‘Unjustifiable’ Airstrike Kills 27 Afghan Civilians

Over this past weekend NATO authorized an "unjustifiable" airstrike that lead to the deaths of 27 civilians. NATO received, what was supposed to be reliable Intel, from an Afghan saying that there would be many Taliban leaders traveling to a destination in 3 buses. So NATO and the American commander thought this would be a perfect opportunity to take out some strong leaders. So they saw on their satellites that there are 3 buses traveling, and this matched there Intel. So planes fired at the buses and took them out, when they sent people into inspect the damage, they found innocent civilians and among them four women and children. NATO apologized Monday saying the attacks were "Unjustifiable". This is the third time this has happened in Afghanistan since starting there major offensive there.

This is a horrible event that could have easily been avoided. The army should never take intel from an Afghanistan source unless they know for a fact that it is reliable. Really, the only intel I would take from over there is intel that comes either straight from American's or Afghanistan officials. With so many terrorists over there, it is to easy for a group of them to fake intel. Plus, NATO should have looked into the intel more. They easily could have checked the buses before dropping an airstrike on them. With all of the satellites out there today, and with our technology, it wouldn't have been too hard to confirm if it was the Taliban leaders. Besides from being a sad event, it also hurts the civilian trust that we were gaining. We swore to protect civilians, and instead we killed 27 innocent ones. This also makes NATO look incompitent. With the war going the way it is, NATO leaders need to have a little more patience and look into decisions before they make them.

Read more about the airstrike at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35515880/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/#storyContinued

Issue #2 - Spending What We Can Afford

In our country, both the president and Congress help prepare an annual budget for the federal government. Together they decide what we will spend our money on. It can be spent on things like defense, health care, education and many other federal programs. What the budget does is it outlines the nation's priorities for the coming year and describes how the government will reach those goals. Our budget is supposed to be less or the same as our governement earns, otherwise we have a budget deficit. In the last few decades, our government has spent more money than it has earned, making these deficits happen. Every time our country has a deficit, it needs to borrow more money, which puts us further into debt. This over spending is threatening our entitlement spending programs. An example of this is Social Security. Many of the "baby boomer" generation is starting to take more money from Social Security than is being put in, threatening its very existense. To counteract this persistent budget deficit, Congress passed a pay-as-you-go (otherwise known as paygo) budgeting measure. This basically means that Congress can only spend what they can pay for. Many supporters of paygo argue that paygo rightly responds to citizens' concerns about profligate spending and the rising national debt. Some opponents to this measure argue that paygo will merely result in higher taxes in order to pay for the new programs.

I believe that paygo is a good idea. It shows and helps Congress to understand that deficits matter and should be contained. Our national debt is rising at a horrific pace. Right now it is at astaggering 12 trillion dollars. Paygo could help manage this debt, and hopefully somewhere down the road even eliminate the debt. Some critics claim that paygo will restrict Congress's ability to respond to national emergencies, such as recession. But the in those times of emergency, the government can suspend paygo if necessary. Current President Obama also agrees with paygo. He as said, "paying for what you spend is basic common sense." And he proposed making paygo a law.

Read more about Obama's stand on paygo here:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/09/obama.paygo/

Link to Issue #1:

http://jordanericksonsblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/issue-1-war-dollars.html

Link to Issue # 3:

http://dbcooper2424.blogspot.com/2010/02/issue-3.html

Three Die as Plane Hits California Neighborhood

A small twin-engine plane crashed into a California neighborhood on Wednesday morning. All three people on board the plane were killed. There were no more reported deaths. All three of the victims on board the plane were employees of Telsa Motors, which is a luxury electric car company. The Cessna 310 took off from an airport and hit some power lines that were 60-foot in the air. This entanglement instantly forced the plane down into the nearby neighborhood. 4 homes were damaged from the crash, and two had fire damage. On top of the deaths and the damage to the homes, the crash also caused a massive power outage in the area. The plane hit a transmission tower during the crash which caused 28,000 customers to lose their electricity.

This is a very tragic event. Three people were killed, and four other families lost their homes during this crash. Even though this event was very unfortunate, I am thankful that it wasn't a lot worse. The people that were in the houses could have been killed, instead of just having ruined houses. There is no way to prepare for an airplane crash in your neighborhood. My condolensces go out to all the families that were affected by the crash, especially the families of the victims who died.

Read more about the plane crash at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/02/17/california.plane.crash/

Who Will Light the Torch?

Speculation at the games have been focused on who would light the Olympic caldron at Friday night's opening ceremonies. This would be a national honor for whoever is chosen. Some say the honor will go to Wayne Gretzky, while others have campaigned for Betty Fox. Betty Fox is the mother of the late Terry Fox, who is a national hero in Canada. The Olympic Committee wants to choose the right person, since this is a huge deal. It is expected that hundreds of millions of viewers will tune in around the world to watch the event. Other acts at the opening ceremonies include singers Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan, and a ski jumper leaping through the Olympic rings. Canada is also expected to do better than the last time they hosted the Olympics. They are indeed looking for their first Winter Olympic gold medal on their home soil. However, not all Canadians are happy to be hosting the games this year. The biggest reason for the protest against the games is the money that is being spent on them. As for the torch lighter goes, the identity of the person is still a mystery.

I'll be honest, I really don't know anything about Terry Fox. But if I had the pleasure of choosing the person who lights the torch, I would go with Wayne Gretzky. He is a national hero who is also a NHL legend. He is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest hockey player of all time. And since this is a world-wide event and not just a Canadian event, I think Wayne Gretzky is a great choice. More people would be able to connect with Gretzky than Terry Fox. Fox is to much of a local hero. On another note, I'm glad Canada is hosting the Winter Games this year. It is close to home, so I can relate more to the Olympics than I could if they were half way around the world. I know it costs a lot of money to host them, but the country will also get a big income from the tourists. I also hope, and almost guarantee that Cananda will get their first home gold medal. They are too strong of a nation not to get it. Especially with the talented line-up they have on their hockey team. They are definantly strong favorites. As far as the person who is going to light the torch, your guess is as good as mine.

Read more about the opening ceremonies at:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/11/olympic.ceremony.preview/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Johnson & Johnson Heiress Dies

It has been determined that 30-year-old Casey Johnson died of natural causes related to diabetes. Casey Johnson was the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. She was a real socialite, and she was found dead at a friend's home January 4. Even though Johnson was recently in the news for her relationship with Tila Tequila, the coroner found that she died of diabetic ketoacidosis, which is described as a serious complication of untreated diabetes. Many people have expressed sadness over this loss, including Tila Tequila, the Johnson family, and the New York Jets.

This is a very sad article. But I do not see it to be very news worthy. I feel bad for the family, and I think it is a tragedy that Johnson died. However, many people die of natural causes every day and none of them get a news article. CNN only found this news worthy because of her last name. On the other hand, the Mayo Clinic gave there definition for ketoacidosis, but that is not always the right lead. Many type 1 diabetics can have major complications after missing just one shot of insulin. I don't know how bad her Johnson's diabetes were, but this could have been the case. If her diabetes weren't that bad, there could be another explanation. Ketoacidosis can also be intentionally brought on by people who want to decrease their body fat levels quickly. With her lifestyle, and having a relationship with Tila Tequila, this could be a possible explanation for the death. However, this is just speculation and in no way fact. I also find it rather nice that the Jets organization is mourning her loss. Her father is the owner of the franchise, so she is like part of the team in a sense. Its nice to see so many people show their appreciation.

To see more about the article go to:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/02/04/casey.johnson.cause.death/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29