Is it just me or does it seem that the recent drop in oil prices to below $50 a barrel (the article states that this is it’s lowest in the past 20 months), why does it seem like the gas prices aren’t budging a bit?
January 2007
With all of this talk about sending more troops over to Iraq, I feel some sort of need to at least say something on the issue.
When I first started hearing about the speech (I didn’t hear it first hand) I had a few reactions.
The first thing I heard was that Bush had actually admitted a mistake, and oh was the left jumping all over that! Even now I keep hearing “flip-flopper” tossed around, where a month ago it was that he never admitted he was wrong; this just proves to me that there are some who will rant opposite Bush no matter what he says.
Then there’s the issue of actually sending troops over. When we first started hearing cries to withdraw immediately from Iraq around the ’04 election I was amazed how many people thought that was a good idea; there is a reason why Kerry even wouldn’t call for an immediate withdrawal, but to set up a plan to do it over a set period of time. Either way, I wasn’t quite sure what I thought we should do about it.
This past Sunday, Carrie and I visited Edinboro for church and went out for lunch with a good friend who spent a year in a half in the Al Anbar province of Iraq (the one where Fallujah is located). He is sure, after spending time in some of the most intense fighting of this war, that we do need to send more troops in there to secure the country before we withdraw and fully leave it in the hands of the Iraqi people. He talked about the fact that the Iraqi forces are going to be in the front of the missions that they will be performing to sweep some cities and provinces of insurgents before we begin to pull out. I do know the horror stories that have occurred in previous sweeps, and they are tragic; but I have to believe that the treatment that the innocent Iraqi people will get at the hands of our troops will be better than at the hands of the insurgents.
After talking with Jay, I have had some weight lent to my belief that it will – in the long run – be a good thing to send more troops in. I may be wrong, Lord knows that Bush has been numerous times before, but I won’t be backing up MoveOn.org on this one.
I just got a new ringtone.
On Point Theme. (Four Tet – Everything is Alright)
Yes, it’s the theme from the magnificent NPR show hosted by the celebrity I trust the most – Tom Ashbrook. I love this show, it helps Carrie and I keep a grip on the reality of the world around us.
A hybrid of a talk program and a news-magazine, On Point puts each day’s news into context and provides a lively forum for discussion and debate. Topics chosen for the program are often taken from the biggest news stories of the day while others have a direct connection to issues that are at the core of what is urgent and important in the world at the moment. Interwoven are programs containing interviews with personalities, politicians, musicians, writers, and journalists. On Point deliberately seeks out distinct and provocative voices that may be new to public radio or that may not have been heard in quite the same context before. Debriefs, discussions and radio diaries are designed not just to stimulate the intellect of the listeners but also to elicit emotion and passion about the state of national and international affairs.
If you want to use it as your ringtone as well download it above and send it to yourself through Mobile17.com. (The site will convert an MP3 to a ringtone for free. It really is free, I have 3 on my phone – the only charge is for the picture message.)