Al-Qaeda Close to Collapse

The Washington Post

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta declared during a recent visit to Afghanistan that “we’re within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda.” The comment was dismissed by skeptics as an attempt to energize troops while defending the administration’s decision to wind down a decade-old war....  

Largely because of bin Laden’s death, “we can even see the end of al-Qaeda as the global, borderless, united jihad,” said another U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Great news. The article points towards Yemen as the new focus of the War on Terror. If this is the case, does this mean we can pull out of Afghanistan now?

The Debt Ceiling For Dummies

The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

If you are still trying to understand what the debt ceiling debate is all about I completely understand. Unless you have a degree in Economics its just not an issue most Americans are familiar with. The chart above however puts it in terms that everybody who has a checking account can understand. If the debt ceiling isn't raised by August 2nd the U.S. Treasury runs out of money. Without the ability to take on more debt we will be unable to pay our bills. The military won't be getting paid, government employees won't be getting paid, social security checks will stop going out, medicare will be suspended, and our credit rating will be downgraded making our bonds useless. Simply put mass chaos would ensue. 


If a deal is not done there are a couple of things that might save us from armageddon. First off, its hard for me to believe that the debt rating service Moody's would downgrade our debt, knowing full well that such a move would send world markets into free fall. I doubt they have the balls to do that. Secondly, I still hold out hope that Obama will invoke the 14th amendment and service our debt regardless of the debt ceiling. The reason he hasn't committed to it yet is because he doesn't want to undermine negotiations. It would be irresponsible of him to send this country into a depression when he had a tool at his disposal to prevent it and chose not use it. Bill Clinton has already come out in favor of such a move. I still hold out an irrational hope that one side will give in, at this point I don't care which side it is, as long as it gets done.

The Space Shuttle and the End of American Exceptionalism

Last week saw the final flight of an American space shuttle, as Atlantis completed her trip to the International Space Station (ISS) and landed with no problems.

The final flight was greeted with nostalgia by many talking heads in the press, sad to see the end of an era in America's domination of space flight. For now and the foreseeable future, American astronauts will be ferried to and from the ISS via the Russian Soyuz rockets. I have to admit, I feel embarrassed that, after putting a man on the moon and fulfilling JFK's vision, we're reduced to relying on another nation to get our brave men and women into space.

I understand the budgetary constraints NASA operates under. In fact NASA has had budget issues since the end of the Space Race in the early 1970s. At the time, many in NASA dreamed that going to the Moon was just the first step to going to Mars. But the crises of the 1970s (economic stagflation, War in Vietnam,  oil shocks, etc.) killed the dream. Ever since then, American politicians have talked about plans to go to Mars, but every decade has gone by with simple talk, and nothing more.


As a young boy, I dreamed of going to the stars as an astronaut.  These days my dreams are little different, but I still look up to the skies in amazement. But beyond simply demoralizing the space program and killing American scientific and technological advancement the end of the Space Shuttle and cutbacks to the space program overall tell me that our nation has become unable to do great things.

Currently, Washington D.C. is the site of negotiations to raise the debt ceiling. News about the project, which was never much of an issue until now, has become more depressing and, quite frankly, more frustrating. A government unable to do previously simple things worries me. But we need to be able to do the big things, like addressing infrastructure, education, and sensible reform of Medicare/Medicaid or else our country is done for.

America is in decline relative to the rise of other, newer powers such as China, Brazil, and India. It does not have to be that our decline is a sudden thud, or that we even become less relevant in the world. We still shine as a beacon of hope and freedom to millions of people around the world, and our culture is still embraced by many. But becoming a nation that can't do the big things, the medium-sized things, and the small things...is a recipe for a nation that no longer has the will to lead.

Some think the end of the shuttle means the beginning of private investment into space travel. Perhaps that will be the case. But one hopes that this isn't the end of Americans being allowed to dream big, think big, and achieve even bigger realities.

--Robert

Captain Planet Movie?

Live Action Captain Planet Movie?

Speaking about the superhero, Stuart Snyder, president of Turner's chidren's division, said: "The messages of Captain Planet are even more relevant today. We feel this team can bring the world’s first eco-hero to life in a powerful motion picture that is not only pertinent but entertaining."

For a 90s kid like me, this comes as awesome news. I grew up watching Captain Planet and the Planteers. I enjoyed watching Captain Planet save the Earth from greedy capitalists on a weekly basis. With oil spills, melting ice caps, and wild climate change induced weather; Captain Planet's message is even more relevant today than it was 20 years ago. Can't wait to see this!

‪DREAM Act Story: Elier Lara‬‏

Touching story from Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.

"This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this."

Huff Po:

"Eric, don't call my bluff. I'm going to the American people on this," the president said, according to both Cantor and another attendee. "This process is confirming what the American people think is the worst about Washington: that everyone is more interested in posturing, political positioning, and protecting their base, than in resolving real problems."

It sounds like Obama isn't going to back down. He's willing to go to the brink in order to get something meaningful passed. It's refreshing to see a Democrat display this amount of chutzpah. Just when I'm just about to give up on the guy he reminds me why I voted for him. This is an incredible gamble though, if we were to go into default we would experience a recession probably worse than the previous one. Obama realizes that if this were to happen that would be the end of his Presidency. But if he's going down he might as well take the Republicans down with him. I imagine this scares the GOP to death, Mitch McConnell admitted as much himself. It's either this or he just doesn't give a damn anymore and has given up on negotiating with the GOP. It's an admirable position though, its not often you see a politician sacrifice his political career for the health of the country. All I can say is I hope it works and the Republicans back down, otherwise its going to get ugly.

BEING PASSED BY: Why Aren't Latino Ballplayers Speaking Out?

BEING PASSED BY: Why Aren't Latino Ballplayers Speaking Out?

RE: Could Nixon Make A Comeback?

Could Nixon Make A Comeback? - The Dish

“I think of what happened to Greece and Rome, and you see what is left — only the pillars,” Nixon concluded somberly. “What has happened, of course, is that the great civilizations of the past, as they have become wealthy, as they have lost their will to live, to improve, they then have become subject to decadence that eventually destroys the civilization. The U.S. is now reaching that period.”

Perhaps Nixon jumped the gun with his conclusion, and failed to take into account a possible Soviet collapse, which occurred a decade and a half after Nixon left office. The collapse of the Soviet Empire bought the United States some more time atop the global hierarchy. But the point Nixon made is even more glaringly obvious now than it was then. With climbing debt, deteriorating infrastructure, a stalled economy, an ineffective public education system, a failed public health system, expensive foreign wars and a gridlocked political process that refuses to address these issues; it is becoming clear that America is in decline. Political leaders refuse to say it, the American public refuses to believe it, but there is no getting around it at this point. It becomes even more glaringly obvious when juxtaposed with rising global powers such as China, India, and Brazil. While those countries have leaders that at least attempt to solve problems and plan for the future, ours focus on short term political gain and personal aggrandizement. I don't hold out much hope for our leaders to grow up, face these challenges, and pull us out of this tailspin. The only question I have at this point is whether we'll go away gracefully like Great Britain, or be destroyed from within like Rome.