Thursday, January 8, 2009
President-elect Obama said yesterday that overhauling Medicare and Social Security will be a key part of his administration’s plans to reduce the Federal deficit. This makes sense on paper, since those are two of the governments biggest programs and both quite odl and inefficient, but it also seems a tailor-made way to grind Obama’s agenda to a halt. My guess is that this announcement (besides being good policy) is part of his continued efforts to get Republican buy-in for his stimulus package *titter.*
It is looking increasingly likely that Roland Burris, Senate appointee of crooked Governor Rod Blagojevich, is going to be seated as a Senator. Man THAT is weird.
Israel came under rocket fire (3 rockets, but work with me) from Lebanon this morning. This could mean that Israel’s “war” in Gaza is opening into a two-front action. Since Israel invaded Gaza they have had their eye on Lebanon expecting just such a move from Hezbollah, but no one has claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks. Anyone keeping score at home will remember that Israel invaded Lebanon in 2006 and it didn’t go very well. Those looking for more insight into the conflict (and if there is one thing I love, it is more insight) should read this Op-Ed from a professor of Arab studies at Columbia. It is absurdly one-sided and his conclusion paragraph is complete crap but when almost all of what you see on TV being is very pro-Israel, it is worth reading contrary opinions. There is also a better Op-Ed on this topic from former President Jimmy Carter, who knows a thing or two about the Israel-Palestine peace process.
I am really beginning to believe that these Somali pirates are some kind of secret UN plot to make me feel better. I get all depressed because of the economy or the fact that maybe people think I hate Israel (I don’t) and then a news stories pops up about the pirates and I feel better. I mean, I know they are just poor people driven to desperate straights by their failing government, blah blah blah. But come on — PIRATES!!! There is a new US task force being assembled to try to protect merchant shipping in the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and you can bet your ass that Uncle Sam is leading the way this time. I know I read somewhere that China was in charge of some UN anti-pirate navel force, but apparently not anymore? Either way, PIRATES!!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tentative peace agreements are breaking out all over. Israel and Syria announced that they were engaged in negotiations for a comprehensive peace treaty while the Lebanese Government and Hezbollah have reached an agreement that brings Hezbollah back into the government and gives them a significant role. Israel is hoping to drive a wedge between Syria and Iran, and Syria is hoping to regain lost territory and begin opening up ties with the United States. The Lebanese agreement leaves the US-backed government in a weak position, but avoids outright civil war that they probably would have lost anyway. Notice anything in common about these two agreements? They both don’t involve this guy. Perhaps that was the cornerstone of administration policy the whole time: if we fuck up enough, countries will realize they need to sort it out without our help.
The House overrode President Bush’s Veto of the farm bill. However, the House will likely have to pass the bill all over again because it was delivered to the President’s desk with a section missing (about 30 pages out of 673). Take your pick as to which is more embarrassing, the House forgetting to deliver all of it, the President signing it without realizing that a section was missing or the fact that the entire $307 billion bill is stuffed with subsidies for farmers at the same time food prices are skyrocketing.
Were you getting screwed enough by airline travel? Me neither. Because of the high price of oil, American Airlines is taking a variety of cost-cutting measures including cutting domestic flights, laying off workers and charging for all checked bags. Starting June 15, it will be $15 to check your first bag and $25 for the second. I have no officially decided to spend my vacation eating beans in my apartment.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Most of the papers lead with a bombing near the United Nations office in Algeria. Reports so far place the death toll between 30-60. Credit has been claimed by an Al Queda affiliate in North Africa. This could be the largest attack since the Algerian War. Other terrorist attacks in Lebanon and Iraq seem to reinforce the 11th as a day with significance for the terrorist community.
A story that has been brewing for a few days is the results of a Supreme Court decision reducing the mandatory minimum sentence on crack-cocaine. Now, up to 2500 inmates are eligible for immediate release and almost 20,000 for a sentence reduction. If you think it isn’t fair, remember that under the previous law dealing 5 grams of crack would get you the same sentence as dealing 500 grams of cocaine.
News from Russia is that President, dreamboat, and fishing enthusiast Vladimir Putin has been offered the position of Prime Minister. Putin is currently President, but his term expires in 6 months. Russia’s government is designed to give the President nearly unchecked power, and the Prime Minister position has largely been decorative. Given that an ally of Putin was elected as the new President, this could be a way to have Putin remain the de facto leader of Russia indefinitely. In other news, Russia is going to pull out one of the most important arms control treaties dating back to the Cold War (First Mad Men, now a Dictatorial Russia rearming, 50′s style really is coming back!).
Also the CIA is above the law and can do whatever they want.
Lest you think all is terrible in the world, I wanted to include a few things to brighten your day. First, for those doing a lot of traveling this holiday season I have good news and bad news. The good news is there is real, often very tasty food now being offered on airlines. The bad news is the price tag. A hilarious story about the Entertainment Software Association (the lobbying group for video game producers) shows that people in Washington are not much better than your average high school cheerleader. “The ESA was soooo going to bring H&K to the prom, but then, they ended up bringing someone else so H&K totally started telling everyone that, like, ESA was totally gross and that all the girls in school thought so.”
