Obama Is Seeking Congressional Approval in Regards to Syria. Great News, but a Sad Example of What We Have Become.

Obama is going to actually go to Congress about Syria.

First and foremost, this is great news. This is exactly how it’s supposed to work.

Honestly, I think this is the best news I’ve heard from the Obama administration in a long time.

And yes, I realize he didn’t really have a choice. Ignoring Congressional approval would have ended the Obama presidency in pretty much every practical way. In non-partisan polls, nearly 80% of Americans said he should go through Congress. Members of all parties were calling for him to go through Congress. Even Obama – back in 2008 – declared situations like this must go through Congress.

So yeah. I get that this is a political decision as much as a moral (or legal) decision.

I don’t care.

The First Unalienable Right

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…

That quote from the Declaration of Independence has been forgotten. Or ignored. Or maybe people just don’t really understand what is being said there…

So I’ll break it down.

Stop Resisting

I’m currently mad as hell. I’m furious. Which isn’t good, because it makes my blood pressure go up, and that’s dangerous.

Know what else is dangerous? The police.

Now, I don’t want to bash all police. There are some damn fine men and women out there who do a hell of a job day in and day out. They put their lives on the line for shitty pay and get no thanks whatsoever out of it. I just want to get that out of the way before I start into this story. There are good police out there.

This story isn’t about them.

More on Jong-Un’s ex-girlfriend…

Hyon Song-Wol

In my earlier quickie-post, Typical Thursday, I mentioned that the ex-girlfriend of Kim Jong-Un was executed. I wanted to drop a little more info about that before I went to bed.

Her name was Hyon Song-Wol, and she was the singer of the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, one of North Korea’s most popular bands, which plays revolutionary and propaganda songs. Her better-known songs include the numbers “Footsteps of Soldiers”, “I Love Pyongyang”, “She is a Discharged Soldier” and “We are Troops of the Party”. (I am not making those up.)

Typical Thursday

Canada has announced that they will not join the US and UK in any military action involving Syria. Canada supports the other countries, of course, but they refuse to get involved.

Russia called for a closed-door meeting of the UN security council. The US called for immediate action in Syria. Russia and China walked out of the UN security meeting not long after.

Russia is sending at least one submarine and warships to the Mediterranean. The UK has sent at least 6 jets to the same area.

The ex-girlfriend of Kim Jong-Un was executed (along with other performers) for violating the country’s rules against pornography.

Shit.

Here’s Why Miley’s Performance Bothered Me

Clyde and I have been so focused on the distracting little issues in this country (like Syria and racism and Obamacare and gun violence and  the NSA) that we’ve not really had time to focus on the real issues… like this Miley Cyrus controversy that has had the internet all worked up this week.

Well, because we care about the real issues, here’s a quick blog with my thoughts on that situation (Clyde may post one as well; I’m not sure)…

Are You Syrias?

While the rest of the country is talking about Miley Cyrus stripping down to her underwear and grinding on MTV’s illustrious Video Music Awards show (how can they have video awards if they don’t show videos anymore?), the fine folks in Washington have decided that yes, we need to get involved in the bullshit going on in Syria.

“Syria? What’s going on in Syria?”

Well, while we were worrying whether or not Paula Deen is a racist (hint: she probably is), Syria has been involved in a civil war for a couple of years now. And last week there was allegedly a chemical attack from the government on the rebels. A chemical attack would violate the Geneva convention. Chemical attacks are horrible and leave after effects on the land and people for years and years afterwards. (If you’ve never seen them, do a Google Image Search for “Agent Orange Effects“.)

Grand Theft Auto IV Doesn’t Kill people…

In this blog, I’m going to be discussing a horribly tragic event. This week, an 8 year old boy shot and killed his own grandmother. Let me be absolutely clear here…

This event is tragic and my heart goes out to that family. I have no doubt this boy doesn’t understand the significance of what he’s done and I’m equally sure it’s something that will haunt him for the rest of his life. It’ll haunt him and his parents.

So that’s four lives (at least) that were destroyed by this horribly tragic event.

With that said, I’m going to dip into some seriously controversial territory.

Love Letters From The NSA (or, Hey, Baby, How’d You Like To Get Snowden Together?)

You must be the Constitution, because I want to violate you.

So The Wall Street Journal reports that some NSA agents have been known to use their technology and unfettered power to track (read: spy on) love interests, both current and past. It’s okay, though – an official estimates that it’s only happened handful of times in the past decade.

Because, you know, we’re supposed to totally trust what the NSA tells us. Why would they lie? It’s not like they can do what they want and then change the laws to make whatever they want to do legal. I’m sure Congress keeps them on a short leash, and Obama has promised us (and Jay Leno!) that there’s no such thing as a domestic spying program in the US.

Saved again by the Powers of Good™

The world was saved from evil masterminds this week when US Agents arrested a man who had yellow cake uranium “samples” in the soles of his shoes. The man, Patrick Campbell, is from Sierra Leone, and was bringing the uranium to the US to find a buyer for 1000 tons of the highly dangerous substance.

No, wait – that’s not how it happened. Hang on – let me remember…