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Questions Of Democracy From North Padre Island

I recently read an article in the North Padre Island Moon about a new political action committee called Island United. North Padre Island is part of Corpus Christi, Texas.

A purpose of this political action committee is to encourage island residents to vote as a block in order to influence the outcome of elections for the Corpus Christi City Council and Mayor of Corpus Christi.

(Above is a Padre Island sand dune though I’m not sure how you’d prove otherwise if I’m making its location up. Here is information on sand dunes).

Some North Padre Island residents feel a divided vote weakens the clout of the community at Corpus Christi City Hall.

Here is the full article.

Please click here for a political map of Corpus Christi.

The presumption of this political action committee is that highly localized issues should be the guiding factor in how residents of this area cast votes for city council and mayor.

Given that island voters have a history of differing opinions on who should be elected to municipal posts in Corpus Christi, this seems to be a tenuous assertion.

What are factors beyond North Padre Island issues that could impact how residents vote for council and mayor?

1. How will candidates for city office administer to Corpus Christi as a whole? Just as no man is an island, we can also say that not even an island is an island.

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By ecthompsonmd|2008-03-23T11:29:44-04:00March 23rd, 2008|Other Political Thoughts|Comments Off

Turkey looking to invade North Iraq

Northern Iraq

This is a problem. Colin Powell was required to personally intervene in order to stop a Turkish invasion back in 2003. We took our eyes off of the ball. Yes, there are many balls but the Kurds pestering the Turks was one of the balls. This was identified as a problem or potential problem early on. Now what?

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From MSNBC.com:

Turkey’s Parliament on Wednesday was expected to approve a possible cross-border military incursion into northern Iraq to chase separatist Kurdish rebels despite international calls for restraint.

Turkish leaders have stressed that an offensive against the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, would not immediately follow the motion authorizing the incursion.

Iraq has urged Turkey not to send troops across the border to pursue separatist Kurds in mountain hideouts. It dispatched the Sunni vice president to Ankara and called for a diplomatic solution to tensions that have raised fears of a new front in the Iraq war. (more…)

By ecthompsonmd|2007-10-17T06:43:16-04:00October 17th, 2007|Iraq|Comments Off

North Korea agrees to disarm

Maybe China has become more involved. Maybe Russia has played a larger role. Because China and Russia are the keys to Korea.

I’ll believe it when I see it. North Korea has made a career out of breaking promises. (Update: Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have made this deal. I think that we should have made this deal 6 years ago. In the video below, NBC Nightly News interviews John Bolton. Why? The man is crazy.)

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From WaPo:

North Korea agreed Tuesday after arduous talks to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program, just four months after the communist state shocked the world by testing a nuclear bomb.

The deal marks the first concrete plan for disarmament in more than three years of six-nation negotiations, and could potentially herald a new era of cooperation in the region with the North’s longtime foes _ the United States and Japan _ also agreeing to discuss normalizing relations with Pyongyang. (more…)

By ecthompsonmd|2007-02-13T08:22:17-04:00February 13th, 2007|Foreign Affairs, North Korea|Comments Off