Interning on Capital Hill

This Fall semester I will be interning on Capital Hill and hope to share my experiences here so others can understand what it is like up on the Hill. I will not be commenting too much about legislative issues or the Representative I am working for as I hope to use this forum to talk about my experiences and the role of an intern on the Hill.

My first day was this past Tuesday, as Monday was Labor Day, and was quite nervous about interning in the most powerful legislature in the world. I was quickly introduced to the staff, its amazing how many people are required to run one office, and shown my little desk. One of the Jr. staff members then gave me a quick tour through the House office buildings most likely so I can do menial tasks for him. As Tuesday was just an introduction I did not do anything particularly interesting, nor did I believe I would, but I answered phone calls, sorted the mail, and stuffed envelopes. Nothing I haven’t done before. I am looking forward to next week where I will learn how to give tours in the Capital and possibly go to some committee hearings.

Also I am now blogging at PatriotPoliticos, a blog run by GMU students interested in politics.

Review: Bite the Hand that Feeds You

Yesterday I finished the collection of articles in "Bite the Hand that Feeds You" a collection of articles by political and cultural critic Henry Fairlie. The man who turned "the Establishment" into a pop culture phrase. Having never heard of Fairlie before this summer I was really eager to read his works and promptly checked the book once it arrived at the GMU library.

I really enjoyed the introduction which depicted the gypsy life of Mr. Fairlie discussing his success and failures. He had many of both. His articles are divided up into three sections which include some of his early work while still in England, essays and articles after he immigrated to the US, and finally his critiques of the press and media.

The first section, except for his essay discussing the development of the term "the Establishent," is dull as I have no knowledge or interest in 1950s/1960s British politics. While this section displays his talents, I was happy to move onto the section after he moved to America.

It is always exciting to read how foreigners see and depict the United States. It makes one feel proud of there country that we can inspire so people and the world, and Fairlie's writing very much do that. While Fairlie declares the existence of and praises the American Empire, I found myself agreeing that during the height of the Cold War American imperialism monitored and kept at bay the Soviet threat. However, today I would question the value of American imperialism or as hegemony as those who deny the existence of the empire. However, the majority of Fairlie's articles on America are either fun and poke fun at the American lifestyle or show American's how great and unique our country is. Yet, the articles included from the 1980s towards the end of Fairlie's life tend to be full of cynicism and overtly critical of the Reagan Administration and the culture.

The final section which critiques the press and the media is my favorite section. Fairlie's sharp intellect clearly shows that even in the 1980s he knew that the news media would end up the why it is today: a bunch of screaming children who want it their way. The pundits lack of intelligent debate is frighting today. He also critical of the opinion writers in today's newspapers who are inclined to write to make a name for themselves. Which will eventually get them on TV so they can turn into a childish pundit instead of learning political theory to understand what they are actually arguing over.

Overall, this collection of Fairlie's articles displays his intellect and his opinions over forty years of work, and while some section failed to peak my interest I found he writings to be very interesting and pertinent even today.

This Weekend in Torture

Good for John McCain for admitting that the "enhanced interrogation techniques" permitted under the Bush administration are torture. However, as honest as Senator McCain is, the major newspapers (NYT and WashPost) in the country are still hiding the word torture with clever euphemisms.

On Saturday a Washington Post article discussed how the above mentioned techniques produced vital information regarding national security. Yet in discussing this issue the authors of this article describe the torture as "coercive methods." What are these journalist so afraid of that they cannot call torture torture? When discussing the recent riots and protests in Iran you can bet that these newspapers and journalist call the arrest and violent interrogation of protesters torture.

The problem today is that newspapers are no longer controlled by private ownership. They are owned by giant media conglomerates that are publicly traded companies whose ownership is tightly tied to politicians that they are unwilling or afraid to denounce the actions of the bed mates. This business model has destroyed the independence of the editors and journalist to call into questions the action of the government. As Jefferson stated, "were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, 1787.

Michael Fletcher at the Newseum

As mention earlier today I went to the Newseum and was able too observe an interview with Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post who is a member of the White House Press Corps. Fletcher appeared very comfortable being interviewee instead of the interviewer, and answered all questions clearly and at length. The majority of questions asked of Fletcher focused on three topics: 1.The press corps relationship with the president 2.the presses access to information in the Obama administration as compared to the Bush administration and 3.how the internet is affecting the reporting of the news.

