How Am I Doing?

That's what most US presidents think during their presidency. Their popularity with the public is an important factor in how succesful they will be in accomplishing their objectives. Check out the popularity of our presidents: from our current occupant to Franklin Roosevelt. After that, check out this article on war and presidential popularity. How do you explain President Bush's low approval rating? Is it mostly related to the war in Iraq? Or their other factors involved? If so, what are they?

Can You Believe This?

It looks like a part of the Bush Administration is seriously considering "limited" bombing of Iran. If such strikes were to occur, what would the Iranian response be (directly and indirectly)? What then might happen?

Ahmadinejad Comes to the USA

Iraninan President Ahmadinejad is in New York City today. He is controversial, to say the least. What are your thoughts on what he might say, how he is being greeted, and what it all might mean to the future of the Middle East?

Starbucks: The "Image" of Social Responsibility?

I must admit I like Starbucks coffee. I like the full-bodied taste and I also enjoy the pleasant atmosphere in a lot of their stores. I applaud them for treating their employees well and supporting progressive causes.

It is no secret that some progressives don't like the company because they feel they drive independent coffee shops out-of- business. Many also feel they represent a negative side to globalization through the homogenization of global culture.

However, there's another story out there that doesn't get much attention: Intellectual Property Rights, Royalties and Trademarks. The dispute is essentially over money and involves a very poor country and a very rich company. This shouldn't come as a surprise to many: there were lobbying, public relations and the refrain of social responsibility.

Recently, Ethiopia and Starbucks had a dispute over these issues with a mutually beneficial "agreement" being reached in June. Was this agreement fair? To whom? Will we ever know? Should consumers care how much money a coffee farmer receives from every cup they purchase?

The Late, Great Tom Snyder

Tom Snyder was one of my favorite broadcasters ever. He was one of the best, and original, TV personalities when I was growing up in the 1970s. Anybody else remember him?

Haiti

Haiti. The poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Median age is 18.4 years. Life expectancy at birth: 57 years. Approximately 53% literacy rate. Infant mortality rate: almost 64 deaths per 1,000 live births. GDP per capita:$1,800 External Debt: $1.3 billion. "80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty." Source: CIA World fact Book. The process of reform is slow and difficult, filled with many reverses.Isn't time to for the international community to start paying more attention to Haiti? If it doesn't, why should anyone be surprised when another crisis erupts there?

Albert Gonzales: Time to Take the Bus Back to Texas?

This is what President-Elect George W. Bush said, as reported by the New York Times (p. A23) on Decemember 18, 2000 "...I'm proud to announce that Al Gonzales, Supreme Court justice of Texas, has agreed to become my White House counsel....Al is a man who has only one standard in mind when it comes to ethics, and that is the highest of high standards..."

Given his current controversy, isn't it time for him to resign? If he won't, and a special prosecutor isn't named, then does Congress need to impeach him? Or should it go back to the past and pass new legislation creating an independent prosecutor?

Should the Middle East Conference be held NOW?

It seems the word wants to forget the month of August. Thus a lot of political moves that are controversial (to say the least) are done in that month... ie, it is when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Can the Middle East wait until September? Why doesn't President Bush make a bold move and call a mid-August peace conference smack in the middle of the heat? Yes, it would disrupt the natural flow of August. But don't things in the Middle East need a positive, yet deliberate, intervention now?

No Jail for Libby

How will President Bush's decision commuting Libby's prison sentence affect the 2008 elections? Will it be just a blip on the screen, largely forgotten in a few months or will it add to the perception that he wants to cover up how his administration got us into the Iraq War?

Waterloo

Pop Culture Meets Political Reality...

Immigration Reform

The Immigration Reform Bill, or "Amnesty" Bill is being discussed in the U.S. Senate this week. The speechs are red-hot. Should it be passed, or should it be defeated?