The extension of Daylight Savings Time into November is just one more example of how politicians in Washington, D.C. are way out of touch with the rest of us.
Okay, maybe that's harsh. But really, taking that extra hour of later daylight into the middle of autumn turned out to be really annoying. First, sunset in the final week or two was around 6 p.m. here in the more southern latitudes, so any benefit was negligible. Second, the definition of 0-dark-:30 shifted to when most of us woke up to go to work or school. People often like to walk or run before starting their day, but not in the last few weeks of DT. Did your kids have to walk to school in the dark? Wait and catch a bus in the dark?
Don't get me wrong. I love Daylight Savings Time. In April. When it's intended. Getting outside after dinner is a nice thing. Not so much in November, though.
Just another way that Congress, stationed in an indoor town like D.C., can really screw things up for the rest of us. Of course, my next concern is my commute home from work tomorrow. Yep, in the dark. Maybe I'll quickly change my mind.
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In both Pakistan and Turkey, we're seeing governments acting out of their own perceived interests whether we'd like them to or not.
Pakistan has declared a state of emergency to curtail whatever civil liberties ever did exist there, ostensibly to fight its Islamic insurgency and a national Supreme Court that consistently ruled against the regime.
Turkey has declared its intention to invade the Kurdish section of Iraq -- by far the most prosperous and successful section of the war-torn nation -- in order to chase down terrorists who conduct cross-border attacks to further their goal of an independent Kurdistan. Kurds live in northern Iraq, northern Iran and southeastern Turkey, and their attacks against the latter have been noteworthy. Turkey has had enough.
I'm no longer sure how much we need Pakistan as an ally in our fight against terrorism. It was crucial in the early days so we could fly from ships in the Indian Ocean to Afghanistan. Now, with six years of Pakistani inconsistency in overcoming it's tribal areas on the Afghani border behind us, that country's support may not be worth much.
I'm not sure we should throw President Pervez Musharraf under the bus, but we and the U.K. are reviewing our financial aid plans, correctly. We have to carefully balance his value in the war on terrorism against our need to maintain our standard as a beacon to the world as a consistent source of liberty.
In the Cold War, we supported plenty of dictators, but that was a contest of sheer power. The was against terrorism is a battle of ideas, our democracy against their theocracy. Sheer power will not be the deciding factor.
Regarding Turkey, there's no getting around that they're NATO allies, have been subjected to murderous attacks and have been pretty responsible for a majority Muslim country. We need to focus on managing their fight and containing it to the border areas, instead of telling a sovereign nation that it cannot defend itself.
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has some pretty interesting weeks ahead of her. By Christmas, we ought to have a good idea how she stacks up against previous holders of her office.
