Recognized before Congress??

Yep, my Dad was most certainly recognized before Congress for his work at MVPS! :) Take a look...

Breaking News: America Isn't Perfect

I have never been a huge fan of the President. Since the first time I saw him during the campaign, I thought he was an eloquent idealist who was high on style but low on substance. Much of that first impression still stands. However, I am of the persuasion that praise should be given when someone does something right. If the President does something well, he deserves all due praise. If he does something wrong, he deserves all due criticism.

Since Obama’s election last year, I have noticed a disturbing trend among many conservatives who seem to oppose Obama no matter what he does. The likes of Hannity, Savage, and (to a lesser extent) Gigrich seem to come out criticizing the President at every turn. The President can do nothing right in their eyes. Nowhere was this more evident in the reaction to Obama’s speech in Cairo this morning.

On his show this evening (which is still in progress at the time of writing), Sean Hannity called Obama’s speech “outrageous” and an instance in which Obama “bashed his own country.” What is his main complaint? He views Obama’s foreign policy as one that adheres to the central principal of “blame America first.” While I believe Obama has been unduly harsh on the US in many instances, this categorization of Obama’s speech is completely out of order. Not only is it disrespectful to the President, its also damaging to Hannity’s own conservative opposition movement. Hannity, and those like him, seem to hold on to this idea that America is somehow infallible. It can simply do no wrong. Things like America’s questionable foreign policy, in a multitude of areas since World War II, its faulty handling of the war in Iraq, and its unwillingness to handle minor problems diplomatically before they become big problems are off limits when it comes to criticism. This whole ultra-conservative view of America as an infallible power makes their criticism of Obama’s extreme idealism seem comical.

One thing Obama understands is the importance of the human aspect of foreign relations. In Cairo this morning, Obama began the process of creating bridges between the United States and the Muslim World. In order to do this, he had to humble himself and humble America. In a part of the world where hatred of America and its values runs extremely high, it’s the only way one will get people to listen. In my view, there is simply nothing wrong with this. If we are going to get the governments and people of the Middle East to cooperate with us, we first have to win over their hearts and minds. If that means acknowledging the undeniable fact that America makes mistakes just like any other country, then so be it.

Obama made a great first step. While I didn’t agree with every word he said, he acted as an eloquent, polished, and distinguished ambassador of our great country. I don’t there is anything more I could ask of him in this situation.

Cuba Policy: It's Time to Get Serious

You cannot deny that Cuba’s government has done some nasty things. The brothers Castro came into power by violent means, stayed in power in an equally as undemocratic fashion, and squash opposition. They have been so successful that they do not even have an opposition of which to speak. The United States has every right and a moral obligation to protest the actions that the Cuban government against its own people. As a nation that values freedom and basic human rights, we must do what we can to ensure that Cubans have a free and respectful future. However, we must face the facts. The approach that we have taken to rid Cuba of the Castro monsters has not worked. The Castro family still has firm control on the island and human rights abuses continue to take place. We need a new approach, and we need it sooner rather than later.

The trade embargo, enacted in 1962 and known to those in the Spanish speaking world as el bloqueo, was originally intended to punish Cuba for aligning with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. When the Cold War threat faded away, the “old guard” of the south Florida Cuban exile community lobbied to keep the trade restrictions in place in an attempt to cause the Cuban government to become more democratic and more respectful of human rights. The embargo was eventually codified into US law in 1992 with this exact mission. 15 years later, we have not made any forward progress.

Take a look at just about any poll concerning Cuba and our relations with the island (http://www.pollingreport.com/cuba.htm is a great source). A majority of Americans want to begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. As it stands now, the American government prohibits those of us without family members in Cuba from traveling to the island. Why can we not have this changed? Having freedom loving Americans invade the cities of Cuba on vacation cannot be a horrible influence on the Cuban government. This absurd policy punishes Americans more than it does the Castro brothers. We need to completely rethink our policy towards Cuba. 50 years of giving Cuba the silent treatment has not yielded results. A new policy engagement has the distinct possibility of gradually changing Cuba for the better.

I want nothing more than to see a democratic and free Cuba that is a great friend of the United States. It is certainly a shame that we are not on good terms with a country that is one of our closest neighbors. It’s time to get serious about finding a policy that brings about this overdue change. As nearly every Southern grandfather has said at one point or another, “If it’s broke, let’s fix it!”

California Dreaming

A little photo that I took in La Jolla, home to UCSD. Yes, please!

I spent the first part of this Spring Break driving around Southern California, trying to decide whether or not I liked it. The definitive answer is ... heck yeah.

We landed at LAX and immediately headed for my 1:30 PM appointment at UCLA. What an awesome ride that was! UCLA is located in Westwood, which is right there by Beverly Hills and Bel Air. It quickly became apparent that there is no way in the world that I can afford to live there. However, the program was pretty awesome. We later headed down to Riverside County to stay with my Aunt and Uncle in Temecula. The next morning, it was off to San Diego and UC San Diego. The campus at UCSD is just phenomenal ... especially the Institute of the America's complex. It seems like UCSD has a good deal of funding to offer, especially if you take a TA position. So, we'll see how all of this plays out.

Bottom line, if I can get accepted into the Latin American Studies MA program at UCSD and receive the appropriate funding, I'm there. I will find a way to afford housing and make the most of my time out there. Being 20 miles away from the border, especially someone whose primary interest is US-Mexico relations and border security, doesn't hurt either. Oh, and did I mention that UCSD in located in beautiful La Jolla? Yeah, that's icing on the cake.

I still have to visit Tulane, Florida, and UT Austin. However, I think it would be very hard to beat UCSD for a multitude of reasons. No worries, I'll keep you posted.

It's Spring Break!

Have you had one of those days that you think will just never end? You have ten bazillion things to do and can't seem to find the physical and mental strength to do them? Well, that is the way my whole semester is. While I'm only taking 15 hours worth of classes, all of them involve a large workload. However, I have finally caught a break! I will not write a single paper or study for a single exam for the next two weeks. For it is Spring Break, and I deserve a true break.

Instead of spending countless hours is in my room while slaving over a computer, I will spend considerable time sitting in an airborne metal tube. On Monday, I head out to California to look at UCLA and UC San Diego for graduate school. I fly back on Wednesday and then fly to Amsterdam on Friday. I won't return until the following Sunday. This is simply going to be awesome.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I must blog when traveling. It's some innate need of mine. I guess I think that by blogging my way around the world, I capture all of the great memories of my travels and create the ultimate travel souvenir. If you want to take a peek at it, and follow my travels this spring break, head on over to http://taylorgoesglobal.blogspot.com

I still have about 36 hours before I leave, so I'm going to pig out on some cheesecake and watch TV. See ya.