I just read in a Spanish paper (El Pais) about Obama´s announced plan to build high speed rail roads in the US and I am super excited about it. We have all been waiting for one in California for a long time. I just hope that it stops in Fresno. But maybe I am just being selfish. I never had a model train, built a train, or have any cualifications for being a train enthusiast, but I have always held a romantic view of train travel. Even the brutal Newton to LA route holds a place slightly mushy space in my heart. Besides Imagine not having to deal with traffic coming into SF or LA.Imagine getting there faster than ever. Ok Ok, obviously in some ways train travel isn´t as convenient as car travel, but, especially if the city you arive at has a good public transportation system, I think it would work out great.
Obama just had talks with Mexico about drug trafficking.
Not long ago the Mexican president (Calderón) said somemthing to the effect of the United States being to blame for drug trafficking and all the violence it brings along with it, because all the demand comes from the United States. At first I agreed pretty whole heartedly with the Mexican President. The United States certainly can´t ignore the fact that drug trafficking wouldn´t exist if we weren´t such a lucrative market for ilegal drugs. Upon further reflection though, I thought, you know, supply and demand is a two way street, supply can cause demand, and demand can cause supply. And we are talking about chemically addictive (that is except for marijuana) drugs here. The larger the supply, the easier it is to get more people hooked and thus create more demand. Remember the Opium War… a Little something about England calling for FREE TRADE with China (to sell opium), China being upset about England selling their people opium, a short war, and China ending up divided between many western powers. Is the Opium war China´s fault now?? Those silly Chinese and their protecthinist ways **tisk tisk**.
Speaking of free trade, I a reading about Africa right now. England opened up Africa in the name of eradicating slavery, starting comercial enterprises (most important), bringing in Christianity, and civilizing the natives. They thought of it as a rightous effort… but free trade ended with European domination that had Africans in virtual slavery anyways. Destroying trees in order to obtain rubber and killing elephants for tusks. The current author I am reading, does little to talk about these failures of the righteous efforts of Europeans.
Back to today. I just read a Little article with some students (An advanced group with which I will read advanced news articles) about water in Latin America. Not long ago countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia tried out privatizing water, and the results were not good.
Not to get on an violently anti free trade kick or anything.
With the students, I stressed that I felt that these examples showed us that we should always be on the lookout that business organizations (especially big ones) are not being destructive, but are being productive and providing some kind of service to others. There are examples of mining companies in Guatemala and the rest of Latin America that destroy local wildlife (uglify, if you will), use up poisen local water supplies, provide only a few jobs, and sell gold or whatever material it is northward. So it doesn´t work out very well for Guatemalans.
But how did my original idea of a post which had a the idea of ¨let´s not just blame America and the west¨suddenly take a turn the other direction???
Maybe that is just easier (I could still go on),
Not that that does not make it incorrect,
Jordan
ps. I have got a couple of blog posts I have already written that will be coming soon! Puzzling questions. And finally, a post on what I actually do!! oh yeah, and some pictures once somebody lets me borrow their cable.
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