California health care

States often show initiative in taking on issues that the federal government has not taken on. California and health care is an example.

Important anniversary from the Civil Rights Era

Juan Williams writes an important piece on an important moment in American history.

Fun with Reese

Don't drink the Blackwater

Lots of controversy regarding the use of private security firms in Iraq. The issue was brought front and center because of civilians allegedly killed by Blackwater. In depth article on the difficulties of using private security firms in Iraq.

Hillary and Health care, Round 2

Senator Hillary Clinton announced a new plan to address health care problems in America. With 47 million Americans uninsured, which is up from the approximately 35 million when she last tackled the issue during President Bill Clinton's Administration), Sen. Clinton believes she has a better plan this time around. EJ Dionne of the Washington Post and the WP editorial board agree. Everything usually looks good on paper, but...

More coverage at the Washington Times and the Washington Post.

Trees

Perhaps because I have too much free time, I have always wondered about the legal issues of trees that grow beyond the property lines of owners. I need not wonder anymore, and now I can go about my life.

Surge-onomics

One of the more interesting, fun-to-read books is Freakonomics. It's co-written by Steven Levitt (an economist) and Stephen Dubner (a journalist). Based on Levitt's economics work, the Steves try to use unique methods to explain some interesting phenomena. The most interesting and controversial chapter regarded what they believe is the best explanation for decreases in crime levels in the 1990s. I'm no statistician, but at least they make statistical analysis interesting and fun-to-read. Anyway, they offer some interesting thoughts on whether or not the surge in Iraq is working. Other neat stuff if you care to dig on their blog.

The Student Voice

The student newspaper for Northern Virginia Community College is recruiting for a number of positions:

Your student newspaper, The Student Voice, is accepting application for all positions. If you are interested in a career in journalism, this is a great opportunity to receive hands-on training and develop "clips" for your portfolio.
For all students, this is a chance to hone your critical thinking and communications skills. As a staff member, you will learn to gather information and present it in an organized form - an essential skill for any career. As an editor, you will bolster your leadership skills and gain valuable experience that will enhance your resume.
You can find more information about the numerous opportunities we offer on the internet at: http://staff.thestudentvoice.org/apply. If you have any questions, you may email us at apply at apply@thestudentvoice.org.

The Student Voice main website is thestudentvoice.org.

Stewart to host the next Oscars!

Jon Stewart will host the 80th Annual Oscar Awards show. Fans of the Daily Show rejoice! My wife and I dig Steward AND the Oscars, so this is a double treat. The little guy really makes me laugh. As CNN notes, Stewart got mixed reviews for his Oscar hosting gig, but I thought he did a fine job. Billy Crystal is still my favorite, but Stewart, Steve Martin, and Ellen have done fine too. Whoopi really ruins it for me. Ugh.

Testimonials

General Petraeus, the US military leader in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the US Ambassador to Iraq, have spent yesterday and today testifying before House and Senate committees.
The consensus of their testimony is that the US has been militarily successful in improving security, but that this increasing level of security has not led to political success by the Iraqi government. A few thousand troops may come home by the end of the year, and more next year, but the US presence in Iraq will carry on.

The NFL is underway

Local fans should be excited by the Redskins' victory over the Miami Dolphins. In other NFC East action, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants, and the Eagles lost to the Packers. Seems like there should be some exciting NFC East games this season. Still, nothing beats college football!

Interesting surge article

The issue is continuously heating up. The Post has a great behind the scenes account.

Go COCKS!

My beloved GAMECOCKS of South Carolina defeated those nasty Bulldogs of Georgia in a fantastic college football upset. Final score: 16 for the good guys, 12 for the forces of evil.

The next VA Senate GOP Nominee

The Washington Times has an interesting article on how the Virginia Republican Party will select the next nominee to run for John Warner's US Senate seat. The GOP can choose either a primary or a convention. A convention favors the more conservative likely-candidate James Gilmore. A convention is likely to attract the more conservative supporters of the Republican Party. A primary favors the less conservative likelycandidate Tom Davis. He has more money too, so he can reach out better to more Virginians through a larger campaign. It's worth reading the article to gain a fuller explanation of the differences between primaries and conventions.

More on Iraq from the Washington Post

The Washington Post offers yet another daily dose on articles that weigh the success of key goals of the surge. This is important work. Too many people offer simplistic "it's working" or "it's not working" assessments. In fairness to those associated with such simplistic comments, often those folks are much more thorough, but their work is quoted with simple summaries. But the Post is digging a little deeper and pointing out the complexity of what the US is trying to accomplish in Iraq, and though many things are going well, there are significant hurdles to overcome in areas that are believed to be keys to success. For example, there is much to overcome to see an oil sharing law passed, or to see the Iraqis able to defend their own country.

