Given the mounting evidence that harassment of women in his employ did occur, it seems unlikely the governor will survive the criticism and thus will have to resign.
He has had a good run as governor.
He performed well steering New York through the thick of the pandemic.
So there is much he can rightly be proud of.
In my eyes, he is a solid man who made important contributions to his state and the nation.
I respect the man. And if I ever were to have the opportunity to meet him, I would step up to shake his hand and say thank you for all the good work he did.
But he has his flaws and they have come to haunt him.
Resigning will not be a disaster.
And yes, he could have a new role in public life.
He abused his power but so have thousands and thousands of men throughout the years, most of whom were never held accountable or are now not being held accountable.
This is a new era we are living in and it shows we are evolving as a nation.
Just like voting Trump out of office was a sign of political maturation for the nation. The nation had allowed itself to be dazzled by the man (who had made billions and billions but would not release his tax filings), and then took a breath and realized their poor judgment.
Cuomo has proved himself as a highly capable politician and administrator.
But he abused his power.
The best way to address this flaw is to accept it. Work through the denial and evasion he’s mired in and say to all women, ‘I am sorry I abused my power.’
Having said that, he could then embark on another career in public life. That is, explaining to the American people why he did what he did. How the power he had, led to the corruption of his thinking and to believing he could take advantage of others.
And doing so he would make a huge contribution to the evolution of our society.
Abuse of power in the workplace is very much a present problem in our nation.
We need men of substance, such as Mr Cuomo, men who’re highly capable, to say to the rest of us, ‘No matter how much power we attain, we should not use it to take advantage of others. It is easy to do because others are often dazzled by power.’
‘Women are learning to say no in the face of unwanted advances. We can help by being more thoughtful and to recognize the subtle ways in which unchecked power is used to bring others into submission and how it leads to their demeaning.’
Mr Cuomo is a man of his times. He had great moments as governor and he failed in his treatment of women.
What sometimes seems inevitable may not be. Afghanistan may not have to fall to the Taliban advance. But extraordinary measures will have to be taken.
By whom?
By the Afghan people.
I recently read a report where the top American commander for the Middle East and Afghanistan, reassured President Ashraf Ghani of continued American air support. But by the end of August those attacks would be pulled back to focus only on Al Qaeda, if they represented a threat to the US itself.
That’s it.
Why is the rest of the world watching and not going to the assistance of the Afghan people as they face the mounting threat of total occupation and virtual enslavement by the Taliban?
Because they’re not seeing Afghans themselves putting an all out effort to defend their space.
Kandahar – the country’s second largest city – will soon be under siege by the encroaching Taliban. Is this not the time for all Afghans to put aside their differences and make defending their cities their number one priority ? Why can’t all able men and women request arms and step forward, ready to do battle?
Why can’t they form a circle around each of their cities and post images to the rest of the world that it is do or die for them? Post images that they are saying ‘no’ to submitting to a repressive and murderous theocracy. Post pictures and messages that they value what the West has done for them during the last 20 years and no, they will not surrender to the forces of intolerance.
Now is the time. Not when the Taliban come knocking on your door asking for you to bend to their will.
Using the internet, then broadcast to the rest of the world all that you’re doing, and the rest of the world is more than likely to join in support. But you have to put yourself out first.
Afghans have to arm the barricades to defend with their lives their right to choose how to live.
Americans or anyone else cannot do it for them.
What freedoms Afghans will have, must be defended with their own blood. With their own sacrifice. And if they are not willing to do so, then they will not have a land they can call their own.
Every piece of land on this earth that is rightly claimed by a proud people has a history written with blood. Those of us who have been fortunate enough not to spill blood in defense of our land are grateful for what our ancestors and our brothers and sisters did. And we honor them with our own efforts to build a better nation.
But never must we forget that it will take blood to defend what is most dear to us.
To lift the embargo on the island. And so I add my voice to thousands of others.
The embargo has done what it was supposed to do. Show the Cuban regime’s profound inadequacies, their lack of flexibility and imagination, their inability to stimulate markets or motivate their people to be creative and enterprising.
The expectation that the embargo would result in the demise of the regime proved wrong. So long as the government has the guns they will not hesitate to fire on their people. Or persecute and incarcerate them to bring the population into total submission.
But you now have the option of lifting all restraints on trade.
Will the Cuban government benefit from such move? They will. But the main beneficiaries will be the Cuban people.
It has been clear in their minds that their regime is a grand failure and, in due time, will act to subvert and neutralize it.
