Politico reported today that Bob Wexler is resigning to take a policy position in the Obama administration. With a few minutes or research, I discovered that President Obama has yet to appoint an Ambassador to Israel. As a strong advocate for Israel and pro-peace organizations such as Seeds of Peace, he would be an ideal fit for this position. Will this happen? I think it’s likely, and worth giving up a Congressional seat for. For now, it’s just speculation.

When the Indian embassy was bombed in Afghanistan, the Indian government did not respond by launching air strikes, or sending troops, or railing against Muslim extremism. Instead, they invested in building Afghani infrastructure, including a power grid and road system…

The book “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson describes the author’s experiences in Afghanistan after he was injured in a climbing accident and was taken in by a small village to heal. During his time in the village he learned the local traditions and customs, mainly that the Afghani culture is one of hospitality, meaning that if you are given assistance or aid you incur an obligation to return the favour. When he was healed he paid back that debt by raising money to build schools in rural/tribal areas, especially for girls who receive little to no education. Mortenson’s experiences showcase the sort of policy that we should have in Afghanistan: we should be building schools in villages instead of bombing them. There is a time and place for conventional war, but history proves that Afghanistan (the “Graveyard of Empires”) is not the place for it. The key to understanding a hospitality culture is that it is also a retribution culture, as in, if you build schools for them they will like you, and if you bomb their uncle they might want to kill you.

The problem in America is that our foreign policy has for too long been run by frightened people, who say that the strong way to implement foreign policy is bombing villages and sending our young men and women to die, instead of doing the real strong and principled work of creating peace in Afghanistan. A couple weeks ago Newsweek ran a cover article that featured interviews with Taliban leaders, the main message of which being that these people will not give up, and killing their brothers and sisters will only embolden them. One of the men lived a very happy life selling vegetables until his father, a relatively peaceful Muslim cleric, was beaten and killed by American soldiers. He immediately joined a Taliban insurgent group to kick out the “invaders.” This word is crucial, it shows that we are being viewed through the lens of revenge culture, not through the lens of hospitality culture as we intended. We cannot achieve our goals in Afghanistan if we are seen as invaders, and we will be seen as invaders even more if President Obama sends more soldiers into Afghanistan. The debate shouldn’t be over whether to send more soldiers or not, it should be over whether we send an army of contractors (the non-Blackwater kind) and builders, or to cut our losses and get every American man and woman out while we can. On this point I find myself slightly undecided, but what I know for sure is that more fighting men and women isn’t the right answer. I think they’ve given enough anyway.

Many, including me have watched in awe in the past few months as unemployment and underemployment have skyrocketed in our nation’s economy. When the federal government creates expenditures it can go into debt in order to make those payments. State and local governments must have balanced budgets. While the government can spend money they don’t have by borrowing money and printing more money to finance expenditures, state and local governments can only really effectively sell bonds, levy taxes, or reallocate funds. Usually this isn’t a problem. Today, unemployment is sucking the resources of state and local governments as well as local non profits and charities, while concurrently the tax base is shrinking due to stock market losses, property devaluation, and unemployment. (more…)

I absolutely loved the surprise I got this morning when I turned on my TV to find that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his renewed focus on diplomacy as a solution to international crises. And now I’m really enjoying watching my Republican friends show their true colors as they attempt in vain to discredit my president yet again.
I’ll be honest, the other candidates for this award were very impressive. And I’m not particularly hot on awarding the guy who’s yet to close Guantanamo Bay, withdraw our troops from Iraq, and make a decision on Afghanistan. But unlike the reactionary, hate-filled right wingers out there, I see the committee’s decision for what it is: a genuine attempt by the international community to reward incremental but promising progress.

This is a day to take pride in our president’s leadership, and hope that he remember this accolade whenever making critical decisions on matters of war and peace. It is not a day for petty partisanship, but don’t tell the Republicans that.

And you thought Glenn Beck was bad? Check out this dude, who’s got the ear of some Republicans in Congress:

A syndicated radio host, filmmaker, and all-around countercultural icon based in Austin, Texas, Jones has long been one of the country’s most significant purveyors of paranoia. His 2007 documentary Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement, in which the megaphone scene takes place, purports to reveal a eugenics-obsessed global elite bent on eliminating most of the earth’s population and enslaving the rest. Members of a Satanic international network, Jones explains in an ominous voiceover, have been “steering planetary affairs for hundreds of years. Now, in the final stage, they prepare for open world government.”

