Saturday, April 28, 2007

Why I Listen To NPR

A few reasons why this conservative listens to National Public Radio:

Reporting on the lesser known of the two Congos

Reporting on Sudan and here and here also

Reporting on Ethiopia and Somalia

A touching story

An interview with a right to life advocate

What?!?! Gambling Causes Problems For Society??

Oklahomans made a colossal mistake when they voted for a statewide lottery a few years ago and an even larger mistake was made when casinos were allowed to operate on tribal land (I know, I know, I sound like a broken record). How long will it be before we decide to reverse this awful public policy? Today, the Oklahoman published an article concerning problem gambling in Oklahoma. Consider this from the article, "We're seeing kids checking out of college because they've lost so much,” Smith said. At a recent informational session at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Smith asked how many knew someone with a gambling problem. In a room of about 140, all but seven raised a hand." And this, "between 1 and 3 percent of any population and 2 to 4 percent of adults have pathological gambling addictions, experts say. That translates into at least 35,000 Oklahomans. Many more are problem gamblers who do not reach the medical definition for pathological." More sobering stories are included in this article. But do our leaders care? Apparently not--so long as they don't have to make tough decisions on funding our government, they'll be happy to see gambling expand in Oklahoma. Why are Oklahoma citizens not more adamant about good governance? As a society we ought to demand from our political leaders policies that will encourage and lift up the whole state--NOT ensnare the vulnerable.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri Message to the World

A brief look at what we're up against. This is when al-Zawahiri was in an Egyption prison for his conspiracy against the Egyptian government.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Darfur, China, and the Olympics

Here's hoping that Beijing's hosting of the 2008 Olympics will put pressure on China to finally change its stance regarding the genocide in Darfur. China, a buyer of cheap Sudanese oil has looked the other way as the Sudanese government has thumbed its nose at international pressure to stop the genocide it has perpetuated in the western region of the country known as Darfur. While we shouldn't expect any major changes to occur regarding the genocide, maybe the Hollywood (yes, Hollywood) campaign to tie the '08 Beijing Olympics to Darfur will work to put pressure on the Chinese to finally release their objection to a UN peace keeping force in the region. Foreign Policy blog has more.