On MLK Day, Despair and Hope

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is arguably one of the most loved and respected historical figures, his impact on American history is unparalleled and unrivaled. It is easy to forget that before Dr. King started his fight, black people in the United States were considered and were treated as second class citizens. It was codified in the laws and an entire segment of the population was treated very badly in a country whose creed claimed to be that all men were created equal.

Dire Times for Ukraine

Guys (by that I mean my few sparse, readers, joking!) I am following this Ukraine situation like a hawk because it basically reads like the old timey maneuvers by the USSR against the United States and like many people, I am beginning to think that the cold war is back. I'm still travelling so these post will be shambolic and rather badly written and for that I am truly sorry.

Marco Rubio, Hope Gone Sour

At his election in 2010 Marco Rubio looked like hope for the Republican Party. A well-spoken, Latino man, beloved by the Tea Party and supported by the Republican establishment. Whispers of a second Barack Obama were heard and even the future Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, campaigned for him. The Republicans needed a high profile Latino and the well-spoken Rubio certainly was it.

The audacity of Saudi Arabia

So apparently Saudi Arabia has decided to pivot away from America, so the rumors go. Those rumors leaked from the Saudi government, and it was enough to scare John Kerry into hurrying to meet the Saudi Foreign Minister, prince Saud Al-Faisal. The reason, that the United State did not strike Syria and that the country is not giving enough aid to the Rebels.

The craziness of the House GOP

On Thursday, at midnight the Treasury is set to reach the debt ceiling limit and economic havoc unleashed on the global economy. Signs late on Monday morning were all pointing to a deal coming close in the Senate.

So Obama called Rouhani

It was the phone call heard around the word, president Barack Obama of the United States gave a call to Hassan Rouhani, the newly elected Iranian president. It's the first time in 34 years that both head of states of those two country have spoken directly to each other. The Obama administration is obviously trying to work some diplomacy as John Kerry was busy meeting with the Iranian foreign minister Javad Zariv in New York today and more talk scheduled in early October in Geneva. For the United States the idea is to make Iran stop making nuclear weapons and for Iran to get those severe economical sanctions lifted.

Hassan Rouhani ran on a very moderate platform and won hugely, even against Jalili (Ahmadinejad previous nuclear negotiator) who seemed to be backed by the Ayatollah. His platform sounds reasonable, attractive to both the extreme liberal in Iran and the moderate conservatives. I should be more excited about this, but really Rouhani is just a smoking screen, the ultimate power concerning matters of nuclear power is Khamenei and I don't believe his stance have changed. Him and the Revolutionary guard are very conservative and anti american that no progress will really be made. Talking to Rouhani while a good thing, is giving legitimacy to the whole Iranian establishment and establishment that isn't too keen on chance.

However, the president and John Kerry might have more tangible proof that maybe Rouhani has the authority to make some changes. Ahmadinejad always seemed like a Khamenei puppet to me, and I really expect no less of Rouhani despite his talks of change. So Good look to Obama and Kerry, I will be observing this process with skeptical eyes.