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PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 12, 2019 Opinion Two and half summits By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, both trusted White House aides, crossed into North Korea with Trump and strongman Kim Jong-un last week. And where was nation- al security adviser John Bolton? The foreign-policy hawk was on his way to Mongolia—which pret- ty much explains the dy- namics that led Trump to become the fi rst sitting U.S. president to set foot in the repressive Hermit Kingdom, with a leader who system- atically has starved his own people in his quest to become a world nuclear power. In return for what, exactly? The big takeaway was a photo op, after which Trump and Kim said the two nations would resume negotia- tions that began in June 2018 when they met for the fi rst time in Singa- pore. The art of the deal that Trump hailed as culminating in “complete denuclearization” of the Korean pen- insula has morphed into the art of the do-over. To be clear, old-style negotiations with the Democratic People’s Repub- lic of Korea failed to deliver the de- nuclearization that previous presidents sought. So there is reason to ditch tra- ditional diplomacy. There is a faction within the ad- ministration that wants a “small deal,” because this rump sees a sweeping all- or-nothing deal as unobtainable and likely to end in failure. Trump certain- ly has the right to give that viewpoint a try, should he choose to do so. But the Trump charm offensive with Kim isn’t likely to lead to world peace. The commander in chief looked like a pushover when he declared vic- tory at that fi rst summit in Singapore, which produced a vague agreement dropping language—“verifi able” and “irreversible” denuclearization—that had been standard American asks of North Korea. That fi rst summit elevated Kim on the world stage. It was a gamble that supporters and optimists framed as a new beginning facilitated by Trump’s willingness to break with convention and meet with an Asian leader ahead of staff negotiations in a nod to cultur- al differences. If it worked, the world would see Pyongyang peel back its nuclear capa- bility with an aim toward joining the international community and creating a modern economy. But all Americans got was a lousy T-shirt—a postcard of a deal with no deliverables, later followed by the Hermit Kingdom’s launch of short-range missiles. Trump’s decision to cut short a second sum- mit in Hanoi in Febru- ary showed the world Trump had the backbone to walk out of a bad deal. Yaaay. But then his last-minute Twit- ter invite to Kim to meet at the DMZ —a gesture that led to the border crossing—shows Trump’s hunger for spectacle can be held at bay for only so long. Many foreign policy wonks are convinced that a good deal is more likely to emerge from talks without Trump than talks with him. Trump does not seem to under- stand the “true nature of the ma- fi a-like” culture that has guided the Kim family, David Maxwell of the Foundation for Defense of Democra- cies told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Perhaps the best example of Trump’s willful blindness came from Hanoi, where Trump told reporters he did not think Kim was aware of the torture infl icted on Otto Warm- bier, a University of Virginia student from Ohio whom the regime arrested at Pyongyang International Airport in 2016 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after he was found guilty of stealing a propaganda poster. In 2017, Trump successfully prod- ded the country to release Warmbier, who by then was blind, unrespon- sive and paralyzed after enduring 17 months in a North Korean prison. The young man died six days later. In Hanoi, Trump told reporters he did not hold Kim responsible for the 22-year-old’s suffering and death. “I don’t believe he knew about it,” Trump said. “He tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word.” Imagine the likely reaction on the right if President Barack Obama had said that. Traffi c spills into neighborhood ple started driving further south on the back streets to avoid River Road. When you go this way you need to get to a street at a stop light at River Road. So now Glyn- brook Street is the last light and that point you will soon be out of Keizer. Even to get out on River Road you need a stop light to make a left turn, otherwise you’re taking your life into your hands. The town is more about things look nice than working right. I had an epiphany and realized that Keizer is the Ozarks of Oregon but with a LA attitude. Peter DeBeck Keizer guest opinion (Creators Syndicate) letters To the Editor: The underlined problem with increased traffi c is ob- vious to me. You just need to look to fi nd the culprit: River Road. The increased traffi c on River Road makes people look for oth- er routes. I started to notice it years ago when coming back from the dog park in the early morning. More people are using Wind- sor Island Road, Shoreline Drive, Rivercrest Drive and 5th Avenue in the morning and in the afternoon. Over the years as traffi c grew peo- Celebrating victories but not character By MICHAEL GERSON The celebration of American in- dependence is supposed to be a uni- fying national ritual. But we are a country with profound differences over the meaning of nationhood it- self. People in more typical countries — such as Belgium, Ja- pan or Russia—are at- tached primarily to a unique piece of earth, a unique language, a unique culture and (perhaps) a unique ethnicity. Their celebration of nation- hood is the celebration of particular- ity. One may become a naturalized citizen of such a country, but it is less clear what it means to become Bel- gian, Japanese or Russian. If possible, it would require total immersion in national distinctiveness. This is how the current American president appears to view his native land. President Trump’s Fourth of July remarks did make reference to the abstract promises of the Declara- tion of Independence, but he main- ly praised his nation as a place and a power. Like in his inaugural address, Trump presented America as a strong country, but not a country with a special historical role that grows out of certain moral commitments. He talked about the nation’s military victories, but not much about the nation’s character. He seems to love America because it is his country and a powerful country, but not because it is a country with a calling. Contrast this with the nation- al story told by Ronald Reagan or Franklin D. Roosevelt or John F. Ken- nedy or George W. Bush. American ideas —while growing out of a spe- cifi c culture—are transcendent and universal. Though military power is essential, the nation advances on the strength of democratic hopes. It wins a global competition of ideals because it accords most closely with the du- rable dreams of humanity for liberty and