News Today

I hope everyone had a good holiday, I know mine was very filling. I awoke however to some sobering news about the hostage-crisis that I know you’ve all heard about in India.

The attacks, which started on Wednesday, some estimates say have claimed over 150 deaths and at least 350 people injured. The attacks were strategically placed at 10 sites in India’s financial capitol. When Indian Commandos finally ended a day long siege at the Mumbai headquarters of an ultra-orthodox Jewish group they were greeted by the bodies of five hostages inside. Among the victims reported was a New York rabbi and his wife. Four Americans have been killed so far in the attacks.

There is still a lot of speculation as to who the terrorists actually were. It is not believed to be among the high ranks of Al-Qaida, although that possibility has not been ruled out either, given the similarity of this attack to previous Al-Qaida attacks.

The attackers reportedly came in by boat to the Colaba bay. Authorities are investigating a fishing boat that was found with a dead body aboard found off the city’s coast as well.

Some in India have already pointed the finger at Pakistan.

“Preliminary evidence, prima facie evidence, indicates elements with links to Pakistan are involved,” the Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a press conference earlier.

One claim is that at least one of the terrorists involved in Wednesday’s attacks was a Briton of Pakistani origin. No such death has been confirmed by Indian officials though.

“They are from across the border and perhaps from Faridkot, Pakistan. They tried to pretend that they were from Hyderabad,” Major General R.K. Hooda said earlier to reporters. Hooda was in charge of taking the city buildings back.

Pakistan has denied these claims, insisting that the two countries are fighting a common enemy.

The group that claimed responsibility, Deccan Mujahideen, was unknown to global security officials, who say the attacks were a complete surprise.

“We have been actively monitoring plots in Britain and abroad and there was nothing to indicate something like this was about to happen,” a British security official told The Associated Press speaking anonymously.

Whoever the gunmen were, they certainly were well prepared. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition and grenades were found among the bags brought by the terrorists. Among the ten structures attacked by the terrorists was the Taj, where at least thirty people were being held hostage. The terrorists reportedly had extensive knowledge of the hotel structure and had strong military training as well. One survivor said the gunmen “anyone with a British or US passport” and tried to take him to the roof before he escaped.

“It’s obvious they were trained somewhere… Not everyone can handle the AK series of weapons or throw grenades like that,” an anonymous senior officer of India’s Marine Commando unit told reporters today.

I read a great blog post today that I would encourage you to check out to see a Muslim-Indian’s perspective on the attacks.

Also, just a note… I’ve got a very uneasy feeling about Russia’s attitude lately. More on that later.

Anyone else eat too much already? I thought that was the point of today…

On this thanksgiving, I’d like to give thanks especially to you, today.com. Since joining this site a few months ago I’ve gotten the chance to talk to all sorts of people with a broad array of views on the political spectrum. We’ve debated all sorts of topics, sometimes heatedly, but always in good spirit. Most of all though, it’s pushed myself to be more aware and more involved with what’s going on in our world. The blogosphere is a huge part of the future of media, and it’s a pleasure logging on here with all of you guys.

I love reading all of the blogs on here, whether they agree with me or not, but there are a few people here that make my time here an absolute pleasure. These are the blogs that I look forward to the most when I log on.

http://waxingpoetically.today.com/ - Maybe I’m just bias because Mikey was the first guy to comment on my blog, but whatever. Mikey writes a couple blogs on today.com and this one is my favorite. Each and every post on here Mikey respectfully poses a cultural question that makes you think. Wax proudly Mikey, what you do is awesome.

http://therelevantrhino.today.com/ - Threedegrees, I probably don’t even need to say anything about this guy- I guarantee he’s said it on your blog. The relevant rhino posts daily here and is a member of a lot of other sites as well. Common sense with an attitude, his blog is fricking awesome. If I was more motivated I’d do one of those kick-ass photoshops of a rhino beating the crap out of an elephant, but I’m not - you can picture it though right three?

