Ethereal Passions

Its funny how far our government has come without following through on the theoretical processes its fathers had thought out so carefully. What I don't understand is how Congress has managed to base itself on such a short-term agenda, or rather why. Wasn't the Constitution passed to avoid the short-term temptations that had rid previous governments - Republics and Empires - of order and shoved them into the face of chaos? What happened to the Constitutional procedures that the Founding Fathers placed in order to avoid such tragedies? Simple, Democracy happened.

See, the Founding Fathers wanted to walk the line between order and democracy; however, little did they know that the overpowering of one power or the other was an imminent danger. A purely ordered Republic is impossible. In France's case, during the late 18th century and the 19th century, "Order" arose from the smoke, whereas in our 21st century Republic, "Democracy" has risen and, thus, "Order" has been shackled. With the directly elected Senate and an overly-public-opinion-prone President, it seems that the Government has turned from a mediator to a mirror.

And, so this is supposed to explain why Congress has become more and more short-termed. But, to answer the how, we must delve into the painful Mid-East: Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

What I don't understand is, this man, Barack Obama, is a Noble Peace Laureate - a prestige that even Gandhi could not boast of - yet he has not only escalated troops in Afghanistan, but has also remained in Iraq and has started a new freakin' war in Libya. What's so peaceful about that? Nothing. It is just another example of how short-termed his agenda is.

To win the "support" of the American "people," he has withdrawn "combat" troops from Iraq, yet there still remains there an active American presence. Moreover, in Afghanistan, despite killing Osama, he has not only left our troops there, but also has more troops in Afghanistan than Bush did, the "gun-slinger." Unbelievable. And what's the most shocking factor of all is his reasons and the precedents. In Iraq, despite the evilness of Saddam Hussein's regime, the country actually had a steady government and economy. Now, if the US were to leave, it would become just another Afghanistan with absolutely no government and a tarnished economy. And the worst part is, the Conservatives think they are so cool for having the balls to say. "We are protecting American Interest." American Interest? Ha. Is that no different than British mercantilism in America that served the "Mother Country"? No, it isn't.

Now, Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddhafi is showing signs of a weakened state and has given up territories to the NATO forces. Who's going to arise from the parting smoke? The Americans. Who's going rule the Libyan, Iraqi and Afghani people? The Americans. And what do we call this? Imperlialism? No, Democracy.

TRIPOLI, Libya—Under growing military pressure, Col. Moammar Gadhafi's government offered to withdraw the Libyan army from cities it has occupied to battle a 3-month-old uprising if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization stops bombing the country and rebel forces agree to disarm.

Libyan spokesman Moussa Ibrahim, who outlined the offer late Thursday, said it was a response to a Russian proposal. It was the closest the government has come to addressing NATO's demands for halting a crackdown in which thousands are believed to have died.

The offer came after more than two months of intense bombing by NATO forces, including strikes on Col. Gadhafi's headquarters and command centers. On Thursday Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the colonel's wife, Sofia, and their daughter, Aisha, had fled the country into neighboring Tunisia, apparently confirming a report that Tunisian and Libyan authorities have denied. More>