We have a guest filling in for Gino: Tony Zore, an on-air personality at WMWV, our local radio station. He's a Libertarian and well-spoken.
We start with Trump/Putin press conference and comment on John McCain's put-down of Trump's performance. Tony thinks McCain and most media reaction is overblown. I agree.
Is Trump more anti-Russian than Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc.? I think yes, Tony too. He thinks NATO's effectiveness is diminished as France's and Germany's military preparedness has gone fallow.
Tony questions the wisdom of almost any US involvement in the Middle East. Trump's intervention against ISIS was wrong-headed because we shouldn't get involved when our enemies are fighting each other.
He predicts Turkey will be the biggest problem in the region for the United States and states his reasons.
We further discuss the complicated ethnic/religious conflicts within Islam but also the geography of the Middle East.
I bring up American's deepening divisions. I'm afraid it will get beyond words and so is Tony. I invite him to speculate on why. He gets into two different views of rights: individual rights vs what's good for the group -- society. As the national government amasses more power, the danger of civil war increases. He advocates returning federal power to states.
Tony thinks rising property taxes are the biggest issue facing the Mount Washington Valley. Also, balancing development with preservation of natural resources and scenic areas.
He endorses land trusts buying up development rights rather than government passing restrictive ordinances.
I stopped reading at the the statement that Trmup was in any way what-so-ever anti-Russian. Trump would pluck dingleberries from Putin's buttocks if Putin demanded.
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ReplyDelete"I bring up American's deepening divisions. I'm afraid it will get beyond words and so is Tony. I invite him to speculate on why"
Why? One big reason is because of mean-spirited, divisive columns like I often see here.
I thought that was a pretty good discussion. First time I've seen your blog, won't be the last. It's really good to see a through airing of each person's views with no interruptions. So much better than the bumper sticker debates that occur these days.
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