that’s great…

greatest generation…

So, wait, what? Julia Child was a spy?! Outrageous, but true. This spy organization was the predecessor to the CIA, formed by president FDR. The spy list includes over 24,000 Americans. Like Mrs. Child, there are a ton who you’d never guess. Well, true patriotism requires that kind of spirit. I’m not calling her Patrick Henry, but she did something.

In contrast, today you have celebrities wearing vote or die t-shirts, but forgetting (?) to actually vote. Disgusting. In comparison to my facebooked and youtubed generation, how can you argue with the Greatest Generation title.

a great man…

July 18th was Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. He’s definitely on the short list of true, living legends. Not because he’s a saint; no, most men aren’t. Rather for his life-long struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. Then to further that goal throughout the world. Sadly, few know of Mandela’s journey from civil rights activist, to leader of his homeland.

For a moment, imagine wanting freedom and equality in your homeland. Yet, because of colonial rule, it being unlawful. Yes, during his leadership of the ANC (which was banned), guerrilla warfare was used. He was tried and imprisoned for almost three decades. Most men would have either given up, but this man persevered.

After years of international pressure, in 1990, de Klerk and the South African government gave in. In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk earned shared Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994, Mandela like his great-grandfather Ngubengcuka, became ruler of South Africa. It should be noted that he made National Party’s de Klerk his first deputy. This was the first truly multiracial South African government.

Admittedly, Mandela stood on the shoulders of giants. But anyone can see, in his own right, he is truly a great man.

online democratic debate…

I am not saying I agree with everything that Bill Maher says, I mean he was known for being Politically Incorrect… but it was good to see someone ask some more pressing (and obvious) questions. For example:

“Senator Clinton, all the senators here, except Senator Obama, voted for the Iraq Resolution in 2002,” began Maher, “saying that their decision was based on intelligence that they believed to be accurate at the time. In other words, George Bush fooled you. Why should Americans vote for someone who can be fooled by George Bush?”

9/11, where are we now?

It’s September 11th. I wonder how many people remember? More importantly, how many people have forgotten? Over the past 6 years, if you’ve been through an airport, or overseas in general, you know that day changed this country, better yet the world, forever.

I guess you’d be more interested if you were affected by the attacks, at least indirectly. I’m fortunate enough to have only known people near the towers during the attack, and not in them. I didn’t know anyone who perished. I was grew up in the NYC — one of the greatest cities in the world! I joined a startup in Rochester, NY. I was at work at the time, and a co-worker, said he heard something crazy on the radio, we all listened in, and it was a report that a plane had flown into tower one. We all thought, how does that even happen?! Even in that moment of fear, you think, “Who would dare make an attack on US soil? Don’t they know we’ll rain bullets on their heads?!” In the end, it was a terrorist attack, by predominantly Saudis.

Subsequently, in 2003 that start-up, brought me to Minnesota. By this time the US had basically leveled the Taliban in Afghanistan. That was a good start, but we didn’t finish the job: kill, or capture Osama Bin Laden. Instead, we turned our focus towards Iraq and its dictator, Saddam Hussein. I knew that maybe the info was a bit shaky, but like I’ve said in the past, I thought C. Powell knew what he was talking about.

Yes, it’s 9/11, but let’s forget where we were – where are we now? By now, everyone has should agree that there were no WMDs. So, how did we get into this quagmire? Well it was the leadership. Yes, leadership is difficult; but this is is why you usually surround yourself with people smarter than yourself (see FDR’s Brain Trust). Normally, they support you, and keep your feet on the ground. Well, at least theoretically. In a short time, there will be another election. There are a number of viable candidates, in both parties. In the end, I hope the nation selects one who is not simply able to wage war, but a leader, in every sense of the word.

Sacrifice

If you have the time, I strongly recommend watching this editorial on the current state of President Bush’s Iraq policy. It’s 10 minutes of some honesty, that I doubt the president will actually hear… However, I do hope that some people around him do.

One of the biggest surprises is Senator McCain. What the heck happened there? This same guy was pushed out of running by the suggestion that he fathered a black child out of wed-lock (it was his adopted son). Great work Karl Rove, et al. Did McCain’s soul disapate over the past year?! Oh Well.