|
| *hopes drugs don't expire after a year or so* 
| | |
| The Power of the PoorI'd like to share with you all this talk by Robert Neuwirth on the power of squatter communities. I believe he presents a very valid and striking point about where we as a world should look for inspiration. I am not advocating that we all tear down our homes and congregate in shacks and cardboard huts. It is my hope that some day these squatters will not need to live in the poverty they live in today. I am simply advocating that we need to start listening to these most easily ignored people, because in many ways, they are our future.
| | |
| Building UnityThe problem we as a people are faced with today is not simply a question of what to do in Iraq. It is a question of our ability to seek and build compromise. To go beyond our petty beliefs and learn to not only understand but also to take to heart the arguments and beliefs that we ourselves are against. Does the Bush Administration have some right ideas on Iraq? I believe so. Do they have some wrong ideas on Iraq? Most certainly. What about the Democrats? Well, in all honesty they don't really have any right ideas on Iraq...because they haven't taken much time to go beyond criticism to make their words constructive. So in some sense, they have the entirely wrong idea on Iraq. The Iraq Study Group had the right idea. They built a strong cohesive plan drawn from the thoughts and ideas of many, and still, admitted that there were no doubt flaws in it.
We as a nation need to learn to become more eager to listen to not only plurality of voices within us, but also the voices which surround us in this world. As I said in my last post, every citizen of the Earth has a voice. And we, as members of the most powerful country on the planet have a moral obligation to listen to those voices. This world has capitalized upon its differences to brilliant effect, now we must also capitalize on our similarities. The 21st Century is the end of single party politics. Single party movements. The 21st Century will be the century of compromise and unity. We just need to make the change.
In some sense, we must overcome our own sectarian conflicts, to solve those which plague Iraq.
| | |
| Presidential Address On Iraq: "A New Plan Forward"Just finished watching President Bush's address to the nation on his new plan for Iraq. For those who missed it, the transcript is on ABC here.
In a rather short, 20 minute address, the President apologized and took the blame for the deterioration of Iraq and the US missteps which led to the current Iraq of sectarian (some would call it civil) war. He outlined a new plan, calling for the deployment of approximately 21,500 new US troops to Iraq, embedding more US advisors in Iraqi units, and essentially establishing the security of Baghdad as paramount. In addition, he stressed the need for "patience, sacrifice and resolve", and set an optimistic yet guarded hope for the coming year. He also reinforced the belief that the US must succeed in Iraq for not only the Iraqis' sake, but for the security of the entire region, and perhaps even the entire world itself. He established a conciliatory stance, welcoming criticism and suggestions, as well as reinforcing the validity of his plan with statements of consulting with not only Congress, but the Iraq Study Group on the issue. Finally, he outlined the need for the Iraqi government to take on greater responsibility, namely in reconstruction efforts (the Iraqi government has pledged $10B USD).
In my opinion, the President should be given credit for first of all apologizing publicly for his mistakes, taking the blame for the entire Iraqi conflict is a hard pill to swallow, especially when in all honesty, it is hard to blame the situation in Iraq on any one single person. In addition, the President should be commended for his new found willingness for bipartisanship and criticism, although how earnestly he applies this new attitude is still up in the air. His plan, of handing over greater security responsibilities to the Iraqi forces is, I believe, a sound one, and does pose significant deviations from current operations. Namely, the desire now to actually hold pacified areas holds merit, as this was the single greatest drawback of US/Iraqi military policy. In general, he makes a sound, clear statement of the need for perseverance and steadfast dedication to the rebuilding and fixing of Iraq. For it is his belief, and mine as well, that America cannot fail in Iraq.
Unfortunately, I must fault President Bush for his ever present "Good vs. Evil" imagery, in particular, his colorful statement, "the terrorists and insurgents...are without conscience, and will make the year ahead bloody and violent." His statements force all terrorists into an extreme corner, where they have nowhere to back down to, and MUST use violence. The President, along with the rest of the world, needs to make it clear that terrorism, while not tolerated, CAN be reformed. That is to say, terrorists, if they lay down their violent ways, will be welcome to join society and share their opinions on issues in a global forum. I believe not all terrorists are without conscience, some undoubtedly are, but most are simply normal human beings, desperate for a voice in the world. The true solution to terrorism is not their extermination, for by doing so we risk eliminating the freedom for people to voice their views. Instead, we must seek to find ways to allow terrorists a place in society, to slowly wean them away from their violent ways, to create a forum for them to present their grievances. I believe, especially with the global connectivity of the Internet, we, the entire Human Race have the power to do something we were never able to do before: provide a global forum open to everyone, from the youngest, poorest child in a Third World Country, to the most affluent senior citizens of our world. Throughout our childhood, we learned to listen to each other, and not to simply call each other names...why is the real world any different?
| | |
| Wow. What a year.
It had its ups and its downs, its marvelous marvelous SSRI induced highs. Finding myself at college, camp, graduation, getting hooked on drugs (heh), what a crazy, life changing year.
And here is...to many many more. 
2007...here we come!
| | |
|
