Funny

Burnin' Down the House

Someone burned down Palin's house of worship. That's fucked up.

Open Letter to Sen. Obama

Sen. Obama,

Please do not use the money I donated to YOU to pay of Clinton's debt, debt that she chose to incur and can easily pay off herself.

I read your two books and in spite of my excitement for you, I kept an open mind b/n you and Clinton until December. I forced myself to decide then, and afterwards your positive performance and Hillary's despicable tactics confirmed my decision for vote for you.

I don't agree with you on everything (wish you were more aggressive on bringing the country off oil), but I am inspired by your commitment to changing politics by getting more people involved, by not taking PAC money, and by receiving over 90% of your donations as gifts under $100. My wife and I are not big donors, but we give what we can every few months.

I believe you when you say you are here to change politics and to convince citizens who are disenchanted with politics that their voice matters.

IN SHORT, Clinton represents the opposite of what you stand for. She obfuscated issues, she mislead voters, she made purely political choices, she ran an establishment campaign, she hand picked a team based on loyalty rather than competence, she wielded race as a weapon... Democrats rejected those tactics by nominating you.

As smart and competent as she may be, she lost her integrity. I don't need to list for you the scores of deplorable tactics she used against you. Her type of "leadership" is what feeds the virus of skepticism that eats away at the health of our democracy.

I gave you my hard earned money and have zealously advocated for you in North Carolina because you represent something different. Please do not throw away my commitment to you by using your campaign money to pay of Hillary's loans!!! Such an action would undermine your message and your appeal. Please continue to treat voters with respect by respecting their financial investment/sacrifice by donating to YOU.

The Clinton's came out of Bill's presidency with more debt than the $20 million or so they have now, and they will be find. Hell, their $109 million allows them to pay that off today if they want.

I am trying to accept that you have to praise her for a "hard fought campaign," but at the least do not give her the money millions of Americans gave to you. She does not deserve to be bailed out by the underdog who won by running a grassroots campaign rather than paying millions to long-term Washington consultants.

Jeremy

Coal; iPod

Lay off the Bottled Water

The following excerpts come from the National Geographic's Green Guide. The bottom line: water bottles are are terrible for the environment. Carry a reusable water bottle, or drink tap water. Plastic water bottles take over 1,000 years to disintegrate, and over 86% of bottles are not recycled.

Personal Health

Americans spend more than $10,000 a minute for something that is readily available for free: water. Why do we shell out from 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than we do for tap water? Perhaps we've given in to the marketing and advertising hype that bottled water comes from pristine springs and lakes. Or maybe because of the taste or the perception that bottled water is better regulated, safer or purer than tap water.

However, according to government and industry estimates, about one fourth of bottled water is bottled tap water (sometimes, but not always, with additional treatment).

Environmental

Usually water is bottled in plastic packaging. Plastics are made of petroleum, a non-renewable resource that requires new fossil reserves to be extracted all the time. By choosing to drink tap water, we can conserve this valuable resource and reduce our dependence on oil. The plastic manufacturing process is also associated with toxic byproducts, such as styrene and benzene, which are released in the air and cause not only pollution, but respiratory problems and may cause cancers as well.

Most bottles will be incinerated or will end up in our already overcrowded landfills. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that about 1.5 million tons of plastic are used worldwide to make water bottles and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastics are the fourth largest category of municipal solid waste.

Obtaining water from an underground pipe is more energy efficient and uses far fewer natural resources than bottled water because of the transportation of bottles in trucks across the country or by ships around the globe.

Choose water in glass bottles over watter in plastic bottles.

Water Filtering Systems

At 30 to 50 cents per gallon, filtering your tap water is not only more cost effective, but it also gives you control over what chemicals or substances are removed from the water you drink. Compare this to 89 cents to more than $2 per gallon for bottled water delivery to your home and the cost and environmental benefits of an at-home water filtration system become apparent. Additionally, filtered water keeps the plastic used for bottled water out of our landfills.