justice. This differing emphasis has dramatic implications. If America is primarily a normal nation, united by a common culture, then it is diluted by outsiders and weakened by diversity. In this circumstance, cultural differences lead inexorably to confl ict and disunity. A nation de- fi ned primarily by culture or ethnici- ty is a fortress to be defended. But if America somehow embod- ies the best and highest of human aspirations—separate from culture and ethnicity—then there is hope of mutual progress. “America has nev- er been united by blood or birth or soil,” said George W. Bush in his fi rst inaugural address. “We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our inter- ests and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.” In this view, immigrants are not a contagion. By embracing national as- pirations they actually strengthen our national identity. These contrasting attitudes make a large political difference in a coun- try that is approximately 14 percent foreign-born. This constitutes about 44 million people. If this historically large number of migrants is seen as a problem—bringing crime, threat- ening national security and chang- ing the nature of our country—then other voices Wheatland Publishing Corp. • 142 Chemawa Road N. • Keizer, Oregon 97303 phone: 503.390.1051 • web: www.keizertimes.com • email: kt@keizertimes.com SUBSCRIPTIONS One year: $35 in Marion County, $43 outside Marion County, $55 outside Oregon PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Publication No: USPS 679-430 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: EDITOR & PUBLISHER Lyndon Zaitz publisher@keizertimes.com Keizertimes Circulation 142 Chemawa Road N. Keizer, OR 97303 Periodical postage paid at Salem, Oregon (Washington Post Writers Group) Age is a factor in presidential hopefuls Should there be a gathering of Americans including Bernie Sanders (77 years old), Joe Biden (76), Don- ald Trump (73), Elizabeth Warren (70) and this opinion writer. It’s argued that Keizertimes readers would judge us to be a group of older white guys who are close to the same age. Now that fact may be of no importance to the read- er, but it means a lot to me for several reasons. I was born without any problems, grew to maturity without physical or mental limita- tions. I suffered through the mumps, chicken pox and many a winter cold but went to a doctor to receive vaccinations against small pox and measles. Since this writ- er has no information on the others in my age group—save their ages and apparent ambulatory ability—I assume they were also mentally and physically healthy Americans during their formative years. I have reached a point through my septuagenarian years where age has resulted in limitations that slow me physically, prevent a night’s sleep with- out water closet visits, encourage rest after strenuous activity, and discourage sports like tackle football and sand lot basketball with people half my age. It’s presumed that my age-related con- temporaries are likely going through age changes with cautions and condi- tions similar to my own. Less physical activity in general is common to the 70-plus set. Re- search on older Americans has also disclosed that cognitive abilities begin to fray dramatically after the age of 70. Age-related factors mean declin- ing skill at concept formation, abstract thinking, mental agility, response time, and creative thinking. Septuagenarians practice self-de- ception known as telling themselves they are as good at everything as they were when in their forties while those with good pho- ny-detectors know they are lying to them- selves. They disguise their mid-sections by gut suck-ins to look thinner and must work diligently at good pos- ture without slumping their shoulders. Every full day at activities brings fairly pro- nounced fatigue by 4 p.m., the need for a stiff drink, a soft chair and noise abatement. Besides my fi ctitious group gather- ing of Biden, Sanders, Trump, Warren, and me, there are others on the slip- pery slope of 70, including Jay Inslee (69), Marianne Williamson (66) and John Hick- enlooper (67) who should take a long, hard look at t h e m s e l ve s and stop the self-kidding. Others as- piring to be President of the Unit- ed States are in what this opinion writ- er views as the prospect gene h. mcintyre Keizertimes it makes sense to cut immigration (both legal and illegal), end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, slash refugee admissions and build a wall across a continent. And if our main source of nation- al unity is cultural, then the com- position of America’s foreign-born population would matter greatly. According to Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Trump expressed disdain for immigrants from countries such as Haiti and said, “We should have more people from places like Norway.” It is diffi cult to separate such statements from their racial context. In this view, a national culture largely shaped by white European migrants is better carried forward by white European migrants. This conception of nationhood can descend quickly into dehuman- ization. If Hispanic migrants are de- fi ned as a threat to national security and national identity, then it becomes easier to separate crying children from their parents. It becomes easier to store migrants in overcrowded, un- healthy conditions. And it becomes easier—following the tragic drown- ing of a father and daughter trying to cross the Rio Grande—to blame migrants for their own desperation. A broader defi nition of American identity does not require the decrim- inalization of all border crossings, or the abolition of the federal Immi- gration and Customs Enforcement agency. It does require the construc- tion of a humane asylum system that treats oppressed and frightened peo- ple with respect. It forbids the dehu- manization or cruel treatment of mi- grants under any circumstance. And it embodies the generosity of spirit on which American greatness depends. range where the body and mind have experienced a lot but not enough to drain them by the constant demands of the presidency. Alphabetically or- dered, my favorites are Michael Ben- net (54), Cory Booker (50), Kamala Harris (54), and Kirsten Gillibrand (52). We’re still months away from the fi rst primary election in 2020, so there’s a lot of time to listen and watch in order to choose wisely. I do not believe that any Democrat who ex- pounds a full socialism menu can suc- ceed at being elected at this time and it would seem that most voters in this country will be more leary of pie-in- the-sky promises. Encouraged is the candidate who speaks with the Fireside Chat reas- surances of a Franklin Roosevelt, the “I’ll never lie to you” convictions of a Jimmy Carter, and the charming, while skillfully-delivered, humor of a Ronald Reagan. (Gene H. McIntyre shares his opin- ion regularly in the Keizertimes.)
