Catching up...

As mentioned nearly 45 days ago, time and tide have not been my ally this last few weeks. But in the ensuing period, much has happened.

• U.S. soldiers have been captured and slaughtered, ultimately rigged as booby-traps for their would be rescuers.
  
• The U.S. government has pursued an amusing backhand to the Indian Nuclear Material Treaty the President himself brokered with India just a few short months ago, by proposing to the Conference on Disarmament a halt to all production of fissile material for weapons purposes, effectively capping the Indian stockpile.
  
• Congress has wrangled with immigration, flag burning, and English as an official language.
  
• Israel has gone on the offensive for the return of a soldier kidnapped by the Palestinians.

Unfortunately, these would all be subjects for great discourse. However, by now, most are yesterdays news. Our soliders have been retrieved, and identified. Sadly, identification required DNA testing, for they were brutally tortured and disfigured. And reluctantly, I am forced to admit that using the FMCT (Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty) to manhandle India's unwillingness to sign the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) was far more than a deft sleight of hand. Fortunately, I don't have to give G.W. McFly all the credit for that smooth move. Time will tell if it pays off.

Immigration: Went nowhere quickly. Not surprisingly, conservatives and dems are wholly against the notion of amnesty for illegal immigrés (something about that word 'illegal'), nor the notion of giving the GOP 11 million new votes in exchange for a slap on the wrist and a (proportionally) small fine.

Flag Burning: Tough issue. What would be the limits? Is a screen printed image on a T-Shirt 'a flag' also? Since burning is the accepted method for disposing of a damaged or desecrated flag, who will be privileged to destroy such flags? More later.

Official English: Woo Hoo! Bout damn time! The U.S. government spends billions of dollars every year producing documents in various languages (especially docs related to voting and voting rights). Passing this kind of legislation would save an English Metric Buttload (yes, that's an official unit of measure on my websites) of revenue best destined for other uses. And it would also empower employers to require English in the workplace.

Sorry folks. Economics aside, I work in a very culturally heterogeneous industry (Information Technology). Lots of Indians, and Pakistanis, and Asians of various extracts. From a personal perspective, nothing horks me off more than inadvertantly walking into a discussion (in English), only to have it instantaneously change to . Using English was good enough 30 seconds ago... America is supposed to be this 'melting pot'. What language you speak in the privacy of your home is entirely your business. But in the workplace, I think its time to melt.

Israel: Another tough issue. In a region that has been largely 'at war' for decades, the capturing of a single soldier would not be so significant, save but for the fact that Israel has gone on a campaign of self-righteous indignation, which could eventually escalate to genocide all for one soldier. Time for Israel to admit they're at war, write him off as a casualty, and move on. No, he's probably not worth the 1000's of prisoners Hamas is demanding be released. But he also isn't worth the financial cost of incursions to get him back, or the munitions they're expending (or the cost of the additional humanitarian aid being sent in to relieve the suffering caused by this campaign.