The Sunday Knight - Short and Seismic

This week I wanted to talk about the health of America’s governing branches.  I wanted to explore the reasons and repercussions of the apparent merging of the legislative and executive branches.  I wanted to examine how this week’s health care summit has displayed the diminishing power of the legislative branch and the increasing power of the executive.  I wanted to focus solely on this reality, yet now after the earthquake in Chile the relationship between the executive and legislative seems less significant.  It still needs examining, but sometimes we need to focus on the reality and not the metaphor.  Washington may be ‘broken’, but there are plenty of places and people who are in much more dire straights.

At the end of the day, we can argue about health care all day long.  The Democrats can want to create government institutions to provide health care for American citizens, and the Republicans can favor completely restructuring the private sector to provide health care for Americans.  The sides will never agree, and the country will remain at an impasse until one side acts and angers the opposition.  At the end of the day one would hope that either side would decide to act based on good intentions instead as a result of negative events.

The destruction from the earthquake in Chile, and additionally from the less forceful yet more destructive earthquake in Haiti, should allow everyone to understand the necessity of supporting others in times of need.  Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones and watched their worlds crumble around them in these recent earthquakes, yet at some point people need to be able and willing to help others before total destruction has occurred.  Helping others in times of catastrophe is an admirable trait, yet equally as admirable but less celebrated is the act of helping others before the disaster strikes.

The poor infrastructure of Haiti compounded the results of the earthquake.  The mismanaged levees of New Orleans magnified the damage of Hurricane Katrina.  If anything all people should learn that managing problems before they are exacerbated by other events is to the benefit of everyone.  Proper management makes negative events less detrimental, and prevents them from getting worse.  At some point the American government should be able to care and act for the benefit of American citizens before a disaster has occurred, but sadly over the last decade we have show a near incapacity to act in this fashion.  Lets hope this changes in the near future.

Do not forget Haiti or Chile, and we all should acknowledge that destruction of this magnitude can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye.  We should care enough about others and ourselves to act in the right manner not only when disasters occur, but also during all facets of life.

The Sunday Knight - Terrorism in Reverse

Joseph Stack flew his airplane into this building and became a domestic suicide bomber

This has been a fascinating week concerning terror and the United States in that everything has been reversed yet no one knows how to feel about this reversal of fortune.  This past Thursday Texan Joe Stack flew his airplane into an Austin, TX building that housed a branch of the Internal Revenue Service.  Joe Stack was an American who disapproved of our tax codes and now he is an American suicide bomber.  At the same time that an American was bombing Americans, the U.S. military along with many allied forces was having their most successful raid on the Taliban.  The raids that the military has engaged in over the last week have reportedly captured three top ranking Taliban officials.  To finish off the week we have just gotten the news that the Secretary of the Defense Robert Gates wants to change the name of the war in Iraq from operation Iraqi Freedom to operation New Dawn.  All three of these events play a very large part in how Americans view their security and safety, and these new developments need to be examined further.

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The Sunday Knight - Bomb Threat

A young Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

On Christmas day, 23 year old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flight carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members from Amsterdam to Detroit while the plane made its final descent.  He hid his bomb of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), one of the most powerful high explosives, in the lining of his pants and before he attempted to detonate the bomb he ventured to the lavatory for roughly fifteen minutes to set it up.  Upon returning to his window seat, he claimed that he had an upset stomach and then covered himself with a blanket.  At that point he attempted to detonate the bomb, but the detonator malfunctioned and instead a fire erupted in his pants seriously burning his legs.  Upon seeing the fire, hearing the noise, and smelling the smoke the passengers subdued Mr. Abdulmutallab, and the threat disappeared.  

This story should be frightening and infuriating, yet due to the events of the past decade it almost seems like the norm.  This should not be a welcomed surprise.

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The Sunday Knight - Victories and Defeats

The Sad Face of Defeat

No matter what you do.  No matter how much talent you have, the amount of success you receive throughout a lifetime, or your numerous victories there will always be defeats.  You cannot avoid losing:  it will happen.  The thing that we all must care about is the frequency of our defeats, the nature of our defeats, and the size of our defeats.  You should not want to lose too often, your defeats should not be self-inflicted, and you should not lose by a sizable margin.  Victories in turn should be the opposite.  You want to will all the time, you want to be the main reason for the victory, and you want to win by a sizable margin.  These past weeks have all been about victories and defeats, and thus we need to know the reality behind success and failure.  Everyone cannot win and that is good and expected, yet what matters most is what occurs after success or failure.  

Over the past couple of weeks the Obama Administration has had successes and failures.  Most of the successes have been in countering terrorist threats domestically and foreign.  The government captured Najibullah Zazi, an American citizen, who had flown to Pakistan and trained with al-Qaeda to learn how to make weapons of mass destruction.  Until his capture authorities state that he remained "committed" to attacking the United States.  His capture was a good victory.  Additionally, this week the US government participated in multi-lateral talks with Iran that ended with Iran allowing International inspectors to visit their newly discovered uranium enrichment site on October 25th.  This is a very positive step towards obtaining a firmer grasp on Iran's nuclear program, and hopefully stemming the spread of nuclear weapons.  This was another good victory, yet most Americans are not happy.  We are not frustrated with these victories, we just want more.  We want many victories by large margins, and the general public feels they have done nearly everything possible to obtain these results.  Frankly, I do not feel this sentiment is unfounded.

During the same period with which we obtained these victories, the Democrats suffered defeats concerning health care reform with the rejection of both Senators Rockefeller and Schumer's public option bills in the Senate finance committee, and Afghanistan shows no progress.  Additionally, many liberals feel that issues such as global warming, taxation on the wealthy, gay rights, and even the legalization of marijuana should become more prevalent in the national discourse.  Essentially, a liberal revolution should be on the cards.  I admit that President Obama has not even been nine months on the job, but a revolution does not appear to be on the cards at present.  After a historic presidential campaign it should not be unfair to ask for a historic presidency.

Despite the importance of the positive steps towards keeping America safe from terrorists, we all must concede that these are expected victories.  We have grown accustomed to being relatively safe from terrorists, and if the incompetent Bush Administration can state that they kept America safe, it should therefore be simple for the competent Obama Administration to do the same.  It may be unfair, but safety remains the status quo, and we all expect positive liberal change.  To achieve this change the Democrats will need to fight for victories, and not stalemates.  With victories people will be upset because many will be on the losing end, and with stalemates which are more popular with foreign diplomacy all parties feel they got something positive from the deal despite not getting everything they desired.

For the Democrats to start winning like most Americans want them to, they will start having to upset Republicans.  The Democrats to a large extent follow the philosophy of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer."  We want to befriend and keep the Republicans close, so that we can know what they are up to, but there is a major flaw in this logic.  For someone to be an enemy they need to pose a physical threat, and not just a philosophical one.  You may have a disagreement with your enemy, but if they are incapable of stopping you from having your way are they truly an enemy or merely a potential distraction.  The Democrats are confusing the distraction of the GOP, as an actual adversary, and bestowing them more power than they are warranted.  This stalls progress.

Another impediment towards progress is this notion that everyone should win and be happy.  This will not occur, and is as absurd as the policy that every child gets a trophy.  Winning and losing is part of life, and if you are not mature enough to acknowledge that someone must lose then you do not warrant the responsibility that comes with winning.  The Republican Party needs to lose this fight, and the Democrats need to achieve health care reform on the way to instituting a strong liberal infrastructure.  This agenda will be frightening to those who oppose it, but it should be.  Imminent defeat is scary and hard to swallow, but that is also part of life.  We should not be scared of others fear, but should expect it and move on.

The last two weeks had foreign stalemates proclaimed as victories, and domestic defeats declared as stalemates.  Foreign stalemates are good, but domestic victories are needed.  The Democrats and President Obama need to be prepared to make some Republicans upset, so that the rest of us can be happy.  Otherwise Chicagoans will not be the only ones disappointed with President Obama and their new reality.

