Reluctant Politician

The protests which have led to an uprising of the people in Egypt have given new hope to democracy taken root in the Arab world. Admittedly the protests in Egypt and the response by the government seems to have been fairly peaceful to date. The military does not appear to have taken up arms against the protesters who wish to end the three-decade reign of President Hosni Mubarak. Although such is not all that surprising when you consider the very fact that the Egyptian military is largely paid for by the American government. Why a country with a $13 trillion deficit is financing the militaries of foreign governments is an altogether different issue. So let’s just leave it on the table hidden under a napkin and move on for now.

United States President Barack Obama and his administration have reportedly been discussing with Egyptian officials a variety of proposals to create a transitional government and remove Mubarak from office immediately. The odds are those discussions have been fairly one sided with the Obama administration calling for the immediate removal of Mubarak and elevation of their choice as the new president. My personal opinion is that such discussions are a mistake. And not a small mistake at that. (continue reading…)

You have to hand it to new Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie for wanting to finally once and for all discredit the so-called birther movement by seeking a way to release more information about President Barack Obama’s birth records from Hawaii. If only discrediting the movement was that simple. Much like the alien spacecraft in Roswell or the second gunman in Dallas, this conspiracy movement is not going to ever go quietly into the night.

The thing with the internet is that one person’s voice can echo over and over again to the point where you think you are hearing a roaring crowd even though in reality it is still one person’s voice.

The birther movement claims that Obama was born in Kenya. This despite the fact that he was certified to run for president by the Federal Election Commission. (continue reading…)

More often than I would like to have happen, I come across news articles about politicians breaking the law. And I am not even referring to Congress, but to the local, county and state officeholders and seekers.

Proving that wisdom can often come from unexpected places, magician and comedian Penn Jillette has been writing a periodic opinion column for CNN. And while he denies it, the man has a fair amount of intelligence and an understanding of politics that some will appreciate and others will despise. (continue reading…)