Carl Wicklander

From Libya to Iran

Aug 26, 2011 at 10:42 AM

By Carl Wicklander

Since it appears that Moammar Gaddafi is on the run and the NATO mission has been "successful," there are numerous consequences to consider for both the future of Libya and the United States.

Who will comprise the leadership of the new government? Will the different tribes that were unified in rebellion continue to work together or will a new civil war erupt over control of the country? Will there be a strong central government that will have to be propped up by the West? Will Libya partition itself into its traditional provinces based on tribal loyalty?

The truth is that the end of Gaddafi’s reign in Libya marks both the end and the beginning. It’s the end for the former “Mad Dog of the Middle East,” the beginning of what will inevitably become another nation-building effort, and the "success" of Libya portends a tense future for the United States.

When American intervention began in March, I wrote on my personal blog:

[t]he UN Security Council resolution only authorizes that there may be ‘all necessary measures’ to ‘protect Libyan citizens.’ If the Authorization for Use of Military Force legislation of 2001 was a blank check for President Bush, then what is this? Just what does ‘all necessary measures’ to ‘protect Libyan citizens’ mean? . . .
By intervening in the first place, Obama has assured that the only possible outcome of this conflict means Gaddafi is dethroned. . . .

Rep. Michele Bachmann is against the EPA . . . sort of

Aug 19, 2011 at 10:28 AM

By Carl Wicklander

Via New York Times:

Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota wants to padlock the E.P.A.’s doors, as does former Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas wants to impose an immediate moratorium on environmental regulation.
Representative Ron Paul of Texas wants environmental disputes settled by the states or the courts. Herman Cain, a businessman, wants to put many environmental regulations in the hands of an independent commission that includes oil and gas executives. Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor, thinks most new environmental regulations should be shelved until the economy improves.

This all sounds fine and good on the surface. Republicans have spent a lot of time and energy over the years demonizing the Environmental Protection Agency, one more troublesome legacy left by fellow Republican Richard Nixon, but they’ve never really done anything about it.

Missouri Enacts Facebook Patriot Act

Aug 5, 2011 at 5:35 PM

By Carl Wicklander

The top story in the St. Louis area right now is the suspension of a professional baseball player. A law passed by the Missouri Senate in July which is about to go into effect limiting contact between teachers and students via social networks is perhaps a distant second.

State Senator Jane Cunningham (R-Nanny State) authored the “Amy Hestir Student Protection Act,” which aims to prohibit private communication between teachers and students. Some reports have stated that it prevents students from being “friends” with teachers on social networking sites like Facebook. Senator Cunningham claims the law does no such thing and that it only prohibits conversations that can be seen only by the teacher and the student. In other words, students and teachers can correspond on each other’s Facebook wall, but not through Facebook’s messaging service unless it is copied to a parent.

It doesn’t take much to see what’s wrong with this picture besides the blatant violation of privacy.

The objective is obviously meant to protect students from teachers who might be sexual predators, but Cunningham’s busybody legislation completely misses the mark. It presumes teachers are guilty until proven innocent.