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Americans who have been following the Syrian crisis probably have a headache. Facing the growing likelihood that Congress, or at least half of it, would reject his request for authority to strike Syria, President Obama last week found himself hauled out of the hole into which he had dug himself and his administration by none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Even before the president went on national television Tuesday evening, it was clear that the administrations attempts to combine waving a bloody shirt with appeals to the need to sustain American leadership were falling flat with voters and their congressional representatives alike. Instead, resistance to a proposed U.S. attack on Syria mounted steadily despite increasingly frenzied efforts by intervention proponents to generate public and political support. Crossing party and ideological lines, opposition to U.S. military involvement united libertarian Republicans, anti-war Democrats, political independents, and even apolitical citizens otherwise uninterested in foreign policy. Had it not been for an off-hand remark by Secretary of State John Kerry, to which Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov immediately responded, the president might have found himself facing Hobsons choice: either to eat his own hasty and ill-considered

OPINION
RICHARD HART SINNREICH
words, or risk a constitutional crisis by going ahead with an internationally unsanctioned attack on Syria in defiance of one or both houses of Congress. The U.S. thus finds itself in the unusual and for many, uncomfortable position of owing thanks to the very same Russian leader whose steadfast refusal to countenance the use of military force against Syrias Bashar al-Assad has made it impossible to secure that international sanction. On top of that, by proposing a diplomatic solution to the continued presence in Syria of the chemical weapons whose use by take your pick the Assad regime, its opposition, or a rogue outfit answering to neither inaugurated the current crisis, Putin gets credit for the very cool statesmanship on which Obama heretofore has prided himself. Of course, that deliverance didnt come for free. Writing not coincidentally on Sept. 11, Putin took it upon himself to deliver a stinging rebuke of recent U.S. foreign policy in the op-ed pages of the New York Times. Reminding readers that the U.S. is signatory to a U.N. charter that explicitly prohibits the use of force without Security Council sanction except in self-defense, Putin in effect accused the U.S. of seeking to punish Syria for violating an international convention to which it has never agreed by violating one by which we ourselves are legally bound. Nothing could be more ironic or more embarrassing than for the U.S. to find itself lectured on international law by Russia, and more embarrassing still, to be lectured on sound legal grounds. Moreover, in what undoubtedly was a notso-veiled reference to Iran, Putin went on to argue pointedly that unilateral intervention risks the very result it claims to be seeking to avoid. If you cannot count on international law, he noted, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. One neednt blink the undeniable hypocrisy underlying the Russian presidents critique to acknowledge the substantive force of his arguments. The reality is that, for more than a decade, American foreign policy has pretty much been defined by our use of force in one fashion or another. Hence, in pointing out that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States, Putin was speaking no more than the truth. For too many of those who have been the hapless objects of our military ac-

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Saved by the bell ... and our buddy Vladimir

tivism, that our intentions might have been benign is irrelevant. That they were uninvited isnt. For now, as U.S., Russian, and Syrian diplomats wrestle with the political and practical challenges of turning Kerrys casual proposal and Putins and Assads claimed acceptance of it into actual modalities for removing and destroying Syrias dispersed chemical arsenal this in the midst of a bitter civil war U.S. warships remain poised off Syrias coast and in the Red Sea, prepared on order to execute the attack from which Syria has at least temporarily been spared. But apart from an overworked military, the ones who really have been spared by Putins un-looked-for eleventh-hour intervention are the president and members of Congress, who otherwise would have had to decide what the war power clause of the Constitution really means. In the end, of course, the true beneficiaries are the American people, who can thank that most ally for derailing a feckless commitment to still another unnecessary, expensive, and almost certainly counterproductive military adventure. Richard Hart Sinnreich writes about military affairs for The Sunday Constitution.

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EDITORIAL

Caring
People are appreciated in Lawton
Some of the great things about living in Lawton are all the new ideas that are brought here each year by the new officers and non-commissioned officers who move in and become our neighbors. There is also a spirit of coming together and helping those in need, as the I Count program showed last week. The young soldiers and their families join us at church and recreational activities, and they are a delight to get to know. When help is needed, they are among the first to volunteer. These bright young Americans are full of energy and enthusiasm. Several have been recognized for their participation in I Count, while others were honored along with Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, post commander, at a Lawton Chamber of Commerce hail-and-farewell reception last week. Most of us have not yet had a chance to meet the new arrivals, but we welcome them. We have some great agencies that will provide assistance or directions, if you need them. Dont be bashful. To those who are retiring soon or departing for separation or a permanent change of station, good luck. When you come back, look us up. BEST OF LUCK also to District Judge Allen McCall, 59, who is retiring at the end of the month after 30 years on the job. The native Lawtonian, who has served in many legal capacities and had some very tough cases such as the Geronimo bank robbery will escape the four walls of the courtroom and begin spending his leisure time mostly outdoors, hunting and fishing. Thank you, Judge McCall, for being fair to everyone. THE UNITED WAY kicked off its annual fundraising campaign with the David Hegwood Day of Caring on Friday. This year the United Way, which funds 19 local agencies and various programs, teamed up with the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerces education committee and identified some projects that needed attention. About 250 volunteers from 27 businesses showed up with paint brushes, cleaning items, repair tools and other gear to help Lawton Public Schools and United Way Agencies. They painted, dug into and refurbished flower beds, planted trees, revitalized landscaping and built some shelves, among other items. In its 19th year, the United Way Day of Caring is a longterm tradition in our city. What great community work. Thanks to all who helped on Friday the 13th. THE WIRELESS telephone companies and many people and organizations across the country have come up with a great idea to improve highway safety. The Duncan High School Leadership Class has jumped on the bandwagon, too, promising to raise awareness among the student body. The companies and groups are joining together for the It Can Wait campaign that is urging everyone to share their commitment to never send a text message while driving. They are raising awareness through Drive 4 Pledges Day on Thursday. The individuals will join AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon and more than 200 other organizations by declaring they will not text and drive. Duncan High will have an all-school assembly featuring a 12-minute documentary film on the dangers and consequences of texting while driving. That is a great approach. Lets get the message out to everyone. HATS OFF TO the soldiers, civilians and churches and others who volunteered last week to help identify the homeless in the 16-county Southwest Oklahoma area. The I Count program volunteers attended several hours of training and then headed out with a two-page form to collect the data on needy veterans and other homeless to see if assistance can be provided. Results are being compiled and will be released soon. The program last year resulted in 10 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers being allocated to the area. That was a good start. Southwest Oklahoma has great people who care and who work together to help others and improve the quality of life for us all.