Noan Chomsky vs. William F. Buckley

Making My Morning

It's too easy for a baseball manager to get thrown out of a game these days––at least according to Tim Murphy at Slate.com. Bobby Cox will soon break "John McGraw's 75 year old record of 131 career ejections," without earning it.

Cox should take a lesson from Phillip Wellmen...

The Bikini Turns 60!

Check out this slide show at Slate.com chronacling the history of the bikini. It was first doned in public in 1946, and was shunned by Americans for two decades.

The first designer, Jacques Heim, created a tiny suit called the atome. The second, Louis Reard, introduced his design on July 5, four days after the United States had begun atomic testing in the Bikini Atoll. In a rather bold marketing ploy, Reard named his creation le bikini, implying it was as momentous an invention as the new bomb.

Click here for Maxim slideshow on the bikini.

Libby and Obama

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifI just have to take a couple of minutes to put in my two sense worth on yesterday's news. Regarding Scooter Libby, Cheyney's Chief of Staff who lied to federal prosecuters, it is disgraceful for Bush to commute his sentence. Libby's 30 month jail sentence was well within the federal guidelines and was not an "excessive" sentence as Bush claimed. He received a fair trial and got nailed. The Bush administration has been deceitful towards the American people for 6 years (i.e. reasons for going into Iraq, existence of illegal wiretapping, use of extraordinary rendition, reasons for firing attorneys general)and now that one of its gang gets caught, Bush gives him a get-out-of-jail-free cards. This is no way to ensure a healthy democracy.

On a more positive note, Obama raised $32.5 million in the second quarter. Hillary has not declared her total, but it's estimated at $27 million. While Hillary is at the front of the race, this puts Obama in a real position to win. Hillary does not have this thing locked up. Moreover, 90% of Obama's first quarter donations came from gifts of $100 or less, and he now has a total of over 258,000 donors! That is more than in the history of the U.S.!

Obama continues to connect with people and empower them to participate in the Democracy. This phenomenon does strengthen our democracy. Obama has taught a generation that power is in the citizens' hands (even if you can only donate $50) and does not rest solely in large donors' hands. He has given us a taste of what it is like to have one's opinion and money matter in politics.

Added July 5
[The last thing Bush wants is to see a high ranking White House official's picture out wearing an orange prison suit.

John Dickerson at Slate.com ,

What's astonishing is that the factors Bush relied on in commuting Libby's sentence are the same ones that the administration has aggressively sought to preclude judges from considering when imposing sentences on everyone else...

The Bush administration, however, has consistently maintained that at sentencing, judges should be precluded from thinking about precisely the sort of individual circumstances the president raised in lending a hand to Libby. Last month, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales proposed legislation that would prevent judges from relying on anything outside the federal sentencing guidelines as the basis for a sentence more lenient than the range that the guidelines provide for.

Now I hear that Bush's commutation may also remove Libby's propation!]

Sync or Swim

This is my first water ballet performance.




Check out the world champion Russian team

Born into Brothels, movie review

Born into Brothels is a compelling documentary that follows a group of Indian children who were born in the Red Light District in Calcutta. Zana Auntie, a British photographer, moves into a brothel to learn about the lives of the women working/living there but quickly realizes numerous children also live in the brothel. Zana Auntie gives each child (about a dozen total) a camera and film and sends them off to take photographs. The children become enthralled with the fun and power in taking photos, and Zana creates a photography class to channel their energy. The class becomes more sophisticated as she teaches about technique, composition, and becoming and artist. The photos are surprisingly insightful and come with deft commentary by the kids.

While the children love using the camera and selecting the best photos of each roll, Zana becomes engrossed in her pupils and searches for boarding schools willing to enroll them. She realizes that education is the only opportunity for them to escape the brothel. Many of the young girls are on the verge of being put “in the line” of prostitutes by their mothers.
If you plan to watch the movie, you may want to wait on reading the rest of this.

