Tuesday October 4:
Interesting and slightly depressing article on the State Department’s ‘warm relationship’ with Canadian Energy Company TransCanada. Emails released earlier this week show that the state department, instead of being an oversight agency, is ‘collaborating’ with huge energy companies like TransCanada. The top U.S. lobbyist for the company was a former top official in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign, which points to substantial conflict of interest, and United States Embassy official in Canada have openly voiced their support of the projects in the emails that have been released. Once again, the lines between government and private, corporate interest have been blurred.
The article on the Occupy Wall street movement was fascinating and heartening to me. I thought the Times was able to get some great quotes from people that showed the ultimate dissatisfaction with political and corporate greed. In particular, the quote from the Illinois college student who said he was dropping out of school to join the protests “for as long as it takes” shows a strong and pervasive disillusionment with the current political and economic climate. I agree with the Time’s assertion that the movement will have to define clear leaders and clear demands and organize into a more unified movement if it wants to truly make impact, but for now, I believe that this is a phenomenal start that is much needed in this country. With all the articles I’ve been reading on shifts of power in Germany and other European countries, I am glad that the same dissatisfaction in the United States is finally producing real results.
Wednesday October 5:
With Chris Christie’s decision to not seek the nomination, I was very interested in the coverage the Times paid to the shifting dynamics of what is now a settling field of contenders. Particularly, the emphasis on endorsements was very interesting, as endorsements play such a huge role in determining who will be elected. The field is especially shifting around Mitt Romney, who is no longer facing real opposition from Rick Perry, and now, with Christie’s decision to not pursue the nomination as well as endorsing Romney, is easily the strongest candidate in the field. The Times short overview of the race made me realize America’s obsession with political celebrity and the intense process that accompanies the decision to run.
I found the article on the Taliban controlling cell phone signals in Afghanistan. The idea of the Taliban controlling modern technology that is so integral to daily life now is a reminder of the amount of power they hold in Afghanistan, and how they are still able to make Afghanistan remote and shut off from the rest of the world just by having the influence to turn off the cell phone signals. The Times notes that the Taliban are using the modern technology they once would have shunned, but using it in a way to keep Afghani people from progressing and modernizing.
Thursday October 6:
I’ve been noticing that I’m noticing more and posting a lot about politics or international new stories. More heartening news in the headline that Democrats are pushing a tax on the richest one percent of the nation, to help pay for job creation programs. Not a moment too soon. The White House needs to stop kow-towing to the Republicans and push their own agenda before everything really goes. As if the richest corporate leaders can’t afford to pay a little extra on their taxes. It is completely ridiculous that tax cuts for billionaires have been so accepted for so long in this country. Finally, hopefully, politicians will stand up for the people they represent, not the people who buy them off.
Like I said, I’m noticing a lot of political stories more lately. But I guess a lot of other people are too. The difference is, they are acting on their beliefs and I’m just commenting on it.
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