Pakistan and Nuclear Deterrence

In today's issue of the Wall Street Journal in the opinion section of the front page, an editorial discussed the implications of a nuclear Pakistan and the possibility of buying its nuclear weapons from it. The idea is comes from the fact that Pakistan needs financial capital desperately, and in return for buying their nuclear weapons, the U.S. would provide a nuclear shield in Pakistan and give them tanks and jet fighters. That idea raises several questions, if this purchase actually came to fruition, could it serve as an example to other nuclear armed nations around the world such as India and some European nations, and what are the possible ramifications of a nuclear non-proliferation that excludes the super-powers like the U.S., Russia, China, and Western Europe? In answer to the first, a nuclear arms treaty would only work in nations that are trustworthy that would respond to economic sanctions. This description would exclude nations such as Iran, Syria, and North Korea. These nations, with the backing of Russia and China, have been able to side-step the brunt of the U.S.-led sanctions. Some nations that would take notice of a nuclear purchase would include India and maybe Israel. A disarmament between Pakistan and India would invariably decrease the odds of a nuclear war happening anywhere on the globe. The answer to the second question is that the world would become a much safer environment in which to engage other nations diplomatically. A guarantee of an American nuclear shield would become an enormous deterrent to any hostile nation. A nuclear shield would not stop conventional warfare, but merely act as a safe-guard against nuclear attacks by the opposing state. However, for the nuclear shield to be completely effective, the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal must be modernized. The last nuclear weapon to be commissioned was back in the 80's at the height of the Cold War. Nuclear weapons can only be a proper deterrent if they are reliable and safe to handle. Efforts by the Bush administration to modernize our arsenal were stymied in the Democratic Congress of the past two years, and with the Obama administration coming into power in a little over a month, the hopes of a modern nuclear arsenal are slim.

The time to act is now, while tensions in the hot spots of the world, namely between Pakistan and India, are not escalated to the breaking point. The Obama administration should take note of these options of nuclear purchasing and nuclear modernization. I paraphrase the words of Vice-President elect Joe Biden, the U.S. will be tested within the first six months of an Obama administration. Other nations do not know what Obama's breaking point is and will test him to discover how far he will go to deter a conflict. In short, the nuclear future of this nation rests on the shoulders of the new government. How it chooses to handle this issue will be telling of how it will handle foreign policy over the next four years.

Social Justice

One of the more controversial topics of this past election season. Social justice remains a major talking point in any debate of political ideology. This subject, however, goes much deeper than politics. Not only is social justice a topic discussed in the Bible, it is something ingrained into every person's mind. Everyone, including evil people like Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, and Pol Pot have consciences, their's are just repressed and relegated to obscurity. The Bible speaks of social justice as an action that Christians are called to do. Back then, it entailed letting the poor and widows pick up the fallen grain during the harvest, and other such acts of care taking. The Bible, however, does not touch on the subject of free-government handouts, which have recently come to the center of political debate with the discussion of stimulus packages for auto companies, financial institutions, and the everyday citizen. Government handouts do not promote social justice; they never have, and they never will. Giving someone money for doing nothing only encourages that person to continue in his or her current path. People must work for their money, or they will never learn how to properly take care of themselves. Programs that promote this sort of "work for your money" mentality are very sucessful in promoting social change and social justice. Habitat for Humanity, one of Jimmy Carter's only good acts as president, is a program that I can believe in. The premise of the program is that they provide cheap housing for lower income people. The kicker is that the recipient must complete so many hours working on either their house or another Habitat house, and they must still pay some significant sum of money for the house. Not only does the family or individual receive a house that they have bought, but they also are learning the value of hard work.

All that is to say that I do not believe in just giving out money, but sometimes a pick-me-up is what someone needs to get back on his or her feet. This job, however, is not the government's but, rather, the church's. Prison ministries, inner city ministries, and ministries to the poor fulfill Christ's commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. The book of Amos in the Old Testament describes what happens to a people if they neglect or even take advantage of the poor and helpless. A lack of social justice was one of the reasons that the nation of Israel was destroyed. God used the Assyrian empire as his tool of judgement to punish Israel for her poor treatment of the poor.

Social justice is an important part of a Christian's life. To neglect it is folly that will lead to judgement and humility. At the same time, we must not let ourselves think that by throwing money at a problem will make it go away. I hate to use a cliche here, but it best exemplifies the situation. If you give a mouse a cookie, he will not simply take it and try to get his own food next time. He is going to ask for a glass of milk, and so begins the viscious cycle of dependence.