***

Watching Zana’s determination in advocating for the children reminds me of the work we did creating Sabu International School. Substitute civil war refugees for prostitution and turn the families African instead of Indian and you have the garden of poverty from which Sabu grew. Zana’s struggles to navigate the 3rd world bureaucracy brought me back to the corrupt government officials and the mapless mazes of paper work required to register the school, purchase land, and apply for NGO status.

The children’s faces are the same as well. They convey honest, hard working children whose natural light still shines strongly from behind their eyes. This despite having seen parents and friends murdered; despite having to flee their home on foot; and despite the meager portions of food (often only a handful of white rice after school) on which they somehow survived. These kids were no less intelligent than any other children in the world. They were mature and strong and–with education–capable of anything.

In the end, one must accept one’s limits. Just as Zana found schooling for all of the children–a tremendous feat–only to have parents remove them, we also experienced heartbreaking disappointments. After months of teaching the kids to resolve disputes without fighting and empowering the teachers to discipline students with out resorting to corporeal punishment, I came to school one day to find that the “principal” of the school had beaten two kids the afternoon before. All the teachers had pledged not to beat children, and we had multiple discussions about the long-term goal of equipping Sierra Leone’s future leaders to handle disputes non-violently*. On many occasions, parents discontinued their daughter’s education because they deemed it not worthwhile.

One of the lessons learned from Sabu is that one can clear a path towards opportunity, but individuals choose to leave that path. It is even more heart breaking when parents choices limit their children’s’ options–live removing them from the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities Zana Auntie arranged for the kids to study in boarding schools.

No matter what you think is best, or what may actually be best, you are not the parent. One must let the family make a decision. I admire how Zana did the best she could for her photography kids but knew her the limits of her role. I guess in America, those children would be taken from the parents, put into foster care, and remained in school. While I can’t imagine a good reason why those children should return to the brothel, it’s tricky coming into another culture and bringing Western ideas of right and wrong.

At Sabu, the goal was to at least give the students and families a choice. With regard to corporeal punishment, I was always careful not to tell parents how to discipline their kids at home. But at school, we showed everyone–teachers, students and parents–that it is not necessary to hit kids to keep order. While many of Zana’s students were removed from school, I’d bet that when they have children, they will value education more than their parents did.

The raw, freehand camera work of Born into Brothels conveys the immediacy of the story. It brings the viewers into the homes so that we gain a sense of Zana’s experiences and connection with the kids. It is such a treasure for her to have this documentation of her experiences. I have only praise for her extraordinary ability to connect with the students and to fundraise and advocate for them internationally. After the heartache that overwhelms much of my experiences with Guinea, Born into Brothels gives me a fresh perspective on the movie’s subject matter and on my own life.

*After asking around about the principal, we learned that he had a long-term drinking problem and had regressed to beating children in school before. I had a couple of frank discussions with him during which he was sincerely sorry and felt ashamed. One must remember that the teachers and students were refugees. All had PTSD and had suffered deep trauma from the atrocities they had survived in Sierra Leone. After all, Sabu was an opportunity to help the students, parents, and teachers.

Rep. Senator in Alabama punches a Dem. Senator in chamber

The teacher breaks up a fight during recess.
"Johnny punched me," said David.
"That's because you called me an SOB," said Johnny.
David protests, "I didn't say that. Johnny called me a bad name and I tried to walk away, but he hit me."

Put a suit and tie on them and the title of State Senator, and you have Rep. Senator Bishop and Dem. Senator Barron.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama (AP) -- Simmering tensions in the Alabama Senate boiled over Thursday when a Republican lawmaker punched a Democratic colleague in the head before they were pulled apart.

Republican Sen. Charles Bishop said Democratic Sen. Lowell Barron called him a "son of a [expletive]."

"I responded to his comment with my right hand," Bishop said. Alabama Public Television tape captured the punch. (Watch the punch being thrown, senator's explanation )

Barron denied saying that to Bishop. He said the Jasper senator used an expletive to him and he was trying to get away when he was hit by Bishop on the side of the head near an ear. He said he had not decided if he would file charges.