The Sunday Knight - Health, Death, and 44

The first half of the week centered on health care with a splash of CIA intrigue.  Concerning health care the country continued to argue about whether the Democrats would be able to create a comprehensive health care reform bill without bankrupting the county.  The Republicans continued to say "no", and their fringe members continued to add the threat of Communism invading the country as well as imminent death for the elderly to the oppositions platform.  Democrats in turn countered these cries of "no" with a loud and impassioned "maybe" to draw people to their cause.  It all was very unconvincing, and made me wish for something better to focus my time on.  Additionally, the White Hose and the Justice Department made some very wise decisions regarding the CIA's interrogation techniques.  Read more about this HERE.  And that was the first half of the week.

The second half of the week focused on remembering Senator Edward M. Kennedy for his nearly fifty years of public service.  We were given the time to reflect upon a life we should all hold in high esteem.  Friends and family, many of whom have also devoted their lives to public service, were able to share with all of America stories about their friend.  Sure, all of America and especially the people of Massachusetts felt that they knew Teddy, but it was pleasant, although sad, to witness the reactions of those that truly knew the man and not merely the idea of the man.  We could understand why they were sad, but could also grasp the joy they felt for having the privilege of knowing the man.  The second half of the week was truly bittersweet, and to most these two events encompassed the entire week, but sadly it was not.

August has become the deadliest month for the U.S. military in Afghanistan since the start of the eight-year war with 44 deaths.  There are currently 60,000 American troops Afghanistan.  Now some may say that 44 deaths out of 60,000 is not a lot, and others may say that it is, but this number of 44 is only the tip of the iceberg.  The number 44 is not the issue.  The fact that the number is increasing is, yet many Americans are unsure as to why we are in Afghanistan.  According to most reports we have either killed or driven to Pakistan the prominent members of the Taliban.  Thus our main mission to defeat the Taliban has not been completed, but it may need to be moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan.  To a large extent it already has, yet we still have troops in Afghanistan, while it gets more and more dangerous.  Despite, much of the Taliban moving to Pakistan their are still militants who fight American troops for a myriad of reasons.  New military guidelines to the troops even say,

"An insurgency cannot be defeated by attrition; its supply of fighters, and even leadership, is effectively endless," the new guidelines said.

When U.S. and NATO troops battle a group of 10 militants and kill two of them, the relatives of the two dead insurgents will want revenge and will likely join the insurgency, the guidelines say, spelling out the formula: "10 minus 2 equals 20 (or more) rather than 8."

So the question needs to be asked again, "What are we doing there?".  This has been the forgotten issue of the week, and I do not understand this.  Afghanistan affects more lives than all of the other issues, but since it is out of sight it is out of mind.

For example Afghanistan can provide a bird's eye view on nation building, and how not to do it.  We established a government with a central source of power in Kabul under Hamid Karzai, and this is just dumb.  I have thought so ever since college, and people thought I was nuts then, but the recent Afghan elections may show where the true insanity resides.  To understand Afghanistan a bit more you need to know that it is a country composed of distinct villages or tribes.  Each village functions as its own independent group, thus creating a government with one central ruler makes no sense.  A better idea would be to create a government where each group has an equal voice, and those voices can then select the head of state.  This would be far more similar to a parliamentary system instead of the presidential one we selected.  Therefore no one should be surprised with the allegations of widespread fraud in the Afghan presidential elections on August 20th.  Karzai would like to stay in power.  Additionally, we should not be shocked that President Karzai is upset with the United States for not proclaiming him the victor of the hotly contested, controversial election.  America put him in power, and we should want him to stay in power.  Starting over with a new President while a military engagement is going on would be a huge distraction.  Therefore we should proclaim Hamid Karzai the winner, but we cannot because it would go against democratic standards even though a Karzai victory could prove beneficial for the U.S.  This is indicative of the quagmire that we are currently knees deep in.  We have 60,000 troops in Afghanistan that are no longer fighting the Taliban, but are instead protecting villagers to hopefully ensure the stability of their democracy.  This is a democracy whose structure does not ensure that the villages get a strong voice in the government, and currently is under investigation for election fraud.  This is a government that the American government cannot officially support, but still has 60,000 troops in it while the country gets more dangerous for Americans by the month.  What a mess.  Thus I now have to refer to the first question, "Why are we there?", but strangely I think more questions need to be asked.  Why do we not talk about Afghanistan more?  How could we establish such a horrible government?  How does this relate to America's domestic issues?  These questions have come from the issue most have ignored.

On a daily basis we have people in this country proclaiming their opinions about health care, finances, torture, and many more issues, and despite their statements being impassioned, all they are screaming is, "I have no idea what governments do, or what mine does?".  Former government officials are on the news advocating breaking the law, and criticize the present one for investigating crimes.  Current, government officials state that they will vote against universal health care without even reading the bill.  Governments and countries should not behave like this.  When the government promotes law breaking, and decisions based around ignorance and stubbornness, can we really expect the citizenry to understand the government?  No we cannot, yet all is not lost.  We have an example in this world of history in the present, and all people interested in politics should appreciate this to no end.  Afghanistan has a government built upon America's recent standards towards governance:  Strong central government, destruction of terrorists through military conflict, and fiscal irresponsibility and it is a mess.  We need to take note of this and acknowledge that it is a direction we do not need to continue.

Transforming Iraq has cost over $1 trillion dollars, and attempting to do the same in Afghanistan could cost even more.  For those that advocate fiscal responsibility we need to acknowledge that these are real numbers.  These are numbers that could be used towards the health care that you proclaim will destroy the country.  We need to acknowledge that the Afghan government may be heading down a road towards corruption that could be hard to prevent, much like our own.  Few will argue that there was corruption in the Bush Administration, but many would prefer not to find out exactly how much existed.  It would be easier to look towards the future and ignore the past, but democracies cannot behave like that.  We need transparency and we need to know what happened in the past, so that we can see the present and hopefully ensure that the future is not riddled with the past's transgressions.  Afghanistan shows this in how we cannot fully support Hamid Karzai because his potential election fraud would taint the future and destroy transparency.  Lastly, we all need to understand that Afghanistan is not an issue focused around money or corruption, despite their importance, but instead is instead focused on American lives.  Their are 60,000 American men and women over there and the numbers may increase, but the majority of the country is paying next to no attention to this issue.  We picket and protest health care because it might be the demise of private health insurers.  We are hesitant to try former government officials for committing crimes because it might look bad.  We investigate torture because it is unjust, yet we still have 60,000 troops in Afghanistan where it gets more and more dangerous by the day.  I am having are hard time understanding this.

Thus this week focused on issues that most people are more familiar with.  We hear about torture outrages on a nearly daily basis.  We hear about how we are wasting money with the bailout and could potentially do so with health care all the time.  We hear about the moral need to provide health care for all Americans all the time.  We also hear about death in the news everyday to the point that it prompts many to avoid the news.  These are all serious issues, but we need to do more.  We need to pay more attention to events that involve caring about others too.  If you are not an Afghan or affiliated with the military, Afghanistan will not be on your radar, yet it should be.  It gives us an insight towards many of our problems at home.  You may need to look somewhere else to get a better understanding of your surroundings.

I will leave you this for the week.  On Saturday, we had the 44th President of the United States speak at the funeral for a Senator who from most accounts cared about others before himself.  He reached out to others, when they never expected it and we all appreciated that.  He lived through enough tragedy to make anyone want to quit public service and devote his life to self-preservation, but as Vice President Joe Biden said, "with Teddy, it was never about him."  He cared about others and that made all of us care about him.  We all need to remember this lesson from this past week.  We need to care more about others, and that will make us better.  When you live in a society that hardly values the plight of 60,000 Americans on a quixotic mission in a war zone, we all should acknowledge the need for a change.  I have no idea where change will come from.  It may come from the President.  It may come from Congress or the Justice Department.  It may come from somewhere we never thought about.  This week was more than health care, it was more than torture, and it was more than the death of a great statesman.  It was an acknowledgement that we have the ability, and may even need, to look on the other side of the world to answer many of our questions at home.

That was your Sunday Knight, and week as I saw it.

