June 26, 2009

• The World On My Mind 

  Iran -  What if someone assinates Mousavi?  It is going to be full on civil war.  

  North Korea -  Like guys taking off their shirts and flexing their chests.  Stupid.  This is like China firing off a missile show in the waters by Taiwan, but on a much higher level.  China was exercising, North Korea is threatening war. 

  Mexico – I wonder if the drug running and violence will spill into American border towns more than it has.  One thing I don’t understand is why America doesn’t legalize marijuana.  I’m not for drug use, but marijuana’s detrimental effects don’t fry your brains or jolt your heart instantly like other drugs.  Put a high tax on it and let users pay off the national and state deficits. 

  I’ve been following the Mexican drug trade stories semi-closely.  If you don’t know why, the main reasons seem to be (in abridged versions):

  America’s stubborness to fight the war and imprison users, versus spending more of that money towards rehabbing users and education.

  Mexico realizing that instead of being the transporter for the drug countries, like Columbia, they could be the primary distributor.  Illustration… Columbians pay Mexicans $5k a kilo to transport it over the US border for them.  Instead, Mexicans decide to just purchase the kilos for $6k-8k each and then sell it to the US for $20k a kilo, cutting out the middle man.  Anyhow you get the point. 

  Mexican drug trade used to be much less violent until the leader died.  Then the routes were split among his generals which have been duking it out w/ each other because they are prideful and greedy.  Each side has been using various government officials to their advantage.  The El Chapo side even managed to get their leader to “escape” out of prison because the government wanted him to keep his rival in check. 

  The US in the Middle East.  All that work that America did in Afghanistan has been torn to shreds.  The transport roads they built get bombed every day, to the point where they are now unusuable.  The police and allies they’ve made have been hired back by various Islamic groups.  What are we doing?  What have we accomplished in Iraq and Afghanistan?  The common people enjoy their glimpses of democracy, but the government and religious structure isn’t built for change. 

  The Pirates of Somalia.  They are striking fear in all boats that pass their area, but how can I blame them?  They are poor and boats have valuable cargo that can be turned around for easy ransom money.  14 year-olds can make $1k-5k for their share of a successful hijack.  The ones that suffer the most are the raped women and children. 

  What’s Hot At Your Church?  Human Trafficking

  Human trafficking has been around since the beginning of time.  Trafficking falls into a few different forms:  Slavery, indentured servantude, or prostitution.  I sit and church and feel awkward, because it feels like every church has jumped on the bandwagon in the past year or two, like it’s the newest, most important thing.  I think the slave trade is the saddest thing, but I can’t help but feel like churches are just going with the fad.  Human trafficking is the cool topic now so everyone wants to send a mission team here or help fund that group that helps to stop it.  I’ve been to a few churches around here and five years ago no one gave a crap about human trafficking.  What changed?  Five years from now, will these churches still care?   Has your church been talking this up? 

  Michael Jackson?  I’ll write more later.  I have to gather my thoughts and pictures.

  • 2:37 pm
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