Dubai Firm Backs Out of U.S. Ports Deal.

Recently, a Dubai firm launched a bid to buyout a London firm which is responsible for six US ports. The xenophobic US government threatened to block the deal, while Bush threatened to veto any action from Congress that would block the deal. The concern of our short-sighted representatives in Congress, of course, was that because a Dubai firm owned the company, that this would somehow facilitate terrorism.

The two-facedness of our Congress makes me so angry. On one hand, they espouse the values of free markets and how important opening up trade with new countries is for peace. Then they go and threaten to block a bill based on racism.

I can't believe lifelong politicians are so short-sighted; what kind of message are we really sending the world? We're acting like spoiled untrusting children who want the world to respect us while we act like little brats. Given the battering of our national prestige, you'd think our government would be making efforts at amending our relations rather than driving a big, shiny stake between them.

I would have liked to see a showdown between Bush and Congress - it would have been nice (for once) to see Bush out of step with the Republicans and to make a stand on his own.

In general, the way our government is approaching other nations scares me. We're quickly turning into a nation where we fear any foreigners (good thing we're not a nation of immigrants!) and assume they're here to do something evil. It seems that people, when given a voice, want to make America into some exclusive club where nobody can enter ... but hey, we're "protecting" our way of life!

Ugh.

Since I figure nobody is reading this, I'll write up a few snippets on my personal political views on various issues.

Abortion: I never feel comfortable making decisions about women, so I'm glad I'm really not in any position of power to do so. Basically I've come to the conclusion that abortion should be legal, but that I personally don't believe in it. If confronted with a woman who I knew had an abortion, I would honestly probably think lesser of that person. I really don't like the way Americans are starting to look to the government as some sort of moral authority figure - that was never the role of government, that is the role of church. The role of the government is not to make our moral decisions for us, but to provide security for our nation (both internationally and domestically) as well as enforce the social contracts among the people; the government must strive to protect the rights of the minorities and to make sure the playing field is equal (on a legal basis).

Drugs: Why is it a crime to do drugs? I can understand if Congress is acting out with some laws in some twisted scheme to protect the cotton industry, but why are we throwing citizens in jail for doing drugs in the privacy of their own home? At the very most, drugs should results in a monetary fine (the same way we penalize speeding) - I see them both in a similar light. Both are conscious decisions one makes, and both could threaten the lives of others in certain circumstances (in fact, I'd probably gander that speeders are more of a danger than recreational drug users). Much like abortion, my personal beliefs differ here - I've never taken drugs (although I've been in the company of various friends who have) simply because I don't want to. But I see absolutely no right for the government to throw people in jail because they made a conscious decision about something they want to do. In any case, why not legalize marijuana and tax it? The US government could make some much-needed revenue lost from the tobacco industry *and* people could toke up in the privacy of their own homes. Who exactly is losing here? Oh right, those nuts who think that the government should be the overriding moral authority in our nation.

Immigation: Why even restrict immigation? People have this messed up notion that if we allow a bunch of people who are willing to come in and work at lower wages, that we somehow aren't "protecting our way of life." This is tangentially related to the US' fascination with "protecting" our airline and steel industries against the evil conspiring nations who are teaming up to destroy "critical" US industries. I think Maddox says it best in regards to immigation (I'm paraphrasing, he's not really not working looking forreal): "If a immigrant thinks he can come in and do my job better at a lower wage, bring it on!" The border patrols in Arizona and New Mexico are flat-out stupid. If Latin Americans want to come into this country, work at a honest wage to make their own lives better, who are we to stop them?

The one overriding desire that all humans share is our longing to be loved, to have children, and to give them a good future. If all nations in the world had a standard of living even remotely close to that of the US, there would be a LOT less conflicts (well, besides the fact that the US is run by a bunch of arrogant pricks who want to run the world, and the fact that nationalistic pricks like the Chinese and Koreans would start wars over pride). Nations only go to war when they have something to lose, so let's give them something that's not worth losing (economic self-worth).

I guess in a sense that last sentence is where I stand when it comes to any geopolitical issues. I do believe in the value of the free market (I am an econ major from a very liberal school), and I do think that history tends to back up the idea that rich countries are less likely to go to war with one another... Thomas Friedman's "Golden Arches" theory still holds true (the theory states that two nations with McDonalds franchises have never gone to war... obviously there's a logical fallacy here [does the McDonald's franchise prevent war from happening, or does McDonald's simply pick nations that are more stable], but the concept is still there).

Ok, this is far too much incoherent rambling for one night. I went out with Han and Borst earlier, and I still think I'm working off some of that buzz ... I know, I'm a lightweight.

Happy Friday, y'all. Go Heels!