On the presses relationship with President Obama Fletcher discussed how Obama is rather guarded and refrains from letting the press see him out of what I'll call character. Fletcher did mention that on Obama's first day he attempted to be informal with press corps as in the days of JFK and LBJ, but this fell through quickly. This informal attempt failed because in today's media reporters are competitive; the boys club where problems can be discussed off the record no longer exists.

On the differences between Bush and Obama, Fletcher stated that he believes the Obama White House is more open. For example, Fletcher discussed how the Obama administration wants to know where a story is headed before allowing information to be placed on the record whereas the Bushies would accept or deny the propsal entirely without regards to the endgame; furthermore, under Obama the press is able to interview policy makers, but everything must go through the press office before being released. Interestingly though, Fletcher did mention that Bush would invite members of the press corps into the living area of the White House and talk with them at length; however, as these session where off the record it was difficult to create a report from the information.

On the crisis facing the newspaper industry, Fletcher discussed how the industry needs to create a new business model in order to remain profitable. At some point user will be charged for viewing NYT or WashPost websites it is just a matter of how. When asked, Fetcher commented that it is more important now to be the fastest with the news rather than being the most thorough or well written story. This is unfortunate as facts can be reported wrong. The best example is the Sago Mine tragedy where reports first surfaced that all the miners trapped were alive yet it turned out only one survived. The needed to be first led to false reporting, and unimaginable pain for the families of the miners.

On a final note Fletcher mentioned that being on the White House press corps was a rewarding yet demanding job, and quoted a former member of the corps who said that it is, "the best job to have had." I am sure its a great resume builder.

Newseum

Today I finally spent the twenty dollars to visit the one of the hottest museums in DC the NEWSeum which examines the history of journalism and photojournalism.

Now the museum is a very modern and user friendly museum and the exhibits are fantastic, and on the weekends they bring in professionals related to the journalism field to discuss the news and today was no different as Washington Post reporter Michael Fletcher who covers the White House answered questions for half an hour, but more on this later.

The best exhibits in my opinion happen to be on the Berlin Wall and media coverage of 9/11. The museum main attraction the 4-D movie is extremely short and only gives brief introduction into three reports including Nelie Bly. Yet with pretense of being a museum and having an enormous building there are very few actual exhibits which in my opinion makes the price a little exorbitant for the amount of information presented.

The Newseum is very impressive, but if your not a member I would suggest visiting on a weekend when a journalist is speaking. This information can be found on the Newseum's website.

Because It's a Tarantino Film

First let me start by stating that I have seen Inglorious Bastards and found to be highly enjoyable as I have most Tarantino films. When one sees a Tarantino film one expects to hear sharp dialogue and view violence, and his new endeavor provided both.

In today's cinematic world the stars of the film are usually the drawing point, the director usually doesn't matter. To the average citizen the stars are the biggest drawing point followed closely by the plot and director. However, I think that Tarantino is one of the few directors around who is able to draw precisely because he is the director. The plot needed not matter as a very large percentage of the movie going public will pay to see the film because of Tarantino's name.

There exist very few directors in Hollywood today who can draw people based on their name, and struggle to think of any that attract myself. While I like Ron Howard, Spielberg, and Ritchie, I don't need to go to the theater to see their latest films as I am perfectly capable of waiting for them to be released on DVD. Tarantino is the only director whose films I need to see in theater, and for the director to be a draw to the film as much as the actors today is very impressive.

More on Fairlie

Yesterday I mentioned that I was reading the post humorous work of Henry Fairlie, "Bite the Hand that Feeds You," and today I want to comment on some of his insight into the Reagan conservatism.

Firstly on Reagan Fairlie stated, "The Reaganite conservative does not trust the political system, and so is always trying to circumvent it; he does not trust the instincts Congress, but places profound faith in the wisdom of the executive if he is in charge. . ." I find this statement to highly pertinent in today's political arena especially in describing the modern Republican party. All candidates running for the Republican nomination are required to state their opinions on Reagan, all of which are glowing, because Reaganite conservatism has shown politicians how to turn the government into a dictatorship. The proof being the recent President Bush.

With the simple act of a an Executive Order the president is able to circumvent Congress, and by citing established, prevent possible interference by the Supreme Court. President Bush, an acknowledge Reagan disciple, issued more executive orders than any president and history, and used this power to begin the invasion of another nation. This power allows the president to start wars without the consent of Congress which is elected by the people. Yes the president is commander in chief, but this title is only needed in wartime once war has been declared.

I want to clarify that I believe that Reagan was a good president. He was able to free hostages in Iran, presided over and economically successful nation, and bankrupted the Soviet Union; however, the policies developed and employed by him were misused under Bush II as is highly evident by the legalization of torture under his administration.