The Value of Science and Mathematics

In the United States today, science and math classes are looked upon in a less than favorable light. In the early grades, kids that are interested in math and science are looked upon as "geeky" or "nerdy." These negative connotations are further emphasized by television shows that depict aforementioned students as small, puny, and forever picked on by the bullies. While these shows may seem harmless, a subtle prejudice is formed against these fields of study. Hard statistics back up this assertion. I don't know the exact numbers, but the percentage of college graduates with degrees in math or the sciences has been falling since around the '80s. Math and Science are no longer considered "cool" as they were during the '50s and '60s at the height of the space race. These days, more and more degrees in math or science are going to foreigners. However, there has been no better time to get into the math or science fields. Technological advancements in chemistry, biology, physics, and math have made these fields explode with demand. Starting salaries in these fields are fairly high as well; however, many of these positions are filled with people of Indian or East Asian decent. Many see these fields as too difficult to comprehend. For example, organic chemistry is often considered a "filter" course in college; a course designed to filter out the weaker and lazier students. And while this is an exceedingly difficult course, some think of it as impossible, just as some people thought putting a man on the moon was impossible. Americans need to wake up and realize that the only difference between them and the Asians that consistently beat them in average test scores and college attendance percentages is diligence and work ethic. History has proven that Americans can overcome the largest obstacles when we strive together and put our noses to the proverbial grindstone. Some consequences from a shift from American to foreign scientists and mathematicians will be that more and more companies will move their businesses to these foreign countries to take advantage of the high labor supply. Another consequence will be a lagging behind in technological advancement in the U.S. compared to other countries. These problems can be averted with a few actions both from the top and the bottom. At the top, President-elect Barack Obama can introduce legislation to increase funding for math and science departments in the K-12 public school system. Another piece of legislation that could be introduced, could be to give incentives to college graduates with math or science degrees. Some actions at the bottom would be to instill, at an early age in a child's life, a love for learning and reading. Some kid's shows are already doing this, like Dora the Explorer. Much work remains to be done, however, if we are to reverse the current trends, if we are to remain the as the world leader in military power, political power, and technolical power. But it is work that is by no means impossible; it is work that can be accomplished with American will power and work ethic remeniscent of World War II, just one of the many lessons, this current generation can learn from the Greatest Generation.

The Holiday Season

So I was at Walmart today hoping to get some cheap Halloween candy, but, instead, I was greeted by the familiar red and green of the holiday season. What has this world come to where Christmas themes are put out hardly a week after Halloween. Seriously, Walmart and all of the other department stores need to keep the Christmas stuff down until later in November. Seeing those decorations makes me excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but then I realize that they're both pretty far off, and I get depressed. Although I don't get as depressed as the 2nd week after Christmas when all the bowl games are over and school starts up again. That really is depressing. And what's more, right after Christmas, Valentine's Day decorations go up, and after that St. Patrick's Day and Easter. Will I ever get a break from some sort of seasonal attraction. But alas, that is not the purpose of this post.

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year, as I'm sure is true of many people, second only to the summer time for several reasons. One, the food is absolutely amazing. Thanksgiving dinner might be the best meal of the year. Turkey and gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce, steamed oysters, shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers, sweet potato suflett (spelling?), Sister Shebert yeast rolls, key lime pie, creamy and cold ice cream. You don't get much better than Thanksgiving dinner. Second, the entire family is always together for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The family is always good for lots of laughs and backyard games. Third, there is always tons of football going on during the holiday season except during the time in early December after the conference championships and the start of the bowl games. Fourth, presents, presents, presents. Need I say more? Fifth, the singing...Christmas songs are fantastic, and that's including carols, hymns, and more contemporary stuff too. I love the Christmas radio station that starts up in November and doesn't stop until after New Year's Day. Sixth but by no means the least important, Christmas is the time of celebrating the birth of Christ which, by itself, would make the holiday season incredible. It is a time when Christians remember when Christ humbled himself to come down to earth from his lofty seat in Heaven. I don't want to get too preachy, so I'll end my sermon right here.

In short, the holiday season is fantastic and is only beaten by summer time. If only the U.S. were in the Southern Hemisphere, then I could have both at the same time.

