Saturday, February 14, 2009

Not bad for a few days work

Web site founded to upgrade image
of Muslims forced to close when founder
admits to beheading his wife.

He closed Guantanamo, ended torture, established paycheck rights for working women, defended their reproductive rights, to action on global warming, restored workplace protections, gave a marvelous and inspiring Lincoln Day speech, reversed some threatening environmental policies, and had Congress pass the largest stimulus package in history. Not bad for twenty five days work. Barack Obama, our 44th President, is doing well. But he still hasn’t solved the Israeli/Palestinian issue, the Iran problem, the Afghanistan problem, and hasn’t yet withdrawn all out troops from Iraq. What’s wrong with him, he’s been in office for almost a month. I guess I should have voted for McCain and Whats-her-name. Well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Perhaps the most important development of all, however, is that Obama has restored science to its rightful place in American life. You recall that under Bush/Cheney scientists were given little respect and at times even forced to have their findings changed if they conflicted with what the Bush administration wanted to hear. This was a national disgrace. Obama has now funded and encouraged science to an almost unprecedented level and restored it to its proper place. I don’t think we’re going to be hearing so much about “Intelligent Design” or teaching nonsense in our science classrooms. This is as it should be and is of immeasurable importance to our future. It should help to overcome the mental bankruptcy I have previously mentioned but, of course, that will take time. Scientists meeting at the Annual Association of Scientists are overjoyed, as they should be.

Hopefully, Obama has been cured of his insistence on trying to work “across the aisles” with these recalcitrant and pig-headed Republicans who have now made it clear they are not interested in the welfare of the nation or its citizens. They are betting Obama (and thus our country) will fail, and by thus doing so will return them to power. I don’t think Obama will fail, although I’m sure there will be requests for a lot more money in the near future. In any case, even if Obama and the Democrats failed twice over they still couldn’t possibly be as hopeless and incompetent as the Bush/Cheney bunch. I don’t care how negative the Republicans are being, I see signs of hope everywhere: Afghanistan, Iran, the “war on drugs,” health care, global warming, and more. One exceedingly positive development that makes me believe that Congress is not completely brain dead is the fact that billions for nuclear power were eliminated from the stimulus package. Hurrah! And although Obama himself does not seem to be interested in getting involved in holding Bush/Cheney and others accountable, he is clearly not keeping others from doing so. We may hear Rove after all, lying son-of-a-bitch that he is. For the first time in years I actually think things are looking up!

LKBIQ:
I repeat...that all power is a trust; that we are accountable for its exercise; that from the people, and for the people all springs, and all must exist.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

TILT:
In one year elephants in Kenya killed at least 200 people.

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