Addicted to Drones - By Micah Zenko | Foreign Policy

Addicted to Drones - By Micah Zenko | Foreign Policy

Read This! It's a great look at how dependent we are on UCAVs - Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles - and what that really means for our military power. With drone strike rising sharply (see posts above) isn't it time we take a serious look at just how effective this form of violence is?

SM

Inside the busiest month on record for the drone strikes - By Katherine Tiedemann | The AfPak Channel

Inside the busiest month on record for the drone strikes - By Katherine Tiedemann | The AfPak Channel

A very interesting look at the increase in Drove strikes in Pakistan. Is this really an effective strategy to counter insurgency?

Message to Muslims - I’m Sorry - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Message to Muslims - I’m Sorry - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Just a quick article I found particularly poignant while surfing the web today. Read it and feel free to leave a comment!

America: Struggles of Freedom

Today marks a very important anniversary in United States history. April 19th was the day which the battles of Lexington and Concord between American revolutionaries and British troops. That makes today, April 20th, the first full day which America was at war.

Reflect on that for a moment. Revolutions are usually marked with months and years of unease and anticipation then in a single crucial moment those who are brave step forward and declare that they are ready to hold fast no matter the consequences.

Revolutions, as we know, are not always violent. Look at the many democratic revolutions which took place in Eastern and Central Europe at the conclusion of the Cold War, while many died their revolutions were peaceful as they bravely stared down their oppressors. In the American colony Jefferson's logic, Paine's law, and Franklin's social commentaries were not enough - they needed Washington's military bravery before freedom was won.


April 20th of 1775 was not the day of the "shot heard 'round the world" but it was the critical day after. The day the American people committed themselves to the promise of freedom. The promise of freedom that may not have reached all people at once but in its promise has freed the peoples of the United States and many others around the world.

What does that promise mean to you? How are you reviving that promise everyday? What can be done to keep the flame of hope alive for those whose freedoms are mere memories and dreams?

You can comment and share. Please do!

In Memory of Virgina Tech

Ut Prosim - That I May Serve

Let us just take one moment's pause to think and pray for those whose lives were plucked early at Virginia Tech three years ago.

Let us put aside politics, ideology and our differences to contemplate the tragedy and its consequences.

Let us remember those who were taken from us that horrific day:

• Ryan Clark (22), a senior in Psych/Biology/English from Martinez, Georgia
• Emily Hilscher (19), a freshman in Animal Sciences from Woodville, Virginia
• Liviu Librescu (76), a professor of Engineering and Holocaust survivor from Ploieşti, Romania
• Minal Panchal (26), a masters student in Architecture from Mumbai, India
• G. V. Loganathan (53), a professor of Engineering from Tamil Nadu, India
• Jarrett Lane (22), a senior in Civil Engineering from Narrows, Virginia
• Brian Bluhm (25), a masters student in Civil Engineering from Louisville, Kentucky
• Matthew Gwaltney (24), a masters student in Environmental Engineering from Chesterfield, Virginia
• Jeremy Herbstritt (27), a masters student in Civil Engineering from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
• Partahi Lumbantoruan (34), a PhD student in Civil Engineering from Medan, Indonesia (Indonesian article)
• Daniel O'Neil (22), a masters student in Environmental Engineering from Lincoln, Rhode Island
• Juan Ortiz (26), a masters student in Civil Engineering from Bayamón, Puerto Rico
• Julia Pryde (23), a masters student in Biological Systems Engineering from Middletown, New Jersey
• Waleed Shaalan (32), a PhD student in Civil Engineering from Zagazig, Egypt
• Christopher James Bishop ("Jamie Bishop") (35), an instructor of German from Pine Mountain, Georgia
• Lauren McCain (20), a freshman in International Studies from Hampton, Virginia
• Michael Pohle Jr. (23), a senior in Biological Sciences from Flemington, New Jersey
• Maxine Turner (22), a senior in Chemical Engineering from Vienna, Virginia
• Nicole White (20), a junior in International Studies from Smithfield, Virginia
• Jocelyne Couture-Nowak (49), a professor of French from Nova Scotia, Canada
• Ross Alameddine (20), a sophomore in English/Business from Saugus, Massachusetts
• Austin Cloyd (18), a freshman in Int'l Studies/French from Champaign, Illinois
• Daniel Perez Cueva (21), a junior in International Studies from Woodbridge, Virginia/Peru
• Caitlin Hammaren (19), a sophomore in Int'l Studies/French from Westtown, New York
• Rachael Hill (18), a freshman in Biological Sciences from Richmond, Virginia
• Matthew La Porte (20), a sophomore in Political Science from Dumont, New Jersey
• Henry Lee (20), a freshman in Computer Engineering from Roanoke, Virginia/Vietnam
• Erin Peterson (18), a freshman in International Studies from Centreville, Virginia
• Mary Read (19), a freshman in Interdisciplinary Studies from Annandale, Virginia
• Reema Samaha (18), a freshman in Urban Planning from Centreville, Virginia
• Leslie Sherman (20), a junior in History/Int'l Studies from Springfield, Virginia
• Kevin Granata (45), a professor of Engineering from Toledo, Ohio

[List compiled by way of Wikipedia, NBC News]

Oh how forgetful the Elephant is!

