Constant Vigilance

Today is a holiday, but Bunkerman is always observant of the world and his surroundings. Constant vigilance is the watchword that I learned in my course on Celestial Navigation at Harvard. That is essential to survive in sailing, and it applies to much of life as well. So reading the news this morning I found four interesting items.

Financial Times September 1, 2008 online
“Russia’s president Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday announced Moscow’s intention to preserve geographical spheres 'of privileged interest' on or near its borders as part of a five point foreign policy statement in a television interview. ... He said that Russia would defend 'the life and dignity' of Russian citizens 'no matter where they are located'. "

Does anyone else find this eerily reminiscent of Hitler’s claims regarding Germans and wanting them to be part of the greater Germany ?

The Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2008 online
"Russian troops remaining in Georgian territory are effectively preventing Georgians from returning to their homes, a U.N. representative said Saturday. Melita Sunjic, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees in Georgia, said that although it was not clear if Russian soldiers were actually preventing refugees from returning, the warnings by the troops effectively block them. 'If they say 'we can't guarantee your safety,' you don't go,' "

Uh … if the Russian troops aren’t doing their purported jobs as “peacekeepers” why are the Russian troops in Georgia? Obviously as occupation forces. Russian-Muscovite imperialism of the past 500 years revives and continues to the new millennium.

The Wall Street Journal, Sepember 1, 2008
"MOSCOW -- Police arrested and shot to death Sunday the head of an Internet news service who had been critical of authorities in the volatile Caucasus province of Ingushetia. ... Mr. Yevloyev had been a vociferous critic of Ingushetia's governor, a former security-service agent who has been backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Mr. Yevloyev had charged that regional and federal agents were brutalizing the locals, and kidnapping and assassinating political enemies. ... Mr. Yevloyev was in police custody for 20 minutes at most."

Nothing knew there for KGB-style thugs. Perhaps worse - not even a show trial.

Various News Stories about Hurricane Gustav
New Orleans evacuated. Why is this city there ? Obviously it should be moved inland – maybe just to Baton Rouge. When Galveston was destroyed around the turn of the century by a hurricane, the major industries of the city were moved to Houston. New Orleans and the entire delta should be abandoned, with only the French quarter remaining as a resort area and the key port operations left in place. The delta should become a wildlife reserve, reverting to its natural state.

I suspect this decision would have been made already barring political desires of the ruling classes.

Word of the Day

"Confect" - verb, transitive [$10] literary (a Mencken word)
Confect means make by putting together ingredients.
Sentence: Will Obama be able to confect a plausible propaganda program by combining his principle platitude - "change" - with enough other vacuous and misleading promises to fool enough people to win the election ? Time will tell.