The Sunday Knight - Sales

I have done sales and I know sales, and one of the main things you learn from sales, apart from how to sell, is the ability to recognize when you are being sold.  I did not anticipate this skill, but I appreciate it more and more everyday.  When you live in a society that consists of people trying to sell you something nearly everywhere you go it is refreshing to be able to see the game.  You can see the game, and the salesmanship, yet do not get frustrated with the salesman.  You know it is part of life, and that they are just doing their job, but now at least you can look them in the eye and say, "I've done sales before.  Let's just get down to the facts."  This ability is great.  At first, you think saying something like this may be rude, but it is not.  It allows the salesman to relax, and be more of themselves, yet it does not eradicate their desire to sell you something.  This is all understood.  Watching the news over the past week has totally solidified my belief that Americans need to understand sales more, and thus the difference between marketing and reality.

For such a consumer dominated culture, the ability to be able to say, "I've done this before.  Let's cut to the chase." would be of immeasurable value.  People, politicians, lobbyists, and everyday citizens, would stop trying to constantly sell you something and instead could tell you the hard facts.  In this scenario focused on hard facts, the act of selling would now become a detriment.  They would only need to use sales as a tactic once they have run out of facts, and if the facts are not convincing enough then the beginning of sales techniques would quickly indicate the end of the conversation.  This would be an ideal situation, but there is one major caveat to this reality and it is that the consumer would need to be educated in the item that the salesman is selling and be versed in sales.  You cannot tell someone "I've done this before. Let's cut to the chase." if you have not done it before and cannot recognize when you are being sold.  Yet today we stand with the President needing to sell America on universal health care and many other issues, and an American populace who has been sold two completely different sets of facts.  For a salesman this could not be more frustrating.

Our main flaw in this entire debacle is how we see others.  From what I can gather Democrats feel that most Americans are educated and know the facts and are thus impervious to the opposition's sales techniques.  They can read polls and infinite amounts of data that will back them up, and none of this means anything.  On the other hand the Republicans have just suffered a massive drop in the value of their party and they need to recover.  They used to control everything, and now they control nothing.  For a party that prides themselves in capitalist ideals and the free market, their only alternative would be to sell, sell, sell.  Their old moniker no longer works so they needed to sell that, and in turn find something else for the public to buy.

Boy have both parties been displaying these great attributes/flaws.  The Republicans have not only taken a position to oppose everything the democrats propose, but in addition have created lies and catchy titles like "Death Panel" to sell to the public, and have also advocated a principle of fiscal responsibility.  They have truly done a remarkable job with their sales force.  They have created a product.  The product is opposition.  They have branded that product because you cannot buy something which you cannot differentiate from the competition, and their branding was brilliant.  Since there are only two brands and they already have a title, The Republican Party, their branding consisted of painting the picture of Democratic incompetence and malfeasance.  "The Democrats spend too much money and their health care will turn us into Communist Russia in addition to killing the elderly."  These claims seem outlandish, but if you cannot recognize a salesman, then you are liable to buy anything.

The Democrats on the other hand assume that everyone can recognize a salesman, and this is their greatest fault.  They feel that the American public is far too smart to buy the absurd claims made by the opposition, yet what they do not understand is that none of this has anything to do with intelligence.  Instead it has everything to do with experience.  Everyday across this country intelligent people buy stuff that they do not need or want solely due to the sales associate being nice to them or finding that slight need or want and turning it into a greater need or want through friendly conversation.  This happens everyday, and would even happen to me before I learned an understanding of sales.  Through the experience of learning sales I gained the ability to politely say, "Let's cut the crap, and stop the sales."  Now all may assume that that statement is easy enough that every intelligent person could simply say it and the sales techniques would end, but that could not be farther from the truth.  Salesmen hear objections everyday, and they do not stop them.  When an objection is voiced they say something to appease you, and then continue selling.  If you do not have the experience to thwart their sales techniques then you will get sold.  Thus the statement or objection coupled with intelligence alone is not enough.  You need experience, and that is something you must teach as opposed to intelligence which is something people assume you are simply born with.  The Democrats continue to get crushed because their hypothesis is flawed at its core.  They need to shift tactics, and not revert to selling.  They need to start teaching.  Strangely a crazy thing happens when you can recognize a sale.  You start getting more of what you want, and less of what people say you should want.

 Therefore the frustration I get from seeing the caliber of the American discourse should not rest on the Republican Party.  They are a company that needs to sell something, and a lot of it to stay in existence, so I cannot be too angry at them for selling, and selling hard.  I may have reservations and anger about how it could change the face of our country, but salesmen sell and that is the GOP.  The fault should fall on the Democrats.  The fault is theirs not only because their hypothesis is flawed, but because they lack all ability to recognize a sale.  As a salesman the first thing you learn, and the hardest thing to do, is how to recognize a sale and what to do when you see it.  When you see it, you tell them to buy.  It is that simple, but you would be amazed at how many people screw it up.  Bad salesmen start to wonder if the product is really what the person needs, or if their spouse would like it too, and a whole array of other variables to create nerves that can loose a sale.  Your mouth would hang agape if you could see how people contrive of ways to loose a sale, and this is what the Democratic Party is doing.  They are doing this because the American people are already sold, and do not need more selling.  They already voted in an insurmountable Democratic majority, so the sales force is no longer needed.  Now is time for the installation crew and technical support.  You must make sure that everything gets setup how they intended, and that if they have any questions there is a force that is able to do so.  This is very simple and happens everyday.  For simplicity's sake we will say that the Democrats are satellite television, and the Republicans are cable television.  The Democrats spend over a year convincing someone to switch from cable to satellite, and finally they succeed.  Now all they need to do is install the dish and get them started, yet their installers are late and now the customer is calling the cable company to see if they can get a better deal.  This Republican intrusion is the fault of the Democrats because they did not have an organized installation squad, and had poor technical support.  I have seen customers cancel service for much less than that.

Thus the reality of the day is that people are being constantly sold something, and someone needs to break that trend.  We go to stores and buy stuff we do not need, only to come home and watch people try to sell us stuff on television.  We are accustomed to sales through commercials, and product placement, but our governing bodies need to refrain.  Additionally, journalists should aid in this discourse towards an aversion to sales, and a proclivity towards news.  Otherwise we will have reporters talking about news that has emerged from a soon to be released book, and how important it is, instead of chastising the writer for not informing the public of this much needed information five years ago when it could have benefited more Americans instead of just the writer (see Tom Ridge's new book).  The American people cannot recognize when they are being sold a false set of goods, so our utmost goal should be to educate them on how to do something.  Otherwise people will be sold anything, and we will be able to get nothing done.

That was the week that was, and this was your Sunday Knight.

The Sunday Knight - Manners & Maturity

I have had this theory for quite some time that America is a very young country, yet this youthfulness is far more than a statistic, but more so a disposition.  When we are compared to other industrialized countries we are one of the youngest.  The indigenous people of the Americas were decimated to a degree that essentially made history start anew.  The Americas started in 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, and this would make us far less mature than our European counterparts.  We are far younger than most of the countries we associate with, yet hold a surprisingly large amount of weight on the world stage due to our size, isolation, and the fact that we started democracy.  We as a country are a prodigious talent.  We created a system of government that the world had never seen before at a very young age, and then grew to dominate North America and then the world.  What we have done is impressive, yet we need to acknowledge our youth.  Every prodigy that ends up becoming a functional adult has listened to others.  This past week has shown America's inability to listen to others and act like the mature country it needs to be.  You can only be a prodigious talent for so long before you either squander your gifts or grow into a functioning cog of society.

Over the past week, the actions of most American's concerning most notably, but not limited to, healthcare has been juvenile to say the least.  Senators, such as Chuck Grassley, and numerous Americans have spewed the vile lies that President Obama's healthcare plan will have "Death Panels" to kill our senior citizens.  This is simply a lie used to create unrest and diminish debate.  Few things are more immature than preventing discussions.  These people are acting like that childish relative who always finds a way to disrupt conversations simply because he craves attention.  He wants people to do what he wants regardless to all if it actually benefits anyone other than himself.  That is what these people, and the Republican Party remind me of.  Their actions concerning the erroneous "Death Panel" claims, their immature behavior at Town Hall meetings, their crazy ideas concerning President Obama not being an American citizen all resemble an out of control child who needs a time out or a spanking.  This is regression at it finest, yet it gets worse.

