Egypt is more important than it looks

Egypt is one center of the Arab world.  (Iraq is the other).  Egypt became Moslem back in Mohammed's time.  To Moslems it is a holy land, not the holiest perhaps, but still holy.  The University of Cairo has been granting degrees since medieval times.  Arab fashion, art, literature, music, newspapers, all the cultural things are centered in Cairo.  The rest of the Arab world looks to Egypt for leadership, for ideology, for news.  Young Arabs are sent to Cairo for their education (at least those that are not sent to the United States).  Egypt is a trend setter, an example setter. 
   Yesterday's overthrow of the Islamist Morsi regime is very important.   It says, loud and clear, in an Arab voice, that Islamism is rejected by the mass of the Arab population.  This is the best thing we could have hoped for.  It may provide an example for the rest of the Middle East.  Turkey in particular.  
   Egypt now needs a decent regime, run by decent men, to bring some order out of chaos, get their economy working again, well enough to avert famine, and get the security situation in hand sufficiently to bring the tourists back. 
   I have no idea which Egyptians are presidential timber.  I don't read or speak Arabic, I have never been in the country.  But State Dept or CIA ought to have some idea.  At a minimum they should have a list of each Egyptian's standing, where he comes from, who supports him, where he was educated, what his political views are.  The US ought to quietly contact these people, at least the ones that we think would do Egypt some good, and assure them of our friendship, offer them help.  Lotta things we can help with, money, an internet presence, radio and TV broadcasting facilities, visas, air tickets, intelligence, arms and ammunition, economic development.  All we have to do is guarantee secrecy.
   Should it come out that El So-and-so is in the pay of the Americans, it's a death sentence for El So-and-so.  CIA has a terrible record in this regard, and State isn't much better.  Right now US military officers would be more convincing go betweens than anyone from the intelligence community.
 

Trip to Boston

The urge to shop rose up, and so I fired up the Mercury and drove down to Boston today.  Left at 7 AM, got to my first shopping stop by 9.  Talk about infrastructure.  I93 down thru NH was in good shape.  Not so in Mass. The  contractor who laid the last coat of asphalt on the Mass end of I93 and Rt 128 took some cheapcut and the whole asphalt layer was peeling up, creating suspension wrecking potholes.  Glad I'm retired and don't have to commute on that stuff anymore.  I hit the big Salvation Army thrift store on US 1 and scored four decent shirts, a drinking glass, a muffin pan and a pyrex measuring cup.  Then I got to Charles Ro, the Malden train store and scored a bunch of train stuff.  Hit the Lincoln paperback book store on the way back and scored six paperbacks.  All in all a reasonable day. 

Stand your ground.

The newsies have been talking up the Florida stand your ground law.  Zimmerman, who wanted to get into law enforcement, had taken a course in criminal law.  The prosecution dragged in George Zimmerman's old professor, who testified that Zimmerman had done well in class, gotten an A in the course, and was well versed in the Florida stand your ground law. 
   The prosecution went on to accuse Zimmerman of shooting Trayvon Martin 'cause he knew the stand you ground law would make it OK somehow.
   And they expect a jury to believe this? Zimmerman is flat on his back, with Martin beating his head against a cement sidewalk.  Zimmerman, in fear of his life shoots Martin.  Would anyone in Zimmerman's position be thinking about stand your ground, as opposed to save my life?  Would not even the most gullible juror understand that?
   What is the prosecution trying to do?

Airlines used to be cool

Being an airline was once so cool that a Florida railroad renamed itself "Seaboard Air Line".  It's stock shot up.  This was back in the 1920's or 30's when the railroad was still steam powered.
  Aviation Week did a piece on "Top Performing Airlines".   In the short list of winners, we have such flight suggestive names as Copa Holdings, Ryanair Holdings, AMR Corp, Allegiant Travel Co. and Regional Express Holdings.
   I guess Wall St thinks better of a company name suggestive of stock and bond trading, rather than a name that forthrightly announces the company's real business, supplying air transportation. 

Children are dying

The Washingtonian has a long piece on the problem.  US manufacturers of trace elements essential to intervenous feeding are failing to keep up with demand.  Premature babies in neo natal intensive care are getting sick and dying for lack of proper IV nutrition.  Fingers are pointed in a number of directions, the drug makers, the FDA, the hospitals. 
One thing the FDA could do, right now, on it's own authority, is let hospitals purchase the needed nutrients over seas, where they are plentiful.  But this would upset US drug companies who fully support the FDA's ban on importing any kind of drugs or pharmaceuticals.
   Another thing that would help is to allow the price of the stuff to rise.  FDA and the insurance companies hammer down the price of drugs, to the point where there isn't any profit in making the stuff, so the drug companies stop making it.   

FISA court upset by negative publicity

According to WAPO, the poor overworked judges of the FISA rubberstamp court are unhappy about their press treatment.  This is the court that OK'ed  all but 10 of 2000 requests to snoop. 
I feel so sorry for them.

Taking the Fifth, Lois Lerner

Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.  They had Lois Lerner of the IRS up in front of a Congressional investigating committee.  She said " I didn't do anything wrong.  And I'm taking the fifth".
   Same committee has just decided that Lois's "I didn't do anything wrong" statement  prevents her from taking the fifth, and they plan to grill her some more.
  I don't approve.  The fifth amendment is intended to prevent judges and prosecutors from forcing defendants to confess.  As in "Sign this confession and we won't use this rubber hose on you any more."  That's an important safeguard for us plain citizens against the criminal justice system.  I'd rather let Lois Lerner slide by than give up on the fifth amendment.
   In Lois's case, we ought to fire her and cancel her pension and her government health care.  That would put the fear of God into that building full of bureaucrats.  And her sidekick, Rose-something-or-other, ought to be fired too.  That's well within the power of Congress.  And it's constitutional too.