After the punch, Barron went into a closed-door meeting with other Democrats. Sen. Vivian Figures went into the meeting carrying first aid supplies, but she said he was not hurt.

Bishop said he regretted throwing the punch because "that's not the way grown men solve their problems," but added that he would not immediately apologize to Barron.

The fight came on the final day of the 2007 regular session of the Legislature. Republican senators were using delaying tactics to force the Democratic leadership to bring up an election reform bill to ban transfers between political action committees.

The Senate had just taken a recess Thursday afternoon when Bishop approached the chair where Barron was sitting. Moments later, security officers and others rushed to separate the two senators.

The Senate later considered censuring Bishop and expelling him from the chamber for the remainder of the day, but Bishop said that wasn't necessary and walked out of the Capitol, saying he was going home.

"I love every one of you. Most of all I love this chamber. I'm going home, and you all have a good day," Bishop said. more>

Blitzer is a tool. Take off the gloves and have a debate that matters.

I pine for the days when a debate meant an actual debate. After the infamous Dred Scott decision (which among other things stated that blacks are not US citizens)the country drew close to a boil on the issue of slavery. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debates face-to-face as they campaigned across Illinois for the Senate seat occupied by Douglas.

According to Peter Irons in his book The People's History of the Supreme Court,

During the twenty months between the Dred Scott decision and the 1858 elections, Lincoln and Douglas spoke to hundreds of audiences in Illinois and around the country, and they discussed the case in almost every speech. The seven formal–and now famous–debates between the two senatorial candidates focused largely on the Court's ruling and its consequences for national unity, as talk of secession grew louder in the South.

I wish two candidate would have a direct debate on the prominent issues (Iraq, health care, immigration, energy) rather than always having to be so careful about their image and every word. When we see the best athletes operating at their profession, we can watch them play. We see Michael Jordan make a game winning jump shot, and we see him miss foul shots. But with politicians, any slip of the tongue will be exaggerated, and thus, we get few candid moments. I wish the final two or three presidential candidates would give multiple public debates around the country with the focus on the issues and the audience rather than the TV viewers. What's wrong with the candidates having 10-15 debates in front of thousands of people?

Just Imagine
I ache for the opportunity to see Lincoln and Douglas debate on stage with no mics and no video cameras. The only real debate in this country comes from political analysts who are trying to boost ratings. It's rude to debate heatedly with friends, family, or company. And politicians can't afford to have their mistakes broadcasted around the world. We should be able to look to the "professionals" to help us think through the issues and debate the other side directly and thoroughly. That can't happen in a two-minute statement or even in a 10 minute interview.

One difference with the slavery debate, is that people can debate it without needing special knowledge. It is a moral issue. Well, I guess the "fire breathers" would say it was primarily an economic issues as well with economic implications for the South. Anyway, it's hard to have a debate about Iraq without being an expert in middle east relations or military occupation. A debate on energy can go only so far without both parties knowing about each type of alternative energy, the energy ratios of each, the latest technology, estimates for future energy demand, and the economic implications of weening the population and economy off oil.

Wolfe Blitzer
Regardless of how complicated issues are, the media led debates, especially the recent Democratic debate, are not working. If the moderator is going to ask yes/no questions or ask candidates to raise their hands to answer, just get them to do that ahead of time and post a grid on the screen. Get the candidates talking and challenge them to answer questions. Give the candidates the floor to make their case to the American people.

You have your own show. We do not tune into debates to hear you talk.

Washington Mutual charges credit card interest before the due date

Yesterday, I called Washington Mutual to cancel my credit card. I wanted to pay the $16.98 owed on the card by June 17 and then close the account. Well, it's not that easy.

