One Final Week

Yes, it's coming down to the wire. It's to the point that there's a constant anxiety in the back of my head and I don't really realize what it's from until I stop for a second and remember that there's only a week left until this election. (I mean yes, it could be about the cost of my college education, or the economy, or my sadly empty refrigerator, or the unspeakable number of nuclear weapons floating around this planet....) but, one week and this additional drama will finally be over. I won't have to worry about our democracy being threatened by voter suppression, or the "accidental" acts of not mailing absentee ballots in swing states, or wondering if my absentee ballot will "accidentally" be lost in the mail. 

It seemed like some of my worst fears were confirmed today as two neo-Nazis were arrested in Tennessee for making plans to assassinate Obama. The more I talk to people about this election, the more this fear keeps rearing its ugly head. Hatred is still running rampant in this country and it isn't helped by the increasing economic disparities between us. A United Nations report just came out highlighting that there are levels of inequality in cities like New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans that rival the inequality seen in cities in Africa. They report that the US has the highest inequality and poverty after Mexico and Turkey. I feel like I need to pause for just a second to let those statistics sink in. It's an abomination is what it is. How did we get to a place where it became alright waste all of our resources on preemptive wars in the Middle East while our own people are living in such unspeakable inequality with one another. 

As a follow up to my post yesterday about Syria, their Foreign Minister, Walid Al-Moualem, is accusing the US of terrorism and is warning of retaliation if the US continues to strike...and I continue to ask, why isn't this getting more press coverage? Shouldn't the headlines be shouting "Regional War in the Middle East?" But no, I had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the CNN home page to find a link to anything related to Syria.  

From DemocracyNow! -  

"US Threatens Iraq Over Status Forces Agreement"

In news from Iraq, the McClatchy Newspapers report the US military has warned Iraq that it will shut down military operations and other vital services throughout the country on Jan. 1 if the Iraqi government doesn’t agree to a new agreement on the status of US forces. Many Iraqi politicians said they view the move as akin to political blackmail. In addition to halting all military actions, US forces would cease activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas.

This is also being wildly under reported. This could potentially be the end of the war in Iraq. Unless I'm missing something...

And one more thing: Anyone else think it's just a little bit funny that a major Alaskan newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, is endorsing Obama?