In addition to the embarrassment that are the "Death Panelers", the "Birthers" and the "Town Hallers" the most egregious of all may be the ones who compare Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler.  This alone shows a frightening level of immaturity.  Adolf Hitler waged the most destructive war in modern history and systematically attempted to eradicate an entire ethnic group off the face of the planet.  Trying to provide Americans with universal healthcare is far less detrimental than World War II and the Holocaust.  Their logic consists of "Obama is bad.  Hitler is bad.  Therefore Obama is Hitler."  An elementary school student could easily find fault in this logic, yet adult Americans seem incapable of doing so.  

In my eyes when children behave this badly, the proper form of punishment would be to establish rules, and ignore the brat.  You should not tell them that their opinions matter, when they do not make any sense.  You should not care if they like you.  You are the one in the position of authority and you should exert that authority wisely, and justly when needed.  If you mismanage your authority, you will probably loose it and this is where I am having the issue with the other part of America.  The Democrats are not treating these people like the brats that they are, but are instead treating them as equals.  The Democrats have all the authority, so they need to act more mature, but I do not feel they are.  Concerning town hall meetings, I would simply set some rules for how the proceedings will unfold with a list of actions that will not be tolerated.  No yelling, shouting, or use of intimidating acts.  A moderator may be needed to oversee the events, but above all you cannot do the same actions and hope for a miraculous turn of events for the better.  Above all I do not understand why the Democratic Party currently behaves as thought the Republican Party holds any sway of influence.  The more attention the Democrats give them, the more power the Republicans will get because the Democrats would have given it to them by stating that their opinions matter.  They may be people with opinions, yet none of that matters now.  Parents do not usually clear their actions with their children before they act, so the Democrats should not feel the need to get one ounce of Republican approval before they act on universal healthcare or anything else for that matter.

This past week had many pressing matters from all over the world ranging from Aung San Suu Kyi's trial, Charles Taylor's trial on war crimes, Typhoon Morakot, the instability in Honduras, and the official swearing in of Mahmood Ahmadinejad in Iran, yet the frightening inability of Americans to have civil discussions rose to fore.  How as a prodigious country with so much potential do we ardently fight against improvements that other countries have already successfully made?  The issue at hand is not whether the government should have a monopoly on healthcare, but whether private companies should have a monopoly on healthcare.  The answer should be that private companies should not have a monopoly, and that the government should be able to provide an alternative solely for the purpose of competition.  This is not a complex issue, and it should not elicit shouting, violence, or demonizing upon any individual.

We as a country need to grow up, and we have a lot of growing up to do.  The adults, the Democrats, need to start acting like adults otherwise the others will revel in their childlike actions and we will remain as a country that fails to live up to its potential.  Maturing is not easy, but it is better than the alternatives.  This past week was evidence of what wallowing in the filth and ineptitude of our alternatives resembles.  We ignore the world, and focus on the crazy actions of others who could not be happier if no improvement occurred or was even attempted.  This is a sad state to be in.

That was the week that was and this was your The Sunday Knight.  The Sunday Sir is dead.

The Sunday Sir - Leadership

This week was about leadership.  Leadership arriving and leaving.  Leadership being admired, appreciated, and respected.  Leadership being hoped and fought for, and leadership being questioned.  People across world spoke of leadership this week.  The discussion of leadership must start at home first.

Monday marked the day of Al Franken's official swearing in as a United States Senator, and I found this fitting.  No more than a couple of days after Sarah Palin quit as Governor of Alaska the Democrats earn a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.  I know that neither one of these truly effect each other, but it appeared as a changing of the guard in my eyes.  The Republican's had an individual who they buttressed up and placed on the national stage with the hope that she could energize their faltering party who could not take the heat, so she left the kitchen.  The idea of Sarah Palin was much greater than the actual Sarah Palin, and we have all seen that.  Al Franken on the other hand could not be more of the opposite.  The idea of Al Franken is far less than the actual Al Franken.  People attempt to ridicule him as merely a comedian, yet he is obviously much more than that.  If you had any doubt of that you must have overlooked the fact that he defeated an incumbent Senator in one of the most contested elections in modern history only to emerge as a proper Senator.  I must say the notion that anyone seriously thought that Sarah Palin could adequately serve as Vice President of the United States is now laughable to a degree beyond anything Al Franken has written in his entire life.  Now we all need to assess who is the comedian.  

Internationally, we American's need to be proud that we have a much envied President.  A President who many countries would in a heartbeat would gladly swap for their own.  First the President visited Russia and quickly reached a miraculous agreement with Russian President Medvedev to reduce both countires nuclear stockpiles.  At this point, the strength of Obama's diplomatic and foreign policy skills were on full display and ready for the G8 summit being hosted Italy's controversial President Silvio Berlusconi.  President Obama's first major visit to Europe a month ago served as an introduction.  It was a chance to charm, impresses, and allow for authority to grow.  This trip however was all about authority, and he impressed in doing so.  When the European public witnessed the young, vibrant and intelligent American President on this occasion many wished he was their president.  Italian's would have quickly swapped him for their philandering, billionaire President with a year around tan.  The British appear to already want to exchange the dour Gordon Brown for someone else, so President Obama could be ideal.  The German's appear to be growing tired of their scientist Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The French have even developed a love affair, only rivaled by their addiction to the Kennedy Family, to the Obama's that pushes their own Sarkozy-Bruni family out of the limelight.  In Europe our President was the envy of all nations, yet I doubt he gets the same admiration domestically.  This is something worth noting.  Eventually he left Europe, but not after the leaders of the G8 agreed to reduce carbon emissions to decrease the affects of global warming.

After Europe President Obama then made his first Sub-Saharan Africa visit when he visited Ghana, and he received a heros welcome.  All of Africa clamored to catch a glimpse of the first African-American President of the Untied States.  The prodigal son came home, and he knew that this is where he came from.  He may have gone away under horrific circumstances, and while he was gone he struggled but eventually he carved a place that he could call his own.  No one was his master.  No one could dictate what he could do with his life.  He was a man.  He was a proud man with a great family who never forgot where we came from.  The life he had built was a good one, and he still had work to complete in his new life, but he knew at some point he must come home so that his family could see him.  That is what President Obama did and that is why this was so important.  When he said he has "African blood running through him" he meant it.  It is true and need not be forgotten.  He took his family along and the toured fortresses that were part of the slave trade.  He spoke to the Ghanaian parliament and declared that Africa must stop their corruption if they want to improve.  Homecomings do not need to be only hugs and celebration.  Sometimes harsh words need to be spoken in a cordial manner, and this is a sign of good diplomacy.  Eventually, America's President returned home as the envy of the world.  This is the leadership that I enjoy.

However, when one ventures out into the world despite all the good that may occur you would be insane to ignore the bad, the different, or the fascinating.  Thus this Sunday Sir cannot be just about America.  That would go against the goal of proper international diplomacy.  Despite the fervor that surrounds President Obama and the improving example of leadership that he is we must not ignore those going through a transition.  Honduras is still going through the aftershocks of their coup d'etat, and the international community remains undecided about how they stand.  Countries obviously cannot support military coups, but they equally should not support amendments to constitutions that could allow dictatorships to form.  This is a tough call, yet we all hope for a more peaceful outcome.  At the same time, Iran remains in a constant struggle between the people and the government.  No one knows what the future will bring, but we all know neither side will go away without a fight.  China recently had a riot that erupted from tensions between their ethnic muslim minority of Uighur residents and the majority Han residents.  In all over 157 people were killed in the fighting.  137 of those killed were Han, and 46 were Uighur.  All of this stemmed from the death of two Uighur workers in a toy factor after an altercation between Hans and Uighurs.  Lastly, but certainly not least, Kim Jong-il of North Korea according to reports coming out of South Korea and China is suffering from pancreatic cancer and is very ill.  Very soon North Korea may have another Supreme Leader.

