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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2015)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 Let’s make 2015 the Year of Understanding By MURIEL JENSEN Board of Contributors H Muriel Jensen feeding the hungry or curing cancer, I like to think it helps sustain some of the women who actually work toward those solutions. Frankly, it isn’t easy to do anything at this age. Joints hurt and calories simply do not burn, no matter what you do. On the upside, I forget what I’ve forgotten, so I’m at peace there. W ondering what other people have done at 70 and older, I Googled it. What I’ve discovered is truly humbling. Benjamin Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence at 70, and businessman, Cornelius Vanderbilt, began buying railroads. • At 75, cancer survivor Barbara Hillary became one of JAN 15 76 Crawling on his belly through enemy fire is nothing compared to the murder that ripped Jack Palmer’s childhood apart. Now that he’s home from his tour of duty, the ex-soldier’s most critical mission lies ahead: finding his long-lost sisters. And Sarah Reed can help. The compassionate former pediatric nurse awakens powerful feelings in Jack. Yet Sarah’s traumatic loss of a young patient prevents her from wanting a family of her own. Is Jack ready to risk his place in his adopted family for the chance to reunite with his biological one…and claim a childless future with the woman he loves? $6.50 U.S./$7.50 CAN. In My Dreams MANNING FAMILY REUNION Muriel Jensen my birthday. My father had me convinced that the celebration at Times Square was in my honor until I was about 8. It was particularly important to me this year because it was the publication date of my latest book, In My Dreams, published by Harlequin Heartwarming. I’m delighted to still be in the business at 70 years of age. While writing romance doesn’t All he wants is family… MANNING FAMILY REUNION For me, New Year’s Day has wholesome, tender romances In My Dreams appy New Year! Jan. 1 always carries with it the excitement of new beginnings, fresh starts, resolutions unbroken — although, if those resolutions are food- related, I have been known to break them by the afternoon of CATEGORY WHOLESOME Muriel Jensen harlequin.com W riter’s N otebook Rome. black woman, to reach the North • At 90, Marc Chagall was the Pole. Warren Buffett contributed $30 billion to the Bill and Louvre. Melinda Gates Foundation and • At 95, Nola Ochs became the its various charitable causes. oldest person to receive a college • At 80, the actress, Jessica diploma, and choreographer Tandy, became the oldest Oscar Martha Graham rehearsed recipient for her role in Driving her troupe for their latest Miss Daisy, and George Burns performance. Pablo Casals, became the second oldest the noted cellist, performed his actor to win the Oscar for his Hymn of the United Nations performance in The Sunshine before the United Nations Boys. General Assembly. • At 85, Coco Chanel was n our own community, many still head of her fashion design of our volunteers who give became the oldest Nobel Prize so much of their time and winner in Literature for his energy are seniors. Are you starting to feel the monumental work, A History of I pressure? I am. everything. I understand that I’ve thought of myself as life isn’t as much about the middle-aged for a long time, successes as it is about simply then it suddenly occurred to me showing up to compete. I’ve learned that failure that I’d have to live to be 140 to consider these my middle doesn’t kill you, loss hurts like years. But, who knows? I’m the devil, but we aren’t meant blessed with good health, with to be protected from everything, and getting pulverized the love of my life has a tenderizing who came to me in effect. my early 20s, and On the It’s important to has sustained me ever upside, be kind. I think we’re since, three children here to get each other who have become I forget through. Chances are, people I’m proud and what I’ve man or woman happy to know, and forgotten, the standing next to you friends who are more in this life has endured numerous and dear so I’m as much or more than anyone should at peace than you have, and be allowed to have. there. just needs someone And I live in this to understand, wonderful place. Age has taught me important empathize and lend a hand. Let’s make 2015 the Year of lessons. I worry less than I used to because it doesn’t change Understanding. anything, and I enjoy every Astoria resident Muriel Jensen moment twice as much as I has published more than 70 books used to because that changes and novellas. With Cuba, we are giving nylons for nothing By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER Washington Post Writers Group W ASHINGTON — There’s an old Cold War joke — pre- pantyhose — that to defeat communism we should empty our B-52 bombers of nuclear weapons and instead drop nylons over the Soviet Union. Flood the Russians with the soft consumer culture of capitalism, seduce them with Western contact and commerce, love bomb them into freedom. We did win the Cold War, but differently. We contained, constrained, squeezed and even- tually exhausted the Soviets into giving up. The dissidents inside subsequently told us how much they were sustained by our sup- port for them and our implaca- ble pressure on their oppressors. The logic behind ernment, which takes President Obama’s for itself before any Cuba normaliza- trickle-down crumbs tion, assuming there are allowed to reach is one, is the nylon the regime-inden- strategy. We tried tured masses. 