Article: Is the south more racist than the north?

Is the south more racist than the north?
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/25/symbolic_racism_may_be_taking_over_the_south_partner/

This pretty much kills the IRS scandal

This pretty much kills the IRS scandal
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/24/this_pretty_much_kills_the_irs_scandal/

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Five Reasons to Stay out of Syria‏

It is becoming increasingly clear that the US is going to find itself involved in the conflict in Syria. We're back once again at the same stage about a decade ago when George Bush convinced us all that we had to go to Iraq. And here we are again. The president of the United States is being pressured by war happy senators that the United States must once again serve as the World's policeman and make things right, even though the international community is not so eager to get involved. But for all the reasons that one can suggest we users viable metrics for why the US should get involved, we can also suggest reasons why we should not get involved.

1. Agency

If there is anything that we know about revolutions it is that they often cannot exist without some spilt blood. The people of Syria have decided they want nothing more to do with their government. And that government has decided it intends to continue ruling these people. This is bound to cause a fight. And this fight must be fought. Just as America fought against the British and the North fought the South, the Syrians must fight this out. The people of Syria, if they get out of this conflict alive, will appreciate what they have achieved much more if they did it on their own. It will be an achievement they will talk about for generations, because they will know that at the end of the day the will of the people, even in an oppressive environment, overrules the beliefs of a few powerful people. The Syrians have made the choice to fight, and while the government might have better weapons and trained soldiers, you just have to look at Fidel Castro to see what a focused dedicated leader can achieve with a revolution.

2. Domestic Issues

One of the biggest problems America has right now is that it doesn't seem to be able to prioritize. The American educational system is one of the worst in the world compared to other first world countries. And with all the problems America has with unemployment and children constantly falling behind, and towns dying due to a lack of investment, how can it focus any of its resources towards fighting someone else's war? You cannot pretend you're in a good position to help or even advise someone else when your house is not in order. It I'd nice to feel like you're the big man on campus and the one everyone and their mother turn to, but you have to fix home first. Imagine what America would be like if more resources went towards education rather than war. Imagine what America would be like if instead of giving billions of dollars to other countries where people want to harm Americans, we funneled that money into our system and paid our teachers a good living wage. What if we used that money to provide help for parents with young children who cannot afford the astronomical child care prices? There is a lot that has to be done at home, and it does not make sense that we constantly use taxpayer money to help other people but cannot afford to help our own people.

3. What Happens After Assad?

No one is suggesting that Assad is a good man. No one disputes the fact that what he has put his country through is horrible, but I must question whether the people who are so eager to get rid of him have thought hard about what will happen after him. Sure you can get Assad out of the picture, but what do you replace him with? What is next? Is Assad simply going to be replaced by an over zealous religious nut job? Are the Syrian people going to be better off without Assad? Freedom is a wonderful thing, but what kind. Of freedom are the Syrian people going to have? Getting rid of Assad is not going t make the sectarian violence go away. And America will never be in the position of understanding the complexities of the Sunni versus Shiite debate. Before we even entertain the idea of getting ourselves dragged into something we do not understand or fully grasp, we should be careful to look at the potential aftermath. The Syrian people cannot hate America for not getting involved. After all, it is not the United States's job to fight other people's wars for them, even if they're viewed as underdogs.

4. Increased Strain

If there is one lesson we should have learned from all that we have been through, it should be that American involvement in conflicts throughout the world does nothing but create more strain on its relationships with people around the world. People do not like the Idea of being dictated to, which often happens when mighty militaries get involved in the lives of everyday citizens. You add to the issue America's imperialist behavior throughout history and you get a picture of a country too powerful for its own good walking around with its chest pumped out trying to tell other people how they should live their lives and what sort of democracy they should implement. What America needs is to heal its relationships with the world, not add to the problem. The Syrian conflict is tragic, but it is not a burden the United States has to take on its shoulders.