St. John's College

Today while I was working hard at the library, I read an article in the Washington Post about liberal arts colleges with the report focusing on St. John's College in Annapolis. Lets just say that the colleges curriculum intrigued my interest; this was the first time I had heard of the college or the idea of a Great Books List

As a student of the humanities, I at first found the idea rather radical compared to what culture dictates as a well rounded college education. I found myself rather jealous of new students there and debates and arguments they would participate in, but as I stewed over the schools curriculum, I have come to conclusion that having a set curriculum is a disservice to the students.

Studying the classics, while important would come to be rather dull and boring. I understand that comprehending these works is a challenge, but a traditional college or university you are able to take classics classes that examine the same works. I know because I took a classics class. At a traditional institute one is also able to take lab sciences, mathematics, and philosophy with the caveat that the variety of courses is much larger allowing one study what they want. While St. John's has prestige and a challenging curriculum, I find that I would miss the ability to chose my classes. There numerous philosophy, history, and English courses available and a traditional institution allows one to choose a German history class over Imperial Russian history or British literature over Japanese literature. The American culture has instilled in me a desire for choices which is why I think that in long run I would not have succeeded with a set curriculum, but power to all of those attend St. John's and succeed. I am still somewhat jealous.

Toby Kieth's American Ride

I am music fan and have rather eclectic tastes as I enjoy all types of music. Country music is one of my favorite genres with Brad Paisley, who is from a little town about twenty minutes from my home, being the most talented. Anyways today on my way into work I heard Toby Kieth's new single American Ride, and I must say that I am not to sure what to think of this song.

Is this song a critique of American culture? A tirade against current US domestic policies? A praise of the spontaneity and freedom of living American? It appears to be all of these which makes the song ambiguous as what he really trying to say about life in American at this time.

However, even with this ambiguity Kieth appears to be saying that culture may be affecting our lives negatively, that the current political administration may not be running the nation to his likes, but that no matter what your opinions are or how your feel about politics and culture that life in American is one fun helluva a ride.

Torture

The release of documents this week by the government reveal in greater detail the torture methods permitted by the Bush Administration, and it is deplorable. The United States is histories greatest nation and from its founding has been held to a higher standard; we are the "City on the Hill." The actions permitted under Bush and Cheney are illegal and in violation of human rights. The West won the Cold War by depicting the the Soviet Unions failure on human rights, and now we violated that and lost our moral authority. I do not know if the United States will ever regain our moral standing after the release of these documents, but we can begin to make amends by prosecuting those responsible. Not necessarily those who carried out the orders, though they should have checked their own moral compass, but policy makers and lawyers who manipulated words in order to permit torture (you cannot hide torture behind the term enhanced interrogation techniques.)

Andrew Sullivan wrote a scathing rant that I mostly agree with. Here is the money quote for me

"This is what Bush and Cheney truly achieved in their tragic response to 9/11: two terribly failed, brutally expensive wars, the revival of sectarian warfare and genocide in the Middle East, the end of America's global moral authority, the empowerment of Iran's and North Korea's dictatorships, and the nightmares of Gitmo and Bagram still haunting the new administration.

But what they did to the culture - how they systematically dismantled core American values like the prohibition on torture and respect for the rule of law - is the worst and most enduring of the legacies."

To read the entire post click here.

Henry Fairlie and Ted Kennedy

Even though school is about to begin again next week, I am chest deep in several books that I am scurrying to finish; however, I just began today reading "Bite the Hand That Feeds You" a collection of Henry Fairlie's work and was struck by several quotes, but this is by far my favorite:

"however jaded we may sometimes feel when we watch the operations of politics, it is impossible in the end not to admire the at once sublime and ridiculous process by which we free men contrive to govern themselves."

For me, this holds special precedence in today's political climate as I watch the debates of health care and the outrage of the demos at the town hall meetings. Most people and politicians believe that every American citizen should have access to health care, but unfortunately we are unable to reach a consensus which has created a political circus. Yet, some type of health care bill will be passed, but the strength of this bill is what is really being debated.

I would also like to remark on the passing of Edward "Ted" Kennedy. While I am just now developing my own political identity and have no real recollections of Kennedy's service, I sill feel a sense of loss as the country losses one of its great statesmen. I may not have agreed with Mr. Kennedy or his policies; however, the clashing of ideology and the compromises that arise from them create the most solid and lasting legislation, and the loss of a great political leader leaves one party somewhat weakened.

