There are many interesting ideas in this world. This blog is dedicated to pursuing them wherever they go. Politics, philosophy, religion, environment, and anything else that captures imaginations and leads to healthy discussions. Never take the world for what it is, there's always a better way to do something.
After months of back and forth arguing, name calling, rumor spreading, political hell, the House Democrats have rolled out the new health care bill. The measure, which will probably be voted on sometime next week, will extend health care coverage to about 96% of American population (legal population that is). The part that I’m excited about is that it WILL include a government option to compete with private health insurance providers. Also, the bill will provide federal subsidies to families that are unable to afford health insurance without them. Large companies would be required to cover all workers, while individuals would also be required to get health insurance.
Now the focus will shift towards the Senate, where Senator Reid is putting up the final touches on his version of the bill. While the Senate bill will also contain a public option, it appears it will also have a clause that will let individual states drop out if they chose, something the House version lacks. This comes as a major boost to President Obama, for whom healthcare legislation has been the top domestic priority. Now if only he could get us out of Afghanistan..
A few weeks ago, on October 7th, we marked the eighth anniversary of our engagement in Iraq. I wonder how many people celebrated? Along the way we marked over 1,000 deaths of coalition forces, countless Taliban fighters, and the ultimate victims: Afghani civilians. It is a war which the public of United States, Afghanistan, and probably the rest of the world is against. At this point, I don’t think many people even remember why we’re fighting there in the first place.
I don’t think we’ll fully comprehend the impact 9/11 had on our society. It scared us, made us feel very vulnerable and very mortal. We realized the oceans that wash our shores aren’t so wide as to fully insulate us from the strife that plagues the rest of the world. We are very lucky in that respect. While we have had terrorist attacks against our country, few American civilians have lived through war. The last time we had a war within United States was over 130 years ago. Aside from those soldiers who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and other US conflicts, no one really knows what war is. Europe knows war. They remember well the destruction and loss of life that resulted from Hitlers ambitions to rule the world. Unfortunately, we are not as wise. And even more, unfortunately, we had men in power who capitalized on our feelings of fear and vulnerability after 9/11. The public was rallied to war. Some wanted revenge, others wanted terrorist wiped out to ensure safety, and few believed that we were going there for humanitarian reasons. I doubt any of those were real reasons for war. In reality, we either wanted another base in the region or we just wanted the resources the country had to offer.
One of the greatest freedoms about being an American is that as citizens we have the opportunity to freely express ideas. The first amendment is a civil liberty that ensures the people of our country will never be silent. Through this process citizens, scholars, interest groups, authorities, political parties, and law makers are exposed to all voices of an issue – some completely valid, while others are absolute nonsense. However, all arguments have the right to be heard. While I personally would disagree that my previous post on “health care and personal responsibility” is on the absolute nonsense side of the spectrum, I do recognize the significant limitations and even admit in the article that such a system would never become a reality because of such limitations. While it would be ideal for me to write an all-inclusive, thoroughly researched 10,000 word article on the topic of interest, I simply do not have the time to do so.
So, as I continue to contribute to this blog I want readers to know that the absolute purpose of any article I write and post is to encourage innovative, progressive, and sometimes unorthodox thinking on an issue and to become more educated on the topic through the comments you provide. I absolutely welcome and encourage comments that provide both support and opposition to any argument I present, especially if it’s something you’re well educated on. The theme of my posts is not to have a closed-minded, bleeding heart for my arguments and opinions, but to challenge my personal perspectives and learn more about the topics. Through this process, everyone benefits in becoming a well-informed citizen, if you’re willing to have an open mind and realize there is not always an absolutely right or wrong solution. So, please continue to respectfully voice your opinion on all posts in this blog – you’ll be making the founding fathers proud!
Although this blog is still very, very young, I’ve been trying to determine what would it be best for. While right now and for the foreseeable future it is just a platform for my opinions, hopefully one day it will transform into something more than that. Maybe one day it will help change the world. However, I don’t think that that’s something that can be accomplished without understanding the world, it’s delicate interactions, and just how much impact we play on others. Today I want to bring to attention just how many are being hurt by United States’ political and military strategy in Pakistan.
It is unfortunate that the American public is not exposed to more information about the humanitarian disaster that is occurring in Pakistan right now. Instead of giving air time to pundits who do nothing but sow division and hate among the population, we need a news outlet that provides just that.. NEWS. From around the world, preferably. According to an Saadia Tour, an assistant professor at Staten Island, who was interviewed by CollegeSocialistWorker.org, the recent offensive by the Pakistan military, with full support from the United States, is having a terrible impact on the civilian population. Close to 150,000 have been displaced already, and experts estimate that another 250,000 will be driven from their homes before it’s over.
A senior U.S. official in Afghanistan, Matthew Hoh, became the first known U.S. official to resign in protest to the Afghanistan War. While this resignation probably will not be heard around the world, it is still a step in the right direction. Hoh, a former Marine Corp. captain with experience in Iraq, began working in Afghanistan earlier this year. However, after only five months in Afghanistan he describes the conflict as:
“..reminds me horribly of our involvement with South Vietnam; an unpopular corrupt government we backed at the expense of our Nation’s own internal peace.”
This is a major resignation, and definitively a blow to Obama administration’s plan in Afghanistan. Hoh is not, as he himself put it so eloquently:
‘..I’m not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love.. There are plenty of dudes who need to be killed, I was never more happy than when our Iraq team whacked a bunch of guys.’
