As America continued to execute the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I continued to remind the the world and the US Adminstration about the soft underbelly that was Mexico. Mexico launched a drug war after Caledron took office. That war has claimed thousands of lives. The reports I reviewed just today noted that 42 people in the resort City of Acapulco were murdered just over the week-end. I have had the good fortune to visit Acapulco twice and it is just a tragedy to see this carnage going on as it is.
Although I am certain that the U.S. Government has been aware of the problem, this came to a head when the drug thugs struck again in Ciudad Juarez. For those who may not know, Ciudad Juarez borders El Paso. It is the murder capital of Mexico. The thugs killed two US Cousulate employees in their car in broad daylight with their one year old child in the back seat. They then killed the husband of a Mexican Employee of the Consulate.
Although I welcome the President's statement of outrage, it is simply not enough. America continues to be the largest consumer of the product. As long as the market is there, these marchants of death will continue to enrich themselves while the victims grow and grow. There is no policy. What will America going to do? Send US Troops across the Border?
Public Education in the United States seems to be on a Death March that is worrisome. The most extreme of it is what is going on in the Kansas City School System. Over half the schools will be shut down as part of a "Right Sizing Plan" proposed by the city's School Board. This is a very unfortunate development that underscores the immense challenge being faced by all States in how to fund their public schools.
I have written extensively about it. I was moved enough to even generate a "Smart Schools" proposal to the New America Foundation to see how schools can be truly transformed. With what teachers in my local school district I see every day, I think there is indeed possiblities to transform. But, if there is a move to destroy in the name of reform, there may well not be a public school sector left. There is enough opposition to this wonderful experiment and the apparent policy objectives of the Obama Adminstration is fueling that fire. Investment in education will insure a better future. I have to wonder whether the systematic dimantling of public education by pushing charter schools and vouchers will be the answer to supposed mediocore performance by schools.
Iceland is a country in crisis. It is trying to figure out how to pay back billions to the UK and Netherlands as its own banking system collapsed. Yet, it is also trying to figure out a way to create a haven for journalists. This provides a shield law so that they can hopefully live to be true journalists. If they are able to pull this off is another matter.
What is clear is that Journalism is changing. I have struggled with trying to undestand it as I have talked about our World and tried to fashion some centrist realistic response to it. The 4th Estate has to truly live up to be the conscious of the World. It has failed miserably. How it redeems itself is going to be challenging to say the least. Iceland is at least trying to do the right thing for the sake of us all.
I eagerly await the rollout of a new BBC master plan by the BBC's Director General. The rumours are that it will see cutbacks in web presence and close downs of certain of its entitites. The World Service is exempt becasue I understand that it is funded by the British Government through the Foreign Office.
This apparent retrenchment is of profound concern to me. If this is in response to what James Murdoch said, it will quite tragic. James Murdoch is worried about independent media. If his definition of independent media is the trash he and his father push through Fox News in the U.S, my response is no thank you. This is also ever so with Murdoch Media Properties in the UK. Murdoch already has too much power and influence. This outright power grab should not be allowed because Mr. Murdoch needs to understand that he has to be held to account.
Mike Pouraryan
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