Monthly Archives: August 2010

by John Stang | August 31, 2010 · 7:54 PM

Admitting Both Sides Are Wrong

I want to discuss a few trends that have been downplayed by bothsides that might diffuse the ideological talk.

On the Conservative Side: This weekend, I talked about Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally. The rally focused on getting back to God instead of government, which I pointed too as evidence that the Religious Republican movement is back. Before the GOP moves in that direction, it would be good to note that more government does not mean less character in a nation. Recently, when people Gallup asked “Is Religion important in your daily life?” the answer was this, correlated with income level:

You will actually notice that many of these nations that seem to not involve religion in their daily lives are actually very well established economic systems, some are even up and coming growing economies. In much poorer countries such as Niger and Somalia, the rate is about 99% (I could not get the graph that shows those trends to upload for some reason). In other studies such as the one published in the Journal of Religion and Society, happiness rates (determined by crime rates, morality rates, etc.) were actually much higher than those of the U.S. This is not to say that religion does not play an important role in society, but just because it is not part of the central tenant of government does not really hurt the society at large. Usually in countries that have more socialistic types of economies they have a stronger social safety net, taking away some securities that religion provides to other people.

On the liberal Side: Liberals must admit that nation building in Iraq did work to some extent. The surge worked and the economy of Iraq is growing. New York Times columnist David Brooks put it this way today:

On the economic front, there are signs of progress. It’s hard to know what role the scattershot American development projects have played, but this year Iraq will have the 12th-fastest-growing economy in the world, and it is expected to grow at a 7 percent annual clip for the next several years.

Living standards are also improving. According to the Brookings Institution’s Iraq Index, the authoritative compendium of data on this subject, 833,000 Iraqis had phones before the invasion. Now more than 1.3 million have landlines and some 20 million have cellphones. Before the invasion, 4,500 Iraqis had Internet service. Now, more than 1.7 million do.

In the most recent Gallup poll, 69 percent of Iraqis rated their personal finances positively, up from 36 percent in March 2007. Baghdad residents say the markets are vibrant again, with new electronics, clothing and even liquor stores.

Basic services are better, but still bad. Electricity production is up by 40 percent over pre-invasion levels, but because there are so many more air-conditioners and other appliances, widespread power failures still occur.

In February 2009, 45 percent of Iraqis said they had access to trash removal services, which is woeful, though up from 18 percent the year before. Forty-two percent were served by a fire department, up from 23 percent.

About half the U.S. money has been spent building up Iraqi security forces, and here, too, the trends are positive. Violence is down 90 percent from pre-surge days. There are now more than 400,000 Iraqi police officers and 200,000 Iraqi soldiers, with operational performance improving gradually. According to an ABC News/BBC poll last year, nearly three-quarters of Iraqis had a positive view of the army and the police, including, for the first time, a majority of Sunnis.

Iraq ranks fourth in the Middle East on the Index of Political Freedom from The Economist’s Intelligence Unit — behind Israel, Lebanon and Morocco, but ahead of Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and Tunisia. Nearly two-thirds of Iraqis say they want a democracy, while only 19 percent want an Islamic state.

I think that the major reasons liberals hate to admit that nation building worked is because it was Bush’s idea. Republicans often do the same thing to President Obama, as is the way of partisan politics. We must compliment each other on our successes, otherwise the partisan gridlock will never surpass us.

In summary, Republicans must admit that a society does have to be a religious one to be successful and Democrats must admit that nation building in Iraq worked, for the most part.

Sources:

Gallup on religion
http://www.gallup.com/poll/142727/Religiosity-Highest-World-Poorest-Nations.aspx

Journal of Religion and Society
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html

David Brook’s Column
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/opinion/31brooks.html?ref=todayspaper

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Filed under Democrats, Iraq, power walk, religion, Republicans

by John Stang | August 28, 2010 · 9:23 PM

Apocalypse Now

The good ol’ apocalypse, scaring the world since the dawn of time. The end of the world is the one event that all people can take comfort knowing they will never truly understand, and until the event happens will quake at its ever looming presence. From the Four Horsemen, to asteroids, to the Mayan calendar, to a super explosion by the gas giant in the sky the scenarios will never cease to exist. If you thought this event could only be used for the religious, have no fear the politics soothes your worries with more prophecies of doom and gloom.

