Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
On Freedom's Highway
The last day of George Bush's presidency is upon us. 1/20/09 is a day that has been burned into my mind like that of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel or the release date of the 7th Harry Potter book. I'm having a hard time believing that it's actually here, that the waiting period (of 8 years) has been whittled down to under 24 hours. The conversation around the dinner table last night was a debate about whether George W. Bush was evil or just not fit to be president. I am of the second persuasion myself, but as my father has said, "Only time will tell."
Rather than remarking on all of the atrocities of the Bush Administration (September 11, Katrina and Michael Brown, Torture and Abu Ghraib, Iraq and WMDs, Bin Laden, the economy, ignoring global warming, a failed Medicare plan, No Child Left Behind, Alberto Gonzales, Scooter Libby, Valerie Plame... -- okay I couldn't stop myself) I've set off to find what George W. Bush did right. Unfortunately my quick search on The Google of "Successes of the Bush Administration" (as well as: George W. Bush successes, positive aspects of the Bush presidency, Bush's achievements, and Bush's positive legacy), didn't return the results I was hoping for. "What Bush Got Right" returned slightly more illuminating hits, but none of which strike me as very redeeming. His $15 billion commitment to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean in 2003 (PEPFAR) and his Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the Hawaiian sanctuary, seem to be the most poignant. Big round of applause? I suppose I would also be thanking Bush if I were a Late Night talk show host or John Stewart.
Okay, so my desire to see the positives was about as realistic as the 2003 Mission Accomplished banner. But what are the ramifications of making George W. Bush the scapegoat for all of the problems this country is now facing? My true issue is really not with Bush, but with the 62,040,606 million idiots, yes IDIOTS, who voted for Bush in 2004. This brings to mind: "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again." I'm not going to even get into the axiom of what begins in chaos, ends in chaos; I'll leave the 2000 election alone.
I mean, it was pretty clear to me by 15 years old, an age when I was not yet allowed to legally operate a motor vehicle, that George W. Bush was plain and simple bad news for this country. So why is it that I could discern this, and 62 million people could not? My qualm is with these people. Those who were too stubborn or too narrow-minded to see beyond women's rights or gay rights or "flip-flopping", those who actually believed the incendiary lies connecting Iraq to 9/11 because they refused to look beyond the square box in their living room projecting Bill O'Reilly on Fox News or their daily dose of Rush Limbaugh during those long commutes to work in their Hummers and SUVs. I'm trying not to rely solely on stereotypes here, but I know these people. They have been my neighbors, coworkers, classmates, educators, and yes, friends. It is easy to point a finger at George W. Bush and curse him for our current state of affairs, but I think it's time to look in the mirror.
I don't need to preach about fiscal responsibility or our individual responsibility concerning the environment, in fact, like so many of us, I'd much rather look forward. We have a lot of work to do, as a nation. We have an infrastructure, economy and a reputation to rebuild. Global warming is still melting the icecaps. Our prison system needs a face lift. Immigration laws are still in limbo. Health care, social security, and education issues have not declined. We have a lot of work to do. And we have a new captain at the helm. While I do believe President Obama will lead us in the right direction, he is by no means more than just a man. It is going to take each and every one of us, working together, to get this train back on the tracks.
Happy Inauguration Day!
Rather than remarking on all of the atrocities of the Bush Administration (September 11, Katrina and Michael Brown, Torture and Abu Ghraib, Iraq and WMDs, Bin Laden, the economy, ignoring global warming, a failed Medicare plan, No Child Left Behind, Alberto Gonzales, Scooter Libby, Valerie Plame... -- okay I couldn't stop myself) I've set off to find what George W. Bush did right. Unfortunately my quick search on The Google of "Successes of the Bush Administration" (as well as: George W. Bush successes, positive aspects of the Bush presidency, Bush's achievements, and Bush's positive legacy), didn't return the results I was hoping for. "What Bush Got Right" returned slightly more illuminating hits, but none of which strike me as very redeeming. His $15 billion commitment to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean in 2003 (PEPFAR) and his Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the Hawaiian sanctuary, seem to be the most poignant. Big round of applause? I suppose I would also be thanking Bush if I were a Late Night talk show host or John Stewart.
Okay, so my desire to see the positives was about as realistic as the 2003 Mission Accomplished banner. But what are the ramifications of making George W. Bush the scapegoat for all of the problems this country is now facing? My true issue is really not with Bush, but with the 62,040,606 million idiots, yes IDIOTS, who voted for Bush in 2004. This brings to mind: "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again." I'm not going to even get into the axiom of what begins in chaos, ends in chaos; I'll leave the 2000 election alone.
