Free Frank Warner

Global warming turning the Sahara green?

It seems eminently wise to prevent a major increase of any gas in the Earth's atmosphere. At the same time, the recent increase of carbon dioxide levels could have some beneficial effects. We're hearing now that global warming may be have made parts of the Sahara ready for farming.

Now, if the governments there are wise enough to set their citizens free to farm, we may soon see the greening of the desert.

We still should closely monitor global CO2 levels, and do what we can to slow the increase. There has to be a point where the CO2 is too high.

Frank Warner

Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Obama’s irresponsible dip

President Obama’s release of 30 million barrels of oil from the 727-million-barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve is reckless, irresponsible and possibly illegal. Where’s the emergency?

Libya? Oh come on.

The action sets a dangerous precedent. It tells presidents they can drain the reserve not to steady the nation after the shock of a huge natural disaster or war, but to give short-term comfort to short-sighted voters.

58-day reserve. To start with, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has only enough oil to replace America's 12 million barrels of daily imports for 58 days. That’s it, less than two months’ supply.

That’s so little it’s dangerous to remove anything from the reserve until and unless there’s no alternative.

And there are alternatives. We can buy the oil that’s on the market. It isn’t cheap, but it hasn’t dried up. We also can start drilling for more of our own oil and let the markets react.

Democratic model. But you can be sure that after we deplete 4.1 percent of our reserve and weaken our leverage as a result, world oil will be even more expensive next year.

Unfortunately, this is the usual from Democrats in power: Drain everything we’ve saved for rainy days, squander it on sunny days, take credit for the flush days in the sun, then point at Republicans as the big storm approaches and we’re helpless.

If the Social Security Trust Fund is their model, once the Democrats have siphoned every drop from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, they’ll tell us, no, it’s not empty; we left notes promising to re-fill it.

Then ask a refinery how much gasoline those notes are good for.

Frank Warner

Obama: Afghanistan, it’s your democracy, defend it

President Obama is rolling the dice on Afghanistan. He’s betting that Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy has built enough of the institutions of freedom -- including an army -- to resist the fanatical forces of repression.

Last night, he said he plans to withdraw 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year, and another 23,000 by next summer, leaving 68,000 American GIs there in the fall of 2012.

Though many military experts are skeptical, the withdrawal schedule might work. It could inspire the Afghan government to improve and expand its army more quickly, and it could dampen terrorist fervor by demonstrating American resolve to let the Afghans choose their own way.

On the other hand, the troop drawdown may come too soon. Maybe Afghanistan isn't ready.

Obama's call. The president has little political pressure to hurry our troops home, except when it comes to the far-left fringe of the Democratic Party. Isolationism abounds on left and right, but it isn’t a cause that motivates large numbers of voters. So in the end, the pace of reducing our involvement in Afghanistan -- and by the way, Iraq -- is up to Obama himself.

Here is what Obama said last night:

In all that we do, we must remember that what sets America apart is not solely our power -– it is the principles upon which our union was founded. We’re a nation that brings our enemies to justice while adhering to the rule of law, and respecting the rights of all our citizens. We protect our own freedom and prosperity by extending it to others. We stand not for empire, but for self-determination. That is why we have a stake in the democratic aspirations that are now washing across the Arab world. We will support those revolutions with fidelity to our ideals, with the power of our example, and with an unwavering belief that all human beings deserve to live with freedom and dignity.

Above all, we are a nation whose strength abroad has been anchored in opportunity for our citizens here at home. Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic times. …

America, it is time to focus on nation building here at home.

$1 trillion investment. Indeed, we have spent about $1 trillion on the liberation of Iraq and Afghanistan in those 10 years. In that same decade, the federal government’s debt rose $9 trillion.

Twenty years from now, which will we say was the better investment? The $8 trillion we borrowed for unsustainable domestic programs? Or the $1 trillion or so we borrowed for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan?

I don't think we'll forgive ourselves for the $8 trillion in debt. The $1 trillion for Iraq and Aghanistan will pay off in lives and liberty, but only if we don't pull the plug before the two new democracies are running on their own power.

Frank Warner

Remember Civil War trading cards?

In the early 1960s, a century after the War Between the States, Civil War trading cards were popular among schoolchildren. The artwork on the various battles wasn't bad, and I think the cards came with bubble gum.

The "Painful Death" card still sticks in my mind as particularly shocking.

I'll trade you a "Merrimac Sinks" for a "General Grant."