The Election and the Future

Well, the election is over and all of the tension and stress that go along with it. Even though Obama will be the 44th U.S. president, I, for one, am glad that this election is over. I have certainly had enough election coverage and analysis for a month or two, and at least now there is no uncertainty about what the future holds for this country as far as leadership goes. A few key points from the general election and the congressional election: McCain lost several key states that Bush won in 2004, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Colorado (there may be others, but I don't feel like checking the electoral map right now), and the GOP retains a 44 vote minority in the Senate. The first point should serve as a wake-up call to the GOP, that they cannot hold a usually red state to the most liberal presidentail candidate since Jimmy Carter. I should hope that the GOP will take a good, hard look at itself and construct a battle plan for the upcoming congress in January. The second point is important because it means that the GOP still has the power of the filibuster in the Senate. For those of you unfamilar with this term, a filibuster is stalling strategy used by senators to "kill" a bill in the Senate. A senator or a group of senators will talk on the floor of the Senate until the bill's proponents abandon it. In order to defeat a filibuster, sixty votes are needed. All of this is to say that while Democrats will control the presidency and both houses of Congress, they will not have complete control over Capitol Hill like the GOP in 1866 or the Democrats in 1936. Where do we go from here (I say we in the collective sense of conservatives)? We can take comfort in the forty-four member minority and hope that they can withstand pressures from above and below and hold out until the mid-term elections in 2010. By that time, Americans will hopefully have realized their mistake in electing a freshman senatory from Illinois to be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world and erode the Democratic majorities in Congress. All of that being said, I congradulate Sen. Obama for his victory, and am proud at the way race and cival rights have progressed in the past generation. As John McCain said tonight in his concession speech, we need to unite together and support the new president. That does not mean we necessarily have to agree with him, but God calls each and every one of his children to submit to the authority placed over us. And so I will support the future President Barak Obama, just as I have supported the troops fighting overseas. I am trusting in the sovereign might of our Lord and taking comfort in the knowledge that he is in control. I do not know what the next four years holds for me and this country, but I do know that God will work all things for his glory and his will. I will leave you with this thought, with God as our source of strength and our foundation, we, as Americans, can overcome any obstacle, ford any river, cross any valley, and climb any mountain. God has blessed this nation, and he will continue to bless it so long as its people remain faithful to him.

Rights and Freedoms

In this day and age, too many Americans take for granted the freedom they have to live each day the way in which they deem fit. The current generation is too far removed from World War II and the Greatest Generation to understand the true meaning of freedom. The events of 9/11 should have served to unite America, and give a wake-up call to those who believe freedom is a right instead of a privilege. And, indeed, in the month or two after the attacks, America did come together in a great outpouring of patriotism. But in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent mismanagement of the war, many on the far-left have come to see the U.S. as a war-mongering nation bent on subjugating other nations for oil and national security. They use divisive and hateful rhetoric to push their point across. They see no method as too extreme if it will convey their message and persuade others to join their cause. But at the heart of their movement, their intentions, their heart-attitudes, these people believe that man is basically good and that left alone, man will choose the right way. But what is this right way, These people would tell you that it is what ever you think is the right way. It's the psychological theory of relativity, there is no fundamental truth. Everything can be right or wrong depending on the point of view. This view, while embraced by those on the far-left, is contradicted by the very same people. You can believe what you want to believe is right so long as it lines up with what they believe. This pattern of logic and thinking has led them to decry American military efforts in Iraq as murderous. Some of them would even go so far as to put the U.S. military on par morally with Al Queda and the Taliban. These people would see the U.S. withdraw from Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, Guantamano Bay, Germany, and anywhere where the U.S. has a military presence. They believe that the world is best left alone from the "policing" of the U.S. They don't understand that this "policing" has directly and indirectly been the leading cause of a lack of military conflict within American borders is over 180 years. I'm talking about the War of 1812. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the attack on 9/11 were attacks on our borders, but because of the actions of the brave leaders of our country, FDR and George W. Bush, the U.S. stood up to the evil that confronted her and hit it squarely in the chin. The far-left groups think that if America minds its own business, no one will try to hurt us, no one will still harbor hate in their hearts toward the U.S. This kind of thinking pervades through the minds of the far-left groups and has begun to grow upon the members of the Democratic Party. Politics aside, this kind of thinking can and will only lead to more and worse attacks on this nation unless, people like you and me stand up for the truth, stand up for moral absolutes, stand up for democracy and freedom, stand up for our military, no matter where they might be stationed, and lastly stand up for our president whether he be a Republican, Democrat, or Independent. This generation needs to see America for what she really is, a place where one can find life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as the Founders planned it. Regardless of the outcome of the election, the mindset now embraced by the far-left, which they are completely free to have, is dangerous to the future of America. One can only pray that God will continue to protect and bless this great nation.

The Beauty of the Ipod and All Things Apple

The Ipod is a wonderful gadget that almost everyone can enjoy. It's so simple and easy to use, and it can hold so many songs that you couldn't listen to them all if you played it straight for 20 days. Apple really did strike a gold mine when they launched the first Ipod. Because the Ipod was so great, I decided to get a Macbook, and I have decided that I will never go back to a PC ever again. Windows is just an inferior product when compared to Leopard, except when gaming is concerned. However, that weakness in the Apple armor has been fixed with the new Macbook's that were just released. Which is one thing that gets on my nerves, a new version or model comes out every six months or so, and I never feel like I have the cutting edge technology. It's not just computers that do that either, everything technological from stereos, to cellphones, to tvs, to even game systems, sometimes. I guess that just goes with the territory, and I suppose it could be worse. The companies could release a new product ever three or 4 years like Microsoft does for Windows and then have a host of problems and glitches like Vista. Which brings me back to the beauty of Leopard and Mac computers. They hardly ever crash or freeze, and when they do, a simple restart fixes everything. I guess I got the blue screen of death too many times as a child, but I just do not like Microsoft Windows. But I also want there to be a sizable majority of PC users out there so hackers and computer geeks keep on making their viruses for PC and not Mac.

