Friends, Ronald Reagan famously said that the astronauts on board the space shuttle Challenger had blasted off in order to "touch the face of God" in space. That makes me wonder -- did Jeff Bezos think along the same lines? And, if so, given his massive ego, did "touching the face of God" mean merely...touching himself? It's a brainteaser, isn't it?
My latest article discusses Bezos' voyage into orbit in the context of the monopoly and crony capitalism that Amazon, Inc. practices. See if you don't agree with me that Blue Origins' achievements in space are laudable, but Jeff Bezos' moral fiber is somewhat threadbare.
https://amgreatness.com/2021/07/27/trickle-up-spaceflight/
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In other news, pay close attention to Sleepy Joe's tumbling -- well, slipping -- poll numbers. Every time Biden's job approval edges down, an angel gets its wings!
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president-biden-job-approval-7320.html
This is an analysis of the CDC's recent about-face re: masking for the vaccinated. I agree with the conclusion: the credibility of the experts is wearing thin at this stage, and I have serious doubts that, if Americans are goaded to "mask up" yet again, compliance will be anywhere near what it was before.
Finally, Republicans are calling on the Biden Administration to do more to free the Cuban people from communist oppression. I'm no fan of communism, but I'm skeptical that more can or should be done. I mean, is it really our business to provide internet access to the people of Cuba? And would it make a profound difference if we did? Either the Cuban people have the cajones to stand up for themselves, or the regime will probably succeed in reimposing its authority -- that's the reality. The other question is whether anyone inside the regime is considering "flipping" to the opposition. That's where street protests and revolutions get interesting, after all...
Dr.Waddy from Jack: I can see now that what I thought was a brilliant demonstration of the long since proven superiority of free enterprise, until Bezos shamefully kissed the ring of at least one Marxist, was very much less than that, his apostasy notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy from Jack:What can we do to help deliver Cuba from Marxist bondage? Is 1989 a model? Our chief contribution to that miracle was Ronald Reagan's outspoken denunciation of communism, after Carter's grudging admission that he "had had his eyes opened" to a doctrine which organically worked the deaths of 100 million of its citizens in the 20th century. That and President Reagan's unrelenting restoration of our military superiority, which convinced the Soviets, to their final despair, that they could never best us, despite consigning their people to communalka paradise, nightly cabbage soup and rationed light bulbs. But can this dynamic succeed in the case of Cuba? Their commie government knows they can never threaten us militarily.
ReplyDeleteBut our economic sanctions have not brought them down. In 1989, the epic courage of Lech Walesa and Boris Yeltsin, together with the towering,inspiring, leadership of Saint John Paul II, provided the rest of the solution. Is this possible in Cuba? Pope Francis will be no help. What would be the fate of a Cuban Walesa? What a principled US President free of leftist thrall COULD do is to express and broadcast a withering condemnation of communism both in its 20th century and its present manifestation! I'm not holding my breath with this equivocator in office.
Jack, I was pretty hard on Amazon, but part of its success is surely a product of the brilliant way in which it foresaw and met consumer demands. I don't begrudge Bezos most of his billions, but I do insist that online retailing, and all economic sectors, remain genuinely competitive.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good analysis of the present situation vis-a-vis Cuba and the U.S. By isolating Cuba for decades, we've sacrificed most of our leverage over the regime. We can denounce it, yes, and communism more broadly, but since we're clearly willing to do business -- on a grand scale -- with Chinese communists, I'm not sure such bloviating would be all that credible or effective...