Will Cuba become another China? Benefitting from trade with the West to then start to impose a punitive and restrictive system on their people?
It is very unlikely, given Cuba’s 60 plus years of self injurious stagnation.
There are no certainties ahead but we know that the need for change is great.
And with Cuba starting to shine after the lifting of the embargo, imagine the effect on the rest of Latin America. Notably Venezuela, languishing under the Maduro dictatorship. And on Peru, which now has taken a hard turn to the left.
The possibilities of significant ripple effects are great.
And here at home, the lifting of the embargo will likely turn Florida into a democratic voting state.
Doesn’t that sound appealing?
Wouldn’t that executive order of yours ring loudly across the entire world, saying ‘The American president carries the bright torch of hope for the future of mankind.’
A few days ago, Biden signed into law a new version of the Child Tax credit. The intent is to bolster the income of poor families in America, in need of relief from the growing cost of raising their children.
From its inception, in 1997, the tax credit has been limited to families who have been employed and thus paid taxes.
Critics now counter that many of the new beneficiaries have neither worked nor paid taxes.
But according to the Treasury department, 97% of the families set to benefit do have wages or self employment income and the other 3% are grandparents or have health issues.
The expectations are that 35 million families will receive the benefit ($500 a month for child under 5, and $250 per child between 5 and 17) and so help lift them out of poverty.
Although presently scheduled to last one year, the hope is the revised law will be extended.
Here is a conversation between a supporter and an opponent of the new measure.
Wayne – It’s giveaway money. Biden looking for extra votes. Do these people really work?
Tricia – Biden says they do, many being self employed.
Wayne – Smells like giveaway.
Tricia – Wayne…. the majority are poor people. It takes money to provide for kids’ necessities, keep enough food on the table, send them to school.
Wayne – So why not call it Free Money for people who don’t practice contraception?
Tricia – Poverty is poverty, contraception or not.
Wayne – Think about it, pop a kid and get 5 hundred a month til they are 5, then 250 til they are 17. Have 5 kids, that’s 2500 a month. What a deal.
Tricia – Really? Let’s do the math. $2500 a month x 12 equals $30000 a year, to take care of 5 kids. I can tell you have no idea of what it takes to raise a kid.
Wayne – (not persuaded) Add to it the Supplemental Nutritional program, then apply for section 8 so you can get free housing and you don’t have to lift a finger. All courtesy of the US government. Oh, I forgot Medicaid for the healthcare part and throw in dental, vision and hearing. You can just sit home and raise kids. No wonder the national debt keeps rising. These people will never work, and they’ll teach their kids to not do so themselves.
Tricia – Okay… so we let them live in poverty? Or are you saying that what they’re getting is middle class fare? Because if you think that, then you’re deluded. Everything you’ve mentioned are measures to keep alive in the 21st century. No more than that.
If they don’t get housing they get to camp out on the street. If they don’t get medical care, then they catch an infectious disease and they transmit it to others. Or they are crippled by it and it’s worse.
All the ‘goodies’ you’ve described, and which you object to giving, are bare essentials in modern living.
Are there people who are satisfied with just that? Yes, indeed. But the majority would like to do something with their lives, and it’s our responsibility to assist them.
Wayne – Our responsibility? Not at all. That’s where we disagree. It is their responsibility. Their responsibility to take risks and make the sustained efforts to move up the ladder.
Tricia – What ladder? If you don’t get a decent education, then you don’t get a chance to put a foot on the ladder. Never mind climbing it. Your argument, Wayne, is most unpsychological.
Where do you think people in those circumstances get to live? What schools do they get to attend? What educational enrichment assistance are they offered?
The answer is none.
Those are the kids who are likely to grow up in the midst of maladapted folks, people who teach the bad habits and ensure the cycle of poverty is perpetuated. Call it passing on social deformities. Abuse, drug dependence, gang affiliations. And so the gap widens.
The point of providing assistance is to break that pernicious sequence.
And it can happen if we invest. And invest consistently, year after year.
Wayne – Why have kids if you can’t support them?
Tricia – People who have been knocked down by life may have only their children to give them hope.
Wayne – That reasoning sounds like passing the buck. What these people should be asking is, ‘what’s wrong with me? What do I have to do to fix it?
Tricia – You and I have a decent income… we’ve had the fortune of having got an education… we take care of our necessities and have room to spare. The people who this tax credit is intended to help, have none of that. When they thought of conceiving a child, perhaps they had already done much soul searching and yet not found in themselves the strength to go on. A child is a source of joy, and for most of us, a new beginning.
