Barack Obama has gotten U.S. foreign policy back on track after the disaster of the Bush years. He’s ended the war in Iraq, killed Bin Laden, helped remove middle-eastern strongmen, and on and on. He’s proving that via progressive leadership, America can be strong and respected in the world. The era of going blind into Baghdad has ended.

Republicans, who loved during the Bush years to run on the falsehood that they were strongest on national security, have mostly run away from the issue now. After the Bush failure, America really doesn’t have any interest in invading the wrong countries or pushing lies about nonexistent weapons in order to avenge someone’s sense of inadequacy about their father or whatever. We’ve kicked the cowboy syndrome.

It was no mistake that the GOP debate on foreign policy was scheduled during the TV dead zone of a Saturday night. What little the field did say consisted of the same discredited ideas from the last decade of the right: sullying America’s good name with torture, bellicosity as a substitute for smart foreign policy, an America that leads with its fist instead of its brain. The usual Republican garbage that gets Americans killed and makes us less safe.

Obama’s made mistakes by not being aggressive enough on domestic fiscal policy, but on foreign policy he’s continued the legacy of America being a respected leader — something we have seen fromboth parties before the fecal smearing of the Bush years.

It may not be — understandably — the top of mind issue this coming election, but it’s worth remembering and hammering away at the notion that the modern Republican/conservative movement has nothing to offer America on foreign policy.

Colonel Gaddafi is no more. As his country fell from his grasp mile by mile, and the pockets left under his control were measured in meters, not miles, it was only a matter of time. But as he was killed, rather than captured, there will be serious questions for the NTC – Libya’s new government, or whoever it transpires was responsible for his death.

Was Gaddafi killed in a firefight, or was this an “extra-judicial killing”? Who (if anyone) signed off on the use of deadly force? Were NATO countries signed up to the idea of getting their man “dead or alive”? There was a time when we called such killings “assassinations”…

Clearly there has been a concerted effort in recent months to eliminate Gaddafi from the skies, when apprehending him seemed more difficult. If the death of a such a dictator can bring a swift end to such a gruesome and bloody war then perhaps such measures are necessary. But when someone is cornered – as Gaddafi surely was – surely it was within the ability of the NTC (and certainly NATO) to take him alive.

The Libyan people – and the world – deserved to see Gaddafi tried, but it’s hard not to feel that was never likely. A show trial would give him dictator a pulpit from which to try and rebuild his reputation and attack/implicate others. That was surely a risk worth taking to get to the truth, but the grubby world of realpolitik meant that wasn’t going to happen. It seems that we no longer try our enemies – those against whom there is a wealth of evidence need not face trial. A troubling precedent.

There will be few that will mourn the death of Gaddafi – and why should anyone mourn the death of a brutal and cruel tyrant? Sadness should be focussed on those found in the ever increasing number of mass graves, civilians killed indiscriminately in cities like Benghazi and political opponents he has “dispatched” over the past 42 years.

But the inability – or unwillingness – of Western powers and our allies to capture such unpleasant characters and try them in a court of law for their crimes should give us all serious pause for thought tonight.

I’m not sad to see the twisted tyrant gone – on the contrary, I’m hopeful that this could herald a new and democratic dawn for Libya – but I’m sad that the Libyan people didn’t get to put him on trial. Regardless of what the “mad dog” deserved, it’s what Libya – and the grieving loved one’s of Gaddafi’s victims – deserved.

As the United States economy withers away into a ghost town, the truth is that the economy has been eroding for years; it is only now in the darkest of hours that one can hear the violins play while the foundation of the United States – the middle class – crumbles into debt and unemployment. “Public Home Auction” signs are now more prevalent in American neighborhoods than the once familiar white picket fence; the average American’s erstwhile dreams of prosperity have been held hostage for years by social negligence and politically sanctioned acts of corporate predation.

As a consequence, the hopes and future of many Americans are shackled by the ball and chain of seemingly interminable economic woes and unemployment anxieties made that much heavier by the great disparities of wealth that currently suffocate the perishing American middle class. The picture, then, is certainly a grim one: national poverty has hit a nearly 20-year high, unemployment rates remain stagnant around 10 percent, and many now speculate that the generational sobriquet of today’s 20 and 30-somethings will not begin with the words “prophet” or “hero” but rather the word “lost.”