Senator Byrd, who represents my home state, is also facing his death and his death will mark the end of political era in my opinion. The above photo shows John and Ted campaigning WV and so this post will end with a quote by Mr. Kennedy that he said about my state:

"'These hills, these people, and this state have had a very special meaning for my family. Our lives have been tightly intertwined with yours."

Adams Morgan - A Poem

Tentatively, and hopefully,
I step upon the next rung of the ladder.
Yet this step, this hope,
was taken prematurely.
In a blink the air escapes my lungs
as the grass rushes up to meet me.
It was a slip I’ve slipped a hundred times,
but the shock still leaves you breathless, hurt, and angry
as it always does, and as it always will.
Laying flat on back, staring up at my ladder;
The numbness entombs me while anger consumes me.

I suck in a deep breath
With all its poisons, with all its life.
I blink away the stinging tears in my eyes,
And I check my bleeding heart.
It doesn’t appear it will fall completely apart.
Delicately, stitch this bleeding heart,
and lock away my memories of you
with others who knocked me from the heights before.
Slowly and timidly I again rise to my feet,
stare up the endless sky,
tentatively, and hopefully,
I step upon the first rung of the ladder.

Comparing Revoution: Iran and Poland

Recently there has been several comparisons between the 1989 Revolution in Poland where Lech Welesa led the Solidarity movement into power overthrowing the communist regime installed by Soviet Russia and the 2009 election protests occurring today in Iran (most recently in Newsweek). While there are some similarities, this are two separate events occurring in two completely different atmospheres.

First of all, the Polish Revolution took almost an entire decade to finally be successful. There were numerous protest and marches against the government throughout the 1980s, but victory was only obtained when all the people of the country united aganist the communist regime. The Iran protest movement has just begun, and while I pray and hope that the protesters will be successful, I believe that this movement too will also take several years to be successful. History has given Iran a leader of this movement, a man familiar with revolution and who can be sucessful, but large parts of the population are true believers in the theocratic dictatorship that is in powe now. Until more of the other segment of the population become disatisfied with the government the facist leader of Iran will cling to power and use his gestopo like forces illegally arrest and kill dissenters.

It appears that in the near future there will be fundametal change in the way Iran is governed, but until then, the reformers will have to keep the movement alive to bring about this change.

Review of Recently Read Books

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

A White Tiger is a rare spectacle in the Jungle, and the narrator, Balram Halwai, believes he is a rare and talented man. However, he is narrator that some may find hard to identify with as he blatantly tells the reader that he murdered to get into his position, but in some cases you find yourself rooting for him to break the bonds of traditional Indian life and eveolve as human. Obviously this novel tells the story of how Balram went from a poor man to a rich man, but the most eyeopening observation of this book is how life and modern culture function in contemporary India.


Crum by Lee Maynard

Several reviewers note that Crum maybe the Cather in the Rye of rural America, but I do not see it that way as the narrator of Crum evenutally leaves his home behind, Holden remains with this family in New York. Crum is an actual town in West Virginia across the Tug River from Kentucky where the novel is set. The plot follows narrator through his adolescent life in Crum, and the seasons affect the lives of the characters. Crum is just like any other small West Virginia town where there is nothing to do but get into trouble and Maynard vividly describes the antectis that occured in Crum. The language is definatly rated R, but all teenage boys cuse like sailors and it makes the story more believeable. While I identify with the narrators want to escape Crum and West Virginia, there is something about the state that always calls its native sons and daughters home no matter how long you've been away; it's a hard state to escape.

Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dotoevsky

This work, creditied as one of the first exestential works, consists of ideas and antecdotes from the Underground Man. The work is divided into two parts the first consisting of the rambling philophy of the man and the second consisting of past episodes of the mans life before he went underground. The Underground man contradicts himself in almost every fashion, and his beliefs have made him into a sad and sorry man. In this work Dostoevsky shows that man is an irrational being and incapable of being satisfied. From this work, I can easily see how this style of writing lent itself in Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment.

Will Iran turn Violent

With Ayatollah Khomeini's address today, it appears that tomorrow could be a bloody and violent day for Iran. Khomeini is standing behind the disputed election results that show a dominant victory for incumbent Ahmadinejad, and called for end to the street protests that have been occuring throughout Iran since last Saturday. The protest carried out mostly be students and the affluent educated have been peaceful, and only turn violent when the protesters are attacked by the secret police. However, with Khomeini's words today, many believe including those inside Iran, that further protests will be met with violence. Protest will occur again tomorrow and again my thoughts and prayers are with the protesters in Iran. All people should have the freedom to chose their leaders and freely assemble without fear of reprisal. Though the president has not officially backed the protesters, the United States will always stand for freedom and we have already choosen a side. Wear green and pray that the Iranian government has the sense to refrain from the violence that many are expecting.