As I write this, the preacher himself the Reverend Glenn Beck is holding a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary that the real Reverend, Martin Luther King, Jr., first had a dream. “Restoring Honor” is the name of the rally, Beck’s or the America’s I am not sure. As I have watched his “Road to Restoring Honor” throughout the week on the Murdoch’s network of deception, I witnessed his proselytizing of miracles by exclaiming that unless America goes to this rally the world will end. I am paraphrasing of course, but his messages echo the same sentiments, usually while he is calling the President a communist/fascist/Nazi/Muslim/Liberation Theology proclaimer. Did Beck also mention that Obama is a racist as well?

Beck is not the first man to use the end of the world as an excuse to get people to buy his merchandise, the late Oral Roberts had been doing that for years. Neither, will Mr. Beck be the last man to use this lame excuse. Both sides of the isle use this disgusting language to fearmonger the American people. A history of this scare-a-thon goes like this.

For those on the right, it is a moral calamity. Since the 1960s when those hippies all gathered together at a music festival, not much different than the Beck rally today, to protest authority, race, and an end to the Vietnam War they claimed the world has been going to hell in a handbasket. Only through fiscal responsibility and putting prayer back in school would the country then be back on track. Then, out of the fog of politics a new messiah was born for all to proclaim in the decade of techno music and John Hughes movies.

Yes, Ronald Wilson Reagan provided the moral grounding that this country needed to topple the moral desecration of those pesky kids with long hair. Successfully, he brought an end to the “Evil Empire” and promised to make the country fiscally responsible, keyword promised. All was fine with the world.

Suddenly, a turning point arose. This group used such claims the end of world would come because of global warming and overpopulation. The only way to solve such a problem was to restructure the economy. A man from Arkansas who smoked pot once but did not like it burst onto the political scene promising a new covenant between the federal government and the common man. With him came a time to truly universalize healthcare finally bringing the socialist dream to America.

Moreover, he brought a man by the name of Al Gore who would fight for the environment and save the world. The moral conservatives came back at the president later in his term because he loved sex a little too much, namely getting a certain job in the Oval Office. Now, they were in the driver seat with the Starr Report they described his devious sexual transgressions. They even would restore moral integrity to the White House with a man from Texas who claimed he was on a mission from God to put a constitutional ban on gay marriage and liberate the Iraqi people. Maybe now another end of the world would be averted, not so much.

Finally, the liberals would have their hero in a well traveled African American man Barack Hussein Obama. His credentials were light, but his rhetoric soared compared to the last president. Together with the most gaffe proned politician known to man, Joe Biden, he would fight the step backward that the nation had taken with Mr. Bush. Obama promised financial reform, healthcare reform, a stimulus package, peace in the Middle East, and so much more. By inheriting a mess, he would have a challenge. Problems arose because people realized his programs would cost money, despite not saying anything under the last administration. With the fall of Greece from mountains of debt, Obama’s new socialist healthcare program, his multilateralist foreign policy, and deciding not to invade another country America must be doomed they decided.

Today, America is now in the same position it’s always been. Still the greatest country on earth, but with some cracks along the edges of its perfect portrait, Glenn Beck hopes to bring back the honor that he knew when he was a child. Little does he know that he is just a pawn in the game of political Armageddon. Both right and left claim the end of the world, until they get into office then the earth is not such a priority anymore. Despite what you might believe, the world will not end because one party or another is power. Moral decay and a lack of federal programs will not destroy the U.S., but anger out of these frightening policies might. Defend yourself from the fearmongering by knowing your history, knowing your science, and staying away from fanatics.

Photo Credit:
http://www.chailife.com/tag/glenn-beck/

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Filed under conservatism, glenn beck, power walk, tea party

by John Stang | · 5:43 PM

Reaction To Glenn Beck’s Rally

I just watched the Beckmister’s speech, which really did not say anything. The best way to summarize the speech was individual liberty/divine providence/faith/God is good and people telling you what to do is bad. This not surprising since many of Beck’s followers are evangelicals.

The only remark that I have for the speech is to be warned that a moral movement of conservatism is now alive. Whenever they say that the Tea Party is just economic, that is now a lie. Moral revivalism of the Bush years is still in this movement, it just takes a subtler tone. Those who want prayer in school, are pro life, and are against gay marriage are now reincarnated in the Tea Party movement. You have been warned.