The rep said I had to pay $20.00 because I may owe more than my account shows and if $20 is too much, they will reimburse me with a check. I asked her why I had to pay more than the amount on my last bill when I had not used the card since my last bill. Without getting a straight answer, I pressed her and learned that the company charges interest by day and that the contract I signed consented to interest starting after the due date. "Well it's not after the due date, so why should I have to pay interest." She said I "may" have to pay interest as it can accrue before the due date of the bill! This really lit me up. Do your credit cards charge interest before the due date?

What's more, if I paid on the phone, she'd couldn't close the account until the payment posted. Then she told me it would cost over $14 to pay on the phone! So I had to create a username and password to access my account online. After paying it, I have to call back after the payment posts to have the account closed. After I set up the password, the password would not work. I got frustrated and quit, hoping it would work after a few hours to let it filter through the system. I am having to go through 3-4 steps to pay and close my account.

If I just pay the $16.98 and WaMu charges interest on that, then I could owe $2 or so on my next bill. Then if I pay that $2, there will already have been interest charged on that balance, and I'd owe $0.23 or so. This would go on ad infinitum until I acquiesced and paid more than I owe. At that point, WaMu has my money and will reimburse me in 3 months! If I don't like that, I can call after I cancel the card and ask for an expedited reimbursement.

I know credit card companies do all kinds of stuff like this, but this is the first time I have heard of charging interest before the due date. That forces you to over pay your balance and then rely upon the company to issue you a check. You also have to remember they were supposed to issue a check and follow up with them 3 months later if they don't send it. Such bullshit!

What I have been doing is just going online a couple of times a month and paying off my balance. That way, interest does not accrue during the month before my due date. i also have one card I keep long term with a high credit line (to improve my credit) and I switch from card to card as I get 0% offers in the mail. Usually I can get a 0% card for 12 months. If I forget to pay a bill on time, I can usually call Chase and ask them to wave the late fee. They will do this twice.

Keep extra vigilant of the credit card companies, and don't use Washington Mutual.

"A Real Man on the Moon Plan"

Bill Richardson just released this video on his energy plan. Read the previous entry about Gov. Richardson as well.

50% decrease in all US oil demand in 10 years.

Yeah, Bill. That's what I'm talking about! Finally someone speaking the truth.

Consider Bill Richardson

If you have not given Bill Richardson your attention yet, now is the time to give him a look. Jay Leno introduced him on the Tonight Show recently,

He spent 14 years in Congress, was the US Ambassador to the UN, served as the US Secretary of Energy, has negotiated with the harshest dictators around the world, is the current Governor of New Mexico and a four–time Nobel Peace Prize nominee... please welcome Democratic candidate for President, Gov. Bill Richardson!

WOW! By most metrics, he is the most qualified of all the presidential candidates. Take a look at this popular video.

Energy
Energy is one of the most important issues facing our country, and it will only get more dire of the next 4-8 years. While I am enamored with Obama, Richardson is not only more qualified, his energy policies are better.

No one in the presidential race can compete with Richardson's experience as the former Secretary of Energy. In New Mexico, he has lead the state to become "the Clean Energy State" and recently signed a law "requiring state utilities to quadruple their use of renewable energy." While Bush refuses to sign the Kyoto Treaty, N. Mexico is "on track to exceed Kyoto in the coming years."

While Richardson's record is strong, I am even more inspired by his vision for our energy future. He says, "Our goal should be bold—to reduce oil imports by 40% AND replace one quarter of liquid fuels with bio-fuels by 2025, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050."

He calls for "a national renewable portfolio standard of 30% by 2020 that will rise to 50% by 2040."

By comparison, Obama calls for "all transportation fuels sold in the U.S. [to] contain 5 percent less carbon by 2015 and 10 percent less carbon by 2020. Obama is aware of our dangerous dependence on oil, but his goals are far from "bold."

The Governor knows the energy companies and understand that they must be part of the solution. He proposes establishing "a North American Energy Council—both to assure that we are efficiently developing and transporting energy in the North American market and to leverage our combined market power."

When addressing Oil and Gas executives, he states

Government’s role – indeed its obligation-- is to provide a clear vision, strategic investment in technology development, incentives to move forward – and most importantly, legal and regulatory certainty.

