About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2017)
OPINION THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017 • Page 7A An inch from a heart attack Having the latest technological gadgets doesn’t particularly interest me; my general opinion is that if I already have a working device that serves the same purpose, there is no reason for an upgrade or replacement. One such device that came standard on my recently purchased car is a backup camera. When I bought the car, had there been an option of not having the camera, I would have not paid extra for it. For more than 45 years, I’ve successfully maneuvered my vehicle in reverse without the assistance of a camera. However, I admit that now that I have it, I often use it instead of contorting my body and twisting my head around like an owl looking for prey. However, as with any advances in technology, with the benefits come the challenges. On a recent morning as I was leaving the local post office, I had a not-so-pleasant experience with my backup camera and it almost John Hewitt johnh@dekalbchamp.com caused a heart attack. My wife called just as I was getting in my car. We were having a basically meaningless conversation. As we were talking, I started my engine, put the car in reverse and glanced down at the monitor to see if there was anything behind me. I then yelled, “Oh my god! There’s a huge snake skin hanging from the back of my car. Let me call you back.” Chills went through my veins as I stared into the screen in disbelief seeing what appeared to be a massive snake skin hanging from my car and blowing in the breeze. I am absolutely terrified of snakes and my mind immediately began pondering where the skin had come from and was its original owner possibly in my car with me. It made perfect sense to me that if the snake skin was hanging from the back of the car that in all likelihood, the snake was in my rear storage area, just feet from me. My fear, apprehension and curiosity got to me. I gathered the courage to get out of my car and go behind it for a closer look, but was terrified of what I might see. I slowly crept behind my car, keeping a safe distance and probably looking very foolish, but didn’t see anything remotely similar to what I saw in my backup camera monitor. Feeling a bit relieved, I got closer to my car for a more thorough inspection and still didn’t see anything. Confident that what I saw must have been some sort of optical illusion, I got back in my car, again put it in reverse, and again saw this horrific image in my camera monitor. For the second time, I shut my engine off and went around to the back of my car to inspect. I still didn’t see anything that looked like what I saw on the monitor. Being relieved that there was no snake skin attached, but still curious as to what I was seeing, I got close enough to the actual camera to inspect it and then saw the culprit. What appeared to be a large snake skin was actually a tiny, harmless inch worm attached to the top of the camera and blowing around in the strong breeze. What a relief that was—humiliating and embarrassing, but still a relief. Perhaps there should be a warning on the camera monitor that reads “Objects in monitor may appear dramatically larger than they _ J! are. That tiny inch worm almost gave me a massive heart attack. “From Russia with love, I fly to you. Much wiser since my goodbye to you...”lyrics from the title song of the James Bond film of the same name (FRWL, 1963), as sung by Matt Monro. President Donald Trump’s first official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is typically high-stakes poker for both countries. Hamburg, Germany, site of the G-20 Summit served as the neutral location. The photo ops and hopefully some meetings of substance had perhaps higher stakes than usual for Trump. His challenge with Russia was to attempt re-set of the narrative around the two nations and any potential maneuvers or covert collusion efforts between the then-candidate, and/or his campaign or its representatives. Proving a negative, of course, often presents its own challenges. And while there is little question among intelligence communities, here and abroad, that Putin and his oligarch buddies favored a Trump presidency. The paradox, in part, might be getting our president to accept the why of that preference. Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton is a more than known commodity to Putin and his government. The Democratic Party, from a policy standpoint, was and is closer in terms of philosophy, to the “big government” dictums of the once Soviet state. But Putin is in his heart still a KGB man, and a Trump election could have, and From Russia with love ‘One Man's Opinion’ Bill Crane bill.csicrane@gmail.com some say has had, a destabilizing influence on the U.S. government, as well as our nation’s position as a world leader. Instead of just focusing on resetting Russian relations, potentially adjusting the “no- fly” zone in Syria, or reopening discussions regarding civil and political rights in the Ukraine and other Balkan states falling under increasing Russian influence, the president also had a similar meeting planned with his counterpart in China. Recent missile tests in North Korea indicate the threat there is rapidly increasing, with a successful ICBM launch bringing U.S. shores within reach, or easily encouraging an unstable potentate from moving his underground nuclear testing back up into the skies or over the broad Pacific. A misfire or another accident of that nature could trigger a nuclear hit on allies, including Japan, South Korea or even Taiwan, each of which trigger defense treaties with the United States calling for a response in kind. To ice this foreign policy triple layer cake, the president visited with all the other leaders of the G-20, whom he chose to, in effect, snub just more than a month ago. Though I am in agreement with Trump that there was little benefit in our nation remaining a part of the Paris Climate Accord, he spent days telling his peers that he was listening and hearing them; and almost immediately upon returning stateside, used the most blunt and dismissive language to disregard their concerns of global warming and need for more sustainable energy practices. It will be these same allies Trump will need to help force Russia’s hand, or to remind China that the European Union and the U.S. are their largest customers. But this is the same Trump—proudly supportive of Brexit—who doesn’t wow the E.U. crew in Brussels. They perhaps now view him more as a little, not- so-green, sprout. Trump may have gone in Tweeting and thumbs blazing, and there are accomplishments, primarily domestic in his young presidency. These foreign heads of state were likely under-whelmed by the successful and significant weapons system sales to the Saudis, particularly when this president and his own secretary of state cannot get on the same page about how to handle the boycotting of Qatar by its surrounding Muslim neighbors. As with his domestic agenda, the president often picks fights which are unnecessary—perhaps for the pure sport. But, if pursuing the old philosophy of “my enemies’ enemy is my friend,” one needs to leave at least a few big players untouched. Reagan did this with charm, a simply stated and short agenda and his personal commitment to follow up, as well as “trust but verify.” Trump gave up being a germaphobe and eschewing handshakes as a cost and investment in presidential campaigning. But our U.S. handshake is not the only global cultural norm for deal-making these days. One wonders, even for the photo ops, if this president was able to convincingly demonstrate working together or an appearance of unity, without simultaneous contempt. Shake on it? Russian fist bump? Skoal. Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commentator for Channel 2’s Action News, WSB- AM News/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as a columnist for The Champion, DeKalb Free Press and Georgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalb native and business owner, living in Scottdale. You can reach him or comment on a column at bill. csicrane@gmail. com.