Frank Warner

Happy Father's Day

Mother's Day is in May. I wonder why they save Father's Day until after most school years are over.

(No, I don't really wonder.)

Frank Warner

Kiss at the Vancouver riot

It turns out an Australian was the only person to do something creative in Vancouver, Canada, three nights ago when the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup finals.

Scott Jones of Australia was captured by a Getty photographer as Jones knelt down and kissed his Canadian girlfriend, Alexandra Thomas, who had fallen as Vancouver police chased a crowd down a street. The riot kiss is the shot seen around the world.

Jones said he was trying to comfort Alexandra in the panic. Meanwhile, the natives were smashing cars and stealing from stores because the World Champion Boston Bruins had humiliated their team 4-0 in the last game.

Pretty poor losers, those Canuck fans. Now they're cursed. Kiss that Stanley Cup goodbye forever.

Frank Warner

Jeff Carter: Bankruptcy courts could have saved economy; bank bail-outs didn’t

We all have to wonder whether the economy could have healed itself faster and more thoroughly had the federal government not stepped in with giant bank bail-outs in 2007 and 2008.

(We won’t even talk today about the 2009 “stimulus.”)

Independent speculator Jeff Carter says the federal government should have let our banking system correct itself. He says our bankruptcy laws could have sorted out the mess much more efficiently.

Carter:

I would have let all the banks go broke. There would have been market pain, but the system we had post-crisis would have been a lot better. America had a long set of bankruptcy laws and legal precedent, along with financial safeguards built into the Federal Reserve system to keep us afloat. Instead we are left with big zombie banks that are an even greater fiduciary risk to the system than before.

Iceland didn’t rescue its banks. It couldn’t afford to do it. So, they went bust. Iceland looked like it was going down a path of permanent financial armageddon. However, Iceland is in better financial shape than the rest of Europe today.

The Wall Street Journal:

“Europe’s bailout path has only diverted ever-more resources to failing enterprises, postponing and deepening the problem. Iceland’s restructuring was both painful and costly for the population, but the government did not throw good money after bad, and the taxpayers were spared a nationalization of private debts. Is it any wonder that forward-looking financial markets are now betting on the Icelandic recovery?”

Iceland went through its reorganization pain quickly, and it’s readjusting strongly. America’s leaders are struggling desperately to avoid all pain at all costs, but our pain is likely to grow and persist because all those costs have buried us.

Look around. Try to name one thing we’ve done since 2008 to make America more economically sound? As I’ve said, as we claim to be repairing the economy, we’re not greasing the wheels; we’re greasing the roads.

Frank Warner

Anthony Weiner resigns

I'm surprised the Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned. Democrats seldom quit over any scandal with a sex element. They're usually able to portray their enemies as Puritan enemies of private fun.

Maybe it was the illegal license plates on his car.

Frank Warner

Cleveland's curse: Dirk Nowitzki beats LeBron James; Mavericks are champions!

The Dallas Mavericks have humiliated the Miami Heat 105-95 in the final game of the NBA Finals. It took the Mavericks only six games to defeat the Heat, which had hoped to profit from LeBron James' sell-out of Cleveland.

The Dallas Mavericks are 2011 NBA Champions of the World!

Dirk Nowitzki has proven that, except for the 1983 Philadelphia '76ers, he is probably the best basketball player who ever lived. LeBron has found himself a permanent place in the hall of losers.

Congratulations, Dallas Mavericks! Congratulations, Cleveland! It's a good thing you lost LeBron.

Frank Warner

Movie review: 'Super 8' not so super

Like many movie-goers this weekend, I had high hopes for "Super 8," the new movie directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The early reviews were lavish with praise, telling us we were back to "E.T." and "Close Encounters" quality summer films.

So I was sadly disappointed. "Super 8" has its moments of virtuosity, but it just doesn't come together in the end. It probably will be popular enough to make some money, but it's no classic.

The film has two very good scenes -- of the kids making an amateur movie at the train station and, later, of young Joe running an old home movie of his mother. The trouble with "Super 8" is, the pace is uneven and it wraps up in a pointless rush. (It might have helped to show us how the kids' amateur film turned out. And you know, I missed what happened to the dog; now I just don't care.)

"Super 8" is a quart of "E.T.," a cup of "Jurassic Park," a teaspoon of "Jaws" and a pinch of "Back to the Future." A tasty recipe, but not prepared well enough to satisfy the appetite for films like the old Spielberg masterpieces.

Frank Warner