Though for some, particularly the top decile of wealthy Americans, the outlook is not so dour. Reaping the benefits of across the board marginal tax rate deductions doled out by Ronald Reagen while simultaneously capitalizing on the profits from unregulated financialization, the economic elite took home nearly half of the wealth the United States in 2007. Such a disparity hasn’t existed since 1917, and so dramatic that it even eclipsed that of the “roaringly” disproportionate distribution of wealth seen in the precarious peak of the 1928 stock market. The benefits of this system have come in deluges for those chosen few, yet for everyone else have “trickled down” into a seemingly ceaseless drought.

Recently, a few dissenting members of the fiscal elite and political establishment have tried to salvage what’s left of the marrow of the increasingly anemic American economy with their proposal of a modest tax increase on those earning more than $1 million a year. The goal of the Buffett Tax, named for the high-ranking business rogue Warren Buffett, is to ensure that the top 1 percent pay at least the same annual percentage of their earnings as the middle class.

One would assume that after years of economic growth disproportionately enjoyed by the upper class, it would be the lower and middle class who would first cry of injustice of the Buffett Rule’s modest attempts to rectify economic inequality. Rather, it was Senator Paul Ryan, resident sycophant of the wealthy, who made the first of many hyperbolic and rather ironic claims that the proposal of the Buffett Rule was nothing more than Obama initiating class war.

Conversely, middle and lower class Americans have been intimidated into silence by years of economic insecurity and predation. It is the facts accompanied by the stories of those brave enough to share their suffering that must speak for the invasive growth of poverty. And make no mistake, the facts suggest that it is not the elite and unscathed few who should be angered and outspoken, but rather the masses.

In the United States, the current population of those living in poverty is 46.2 million. These individuals earn less than $11,100 per year; or for an average family of four, around $22,000. Keep in mind that these numbers reflect what the U.S. Government Federal Poverty Guidelines deem “not enough” as opposed to what is sufficient. Despite President Bush’s minimum wage increase from $5.15 per hour to a more tolerable $7.25 while in office, this increase did not correspond with the last 20 years of inflation, thus meaning that the real value of minimum wage is only $4.42 per hour, or 26 percent less than it was in 1979.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, a full-time minimum wage worker who works five 8-hour shifts every single week of the year earns approximately $13,624. Although these earnings do not take into account additional healthcare or transportation costs, this salary technically enables him or her to scrape past the poverty level. However, if he or she is the only one able to work in a family of three, this person is almost 25 percent under the $18,310 poverty level for a family of the same size.

While Bush does deserve credit for the Economic Policy Institute’s 2009 estimate that a full-time minimum wage worker’s salary would put his or her two person family above the poverty linefor the first time in over a decade, the unfortunate truth is that for larger families, this wage increase would improve nothing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30 percent of an individual’s income (also known as the federal definition of affordable housing), a full-time minimum wage worker in a median state would have to work 87 hours per week, or almost 13 hours a day every single week of the year.

Inevitably due to housing prices, individuals and families are unable to stay afloat and subsequently sink even deeper into poverty, and soon have no place to call home. While the definition of homelessness is a contentious one, in 2007 the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimated that 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in a given year. To put this number into context, imagine that the entire state of Connecticut does not experience a regular or adequate nighttime residence at some point throughout an entire year. As more stringent ID and address voting registration requirements increase in states like Texas, it is much more difficult for the homeless population to vote. As a result, those who can legally help the most do not hear their voices, and consequently they cannot be answered.

Even more have begun to lose their once-firm footing in the middle class and have now joined those beneath them in the dregs of impoverishment. Sixty percent of households saw their income fall last year along with a 7% inflation-adjusted drop from a 1999 peak in median household income for middle class families. While the alleged “face” of homelessness is difficult enough to accurately define, the growing group of impoverished individuals is even more so. The potent cocktail of global market slow downs and slumps, cheap overseas labor, and a lack of government regulation that allowed rapacious lenders to manipulate high-risk and largely unfit borrowers into subprime and adjustable-rate mortgages, has resulted in a hangover so massive that even those who once considered themselves safe from poverty and economic strife now experience what was once thought confined to the lower class.