Well I'm not trying to advertise for Mac here, but it's hard not to when the competition is simply undermatched when pitted against a better, quicker, sleeker computer.

Global Warming

Does it exist? Is it currently happening? These questions are being asked right now by scientists, politicians, and everyday people all of the world. No one really knows for certain whether or not global warming truly does exist, and I tend to gravitate towards the cautious side when considering this issue. Although they may be right, the politicians, namely the Democrats, but a sizable portion of the Republicans, including John McCain, the media, and Hollywood have all jumped on the environmentalist bandwagon and have proclaimed that global warming will destroy the earth and all its inhabitants unless we repent from its ways and reverse our patterns of behavior of the past 100 years. They also insult and deride any who disagree with their view as if the issue is closed to debate. However, I think the issue carries considerable weight. We have been cutting down tropical rain forests for many decades, and deforestation can be affect an ecosystem and the environment in profound ways. The burning of hydrocarbon fuels like coal or oil over the past 50 years has released immense amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, but no one really knows how much the atmosphere or the ocean can hold of CO2. The environmentalists would like to see the abandonment of the burning of fossil fuels as the main source of energy. Whether or not that would destroy the world economy, they don't care. My view on this issue is that it doesn't matter whether or not the CO2 is affecting the atmosphere, the U.S. needs to wean itself off of foreign oil and thus become energy independent. This process comes to fruition through the construction of nuclear power plants, increased offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and on the east coast, increased drilling in Alaska, particularly in ANWR (a position that has overwhelming popularity in Alaska), the research of new and better technologies for renewable resources such as biofuels, ethanol (not the horribly flawed corn-based ethanol currently in use), decreased car used, better conservation of energy in the home and in the workplace. A combination of all of these actions will help bring about energy independence within a decade if implemented on a nation-wide scale, and will put us in a better position to correctly determine the causes and effects of global warming.

My First Post

This is my first post, and I'm new to the blogging world, but here we go.

I'll start by saying that I intend to use this blog to say what's on my mind. I don't mind if you don't agree with what I think, so hate comments won't offend me. That being said, I consider myself a social and fiscal conservative and a foreign policy hawk. I voted for McCain on absentee ballot because I'm in college away from my place of residence. I think that an Obama presidency will put this country on the road for disaster, and I might consider moving to another country after I complete my schooling should he win. My political views are directly correlated to my religious views. I am a member of the PCA church and believe that every single word in the Bible is God-inspired and true. Jesus Christ is the only way to get to Heaven, and apart from him and his sacrifice, we are dead in our sins. I believe in absolutes, namely that there is good and there is evil.

That being said, my first two months in college have been fantastic. The college experience is completely unique, and it is one that everyone should if they have the means to do so, should experience. The relationships forged during this time will last a lifetime, and the education one obtains will signficantly improve his or her chances at getting ahead in life.

One of the better tv shows on right now is The Office. Some may say that The Office's quality has gone down is recent seasons, and I would agree with that in regards to season four. However, I think the writers have picked up the slack this season, and I think it'll be very good. I've liked what I've seen so far, but I don't think it will top season three. A friend of mine commented that season four was more about trying to push the story line rather than trying to be funny, and I would agree with that statement. When writers veer from what made the show the success, then dissatifaction will arise. No matter, I will still watch The Office until it goes off the air simply because I love watching Jim mess with Dwight.

When I was home on fall break last week, I applied for a job at Apple. I'm really hoping to get this job for a couple reasons: I've never had a retail job before, and I think it would be a good experience and a resume builder; I want to get a new ipod soon because my old thirty gig is all filled up, and I have videos and tv shows I want to put on it. If that falls through, I have a few backups that I can rely on. One is a construction job that would be some manuel labor which doesn't bother me. The other is a summer job which does nothing for me currently.

I just began reading the third book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Poulini (I don't know if I got his last name right) entitled Brisingr. I'm about 400 pages into it, and it's fairly good. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but except for a few fight scenes in the beginning, it has been a little slow. However, I'm not worried; I expect the action to pick up.

Well, that's all for this post. Hopefully, I'll remember to post on a regular basis.