You are responsible for managing incredible risk and high-dollar portfolios – you have every right to know the federal “rules of the road” as you make key investments in our energy future.

Government investment in new technologies can serve as a sparkplug for energy “invention” but it is the role of the investment community to transform those inventions to marketplace “innovations” -- and the role of the business community to move innovations from the business plan stage to true technology diffusion.

Only when government and industry work together as partners can we successfully link together all these pieces of the energy innovation chain -- pushing the nation beyond the tired divisions of “good jobs OR the environment” and moving to “even better jobs AND a clean environment.

Other bold energy comments by Richardson:

1. Our ability to drain the swamps of terrorism depends in part on our political will to change how we produce, distribute and consume energy.
2. A significant portion of the $450 billion petrodollars we export each year is most certainly funneled to fund our Jihadist enemies
3. We should not lose sight of the following: Forty-five percent of the world’s proved gas reserves are in just two countries – Russia and Iran.

Diplomacy
As humbly as possible Richardson explains his diplomacy experience. "I was often asked [by President Clinton] to negotiate directly with tough characters like Fidel Castro, North Korean generals, Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan, and Saddam Hussein. Those face-to-face talks often meant the difference between the wrongful imprisonment of American servicemen and citizens–and freedom." Oh, add to this his experience as US Ambassador to the UN. He knows how to talk with friends and enemies.

No other candidate has anywhere close to Richardson's experience. "In recognition of his efforts around the world, Bill has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Each nomination has focused on his international peace mediation, hostage rescue and his commitment to justice." His recent negotiations with North Korea have rekindled the stalled nuclear non-proliferation talks with that regime.

Governor Richardson may not have the hype that Obama and Clinton do, but he is a proven energy expert, diplomat, and executive. Take the time to consider Bill Richardson for President. www.RichardsonForPresident.com

Global Climate Change Summit 2007

You may have heard about the Global Climate Change Summit where local government leaders from over 30 large cities worldwide are meeting to discuss climate change. The summit is sponsored by C40 Cities and the Clinton Foundation among others.

This morning, I jumped to the sight after hearing about it on NPR and wondering if Charlotte representatives were attending. They aren't.

Los Angeles, U.S.– Renewable Energy Credits
I did find a list of exciting initiatives in the attending cities that can easily be replicated in the U.S. The first is the renewable energy option LA offers consumers on their electric bills. Citizens can pay an additional 20% per kilowatt to use electricity generated from renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. For a bill of $58, this would mean a $3.30 additional charge–a small fee with historic implications. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) gives each participant 2 compact florescent light bulbs (CFL). Using just 2 CFLs
saves approximately $1.39 a month in energy usage. That leaves the net cost of using green power at $1.91. $1.91 a month for using renewable energy! Every city in the US should offer this green option.

Woking, United Kingdom – De-Regulated Energy Generation
For a post fossil fuels world, we should de-centralize energy generation so that U.S. energy is created by tens of thousands of small energy generating stations rather than large power plants. Solar pannels on top of my house would constitute one such energy generating station. In the second case study, Woking, UK has created 18 small-scale renewable energy "plants," which create 524.42 kWp of photovoltaic capacity. These sites have reduced CO2 emissions by 82% and energy consumption by 52%. Moreover, Woking have saved 5.4 million pounds (English money) up to 2005. This project foreshadows a revolutionary change in energy distribution and offers a model other cities can mimic now.

Melbourne, Australia
There are many more case studies on the site, but I have to mention the solar energy project in Melbourne. The roof of Queen Victoria Market supports the largest urban solar installation in the Southern Hemisphere. With more than 1,300 photovoltaic panels, which will last for at least 30 years, the QVM will save 369 tons of greenhouse gas a year. That is equivalent to energy usage of 46 houses or 82 cars a year. While this is a small dent, I think solar energy is the real future of renewable energy.

