News Bits for August 26, 2009

Today, we say goodbye to Senator Ted Kennedy. The 77 year old had been struggling this past year with brain cancer. He is one of the most important political figures in American history and he's left quite a legacy. Kennedy was behind one of America's most important legislative acts-the Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act. Also, the Senator successfully fought tooth and nail to sink the Labor Law Reform Act. Senator Ted Kennedy will be greatly missed and fondly remembered. For certain, he has left his mark. His political and social convictions have resulted in an ever changed American political scene. His legacy lives on.

Hard Times in Afghanistan

The number of casualties in Afghanistan is on the rise. Under the Bush Administration, the Afghanistan war was extremely strained. Too few troops and too little emphasis (especially after the start of the Iraq War in 2003) knocked what could have been a more successful mission on its rear. President Barack Obama is taking a different course of action. He is emphasizing the importance of the war in Afghanistan and is attempting to revive the mission by granting it some long overdue attention. Twenty-one thousand troops and a replacement commander are going to Afghanistan. America has one tough fight ahead; and Americans have many questions to ask and to answer.

My questions: what does this new emphasis mean for the troops already deployed-how long will their tours last? Also, could we be facing a draft in the near future?

Was Cash for Clunkers a Success?

In the weeks that it was around, Cash for clunkers made a significant impact on car sales. From the advent of the program, 690, 114 vehicles were sold, bringing in $2.88 billion dollars. The majority of vehicles sold were not American cars. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan car sales accounted for most of the sales (41 percent compared to 39% American brand car sales).

Palo Alto: Teen Suicide

A 13 year old girl by the name, Catrina Holmes committed suicide at a Palo Alto train crossing. This is the third teen suicide at this particular train crossing location. Spring of this year, two other teens committed suicide there. Gunn High School is the school to which Catrina Holmes was to attend as an incoming freshman. Also, it is the high school, which the other two teens attended.

Israeli-Palestinian Talks to Happen in Near Future

The Israeli-Palestinian question has been a major theme in recent world history. Numerous failed talks have stifled hopes that a peace agreement between these two warring groups is possible. Perhaps things will go differently this time around. President Barack Obama, who is the energy behind this talk, is igniting new hopes that this event will encourage Israel and Palestine to take the necessary steps toward a peace agreement. Peace talks between the two countries were suspended because of Israel's ever-expanding settlements in the region, which continues to displace large numbers of Palestinian families. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas made it clear that any resumption of peace talks with Israel is contingent upon Israel ceasing to expand its settlements.

References:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090826/pl_politico/26470

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_re_as/as_afghan_setbacks_analysis

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_bi_ge/us_cash_for_clunkers

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/26/BAF419E2TC.DTL

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_on_re_eu/eu_europe_netanyahu