Opinion
Lawrence Journal-World l LJWorld.com l Saturday, March 8, 2014 Lawrence City Commission Michael Dever, mayor 1124 Oak Tree Drive 66049 550-4909 mdever@sunflower.com Mike Amyx, vice mayor 2312 Free State Lane 66047 843-3089 (H) 842-9425 (W) mikeamyx515@hotmail.com Jeremy Farmer, 1135 Randall Road, 66049 691-9100 voteyourselfafarmer@gmail.com Dr. Terry Riordan, 1613 Tennessee St., 66044, 842-1900 riordan346@gmail.com
Putin has weak adversary in Obama Washington — Vladimir Putin is a lucky man. And he’s got three more years of luck to come. He takes Crimea, and President Obama says it’s not in Russia’s interest, not even strategically clever. Indeed, it’s a sign of weakness. Really? Crimea belonged to Moscow for 200 years. Russia conquered it 20 years before the U.S. acquired
Bob Schumm 1729 St. Andrews Dr. 66047 842-6729 (H), 842-7337(W) schummfoods@gmail.com
Douglas County Commission Jim Flory, 540 N. 711 Road, Lawrence 66047; 842-0054 jimflory@sunflower.com Mike Gaughan, 304 Stetson Circle, 66049; 856-1662; mgaughan@douglas-county.com Nancy Thellman, 1547 N. 2000 Road 66046; 832-0031 nthellman@douglas-county.com
Lawrence School Board Rick Ingram, president 864-9819 1510 Crescent Rd. 66044 ringram@usd497.org Shannon Kimball, vice president 840-7722 257 Earhart Circle 66049 skimball@usd497.org Kristie Adair, 840-7989 4924 Stoneback Place, 66047 kadair@usd497.org Randy Masten, 760-5196 934 W. 21st St. 66046 rmasten@usd497.org
Charles Krauthammer letters@charleskrauthammer.com
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Can Putin be faulted for believing that if he bites off Crimea and threatens Kiev, Obama’s response will be minimal and his ability to lead the Europeans even less so?”
Louisiana. Lost it in the humiliation of the 1990s. Putin got it back in about three days without firing a shot. Now Russia looms over the rest of eastern and southern Ukraine. Putin can take that anytime he wants — if he wants. He has already destabilized the nationalist government in Kiev. Ukraine is now truncated and on the life support of U.S. and European money (much
Keith Diaz Moore, 856-1402 1738 Barker Ave. 66044 kdmoore@usd497.org Adina Morse, 856-0843 1549 Alvamar Court, 66047 amorse@usd497.org Vanessa Sanburn, president 856-1233 Ash St., 66044 vsanburn@usd497.org
Area legislators Rep. Barbara Ballard (D-44th District) Room 451-S, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Lawrence: 841-0063; Topeka: (785) 296-7697 barbara.ballard@house.ks.gov Rep. Tom Sloan (R-45th District) Room 149-S, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Lawrence: 841-1526; Topeka: (785) 296-7654 tom.sloan@house.ks.gov Rep. Paul Davis (D-46th District) Room 359-W, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Lawrence: 749-1942; Topeka: (785) 296-7630 paul.davis@house.ks.gov Rep. John Wilson (D-10th District) 54-S, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Topeka: (785) 296-7652; john.wilson@house.ks.gov Rep. Ken Corbet (R-54th District) 179-N, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Topeka: (785) 296-7679; ken.corbet@house.ks.gov Sen. Marci Francisco (D-2nd District) Room 134-E, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Lawrence: 842-6402; Topeka: (785) 296-7364 Marci.Francisco@senate.ks.gov Sen. Tom Holland (D-3rd District) Room 134-E, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Lawrence: 865-2786; Topeka: 296-7372 Tom.Holland@senate.ks.gov Sen. Anthony Hensley (D-10th District) Room 318-E, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 Topeka: (785) 296-3245 Anthony.Hensley@senate. ks.gov
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of which — cash for gas — will end up in Putin’s treasury anyway). Obama says Putin is on the wrong side of history and Secretary of State John Kerry says Putin’s is “really 19thcentury behavior in the 21st century.” This must mean that seeking national power, territory, dominion — the driving impulse of nations since Thucydides — is obsolete. As if a calendar change caused a revolution in human nature that transformed the international arena from a Hobbesian struggle for power into a gentleman’s club where violations of territorial integrity just don’t happen. “That is not 21st-century, G-8, major-nation behavior,” says Kerry. Makes invasion sound like a breach of etiquette — like using the wrong fork at a Beacon Hill dinner party. How to figure out Obama’s foreign policy? In his first U.N. speech,
he says: “No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation.” On what planet? Followed by the assertion that “alignments of nations rooted in the cleavages of a long-gone Cold War” — like NATO? — “make no sense in an interconnected world.” Putin’s more cynical advisers might have thought such adolescent universalism to be a ruse. But Obama coupled these amazing words with even more amazing actions. (1) Upon coming into office, he initiated the famous “reset” to undo the “drift” in relations that had occurred during the George W. Bush years. But that drift was largely due to the freezing of relations Bush imposed after Russia’s invasion of Georgia. Obama undid that pushback and wiped the slate clean — demanding nothing in return. (2) Canceled missiledefense agreements with Poland and the Czech