(editors note: So I did a youtube search to find a video of a rhino beating the crap out of an elephant and then found this - Ha not quite what I was looking for…*Possibly not safe for work*)

http://polianiac.today.com/ - The banner on the site says it all, “You do not have to agree with me; just support your argument!” KHLindsey is one of the more skilled writers on today.com and her blog is always an interesting read. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I suggest you do, and go back for more.

http://greennotmean.today.com/ - Yanjiyaren also has a couple blogs here at today.com. This one is a very educational blog dedicated to green solutions in our world. Go get some.

http://whatisupwithpolitics.today.com/ - Birdie runs a couple blogs here too and is also an active commenter. This blog focuses on an array of political subjects, but always offers thoughtful insight. Drop on by and say hey.

http://electricguitar.today.com/ - Getting off of the political spectrum, for anyone who plays guitar or is trying to learn this blog rocks. Incredibly informative to players of all skill levels, and for me a daily read.

So there it is, it’s a shorter list than what I wanted to do (so sorry if I didn’t get to you), but round two of turkey-madness is about to commence, and I’ve got some more blow-out football madness to watch. Have a good one you all,

Happy thanksgiving!

Fifty-five days til January 20th…

A lot of speculation has happened on what the Barack Obama presidency will be like, and I don’t want to get too much into that. There are still fifty-five days until we can start doing that. There is one dramatic difference that I want to note about our president-elect and our current president - transparency in the government.

Obama held his third news briefing about the economy this week today, declaring that his economic plan would be ready for action “starting day one.” Updates come daily from the Obama camp, often multiple times. The news media, perhaps still hung over from such a long election season, is still dominated by political discussion about our new president. Obama’s official website, change.gov gives any American with internet access a chance to see the latest plans straight from our forty-fourth President.

Did we ever see anything like this with Bush? With any other president for that matter? Undoubtedly the media plays a big role in this, as there has certainly been more attention placed on this election than any other in years past. Still, if it didn’t drive ratings then the stations wouldn’t play it. The fact that the media is still all over Obama shows that the people have an interest for it. In an election year that was full of firsts, to me this is one of the most important.

Fifty five days…

The Relevant Rhino has a great post today that if you haven’t read then you should. So go click that link. Now I don’t want to step on his toes (which is particularily hard to do with a rhino, I might add) or steal his thunder, but his post was about Hemp and why it should be legalized.

I fully agree with Rhino here. Hemp is a flexible product that has almost limitless uses, from bio-degradable plastics, clothing, soap, deoderant, paper, fuel — literally thousands of things.

Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington all grew hemp on their farms. In 1942 the United States Department of Agriculture made a movie called “Hemp for Victory” instructing farmers how to grow the product to replace raw materials that Japan had blocked off from the United States. In China hemp fibers are currently used to strengthen concrete.

There’s so much potential for development with this plant too. Hemp seeds actually contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain a healthy human life. Along with being edible and a good source of essential fatty acids, the oils from hemp seeds and stalks can be used as bio-fuels. More than thirty countries produce hemp and the United States is the number one importer of hemp-products.

So why is this helpful little green plant illegal?

Well, because it contains a teeny tiny amount of Tetrahydrocannabinol (man I love that word), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. In fact, hemp refers to the entire genus of cannibus, which includes but is not limited to the mean green reefer. The United States government refuses to acknowledge the difference.

Now as Rhino pointed out, a four year old could tell the difference between a pot plant and a hemp plant, but in all honesty why does that matter even.

Let’s take a step back.

Over 1% of the U.S. population is sitting in a prison cell right now as I type this. This is the highest prison-population in the world. What’s worse? What are a good majority of the people there? Non-violent drug offenders.

Now don’t read too much into this. I’m not saying all drugs should be legalized. Drug addiction is a huge problem in this country. I am glad that heroin is illegal. I am glad that crack-cocaine is illegal. I’m really glad that meth is illegal. But, marijuana? Really? I’m not even going to dwelve into the argument too much, I’ll just say this.

You’re telling me that a kid can legally go into a store and buy this and completely lose their sense of reason and sanity but can’t get slightly stoopid while puffing the magic dragon?