These foreign and domestic events are all about leadership in the present.  President Obama attempts to lead the world.  The Democrats attempt to lead America.  The Hondurans attempt to define and contain their leadership.  The Iranians similarly fight to have more control over their leadership.  That fight may eventually result in a change of leadership.  Only time will tell.  The Uighurs of China fight to gain some significance or influence with their leadership.  The frustration may have been poorly placed or lacking structure, but it is there for all to see.  Hopefully, the Chinese government may take notice.  The government needs to fear their own people to a certain degree.  I do not know if the Chinese do.  North Korea hopes to have more of the same leadership, but the world wonders what this new leader will bring.

I will end this Sunday Sir with a mention of leadership past and present.  Attorney General Eric Holder is considering appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the Bush Administration's torture practices.  President Obama does not support this according to most reports, but he must support his Attorney General.  He must allow him to do his job.  The next couple of weeks will show if President Obama's knack for leadership internationally can be equally applied domestically.

That was the week that was and this was your The Sunday Sir

The Sunday Sir - Dizzying Days

This week in news made my head spin. More things occurred than one could count, yet it was nearly impossible to say one was more important than the others. Here is a quick rundown of the week that was.

Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. The United States started withdrawing troops from Iraq, and the Iraqis celebrated. The Obama administration launched its first real military foray by sending troops into Taliban infested parts of Afghanistan. Al Franken was declared the winner in the Minnesota senate race. There was a coup d'etat in Honduras. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still maintains the legitimacy of his victory in Iran, and the protests still continue. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Burma. Sarah Palin resigned. Roger Federer won Wimbledon. President Obama is visiting Russia and meeting with President Medvedev.

That was a week of much news, and for most part all the events are fairly interconnected. All the events except the celebrity ones, Sarah Palin and Roger Federer, have a similar theme. They are trying to establish more freedoms for others. They are all democratic news, and not headline catching, sensational news stories. I do not think this is common.

Bernie Madoff going to jail should aid in the likelihood that everyday citizens can invest without being cheated out of thousands of dollars. Troops need to leave Iraq to see if the country can survive on its own. Democracy is an internal struggle that each country must do one their own. America's failed policy of promoting democracy with the barrel of a gun must be aborted so troops need to leave Iraq, and the Iraqis need to struggle to make their country how they want it to be. At the same time, America has a policy fighting terrorists, so we need to ensure that the Taliban does not increase their influence in Afghanistan. Thus we need to fight them. This is in the best interest of America and the Middle East, a Middle East that all can see is growing tired of being under the rule of dictators and religion. The Middle East appears far more inclined to fight for democracy now than ever before, so I find it appropriate that America's democracy took a positive step by confirming Al Franken the winner in Minnesota. Regardless of whether you like Al Franken, you must appreciate that in this situation votes count for more than money and lawyers. Al Franken did not win by much, but if you believe that every vote counts then you do not need to win by much to win. This is good for America.

In Honduras their coup has received great disapproval throughout the world, but I am not sure how I stand on this situation. Yes the military overthrew the President, but that President was also trying to amend the constitution in a manner that had received widespread disapproval. This may not have been the ideal answer to their problem, but hindsight is 20/20. I can understand way most countries do not approve of this act, but their reasoning I suspect is based more on their own interests instead of those of Honduras. Basically, it would be unwise of other countries to support the forceful change of government of one country considering that it may eventually provide a similar impetus to its own citizens. Especially, if you consider that the coup d'etat was cause by a proposed piece of legislation. (Honduras deserved its own paragraph.)

Ban Ki-moon visited Burma and a bunch of nothing happened, but at least he got in the country and got out without any major issues. If would have been nice if the ruling military junta allowed him to see Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition who has been under house arrest for numerous years, but no one should be surprised that he was not allowed to see her.

Overall, there appears to be something in the air right now that is worth fighting for.  Much work needs to be done around the world, and while everyone may not be perfect in their actions at least they are trying to increase the freedoms of others and the stability of democracy.  At least the events of this week were newsworthy.

I know I probably left off some other important events of the week, but frankly my head is still spinning.

This was your Sunday Sir.

The Sunday Sir - What is News?

This week was very eventful, but eventful in many not connected ways. The week could have been focused mostly on Iran, yet Iran fell to the background this week. First Mark Sanford disappeared and then reappeared crying with an Argentine mistress. That was going to be the news story of the week, and I was dreading it. Someone's private life is just not important enough for me to talk about for more than a day. However, due to the tragic deaths of Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson the news took another turn. Mark Sanford became a relative nobody again, and the news shifted. Despite the careers and the love that these people generated, and this might be cruel, but I do not want them to take up my entire week. I already own Off the Wall and Thriller and I do not feel the need to find out what we already knew. Michael Jackson was a genius and crazy. I got it. Yet the week was not done. The House of Representatives passed a very important bill concerning climate change. Honduras had a coup d'etat and threw out their President, and Iran still fought for their freedom. All of this news, made me wonder what is news or what should get priority in our news.

I, for example, posted almost exclusively about the events in Iran a week ago because I felt its importance. The importance of the issue is not solely based on a dislike of the present government, but instead out of respect and admiration of the protesters. They are fighting for an advanced level of freedom of expression and an increased degree of influence over their surroundings. This can be obtained through a more democratic society. This is a struggle everyone can relate to. This is a fight that everyone should be able to understand, and be able to learn from to hopefully improve their lives. I feel this is newsworthy. However, I did not blog much about this event during the week. I felt I needed a little break, I needed something nice and light. That may not be ideal, and that may not be newsworthy, but that was part of my week. This need for a break should not be something the mainstream news requires. That happened this week.

Mark Sanford's infidelity should not be news. We may not want to admit this fact, but infidelity happens everyday. The fact that it happened to someone who opposed adultery on a national stage is just sad and funny, but not news. People make this news because for the most part the Republican Party advocates "family values" issues, and therefore advocates making private personal issues public issues, so that everyone can be subjected to ridicule in public on top of all of their conflicting emotions. I have grown past pointing my finger at someone and laughing at them. I was told that it was wrong at a very young age, and that I should be able to find better things to spend my time with. I chose to follow this advice. Additionally, to make this lack of news even less important we all must consider that the Republican Party has little to no influence over the government at this point. If they have little influence, why should we care about the mistakes of the powerless? This story was a waste of time.

Secondly, the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were both sad, and should be reported on, but in this country we have an abundance of television. Shouldn't the E! channel be allowed the responsibility of reporting this news? These are stories about entertainment and not pertinence. They need to be placed in the proper categories. I could careless about what they find out from Michael Jackson's autopsy report. Most likely it will be something unexpected. Throughout his life you never knew what to expect out of Michael Jackson, and I doubt the element of surprise will end now.

The most important issue of the week could turn out to be the House's passing of an important Climate Change bill. This is an issue that should not be left for the margins. The issue of how human beings find ways to generate energy, yet still allow for clean air to breath should be one of the most pressing issues of the day. People need energy, and clean air to breath much more than they need to hear about a scandalous affair or purchase three copies of an album they already have. You can read more about the bill HERE. The bill still has to pass through the Senate and be approved by the President to become law, but this is a good first step.

Honduras this week should have made more headlines after its coup, but at least it was not totally ignored. Over the weekend Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was forced out of office by the military and exiled to Costa Rica after he proposed a referendum to amend the constitution to allow for the president to serve beyond the currently established non-renewable four-year term. Honduras' Supreme court said the referendum was illegal. Additionally, the majority of the Congress and the military opposed this plan, so the military instead removed him from office before the votes could be cast.  Roberto Micheletti is the new interim President.  This should be nearly as newsworthy as the events unfolding in Iran.  These are two groups of people fighting over how they would like to be governed instead of focusing on how they would like to be entertained.

Entertainment is the issue at hand, and this invades the news.  We care about stuff that we can have no control over.  We decide to care about someone's marriage when we find out it is having problems.  We decide to care about someone's career when it is no longer possible for them to have one, yet we push to the margins the issues that can have an influence over our lives.  Iran was not the main topic of the week, yet it should be in everyone's mind.  We can learn about our democracy by watching people fight for theirs.  This lesson on spreading democracy could easily be applied to our failed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We ignore how Honduras overthrew the President because they felt he was extending his range of power to a degree they were not comfortable with, yet we can allow for the Bush Administration to break the law and then question whether they should be prosecuted.  We, the people and the news, can quickly overlook the importance of the environment despite if being our source for life, and if done right our economic freedom and security, for the opportunity to read some gossip or point the finger.  Additionally, we have made very little progress with regards to national healthcare and this literally is a life or death issue.  This week left me disappointed.  