Republic. Without even consulting them. A huge concession to Putin’s threats — while again asking nothing in return. And sending a message that, while Eastern Europe may think it achieved post-Cold War independence, in reality it remains in play, subject to Russian influence and interests. (3) In 2012, Obama assured Dmitry Medvedev that he would be even more flexible with Putin on missile defense as soon as he got past the election. (4) The Syria debacle. Obama painted himself into a corner on chemical weapons — threatening to bomb and then backing down — and allowed Putin to rescue him with a promise to get rid of Syria’s stockpiles. Obama hailed this as a great win-win, when both knew — or did Obama really not know? — that he had just conferred priceless legitimacy on Bashar al-Assad and made Russia the ma-
jor regional arbiter for the first time in 40 years. (5) Obama keeps cutting defense spending. His latest budget will reduce it to 3 percent of GDP by 2016 and cut the army to pre-Pearl Harbor size — just as Russia is rebuilding, as Iran is going nuclear and as China announces yet another 12plus percent increase in military spending. Puzzling. There is no U.S. financial emergency, no budgetary collapse. Obama declares an end to austerity — for every government department except the military. Can Putin be faulted for believing that if he bites off Crimea and threatens Kiev, Obama’s response will be minimal and his ability to lead the Europeans even less so? Would Putin have lunged for Ukraine if he didn’t have such a clueless adversary? No one can say for sure. But it certainly made Putin’s decision easier. Russia will get kicked out of the G-8 — if Obama can get Angela Merkel to go along. Big deal. Putin does care about financial sanctions, but the Europeans are already divided and squabbling among themselves. Next weekend’s Crimean referendum will ask if it should be returned to Mother Russia. Can Putin refuse? He can already see the history textbooks: Catherine the Great conquered Crimea, Vlad (the Great?) won it back. Not bad for a 19th-century man. — Charles Krauthammer is a columnist for Washington Post Writers Group.
PUBLIC FORUM
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To the editor: In a letter published on March 5, Rep. Brett Hildabrand objects to Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger’s characterization of his proposed legislation, House Bill 2553, the Health Care Compact. Hildabrand says that Commissioner Praeger’s statement that this legislation would allow the state to use Medicare dollars to support other state functions is “patently false.” Perhaps Rep. Hildabrand should read his own bill. It states: “Each member state, within its state, may suspend by legislation the operation of all federal laws, rules, regulations and orders regarding health care that are inconsistent with the laws and regulations adopted by the member state pursuant to this compact.” In other words, the state of Kansas may pass a law that overrides federal spending rules, for Medicare or any other health care program. Commissioner Praeger is right to alert us to the implications of this legislation. If Rep. Hildabrand believes it’s a good idea, he should be forthright about what exactly what it says. Sheldon Weisgrau, Lawrence
To the editor: My husband and I attended the opening night of “Other Desert Cities” and were wowed. Theatre Lawrence is to be applauded for starting important conversations with their current production. What we witness on stage is the impact on each member of a family of long-held secrets. The outstanding performances by each of the five actors prompts laughter, tears and reflection. Both the excellent acting and the story invite reflection on our own experiences in our own families. For some who experience this play, reflection will lead to important, perhaps long overdue, conversations in real life. Some of those conversations will be with friends and family. Some of those conversations merit the help of a support group or therapist. And that is also a good thing. It’s never too late to heal. The powerful performance of “Other Desert Cities” is quite a gift to community members. Thank you, Theatre Lawrence and all of the cast, crew and supporters who make this possible. Marcia Epstein, Lawrence
OLD HOME TOWN
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From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for March 8, 1914: “An offer of $1,000 has been made by former years Governor W. R. Stubbs and ago Mrs. Stubbs to the DepartIN 1914 ment of Child Welfare of the University of Kansas to be used in bringing out a contest among second class cities that make the best showing as a place in which to rear chil-
dren. ... They will be scored on six general points, namely (1) play and athletics; (2) school work and industry; (3) social advantages; (4) moral and physical safeguards; (5) local child helping services; (6) religious activity.” — Compiled by Sarah St. John
Read more Old Home Town at LJWorld.com/ news/lawrence/history/old_home_town.
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