Nationalization of Venezuela's bank
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WO
Nationalization of Venezuela's steel industry
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WO
Venezuela and Iran cited as terror threats
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WO
Venezuelan military holds anti-invasion exercises
http://www.foxnews.com/wir
Russian nuclear bombers land in Venezuela, without any weapons
http://www.foxnews.com/sto
Russia cooperating with Syria more
http://www.foxnews.com/wir
Venezuela's ejection of US ambassador
http://www.foxnews.com/wir
Bolivia asking US ambassadors to leave
http://www.foxnews.com/wir
Article on the strategic bombers. Note Chavez specifically states Venezuela and Russia are allies, and directs the comment at the US
http://www.nationalpost.co
Russia selling new sniper rifles to Venezuela
http://www.iht.com/article
Russia and Venezuela sign a weapons deal - Russia to sell $1B in combat aircraft to Venezuela
http://www.armscontrol.org
Venezuela nationalizes cement industry
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi
Fact of the matter is, the US is no longer the sole dominant power in the world, and everyone knows it. China has slowly but surely been building as a major world force, and it looks as though Russia and Venezuela are angling to secure themselves as joint world powers. It is entirely possible for another world war to break out if the US isn't careful.
I'll be frank: I am not a genius. I am not a political pundit. I am not here to convince you I'm right. I am not an expert in foreign politics. I am not perfect, and never will be. I do not have all the answers.
When it comes right down to it, I'm a human being. I'm an American citizen. I am young and inexperienced. But I refuse to sit by and watch the world take its own course without my saying something about it, even if only a few people actually read it. I am committed to finding Truth, and sharing it with those around me. I am committed to this Nation and its cause - the cause of mankind. I strive to practice what I preach.
The argument I'm making here in this blog is for moderation - "self-interest rightly understood", as Tocqueville put it. I'm not looking for some great leader to come along and save us from our problems - fact of the matter is that one person, no matter what position or how much power they hold, is wholly incapable of making any lasting change on his or her own. It doesn't take anything particularly spectacular, either. No red-faced, emotive speeches delivered from the pulpit; no innovative thinking; no vast overwhelming media coverage.
It takes a group effort. It takes time. "Good things take time", my old English teacher once said. I agree with her. Good things require sacrifice. That is what makes them worth it in the end - the joy and peace of mind they bring is something universal, that takes work to get. It is the work that makes anything worth it. The more work put in, the more worth it the reward is, if it's actually something of value to the human condition. If we want to make America great, we have to be willing to put a little work in ourselves.
And the best place to start is, naturally, with putting the work in ourselves. We have to have the will to work. Here's a little trick I learned from my Dad: If you aren't doing something you know you should, ask yourself why. Is it because you don't want to? That something more interesting is taking up the time instead? If that's the reason, ask yourself if you even want to do the work. If the answer is no, then do you want to want to do the work? Start there. Start wherever you can if you know it's something that needs to be done, and build on it. Keep going. When all else fails, do it. Do it now, and don't complain.
There is honestly no sense in complaining. It doesn't make your job any easier, and it only makes the work feel as though it takes longer. We have to be willing to know bad times to know good. There's no other way. It is fortunate, then, that we humans are blessed with the ability to control our environment, internally and externally. We can control our thoughts, words, and actions. The most important of these is our thoughts - all we say and do begins there.
We cannot, however, control what happens to us. Accidents happen. Terrible things happen. Great things happen. Wonderful, incredible, life-changing things happen. In the face of all of that, it is important to remember that the way we react to our environment is completely in our hands.
The very first thing we as Americans need to do is break our habitual selfishness. This is not to say that we should sell our homes, donate our personal worth to charity, and live in shanties and communes, or cardboard boxes. Great sacrifice is just that, great. But as I said before, we can't do it on our own, and it is far more effective to lead by example over a long period of time than to lead in one giant flash of brilliance, and then never be heard from or seen again.
Be a candle, built for use. Not a firework, built for show.