Wayne – At our expense. You and I paying the taxes.
They pause.
Tricia – Let’s talk demographics for a minute.
Wayne – I know where you’re headed. Low fertility rates. But automation will take care of that.
Tricia – No it won’t. We need people. You’ll agree that, on average, the better educated women are, the fewer the children they’re likely to have, right?
Wayne – Sure.
Tricia – I’ve had only two children. I thought of a third but then decided against it because I wanted to spend my time doing other things than raising a child.
Wayne – Understood.
Tricia – And no matter how well I provide for my children, how stimulating an environment I give them, there is no guarantee that they will have the intellectual and emotional equipment to be trail blazers. No guarantee that they will open new horizons for humankind to move toward.
Wayne – You think great talent can come from anywhere?
Tricia – Oh, yes. And so it is our duty to safeguard those possibilities.
Wayne – I’ll have to think about that one.
Tricia – It is our duty to treat every single child, no matter what poverty they were born into, with all they need so they can develop whatever talents nature endowed them with.
Wayne – For the good of the future of society?
Tricia – Yes. But there’s still another reason to support the Child Tax credit. A selfish one.
Wayne – What’s that?
Tricia – It reinforces our humanity. It is us saying, ‘let us help children be all they can be… for they will not forget… and give back to us in return.’
Wayne – I just worry that we’re taken advantage of. I don’t like that.
Tricia – Neither do I. Some people will misuse the funds…
Wayne – Just like there are rich people who cheat on taxes.
Tricia – Exactly. But there will be far more who will be grateful… and so help raise better citizens…
Wayne – I hope you’re right.
I admit that sometimes we are too slow in responding to health crises. I had a cousin who died of an opioid overdose 10 years ago. We were still recovering from the housing crisis.
Tricia – Sorry about that. Were you close to him?
Wayne – Not really. We grew up together but then I moved and didn’t keep up with him. He had been working in a factory but it closed and he couldn’t find another job.
Tricia – Rough.
Wayne – The thing is… I thought he was a little lazy… not tough enough… but I missed the fact that he was in pain. I’m ashamed about that.
Tricia reaches over and rubs Wayne’s shoulder.
Wayne – I went to the funeral… talked to my aunt, his mother… she told me he really tried to get help… but there was very little around… the state had been too slow to respond.
Now I call my aunt every couple of months to see how she’s doing… if she needs anything.
Tricia – That’s nice of you.
Wayne – I wish I’d done it before. He never did reach out to me. Maybe his pride got in the way.
She’s raising his son. He’s 12 now.
Tricia – What about the child’s mother?
Wayne – She left after my cousin died. She hasn’t heard from her since. Couldn’t cope with it, said my aunt. The loss.
Tricia – Maybe one day she’ll find her way back.
Wayne – Hope so.
He turns to look a Tricia.
Wayne – I hadn’t talked about this in a while. Thanks.
Tricia – You’re welcome.
Wayne – It’s easy to miss the pain others are going through.
Recently, in response to the loss of life inflicted by the pandemic and a worsening of food shortages, protests erupted throughout the island calling for relief and in some instances for the end of the dictatorship.
The tone and intensity of the demonstrations was heated enough that it prompted Cuba’s new president – Miguel Diaz Canel – to call on the regime’s loyal citizens to pour into the streets and show their support for the government.
Diaz Canel himself, went to speak to the citizens directly. As he walked by a house in the town of San Antonio de Los Banos, where the protests had started, he stopped to talk to a woman who was sitting by her window.
He greeted her.
She recognized him and smiled in response.
Not far off, a group of antigovernment demonstrators could be heard as they marched under the vigilant eyes of the police.
‘What do you think of all of this?’ he asked the woman.
‘I knew it was going to happen, sooner or later,’ said she.
‘I understand,’ replied Diaz Canel, ‘but we have to be disciplined.’
The woman was careful to measure her words.
‘I understand… but it’s too much. Why haven’t we been able to get the vaccines?’
‘China has helped us out but they have only so much to go around. They’re helping people all over the world,’ said Diaz Canel.
‘I thought we were producing our own vaccines?’
‘We have been working on it but we don’t have enough resources. It takes the inputs from many specialized sectors in other countries, for everything to come together and produce the vaccine. But if we didn’t have the embargo, we would’ve been able to deal with it.’
The woman looked down at her windowsill.
This was her chance to speak up.
She had never had the opportunity to speak directly to the president of Cuba. She had briefly met both Fidel and Raul Castro a few times in her 62 years – Cuba was a small country – but never was in a verbal exchange with them. Now Fidel was dead and Raul had retired. Diaz Canel was the first president to follow the Castro brothers.
‘Why is it that we always blame the American embargo for everything we cannot solve?’ she finally asked.
There it was. She had said it.
Diaz Canel was surprised by the firmness of her voice.
‘We don’t have the chance to trade…’ he began but she cut him short.
‘We could trade with all of Latin America… with China and Vietnam and Europe and Africa and Canada… but if we don’t make enough things to trade, isn’t that our own fault? Why do we keep blaming the Americans? Why don’t we, instead, give people incentives to work? Give them incentives to create?’
Diaz Canel’s expression showed his irritation but he didn’t back off. ‘Look, we have one of the highest rates of literacy and one of the lowest rates of infant mortality… we send doctors all over the world to help other nations…’
The woman just stared at him, a faint smile in her eyes, as if saying… ‘So we do… and yet…?’
Diaz Canel paused and smiled at the irony. Yes, Cuba was sending doctors all over the world but the country was not dealing effectively with the pandemic. Nor with providing enough food for its citizens.
‘Something is wrong, isn’t it?’ she pressed. ‘Look, I understand that the revolution wanted to create a new man… but 62 years later it hasn’t delivered. We’re a creative people but we are blocked.’ She hesitated briefly before continuing for she knew she would say things that might come back to hurt her, but something impelled her to speak her mind forcefully.
‘The government is overcontrolling the people… we’re not made to be so restrained… no one is… people need space to come up with ideas and try them out. I’ve been a teacher for 39 years… we’re not equal… every one of my students is different… some are more intelligent than others… some have more courage than others… some are stronger than others… some are more imaginative… some are more ambitious… some more tenacious or hard working… and we need to let them interact freely with each other so they can find their place in the world. There is a role for government… yes… a role for a system that keeps the peace and helps resolve disputes and protects people from being taken advantage of… but in the end, Mr President…’ She wanted to reassure Diaz Canel that she understood clearly whom she was talking to and was grateful for the opportunity, ‘… in the end, Sir, we are not equal… like you and me are not equal… and that is okay. That doesn’t mean that we should not be kind to each other, on the contrary, that is the more reason to be so… but I really believe… from having seen so many children grow up before my eyes… that Cuba will be much better off… if the government backs off and lets people invent and trade and maximize their individual possibilities… whatever they may be. In the end, Mr Diaz, all of us have a better chance of capturing who we really are… if we are allowed to be unequal… for that is the only way that every person will come into their own powers.’
Diaz Canel nodded lightly. He looked off. The sounds of the demonstrators nearby were now fading somewhat. He had listened carefully to the woman and acknowledged that it had taken him a bit of effort to do so… but was thankful he had.
‘What is your name?’ he asked.
She thought of not telling him… but no, she could not do that to herself. She had been waiting a long time for this moment, and so had her mother before her who had blessed her with her name.
‘My name…’ she began, as she looked directly at Diaz Canel, ‘is Viva… my middle initial is L., for La, and my last name is Libertad. I was born on the 1st of January 1959 in Havana, just as Fidel and his troops came roaring triumphantly into the city. My mother, in the early days of December and already in her ninth month of her pregnancy, had changed her last name to Libertad. She wanted her new child, whether boy or girl, to have Libertad branded into them.’
‘Viva La Libertad,’ said Diaz Canel. ‘Pretty name.’
‘Thank you,’ Viva said. ‘And thank you for listening.’
‘You are welcome,’ he replied.
And with a nod he bid her goodbye and walked off down the street, his entourage in tow.
She looked after him and wondered whether Diaz Canel would remember their conversation, and whether one day, in the near future, her beloved Cuba might change course and let her people have a go at finding their own strengths.
She was a realist, too… but she didn’t want to lose hope.
Read your speech on Afghanistan today at the White House.
Thank you for that.
Even though you speak of American support for the Afghan forces, there’s the growing doubt that the army we helped train, does not inspire the confidence they will fight the good fight once we leave.
You have assured us we are doing much to secure the safety of those who worked with us, through the granting of visas to the US or temporary relocation outside of Afghanistan until such visas are granted.
Thank you for that.
And yet some people have not chosen such option, instead preferring to stay, at least for now.
Surely they are animated by the desire to stand up for their nation.
I have read elsewhere (the Wall Street Journal) that hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals, fearing the worst, have already left the country.
Your anecdote about a schoolgirl saying she wanted to be a doctor and asking America not to leave because otherwise she wouldn’t realize her dreams, was poignant.
