Britain's Secret War?

Just noticed the Mirror's headline "Britain's Secret War" and was intrigued. I should not make a habit of soiling my fingers with any red top, but sometimes morbid curiosity gets the better of me. They somehow managed to break the incredible story that private military contractors are training the Libyan rebels. INCREDIBLE! Is anyone naive enough to be shocked? Sending a few special operators now obviates sending battalions of conventional troops later. Soon, the Mirror will be giving us the big expose' that war is bad and bullets kill.

The House of Lords: Can Old Ideas Still Make Sense?

The PM and his deputy are setting the stage for a radical restructuring of the House of Lords, but will this yield the rich rewards promised? The glaring question is...WHY? The current system works well and has done so for generations. Fair laws get passed and bad ideas tend to be short lived. Only about half of the Lords bother to take an active part in the few duties of their house, so there is a minimum of congestion and overcrowding is no more an issue than it has ever been. If the two houses are equal, tie-breaking votes and who should cast them will surely become problematic. Finally, demanding elected Lords deprives parties the power to reward their faithful and generous with peerages, which can only mean passage of the election proviso equals dumb politics. Why give up the chance to distribute such political pearls? A balanced bicameral legislature, the logical result of Lords reform isn't a good fit for the UK. Lords reform needs to be scrapped. The current arrangement still works and it still makes sense.

She Who Knows No Shame Thunders On.

Sarah Palin made news recentlyt with her appearance at Rolling Thunder, the event that spotlights and honors American Veterans. According to the Hill, many attending the annual Memorial Day event in Washington, throught Palin should have stayed home. Apparently cheers and applause were far outweighed by boos accompanied by apathy. No one, not even those gathered there who might support her, could have actually been fooled into thinking anything other than her appearance was blatant self promotion. Putting your own agenda ahead of those who have served and died is appalling. The stunt isn't likely to cost her many votes, but is indicative of how self-absorbed and desperate this would-be 2012 hopeful has become.

It's Time to Think Globally

After the 2008 election, the rest of the world breathed a collective sigh of relief knowing we hadn't actually been stupid enough to elect a ticket that included Sarah Palin, but the world was still accustomed to watching the output at the White House with the same curiosity reserved for an episode of Jerry Springer. Once it emerged that we could elect a president capable of speaking with dignity and intelligence, the world began to give the America a proper second look.
Under President Obama's leadership, the economy has begun to show signs of recovery and he is steadily restoring dignity to America's highest office, yet the Republicans find fault. Why? In the months following the Obama inauguration, Dick Cheney and others went on and on about his failings to fix the economic mess they made. Then they spoke ill of his handling of the war they complicated with an unnecessary and arguably illegitimate foray into Iraq. Now, the ever-thinning herd of 2012 GOP hopefuls are gathering what ammunition they can for more pointless rhetoric about why Obama doesn't need a second term.
American voters seldom consider foreign policy, but as the world continues to shrink in the age of international commerce and communication capability, it is more important than ever to elect someone who can inspire confidence among our allies; who can meet our enemies with strength and resolve. The incumbent has proven his ability on each of the points. The opposition has proven...?

AV: The Phantom Menace

AV is dead and buried and it is about time. When I first heard of it, I was amazed that it was receiving so much media attention. Once I understood it, it seemed so completely ridiculous. Then luminaries like Stephen Fry and Colin Firth came out in favor of it. One of my uni professors seemed convinced "its fairer"saying so on more than one occasion causing me to wonder as an American, if there wasn't something I was missing. I asked myself,"could it be that I am missing something here? Do these learned men see something I don't?" Of course, after the measure was so soundly defeated, and common sense actually won out, my initial ideas suspicions were correct. Some ideas really can be taken at face value and as usual, academics and actors are as out of touch as ever.

The Rise of the Haggis Republic

Since the election and the success of the SNP, reports about Scottish independence seem to be everywhere. Just this week, the Guardian's G2 section ran a fifteen page special on the story. The Spectator chimed in as well, but in reality, an independent Scotland would have little impact on Great Britain other than a bit of a revision in the title. Rest assured, before Scotland leaves, concessions over North Sea oil, defence and other provisions would be hammered out in such a fashion that little would really change for Britain. If the Scots want to go, let them. Ultimately, it will be just one less thing Westminster needs to worry about.