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/
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