Take, for example, Lyn Grotke of Fayette, Maine. A former homeowner equipped with a Master’s degree in Outdoor Education and a history of paying her bills on time, she now lives in a trailer while she anxiously waits for the federal housing assistance for which she applied over three years ago. What happened to her and what explains her current state and struggles is something that can happen to anyone: she broke her leg. After a lengthy recovery and when Grotke was able to return to work, no job welcomed her back. Grotke soon had to declare bankruptcy on her home, and now, despite the fact that she has found an occasional city consulting job supplemented by caring for children and the elderly, she still only earns between $200 and $800 a month.

According to her story in CNN Money, the slight income she earns on her own in addition to the $750 she receives in monthly food stamps is still not enough to meet her expenses. Grotke’s trailer costs $700 a month, and expenses like food, insurance, and gas tack on an additional $1,000 to her already high tab. Grotke, once a testament to the fruits that await a studious individual who seeks higher education and quality of life now feels weak, stuck, and helpless. “It’s very stressful,” she stated. “I’m in a loop I can’t get out of.”

There’s also Mary Ijaz, who lives in Monmouth, Oregon. For years, Ijaz lived a comfortable life at home with several children while her husband worked and earned enough to keep a Lexus and Land Rover in the garage of their former five-bedroom California home. And then, after a relatively common occurrence in the United States, Ijaz found herself living in a campground tent. According to the same series of stories on CNN Money, her husband decided to abandon her and her children one day and emptied out their bank accounts. Previously not a member of the work force, Ijaz was ill-equipped for the harsh competition so abundant during rough economic times as she had no college degree, limited skill sets, and decreased desirability since she had many children and was at the age of 46.

With the amount of government assistance she currently receives in the form of food stamps, cash assistance, and housing help, it would be relatively easy for the ignorant American to cast Ijaz and her children off as mere leeches with little-to-no incentive to ever get off of public assistance. This, however, is not the case. Ijaz views the community college Pell Grant she receives as a “complete turnaround.” At the moment, Ijaz is a straight-A student studying radiology so that she can soon support herself and her family on her own. And thanks to government assistance and the good grace of her sister, Ijaz, unlike Grotke, is optimistic toward her and her children’s futures–futures that will not involve government aid.

To some, the mere thought of any measure taken by the federal government to assist those in need is preposterous and potentially devastating to fiscal stability. However, recent census data shows that in 2010, unemployment insurance helped keep 3.2 million Americans out of poverty. Without this 99-week federal aid, these Americans would have increased the already impoverished 46.2 million citizens by nearly 7 percent.

If the Census Bureau were to consider food stamps as another source of income assistance, this federal aid program would have lifted 3.9 million out of federally defined poverty. Furthermore, if the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a federally refundable income tax credit for low-to-middle class working Americans, had been counted as income, an added 5.4 million tics would be taken off the poverty tally. On top of that, federally funded health programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program provided health insurance to the many children who, due to no fault of their own, lacked coverage when their parents’ lost their jobs. As a result, in 2010, 570,000 fewer American children were without insurance, a number surprisingly smaller than the pre-recession data from 2007.

While the Obama Administration does deserve some praise for its relative successes in the prevention of increased poverty this past year, some of the company he keeps is markedly less impressive, and to a certain extent, indefensible. Serving as United States Secretary of the Treasury under Barack Obama, Timothy Geithner’s name has drawn quite a bit of recoiling from progressive groups in recent years. After reporting a $61.7 billion loss at end of the fourth quarter in 2008, the American International Group (AIG) received over $170 billion in taxpayer bailouts. This money, under Geithner’s rather attentive watch (given his close relations with the group as former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York), was to go into efforts to keep the company afloat, not to keep the pockets of their executives heavy and warm.