50 years of contain- My view is that ment and that didn’t police-state control bring democracy. So of every aspect of let’s try inundating Cuban life is so thor- them with American oughly perfected that Charles goods, visitors, cul- Krauthammer ture, contact, com- whether confronta- merce. tional or cooperative, It’s not a crazy argument. only minimally affect the coun- But it does have its weaknesses. try’s domestic trajectory. Normalization has not advanced So why not just lift the democracy in China or Viet- embargo? After all, the unas- nam. Indeed, it hasn’t done so in sailable strategic rationale for Cuba. Except for the U.S., Cuba isolating Cuba — in the Sovi- has had normal relations with ets’ mortal global struggle with the rest of the world for decades. us, Cuba enlisted as a highly Tourists, trade, investment from committed enemy beachhead Canada, France, Britain, Spain, 90 miles from American shores everywhere. An avalanche of — evaporated with the collapse nylons — and not an inch of of the Soviet empire. A small movement in Cuba toward free- dom. dependent military capacities, In fact, one could argue that Cuba became geopolitically irrelevant. helped preserve the dictatorship, That’s been partially re- versed in the last few years transactions go through the gov- as Vladimir Putin has repo- sitioned Russia as America’s Obama brought back noth- leading geopolitical adversary ing on democratization, a and the Castros signed up for staggering betrayal of Cuba’s that coalition too. Cuba has re- human rights crusaders. No portedly agreed to reopen the free speech. No free assembly. Soviet-era Lourdes espionage No independent political par- facility, a massive listening post ties. No hint of free elections. for intercepting com- Not even the kind of munications. Havana 1975 Helsinki Final From and Moscow have Act that we got from also discussed the use the Soviets as part Cuba, of detente, granting Russia’s nuclear-ca- and review Obama structure pable long-range to human rights bombers. promises. These pro- didn’t This in addition to even Cuba’s usual hemi- cant leverage in sup- spheric mischief, such porting the dissident get a as training and equip- movements in East- ping the security and ern Europe that even- token repression apparatus tually brought down in Venezuela. gesture. communist rule. No mortal threat, If Obama insist- I grant you. And not ed on giving away enough to justify forever cutting the store, why not at least do it off Cuba. But it does raise the item by item? We relax part of question: With the U.S. embar- the embargo in return for, say, go already in place and the Cas- Internet access. And tie further tros hungry to have it lifted, why normalization to serial relax- give them trade, investment, ations of police-state repres- hard currency, prestige and sion. worldwide legitimacy — for Oh, what hypocrisy, say the nothing in return? Obama acolytes. Did we not normalize relations with China and get no human rights quid pro quo? True. But that was never a prospect. The entire purpose was geopolitical and the payoff was monumental: We walked anti-Soviet strategic realignment of the entire Cold War, formally breaking up the communist bloc and gaining China’s neutrality, and occasional support, in our half-century struggle to disman- tle the Soviet empire. From Cuba, Obama didn’t even get a token gesture. Not drawal of secret police support in Venezuela. Or extradition of American criminals now fugi- tive in Cuba, including a notori- ous cop killer. Did we even ask? Obama seems to believe that the one-way deal was win-win. A famous victory — the Cuba issue is now behind us. A break- through. Indeed it is. You know how to achieve a breakthrough in tough negotiations? Give every- thing away. Try it. You’ll have a deal by noon. Every time. Where to write • U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washington, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-0855. 12725 SW Millikan Way, Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005. Phone: 503- 326-2901. Fax 503-326-5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/ • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313 ington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224- 3753. Web: www.merkley.senate.gov • State Rep. Brad Witt (D): State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E., H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: T HE D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state. or.us/witt/ Email: rep.bradwitt@ state.or.us • State Rep. Deborah Boone (D): 900 Court St. N.E., H-375, Salem, OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1432. Email: rep.deborah boone@state.or.us District OR 97110. Phone: 503-986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.or.us/ boone/ STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager