Fareed’s GPS Show

I just watched taped 8/14 aired GPS show. In there, Fareed had a segment on the London riots, and the two “intellectual” guests diagnosed the problem as being rooted in the “black” hip pop culture. Fareed didn’t push the guy to explain what he meant by that. He just accepted it and moved on.

What the hell was that? What did it mean to others?

I thought it was offensive, to associate artistic expression to this act? It sounded kind of pre 60′s, linking destructive things to black people. It just not right.

Give ‘em hell, Barack!

Great to see President Obama back to his old self.

He is right, trying to campaign while governing isn’t easy. He has got to make it happen though, and it looks like he is starting to.

His ratings are going down; last I heard, it broke below 40% for the very first time. Recovery of the economy is the only saving grace, unless the Republicans go with one of the crazy ones.

Wouldn’t it be great running against Bachmann? Too easy…

Anyways, it is great to see him out there again.

Give ‘em hell, Barack!

The Republicans Strategy

It is facinating.

They changed the discussion from job creation to cutting spending. Was that really what was needed? Of course, not. The government has been spending a lot, more so recently, but for a good reason. No one else is spending; employment is lagging; companies don’t have as many buying customers so they are not hiring; a vicious circle of sorts.

What stops the downward spiral, and get the economy going again? Responsible Government spending on things that help economic activity like infrastructure. In a way, that is what this administration tried to do; not to a degree that would be effective, nonetheless, the attempt was made.

Now, here comes the republican play, it’s ultimate goal being defeating the President.  Change the discussion away from jobs to spending, knowing full well that – if the job picture doesn’t turn around come 2012, President Obama will have the hardest time keeping his. Thus, their strategy; not only slow down economic activity, but actively hamper it by cutting spending so that the pain remains by election day resulting is the loss of one more job, the Presidents.

It could backfire though. If the people understood what it is that they have just done, the wrath could end up being on them. Right now, though, the odds, I would say, are in their favor.

Is it me or you’ol feel the same way that the President is losing some critical support here?

Why is he not out there and raising hell? Why isn’t he out there exposing these crazy Republicans?

Is this ‘leading from behind’ talk Bachmann and crazies like her have been spewing could be true?

Or could it be that he is letting all these loco tea party big mouth, my way or the highway, racist bunches self destruct, and then show up in the 4th quarter sweep?

I”m in the worried come. Whatever he needs to do, he probably wants to start soon.

ER is backing terrorists

VOA Blog: “A United Nations report says the Eritrean government planned a large scale attack on an African Union meeting earlier this year in Addis Ababa”

How is this going to get you be like Singapore – we were so told back 20 years ago when you declared your “independence” ??

Can you folks just leave us alone and do your thing?

WashingtonPost: “Ethiopia, a key recipient of U.S. aid in the Horn of Africa region, should also be strongly discouraged from granting long-term leases of its farmland to foreign entities when it struggles to feed its own people in years of poor rainfall.” so writes William Moseley, a professor in one of the midwest’s well known liberal arts schools.

 

I have no idea what sort of deal the government struck with these fat cat Indians and Saudis justifying the expulsion of the local farmers, and leasing – on long term bases – large parcel of lands to these folks. What is the gain here?

 

Moseley argues these long term leases to foreigners actually exasperate the problem. The local poor farms with their families get driven out of their lands; their cultures and ways of life that would actually be beneficial for their own as well as community’s survival destroyed; they are no longer cultivating their lands for their own consumption and to sell to the local market. Large scale farming, he says, is just no good for Ethiopia at all, under these types of deals.

 

My thoughts? humm…don’t know at the moment. Could it be that the administration is so incredibly stupid – which won’t be a stretch - and gave all these up for pretty much nothing?

 

UN buys 90,000 tonnes wheat for Ethiopia — WHY????

Reuters reported, “UN buys 90,000 tonnes wheat for Ethiopia”. According to the report, they will be shipping it from far out place, from somewhere in the black seas region. Why???

You may say that is a stupid question to ask.

But the reality is – there are grains they could purchase from the local market or somewhere close by to save lives.

Did you know that in the middle of the ’80s horrible drought, there were surplus grain production in the southern part of Ethiopia, while folks living in the northern region dying of hunger? The problem is lack of technology, money, and management rather than the actual commodities.

Spending the cash right in the country or region helps the local or regional economy. It is nice that they are trying to help, but they are not really helping. For host of reasons, the problem is reoccurring time and again, and this, shipping consumable stuff from outside, doesn’t do anything to break this horrible cycle. Actually, I would argue it entrenches it.

So, UN folks and donors around the world, it is not like you don’t know this, but have some conscious; don’t screw people over by making them dependent on you; do the right thing; if you want to help, help the right way.

The Stalemate

President Obama just gave a short speech, making his case – that the right wing republicans would rather endanger the country’s economic health than raising a single cent in taxes on millionaires and billionaires; that there are ordinary republicans in the mold of President Regan and the elder Bush in the Senate who support a balanced approach of cuts as well as revenue increases on wealthy Americans and Corporation; that the right wing, nutty Republicans in the house are the ones who are standing between fiscal sanity and economic calamity; that the current so called offer of nutty right-wingers to temporarily extend the limit for 6 months and fight the same exact fight again isn’t solving any problem, rather kicking the ‘can’ down the road which won’t help anyone except still suffer the wrath of the bond traders – as they are plenty capable seeing the deal as what it is; that the electorates who chose a divided government not to paralyze the functions of government but to help solve problems by capitalizing the best of each; that the right-wingers shouldn’t take the word ‘compromise’ as a dirty word rather an integral part of governing to be practiced.

The president is urging all of us to contact our representatives and tell them our wishes.

The sad part is, at least in my case, I’m represented by one of those ultra right-wing, nutty, take no prisoner, would rather see the country go down the drain than taxing billionaires type. So zero chance for me to have my views having any impact but those of you who have a sane person representing you, take the time to do your duties to let them know your thoughts. What the heck, I will do the same regardless.

 

 

Fair tactics?

Bloomberg: Ethiopian political activists opposed to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s rule said they sabotaged power lines in the west of the country as part of a campaign against the government.

Is that what the country wants right now? more blackouts and economic disruptions?

Aren’t there any other peaceful means – short of hurting the poor shopkeeper who depends on his daily sales to feed his family?

If you give a group of individuals 20 years to fix a problem and still unable to do so, what do you do?

This morning VOANews reports the Ethiopian Government is asking – for yet another food aid to feed 2.8million people.

We have been through several ’5 year’ transformational plans – to no effect.

How about giving another group of individuals a crack at the problem? And doing it peacefully.