Dec 30 2018
In my last newsletter, I did say that the next issue would come out in Jan 2019. But many major news stories in the last 2 weeks of Dec have me wanting to write and share this final wrap-up issue for 2018.
As The World Turns
One-two punch: Syria withdrawal, Mattis resignation
This story prompted me to write this bonus issue at the end of 2018. After following the ins and outs of the US administration, and a widely-held view that Secretary of Defense James Mattis was one of the “adults” and “responsible voices” at the decision-making table, it was to be expected that Washington, world leaders, and national security experts were rattled when:
1) President Trump ordered a withdrawal of US troops from Syria, in as little as 30 days, and
2) Secretary James Mattis promptly resigned the day after President Trump’s withdrawal announcement
Americans are tired of the long wars they’re having to fight, particularly in Syria and Afghanistan, and the president’s motives are valid. At one level, it IS time for the troops to come home. But the larger question is how, and when. Troops play a supportive role, and help ensure a balance between all the stakeholders (and competing powers) on the ground. Withdrawing those soldiers isn’t a simple operation and, among other things, would make US-allied Kurdish troops immediately vulnerable to Turkish forces who see them as an existential (and terror) threat to their country.
As for Secretary Mattis, it’s striking that this is the final proverbial straw to break his back. Many had speculated that his departure was a matter of when, not if, given his different approach to foreign policy as compared to the president.
Ultimately, what we as (global) citizens are left wondering is: do these two dramatic announcements make America less safe, and less able to be a stablizing or peacekeeping force in the world? A lot depends on who succeeds Secretary Mattis, how much they listen to the wisdom of Department of Defense experts, and whether they can navigate the inevitable tension between what the president wants, and what their Department colleagues believe is the right thing to do.
Government closes, technology opens (our data to others)
Government closes: About a quarter of the US government ran out of funds on Dec 22 2018, creating a partial government shutdown, and disrupting the jobs (and likely paychecks) of about 800,000 federal workers. This shutdown is the latest example of a partisan stalemate, with the leaders of both political parties entrenched in their positions and unable to reach a deal. This shutdown looks likely to last a while, and will be a test for the American public to see how long they can function without some of the essential services these federal workers provide.
Technology opens our data to others: How safe, or real, is the Internet these days? According to recent articles:
1) Facebook has allowed more than 150 companies to harvest the data associated with our Facebook accounts, and has trusted them not to violate our privacy when they do.
2) Facebook’s increasingly careless user privacy policies led a veteran (and well-respected) technology journalist to deactivate his Facebook account, declaring, “I am doing this — after being on Facebook for nearly 12 years — because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable here.”
3) This article reads like a dystopian novel, except it’s actually happening. Max Read’s piece “How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually.” demonstrates how fake accounts, fake identities, and bots have made (real) human activity count for less than 60% of web traffic, mostly in a race to earn advertising revenue by any possible means. How did we end up here? Max points to “years of metrics-driven growth, lucrative manipulative systems, and unregulated platform marketplaces.” To save us from this dystopia, he calls for cultural and political reform in Silicon Valley and around the world.
Om Is Where The Heart Is
A faith by any other name…
I love churches. I love the quiet awe that comes over you when you step into the bowels of a church, the tender flicker of candles at an altar, the bowed heads, the stained glass windows, the presence of…something more. When a chorus of voices in the pews recites a verse, or sings a hymn, my heart beams.
I was raised in a Buddhist family, call myself one (when asked) and practice its precepts. But I also attended a Catholic middle school, one that assembled us all for Friday Mass.
This has never presented an (inner) conflict for me, because I see the essence of all faiths as relevant and necessary paths to our divinity. Just as one song, or poem, might touch the heart of our beloved more than another…one faith, or its sacred text, will stir our spirit more than another. They point to the same transcendent destination, offering their version of joy and splendor along the way.
And so, I love the deeper threads of Christmas – what it means for Christians, the masses and services they attend to be in communion with each other, and with the essence of their faith.
For a few years now, I’ve taken to watching the Pope’s Vatican Christmas mass. The symbolism and Bible passage readings are beautiful and profound. The hymn-singing is serene. And at the end, placing the figure of baby Jesus in the Nativity scene cradle fills my heart with hope for the brotherhood of man.
Blessings to you for a good year ahead!
Remembering icons of politics, media and culture
We seem to be bidding farewell to more global icons these days. Maybe it speaks to the time they reached their peak, in decades past when a hardworking soul could make a mark all around the world, in a world that wasn’t as distracted or fragmented as it is today.
This Meet the Press tribute video reminds us of some of those illustrious souls, with a look back at their leadership and might.
News and Views
In the next issue:
It will be our first week of the new year! I don’t have anything specific to share, and will let the news gods guide what I write.
Till then…
Live well and lead large – Maya