Throughout your speech, there was a tone of inevitability mixed with much hope.
You said we had not gone there to nation build. You are right.
Yes, Afghans have their fate in their hands. They always did.
In the WS Journal article, I read of a woman who is a musician. That is what she loves. And yet to the Taliban her music is un-Islamic. Where will she fit? She won’t.
The article mentions that Kabul has been transformed into a cosmopolitan center where western influence is all around.
And yet to the Taliban that will surely be anathema.
The clash of cultures is inevitable.
Western influence brought freedom of expression and career opportunities that were quickly taken advantage of by the locals and yet a movement of sufficient strength to resist the Taliban was not formed.
The sharp divide with the culture prevailing in the countryside remained. And the brutality of the Taliban kept growing. Surely there is much envy at the root of such discord. But it was not addressed.
For one reason or another, a strong leader did not emerge to stand up for all the advantages western influence brought to that country.
A strong leader did not emerge to remind the westernized section, that their gains had to be defended, that discipline and sacrifice would have to be called upon to defend what they were enjoying and helping them prosper.
I’ve read that tribal leaders in Afghanistan continue to section the country to their advantage but to the detriment of a united front. To date, there has been no willingness to compromise in the interest of national unity.
It is a sad story.
There was Hamid Karzai before and now Ashraf Ghani, but neither was able to stir a spirit of national unity that Afghans were willing to defend. Such struggle never became an essential task.
At a time when here in America we are profoundly divided, we can learn a great deal from the Afghan story.
We have to talk to each other. It is now a national priority. Right up there with climate change and immigration reform and infrastructure building and better education and healthcare and improved broadband.
The task is sufficiently important to require a cabinet position and your constant attention.
Talking to each other is key to any enterprise we wish to embark on as a nation.
If we don’t get back to building those bridges to each other, the spirit of collective purpose will keep waning, and the price we will pay for it will grow dearer.
When interacting with others it is useful to keep these two variations in mind.
Nature has endowed humankind with an infinite variety of potential abilities and it is up to us to develop our individual share as we make our way in the world.
In time, if cultivated, those differences become more marked.
How we view and manage such differences is an important challenge to all.
Enter horizontal versus vertical thinking.
In vertical thinking we picture ourselves as part of a hierarchy. Those with more of C or D or E, will place higher up on the vertical axis. Say that we call C money, D natural gifts and E physical appearance. Consciously or not, we will tend to rank ourselves as better or worse when seeing where we place along the axis.
A person may say they have more C than Pete but less than Eileen and thus grade themselves accordingly. Same for measurements of D or E.
For some, this perception may be an impetus to try harder to move up the vertical. For others it may be seen as oppressive. As if those on top get to dominate those below them.
Enter horizontal thinking.
In this approach, we say to ourselves that all of us have a place along the continuum. Some may have more or less of C or D or E, but what is stressed is our uniqueness.
All of us have a set of capabilities that if developed are likely to bring us much satisfaction.
Say that Raven and I both play the guitar but she makes lovelier sounds with it than I do. One approach is to say, so be it. I can still enjoy the sounds I make, let her have hers.
But other people may handle the matter another way.
Years ago, I read of a musician who was a trumpet player. He had worked hard at his craft and clearly enjoyed it. Then one day he heard another trumpeter perform and he was blown away by the magic that person made with the same instrument. The musician got angry at himself. How was it that he could he not play as well, after all the work he’d put into it? He could not accept it.
On his way back home, as he walked over a bridge, he threw his trumpet into the river. Don’t know if he ever played again or not. In a fit of rage at the perception of difference, he denied himself the pleasure of what music he could make.
He could’ve used a little horizontal thinking.
There will always be someone who does something better than anyone of us, but that is no reason to give up on working at it if it brings us satisfaction.
Furthermore, the sounds of one trumpet player may be excellent on one scale, and yet the sounds of another, less skilled, may take us on a unique and still rewarding path.
The horizontal axis allows for the expansion of any given ability. And as such it may help discover roads to unexpected places.
Thinking and doing along the horizontal continuum allows for greater variety.
Nature has wanted that for us.
The vertical axis, while useful and essential in certain settings, stresses dominance.
And much may be lost if we adhere solely to that view.
The likelihood is that there will be no miracles in Afghanistan and the forces of Afghan nationals we trained will not be able to hold back a surging Taliban.
Miracles do happen and maybe we’ll get lucky.
But just in case they don’t come through, this is a great opportunity for you to begin a series of talks with the American people about what went wrong and why it is time to move on.
