Not Much Good News

Wow, today’s (10/23) paper is definitely not the “feel good” issue for the week.

         Two separate but related stories are the proof. Page one inset: “Russia, Turkey to Fill Void Left by Departure of US Troops.”  Think about that and then reflect on the second article, buried about three pages in: “US Asks NATO to Pay More for Saudi Arabia.”  Yes, you read it correctly, After abandoning the Kurds and northern Syria to Turkey and Russia, whose hegemony deepens the tragedy for the Kurds as it enhances relations between nations with the capacity for choking the Bosphorus and limiting Black Sea access, should they so desire, Trump now seeks more NATO aid to a non-NATO power. These are the same Saudis, remember, who sourced funds indirectly for the 911 attacks, ordered the recent butchering of a journalist in Turkey, and should be capable of defending themselves.

        Understand: Saudi Arabia is only slightly lower in population than Iran, its sworn enemy. It is the richest of the world’s Arab nations. As the strongest Sunni nation, it is at odds with Iran in much the same way Protestants and Catholics opposed, and eventually slaughtered, each other in the Thirty Years’ war. On a per capita basis, it has the most mineral wealth of any nation in the world. The Kurds needed our protection, yet were abandoned, the Saudis don’t, yet….?  One wonders just how much Trump owes The Kingdom.

       On a somewhat lighter but even more confusing note, the headline reads “Police Shoot to Stop Driving on the Sidewalk.”  While odd, this is hardly bizarre, that is until you read the brief article, which is from Copenhagen, Denmark. An armed man stole an ambulance in Oslo (yep, that’s in Norway!) but as the article reads, was in Copenhagen, driving on the sidewalk with an Uzi, several rifles and “a large amount of narcotics.”  There is no explanation of how or if the Ambulance got from Norway to Denmark but, having been to both, I can attest to the fact that it’s a hell of a drive!

        Today’s “Florida Oddity” is less oddity than stupidity. An Uber driver in Hollywood, Florida (although this sounds more like the “other” Hollywood) was responding to a call on Sunday night, with his handgun on the seat beside him. He was allowing the passengers to enter the car, and while attempting to holster his gun, accidentally discharged it, wounding a juvenile in the back seat. The child survived, but one hopes the driver’s employment with Uber will not.

       Finally, Mongo has died at age 38, the oldest of his kind ever. He was in good health right up to the end of his life in America. With an expected lifetime of 20 years, he beat the odds, and apparently the heat. As an African, he was out of place in Pueblo, Colorado. As an African Penguin, he was even farther from a natural habitat. RIP Mongo.