Please man up and do your job! Let’s send a message that any government official who wishes to hide out rather than defend your positions, you should be instantly resigned from office.
Thanks.
A concerned American
On the Road Again
I was on the road almost all day yesterday, so no blog for Feb 17th, but there’s more to come, so watch this space.
Egypt: Good or Bad?
Over the past couple of weeks, the Media attention given to the revolution in Egypt. Many have compared it to the American Revolution. Many see this as a sign that Democracy is taking a foothold in the Middle East? But is it really?
According to this 2010 Pew Research poll, 59% of Egyptians would prefer a democratic government; however, they were nearly split on whether Islam should play an important roll in the government. Contrast that with this 2010 Zogby poll which states that Egyptians see the US as a threat–interesting since President Obama has been taking a lot of credit for this process, and has pledged that our military will help with the “transition” of the country’s politics. Gallop posted these results, which also show disapproval of the U.S.
So why, then are we Americans seemingly so supportive of this uprising when the Egyptians don’t really want us over there? We have political and economic unrest, unemployment, immigration concerns here within the United States. Would it not make more sense for the Obama administration to quit worrying about the rest of the world and maybe focus on the problems at home?
However this plays out, I am hopeful that this revolution will create an ally for the US in the Middle East. However, I doubt it. Iran’s President Ahmadinejad is already claiming inspiration for Egypt and Tunisia’s uprisings. I for one think that the US and Israel may have a tougher time in that corner of the the world.
Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
The Jungle Revisited.
In the past couple of years we have been trying to eat healthier. We’ve cut back out eating out, have been purchasing less prepackaged foods, and last year took a stab at gardening. Since moving to Austin, we’ve found more affordable options available in the way of organic food. (What organic food we could find in West Texas tended to be almost prohibitively expensive.)
This evening, we watched an eye-opening documentary called Food, Inc. which looks at the monopolistic practices of major food producers. After watching this, the thought of eating a hamburger and French fries makes me feel a bit ill. But then, Super Size Me had a similar effect, but Food, Inc. was much more powerful. The film took a decidedly less overtly political stance than Super Size; instead plays out like a great work of investigative journalism. In many ways it seems like an update to the Jungle Upton Sinclair’s expose of the meat packing industry. And in many ways, the film illustrates that in many ways, the industry hasn’t changed–or has, rather reverted back to the ways in which it once operated.
The film also looks at the somewhat mafia-like business practices of agricultural biotech firm Monsanto, as well as some of the strange laws that have been put in place to protect these businesses (and highlights the members of the DC elite who have strong ties to said businesses.)
So yeah… It may be time to start another garden, and possibly start eating a vegetarian diet.
Where is Governor Perry’s Head?
As we Texans are facing a multi-billion dollar budget deficit – under the leadership of a man who ran under the platform of balancing the budget – I expected some cuts to start happening. Hearing his plan to cut funding to things such as the Arts, film, and historical concerns, while irritating and unfortunate, don’t bother me too much in the long run. If sacrifices need to be made, I’d rather funding gets cut temporarily rather than teachers and service people being let go. (Of course, the big wigs in these government agencies are making no such sacrifices.)
But this. THIS bothers me. We Texans are worried about jobs being cut, increased taxes and further funding cuts, and our Governor wants to push through Abortion legislation? You may remember that in 2007, he also tried to make HPV vaccinations mandatory.
So my question becomes, why in the midst of economic turmoil, does Perry keep trying to push his way into womens’ private business? And the worst part is that I can’t help thinking that this a way of pandering to religious groups as a way of drumming up support for some kind of future Presidential bid. I guess it’s the Libertarian in me talking but, I really would rather our elected officials focus on the problems of public safety, and stay out of peoples’ lives.
What do you think, am I overreacting, or are Governor Perry’s priorities out of whack?
(Disclosure: my wife works for a State agency)
Blog Month?
Captain’s Log: Stardate 04395.00
I had this thought that during the month of February, I would write a blog a day, seeing as I have three weblogs that have not seen much use of late. However — due to circumstances such as ongoing car troubles, the threat of frozen water pipes and of course good things such as freelance projects — I have not taken the time to sit down and write.
But no more excuses. Here I am. And I have a couple of drafts in the can*, so stay tuned. Same Bat time, same Bat channel.
*with or without campy television references.
~ r
Note: depending on the subject matter discussed, daily blogs may be posted on any of my 3 blog sites here, at ryannims.com or ryannims.blogspot.com.
(Republished from http://ryannims.blogspot.com/)
