Need Prez Debate on Global Issues that Affect Americans

In Sudan, a school teacher was facing 40 lashes for naming a Teddy Bear “Mohammed.” She got a 15 day prison sentence and deportation instead. Weird.

In Venezuela students are protesting Chavez – over 100,000 in the streets today. Hugo is trying to make himself “President for life” and the students are fighting it. For the first time, the “no’s” may defeat him. Standby for Sunday’s vote.

And former chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov just got let out of prison in Russia– another Putin punishment. Kasporov has been leading the opposition to Putin and jail was part of the result. Some have been poisoned with elements produced only by nuclear power plants. China just rejected a U.S. ship from entering Hong Kong during a storm – something that just isn’t done.

And “He’s BAACK!” Osama bin laden just released another audio tape telling folks to “hands off” Afghanistan (his homeland) and that only he is responsible for 9-11.

Then they pick up some guys in East Europe (Slovakia) trying to sell uranium, enough to make a dirty bomb.

In the midst of these events, I hear Presidential candidates debating issues that seem pretty small if you paid attention to what is really going on in the world (like who employed a company that had an illegal worker).

HELLO folks, pay attention. You are running to be our leader. It’s a global job – not just some local issue pot-hole post. I hope some of this stuff is on your radar. Because its going to bite us on the butt if we don’t address it.

Democracy is under attack globally and we are arguing over who gets to sit on the deck chairs as the Titanic is going down in places like Russia, a massive nuclear power, and Venezuela, one of the biggest oil producers in this part of the planet. The Middle East is but one component of a complex global situation facing the next American President and his/her staff.

We can’t afford leadership in the next 4 to 8 years who are clueless about these other significant, worldwide events that they will be in charge of. But we have yet to hear them address on the campaign trail…

We need a debate focused solely on international issues – not just Iraq but everything from being the only country not working on Kyoto CO2 reduction to how to handle the emerging 21^st Century giants China and Russia, as well as the rogues trying to make dirty bombs.