Patches? We Don’t Need No Stinking Patches!

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Why do self-conscious Americans wear Canadian patches on our bags when we travel? Because those in other parts of the world think we are arrogant, ignorant, self-rightous blowhards, who have interfered too many times in world events ever since 1914.

Our standing in the world is praised by capitalists, and scorned by the other 99%. Our forays into the politics of Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as the Middle East, has created a whole new generation of angry teenagers intent on remedying our actions.

A few steps that would go a long way:

1. Cut our reliance on ALL imports of oil, be they be from Canada, Saudi Arabia, or Mexico, our three largest suppliers.

2. Realize that the U.S. environmental footprint is 5x the global average, and that we live like kings compared to other parts of the world.

3. Heal the Cold War wounds once and for all, and realize that nuclear weapons are good for NO country or organization to have… except the U.S.

4. I think Thomas Friedman puts it in a good way, comparing a financial bailout to real infrastructure development.

5. Catch Osama bin Laden, and get out of the Middle East before we do any more harm.

All in all, I think that an Obama win would go a long way towards restoring our stature in the world, but as the saying goes, “It’s not how many votes a candidate gets, but who counts the votes that matters.”
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Other Links

I don’t know why 9% are still undecided. I mean, really? You can’t tell the difference between a future president and a doddering fool?

Our forays into Pakistan were alluded to in the debate…

A little primer on Yucca Mountain, NV, where the federal government has been trying to store nuclear waste since 1982. McCain doesn’t think we should hold up the project, as long as the spent fuel doesn’t travel through Arizona.

Slate predicts McCain's next 10 Hail Mary stunts. Because feigning authority in the bailout negotiations, and claiming it unseemly to be campaigning during this crisis, probably isn’t the end of his schenanigans.

It’s not getting much notice, but there’s $25B going to the auto companies too…

Though a bit outdated, as 24-hour news cycles go, Letterman’s skewering of McCain’s no-show is priceless.

Lastly, this is another reason I’m optimistic about November.
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