Obama Aide Declares End to War on Terrorism
http://washingtonindependent.com/54152/obama-aide-declares-end-to-war-on-terrorism
John Brennan picked a deeply symbolic day to end the “war on terrorism.”
On August 6, 2001, Brennan, then a senior CIA official and now President Obama’s assistant for counterterrorism and homeland security, “read warnings that Osama bin Laden was determined to strike inside the U.S., but our government was unable to prevent the worst terrorist attack in American history,” he recalled to an audience Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. It was a reference to a CIA analysis, called a President’s Daily Brief, that the 9/11 Commission uncovered as a key warning that an attack by al-Qaeda was likely.
Eight years later, in his first speech since joining the Obama administration, Brennan annulled several key aspects of the so-called war on terrorism — starting with both the name and the idea that the United States was involved in any sort of “global war.”
What do you think?
15 years
I think it tells a lot about the USA that every political goal is called a "war": the war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on whatever.
War is the opposite of politics. You usually can´t achieve political goals with war. And war is a very bad thing. It might be necessary sometimes, but people who have been in a war (and there are plenty in the USA) should raise their voices and tell everybody what war actually is like. The word wouldn´t be used so casually if people knew that.
15 years
I think it tells a lot about the USA that every political goal is called a "war": the war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on whatever.
The concept of "War on [domestic problem]" is typically pushed by one political party. :)
I think the last election changed a lot of things...
15 years
You shouldn´t be too optimistic about that. IMHO, given the track record of the Repukelicans under Bush, and given that McCain is an old fart, and given that his VP choice is the biggest moron in the history of US politics it´s actually embarrassing that Obama only got 52% of the vote.
Apart from that, even Americans who consider themselves "liberal" often say things European rightwing nutcases would be ashamed of. It is still an extremely conservative country. Some things considered "normal" there are barbaric for the average European.
As for me, you are still under parole until:
- Obama actually manages to get some important things done, i.e. a meaningful health care reform, improving the education system and slashing the defense budget.
- he gets re-elected in 2012.
- another reasonable person will be elected in 2016.
15 years
You shouldn´t be too optimistic about that. IMHO, given the track record of the Repukelicans under Bush, and given that McCain is an old fart, and given that his VP choice is the biggest moron in the history of US politics it´s actually embarrassing that Obama only got 52% of the vote.
The US is a big country. Obama got something like 85% of the vote here :)
(It's 6% Republican here, and less than 50% Democrat.)
Things don't change overnight, but this is the current state of the War on Drugs:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/03/police_balk_at_ticketing_marijuana_offenders/
Apart from that, even Americans who consider themselves "liberal" often say things European rightwing nutcases would be ashamed of. It is still an extremely conservative country. Some things considered "normal" there are barbaric for the average European.
By barbaric do you mean the death penalty? Or other things too?
I'd be interested in learning about liberal American views that are too right wing for right wing Europeans.
As for me, you are still under parole until:
- Obama actually manages to get some important things done, i.e. a meaningful health care reform, improving the education system and slashing the defense budget.
- he gets re-elected in 2012.
- another reasonable person will be elected in 2016.
Hopefully... :)
15 years
By barbaric do you mean the death penalty? Or other things too?
I'd be interested in learning about liberal American views that are too right wing for right wing Europeans.
The death penalty is one of those things. It is actually a EU membership requirement to NOT have the death penalty.
You have privatized war, that´s another of those things. Hiring scum like Blackwater to occupy foreign countries is something even the Nazis would have considered absurd.
Paying for school! Education is considered a basic human right here. When Austria´s government started to charge € 377 per semester for university (a ridiculous amount, really) it was a huge public outrage here. Uni is now free again.
When I was in Naples, I had a debate about health care with a girl from Texas - an enthusiastic Obama voter. Yet she told me she wouldn´t want a healthcare system where SHE has to pay for OTHER people. I think helping each other is what civilization is all about. Your healthcare system is absolutely embarrassing for a rich, civilized nation. Example: I have a friend I went to school with, he had leukemia when he was 12. If what I know about your healthcare system is correct, he would have no chance to get health insurance in the USA, because he has a "pre-existing condition" and any insurance company would refuse to insure him, just because the risk of his cancer to return is high and they would have to pay for another expensive therapy. That is totally sick.