Recession . . . What Recession? West Virginia less affected by Economic Downturn

Being glued to Andrew Sullivan's blog the last couple of days I have been reading a lot of the other content on The Atlantic's website including a state by state examination of the recession. Today the correspondent reported on my home state of West Virginia. While the article discusses the resilience of West Virginians, or the lack of money to actually loose in a recession, we have not been as resilient as the article states. Numerous West Virginian's have lost their jobs and been laid off from their jobs; furthermore, according to the WV State Journal, unemployment in West Virginia is at it's highest level in 15 years. Fortunately there are not many well paying white collar jobs to loose in this state and as the article says, "when you got nothing, you got nothing to loose."

One bright spot in the state has been Morgantown, which was featured in the WallStreet Journal, because the city is actually creating jobs. Another interesting fact about the article that I liked is the women discussing growing their own crops and canning their own vegetables as this is something we do in my own home.

The Revolution turns Violent

I followed Andrew Sullivan's blog again most of the day as he again uses his vast readership and contacts to bring the revolution to us live. The radical element of the government police force fired on the protesters today, and last night stormed the dormitories of Tehran University (where the above picture is from). While I have seen riot police during my years at WVU, we were fighting for our right to party and probably deserved pepper spray and batons, but the students of Tehran are fighting for their freedom against the dictator and his personal police squad. I don't have any illusions that anyone in Tehran (or anyone in general) will read this, but I want the people of Tehran, especially the students to know that I am praying for their safety and their victory.

So You Say You Want A Revolution

While the Iranian protesters took to the streets this weekend, most Americans heard relatively little information on the events. CNN America's larges news network along with Fox and MSNBC chose to ignore the events in Iran (though CNN defends itself here). Fortunately bloggers like Andrew Sullivan, with his vast network of sources, was able to keep us informed on the events in Iran. Until this weekend I believed twitter to be an idiotic, a way for people to pretend they are friends with celebrities, but I have changed my mind. To quote others, "The Revolution must be Twittered."

It was a strange weekend to say the least as I went to church, played tennis, and enjoyed my family and friends, the Iranian students where marching through Tehran as the police brutally beat them.

I may not be the most informed person, but I do know that many Iranians desire change. Last year as I interned for the WVEO in Munich I met an Iranian man at the Chemspec trade show who told me that he would love to do business in my country and that someday in the future after Bush and after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that hopefully our two nations could work together economically and politically. Hopefully this day will arrive soon.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Iranian youth as they fight for their freedom. While there are no rallies planned here in West Virginia, I will be wearing green today in solidarity with the students of Iran in the hopes that tyranny and the dictatorship of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Power of the Internet and the ignorance of the US media

Today I spent most of my time following Andrew Sullivan's blog on the Atlantic's website because the US media has decided not to cover this story. As was detailed on Sullivan's blog the 24hr US news networks took the day off and completely ignored an enormously historical event especially if a coup follows in the next few days. The ecents playing out in Iran are extremely important not only to the US policy in the Middle East but to the world in general, and it is a shame that the media seems to be ignoring the biggest story on the planet. The Iranian resistance has been using the internet to communicate and subvert official communication channels even with the government attempting to shut down down all communication networks. For full details follwo the link on this page to Andrew Sullivan's blog.

Wall Street Still Doesn't Get It

Apparently the financial crises do not really matter to Wall Street. The great investment banks of American no longer care if they make a profit because if they fail or go bankrupt the American people will be there to bail them out. At least that's the attitude they show. Even in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression (Hint: it's called Great for a reason)Wall Street Execs are still giving out substantial bonuses packages and the former head of Merrill Lynch redecorated his office for 1.2 million dollars. It appears that the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers has not scared these corporation enough and they are still not taking responsibility for their actions. Many are criticizing new Treasury Secretary Geithner for letting Lehman fail, but apparently he and the government should have let a couple more banks fail before the proposing a bailout. President Obama is correct, it is very shameful for these giants of industry to hand out handsome packages while the American people suffer in this time. They have shown no solidarity with America, deserve no more of the American peoples aid, and should face the wrath of the free market.