To start, there is unlimited solar energy. The main problems with solar are our ability to capture and store the energy with sufficient efficiency and to sell panels at an affordable price. In the early days of cars, on one would have thought 45 mpg was possible. Over time, technology improved. Solar energy is not a single source solution, but putting research money and government subsidies into solar energy, just as we have put hundreds of billions of dollars in to the car industry and wars to secure oil, will drastically increase our ability to use solar energy.

Consumers take out loans for cars and spend thousands of dollars a year for gas and maintenance. Electric cars require no gas and very little maintenance (because they have few moving parts), so we can all transfer that savings into home solar panels or paying more or green tags or Renewable Energy Credits on our electric bills. Remember that your electric car can be "fueled" by energy from solar panels. Technology alone will not save us from our dependence on fossil fuels, but a Manhattan Project or Man on the Moon initiative for Green Energy is long overdue.

I hope you will take a couple of minutes to click through the Global Climate Change Summit website. It will connect you with the current green movement and give you a glimpse into your renewable future.

Iraqi leaders take two-month vacation

Can you believe the gall of Iraqi leaders to take a two-month vacation in the middle of a civil war and escalating voilence?

Meanwhile, US troupes and Iraqi civilians continue to die as both countries wait for Iraq's sectarian leaders to resolve power sharing issues. We all know political agreements, not military power, are the only method of stabilizing Iraqi, yet the leaders who would make those decisions are on vacation.

So American families have Bush telling us to give his "surge" (which is more like a tide pool ripple) a chance, while Iraqi leaders take a break. We are supposed to wait until September––when the US Congress reconvenes and Petraeus will have time to evaluate the surge––and then decide how the US change in strategy is going?

I can understand that government official need rest just like other workers, but when you are the only ones who can stabilize your country, the middle of civil war is not the time to take a nap.

Approved Labor and Environmental Rights for New Trade Deals

After my previous post today, I serendipitously found this news that the White House and Democrats have reached agreements regarding future trade deals. These new agreements will be attached to future deals to protect labor rights and environmental right, thus making the approval by Congress easier. The following is from today's New York Times:

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN

Published: May 11, 2007

WASHINGTON, May 10 — The Bush administration reached agreement on Thursday with the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and other Democrats to attach environmental and worker protections in several pending trade accords, clearing the way for early passage of some pacts and improving prospects for others.

The unusual agreement, which came after weeks of negotiations, would guarantee workers the right to organize, ban child labor and prohibit forced labor in trading-partner countries. It would also require trading partners to enforce environmental laws already on their books and comply with several international environmental agreements.

While the understanding was a victory for Democrats, it also represented a shrewd compromise by the White House. The agreement is the first major bipartisan economic deal to emerge since Democrats took control of Congress in January. It has immediate importance for four countries — Colombia, Panama, Peru and South Korea — that are seeking to enter into trade pacts with the United States.

But officials in Washington predicted that the agreement’s effect would go beyond those countries and could be a template for all trade deals, including a possible worldwide accord.

Administration officials are hoping that the agreement will cause many Democrats to support future trade deals. They hope that enough Democrats will join with Republicans, who generally support such measures, to make passage of the agreements probable, if only narrowly. read more

NAFTA's Effect on Immigration

Wednesday evening was pretty exciting due to two long conversations about illegal immigration in the U.S. Look for my opinion on the issue in the near future, but for now, I want to share a very interesting article I found this morning.

We all know that immigration issues involve economic policy, human rights, national security priorities, and domestic public opinion. This article does a good job of discussing the U.S.'s history of immigration and refugee policy, major factors regarding immigration, and possible solutions to salient issues.

It's pretty long, but take a look. Also, scroll to the end to read some of McBride's suggestions. It deals with immigration and asylum issues. I am also interested in how NAFTA has impacted Mexican farmers and U.S. immigration. If you can give me some insight into these issues, please comment.

The evolution of US immigration and refugee policy: public opinion, domestic politics and UNHCR by Michael J. McBride (download pdf)