Politics has been a mixed bag recently. So what else is new in a country pretty much evenly divided right down the middle?
On the international scene, with serious domestic repercussions, Congressmen have sued the Obama administration for violating the War Powers Act:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/...
Our participation in the military action in Libya will violate that Act on Sunday when our role exceeds the 90-day limit on war activities without the consent of Congress. The administration refutes this argument, holding that we have had merely a “supporting role” in the U.N. campaign in Libya. Sorry President Obama: my guideline in deciding whether or not we are actually engaged in a war is the amount of money spent. Period. Estimates for our contribution to this effort may reach a billion dollars. Certainly our bankrupt country can use those funds to a better end for our domestic needs than nation building in yet another (third) nation. Catcalls to the Obama administration for trying to cover up a third, dollar-draining war with semantics.
Our relationship with Pakistan continues to be schizophrenic:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
When diplomats, military personnel and politicos call this relationship “complicated”, they mean that we have to take crap from Pakistan, who this week arrested a number of informants who aided our assault on bin Laden. Pakistan is not our typical ally nor our typical enemy. The Arab world does not always conform to western ideas of loyalty. Their tribal nature is not conducive to western pressures to conform. Finally, Pakistan is a nation with nuclear capability and that fact carries enormous weight in how the U.S. reacts to policies. I believe the experts when they hem and haw over Pakistan’s weird actions. I certainly could not call our reaction to Pakistan’s various actions. Perhaps we really are in a gray area with that country. I offer neither kudos nor catcalls to the U.S. and Pakistan on their interactions —- so far.
Talking about a cover-up, as you loyal readers already know, I have always believed that, when a scandal hits, it is usually the lying and cover-up that is the nail in the coffin for the perpetrator. Even though the initial acts may have been immoral, illegal and contrary to the expectations of public service, the untruthful denial of those acts repulses and angers the American people more than anything. Thus, catcalls to Anthony Weiner for following that same dishonest quest. As if his lewd Twitter performances weren’t bad enough, he chose to lie about them. Now he can count himself a member of the same club as Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, John Ensign, John Edwards and Larry Craig. Membership in this “elite” club is not a highpoint of which these politicians should be proud. Americans are a forgiving people, but they cannot get past (nor should they) the lying. What? Weenie hadn’t observed all those past examples of deceit over the last few years? What the heck made him think that he could successfully cover up his misdeeds and get away with them? Hubris to the max. Idiot.
The AARP announced today that they are backing off a bit from their firm stand against cuts in Social Security. Finally: an institution with much political power making the first move for reconciliation, for the sake of the citizens. Social security needs to be means-tested. Surely it is better to have appropriate amounts of retirement funds available to most seniors rather than nothing for everyone. Now if the political parties can join this bandwagon of reason and compromise, we might be able to sustain the program well into the future. Kudos to AARP for facing reality.
Gotta love that Robert Reich who, in his post Labor Secretary days, truly tries to explain economic theory and reality to the American People. This is no exception:
http://front.moveon.org/...
Listen to the a reasonable explanation of our economy and financial well-being. Kudos to Reich for trying his damnedest to connect with everyday Americans on very important matters.
Kudos to the Boston Bruins for taking the Stanley Cup in a thrilling seven-game playoff. They were on fire the last two games. Home field advantage was the biggest factor in this series —- until the last game, played in Vancouver, when the Bruins nailed the Canucks. The B’s were decisive and well-deserved, as was their goalie Tim Thomas’ MVP trophy. Also, kudos to the city of Boston for keeping their glee in check: no violence in the streets of Boston.
I felt huge excitement on the status of the three Decorah, Iowa eaglets. The are huge and have branched a bit out of their nest to while away some time on neighboring limbs. Soon, soon they will fly the coop, thanks to the dedicated care by their parents:
http://biggeekdad.com/...
Hope you all have a great weekend with tons of kudos to go around.