A Peaceful Divorce

Today's newspaper reports show that 76% of voters in Greenland -- currently a territory of Denmark - cast "yes" votes in a national referendum yesterday calling for greater home rule. Twenty four percent of voters said "no" in the official results.

The plan spelled out in the referendum calls for Greenland to take control over:

-local police force
-court system
-coast guard
-language (Greenlandic will become the official language)

On a personal level I have always been intrigued by Greenland ever since a Danish friend of mine invited me to go scuba diving around the glaciers/ice bergs in Greenland. We never made the trip which I regret. However, on a political level this referendum vote coincides with my personal philosophy -- ballots are good and bullets are bad (unless of course an armed revolution is the only option for eliminating an oppressive government -- take heed North Korea, Burma, and Venezuela).

Since Greenland and its mother country, Denmark, apparently are headed for an eventual divorce that would leave Greenland as a sovereign nation it reminded me of other disputed/subservient areas of our world. Kurdistan, Northern Ireland, the Basque Region, etc. are examples that readily come to mind.

Again -- let's give ballots a try versus bullets. Had we pursued this course of action in 1860 in the USA by simply hosting state-by-state referendums in the Confederate States of America regarding the question of secession perhaps most of, if not all of the 600,000 deaths could have been prevented. While I abhor the institution of slavery that existed in the American South some scholars would argue that the US Civil War was a battle over the definition of states' rights but I have always argued it was merely friction between two very different economic systems -- the manufacturing economy of the North and the agricultural economy of the South.

Since the institution of slavery was a failed economic model -- as many plantation owners knew at the time I have read -- it was merely a matter of time before the South would have imploded as the Confederate States of America.

Freedom isn't free,

Todd

Sally Field

First the best line from a classic movie -- "Smokey and the Bandit" --

Burt Reynolds and Sally Field in a car chase (I know, which one?) are talking:

Sally: why do they call you the "Bandit"
Burt: that is my handle, don't you have one (something like that)
Sally: no, can I have one?
Burt: okay, I will call you "frog"
Sally: Frog? why frog?
Burt: Because I would like to jump you

Well Sally Fields got some prime time TV attention this week during the annual Emmy Awards when she made a political statement during her acceptance speech. Yea, I know, big surprise, a Hollywood actor/actress lecturing us. Ms. Fields made some comments about stopping wars concluding, "if mothers ran the world there would be no God damn wars...................."

Wow, either Ms. Fields lives in a cave or hasn't read any books in the last 10 to 15 years especially history books. The concept of "war" knows no gender. History is filled with examples of both men/women/fathers/mothers who had led nations and troops into war. So for Ms. Field's benefit and both of my readers ;-) here is a list of female warriors:

• Margaret Thatcher -- former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (I am a fan) who led the UK to fight Argentina after their invasion of the Falkland Islands.
• Catherine the Great -- while she was Empress/Czarina of the Russia she sent soldiers and sailors into numerous wars
• Joan of Arc -- could there be a French warrior more famous than this woman?
• Queen Boadicea -- Leader of her Iceni tribe once her husband died. Boadicea led her warriors into battle against the Romans in a bid to rid them of imperial rule. If there is anything as a "just war" this is a great example

So NO Ms. Field -- just because mothers are in power does not mean wars are avoided. Please pause a minute to consider the videotapes that I have seen on CNN and Fox News showing Palestinian mothers rejoicing and encouraging their sons to become suicide bombers to battle Israel.

I want to avoid wars myself which is why I support universal free trade because history has proven that "trading nations are not warring nations............."

So the next time you give an acceptance speech Ms. Field why don't you make a pitch for ending tariffs on goods and services?

Peace Through Trade,

Todd