Here's a link to today's Post articles.
1) No Relief From Fear: Despite U.S. Buildup, Families Still Fleeing Baghdad Homes As Violence, Rivalries Loom Over Paralyzed Iraqi Government.
2) Missteps and Mistrust Mark the Push for Oil Legislation.
3) U.S. Efforts May Work Against Iraqi Self-Sufficiency.

Iraq articles

With General Petraeus's and Ambassador Crocker's report to be sent in soon, there are lots of efforts to evaluate the surge. Both the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal have some fantastic articles on the state of Iraq.

The WSJ begins with this interesting observation:

The Bush administration is quietly moving toward a major shift in Iraq policy, driven by successes in formerly intractable insurgent strongholds combined with dispiriting failures at fostering national reconciliation.

After almost four years of trying to build Iraq's central government in Baghdad, the U.S. has found that what appears to work best in the divided country is just the opposite. So senior military officials are increasingly working to strengthen local players who are bringing some measure of stability to their communities. The new approach bears some striking similarities to the "soft partition" strategy pushed by senior Democrats, and suggests that despite the often bitter debate in Washington on Iraq policy, a broad consensus on how to move ahead in the war-torn country may be forming.Democratic Senator Joe Biden, a no-chance candidate for president, is rolling over in his political grave. He has been talking about such an approach for a long time. Another more recent entry into the "no-chance" category has been Sen. McCain, and he has been a long time proponent of increasing troop levels in Iraq. So, if you're keeping score at home, both parties will probably easily reject two fellows who may be offering the most effective strategies for dealing with Iraq. (NOTE to NOVA students: The article is accessible through the NOVA library.)

The Washington Post offers three interesting articles:
1) On working with insurgents: HERE.
2) On dealing with Iraqi forces who are often more closely aligned with insurgents: HERE.
3) And on the politics of evaluating Surge policy success: HERE.

What does the military think? This is from McClatchy:

In a sign that top commanders are divided over what course to pursue in Iraq, the Pentagon said Wednesday that it won't make a single, unified recommendation to President Bush during next month's strategy assessment, but instead will allow top commanders to make individual presentations.

The American Worker is Alive and Well, or at least not as bad as we thought

This article from the Washington Post is the perfect piece to help us understand the current status of the American worker. It shouldn't be surprising, but there is a lot of promise. Where there has been pain and job loss, there have been some interesting gains. Most interesting for the community college teacher and student is the role that community colleges have played in helping workers get to the next - and higher - level. The last sentence points out just how interconnected and confusing the globalized world has become:

the efficiency of the machines that have eliminated jobs at its plants has allowed Glen Raven to pay the remaining workers enough to afford cars, health care and homes. Some of those homes boast patios and lawns now shaded by sun umbrellas made in China using fabric woven just down the road.

The entire article is worth reading. America is alive and well. Here's another guy who agrees. As Achenbach points out, negativity flows freely from both sides of the political spectrum. Still, all good things do not necessarily need to come to an end.

President Bush visits Iraq

This is always a wise thing for President Bush to do. Says a lot, however, about the security of the area that he has to sneak in.

Labor Day stuff

What a nice day to sit back and read the Washington Post! Two new books coming out about the Bush Administration, so the Post has plenty of space on a slow news day to tell us about the books (one of which was written by one of their journalists). First, the Post publishes an excerpt from Glenn Kessler's new book about Condoleezza Rice. Second, a new book by Robert Draper offers a behind-the-curtain account of the Bush Administration inner circle. To write the book, Draper had a surprising amount of access to the President, Vice President, and others. Not something the Bush folks do a lot of, so hopefully it offers a few gems.

Draper's book: Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush.
Kessler's book: The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy.

US Senate stuff

Two GOP US Senators will not be working in Congress for too much longer. One, of course, is leaving at a time of his choosing and with his dignity fully intact. John Warner of Virginia announced his decision to not seek reelection in 2008. He has been more critical than most GOP politicians of President Bush's handling of the war, so without a fear of losing an election, Warner may feel even more free from political restraints.

Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho is leaving by September 30, 2007 for completely different reasons. Here's how his exit was forced upon him.

With perhaps some irony, the Senate seat surrounded in scandal is the one more likely - almost certainly - to remain Republican, even after 2008 elections.

The Long War(s)

Some difficulties in Afghanistan and Iraq. With Afghanistan, it's the matter of keeping once secured areas secure. With Iraq, there's the difficulty of making of getting their energy sector in some semblance of order. Tough to do for both.