That, however, is exactly what happened. After receiving what was given to them by the already empty pockets of the American people, AIG proceeded to pay its financial executives $165 million in bonuses. Despite his efforts to deny his involvement in this scandal, Geithner still had to appear at a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee. However, one can credit the skepticism and anger that stemmed from his testimony as one of the few instances in these past several years wherein many Democrats and Republicans could actually agree on something, albeit only in their mutual disdain for and distrust of Timothy Geithner.

Furthermore, President Obama’s economic pedigree, as fledgling as it may be, will be that much weaker so long as Jeffrey Immelt, COB and CEO of General Electric, remains on Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Remarkably, 2010 marked the second year in a row wherein the multi-billion dollar company, thanks to corporate tax codes, loopholes, and offshore profits, paid nothing in taxes. And despite Immelt’s position and allegedly good intentions to bring the American economy back to life, GE laid off 21,000 workers between 2007 and 2009. Furthermore, the sincerity of his wishes to stimulate growth and renewed prosperity on American soil is spurious at best, given the fact that over half of current GE employees reside outside of US soil.

Hinting at insider crookedness and failure-to-launch syndrome in his recently written opinion piece, James Carville implores the President to “panic, fire, and indict” members of his own team if he wishes to see another term in office, or to even glimpse the ever-fleeting opportunity to feel the warmth of a bright fiscal year for the first time since he has assumed office. Carville states that this “[is] not going to work with the same team, the same strategy and the same excuses,” and that “it’s time to show them the exit.”

It seems to many today that the United States’ 30-year drift from a democracy to an ostensible corporatocracy has resulted in nothing but business-interest legislation and disparities of wealth so wide among the classes that it appears impossible for them to be rectified. Oddly enough, the fight comes from self-made billionaires like Warren Buffett who have lived the American Dream and want others to have the opportunity to do so as well; it comes from brusque basketball team owners like Mark Cuban who consider balanced tax brackets patriotic, not bellicose; it comes from employees like Ted Wechsler, recently hired hedge fund manager for Berkshire Hathaway who would warmly welcome a 20 percent tax hike and a lower salary. And it especially comes from women like Mary Ijaz and Lyn Grotke, who, despite the oppressive odds stacked against them, continue in their efforts to stay afloat and support their families.

“You want to add another candidate? It’s like the Republican primary is a season of ‘American Idol’ in reverse, where every week you just add some new idiot… Have you ever considered the possibility that your candidates aren’t the problem — it’s you?” – Jon Stewart

“It’s like your ideal candidate is a rare super-heavy element that could only exist in a particular particle accelerator. And even then, only for a fraction of a second, before you all remembered how much you hate science. You guys need to take a long hard look in the mirror, and not come away thinking, “You know, there’s something wrong with this mirror.” – Jon Stewart

“Perry said he didn’t do well because he was exhausted. Sure, he’s exhausted from executing all those people.” – David Letterman

“Mitt Romney came to New York to meet with Donald Trump. First thing, Trump asked to see Romney’s birth certificate, and then they got down to business.” – David Letterman

“President Obama’s campaign just launched a new program geared toward seniors called ‘Operation Vote.’ Great, just what old people need – another operation.” – Jimmy Fallon

“President Obama was in San Diego and traffic was a huge mess. There was even a three-hour backup tunneling in from Mexico.” – Jay Leno

“Obama says he will be reforming No Child Left Behind. That’s not to be confused with Michelle Obama’s childhood obesity campaign, ‘No Child Left With a Big Behind.’” – Jay Leno

“President Obama and Bill Clinton played golf together. You know what you’d get if you crossed Obama and Clinton? Tiger Woods.” – Jay Leno

“Arnold Schwarzenegger has commissioned an 8-foot bronze sculpture of himself. There’s even going to be a maid in charge of polishing it.” – Jimmy Fallon

I enjoy doing these top 10 lists; I find the world that we live in extremely interesting and full of wonders. I’d like to share my thoughts; this time I collected and researched some of the greatest mysteries of human history. I hope it’s a good read. Enjoy!

