Duty And Work Call
Very busy today. Added a few Stream of Commute posts, and that will have to do for now. Please feel free to critique, expand upon, or utilize the thoughts and insights found here. Much to come this week, and several previous Stream of Commutes not yet published.
A few thoughts. I'd like to credit President Bush and his team for pushing hard against both Israel and Palestine. If they can succeed in this mission, it will be a great triumph. This conflict has been going on far too long, and only serves as a barrier to larger efforts to secure the world for and in freedom and democracy. Obviously, much more is to come, and these efforts have been largely futile in the past. Let's hope that the Bush Administration does not lose focus.
Second, the Supreme Court has given much food-for-thought in the latest round of decisions. The institution is clearly not a threat to democracy, despite the showing in the Bush/Gore elections. In fact, analysis of the main decisions shows more centrist and moderate concessions by the Right then the Left in this past session. This is surprising, and bodes well. One must address the facts of experience and the world as they are, and in this case the Supreme Court has emerged as hardly a partisan party to Right-wing takeover of America. It's time for this nonsensical talk to stop among the denizens of the Left.
Last, we must deal with the disappearing rainforests in Brazil and the larger Amazon region. If anything, the "lungs" of the world would seem to demand more of a relaxation of sovereignty and aggressive international security action than the case with Iraq. We cannot allow the forest to be cut down. Period. The commons, especially its most critical components, must be protected. Along with this, every nation will have to show good faith by accepting shared sacrifice. As long as this good faith happens, then a very compelling case can be made that if Brazil cannot control the clearcutting, then the international community will have to. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Biological disaster may occur without human intent, or by the indirect effects of human acts. We must grow up and begin to integrate these concerns and realities, in the framework of freedom, democracy, and law, and juxtaposed against concerns of security and sovereignty.
