell has already frozen over twice with the Red Sox and White Sox, so now it is the Cubs’ turn!