Will the last person that leaves shut off the lights?

I think it is telling that each passing day brings an announcement of another prominent republican endorsing Senator Obama.  The most latest, of course, is Colin Powell, former Secretary of State for President Bush and four-star general.  Prior to Mr. Powell, Christopher Buckley, conservative columnist, and son of Willima F Buckley endorsed Obama. Billionaires such as Warren Buffet, George Sorose have endorsed Senator Obama and the list goes on. What has prompted the abandonment of the GOP?  Could it be eight years of a failed Bush presidency? Could it be the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that America has seem to  forgotten?  Or perhaps the economic meltdown, the nationalization of the U.S. banking system, the rising unemployment, the low opinion of the US in the rest of the world?  I could go on, but you get the picture.  The educated rank and file Republicans have abandoned their party because they are "mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore!" When they look to the two candidates they see Obama on the left, and an older version of George Bush on the right, and they just can't do Ground Hog Day again. Even traditional Republican red states are moving toward the Obama camp. The Bush Administration has so damaged the Republican party, that there is a sense of embarrassment to be affiliated with such a failed administration, and Senator McCain has not done enough to distinguish himself from the policies of the Bush Administration. I'm waiting for the day when I open my laptop and see that Bush Senior has announced his  support for Obama.  I suspect the only thing that is holding him back is Barbara!

-peace

Obama 08'

Extra Credit, Afghanistan pEaCe Building

     I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Dr. Daniel Taylor entitled: Afghanistan Peace Building. Dr. Taylor has a deep understanding of the situation in Afghanistan and the difficulties the nation faces. After 30 years of war, the country again finds itself in an escalating battle between outside forces and internal factions. He describes the failed attempt by outsiders to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.  He is criticial of the war on terror and its misplaced emphasis on a military solution to a social problem.  He pionts out that the investment in the war effort at the exspence of rebuilding the country's infrastructure and civil institutions has left the country exhausted.  He feels that there should be a renewed emphasis on investing in the Afghan people, on protecting the rights of woman and bridging the gap between the deep mistrust of the average Afghan and the western aid and NGOs that operate within the country.  

     As I listened to Dr. Taylor I found myself shaking my head in agreement.  I am no expert on Afghanistan, but what he said made sense to me and history is full of failed overseas adventures by the US that emphasized a military solution when the more appropriate response was nation building.  Vietnam and Iraq come to mind as failed military efforts by the US to bring about a desired change.  In my follow up research I discovered that Dr. Taylor is not alone in his view that the US and other western powers need to redirect their efforts to nation building, drug eradication and to better engage the Afghan people in the decision process and solution implementation.  The consensus is that no outside power will be able to impose their will on an unwilling Afghan nation.  The British could not do it at the turn of the century, the Russians could not do it in the 1980s and the US and NATO forces will fail as well.  

-peace

Credit Meltdown More Important then Environment Meltdown?

            I know there is an economic meltdown going on in the global credit markets, but it will pass. What is not going to pass is the real-life global meltdown known as global warming.  You have to go to the back pages of the newspaper to find out that the North Pole was almost totally free from ice this summer.  This was the second time in recorded history (last year being the first time). 

            I fear that global warming is too big, too complex and too hard to solve, and that the world leaders will focus on easier problems to fix, like the crises du jour spreading from Wall Street or the melamine scare in the China dairy industry.

            The fix for global warming requires a massive shift in how we humans live on this Earth.  It will require sacrifice from the world’s richest nations and meaningful participation by the world’s developing nations.  It will also require an honest admission of facts by nations like the US, India, and China.  The US has to admit and deal with the fact that on a per capita basis, no country comes close to the US in contributing to global warming with its CO2 emissions.  India and China have to acknowledge that in terms of total CO2 emissions, each country is, or will soon be, the world leader in CO2 emissions even passing the US in total CO2 output. It is tempting for each nation to drag its feet in this area and hope the “other countries” do something about it so the cost and sacrifice is shouldered by others.

            It is time for the United Nations to get more militant on this issue.  It is a global problem that requires a global response and for those countries that refuse to get serious, they should be punished.  Countries that do not get serious must be shunned by the rest of the world body—economic sanctions, expulsion from world bodies and trade agreements, should be used as the stick to get countries involved. 

            As citizens we need to elect leaders that promise to get serious about this issue and if they don’t, they must be held accountable at the polling booth.  We need to get going on this issue, time is running out.  Let’s not become one more species that had its day on Earth—our stay has been too short.  We should shoot for a longer stay—like the cockroach, 20 million plus years.  Let’s get involved!

 

 -peace