5. Another Decade of Influence

One clear reason why the US should stay clear is the fact that the international community is not keen on getting involved. He United Nations was created so that the world community can decide how best to deal with crises like the one in Syria. The UN cannot fulfill the terms of its charter if the United States is always present as the alternative. The burden of the Syrian conflict rests squarely on the shoulders of the United Nations, and the international body must be allowed to do its work. I'm a firm believer in the UN, especially given the fact that the Middle East is not a place where America has too many allies. If we do not avoid getting involved in Syria, we're faced with another decade of influencing global politics with the risk of abandoning the hopes of the taxpaying American citizen who has lost faith in his government and who is waiting for the time when politicians will decide they still want to work for the people they are supposed to represent.

The Fight for Black Men - Newsweek

http://nswk.ly/11nch3t

The Fight for Black Men

There are more African-Americans on probation, parole, or in prison today than were slaves in 1850. It is not a crisis of crime. It is a crisis of people being left behind.

Article: 5 Arab Spring Opportunities For Israel

5 Arab Spring Opportunities For Israel
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/20/5-arab-spring-opportunities-for-israel.html

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Spooks and the Spooked: Snowden and the Fear of Big Brother

Let’s try and run away from the news of the last few weeks if we can. The matter of fact is that we can’t escape it. Espionage is the story du jour. So much has been told lately about Snowden and the secrets he spilled. Some people view him as a hero and others view him as a traitor. It all depends on the angle you’re playing. Snowden to me, is a glory hound. We can all discuss whether it is okay for the government to collect our phone records, but the truth of the matter is that the general public does not need to know everything, unless it is something that is risking their lives. The collection of phone numbers, is not exactly illegal.

First off, the people who are getting so upset about the news that Verizon is giving up their phone records need to sit down and shut up for a second. When the Patriot Act was passed, very few people raised their voices against it. People sat by as congress gave the government the power to pretty much do anything and everything it wants to do in the name of catching terrorists. And now that the government is actually making use of the power it was given everyone wants to cry about it? Let’s be grown ups about it. Whether we like it or not, we gave these people the power to tap our phones and do everything they can to catch those who would harm us. If the American people were so against this sort of practice, they should have fought a little harder to stop things like the Patriot Act.

Second, if you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t really need to be too worried about the government collecting phone numbers, or reading e-mails. The innocent don’t need to bark at the top of their lungs, because they know they’re protected by the law. Those who are doing evil deeds are always and will always be looking over their shoulders wondering what is going to happen next. If the government was not using every tool at its disposal and something catastrophic happened, the people will rise, asking why more wasn’t done to get ahead of the terrorists, or why links weren’t drawn to stop further damage. So how can we complain when the government is doing what we gave it the power to do?

Third, the reality we face now days is that we have no idea where the next terrorist is coming from. If you look at the events in London recently, we can conclude that Africans are increasingly becoming radicalized. Your next door neighbor who appears to be as American as they come, just might be the next guy who wants to blow up an American landmark. We have to be able to fight against invisible forces. Unlike in the past, now days the terrorists do not need to announce themselves. They can operate in sleeper cells and attack when they find the right opportunity. How do you fight against an enemy you cannot see? You have to go through extremes to make sure you get all the information available out there and get the enemy before they have the chance to act upon their plans.

As much as I love being able to claim freedom, the fact is that 9/11 has scarred the United States. Those in power have a responsibility to their constituents to make sure that people who want to harm Americans are stopped and brought to justice. This is one of the reason why Mr. Snowden should have thought carefully about what he did.

Because of Mr. Snowden, more and more terrorists will pay attention to what they do on the phone. They will now be forced to devise new ways to operate completely in the dark. Plus Mr. Snowden’s actions jeopardize the U.S. in terms of its relation to its allies. Now France, Germany, and the United Kingdom will be forced to tone down their cooperation with the U.S. in terms of intelligence information. Mr. Snowden is a glory hound and nothing more. If his aim was simply to provide the information out there, he could have done it and remained silent. Instead he has sought to become the next Julian Assange, by making himself the news story, rather than the information he shared with the world. He could have quietly gone about his life and let the media blitz over the issue of NSA spying work itself out. Instead, more and more people have come out to defend the government and denounce him.

Big Brother is nothing to fear. At the end of the day people still have the power to vote for their officials. And if the American people were so set on denying the government the power to spy on them, they can petition the Supreme Court or sue to have the Patriot Act overturned. Until people are willing to go the distance, they have absolutely no reason to complain.