As I said in an earlier blog, I agree with your decision to pull out.
Still, it will be painful to see the Taliban claim victory after 20 years of sustained efforts by us and our allies.
Thus, the American people needs to hear from you.
Hear from you as in you talking us through the pain of the loss.
There is much pain in that troubled land and there will be even more after we leave but there is much pain here in our nation, too, which addressing has long been deferred.
We need to leave Afghanistan because our resources are not limitless.
We need to hear that.
Twenty years we invested in that country and while we made our share of mistakes we were also undermined by many, including our ally Pakistan. Maybe that needs to be brought up, too.
But here at home our divisions are crippling us.
We need to hear that.
As you often said during the campaign, you want America to lead by the power of our example and not by the example of our power.
And so you have rightly committed to nation building.
You have already set the wheels in motion but the road ahead is filled with difficulty.
‘So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself… which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance,’ FDR famously said in his inaugural address in 1933.
Much of what ails us now springs from a lack of trust in our ability to listen to each other. To listen and strive to understand.
I have no doubt that by your example, we may better be able to do so.
A weekly talk, say 15 minutes, with you addressing us all, Republicans and Democrats, will make a difference.
They greet outside a heavily guarded country home in an undisclosed location, each man flanked by his trusted interpreter.
The two men shake hands amicably. Clearly, they have been at the same site before.
Xi – Good to see you.
Putin – Have been looking forward to this, as always.
They turn and step into a short hallway at which end a large double door opens to reveal an ample room with padded chairs facing each other and smaller seats adjacent for the interpreters.
The men stride in and take their seats.
Two attendants are standing by an elegantly draped table covered with delicacies and an assortment of drinks.
Xi and Putin nod at the table attendants and that is their cue to exit the room, so no one else except the interpreters remains with them.
Putin – How is the family?
Xi – Very well, and yours?
Putin – Very well also. Thank you.
Xi – They send greetings.
Putin – And so does my family.
Xi – Thank you.
Putin – Congratulations on landing the rover in Mars.
Xi – Thank you. We are very proud of that accomplishment. It took a lot of planning and commitment.
Putin – The world got to see that nothing will stop you.
Xi – Exactly. And we are just getting started.
Putin – How is the Belt and Road initiative coming along?
Xi – Fabulously. We’re very pleased.
Putin – What does the Belt stand for?
Xi – What we’re putting around their necks to tighten if we have to.
Putin laughs.
Xi – We are generous, but we need to get something back for our investment.
Putin – Of course.
Xi – How was your meeting with Biden?
Putin – Productive. He listens. I think I can work with him.
Xi – I liked the way you spoke at the press conference following the meeting… denied any Russian involvement in cyberattacks on America, blaming them instead for attacking the rest of us.
Putin – Keeping it simple. I like the way you’re managing the Uyghur problem.
Xi – Eventually, everyone will realize we won’t change our minds. If the world wants cheap cotton and tomatoes and polysilicon for solar panels, Uyghur labor will help provide it.
Putin – Are you really trying to make them more Chinese… the Uyghurs?
Xi – Of course. But they’re hard headed. So we teach them the right way.
Putin – I’m impressed by how the rest of China doesn’t seem to mind.
Xi – There’s not much they can do about it, and it’s all about helping China get stronger. Chinese people get that.
Putin – Trump didn’t seem to mind. He wasn’t critical of the way you’ve handled the matter.
Xi – He understands. Have you heard from him?
Putin – Have not. He’s probably a little depressed… not having all that attention he so enjoyed.
Xi – Reminds me of what life would be like if I ever agreed to step down. I can better understand why Mao wanted to stay on until the end.
Putin – I feel the same way.
Xi – And so we will govern until our last breath.
Putin – Yes.
Xi – Tell me about Alexei Navalny. I heard Biden wanted you to ensure his safety.
Putin – Yes. I went and visited him in prison, even before my meeting with Biden. I had never met Navalny.
Xi – What was that like?
Putin – He has these romantic ideas about what Russians want. How Russians are desperate for freedom of expression. Makes you wonder if they ever talk to other Russians and not just to themselves.
Xi – Will he survive prison? Biden seemed worried about that.
Putin – I will do everything possible.
Xi – Of course. You think they’ll award him the Nobel Prize for peace, Navalny?
Putin – It’s a political move, but prize or no prize, he’ll stay right there in prison.
Xi – Does it worry you that he’s started something that could, possibly, force you out?
Putin – I’ve been in power since 1999 and Russians have come to appreciate the peace at home and the respect we now have from the rest of the world. They know it’s happened because of me.