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Filed under glenn beck, power walk, tea party

by John Stang | August 27, 2010 · 2:31 PM

Events of the Day

Instead of posting as often, I thought that I might try something like this:

1. North Korea Release: Aijalon Mahli Gomes was released from a North Korean prison yesterday after former President Jimmy Carter visited as a private citizen, because the U.S. does not have any diplomatic ties to North Korea. There did not seem to be any type of diplomatic work that went on between North Korea and Carter, which I find a bit of disappointment. The other problem is that North Korea has been the target of criticism lately ever since it was accused of firing a missile that sank a South Korean ship. This has increased tensions between the two nations, making North Korea even more resolved to ramp up its nuclear program.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/08/north_korea_det.html

2. Economic Ego Boost: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake stated that the Federal Reserve has not exhausted everything that it could possibly do to help the U.S. economy. This might seem a bit strange to some who would say, “Shouldn’t the Fed do everything to save the economy right way?” The answer is no because that would make the confidence level go down amongst consumers and producers. The Fed must be careful not to act too quickly to inspire fear or create a bad monetary policy.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2010-08-27-fed-bernanke_N.htm

3. Peace in Yemen: Yemen has been in a civil war, which most people were probably not aware of, since about 2004. Shiite Rebels in the North have been declaring an attack on the government. The rebels have been linked to an Al-Qaeda related group. The agreement to end the civil war happened on Friday. It will only work if the group is able to cooperate with the enforcement procedures and if the government can enforce the agreement. An agreement was tried in 2008 that failed, but maybe there might be hope for this one.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67Q39T20100827

4. U.S. GDP Slowdown: The U.S. GDP fell in the 2nd Quarter to 1.6%. This is not bad as initially estimated. Most thought that it would fall to about 1.3% growth. What does this mean? It means that the economy is reacting to some bad economic news. With the unemployment rate at 9.5%, the housing market down, and investor fears still on the the rise, the economy is not in terrible shape, but it could be better.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704147804575455270227305744.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

5. U.N. Committee Criticizes France: An 18-member committee of the U.N. was disappointed in the way that France handled its Roma population. 8,500 Roma have been expelled from France. The policy has been called xenophobic by the committee. French President Nicholas Sarkozy has been using the policy as a way to cut down crime. I have been interested in this story because of the recent debates on illegal immigration in the U.S. If handled incorrectly, this is what could happen in the U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/world/europe/28roma.html

6. Mother Teresa’s Centennial Birthday Bash: Good Old Mother T turned 100. In her prized area of Calcutta a Mass was held in her honor, but in the U.S. there appeared to be controversy. The Empire State Building refused to light up the colors blue and white in honor of the late missionary. Instead, the building lit up the colors red, white, and blue for the 90th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The American Catholic league was very disappointed in the decision. My guess would be that with the amount of tensions around the ground zero mosque, religion of any kind is bit of touchy issue in New York.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLUcyVMQU3TkY2MU3BaL7M2Gg8pAD9HRM3I80

7. Floods Continue to Ravage Pakistan: I wish that this were getting more news coverage in the U.S., but sadly that is not the case. 1 million more people have been displaced because of the flooding. It has been tough on the people and the government in Pakistan.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/UN-Pakistan-Floods-Displace-1-Million-More-People-101634698.html

8. Another Gay Republican: Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman announced that he was coming out of the closet to the Atlantic Monthly. Most people are aware that Mehlman was very much a part of the Bush strategy in 2004 to try and push gay marriage as an issue. All the hypocrisy aside, it seems that the public is not as shocked as they should be, since gay marriage is ranking below the economy and other issues at the current moment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/politics/27mehlman.html?src=mv

9. Beckapolooza: I was going to write an opinion story on this, but in the end I have criticized the Tea Party and the Beckmister enough I believe to let people know where I stand on his movement. I will say that the best way for people to fight this nonsense of Beck’s personal Woodstock is to just ignore it. I believe this to be just a phase in the populist struggle that will go away after the economy recovers. Until then, I would just read MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech to remind yourself of the values that he once espoused, being the 47th anniversary of the speech. Notice that Beck does not represent most of these values.

http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

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Filed under Events of the day, power walk

by John Stang | · 1:30 PM