Acting on orders by the legislature and the Supreme Court, President Zelaya of Honduras was removed from authority recently. With the overwhelmingly unfavorable views of the President by Hondurans, and examples of defying constitutional mandates, it is curious why the international community, notably the U.S. is regarding the removal of the President, a coup d’etat. Orders given to the military to transport Manuel Zelaya to Costa Rica, rather than hold and face trial intramurally was poorly managed. The authoritarian reaction to political demonstrations has been recognizably attenuating to otherwise favorable reactions to the ousting of the President. However, external reactions to Honduras’s political situation does not seem to consider the nation’s laws, or the interest of its people.

Recently it was learned throughout the year prior to the 2008 election an FBI Informant was planted within a student anti-war group at the University of Iowa. Meeting weekly the group discusses political issues, arranges upcoming educational events, and facilitates political activism. Under the swath of federal funding and focus in domestic intelligence throughout the Bush Administration, a small University group was not to be exempt from worthy attention; especially with the upcoming Iowa Presidential Caucus and close proximity to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. So in late 2007 an awkward 20 something with a rehearsed story wandered into a University boardroom, past students in Che Guevara t-shirts, through a wafting scent of patchouli and hash, below a harsh fluorescent gleam, and sat through nine to ten months of content rivaling the imperialistic impulse of a war driven nation. Read more…

While archaic forms of media such as TV broadcasts and newspapers continue to deteriorate to oblivion, new social and interactive forms are being adapted. With a diverse spectrum of high budget projects to recreational contributions, the opportunity to be both challenged, educated, and expand democratic concepts exceeds more than any point in history. Yet, continually with all the potential a true human tendency emerges. Repeatedly, videos, articles, and sites produced to the highest budget of time, effort, attention, research, and care disintegrate to the endless supply of effortless and empty content. A video clip portraying a serious topic of value to society presented with effort is esoteric, while a stuttering webcam video with screwed facts and platitude hilarity is cherished, viral wisdom. The lesson is clear: trying and being mediocre is far worse than not trying at all. Read more…

The American Clean Energy and Security Act is being debated in the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week. All 23 Republican Representatives of the 59 member committee oppose the legislation. Constancy in effort towards a rift in legislative fruition is all conceivable. Divides in Democrat support could delay a positive legislative step in providing a reduction to emissions. The present Democrat support is the result of industry favored emissions standards within the legislation. The further debate could result in only less legislation, or lost support by Democrats. Serious legislative debate on emissions standards, environment, and climate change issues neglects to present sacrifice as an aspect to resolving this global issue. The concept of sacrifice is vital to the broader solution to this exponential problem. Withal, no effort is greater than that of a combined cause. Perhaps, some causes can’t capture the magnitude of scarce resources and global climate change.

Directly knowing of unethical acts and neglecting to address them is complicity. The U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has now admitted she has been in full knowledge of the CIA’s torture program since 2003. Nothing happened. This Speaker of the House did nothing to address the major violations of U.S. and International Law by the previous Administration. All for politics. Whistle blowing, as it’s referred to as, is a significant right and a necessary responsibility. Neglecting the responsibility for mere political gain is far less scavenging than it is ravish. More excruciatingly vacuous than this nation’s lofting epitaph of values and foundations, laid in stone and built upon a slab of democracy, civility, and individual rights, is its forlorn phantom sensation and a pervasive onset of dementia. The unwillingness to address this torture program by leaders within the most influential nation in the world wells so deep it’s sprouting fountains along the road to Lhasa.

Oxygen is being sucked from a desperately complacent nation. Richard Bruce Cheney, the former U.S. Vice President, an antisocial libertine, a swine, has veined a foul, pestiferous influence through U.S. society. A brilliant public relations strategy. The successful career politician has through a series of public appearances and interviews presented a case for the former U.S. Executive Administration’s use of torture. Public opinion has been adequately affected. Editorials, articles, conversations now have a teetering reference, the U.S.’s torture program could have been a tragic necessity, an ambivalent success. History is a study of summations. Our most precious values and nestled rights are as light as air. If we lose perspective here, if we disregard resolving this, as a nation we sacrifice more than an image of incidence in time. We define this nation.