Article: 4-year-old boy accidentally kills dad in Arizona

4-year-old boy accidentally kills dad in Arizona
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4-year-old-boy-accidentally-kills-dad-arizona

Article: Obama Administration On PRISM Program: 'Only Non-U.S. Persons Outside The U.S. Are Targeted'

Obama Administration On PRISM Program: 'Only Non-U.S. Persons Outside The U.S. Are Targeted'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/06/obama-administration-prism-program_n_3399858.html

This is disturbing.

Article: Virginia candidate E.W. Jackson: Yoga leads to Satan

Virginia candidate E.W. Jackson: Yoga leads to Satan
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/ew-jackson-virginia-lieutenant-governor-yoga-satan-92321.

Fitness On My Mind

It can be quite jarring when you suddenly realize that you’ve put on weight.  For me there has never been a fear of weights.  I’ve been skinny my entire life.  Yet when my wife had a baby, I found that I had less and less time to go to the gym.  I used to go to a Planet Fitness regularly.  At least twice a week I used to find time to get to the gym, or at least find time at home to work out.  But now, even when I’m home, the only thing on my mind is sleep.  I can never get enough sleep even though I try my best.  For some reason, having a young child at home somehow means that you are no longer guaranteed at least a minimum of five hours of sleep. 

The one thing that I have been able to do with some consistency has been eating.  It appears that even when I’m struggling to find time for sleep, somehow my mouth is never too far away from food.  Part of it is undoubtedly due to the fact that I never know when I’m going to be able to eat.  Even when I’m at work, it seems as though my schedule is so messed up that I have to grab a bite to eat whenever I find an opportunity.  Sometimes that ends up being at 11 or 12 at night, which is not good for anyone, even if you’re naturally skinny.

So now I’m thinking more and more about fitness.  I don’t know how parents with children are able to stay fit.  I don’t partake in a lot of the activities that used to keep me healthy when I was younger, so naturally my body is going to change.  I can accept that, but it is hard to find the time to do something as simple as fifty push ups or sit ups.  I have an ongoing gym membership that is simply drawing money out of my pocket.  I keep telling myself that I’m going to find a way to work out at home.  I keep telling myself that I’m going to get back into the groove of things, but I know that is a lie.  For now I’m going to try my best to get in at least fifty push ups a day or sit-ups, to try to halt the weight gain.  This is not going to change much.  I will not get my body back the way it used to be, but damage control is key right now.  I have to give credit to those who manage to get their children through life and still find a good balance.  I’m not sure I can find the balance right now.  Being sleep deprived has a way of messing with you.  A friend of mine is going to do the 30 day squat challenge, and I hope it works for him, though I’m not too confident that will help a guy much.  Yet I’m all too aware that desperation can sometimes force you to try anything.  They weren’t joking when they said children change your life.

Michele Bachmann's Exit

In the world of American politics, very few people decide not to run for reelection. In fact it seems as if people in congress are constantly looking forward to the next election rather than work on what they were sent to Washington to do. Michele Bachmann is an anomaly any way that you look at it. She is extremely popular among right wing politicians for some of the things that she has said and done in office, while the rest of the country understands that Michele Bachmann is essentially a dumbass. She represents the modern day Republican Party which thinks that working for the people is not quite as important as working for corporations, and not as important as making up things to accuse their opponents of.



Michele Bachmann is making her exit. This simple sentence is of the most important events in the history of American politics. It might seem outrageous to tout her exit as this monumental even, but bar the hyperbole, Michele Bachmann's exit means that their is a slight reduction in the brain drain that is the United States congress. Bachmann's exit means that their is now space for some level minded person to come through and work for the people. Yet her exit is not all good for all people. Bachmann's exit leaves a void for craziness. Someone else with crazy ideas will come through and perform just like her.

 

The hope, for any level headed human being is that with Bachmann moving on, Republicans will finally realize that getting the crazies out of their party is sound business. No doubt she will reappear soon as a Fox News contributor. I mean what else is a has-been Republican congressman supposed to do? For her sake and for her family's sake I hope Bachmann gets away from the limelight and goes on to live a quiet fulfilled life and not tread the path taken by the likes of Sarah Palin and countless other Republican losers.