This is like 4 mini-posts in one:
- US Diplomat murdered
- Bush reaches nuclear agreement with India
- NFL labor discussions fail
- US Patriot Act renewed (okay, so this was a bigger headline)
A US Diplomat was murdered when a suicide bomber rammed a car full of explosives into his car outside the US Consulate in Pakistan. What's interesting in this case, aside from the tragedy (and importance) of a diplomat being assassinated is how it happened. A paramilitary guard was ordering the terrorist's car away after not allowing him onto the Consulate's grounds, but the diplomat's car was driving by at the same moment. The terrorist saw the car, and swung his at the diplomat's, crashing into it and setting off the bombs. Was it unlucky timing, or a knowledge of his schedule? I'm sure it will be investigated thoroughly, and I'd be interested in the findings...
Bush secured a fascinating energy agreement with India, agreeing to share nuclear knowledge that the United States has in order to ease the reliance of the world on oil. This may be a much bigger deal than people realize: If a huge country such as India can switch over to nuclear power, the supply of oil in the world will shoot up, chopping oil prices by a huge percentage. The reliance on Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and the like will drop dramatically, and their ability to influence US foreign policy will be much reduced. More needs to be found out about this deal, but on the surface, I like it a lot.
The most important sport in the world, NFL Football, is having trouble. The reason it's the best sport: It's by far the most well-run sport, with a salary cap that keeps competition at a high level. "Any Given Sunday" is a very important facet of football. Well, apparently that's a big concern, which makes me concerned. Without a salary cap, the NFL loses a lot of its luster - and if the caps get too high (which most owners thankfully realize), it does as well. Here's hoping they straighten it out - and soon.
The USA Patriot Act was renewed, with better protections for certain issues libertarians and others were concerned with, by an 89-10 vote. Is it perfect? I doubt it. But that's why it should be continually reviewed. It's important to have it in place, and equally important to make sure it doesn't infringe on civil liberties. Good job, US Senate! (Who knew?)
Hey, I found them interesting, anyway...
The deal still needs to be approved by congress, but hopefully won't because although It is supposed to help india tremendously for nuclear power over oil and coal - the deal has zero provisions from forbidding them to use the power for munition and weapon production and that is not good.
ReplyDeleteI understand, and disagree in this case. India already has nuclear power, and we're not giving them materials - only knowledge to improve their usage to take off the dependency. They're also an ally of Israel, which is a lot in that part of the world. I'm sure that it won't get through Congress without many detailed provisions being added, as well. This is more of a preliminary agreement than anything, and the basis of a smart approach.
ReplyDeleteThe India deal represents a huge shift in US policy. India has nuclear weapons. India has not signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. How can we complain about Iran or North Korea now?
ReplyDeleteThis also completes the amazing transformation of US relations on the subcontinent. Pakistan has been a US ally since it became independent in 1947; I vividly remember when the US supported Pakistan in its war with India in 1971, a war in which the Pakistani army was guilty of massive atrocities that bordered on genocide.
This is also a boost for the secular government in India and its unusual leadership about which I posted yesterday:
http://charliehall.blogspot.com/2006/03/indias-unusual-leadership.html