"Tiger is Lucky Elin Didn't Use a Driver"

I have pretty much set me schedule through March with Cyprus and Aussie Millions in January, LAPC at The Commerce in February, and the big question mark for me before Prague was San Remo and Monte Carlo in April. I will most likely return for San Remo and Monte Carlo. Also, my wife works for an Italian company so we can go together and take some vacation in Italy. She has lived in Italy in the past and is fluent in Italian, and several other languages. Those who are polyglots always impress me. I can barely get by in English, and many of you are quick to point out my many grammatical errors. When I was in grade school English and particularly grammar was my worst subject. I excelled in math and science, but could never really get the hang of grammar. As it turns out I was severely dyslexic, which was not diagnosed in those days. The good news for me about that is at least I didn’t have to ride the short bus.

I really had a great time in Prague. Much of the old parts of the city look like something out of a fairy tale. The Prague Castle, which I visited a few days ago, was sensational. Its history goes back to the 9th century and I was awe struck by it. I had an interesting conversation with a group of Northern Europeans about how the US is perceived and it was more than a little shocking. We were talking about the latest terrorism by extremists in the Middle East and they thought our ultra conservative right wing was pretty much as bad and almost fascist. They discussed the US policy on torture and interrogation established under President Bush, as well as the so-called “patriot Act” and how they were appalled by it. Although I have tremendous pride in America I found myself embarrassed by “our” behavior. The world looks to us for leaderships and we have fallen well short, and although there was huge worldwide optimism with Obama, that seems to have crumbled. He seems more concerned with getting re-elected than making the hard choices and doing right. His has been in office now for almost a year and I’m still waiting to be impressed.

How did we as a nation condone torture? I even here people saying as long as you are torturing the right ones, or almost all are guilty. When did we allow people to be convicted before a trial, and those who made up the rules take no responsibility for their actions? I want our people and country to be free from terrorists just as much as anyone but I’m not willing to cut corners and give back all that we stand for to accomplish it. If we allow that to happen, the terrorists have already won.

How did we come so far off center? I am not sure, but I think fear is to blame. The Republican Party made us afraid. Afraid of terrorism, afraid of a disruption of our way of life and afraid to take the hard road. We live in a free society, but freedom is not free. It comes at a great cost, but the cost is not to all of us, only to those we now let fight for us, on foreign soil, far away. While we at home, me included, lead our lives relatively free of the impact. Our forces have suffered over 4,000 killed and more than 31,500 wounded. I watched a program about some of the returning wounded in my hotel the other night and although I have been in the service, treated devastating disease and injury as a physician, I am still disturbed by what we have allowed to happen to our troops over there and by our behavior over here. We have given them too few resources that are desperately needed, whether it’s those that arrived without up to standard body armor or unarmored vehicles, or not enough air support, or left in exposed and vulnerable positions by inept commanders and allowed to be over-run by enemy forces. Then President Bush declaring that the war is over and we won was nothing more than a joke. We never sent enough troops to get the job done, if we even knew what that job was. Iran is probably right now more of a threat than Iraq ever was. They never had weapons of mass destruction and no terrorists, until now that is. So let’s either commit the resources to get the job done, or bring everyone home now.

We here at home are more concerned with Tiger Woods’ domestic squabbling, although I did like what pro golfer Jasper Parnevik said, and seeing that he introduced his then nanny and Swedish model Elin to Tiger, about her using a 5 iron to give Tiger and his vehicle a beating; “he’s lucky she didn’t use a driver.” Where does one find a nanny that’s a Swedish model, or is it a Swedish model that doubles as a nanny?

It’s been pointed out to me that perhaps we need these distractions, but I don’t think so, because those of us out there fighting are not the ones being distracted. We are distracted enough by all that is unimportant. I think it’s time for us and our elected representatives to focus on the issues. Enough arranging deck chairs on the titanic already, how about some forward progress for a change, maybe President Obama needs to pull out the Driver?