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America remembered the death of thirteen soldiers who were killed in a fit of rage by an Army Major of Arab-American dissent. He is a Muslim whose parents are Palestinian. He was the perfect example of the American dream that America has always espoused. Yet, he threw it all away when he went on his rampage.
What is disturbing is how this man's Muslim background was constantly talked about during the news briefings/reporting by major US mainstream media. What I found especially amusing was the "conservative" watchdog the Media Research Center actuallly criticizing the mainstreat media cousins ABC & CBS for not having said that the man was a Muslim. They forgot that he was a 20-year veteran of the Army who was exposed to 6 years of soldiers who spoke of their own plight--and he probably snapped!!!!
As this "drumbeat" goes on, there needs to be a concerted effort to not stereotype the entire muslim population for the actions of someone who was clearly disturbed and was questioning the war. There has to also be a further realization that PTSD is a real disease that will take a long time to overcome.
I hope that the man recovers so that he can say why he did it, who he shot and realize what his thinking is The whole world awaits!!!!
Mike
The United States has recorded its' highest unemployment in some 26 years. I have written repeatedly about the fact that the "talking up" of the economy is yet to bear any result. It has passed 10%!!!
The unemployment rate is actually higher than 10%. The actual unemployment rate is more like 17.5%. This figure is the so-called U6 number that people should be looking at. This means that almost 1 in 5 Americans who want a job, cannot find it. This is a major problem for the Obama Adminstration. Although I have written that the country did get out of the recession, but this growth will more than likely revert back to a recession. It is a jobless recovery and the Adminstration will be held responsible if this does not turn around.
As I assessed the news today, I was not surprised by the U.S. House Republican Leader's reaction to this. I also caught a glimpse of Lawrence Kudlow on CNBC talking about tax hoildays and tax cuts. I view the economic situation as having stabilized. But, getting people back to work is another matter. What I find quite disturbing is how the Conservatives will take political advantage of it without offering concerte proposals beyond tax cuts, tax holidays, less regulation and further rollback of a reasonable role for Government. People want to work--and they should The Adminstration's power, in fact, is quite limited because of the power of the Fed and the Congress. But this limited power should not dissuade the Adminstration from doing what it needs to do.
As the Republicans continue to be celebrate the wins in Virginia and New Jersey, they need to offer concerte solutions--not slogans. Supposedly, they have a plan on healthcare reform that will be voted on later on today. Paul Ryan, the boy wonder Congressman, also reminded the faithful on Kudlow's show on how the Republicans will ride to the rescue on the White Horse!!! Let's see whether they, in fact, have solutions instead of slogans.
The UN has just announced that it is evacuating 900 staff members from Afghanistan, citing security concerns. To me, this is another indicement of the useless Karzai who leads one of the most corrupt regimes in the world today. As I have written here and in OV's sister sites, Karzai is part of the problem. Dr. Abdullah's declaration regarding the election of Karzai being illegitmate is a step in the right direction. But, political instability is bound to continue and the Taliban will drive a mack truck through it. It will make matters ever more complicated.
If Karzai is such a great guy, then how come the UN has decided to leave? What does Karzai have to say to that?
With the relentless focus on the elections on Tuesday, the debate over healthcare took a back seat. But, the need to reform it is as central to the long-term economic viability of the United States as ever. The interesting statistics reported by Heather Loeb of Men's Health Magazine in the October 2009 edition should really lead some of the sceptics to think twice:
1) For Colon Cancer, the preventive strategy is to have a colonoscopy. The preventive cost is estimated to be $ 1300 for one procedure. But, if one is stricken with Colon Cancer, the treatment cost is estimated tob e $ 14,451 per year
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Kenya has been one of the more open democracies in Africa. But, what I find worrisome is the continued paralysis in Kenya's Government. As of today, there is yet to be any meaningful reforms. There is a bigger government--that's about it!!!
What has happened is the rise of dynasties. What I have seen is a struggle between the Kenyattas, the Mois and the Kibakis to position themselves to be President. What I have also read is that the militas are arming themselves with AK-47s. The 40 Tribes of Kenya are increasingly losing their Kenyan identity. The tribalism is going to be quite problematic as the Kenyans get ready to elect their next President. At least the US Ambassador is trying to tell the Kenyans the way it is. Ambassador Rannenberger has deployed twitter to heckle the political leaders to hopefully make sure that they wake up. I have begun to follow his tweets and sent him a Virtual High Five. I wish him well. He has quite a battle to fight, though. Preventing the next Somalia will be no easy task
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India has sold Dollars for 200 Tonnes of Gold. This is a profound development that has begun the trend increasingly prevalent in the world to move away from the Dollar. U.S Officials continue to talk up the Dollar and the reality of US power. But, the reality is otherwise and the world understands it. Unfortunately, what is sad is how the Tea Party Crowd and the 9/12 crowd seem to not understand it and push this fiction of a socialist, facist, communist conspiracy to finish off America. There needs to be a "new way". Whether US economic policymakers realize it is a different matter.
The People of Gaza continue to be under siege. There seems to be no let up. On top of that, the political paralysis that exists between Hamas and Fatah plays into the hands of the current Israeli Government.
The only way Gaza seems to survive right now are the tunnels. The Israelis, with the tacit approval of the Egyptians, destoryed the network of tunnels during the 3-week war last year. But, the tunnels apparently are back. The tunnels seem to be the only outlet that allows some semblance of commerce to continue. The Egyptians seem to be playing both sides of the fence. The only people losing in this political game of chicken are the Gazans who have to struggle to live
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Today is another anniversary. It is the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy by the so-called Iranian Students with the support of the Government of Iran. As I am thinking about this, I am listening to an BBC Interview with Bary Rosen recounting the agony he went through during the 444 days they endured.
As this tragedy was recounted, I remembered that day too. I remembered when the Americans were marched out of the Embassy, blindfolded. How these poor souls became pawns in a Government who was paranoid for its own survival was One of the things I think Iran came to terms with was how those who did came to regret what they did. It took a lot of courage for Mohammad Khatami, the former President, to come out and say this. But, this is a day that is still a national day in Iran today. But, this is also a day that the key internal opposition leaders, Mr. Mousavi and Mr. Karoubi, have called upon their supporters to come out to again to protest. But, the regime's henchmen have made it clear that they would meet this with brute force
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Tuesday November 3 was another election day in America. It was an election day to decide some governorships, a key mayoral election and very intersting race in the New York 23rd Congressional District. All the pundits have been pounding the pavements about how this was a referendum on President Obama and how the people have begun to speak up and be frustruated about the direction of the country. The Tea Party folks, the 9/12 Movement, Freedom Works and the Republicans are all celebrating tonight.
Well, it has been a good night for the Republican Party. They won two key Governorships. They have won other key statewide offices in Virginia. Yet, the national implications of these races is way overstated. The mainstream media (and yes that includes Fox) will be hard at work spinning this as a major setback for the White House. The reality is otherwise, though
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Comment by Mike Pouraryan
on What can I do for my Home!??!?
Outsider Views:
Smooth Political
Kitten Politics
I appreciate your visit and your thoughts.
The whole idea was to begin with instilling a sense of personal responsbility and committment to "think different". If someone does not have that sense of responsbility, that does not mean that we should not do our part. The idea of a "carbon tax" in London for instance a few years back truly fascinated me as something that we should think about.
Now, as our life and work evolves, yes it may well be that the carbon footprint of folks working virtually may well be ever more. But, we can work to somehow be creative in that regard as well. I do see a realignment of our thinking in the world that makes me quite hopeful--contrary to the doom and gloom that seems to dominate the news these days.