I know it has been awhile but this blog post has inspired me to come back once again. As I'm sure anyone who has had a quick read of this blog has realized I am not a radical. I am not a Tea Party type. I believe in Big Tent GOP Reagan-style party makeup.

One thing that brought Republicans to power and allowed them to actually DO something during the terms of President Reagan (and George H.W. Bush) was that the Republican Party did what it does best, stick to its values. Which is to say they stuck to their values but remained realistic, they compromised and politicked hard so that even if the end result wasn't perfect - they always made a big step in their direction with minimal damage. You'll notice I didn't say screamed and called names at the other side OR bowed their heads and obeyed.

The GOP of today is being overtaken by a bunch of far right-wing fundamentalists who have abandoned the real world for their "vision." I am talking about Neo-conservatives and the religious right-wing. Again, you will notice I made a distinction between those who are conservative or are generally hawkish on the issues. What really irks me and many of the bulk of Republicans is this, we share common values: generally conservative social values, a certain view of keeping government as small as possible, and preserving fiscal responsibility. We share these values but those few on the fringes have used their megaphones and steadily alienated moderates while taking credit for their successes. Case in point: Senator Scott Brown, Republican from Massachusetts.

NEWSFLASH!!! THIS JUST IN: SCOTT BROWN IS THE MOST LIBERAL REPUBLICAN IN THE SENATE!

Tea Party Republicans are claiming the electoral victory of Sen. Brown was a sign that their brand of exclusionary insanity is the way to go when in fact it is just the opposite. Let's face it the overwhelming majority of MA voters approve of President Obama and the job he is doing, so why did they elect a Republican? Simple. Scott Brown campaigned and showed them that he cared and that he was moderate enough to listen, weigh the issues, and compromise for their good and the good of the nation. Martha Coakley stood for liberal democrats and their arrogance in thinking that just because the voters were in love with the late Sen. Kennedy (who worked hard on his agenda, right or wrong) that they would just hand it to the next liberal democrat in line. Well.. it aint played that way folks, you gotta earn it.

Links:

An excellent article on GOP moderates and Scott Brown

Iran So Far Only to Come Back

Iran. Iran. Iran.

The country that cannot stay out of the news. Why are they so hell-bent on irritating the Western world. Why must their President (mind you I didn't say leader) say the most inflammatory things? All these questions make me think.. why do they dislike us so much?

Well, the problem with those questions is that we, as Americans, have a unique place in the world that no one but perhaps some Western European nations enjoyed. I am talking about being the number one dog in the neighborhood.

For the United States the "neighborhood" is the majority of the world and all of the areas the US has serious interests. This is the mentality of American Exceptionalism, the thought that America is special and there never has been nor will there ever be anything like it. While there is some truth to this claim if you buy into it there are plenty of dangers. American exceptionalism rejects the idea that we can learn from other 'empires' and civilizations that also enjoyed success beyond what had been imagined. Simply patting ourselves on the back for having the luck of being born into this country at this point in history is not going to be enough to sustain the hard work of previous generations (and a little luck).

What does all that have to do with Iran?

I'll tell ya! There is a saying that even the most insane person believes they are sane and the rest of us are the crazy ones. It is beneficial to look through Iran's eyes in order to understand their actions. The first thing that we must realize is that while we here in the US use a metric of global consequences, Iran (along with most of the world) uses the metric of regional power. Iran is looking wearily at its neighbors as well as the global implications of its actions. This is the sort of thing that led Saddam Hussein to refuse admitting he had no WMDs, he was afraid of an Iranian invasion.

Iran's regional neighbors such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt all have a stake in the failure of Iran. This can be seen in a semi-binary fashion if one takes the Sunni-dominated versus Shi'ite-dominated leaderships of each nation. Iran over the years has made many enemies amongst its neighbors and now that the United States and Europe have put it in their bull's-eye those who felt slighted are licking their chops for revenge. (Sound familiar? It is basically what Iran has done with Iraq)

This neighborhood brawl has created a stir because with disagreement comes rhetoric. It is important to note that Iran's President is perhaps the 15th or 20th most powerful political figure in their system. He can afford to make populist hoopla, deny history, and threaten nations he has no chance of even scratching. When we listen to him it would be as if we took Representative Dennis Kucinich as the spokesman of the Democratic Party every time he opened his mouth, or if we believed that Micheal Savage was the mouthpiece of the Republican Party. Both make a difference and have a following but they are by no means important in the final product of political decision-making.

Ignore him. What is going on in Iran goes far beyond the yammering of a rhetoric-spewing, election-fixing, ill-dressed maniac. Let us look beyond him to the nation of Iran and its true political structure. That is what will truly enlighten our path to understanding Iran's nuclear policies and allow the global community to ensure they do not turn to violence.