This week the news gave people what they feel the people wanted, and not what the people needed.  If I only wanted to watch what I want, then I would never look at TV and would spend most of the day watching DVDs.  The news needs to be better than what it was this week.  Otherwise it is just gossip.

This was your Sunday Sir and I hope it was newsworthy.

The Sunday Sir - The Year is 1430 and the Time is Now

"Liberty leading the people" by Eugene Delacroix

When I first saw this painting in college I did not find it inspirational. The French Revolution was something I studied. It was something I found interesting. It was something I needed to learn to stay in college. It was not something that breathed, had a pulse or lived. Frankly, I found a fair amount of humor in this painting. If you notice the man lying on the ground to the left of Liberty, you will see that he has no pants on, and only one sock. I found this funny. "Who only has one sock." I would say to my classmates, and we would laugh. We did not laugh because we felt like ridiculing the Revolution, but because it was only a picture. Eventually, I pointed out my perceived humor about the pant-less, one socked man to a French friend of mine, and he found no humor. He said, "that was the French Revolution", and then went on to explain facets of the Revolution that for the most part I knew, yet had not heard with such seriousness. This made a difference to me, and my perspective, and I no longer found myself humorous.

This past week was one of many events, all of which increased their seriousness as the week progressed. The vast majority of the events were not planned, yet many of the results could have been predicted. Many would have predicted that Iranian President Ahmadinejad would go to incredible lengths to ensure that he 'won' re-election, but most hoped that the law would prevail.  After the election, protests were predicted, but the magnitude surprised many, including the Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad.  Mir Hossein Mousavi then called for peaceful protests, but the basiji under the orders the President Ahmadinejad quickly put an end to the peace, and Iranian civilians died for their freedom.  None of this was intended, but we all could easily see it coming to this.  This has happened before.  

(Additionally, excuse me if I neglected any other pertinent events, but as in most uprisings the chaos can allow for events to fall through the cracks, yet should not imply a lack of seriousness towards the issue.)

I want to keep this Sunday Sir short because the issue of the week is not the events that have occurred in Iran over the past week, but the issue is attempting to feel, breath, and as best you can live the events that have occurred over the week.  This week should not be about reading a news feed or watching a video, but instead your actions after you have done so.  You may then decide to join a group, participate in a march, or even right about it in your own blog.  None of these actions may be enough, but they are a start in the right direction.  Your actions can take you in a direction that may be unfamiliar, but I bet if you look hard enough throughout history you can find events that may predict your future events.  All you need now is to be prepared for the ride.  That however can be the hardest part, so finding solidarity through history can be a welcomed companion.

At present, my calendar says it is Sunday, June 21st of the year 2009, yet what opened my eyes today about the past week occurred six years ago when I was in college and no longer found myself humorous.  My misplaced humor at the time was based around my perception of events that occurred over 300 years before when the calendar approximately read July 14th 1789.  In the Islamic world the calendars read the year 1430, and revolution may be on the cards.  Only time will tell.  This weeks Sunday Sir is less about the week, and dates then one would assume, but is more about events and how one sees them.  Seeing with your eyes is not always enough, so this week has implored me to see more with my head.  I have decided to enlist the past to see the present, and therefore aspire to be more equipped for the future.  This past week has seen many changes, yet what this should do for most is open up other doors to allow for a more fuller understanding of the present.  Essentially, you must do what is right today, regardless of the date or day, and be brave enough to venture towards your unknown.  If you get scared, you may find a companion in your previous events or the events of others.

What a week.

That was the week and this was your Sunday Sir.

The Sunday Sir - Worth Fighting For

Mousavi supporters take to the streets

It is amazing what can happen in a week. This week has had many issues that have generated headlines, all of which are entirely different and bear little to no relation to last week's, yet all have have a similar center. At the beginning of the week, I hoped that healthcare reform would be the topic of the week, but that was quickly disrupted due to senile, racist actions of James W. von Brunn at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Thus today, I was prepared to write about American terrorism, and I was not too excited about that. I had grown tired about writing about terror or terrorism perpetrated by Americans in the name of a greater good. These are ignorant acts, and America should be above that, yet we seem not to be. I understand that, but refuse to accept that. Luckily though there is topic of greater importance than American ignorance this week, yet strangely we all must look to Iran to find it.

This week Iran had their presidential election, and it was and still is hotly contested. The challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi generated a huge base of support throughout Iran due to the dictator-like actions of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and when voting began all predicted a very tight election. If defeated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be the first Iranian president to be voted out of office after only his first term. Apparently, this was not a result Ahmadinejad desired. Thus once all the nearly 40 million ballots, nearly 85% of the population, were cast President Ahmadinejad declared himself the victor with roughly 63% of the vote. Despite not being in Iran myself, this figure seems laughable to me. To put the hilarity of a 63% victory in perspective, one must understand that Barack Obama only won with 52.9% of the popular vote. In 2004 George W. Bush won with 50.7% of the popular vote and his campaign consisted mostly of scarring the general public to a victory. If 52.9% is a mandate for change, and 50.7% is a country crippled by fear, then 63% must equal a dictatorship. It is hard for that many people to like one person unless they are fearful of their lives, or the numbers must be fabricated. That is just how I see it, and many Iranians appear to agree with me. After the controversial election results the people took to the street.

Iranians took to the street, not because they hated government, but because they hated the current one. They did not protest because they hated Ahmadinejad's politics or what he believed in, but instead because he did not hold up his end of the bargain. Iranian's live in a country that stipulates that the people are the source of power and therefore when the president is voted out of office he needs to leave. When the President breaks his bargain to leave, then the people need to break their bargain to follow the law. The voice of the people must be heard, and I think the riots in Iran must be one of the most patriot acts I have witnessed in quite a while.

Now I cannot say that Ahmadinejad definitely lost the election, but his 63% "victory" does raise a large amount of doubt. That 63% is the funniest thing about dictatorships. Their goal is not to respect the people. Their goal is to show strength. A victory of 55% would not suffice. That would be believable, but it would show weakness. Weakness cannot be on display, so 63% must exist, and now riots are the only appropriate recourse. Ahmadinejad thus has deployed the police to stop the riots, and now challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, who reportedly received only 34% of the popular vote, has been arrested HERE.  However, he has vowed to not concede defeat.

I found the actions in Iran fascinating not because of corrupt political actions, or the riots in the streets, but because Iranian's seem to know what is worth fighting for at the moment, yet I do not think my home country does.  We American's have Republican's fighting to discredit Sonia Sotomayor at every chance they get because she will be a Democratic appointment.  Republican governors are fighting to not accept stimulus money because they fear of the fallout from the government spending money.  Doctors who preform abortions are being shot in churches.  Congress is fighting against universal healthcare because they do not feel that should be the job of the government, and to a certain degree are fearful of the pharmaceutical lobby.  President Obama is being ridiculed for taking his wife out on a date.  Racist geriatrics are killing people for not denying the holocaust and because the current President is African-American.  All the while this is going on, thousands of Americans are buying guns because they are fearful President Obama will "take them away".  We as a country do not know what to fight for, and this is sad.  We do not know how we want to be governed, and we are oblivious to the role of government.

The government is our own creation in all of its imperfect glory, and all we need it to be is accountable.  We need it to hold up to its end of the bargain.  The bargain is this:  tell me what you plan to do and how you intend to do it.  If I like what you say, I will vote for you.  If I do not I will vote for someone else.  At the end of the day, the best man or the person with the most votes wins.  (Our Electoral College needs some work.)  If the person you support does not win then you should voice your opinion while remaining within the confines of the law, as long as the victor is also obeying the laws of the land.  That is it, and it is simple.  Not everyone will like the victor and that is fine.  That is how it is supposed to be, but we must find a way to co-exist together because anarchy brought forth because the law was followed does not allow for a stable country.  America currently has tiny pockets of anarchy for the sheer joy of watching things burn, and this is disgraceful.

