My New Project, The Next Generation News Junkies

I have begun a new project, called the Next Generation News Junkies. A group news blog, we use humor to convey serious messages about our domestic and foreign affairs. We do weekly video broadcasts, podcasts and interact through social media. Check out the website, like the facebook page and show support for local journalism.

www.facebook.com/nextgennewsjunkies

www.nextgennewsjunkies.blogspot.com

Eastwood and The Chair, Republicans and The Imaginary Obama

The Republican National Convention. A time where the Republican party comes together to showcase their platform, introduce new and rising party members, and above all, officiate the nomination of their chosen candidate in the presidential race. While all the above were included in the prestigious occasion, one act among all the rest was proven to up-show the rest; Clint Eastwood and the chair.

While I'm one who believes party politics can become too stifling and rigid, there is a cause for some criticism of the award studded Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood. Unorthodox may be an understatement while funny may be an exaggeration, but like the Republicans said, viewing Eastwood's performance under the guise of our overly critical political lens does not do the actor's intentions justice. I do believe his motives were light hearted and were meant to be taken with a grain of salt.

But there is a bigger picture here. What Eastwood most likely did not intend to do was actually sum up the Republican party's false perceptions on who the President is and what problems this country actually faces.

Mounting debt, reinforced through the Republican party's obscene placement of two real time debt clocks, one counting up the country's debt from the time the convention started and the other counting up the country's total sum of debt, while may be nice back drops for poorly written sound bytes, fails to address what are the causes of this climbing debt.

As shown on CNN's "Your Money", our debt by the end of this year will reach 16 trillion dollars. That is trillion with a T. Alarming to say the least. What Republicans won't say is what caused a majority of that debt. Instead, they'll talk to an imaginary person in a chair, metaphoric of their accusations and claims against the President and the Democratic party.

It was shown that almost 70% of the current debt was caused by 3 main causes- Firstly, the Bush Tax Cuts, secondly, two unfunded wars, and third, the economic downturn. Two of these were Republican party policies, and the third may well have been a result of such policies. Meanwhile TARP/The Stimulus comprise about 15%, not to mention that that policy was necessary to prevent an economic free fall.

But hey, Republicans might be right afterall. Maybe there is an imaginary Obama who wrote those policies and/or caused all the economic problems we face. Too bad no one else can see him.

Syrian Rebels Execute 14 Pro-Government Forces; Video Documents the Atrocity

                              

                                         The video of armed rebels executing pro-Assad forces. 

 Warning, images are graphic.

Video courtesy of Youtube

Reports coming out of Syria purport that 14 members of the pro government militia group, Shabiha, were executed by anti-Assad forces in the city of Aleppo. This comes days after President Bashar Al-Assad stated that the 'battle for Aleppo will determine our fate'.

The amateur video believed to have been shot within the past 36 hours shows anti-Assad forces capturing 14 men, interrogating them, having them state their names for the camera, brought outside, lined up against against a dingy white wall, and summarily executed.

While crimes and atrocities are being perpetrated by both sides daily in this civil conflict, the imagery that accompanies this act of brutality is startling. While the people of Syria have a right to their self determination as a people, they do not have the right to commit the type of war crimes they have accused President Bashar Al-Assad's regime and supporters of carrying out.

The rebels claim that this comes after an incident a week earlier between the Shabiha group and anti-Assad forces, where it is said about a dozen anti-Assad forces were captured and killed in the same manner. The act the rebels say was retribution for the deaths of those soldiers.

While it is a tragedy and a crime that should not go unpunished, as simple as it sounds, two wrongs don't make a right. If the Anti-Assad forces want to be legitimized as a credible and official alternative to the atrocious and malicious regime under President Assad, they must act like it. They can not carry out the type of horrific crimes that will only further inflame international opinion and alienate potential allies.

It is understandable in some sense the type of desperation on the part of the rebels. They have been battling the Assad regime for over a year and a half now and have received little to no international support or even condemnation of Assad's regime. With Russia and China's defiance in the face of international pressure, Assad's regime has gotten away with almost no penalization in the wake of the mass murders and crimes against humanity him and his militia forces have committed since the uprising nearly two years ago.

Although this may be the case, a tactic like this can not help the cause of the rebels. It will only legitimate the government as the procurer of justice in the face of these 'terrorist' factions that 'seek to destabilize the Syrian society' as President Assad would like people to believe. Sadly enough if these types of crimes are to continue, his lies may become truths.