[snip]

But it’s really only since Barack Obama’s election, when Jones turned the full force of his apocalyptic imagination toward the new president, that his ideas have found purchase in the conservative mainstream. Several Republican officeholders, from state representatives to congressmen, have appeared on his program to trade wild theories about Obama.

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” It works for the mobsters of The Godfather, but President Obama and the White House have been working so hard to court our enemies that they have alienated core Democratic constituencies. No group has felt this more than the LGBT community. When Obama addresses the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC, the largest gay-rights organization) annual gala this Saturday, he will have the chance to either renew his relations with this loyal Democratic constituency or incite further agitation and disenchantment.

As a candidate in the primaries, Obama positioned himself to the left of frontrunner Hillary Clinton on gay rights. He promised speedy repeals of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT, the law that bans gays from serving openly in the military) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, which bans same-sex marriage on a federal level). He made a number of other commitments, promising to serve as a “fierce advocate” for the LGBT community and pledging to put the full weight of the White House behind eight legislative goals. In return, the LGBT community threw much of its support behind Obama, both in fundraising and in actual campaigning. The community finally saw someone that would work for them in the White House. (more…)

This past week the College Democrats were lucky enough to host Michael Moore in a town hall style meeting. He made some brilliant points and I am happy to say he really made me think about health care in America. Later that day, I watched Sicko which made me think even more, and by the end, I was extremely angry. You’re right Mr. Moore, the way we treat our citizens when it comes to health care is immoral.

One thing that Michael Moore touched on, but doesn’t talk  about specifically, is mental health care in America. It is an issue that I am passionate about and I wholeheartedly believe that we need major reforms for the mental health care system in America.

Fifteen to eighteen percent of Americans are said to suffer from some type of mental illness. According to the NIMH, about 20% of adults will at sometime seek treatment for a mental disorder. Suicide accounts for more deaths than homicide and HIV/AIDS combined. Mental health is real, it’s prevalent and it needs to be addressed. (more…)

Let’s face it, there’s only one reason why it has taken this long to pass comprehensive health care reform: the Senate Finance Committee. The three related committees in the House passed their versions before the August recess, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee passed it when the chairman was still Senator Kennedy. Yet the Senate Finance Committee, under moderate Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), has yet to pass a bill. And it is highly likely that any bill that passes the Finance Committee will not contain the public option–a pivotal part of the other four bills. How is this so? (more…)

Where do you think these pictures were taken? In a war zone perhaps, or a unstable Eastern Bloc country? What if I told you that these pictures were taken on a college campus in a location four and a half hours away from our Foggy Bottom?  This is the scene from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where as world leaders discuss greater economic cooperation and political understanding the Bill of Rights is being trampled on. If you don’t think these pictures look 1984/Minority Report-esque or militaristic enough, then maybe these videos from University of Pittsburgh News website Pitt Briefly will do a better job of telling the story of the insanity taking place in the streets of the Steel City:

(more…)

The Young America’s Foundation has tried to create a controversy again, this time by condemning Michelle Obama’s challenge to GWU to achieve 100,000 hours of community service this year. They claim she’s a partisan figure who should not be a commencement speaker at GWU. Although I disagree - she is the First Lady of the United States - I can understand that they might not be excited about her due to political diferences. The more disturbing thing, however, is that they fail to recognize the purpose of her challenge. She’s not trying to make service partisan, as YAF claims, but rather create a strong incentive for students to help their community. By rejecting the First Lady’s challenge, YAF is rejecting the concept of promoting service, and creating a controversy out of an altruistic move.

This isn’t the first time GW’s chapter of YAF has stirred up controversy. Many of you recall the enormous, spontaneous party in front of the White House last year on election day. If you’re reading this post you probably don’t recall the numerous reports in Fox News and conservative newspapers and blogs of a Soviet flag having been waved over the crowd. Despite commentary that this proved supposed Communist sympathies amongst Obama supporters, this was in fact an act carried out by YAF. In addition to gossip that people saw a YAF e-board member holding the flag, I also discovered that this was, unfortunately, the case. On Thursday November 6th, I met with someone in Marvin Center room 401 immediately prior to the YAF e-board meeting. A member of their board pulled out the Soviet flag, and they began discussing how successful their stunt was. This stunt mischaracterized the views of GW students who participated in this party, and denigrated the political discussion on campus and nationwide.

These are just two examples of the controversy caused by YAF’s actions. We as the GW community should put pressure on them to end their senseless partisanship and libelous stunts. The George Washington University is a place for people of all political persuasions, but we should be respectful and honest when discussing our political views. YAF hasn’t demonstrated an ability to do this yet. Hopefully they’ll catch on soon.