A New President for Lebanon

Lebanon has a new President. I had a chance to listen to his speech to the Lebanese Parliament on Al Jazeera. I hope that Lebanon can come together and overcome the profound challenges before it. Interestingly enough, today is the 8th Anniversary of Israeli Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. I would be interested to see what Hassan Nassarallah has to say tomorrow. Hezbollah had a celebration planned for today which they postponed because of the election of President Suleiman. Lebanon can use a break and I hope that the leaders of Lebanon have the wisdom, the courage and the vision to execute now.

Tough to Remain Optimistic

It was quite a scary week. Oil futures went up to $ 140/Barrel. The Dollar continued to weaken. Housing inventory is at an all time high. The Palestinians continue to suffer and the world continues to remain silent. But, there were also signs of hope. Lebanon is going to elect a President tomorrow. The Israelis and the Syrians are talking, thanks to the Turks. It appears that the Democratic Party nomination in the United States is about to settle (and not a moment too soon). Yet, I see these hopeful signs as being constantly dimmed by what is going on with our planet. This image below , courtesy of BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7417123.stm retrieved May 24, 2008) that shows a crack in the Arctic Ice Shelf. It was discovered by a recent Canadian Expedition to the Arctic. It seems as if there is consensus on what needs to be done. But, such reports coming out continue to underscore what Al Gore tried to point out with this film that our planet is sick. He was ridiculed by the Far Right. But, the idea of polar bears disappearing, the arctic ice melting, seasons changing should be alarming to all.

There is, of course, the deficits that the states and the Federal Government have to contend with. Because the economy has slowed down as it has, the expected revenue is not coming in. So, tough choices have to be made. The choice we cannot make is selling our public infrastructure to private groups. But, that is also beginning to happen. The State of Pennsylvania accepted a $ 12.8 Billion bid to for a 75-year on the 500-mile Pennsylvania turnpike. I am sure that the Mayor of Los Angeles is thinking about how to leverage its' Airport Assets (Palmdale, LAX & Ontario) to see how it can bridge the gap of its' budget deficit. I realize that Government is not the answer to all our problems. Yet, we have to assess how we are going to preserve the investments we have made as a nation for the future generations. Giving it all away is not the answer.

Last, but not least, is the War on Drugs. We have the "War on Terror", which seems to be challenging as ever. But, the War on Drugs seems to be ever more challenging by virtue of the toll it is taking on the Mexican State. We have to pay attention to the soft underbelly that is our Southern Border. I hope that our Government has not taken its' eye off the ball.

Lebanon's Agony (Cont'd)

According to a posting in OldPeopleNews.com, there is word that Prime Minister Siniora may resign soon. That will be another interesting twist to the the drama that is evolving in Lebanon.