Nations cities cant ignore big chains poverty-level wages

Americas cities, its towns and counties and communities, gotta care. Significant numbers of citizens are obliged to live with low wages and sometimes miserable working conditions that critics blame on, among others, WalMart, Amazon.com, Macys, KFC, McDonalds, Wendys and Burger King. Small wonder that low-income workers, with a special hand from the Service Workers International Union, have been staging short strikes and rallies across the country to dramatize the issue. But theres a key issue. Should city governments be supporting their effort? The issue has won enhanced political attention from Bill de Blasios surge in the New York City mayoralty race. Hes argued that chains like McDonalds and Burger King are part of a $200 billion industry, and that the current $7.25-an-hour minimum wage is unacceptable. I will not stand for it, he insists. Behind the politics, theres a solid case for fairer income distribution in our cities and regions. Concentrations of low-wage workers mean that a community has reduced spending power. This translates into reduced ability for small businesses to thrive, fewer tax receipts, and an overall less vibrant economy. But its worse than that. Just to survive, many low-wage workers are obliged to string together two or three different jobs. And that, notes Manuel Pastor, director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at the University of Southern California, easily dashes their hopes for job training and economic upgrading. One needs a decently paying regular job just to have the time for community college at night and bettering skills. And then, Pastor notes, theres the psychological impact on children a sense of helplessness that can envelop an up-and-com-

NEAL R. PEIRCE
ing generation if they dont see their parents making progress. Low-wage penury also undermines civic life. Workers living on the edge, juggling multiple jobs, have less time for enjoying the parks and physical exercise everyone needs, for following their childrens progress in school, for engagement with their communities. And then there are the big economic implications. If youre concerned about city economies, you have to be concerned about wage inequality, notes Lee Fisher, president of the group CEOs for Cities. For the economy to grow, consumers need to be spending. And spending wont pick up without wage growth. CEOs for Cities research, Fisher reports, reveals an Opportunity Dividend premised on the notion that a decrease of poverty in America by 1 percent would save $31 billion in such government services as Medicaid and food stamps. Each person living in poverty, the analysis shows, equals about $19,000 more in anti-poverty expenditures in a metro area. In Fishers view, the single most important issue for every citys economic health is its ability to move people out of poverty, into the middle class. And he underscores the companion issue of civic engagement: If people feel respected and treated with dignity, including how theyre paid, theyre more likely to be invested in the future of their city civically. Small wonder then that de Blasio has generated major interest with his promise to increase taxes on $500,000-and-over earners with the proceeds funding early childhood and school programs. There are examples of fair wage advance by negotiation. In Cleveland, Mayor Frank Jackson

worked closely with major employers, especially university hospitals, to win agreement that all the permanent jobs in a big hospital construction expansion would include paying workers a living wage. Often, though, determined labor organizing is the only route. The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy successfully lobbied the citys council in 2008 to require a living wage about $12 an hour for employees of hotels surrounding the Los Angeles International Airport. And it keeps pressing to extend the benefits to LAXs baggage handlers, airline cabin cleaners and other service employees. Last year the effort was successfully extended to Long Beach, where voters approved a measure requiring hotels with 100 rooms or over to pay its maids, bellmen, maids, janitors and other employees a minimum wage of at least $13 an hour far above Californias official $8 minimum. In a city that had invested heavily in subsidies to draw hotels in the first instance, the move marked a belated but significant balancing of interests. Indeed, the push for fair and living wages is long overdue and a welcome balance to the continued practice of state and local governments to expend vast sums (recently estimated at close to $80 billion a year) to lure or retain footloose corporations. Some of those very subsidies go to national chain employers who claim that paying living wages will force them to close facilities, shrink the workforce and lose market share. Perhaps its time, finally, to decide that Americas communities, and their people including, indeed especially those struggling on the economic edge should come first and not last. Neal Peirces email address is nrp@citistates.com.

TODAYS ALMANAC
Todays Highlight in History: On Sept. 15, 1887, the city of Philadelphia launched a three-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Constitution of the United States. On this date: In 1776, British forces occupied New York City during the American Revolution. In 1789, the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of State. In 1857, William Howard Taft who served as president of the United States and as U.S. chief justice was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1862, Confederate forces captured Harpers Ferry, Va., during the Civil War. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship. In 1940, during the World War II Battle of Britain, the tide turned as the Royal Air Force inflicted heavy losses against the Luftwaffe. In 1942, during World War II, the aircraft carrier USS Wasp was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; the U.S. Navy ended up sinking the badly damaged vessel. In 1950, during the Korean conflict, United Nations forces landed at Incheon in the south and began their drive toward Seoul (sohl).