(10 points for those who know who slightly stoopid is)

I‘m going to be introducing a new thing for the next couple weeks. Foreign Policy has been a big issue in my blog (and one of my passions as well) lately. I can’t speak for all of you, but after eight years of our now lame-duck administration I wonder what the world thinks about us.

Well there’s only one way to find out, right?

I’ve staged some interviews with other today.com users from different countries than the United States about just what the historic election of president-elect Barack Obama meant to other people in the world. Today will be the first of those interviews. The interview questions will be in bold, and the answers unbolded. So without further ado, Elisabeth Sowerbutts…

I’m a New Zealander currently living in Perth, Australia - been here about a year - before that we drove around Australia for 6 months and before I was living in NZ. My today blogs are http://travelover30s.today.com/ and http://australia.today.com/

Answers below I can cover both countries :-)

1.) How much does United States policies and whatnot affect people in New Zealand? How visible is this effect?

NZ is a small economy (4 million people) a long way away in the South Pacific - the major issue we have with the US is the anti-free trade stand of the previous administration: you block a lot of are farm products from your markets, and only because we are more efficient and cheaper and producing than your own farmers.

Our dollar floats freely and is known for its volatility against the US dollar -at the moment its dropped significantly against the US so imported good and oil are lot more expensive than they were. On the other hand our exports are cheaper. To be honest I think the US has less and less effect on NZ because we have got used to going on without you and now look to local markets such as Australia and Asia.

It used to be (20 odd years) ago that the US was seen as important for our defence - now, particularly after Iraq, we feel that being a friend of the US would just make you a target.

Your immigration policies are very restrictive and means that even if you are transiting the US to a third country (say Mexico or Canada or Europe) you still have to pass US immigration - this is a long-standing (pre-911) and idiotic approach that no other country in the country has ever done: they have “transit” where you are separated from other passengers and don’t enter the country. Since the new hysteria over airline security most people flying to Europe choose to go via Asia to avoid on this nonsense.

2.) The United States has seen its global influence decline recently. People in our country attribute a lot of this to the Bush Administrations hardline “you’re with us or against us” stance foreign policy. Is this how it’s viewed in your country as well?

Absolutely - I am not a big patriot but I am proud that New Zealand stood up to Bush’s bullying and did not send troops to Iraq - we differ significantly from Australia on this one as John Howard (the former Australian Prime Minister) was all over Bush - where as our (former) Prime Minister Helen Clark stood up to Bush. Australians seem to think that if they are nice to the US the US will save them (as they did in WW2) - New Zealanders are a bit more cynical - we know that we can’t vote in your Elections :-)

3.) Did the election of Barack Obama to the presidency help or hurt the U.S. reputation in your country? How and why?

Obama is being seen as the last best hope for the US and your reputation (apologies to Babylon 5) (editors insert- no need to apologize to me for Babylon 5 Ha! I watched that show religiously in grade school) He is seen as a huge improvement on the incumbent - there are huge expectations for Obama - mainly because of it his obvious intelligence.

4.) What is it that you want the U.S. to focus on or improve in the coming years?

Stop being so arrogant - having the biggest army in the world doesnt give you leadership at any level except as that of a bully. No one respects a bully.

5.) If you could say one thing to George W. Bush what would it be?

Retire and go quietly, an apology to the Iraqi people would be nice, though I won’t hold my breath.

6.) If you could say one thing to Barack Obama what would it be?

Watch your back, I hope you have the best security of any US President because your enemies aren’t Arabs - they are your own citizens. Don’t feel like you have to hide your intelligence - playing to the common denominator has made the previous administration the laughing stock of the world.

This was the first of these interviews, and most of the questions will be formatted pretty similarily. First off, is there any other questions that you guys would like me to ask in the future? And secondly (shameless plug warning), give my girl Elisabeth some love on her blogs, she’s a very skilled and accomplished writer. Elisabeth if you’re reading this then thank you once again so much for your time, your thoughtful answers, and your participation.

So after about a month of coughing and hacking away, my computer finally bit the dust last week… However 6 days and 140 dollars later, I’m back in business.

And oh boy have I missed a lot!

There’s one thing in particular that I want to focus on for today. It’s a U.S. intelligence report called the Global Trends 2025 report. The group every four years tries to assess where the world will be in the year 2025. The predictions they made this time around are somewhat startling.

There are four main points to the report.

• The whole international system—as constructed following WWII—will be revolutionized. Not only will new players—Brazil, Russia, India and China— have a seat at the international high table, they will bring new stakes and rules of the game.

We’ve already begun to see this as countries across the globe struggle to deal with the recession. China is beginning to take a seat as one of the greater powers of the world and its influence is definitely spreading. With this increase in power from other countries though we’re also seeing the United States take a step back in its influence around the world. A while back I made a poor man’s call for Isolationism, perhaps we’re heading in that direction anyways.

• The unprecedented transfer of wealth roughly from West to East now under way will continue for the foreseeable future.

This is also no surprise. Just look at how much money we owe China for investing in our debt.

• Unprecedented economic growth, coupled with 1.5 billion more people, will put pressure on resources—particularly energy, food, and water—raising the specter of scarcities emerging as demand outstrips supply.

This to me sounds very troubling. The report indicates that countries in Africa and Southern Asia will likely feel the pinch first, warning that state regimes will collapse or wither away under security problems and water and food shortages brought about by climate change and a population increase of 1.4 billion. What role will the U.S. play when these shortages start affecting people across the globe?

• The potential for conflict will increase owing partly to political turbulence in parts of the greater Middle East.

Peace in the middle east still not a likely prediction…

Link - http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_2025_project.html

Just a thought, just a thought.

There’s a couple things I want to focus on today. I’m gonna be moving quickly, so here we go. Let’s take a look at Iraq firsthand.

Iraqi spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that the proposed changes to the security agreement were “not enough” and told Washington that there would have to be more changes if the agreement is to pass the Iraqi parliament.

Telling point here? The Iraqis are still referring to it as a “draft” — last week when we sent it to them we called it the “final text.”

“The American answer is not enough for the government to accept it in its current form,” al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press. “There are still some points in which we have not reached a bilateral understanding.”

Al-Dabbagh said the government was inviting the U.S. “to give answers that are suitable to the Iraqis.”

An agreement must be reached by December 31 (when the U.N. mandate allowing our troops to be there ends) or U.S. military operations in the country would have to cease.

Little discussion has been offered as to what the actual points of contention are. Expect more on this story in the next couple days.

Alright let’s keep it moving, on to Israel.

Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, in a move that critics speculate as mere political posturing, pledged to continue negotiations with the Palestinians if he wins February elections.

“We will move both the political negotiations forward and the economic peace that we’ve been working on,” Netanyahu said.

This of course came a day after the Likud party stated that there was no point continuing the talks the talks inaugurated at an international conference in Annapolis, Md., last November.

My take? It is purely political posturing. It’s very easy to say that you will continue negotiations. If you don’t change what you’re offering you’re still negotiating, and that’s about all I’d expect out of Netanyahu.

Now I don’t have too much time to get into this last one but I wanted to shed some light on a seemingly dangerous situation brewing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Leaders from Africa’s southern and Great Lakes regions have offered to send troops to try to help pacify east Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting between Nkunda’s Tutsi rebels and the army has uprooted hundreds of thousands of people.

Congolese rebel chief Laurent Nkunda said Monday he would fight African peacekeeping troops if they attacked him.

The civil war has left 200,000 refugees at the provincial capital in Goma but thousands more are estimated to be stranded in the bush areas as well.

It appears that leaders in Europe are growing frustrated with inaction on the violence, specifically in the EU.

“Europe has a proven history and expertise in peacekeeping. It has created special standby battalions precisely to respond rapidly to crises like this. What more needs to happen for Europe to provide Congo with the help it so urgently needs?” Said Juliette Prodhan, head of Oxfam in Congo, “We need action and we need it now, not more excuses and procrastination.”