The Lost City of Atlantis

The Lost City of Atlantis is one of the oldest and most pervasive mysteries of the world. Since ancient times, people have been trying to locate Atlantis, which is believed to have submerged after an earthquake or tsunami. Greek philosopher Plato described Atlantis as a large island located near the Rock of Gibraltar, home of the most advanced civilization and being of unrivaled refinement with a glorious palace. Among its other traits, Atlantis was filled with beautiful citizens, a Poseidon temple and concentric walls and canals.

To date, nobody has been able to find the city – underwater or otherwise – though this hasn’t discouraged numerous theories about its possible location. Countless historians and explorers have attempted expeditions to find the underwater island, but whether in South America (as recently reported), off the Greek Islands, or near Antarctica, Atlantis has remained elusive and unsolved mystery.

The Bog Bodies

The bog bodies, or bog people, are the naturally preserved human corpses that were found in the sphagnum bogs in Northern Europe. Rather than decomposing, the bog provided the perfect conditions to preserve the bodies, leaving the skin and internal organs relatively intact.

The thousands of bodies found can be dated back to the Iron Age and many reveal signs of being murdered. It is widely believed that the bodies are sacrificial victims of pagan rituals or a form of criminal punishment. However, there is no conclusive evidence as to why the thousands of bodies were dumped, especially since the bodies have been found sporadically throughout Germany, Ireland, Britain, Netherlands and Denmark.

Jack the Ripper

The most notorious criminal of all time, Jack the Ripper’s identity still remains an unsolved mystery. A serial killer who went on a rampage in London between August and November 1888, Jack the Ripper was responsible for the brutal murders of at least five prostitutes in White chapel, London. This much is clear.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge stands in all its beautiful and enigmatic glory on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. The site contains numerous carved bluestones that each weigh six tons and are stacked on top of each other. Archaeologists have ascertained that the stone monument dates back to 2500 – 3000 BC and believe that it was erected by Neolithic inhabitants.

Stonehenge‘s purpose and creation still remains a highly debated mystery. The theories, thus, are extensive. Some believe it to be a result of glacial movement or a man-made miracle, while others believe it foretells of alien invasion or is a place filled with healing powers. The most commonly accepted theory is that Stonehenge is a burial ground. This was substantiated by archaeological evidence in 2008, when cremated remains around the site matched the estimated date of Stonehenge’s creation.

King Arthur

King Arthur, a sword in the stone, his faithful magician, Merlin, and a roundtable of knights – the stuff legends and myths are made of. Apparently though, the entire King Arthur story was a fabrication that was created to boost the morale of the English troops. The mythology stems from various literary sources, which all glorify Arthur as the king who led a victory over the Saxons and created a ruling empire over England, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Gaul in the sixth century.

Though there is no real proof such a man existed, historians continue to debate the fact. There is evidence to suggest Arthur may have been a composite character, with most semblances to a Roman commander, Lucius Artorius Castus, who lived in the second century. Despite the widely accepted belief that King Arthur was a fictitious creation, there are still a number of people who argue otherwise.

This week, former blowhard Jay Mariotti pleaded no contest to stalking and assault charges due to the latest domestic violence episode with his ex-girlfriend in Los Angeles.  This is now Mariotti’s second no contest plea in about a year relating to domestic violence charges.  Details from the Los Angeles Times …

Former ESPN sports personality Jay Mariotti pleaded no contest Tuesday to stalking and assault-related charges in exchange for community service and probation, authorities said Tuesday.

Mariotti, who faced up to five years in state prison if he had gone to trial and been convicted on all counts, will not spend any time behind bars. Under the plea before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney, all five counts — including three felonies — faced by Mariotti will be reduced to misdemeanors, officials said.

Mariotti entered the no contest plea and will now avoid jail time, being put on probation, and having to do counseling and community service.  With his life defined by words like stalking, assault, and domestic violence… one would think that Jay Mariotti would want to fade away from the spotlight and get his life together.  After all, he’s alleged to have three instances of domestic violence in just over a year and pleaded no contest to charges in two of those episodes.  But, stepping away wouldn’t really be like the Jay Mariotti we’ve all come to know and be horrified with.  No, Mariotti’s going to write a book about his “ordeal.”

