Guns in America

Politics aside: gun control is absolutely necessary. It is really that simple. Let's not wait for another Columbine, Aurora, or Sandy Hook before we take action to reduce gun violence. I will go into more depth later.

Sorry for the Wait

I haven't posted in two months, but that hiatus is now over. I will begin posting regularly again tomorrow.

See you soon.

On the Brink

As we reach day seven of the Israel-Gaza conflict, we can only imagine the effects of the unimaginable: a ground war. What will the death toll be? Can a ground invasion stop the barrage of rockets? Why not work toward a diplomatic solution? Well, these questions will answer themselves in the days to come as we continue to watch the Middle East tear itself apart. There is no doubt that ground operations should be a last resort, attempted only after all else has failed. But how willing is Israel, or even Hamas, to work toward peace? As we sit on the brink of war, let us keep in mind those innocent people on both sides of the fence who will unfortunately bear the burden of mindless conflict. It is time for the United States and other world leaders to step in and prevent a ground invasion, which will undoubtedly carry with it destruction and devastation.

Missiles Felt 'Round the World

The story of Israel vs Hamas is not a new one, and it does not seem that it will be written down in history and tucked away just yet. As each side continues to bombard the other with missiles in "self-defense," noncombatants are being slaughtered in scores. The plight of these innocent people has been felt before, and those of us that empathize with them wish only for the fighting to stop.

Here in America, we are again being divided into "us" and "them" as pro-Israel and pro-Hamas supporters have gathered in Times Square to support their own cause and lambaste the other. Unfortunately, this will not help either side, and definitely will not lead to peace. In fact, the opposite is true. Most recently, a Muslim man was stabbed outside of a mosque in New York, his attacker yelling racial slurs.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama, during a conference in Burma today, has come out to openly support Israel in its actions, which he too labels self-defense. Now, I am no foreign policy expert, nor am I on the ground in Israel or Palestine to get a true sense of what is going on, void of any media bias or exaggeration. What I am, however, is a human being with strong morals who does not need to graduate from West Point to realize that the murdering of innocent people is not self-defense. Both sides are guilty. Both sides must end their godforsaken pursuit of victory, whatever that is. Their perennial struggle with one another is no more honorable than a fight between two second graders over who chose the blue crayon first. Moreover, the President of the United States should not support either belligerent. Instead, he should be facilitating negotiations between the two, for the sake of mankind.

The missiles felt 'round the world will not stop dropping anytime soon. Israel has already mobilized its army, I'm assuming in preparation for ground operations. How many innocent people must suffer before Hamas and Israel come to terms? I have always been a strong Wilsonian, a true believer that peace should trump all other interests. But as the fighting continues at the expense of civilians, my faith in humanity is dwindling. Like many in the region and around the world, I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Salute

On this eleventh day of the eleventh month, we honor all who served our country, offering them a warm thank you for their service and sacrifice. We must note that our nation can only be the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave.

Petraeus's Departure

An affair that would normally have repercussions that reached only so far has now caused CIA director David Petraeus to resign from his post, only a few days after the 2012 presidential election, and a few days before he was scheduled to testify about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. Many politicians have reacted negatively towards his resignation, and even more so towards the cancellation of his testimony. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Peter King, R-New York, who is also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, says Petraeus should testify regardless. 

King insists that Petraeus is "an absolutely essential witness." He goes on to say during an interview on CNN, "David Petraeus' testifying has nothing to do with whether or not he's still the CIA director, and I don't see how the CIA can say he's not going to testify." The conspiracy theorists have already emerged, claiming that Petraeus's resignation is part of a large scheme by the Obama administration to cover up the events in Benghazi. 

Petraeus's actions were indeed irresponsible and scorn worthy, but let us not overlook the bigger picture. His resignation is a watershed event, after which the US Intelligence Agency cannot fully recover. His expertise in the field and his adroitness in international relations has been key in the United States' success in foreign policy; his shoes are simply too big to fill. Whether this has negative implications for US security or not, I am not quite sure yet. But it is absolutely necessary for this issue to be handled sensitively, and resolved immediately. I will update on this story as more information emerges. 

Distraught Republicans Look for Answers

Mitt Romney delivering his concession speech in Boston

After Mitt Romney's crushing defeat on Tuesday, there is no doubt that the Republican Party is doing some sort of self-examination. Trying to figure out what went wrong and why is no easy task, and the loss of several House and Senate seats only adds to the confusion and disappointment in the distraught Republican Party. Despite outspending the opponent by literally millions of dollars, and despite a sluggish economic recovery under President Obama's first term, the Romney campaign fell far short of victory, and that bitter defeat is only made worse by the defeat of several Republican Congressional candidates. Now, myriad questions for the Party arise, and many are pointing fingers every which way, while some are still in shock. Perhaps Mitt Romney's inability to distinguish himself from the infamous President George W. Bush contributed to Tuesday's loss, or maybe its just the incumbent advantage that led President Obama to a victory. Either way, there are many obvious aspects of the Grand Old Party that undoubtedly contributed to Tuesday's disheartening loss, and will continue to beleaguer the party if not immediately corrected.

2012 GOP Debate

The most pernicious of these is the party's relatively new, extremely conservative nature. Republicans are too far to the right for the twenty-first century, thus alienating young people, women, homosexuals, and minorities. In fact, many Republicans have come out to blame Rick Santorum and other GOP nominees for Mitt Romney's crushing defeat on Tuesday. They blame the conservative former Senator for pushing Romney too far to the right in the GOP primaries, thus giving him too much ground to make up during the general election. During the Republican debates, Mitt Romney called himself "extremely conservative," denounced abortion, lambasted homosexuality, rejected things like global warming, and basically alienated every American that was not an extreme right-wing Caucasian that loved Jesus. You cannot, I repeat CANNOT, expect to win the White House, or any significant seat for that matter, if your base consists mostly of white adult males. Take a look at these statistics* from Tuesday:


Candidates                                             Barack Obama      Mitt Romney

White Voters                                                   39%                        59%

African-American Voters                                 93%                         6%

Hispanic Voters                                               71%                        27%

Other (e.g. Asian, Pacific Islander)                   73%                        26%

Electorate (Marital Status):                 Barack Obama       Mitt Romney

Unmarried Women                                          67%                        31%

Unmarried Men                                               56%                        40%

Married Women                                              46%                        53%

Married Men                                                   38%                        60%

Electorate (Age):                                  Barack Obama        Mitt Romney                            

18-29 (19%)                                                   60%                        37%

30-44 (27%)                                                   52%                        45%

45-64 (38%)                                                   47%                        51%

65 & Older (16%)                                           44%                        56%

*adapted from addictinginfo.org

There is no doubt that the party needs to reevaluate what it stands for, because its 1960s approach to America is, well, outdated. The NO TAXES, NO GAYS, NO ABORTION pledge of the GOP will not succeed in the United States, because America was founded on principles like equality and the separation of church and state. The Republicans' current platform is a contradiction of these values, and is in fact a contradiction of itself. Republicans believe in small government, but believe the government should have the power to force a woman to give birth. They claim to be "Pro-Life," but oppose common sense gun control laws. They believe "every American should be in the top 1%," except 47% of America. The party is indeed moribund unless a great, 21st century transformation occurs.