that’s great…

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.

U.N. — Peaceful Force?

The Israeli-Hezbollah conflict has produced nothing but destruction and death for both sides. It would be pretentious to attempt an explanation of the conflict: too many facets beyond the understanding of even the conflict participants. Here’s one positive thing: the U.N.’s latest action. Sending a large troop and support presence (about 15,000).

U.N. peacekeepers, are less soliders and more security officers. Security officers that secure in this case, a buffer zone along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Logically, by securing this buffer zone from coninuing violence, they are “keeping the peace”. This is good, in the sense that there will be a body between these warring parties.

However, this is not enough. In order for mistakes like the current Iraq war (which sadly, I initially supported: I thought C. Powell knew what he was talking about). We need a stronger international body. One that doesnt allow members like the Syria to join the security council. One that could say to the U.S., hey let’s work this out together, and find a reasonable soultion.

A major reason why the current administration ignored the U.N. before the invasion of Iraq was the U.N.’s lack of credibility and true power. Of course, the unilateral move made the U.N. seem even weaker. It will take some work on the parts of the G8 members. See that group alone could make the world a much better place, but most of them (including the U.S.) have so many opposing interests that taint all initiatives they put forth. Well, until the U.N or at least its larger members (G8 and China, I’m looking at you), we’ll just have to be content with unenforceable resolutions and “Peaceful Forces”.

Olbermann smacks back at O’Reilly

If you know who Bill O’Reilly is, and you don’t hate freedom, this is funny.