U.S. DOMESTIC & FOREIGN POLICY

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From Lincoln to Obama
The fact that a black man with a name like 'Obama' can be considered to be a serious contender for the presidency of the United States is enough to revive my belief in a pending victory of logical humanism over the irrational evil of bigotry.
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A Different Tune For An Act of God
As the sun sets on these difficult times, those who claim great leadership in the face of man-made brutality may very well end up exposed by nature as nothing but a falsehood - a lightening rod that promises to deliver light to our dark alleys but ends up setting fire to our neighborhood trees. Men become entrapped in the incompetent and arrogant clutches of false leadership because they desperately fear and selfishly hope. Yet, it is always that invincible cruelty of nature that returns to fully expose the true disposition of the ability, sincerity, and character we claim to possess. -- Read more

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From Conflict To Cooperation: Writing A New Chapter in US-Arab Relations
Earlier this year the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report summarizing the results and recommendations of an advisory committee it brought together to address the current challenges facing America's relationship with the Middle East. -- Read more

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What They Need Is a Union
As I silently watched the heightened frenzy about immigration in the US and how some politicians along with media 'personalities' have successfully portrayed the very foundational basis of this republic as today's biggest threat to American national security, I could not help but note the irony. -- Read more

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It's The Policy Stupid...and Better Communication Too
What we have consistently heard from high levels of the US government regarding the Middle East is that the biggest problem facing America in the region is overcoming a rampant disinformation and propaganda campaign led by unfriendly governments, non-state actors, and Arab media...it is time to evaluate the American strategy and revisit the overall assumption that America’s problems in the Middle East can be mainly settled with public diplomacy and media outreach. -- Read more


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US Global Competitiveness: In Search of a Strategy
Worsening US budget and trade deficits along with the declining interest in U.S. equities by private investors have raised a lot of eyebrows recently. When some thought that a depreciated dollar would improve the competitiveness of U.S. exports, the trade balance continued to move into the negative -- Read more


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Why Do So Many Young Americans Kill Themselves?
According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), the rate of youth suicides has tripled since the 1950s in the US. Today, suicide is the third leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 15 and 24. More teenagers and young adults die of suicide in the US than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined -- Read more

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The Crystal Ball of US Intelligence
"he following conclusions represent the 2020 global landscape trends reported by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) in a recent report titled: 'Mapping the Global Future' -- Read more

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Rummy's Noodles
Donald Rumsfeld has a new explanation for the ongoing failure to suppress the insurgency in Iraq. It is Turkey's fault...It has, indeed, been long since President Truman placed a sign that read ‘the buck stops here’ in the oval office. Today, Secretary Rumsfeld would rather place another sign on his desk that reads: ‘the buck stops anywhere but here’ -- Read more

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Presidential Appointments
It is not surprising that any appointment that concerns a polarizing operator like Mr. Wolfowitz would produce a controversy. Karen Hughes must know that a propaganda campaign will not do the job. What will cut it here is a concrete change in policy for which she will have to lobby relentlessly in the White House-- Read more

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To Kill Or Not To Kill: That Is The Question
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States declared the execution of criminal juveniles unconstitutional...The court plays its intended role by making rulings that generate public debate and spur new legislation when the legislative branch has been inept or slow in addressing social ills. This is not new although we are now urged to believe otherwise -- Read more

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What Would Madison Say
The proposal to amend the federal constitution in order to ban gay marriage, today, warrants a re-reading of the logic embodied in the U.S. constitution...A reconsideration of the Farmers’ intent is in order because this has ‘tyranny of the majority’ and ‘dangers of faction’ written all over it -- Read more

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The Link Between Immigration Reform and Social Security Reform
What I did not hear anyone talk about is the estimated 10 million or so illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. Don’t they provide a near-term solution to increasing the tax base of the country? -- Read more

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When Greed Defeats Human Decency
Fighting corruption is the duty of all men for it is a battle between the evils of greed and the spirit of human decency...Recently, whistleblowers have come forward accusing the U.S. provisional authority in Iraq of "misusing" millions of dollars in Iraqi oil revenues to the benefit of U.S. firms -- Read more

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What's Wrong with the U.S. Economy?
Worsening budget and trade deficits along with the declining interest in U.S. equities by private investors do not give anyone, including Alan Greenspan, warm and fuzzy feelings. -- Read more

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Does Party Chairmanship Matter in the U.S.?
Political parties in the United States can not even impose a party line on their own members. Proof is that a Democratic Senator, Zell Miller, supported a Republican president, George W. Bush, and there was nothing the Democratic Party can do about it. -- Read more