President Obama covered a wide array of topics today during his press conference, most notably touching on health care, the unemployment rate and Iran.Iran is by far the most burning issue. The video of Neda that surfaced a few days ago (viewer discretion strongly advised: this video is very graphic and depicts an innocent human dying) shocked the world as it spread virally across the Internet. President Obama briefly touched on Iran, saying that the "Iranian regime still has a clear, open path to international acceptance, despite the violence of the recent crackdown in Tehran."
I'm curious how you all felt President Obama handled himself during the press conference. If you didn't see it, you can still see what his talking points were and how he responded to reporters questions in the first link above.
Did he say enough about how this health care reform is going help out citizens of the United States? What were your reactions when you found out the unemployment rate will probably reach double digits? And what about Iran? This is one of the most serious issues today...is the United States doing enough?
Regardless, the video of Neda is a true testament of what we all take for granted here. This poor woman--who was merely demonstrating--was killed for a freedom that we could easily take advantage of here.
We must realize that even with a terrible health care system and a crumbling economy, there are people in the world who are suffering far worse fates.
Video of the Day: In case you forgot what Lebron's magical 3-point buzzer-beater looked like during this past playoffs against the Magic...too bad the Cavs choked harder than P.J. Carlesimo versus Latrell Sprewell.
Warning! Long-Winded Cynicism Ahead:
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly might the United States do in the case of Iran? Sure, public statements offer little decision or comfort, but perhaps being left staring the problems of the world in the face is better than setting them aside once we send some troops or election over. (As if the US democratic process is anything to be modeled.)
Perhaps someone finally realized that the last time the US was overwhelmingly successful in their foreign policy hundreds of thousands of Japanese were annihilated is mere minutes.
I do not enjoy seeing people suffer, but for the end result of martyrdom to be making the to-do list of the State Department or some well-wishing NGO would be devastating.
The lack of "We must help these poor people" burning in my loins is derived not from apathy but from a cynic realism. My reaction is to find the humanity, or in this case, the denial thereof. As such, politically sanctioned and corrupt murder in the streets of Iran is not so different from the political forsaking of the poor and sick and dying in this country. Indeed, the latter is the more sadistic and detrimental because it is institutionalized. The acceptance that there are the poor, the ill and the downtrodden is embedded in the American Dream mythology. As such we are fine with the suffering of those near our homes while we find the suffering of those without American Dreams to be different and appalling.
This is not to say that we should adopt a domestic policy (Indeed, adopt a national image.) before a foreign one. Rather I believe we should adopt a human policy so that human suffering is not categorized and can be dealt with at face value.