Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On December 3, 1997, a conference of countries of the world decided on conditions to draft a treaty banning the use of anti-personnel land mines.  Although 121 nations signed the so called Ottawa Treaty (because it was signed in Ottawa, Canada), the United States, along with China, India, Israel, Iran and Russia refused to sign the humanitarian pact.  When the largest or most powerful countries refuse to sign a treaty, what good is the treaty?  Here we list some of the treaties the US has refused to join, despite nearly universal acceptance by other countries. Digging Deeper…

A Brief History On December 2, 2017, we celebrate National Mutt Day, that day when we acknowledge the union of pure-bred and non-pure-bred dogs that produce the most common type of canine of all, the humble but wonderful “mutt.”  We are not talking about “designer” breed mixes here, either!  No “labradoodles” or “puggles” need apply.  In fact, we are not even talking about dogs at all!!!  We are discussing the marriage of royalty and commoners, especially in light of the recent engagement of Britain’s Prince Harry to American divorcee and actress Meghan Markle. Digging Deeper Prince Harry is the son…

A Brief History On November 29, 1963, in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson formed a committee under the direction of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Earl Warren to investigate the assassination and related events.  Johnson used Executive Order 11130 to form the commission and Congress had passed Senate  Joint Resolution 137 authorizing the President to form such a commission.  The name, Warren Commission, has stood for controversy and distrust of government ever since! Digging Deeper The idea behind the formation of an investigative commission of prominent…

A Brief History On November 19, 1998, the United States House of Representatives began hearings on the Monica Lewinsky-President Bill Clinton sex scandal that would result in Clinton being impeached for lying about the affair.  With Clinton out of office since January of 2001, it would seem the incident would be long forgotten, except for the 2016 Presidential campaign in which the Bill Clinton’s alleged history of sexual harassment/predation was brought up in retaliation for the revelations about Donald Trump’s alleged record of sexual harassment.  Combined with recent events in the past couple years, the incidents that have been alleged…

A Brief History On November 17, 1993, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution establishing the North American Free Trade Agreement, normally referred to as NAFTA, a trade treaty between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that has generated bitter political debate ever since.  The agreement became effective as of January 1, 1994. Digging Deeper The trade treaty replaced a previous trade agreement between the US and Canada called the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (effective January 1, 1988), and serves to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade between the US and its neighbors, creating a free trade…