A mere two days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Barack Obama for his nomination, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani blasted Obama for his remarks.

“Obama must know that the change that he talks about is not simply a superficial changing of colors or tactics,” Larijani said in comments carried by the semi-official Mehr News Agency. “What is expected is a change in strategy, not the repetition of objections to Iran’s nuclear program, which will be taking a step in the wrong direction.”

Ahmadinejad sent a congratulatory letter to the Obama campaign after Obama won. It was the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Ahmadinejad said Tehran “welcomes basic and fair changes in U.S. policies and conducts,” according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency on Thursday.

Obama responded to Ahmadinejad’s remarks in his first press conference as president-elect:

“Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon I believe is unacceptable. And we have to mount an international effort to prevent that from happening. Iran’s support of terrorist organizations I think is something that has to cease,” said Obama. “I will be reviewing the letter from President Ahmadinejad, and we will respond appropriately. It’s only been three days since the election. Obviously, how we approach and deal with a country like Iran is not something that we should, you know, simply do in a knee-jerk fashion. I think we’ve got to think it through.”

My take? This is a sticky situation right now that could turn for the worse later on. The Iranians have all but vowed to continue down the path for nuclear power (which is under the International Atomic Energy Association guidelines) and I don’t see them changing that direction for Obama.

“You should know that you cannot prevent the Islamic Republic [from reaching its goals in the nuclear field],” said Larijani.

Only time will tell where this story takes us.

Barack Obama noted the economy in his first ever press conference as President-Elect of the United States. The first plan of action would be an economic stimulus package that would extend jobless benefits, send food aid to the poor, dispatch Medicaid funds to states and spend tens of billions of dollars on public works projects.

If congress can’t pass the package then Obama declared “it will be the first thing I get done as president of the United States.”

Obama also didn’t rule out possible changes in his tax plan, stating that economic conditions might prompt him to change his tax plan that would give a break to most families but raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 annually.

“I think that the plan that we’ve put forward is the right one, but obviously over the next several weeks and months, we’re going to be continuing to take a look at the data and see what’s taking place in the economy as a whole,” Obama said.

A full transcript of the press-conference can be found here - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obama_text;_ylt=AoKYTYBOyB2WIsOVN5m8vj9h24cA

Moving on to more hard-hitting news, who will President-Elect Obama select as his new family dog? Apparently there are two issues the Obama family is straddling while making this important decision. One is that his ten year old daughter Malia has some allergy concerns, and the second is that the Obama’s wants to adopt a dog from the shelter.

“But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me,” said Obama, in an apparent self-deprecating reference to his mixed race heritage. “So whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”

I’m sure America will be following this story closely as it unfolds.

Let me say firsthand, what an incredible night. A historic night that really shook the ages and redefined what America stands for. An unprecedented night where sons of slaves had the opportunity to do something their parents never dreamed would happen. A night where one of America’s true heroes stepped into the light for one last hurrah, and where one of America’s new heroes stepped up to the plate.

Barack Obama got to work early on his new administration team today, naming Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff. Emanuel served in President Bill Clinton’s administration as well and is known as a hard-nosed democrat. Obama also began working on his transition team and is expected to be debriefed by the C.I.A. within the week.

What will happen to the Republican party has yet to be determined. A definite line has split between neo-conservatives and the old-school conservatives. The Bush presidency and the McCain campaign both represented aspects of that neo-conservative philosophy, but now Republican leaders are talking about taking a new direction.

Noting the numerous “scandals and broken promises,” made by the party recently Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina declared: “We have got to clean up, reform and rebuild the Republican Party before we can ask Americans to trust us again.” He called for party leaders to “embrace a bold new direction” or hit the road.

“It’s time for the losing to stop. And my commitment to you is that it will,” House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio remarked after watching at least 19 Republican House seats fall. The Democrats also picked up at least five seats in the senate, with a few races too close to call.

I for one hope to see the G.O.P. return to the fiscally conservative policies that they used to trumpet. For whatever reason that aspect has been completely lost on the party as of late.