Iran has riots due to the anguish of being cheated.  These are not riots that were intended, nor were they riots that anyone wanted.  They are riots that must occur for democracy to reign.  We often state that people fear the government, but what is often neglected is that the government must fear the people.  These are the principle of checks and balances at their core.  I am curious to see what occurs in Iran over the following days, weeks, and months, but overall I am pleased to see a people that know what to fight for instead of a people who enjoy engaging in folly for folly's sake.  After nearly eight years of being fed Axis of Evil rubbish, we all must look to Iran to witness a true struggle for Democracy.

For more info on Iran's Presidential Election I recommend following Nico Pitney's blog at The Huffington Post HERE.

Additionally I would recommend you check out this previous post I wrote about Revolutionary Vigor HERE.

That was how I saw the week, and this was The Sunday Sir.

The Sunday Sir - Obama & the World

Three of the great wonders of the world.

This was a fairly pleasant week.  Terror nor torture was the topic of the day.  Congress did not do anything silly, and most importantly I got a break from the unpleasant reminders of the incompetence of the Bush Administration.  The week was good, not because these issues did not exist during the week, but because we had a more forceful topic to focus our attention.  Luckily for everyone this focus happened to be our President.  This week President Obama gave me a break from the negativity and incompetence that often occupies the American news cycle.

For starters, NBC had a great two hour special about the Obama White House hosted by Brian Williams.  The special gave a light, yet serious perspective on the new administration.  I needed that.  I learned and was entertained at the same time.  

Then to continue the positive week President Obama headed to the Middle East.  He met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and then he headed to Cairo, Egypt to give his speech concerning American and Middle Eastern and/or the Islamic faith.  It was a great speech and the longest one he has given yet.  To see the whole speech go HERE.  President did nothing, but improve America's standing in the Middle East and that was much needed.  I enjoyed that, and the recent Lebanese elections indicate that this influence is already bearing fruit.  President Obama then headed to Dresden, Germany to start his World War II memorial tour.  After visiting Dresden he then visited Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.  The trips themselves were very important on a diplomatic front, but the charm and authority on display throughout the trips holds a higher importance.

In less than a week President Obama charmed the Middle East, and put European leaders in check.  After the Cairo speech people all over the Middle East felt that the United States now had a wise leader at the helm of the ship.  This is a major accomplishment.  Additionally, the leaders of both Germany and France found out that President Obama is his own man.  Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy found out that President Obama follows his own rules and/or schedule on this trip.  President Obama was in and out of Germany quite fast, and this probably bothered Chancellor Merkel to a degree considering the large German support for Obama, but President Sarkozy got it far worse.  While in France, President Obama turned down a dinner request from the Sarkozys apparently in response to President Sarkozy's unflattering remarks about President Obama at the end of the G8 Summit.  Instead the President decided to spend time with family.  The President and the First Lady had a nice dinner at a Parisian restaurant, and First Lady Michelle Obama took Sasha and Malia all over Paris.  They visited the Eiffel Tower, and President Obama joined them at Notre Dame.  This was simple and refreshing.  

These are events that should not be news, but they are.  They are news because the Obamas are introducing themselves to World.  The World may feel that they already know the Obamas, but the World can also have a short memory.  Every official State trip is a chance for America to re-establish their positive standing in the world.  On visits such as these, speeches can be almost as important as a dinner with your wife.  Thus you had better have a good speech and take your wife to some place nice.  Otherwise you may return home to find a country and relationships that are worse than before you left.  Thankfully, that was not the case for the past week.

So far it appears as though President Obama has returned home with a new found vigor to leave his mark on America with the latest issue being healthcare reform.  Only this week and the weeks ahead will tell where this vigor will take him.  Judging by the past week, he has not done himself any harm.  

Presidents actually improving their surroundings is something I could learn to enjoy.

That was the week, this is your The Sunday Sir, and I will work on actually finishing these on Sunday.  Otherwise the title and theme will become pointless.

The Sunday Sir - Aborting Growth

I had already thought of a topic for this weeks Sunday Sir.  I had a title, and I knew exactly what I wanted to write about.  It was going to be about Judge Sonia Sotomayor and a lot of foreign policy, and I was really exited to write about it, but now I cannot.  I cannot because Dr. George Tiller was shot dead today in his church.  A person who few had ever heard of is now the topic of the week.

Dr. George Tiller was always a controversial subject due to the fact that his clinic performed late-term abortions.  Late term abortions are abortions that take place after the 20th week of gestation of the fetus.  At this point, many would argue that the fetus potentially could survive outside the womb.  Dr. Tiller's unpopularity amongst the pro-life movement grew due to this practice and in 1986 his clinic was bombed.  In 1993 he was shot in both arms by a pro-life proponent.  Additionally, his clinic frequently receives protesters.  Frankly abortion opposers do not like him and it showed today.  Frankly, I can understand that they do not like him and I can accept that, but I cannot accept that they try to and eventually succeed in murdering him.

As I see it people are either pro-life or pro-choice and most have their own varying degrees of logic to support their stance.  I can respect someone's opinions, everyone has one, but I can be critical of their actions.  If you are pro-life and you decide to not have an abortion, that makes sense.  I may think you are ill equipped for motherhood, but frankly that is besides the point.  Likewise, if you are pro-choice and opt for an abortion instead of motherhood, that makes sense.  I may have thought that you are an irresponsible person who does not feel they need to be responsible for their actions, but that is also besides the point.  These actions and my opinion are both besides the point because these are obviously personal decisions.  People are not perfect, and I am not in a position to ridicule imperfection.  That is how I see it, and that is how governments must see it too.  This consists of a proper understanding of maturity and growing up, which is wholly appropriate in an issue concerning abortion because the entire issue revolves around how old is old enough to be considered a person.

Governments, especially democratic ones, must understand that people are imperfect and that therefore governments are imperfect.  People obviously are not perfect because they feel the need to have a government.  If people on their own could educate themselves, protect themselves, and magically come up with a rule of laws to apply to all people then governments would not be needed.  Sadly not everyone can do that, so we need governments.  Additionally, people also understand that the newly formed governments should not have power forever because power can corrupt, and that would lead to bad decision making.  Thus people are so imperfect that they are forced to make a government to survive, and they know that they are imperfect.  They know they are imperfect because only their imperfect selves can serve in the government, and they must make laws to ensure that their imperfection does not render the government useless.  Since governments are in their entirety imperfect, and the people who make up the country the government governs are imperfect it would be the most unjust act of all for governments to make laws on the premise that people will make perfect decisions.  It would be unjust for the government to not allow for an alternative for perfection.  The government outlawing abortion would assume that every pregnancy is both planned and wanted, and considering how difficult it is to properly plan a pregnancy let alone make a living in modern times I feel this would be very unjust.  The government must allow people to make mistakes because we all will, and so will the government.

That is one side of the issue, and the other is the significance of life and death.  This in many respects requires a far larger degree of growth and maturity than understanding what governments do.  As far as I can understand, it appears as though when death is harder to achieve the significance of life becomes increased.  Essentially, people feel as though the opportunity to live becomes more important when people live longer.  When people die sooner and younger then death is expected so when it happens it is not as traumatic.  In this scenario abortions and/or infanticide would not be as mortifying.  An unwanted baby could easily be placed in a basket on a river and few would bat an eye.  People actually lived like that, and at the time they were not morally corrupt.  They would be outcasts today, and today people live a lot longer and healthier than in any other time.  The idea of depriving a fetus of its inevitably long and happy life is horrifying when you assume life will be that way, but when you assume the inverse and live in a different time it is not as unpleasant.  This is an understanding you get by growing up and expanding your understanding of the world you live in now and the ones people lived in before you. 

