It's 3am and a phone is ringing in the White House...

I am reminded of that famous Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign commercial today. It sounds like there is a phone (probably a lot of them) ringing at the White House as I type this. Who is answering that phone?

The President has scheduled an address from the White House today at 1:15pm. He has also done due diligence by contacting the Senate and House leadership, which is customary before an attack on a foreign nation. I think all of the indicators are there to support the fact that the United States has already carried out some sort of assault against assets inside of Syria.

America is not ready for another war, even if it doesn't involve "boots on the ground." We can barely tread water as things stand today. I am saddened that people are dying in Syria, but it is hardly the responsibility of the United States to do anything about it. The proverbial can of worms will soon spill over and we will be left with a much larger mess to actually clean up in the end!

What Embassies are Closed?

Out of curiosity, I did a search to see which embassies across the Middle East and Africa were closed in light of a "major" insurrection by Al-Qaeda. My search yielded that perhaps there isn't a clear answer. Google couldn't give me a straight answer (I almost fainted), so I decided to go to the one place that should have an available list for the public to purview: the United States Department of State.

On the State Department's website, the individual conducting the press interview about the situation indicated that he didn't have a list in front of him. I guess he didn't think the question would arise. I find this strangely odd, considering I was led to believe that Al-Qaeda was a thing of the past. (Does anyone remember 9/11 and the War on Terror?)

For now, I'm stuck with the line I found on CNN.com: major threats are in the "Middle East, Africa and beyond..."

Should that level of vagueness make me feel safe? I suppose this is another example of the government knows best.

America's Middle East

With the burning of a Qu'ran by a Florida church, America is now faced with its own outrage at the hands of the Afghans.

Last year, the church in Gainesville, Florida, was set to host the "International Burn a Quran Day" on 9/11. Instead, Terry Jones, who is the church's pastor (cult leader), decided to postpone the hateful act after much domestic and international pressure. The event was resurrected (I can't help myself), in the form of the "International Judge the Koran Day." This event took place recently.

Sufficed-to-say, Muslims did not take kindly to the video burning of a single Qu'ran on the church's website. Now, I am not a religious fanatic. Actually, I am not religious at all. But you know what you get when you pit two groups of ignorant people against each other. That's right, people get hurt, and some even die, which is the case in Afghanistan.

Even though the act showed poor taste and utter ignorance, I am a firm believer in First Amendment rights. I believe every American has the right to protest and support his/her beliefs in a non-violent way. Although, I believe you may burn any book you wish, the fact remains that the people who participated in this act of protest understood the ramifications of their act. It wasn't simply speaking out against a governmental policy, but a slap-in-the-face of over a billion people, who are easily pissed off when it comes to their faith.

Now, the American government and military must bear the burden of the burning of a single Qu'ran. Americans and Afghans have died in what has become a cauldron of hate and retaliation in Afghanistan. As someone who teaches American National Government, I am puzzled by what should be the outcome of what has happened. I teach my students that their rights end where another individual's rights begin. (I often cite Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' opinion, in re: Schenck v. United States, of the figurative man shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, as a caveat.) As such, I believe the people who knowingly participated in this act should be expatriated to Afghanistan. Sometimes you must freely sacrifice a lamb to the wolf in order to save your flock. How's that for atonement?

The Obama Tour

For the past week, Senator Barack Obama, has been touring Europe and the Middle East, with stops in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Jordan, Iraq, Israel, Germany, France, and United Kingdom.

This trip brought a lot of international attention to the Democratic presidential candidate. His star seems to shine on the international stage, considering those staggering crowds in Germany, but will his rising star begin to fade as a backlash of disdain ripples through the American electorate.

Many argue that Obama's trip abroad seemed more like he was the de facto president of the United States, who was attempting to heal relationships and bridge bitter divides. I agree, in part, with this analysis. The media frenzy surrounding his trip was a little much (it tested my gag reflex). It was foolish to behave in this manner. He is a candidate, after all, not the actual president. Obama may feel as if he got great reviews from his host countries, but those people are not the ones whose asses he should be kissing. Come November, Americans decide if he is qualified for the job of president.

Bush gearing up for Iran war?

Ratcheting up the rhetoric--yet again--about Iran, Bush sounds like he used to when he talked about Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

This week, while in the Middle East, George W. Bush called Iran a "threat to world peace." This comment comes on the heels of a potential confrontation between the navies of the United States and Iran. Although the Iranian vessels retreated, apparently they made threats of violence against the American ships.

Any general that informs Bush it would be a good idea to attack Iran should be court martialed immediately, because that idea is simply preposterous! With about 54 weeks left in office, let's hope that Bush doesn't do anything drastic, such as nuke the world.

Make-Believe Justice

A Saudi court condemned the victim of a gang rape to six months in prison and ninety lashes (originally it was six months in prison and 200 lashes). The rapists won an appeal, which came with a sentence of ten months to five years in prison.

The rape victim's attorney stated that under fatwa, or laws based on the Qu'ran, the rapists should have received a death sentence.

I have no respect for a country's laws, which come with a footnote attached citing a religious text as its authority.

It's despicable and unfathomable in a modern world.