In theory, you can argue that adults can make own choices and be held responsible for them, but children can´t. If they happen to have poor parents, they´ll end up with shitty schools and shitty healthcare. That is totally sick. It would even make European rightwing nutcases puke.
Two other girls in Naples (from NYC) told me their parents caughed up $ 100,000 per year for their education. It´s nice for them to be so privileged, but what if your parents don´t have so much money (I assume 98% don´t)?
Do you really want to live in a society where the rich can actually build their own caste because they can put their offspring through elite schools, no matter how stupid they are (those two girls were actually quite bright), while all the rest can forget about even dreaming about good careers?
Why are those things not even seriously debated in America?
15 years
Privatized war is generally (unanimously?) opposed by liberals in the US.
School can cost $100,000 here, but can also cost $1,500/year. Still not perfect, but within reach of most people with financial aid included (grants and subsidized loans). I think a worse problem might be the bad public schools in some places.
If the girl who didn't want to pay for other people's health care had parents who spent $100,000 on her schooling, she's probably never had to deal with the issue, and might just be repeating what her parents said. :)
I think the death penalty was an issue in the 80's. I'm not sure why it's not a media issue anymore, but there are a lot of issues missing from the news...
15 years
I can´t believe you describe a totally rotten education system as "still not perfect"!
I have said this once already - I think the liberal half of America was mentally broken by Reagan and the Bushes. Nobody is thinking big - in a weird fear that the conservative monsters might strike back.
You have the White House and a huge majority in both houses. You have the supreme court. The republican party is paralyzed. The neocon ideology collapsed. Take advantage of that, for chrissake! What are you waiting for?
15 years
I can´t believe you describe a totally rotten education system as "still not perfect"!
It sounds like a great idea to have free college, but where would the money come from, especially in a recession? (E.g., towns can't afford to fix potholes or pay their police departments)
The US has serious problems with elementary and high school education in some places that might be more important to take care of in the short term than free college. I'm guessing that a good education early on is more important for success in life than going to college.
I'm not familiar with how schools work in Europe though...
15 years
You spend more on defense than the rest of the world combined and you just have caughed up 1.5 trillion for bank bailouts.
There are a lot of poorer countries which manage to have better healthcare and education systems. Lack of money can´t be the problem. I´m sure you can do better than Cuba...!
If I understand your system correctly, public schools are funded by the local city councils. The obvious result is that wealthy towns with wealthy taxpayers will have more than enough money to run good schools. Poor neighborhoods will have crap schools. Many of your cities are very segregated - that makes the problem even worse.
So - instead of funding schools locally, they should be funded by the states - like we do it in Germany, for example. That´ll make sure public schools are equally well-funded everywhere.
We do have private schools in Germany as well, but only the worst snobs send their children there - because the public schools are just as good as the private schools.
Universities should be free. It´s in the best interest of a country to have as many well-educated citizens as possible - not least because well-educated people will find good jobs and pay more taxes.
That way, providing education for free WILL pay for itself in the long run.If that´s not convincing enough, a possible alternative would be to charge a slightly higher income tax from people who have graduated from public colleges and use that money to fund these schools.
If something sounds like a great idea, it usually is.
15 years
If I understand your system correctly, public schools are funded by the local city councils. The obvious result is that wealthy towns with wealthy taxpayers will have more than enough money to run good schools. Poor neighborhoods will have crap schools. Many of your cities are very segregated - that makes the problem even worse.
So - instead of funding schools locally, they should be funded by the states - like we do it in Germany, for example. That´ll make sure public schools are equally well-funded everywhere.
Interesting idea... you should go blog for Huffington or another news source and put the idea out there in front of people :)
(I think public schools are funded by local property taxes, but I'm not sure.)
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