From the Front Page

Flipping through today's edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the front page had a couple interesting tid-bits.

Obama is putting together a committee to solve America's fiscal issues by way of bipartisanship. I agree with Lewis Black when he says, "[...]the only thing dumber than a Republican or a Democrat is when these [people] work together."

A Philadelphia Transportation Security Administration officer is no longer employed by the airport following a prank he pulled on a University of Michigan student. The security officer reportedly planted a plastic bag of white powder in the student's luggage. Then, he proceeded to pretend to "discover" it. After the "longest minute of [her] life," the officer revealed that he had put it there. Now, that is bad joke timing. The student, Rebecca Solomon, posted the story on-line. She said that he had "joked about the least funny thing in air travel." The airport claimed the officer was training new employees to find hidden contraband. If this was the case, he should not have enlisted the help of unwitting participants. As an afterthought to her story, Solomon added that the incident "[opened her] eyes to how small mistakes can have big consequences." After considering her reaction, along with the lengthy diatribe , I do not believe she truly considered it a "small mistake." It was all just bad timing. But, she got her 15.

So I guess the US Marines are leaving Iraq. That is great to see. It appears as though Iraq can handle it, though the White House has concerns about effects the withdrawal could have on an upcoming parliamentary election. The White House hopes the election will result in decisions being made on serious political issues, such as the distribution of Iraq's oil revenue. So does the resolution of those issues mark the end of our oversees involvement? No. President Obama promised to send more troops to Afghanistan, and it is being carried out. Amy Schlesing (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) writes that 200 Arkansas soldiers will depart for Afghanistan.