Common Sense Security Finally Begins

Long overdue improved security measures were commenced at this Nation's borders today when new State Department rules concerning the forms of ID needed to gain entry into the country finally went into effect. The media is reporting that officials at the State Department say enforcement will not be strict at first, which is disappointing to say the least, but the action to improve security at the borders is a welcomed sign nonetheless. Once full enforcement is implimented, we can all breathe a little easier.

That's not to say that the new rules will end outside threats. Nothing can be farther from the truth. What the rules do represent though, is a major common-sense improvement in how we scrutinize those coming into this Counrty. The new rules represent a significant step in protecting our Nation without unnecessary infringement on the lives of those who cross our borders.

That's something we can all celebrate.

Atttorney General: Think No Torture...See No Torture

It's not very reassuring that the Nation's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, won't provide a legal opinion as to whether "waterboarding" constitutes torture, and thus, constitutes a violation of the federal statutes prohibiting torture. Mukasey says that's not his job. I find such a claim incredulous!

I thought the job of the Attorney General of the United States was to enforce this Nations' laws and to insure that every person who violates those laws is held accountable for their actions. And I also thought, apparently in error according to Mukasey, that in order to carry out his or her duties, an Attorney General would have to render a judgment call as to whether an actor's conduct fell within the conduct prescribed by a federal criminal statute. After all, the Canons of Legal Ethics require a prosecutor to believe that a crime was committed before charges can be filed. So, it would seem logical that when it comes to whether conduct is illegal or not, especially when the conduct centers around torture, the Attorney General would have an opinion.

But not with this Attonrey General. The way he sees it, that's not his job.

Mudslinging the "L" Word

It's hard to imaging either John McCain or Mitt Romney as an agent of change when they resort to slinging the "L-word" (liberal) at one another. I'm a diehard liberal, so I can tell you that neither candidate even comes close to qualifying as liberal, but if this is how both are acting now in the midst of the Republican primaries, imagine how both would be in the Fall facing a Democratic opponent. Expect today's name-calling to the 9th power.

The other Republican candidates wouldn't act better; they just didn't make today's news bulletins.

If you want a real 'agent of change', you'll have to forego labeling and allow yourself to hope with Obama. He may be liberal, but you won't hear him slinging the "C-word".

Losers Don't Leave Iraq - Winners Don't Stay

When the Democratic candidates in last night’s debate were asked whether they were more interested in pulling troops out of Iraq or winning the war, I thought each candidate missed a golden opportunity to re-frame the question. Here’s what I’d have said:

[To the questioner] You’ve spent too much time listening to the Republicans! We’ve already won that war. We invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein. Saddam and his henchmen are dead. We invaded Iraq to rid them of nuclear and chemical weapons. It turns out they never had any in the first place. Case closed. We achieved out objective. We won that war. Bush said so on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It’s time to bring our troops home!

The notion that Iraq has to be the main battlefront on the War on Terror is nonsense. If we invaded Easter Island in the Pacific tomorrow, al-Qaeda would show up the next day and want to fight us there. Wherever we go, they’ll follow.

If the United States is truly serious about fighting Al-Qaeda, wouldn't it make more sense to do it on their own home turf, not in the middle of a somebody else's back yard and certainly not in the mddle of a Siite/Sunni/Kurd civil war where our guys get caught in the crossfire?

Wasting time in Iraq is the quickest was for the United States to lose the war against terrorism.

Dr. Martin Luther King Would Have Been Encouraged

Watching Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards debate on the evening of a holiday dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, I couldn't help believing that the civil-rights crusader and promoter of equality would have been wonderfully encouraged by the sight of a black man and a woman, standing center stage, as viable and widely accepted candidates for the United States Presidency. Sometimes, it's nice to observe the fulfillment of a dream in one's own midst.

Politicians and Recession

Politicians are frequently loath to mention the word, “recession” for fear that their acknowledgment of the possibility of such an event will trigger its actual occurrence, but such thinking gives a politician’s mouth more credit than it deserve. More often, it’s the politician’s actions, or lack thereof, that hastens the onset of the dreaded economic condition.

This failure to acknowledge the obvious works no justice to the American people. At the very juncture when steps could be taken to avoid the economic calamity that recession entails, officials most capable of affecting change are frequently too busy burying their heads in the sand and blindly hoping for the equivalent of an economic miracle, rather than rolling up their sleeves, acknowledging the obvious and moving towards a workable solution. By the time the political world decides to acknowledge the obvious, it’s too late to avoid recession’s juggernaut. Such is the case today.

For years, middle and lower class Americans have been struggling under the weight of higher and higher energy prices, soaring health expenses and a steady loss of quality paying jobs. That fact was obvious to anybody paying attention to the struggles of the common man. Since the middle class forms the backbone of the U.S. economy, the health of the economy is inextricably linked to their plight. It shouldn't have taken a rocket scientist to predict the recession that confronts us, just somebody with the guts to open their mouth. But alas, they were suddenly silent. Woe to us!

Equally maddening are politicians who see “recession” as an excuse for political gain, rather than a torturous cloud that chokes life itself out of the weakest enveloped by it. When the recovery of the common man’s malaise takes a back seat to the quest to secure an ideological victory for one’s political viewpoint, millions will suffer needlessly.

This Nation’s top economists widely agree that any government intervention to ward off, or lessen the economic devastation of the impending recession, must be narrowly targeted to places where the pain is most greatly felt, so as not to cripple this countries long-term economic health. Such a solution would require politicians to cast aside their desire for ideological gain in favor of securing a workable solution.

I’d like to think that was possible, but in today’s polarized political climate, I’m not too optimistic about the prospect and I’m not afraid of opening my mouth to say so!

RUSH STEALS MY THEORY

I should have figured that a quack like Rush Limbaugh would be hot on the Clinton conspiracy trail, but I underestimated his speed. A mere 3 hours after I posted my two conspiracy theories, Rush hit the airways and stole my idea...suggesting that the "Hillary Camp" bussed in illegal voters from surrounding states to stuff the New Hampshire ballot boxes.

Sorry, Rush! I'm the guy who started that theory and deserve all the credit.