“Although Mr. Mariotti would have liked to have told his side of the story at trial, the fact that he is an accomplished writer provided him another avenue, in this case a book, to tell his side in an unconventional but progressive manner.”

And that’s not all, Mariotti joined Twitter  and is promoting his book, which will be for the Kindle.  If you were expecting some sort of mea culpa, you are sadly mistaken…

So, to promote his book, Mariotti is accusing his ex-girlfriend, the one who was found with cuts and bruises after an alleged altercation with Mariotti, the one who allegedly had her hair extensions pulled out at a restaurant, of “stalking” and being “enabled” by the LA legal system.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on whether or not Jay Mariotti’s quest for vindication is worthwhile.  The fact that Mariotti’s Twitter profile pic is self-taken like he’s in junior high and he’s wearing sunglasses indoors immediately causes me to immediately question his credibility.

To urinate or update Facebook with pics from last night’s drunken debauchery? That is the fundamental anatomical pop culture question for our time.

This is true! You see, according to a new survey about life’s necessities, people with bladders far stronger and larger than mine would rather have Facebook in their lives than a toilet. Take that, overrated excretory system!

Facebook, on the other hand, has Zynga games and opportunities for hooking up with high school chums and, well, many other things that are apparently much more important than voiding bowels or healthy kidneys.

All is not lost on today’s youth, however, as the Sun and three other things actually placed before Facebook on the London Science Museum’s 3,000-person survey of “things you cannot live without.” Internet was second, followed curiously by that life-giving elixir known as “water” and a refrigerator (where, I must assume, people are storing jars of excrement so they don’t stink up the place?).

Someone must have forgotten to tell Tom Brady and the Patriots that they were supposed to be a little rusty coming back in their first regular season game after the NFL Lockout.

Monday night in the heat in Miami, Brady and the Pats looked like a well oiled machine, putting up points and yards in bunches as the Pats jumped all over the Miami Dolphins for a commanding 38-24 win.

Brady was a gunslinger, throwing for a week one high 517 yards on 32-of-48 passing. He found the tight ends all night long, as Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski combined for 13 grabs for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Brady also hit favorite wide out Wes Welker with a 99-yard score to put the game away with 5:44 left to make it 38-17.

New England had 28 first downs and 622 total yards on the night. They were 8-for-13 on third downs, and averaged 8.8 yards per play.

Miami made it a game for the first three quarters, as they led 7-0 after a Chad Henne 9-yard TD run with 7:42 left in the first quarter. It would be their last lead of the night against the Pats, as New England drove right down the field and scored on a BenJarvus Green-Ellis four-yard run to make it 7-7.

A minute into the second quarter Brady hit the first of his four TD passes, the first going to TE Gronkowski from 10 yards out to make it 14-7 with 14:09 left in the first half.

Miami tied the game at 14 two and a half minutes into the third quarter as Henne hit WR Brian Hartline down the middle with a 10-yard TD pass. The Pats though couldn’t be stopped, as Brady hit Welker with a two-yard score to make it 21-14, and after the Dolphins got a field goal to make it 21-17, the Pats came back with Brady’s third TD pass, this one to Hernandez from 1-yard out to make it 28-17 with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

After the Pats put up 10 more fourth quarter points to make it 38-17, the Fins wrapped up the scoring as Henne hit new RB Reggie Bush with a 2-yard TD pass with 3:39 left to make the final 38-24.

Henne was 30-for-49 for 416 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. Brandon Marshall had 7 grabs for 139 yards, and Bush ran for 38 yards on 11 carries.

The storyline though was the offensive showcase of Brady and the Pats, who all night long marched up and down the field against Tony Sparano’s Dolphins D.

In 12 possessions, the Pats punted four times, scored five touchdowns, missed a field goal, hit a field goal, and had one drive end with an interception.

The Pats quickly put their stamp on the AFC with the win, and now will go home Sunday to play host to another AFC power, the San Diego Chargers.