So far to understand abortion you need to accept that governments and people are neither perfect nor should expect perfection, and must understand that unwanted pregnancies have been around as long as pregnancies, but that is not all you need to know.  See there is something else you must understand, and this often falls under the category of morals.  Governments kill people.  This is not right, and this is not wrong.  This is just true.  They kill people on purpose and they kill people on accident.  This is something you must accept.  There is nothing you can do to get around that fact.  That is how it has always been and that is how it will always be.  Additionally, people kill people too.  They do it in the same fashion as governments.  They do it on purpose and on accident, and it will never stop.  It is inherent in our imperfection.  The main difference between the two is that governments are much better at carrying this burden, so let them carry the burden.  Let governments be the imperfect entity that allows for the killing of fetuses, so that people must not carry the full weight of that burden.  Most people probably could not support that burden for a lifetime, yet a government could.  That is why they are created.  They are created to allow us to do what we could not do alone.  They are the lesser of two evils.  This is not fun, and this is not perfect, but this is life.  When we are talking about abortion we are talking about life, yet few people appear to have a grasp on the life they live.

This lack of understanding about what one is fighting for and is willing to kill for is what bothers me the most.  People are fighting to save a life because life is now precious and holy because people live longer now than ever before, yet despite humanity's newly found longevity people still die and perfection has not been accomplished.  The people who now feel that life is grand because we live longer and have more stuff appear to feel that perfection and uniformed morality should be assumed for all beings, yet this is impossible.  These same people who believe in this impossibility in turn loath the government because of its imperfections, yet these imperfections reflect more on society at large than it does the government itself.  These people fight and kill for people to live in a world that does not exist.  Instead they aspire to bring them into a world that they do not understand.  They believe in this fantasy world so fervently that they are ready to put aside their morals, so that more lives may witness it.  Their belief that every life is sacred can be pushed aside if it ensures that more lives can exist.  The ends now justify the means, and that may be the most imperfect action of all.  The action of killing makes their argument void, and their imperfection apparent.  They destroy themselves by attempting to improve themselves, and this may be the most immature act of all.  They fight against reality, only to self-destruct and this is the world they want to bring people into.  The frustration I get from their childlike comprehension could bother me to no end, if I did not understand that life is imperfect and that people often harm themselves and others when they try to improve themselves.

Alas people need to grow up, and we need to care more about that than abortion.  People need to understand where they live.  They need to understand what certain groups such as governments do.  They need to understand that people make mistakes everyday of their life and that that is okay.  Life is full of unpleasant things that we all must accept due to our inherent imperfections and we need to understand our battles and what we are fighting before we start killing people.  If we do not do that then we are destined to live as giant children, and that should not be a place where you should want to introduce new life.  In a world run by children I guess it would be viewed as okay to murder someone in a church while they are serving as an usher and their wife is singing in the choir.  In this world we would have little hope of developing functional adults, and I would hate to live there.

This is late Sunday night/early Monday morning and that was your The Sunday Sir

The Sunday Sir - Governance

Earlier this week the final testament of beheaded French King Louis XVI was recovered. The testement, "The Declaration to all the French" was written in 1791 immediately before he fled Versailles to escape the dangers of the French Revolution. By this time the Revolution was in full swing, and Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were caught as they fled. The legend says that a guard captured the King by recognizing his image in some French currency. However, this legend could simply have been fabricated to indicate how the King's excesses and incompetence would lead to his downfall. Eventually, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette both stood trial and were both found guilty of treason and were executed via guillotine. With the execution of the monarchy, the revolution continued and eventually democracy was born in France. Additionally, Louis XVI's final plea to the French people in "The Declaration to all the French" fell on deaf ears to then disappear for over a hundred years. Despite not having read the entire 16-page manuscript, it has not been put on public display, yet all accounts have indicated that Louis XVI felt he should remain as the absolute ruler of France, but also understands that some changes must occur to improve the quality of life for all French people. This scenario rings true for today.

The obvious scenario could be the Obama vs Cheney battle that unfolded during the past week. A simple case of out with the old and in with the new, yet the old is reluctant to leave. I get that, yet there is more. This battle is not a personal one nor a principled one. It is a practical one. This is not a who will win Obama or Cheney scenario. This is not who will get the upper hand, the Democrats or Republicans situation. This is a battle about how the public wants to be governed. Just like the French were not battling the monarchy nor the idea of the monarchy, but instead the actions of the monarchy, this battle is one in the same. This past week has been a case of monarchy vs. democracy and to a larger extent it has been a debate about how to structure the democracy. Would a Presidential democracy be better or worse than a Parliamentary democracy has become the new question.

As all pundits acknowledge elections are evaluations on the current administration. Do we want more of the same? This last presidential election, and the congressional elections of 2006 were both more indictments than evaluations of the Bush Administration due to the severity of the objection, and the objections continue. Currently, the news cycle focuses about half of its time on the actions of the Bush Administration and that should show to all the severity of their actions. We currently have enough to focus on, so the prospect of reliving the past should be last on everyone's list, yet it must remain on the list due to the severity of past actions. Due to the number and the severity of the actions I must assume that there must have been a practical difference in how the past and the present feel a government should be run. Thus far it appears that the past feels that a monarchy is far superior to all alternatives.

The Bush Administration cloaked itself in secrecy and classified documents all under the guise of serving the President, but the legality of these actions would only last so long. They would only last as long as the chief law enforcement officer, the attorney general, followed all the commander in chiefs commands. Those days would end with the end of the Bush Administration. A democracy that believes in transparency would not have acted in a similar fashion. They would expect punishment for conducting torture and politically motivated firings, yet these guys and especially Dick Cheney seem surprised about the current turn of events. This makes sense because all monarchies appear surprised and frustrated when they have diminished power and could possibly face punishment for acts they committed under their reign. Under their rule, their acts are their rights, and all their acts are right. Thus the notion of being punished for doing these acts seems absurd. I understand this logic, and this is what we are faced with.

We are dealing with a democracy, that is not set on how they want to govern, being forced to relate peacefully with a monarchy. This is entertaining, yet annoying. The old axiom goes that democracies relate better with one another than they would otherwise with different types of government. I never bought into that belief, but instead feel that countries or parties with known objectives can relate better with each other. This is on display now. Dick Cheney has an obvious objective. He wants to stay out of trouble. To stay out of trouble he either must make his illegal actions legal, or regain power. So far he has proclaimed that his methods of torture worked by saving American lives and therefore are legal, and he has criticized the President with every chance he has gotten. His motives are plain for all to see. The motives of the Administration and the Democrats is much vaguer, and that causes the problem. They do not know how the want to govern.

In my opinion we just left eight years of monarchy-esque rule, and now we need to counter the secrecy, efficiency, and destruction of the past administration with equal force. However, I do not think our traditional Presidential form of government would do the trick. It takes too much time to get anything done, and while that can be very good this is not that time. The government needs to be efficient, transparent, and productive. In my eyes that screams Parliamentary. The President needs to be much more like a Prime Minister in that he runs the entire show, yet this is a show where everyone gets free admission. We all get to see, and we all get have opinions. We can even call an end to the show prematurely if we want just like they do in actual parliaments. We can end the efficiency, and the influence of Obama's presidency simply by having Congress behave in a similar fashion to their present one. They can vote down promises the President made during his election. Promises that helped him get elected. They can continue to act with the folly of the current GOP by believing that it would be better to keep Guantanamo Bay Prison open then to transport the prisoners to maximum security prisons in the United States. This is the act of a party that is unsure as to how they want to govern, and this is to the detriment of all Americans. I vote for Parliamentary, and considering that most countries that had or have monarchies use this system, I would feel that its track record would bode well for our future and our stability.

I could go one for days about what I feel the government should do, but The Sunday Siris about the week that was, so I will refrain. Thus after Louis XVI wrote "French people and above all Parisians... return to your king, He will always be your father, your best friend." we must remember that he was caught by the people as he attempted to flee.  He was caught because he represented a time of excess and incompetence that no longer benefitted the French.  The Kings rightful acts had now become treasonous in the eyes of the people, so the people acted.  Essentially, I am growing tired of Dick Cheney's 'declarations' and Congress' in ability to see the benefit of acting more like a parliament.  Yet at the end of the day, it is the role of the people to decide how they want to be governed.  We as American's need to know what we want, and we need to admit that that will require tough decisions.  Otherwise the government will continue to not govern in our favor.

Long Live the Republic.

That was the week in my eyes, and this was your Sunday Sir.