Xi – I came to power in 2013 and I can also say that my people feel great pride in being respected all over the world. That had never happened before. The one thing that many keep criticizing us about is the lack of freedom. But it’s a misconception. A thinking error. We cannot have freedom without discipline. Discipline to make sure everyone is making their contribution to the great plan for the nation.
Putin – I agree. Americans keep talking about it as if you could have it without restrictions. We have freedom in Russia. You can start a business. You can go to university. You can travel. You can even organize politically but within certain limits.
Xi – The limits being that you remain in power.
They both laugh.
Xi – Same in China. Americans talk a lot about freedom but nowhere in the world do people shoot each other like they do. I find it incredible that people in Texas worship having the right to carry a gun, as if that were real freedom. If there were real freedom in that land, people wouldn’t be so paranoid.
Putin – Too much inequality breeds paranoia.
Xi – Their real freedom is their right to vote and elect who you want.
Xi has surprised himself with the last statement.
Xi – (an embarrassed look at Putin) I did say that, didn’t I?
Putin – (smiles) Yes, you did.
Xi – Well… eventually the Chinese will get to vote in free elections. But that is not the phase of development we’re in. It will take years… 30-40 years perhaps. For now we have to instill discipline in the people. And it takes time. How do you see America’s situation now?
Putin – They are in a period of confusion. The assault on the Capitol is a sign of it. There are deep fractures in the political matrix of the country that suggest opportunities that we could take advantage of… if we work together.
Xi – Interesting. Go on.
Putin – There are parts of the population in America that would prefer a system like ours. The other day, one of their generals, retired now, a Trump supporter, was quoted as saying ‘Why couldn’t we have a coup in America, like there was in Myanmar?’
Xi – Unheard of before Trump.
Putin – I’m sure the general wasn’t talking of a coup to empower proletarians…
Xi – Of course not.
Putin – … but to further empower plutocrats, the super wealthy… the ones who run the big businesses and get away with paying no taxes.
Xi – I won’t let that happen in China.
Putin – I liked the way you set limits on Jack Ma.
Xi – Right. No matter how much money you have, no matter how big your company is, you do not criticize the governing party. But you can do it in America. But please do continue giving me your opinion of America.
Putin – Biden wants to unite the country… but he can’t do it on his own. I don’t think so. He needs allies in the Republican party. The problem is that no one is stepping forward. Most of them are still thinking Trump is their best choice.
Xi – You don’t think so?
Putin – Trump is not centered enough as a person. He had his moment. But there are Republicans who could step forward and say, ‘We have to work with Biden, the country needs it.’ Until that happens, America will drift, working at cross purposes, wasting time and energy… and… giving us the opportunity to take advantage of their confusion.
Xi – What were you thinking of?
Putin – I have seen how effective you have been in suppressing the dissent in Hong Kong. I am confident you could do the same in Taiwan.
Putin and Xi look at each other as they pause.
Xi – I have thought about it. Americans are very vulnerable in the semiconductor industry, now so concentrated in Taiwan.
Putin – And it will take them years to catch up. So… it may be a great opportunity to act.
Xi – We have discussed it… the pros and cons.
Putin – I could help.
Xi – How so?
Putin – America will not go to war with me if I choose to invade and annex the Ukraine. What do they care?
Xi – Hmm… but such an action would distract them enough for us to… at the same time… invade and annex Taiwan.
Putin – Exactly… and by controlling the semiconductor market, you’ll have the world on its knees.
Xi – Indeed. Hmm. We have discussed it, the pros and cons.
Putin – My bet is… that America will not go to war with you over Taiwan, either. They’ll swallow their pride and kick themselves for not thinking ahead when they had time to do it.
Xi – Good point. America will feel demoralized, weakened.
Putin – And it will give me an opportunity to extend my influence over Eastern Europe.
Xi -What were you thinking of?
Putin – Poland, Hungary… Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia… maybe Finland. The European Union is weak, more so now since Brexit. And there’s no hiding that some prefer autocracies.
Xi – I see. We have discussed it, the pros and cons. We will be moving into Afghanistan, of course, once the Taliban take over after the Americans leave.
Putin – Good luck with that. We didn’t do well there.
Xi – Ah, but you didn’t have the Belt and Road initiative like we do.
Putin – (laughs) Tighten that belt around their necks if they don’t cooperate.
Xi – Exactly.
Putin – However… there’s always the risk… that Americans will pull together and decide to fight.