I mean, it was pretty clear to me by 15 years old, an age when I was not yet allowed to legally operate a motor vehicle, that George W. Bush was plain and simple bad news for this country. So why is it that I could discern this, and 62 million people could not? My qualm is with these people. Those who were too stubborn or too narrow-minded to see beyond women's rights or gay rights or "flip-flopping", those who actually believed the incendiary lies connecting Iraq to 9/11 because they refused to look beyond the square box in their living room projecting Bill O'Reilly on Fox News or their daily dose of Rush Limbaugh during those long commutes to work in their Hummers and SUVs. I'm trying not to rely solely on stereotypes here, but I know these people. They have been my neighbors, coworkers, classmates, educators, and yes, friends. It is easy to point a finger at George W. Bush and curse him for our current state of affairs, but I think it's time to look in the mirror.
I don't need to preach about fiscal responsibility or our individual responsibility concerning the environment, in fact, like so many of us, I'd much rather look forward. We have a lot of work to do, as a nation. We have an infrastructure, economy and a reputation to rebuild. Global warming is still melting the icecaps. Our prison system needs a face lift. Immigration laws are still in limbo. Health care, social security, and education issues have not declined. We have a lot of work to do. And we have a new captain at the helm. While I do believe President Obama will lead us in the right direction, he is by no means more than just a man. It is going to take each and every one of us, working together, to get this train back on the tracks.
Happy Inauguration Day!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The End of My Lame Duck Period
After taking almost two months off from the political sphere after the election (to reacquaint myself with my friends, fresh air, and food that doesn't come from a freezer -- not to mention my textbooks), I'm diving right back into the fray as we quickly approach Barack Obama's inaugural address on January 20.
So, what have I failed to report on since the beginning of November? A continuously slumping economy which is beginning to look like a piece of silly putty hanging from a high rise that is slowly stretching toward the sidewalk, getting thinner and thinner...please excuse this horrible metaphor. Terrorist attacks in India, Obama introduces his cabinet, a massive stimulus plan and Reverend Dick Rick Warren, Bush's pardons and un-pardons, a domestic circus ring around Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (which to be perfectly honest doesn't really concern me nearly as much as our economic issue-- which for some reason seems to be less important than governmental corruption and, let's face it, this is about as common as the potholes on California's freeways. Not that I'm saying either of these things are okay with me. Especially the potholes). A new series of violent attacks between Hamas and Israel has left at least 700 Palestinians dead, and counting. Today, Lebanese militants opened fire on Israel and Israel responded with mortar fire into Lebanon. I know there was some good news...the anticipated Britney Spears comeback. That was it.
So, as of Monday, President-Elect Obama has been in Washington waiting out Bush's last 12 days in office. He is not staying at the historic Blair House because apparently the entire premises will be occupied by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who will be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom for...supporting Bush's preemptive war against Iraq. Excellent.
This little news story about Russia's natural gas supply to Europe came to my attention today and I find it to be quite interesting. This issue is not new, but due to an ongoing conflict between Russia's OAO Gazprom and Ukraine's NAK Naftogaz over export pricing and division, many European countries are now facing major gas cut-offs. On average, Europe depends on Russia for 25% of its gas but many countries depend on it for a much higher percentage.
Dependence on Russia for gas:
100% dependent on Russia: Latvia, Slovakia, Finland, Estonia
More than 80% dependent: Bulgaria, Lithuania, Czech Republic
More than 60% dependent: Greece, Austria, Hungary
Source: European Council on Foreign Relations, 2006 figures
So what does this say about Russia's relationship with Europe? The terms monopoly, dependence and power are coming to mind. Last I checked, the United States has a similar dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Hm. Interesting.
Stay tuned for more news commentary and my upcoming list of concerns I would like to see addressed by the 44th President.
So, what have I failed to report on since the beginning of November? A continuously slumping economy which is beginning to look like a piece of silly putty hanging from a high rise that is slowly stretching toward the sidewalk, getting thinner and thinner...please excuse this horrible metaphor. Terrorist attacks in India, Obama introduces his cabinet, a massive stimulus plan and Reverend
So, as of Monday, President-Elect Obama has been in Washington waiting out Bush's last 12 days in office. He is not staying at the historic Blair House because apparently the entire premises will be occupied by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who will be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom for...supporting Bush's preemptive war against Iraq. Excellent.
This little news story about Russia's natural gas supply to Europe came to my attention today and I find it to be quite interesting. This issue is not new, but due to an ongoing conflict between Russia's OAO Gazprom and Ukraine's NAK Naftogaz over export pricing and division, many European countries are now facing major gas cut-offs. On average, Europe depends on Russia for 25% of its gas but many countries depend on it for a much higher percentage.
Dependence on Russia for gas:100% dependent on Russia: Latvia, Slovakia, Finland, Estonia
More than 80% dependent: Bulgaria, Lithuania, Czech Republic
More than 60% dependent: Greece, Austria, Hungary
Source: European Council on Foreign Relations, 2006 figures
So what does this say about Russia's relationship with Europe? The terms monopoly, dependence and power are coming to mind. Last I checked, the United States has a similar dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Hm. Interesting.
Stay tuned for more news commentary and my upcoming list of concerns I would like to see addressed by the 44th President.
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