It started in Tunisia, and is being dubbed the The Tunisia Revolution. The official word is that the revolution was initiated due to economic conditions (high food prices, inflation, and unemployment) along with a boiling-point reaction to corruption and general suppression of freedom.
Then came Egypt. Buoyed by the successful ouster of the Tunisian President, we are told that some Facebook revolutionaries ushered in the eventual ouster of long-time leader, President Mubarak.
Both of these events should rightfully be highlighting the news, but we can’t keep up with new unrest. Even while Egyptians were taking to the streets, there were new uprisings in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, China, and Sudan, among other areas of the globe.
And then our eyes turned inward, to Madison, Wisconsin in what could be a harbinger for similar knockings of heads in other states as they battle their budget woes.
But even this was only front and center for aa few days, when the next – and as of yet most significant as it pertains to U.S. interests – domino in the Middle East looks to be falling. Libya is falling out of Gadaffi’s control and this has the largest economic implications to the U.S. in terms of rising oil costs. It also comes with the most humanitarian baggage, including a literal execution of protestors and an ordered military bombing campaign against civilians. Further, there are indications that the unrest is turning toward a conclusion of a radical islamic state.
All this means that, what would normally be headline news for the entire 24-hour news cycle, rockets fired at Israel is almost an afterthought.
So many big things are happening in so many places that it’s impossible to figure out what is the most important and/or impactful story of the day, hour, or minute.
A turbulent world is nothing new, but one doesn’t have to be a sociopolitical analyst and Ivy League graduate to recognize that something strange, interesting, and possibly dangerous is going on. Some of this unrest can be looked at with positivity – people standing up for their rights, and a desire for freedom. Protests in and of themselves are not a bad thing. I am not here to say that Armageddon is a breath away, but if one doesn’t pause and realize that much of this is a high-risk balancing act taht can get ugly in a hurry, then I’d be remiss in not pointing out the sand around that person’s head.
But, our President has a plan.
Well, not on Libya yet, due to scheduling issues with Hillary Clinton.
But other than that, he has a plan.
This plan is the way back to sanity. In the face of rising oil prices, Middle East conflict and instability, domestic unrest over labor issues, unprecedented bedget deficits and runaway debt, here’s the answer: No more defense of the Defense of Marriage Act!
In these difficult times where energy is required elsewhere, it only makes sense to consider the family unit a low priority, don’t you think? Now is the time to raise this issue. As for the rationale:
“[T]he President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny,” Mr. Holder said. “The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination
.
Thank the heavens for the guidance of President Obama and the Administration. Let us defend to the death the Constitutionally-suspect Health Care Reform bill, let us challenge the Constitutionality of the Arizona Illegal Immigration Bill, and let us publicly flog in a verbal manner the Supreme Court at the State of the Union address the decision to strike down the unconstitutional campaign finance law. But Defense of Marriage? No way.
One wonders how the President found time to deal with this issue with his around-the-clock attention being given to the Libyan turmoil.
What a multi-tasker.
Political Diatribes 