Xi – You think Biden will rally them for a fight?
Putin – There is that possibility…
Xi – If so… Americans may end up more united than ever.
Putin – They are creative… and can be very determined…
Xi – When they have a bold leader. You think Biden is that man?
Putin – Good question… I wonder… but he could be… he just could be.
Xi – We would be risking a lot if we chose to act as we have spoken…
Putin – True.
Xi – … and the rest of the world may not be forgiving.
Putin – But it is very tempting, isn’t it… since America is so divided.
Xi – Yes. But we cannot forget that our economy keeps growing… no one is growing like we are… we keep reaching more and more markets… and we may discover, as I suspect, that we can outcompete America… and not have to fire a single shot… and maybe that’s the real war we’re now fighting.
Putin – Very good point.
Xi –We Chinese are very disciplined. That’s our advantage.
Putin – (looking a bit worried) It’s a different challenge… I get that.
Xi – Do you think Russians can outcompete Americans?
Putin – Good question.
The two men pause for a moment.
Xi – What would you have to do?
Putin – I am not sure. But I worry that I will have to grant more freedom to increase competitiveness.
Xi – Which would threaten your position.
Putin – Yes.
Xi – You’re not alone… I worry about it, also.
Xi clasps his hands as he pauses for a moment.
Sometimes… I think it is inevitable.
Putin – What?
Xi – That sooner or later, Chinese will want more freedom… even demand it.
Putin – Repression works up to a point… but we can make it last.
Xi – Taking the long view… I do think that you and I… are only transitional leaders… leaders without the conviction that men are at their best when they can govern themselves.
Putin smiles to himself, pensively. And he thinks of Alexei Navalny.
Xi – Shall we eat something?
Putin – Yes.
The two men rise and walk to the table filled with delicacies.
George Gascon, the newly elected District Attorney of Los Angeles, has run into an effort to recall him for his policy to review the lengthy sentences of thousands of people now in prison for violent crimes.
At the heart of the matter are gang enhancements, a judicial instrument that allows for adding prison time in criminal cases. If the offender was a gang member when he committed the crime, then that leads to additional time to serve beyond what the specific crime calls for.
Say that a person got 30 years for murder, the gang enhancement would then allow the judge to tack on another 5 years. Just because they were a gang member at the time.
I worked part time in the California prison system for 10 years – thru the end of 2016 – and it always struck me as supremely unfair to add this extra time.
Starting in 2006, the federal government got involved in improving the quality of care the inmates received in California because the state had a history of providing inferior services.
Inmates had brought a suit in federal court against the state. It was them who took the initiative.
Since then, the overall care has improved but still has a long way to go.
Designing and implementing an effective rehabilitation system for the inmate remains in its early stages. Inmates spend a lot of time doing nothing when they could be learning new skills and improving their ability to interact.
Given the enormous amount of money invested and the huge bureaucracy built, the people empowered to carry out the federal mandate have shown little imagination in putting together effective programs to assist the prisoner – psychologically and vocationally – in the quest to renew themselves.
At the same time, more effort needs to be put into prevention and into building better schools and creating more opportunities in the neighborhoods were offenders grow up.
That will take a whole different vision, but meanwhile, the gang enhancement acts as a means to defer what must be done. This is not acceptable and represents a grave injustice.
People fail for a variety of reasons, but I assure you that not one of those inmates set out in life wanting to be a failure.
Arriving in prison and spending time in it, is a statement of a failed life.
We all stumble at one point or another and we all need a helping hand along the way.
At the heart of the matter is inequality.
As a nation, we hold the sad distinction of being the country with the highest percentage of incarcerated people in the world.
It is tragic, isn’t it, to be a developed nation and to not have acknowledged that it is so much easier to simply add years of incarceration when we should be willing to explore options that will reconnect the offender to their humanity.
Our prison system is not a good example of what we can be as a nation.
Eliminating the gang enhancement is a small step in the direction of a more humane system and as such, Mr Gascon’s courageous efforts should be allowed time to work.
I have no doubt that, as he says, much vigilance would be exercised in determining who would qualify for the sentence reduction, mindful as he is of the possibility that a mistake could be made with grave consequences.
We need to trust a little as we invest in human beings.
We have to.
But just think of all of those men and women who, getting a chance for an earlier release, might contribute to enriching their communities and us all.
Think of all those men and women who, getting a chance for an earlier release, might smile and say, thank you fellow human beings, for seeing that hope was still alive in me.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net
The videos ‘Letters to A Shooter’ are available on YouTube.com
Oscar Valdes 