Daniel Albrecht Crashes in Training Run

As a former ski racer and a fan of ski racing this was scary. Daniel Albrecht a Swiss World Cup skier crashed today on the Kitzbuhel downhill Streif course during a practice run. He was airlifted to Innsbruck and placed in a medical induced coma.

A Review of The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is the first popular fiction book I have read in awhile. I decided to read it because every time I went into a bookstore I somehow found it in my hands. So, I finally decided to give it a shot. The book came well rated; I mean it won the Pulitzer so I expected it to be pretty good. I think what drew me the most the name Tolkien, whose work has played a big roll in my life, in other reviews.

The narrative is focused on Oscar Wao, his immediate family living in New Jersey during the 1980s and 90s, and his family’s past in the Dominican Republic. Oscar is obsessed with the Sci/Fi-Fantasy books, Anime, and role playing games, and some of these genres most famous works play significant roles throughout the novel (and the fact that I catch most of the references means that I to am a dork). Unfortunatly for Oscar, Dominican men are not suppose to be overweight nerds, they are so suppose to be suave players. The narrative around Oscar follows him through his attempts and failures at love yet stay true to his passions.

While the story of Oscar is the most interesting character for me, the narrative also follows the story of Oscar’s mother and her trials as a young woman in the Dominican Republic (probably the longest chapter in the book). This chapter along, with another based on Oscar’s family history in the DR, gives a great deal of history on the Dominican Republic under the dictator Rafael Trujillo (another interesting point because have no sense of DR history).

The hardest part for me in reading this boo is the interlaced Spanish throughout the work. With high school Spanish I deciphered a majority of it, but still needed to research some words and phrases and while not knowing Spanish may hurt your experience, it is still a great work. Also, if you are not a fan of vulgar language you should probably stay away as the curse words do add up. My only other compliant would be that I wish the narrative focused more on Oscar himself instead of his family, but I still found the work to be sehr gut!

With that said, I would recommend this book to most people I know. At first I was a little apprehensive in reading this book because I have never been too impressed with popular fiction, but I became hooked in the first morning I started. I found the author's style to be quick and witty and as I mentioned above his knowledge of all things nerd makes the book that much more interesting as allusions to Tolkien run rampant through out. I give this four and one half stars out of five.

Barack Obama Inaugurated as 44th President

Today, in comfort of my home, I watched Barack Obama's historical inauguration as the 44th president. Watching the massive crowds I felt a little resentful that I did not make the trip into DC, but knowing that the temperature was low and the nature of crowds I'm happy with my decision.

The taking of the oath of office, the most solemn part of the ceremony, was the only part of today that went wrong for the new president as Chief Justice Roberts, going without notes, mangled the wording. However, even with the slip up Barack's good humor showed through and he delivered a wonderful speech. There are many great lines, and some will be quoted throughout history, my favorite is

"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

This line just resounds with the me and those like me who believe in America and the unconquerable American spirit. It does not say that America is looking for a fight. It says, even with a new president, America will not waiver; we will defend any harm that comes to us and we will not be defeated.

Today also saw the departure of George Bush, and while he came in on a surge of excitement after eight years of Bill Clinton (I know and was at W's first inauguration), he squandered his goodwill on Iraq, Abu Gharib, Guantanamo Bay, and financial crises. And though I was young when he entered office, I believed that he would make America a better place, but he failed. He failed miserably. I can honestly say I am not sorry to see his departure.

Though with his departure it is now up to Mr. Obama to fulfill his promises, and though we do not expect miracles, we do expect him to fix the economy without protectionist inclinations and restore Americas reputation as the freest and greatest nation on God's earth today.

The American Spirit: The inguraution of Barack Obama

In fourteen short hours Barack Obama will be sworn in as the new President of United States. Being in Fairfax, VA, so close to DC, I do not plan on attending the inauguration festivities because I despise crowds. However, I am very excited about the regime change taking place in the US. I am one of those hopeful optimist that believe that beginning tomorrow, America will get a fresh start. And though we face enormous crises from the economy to social security, to health care, and to the military, the American spirit thrives under pressure and strives to conquer problems. Whether it's Lexington & Concord, Pearl Harbor, or September 11, the American spirit is unconquerable, and right now, with the coming of new administration the American spirit is soaring. Hopefully President Obama can take the enthusiasm and goodwill behind him, and make America the respectful and proud nation that it was, is, and ever shall be.

My new favorite Mashup

My new favorite mashup is Minty Fresh Beats Jaydiohead combing JayZ and Radiohead. Check it out now!

http://jaydiohead.com/