What's Next?

Just a few short weeks ago, the House of Representatives in Washington was captured by Democratic members for the first time in 8 years. It's only been hardly 3 weeks, Congress isn't even in session, and the question lies - what's next? Trump's presidency has been chugging along since exactly 2 years ago with a favorable legislative branch; media scrutiny has been biting at the heels of Republicans and now Americans may see some real conflict within our national government.

With a quick Google search for the phrase "democratic house", the bias can be seen immediately. Headlines read:

• "Democrats seize House, power to probe Trump"
• "Why House Democrats must vigorously investigate Trump"
• "House will investigate Trump's attacks on democracy"

Anger, frustration, and general uneasiness with the Trump Administration has left a bitter taste in the mouths of left-leaning media sources. Although these headlines are certainly true - House democrats certainly plan to lay a slew of investigations on the president in 2019 - the anger and heat can be felt through a computer screen. Dems have a plan to investigate Trump's tax record, obstruction of justice in the Russia probe, and apparent betrayal of the emoluments clause.

In short for things to come - Trump fired back at the Democrats on Twitter saying "If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!". 2019 will be very interesting.

                                  

A Century Later: The Great War and Today

Sunday November 11, 2018: 100 years since the armistice to end the War of all Wars was signed and enacted. From a traincar, north of Paris, world leaders agreed to stop the fighting - ending the bloodiest conflict that had ever taken place on earth. For a brutal 4 years, almost every major power engaged on mainland Europe (and some in the Pacific) - amassing some 40 million casualties. Today, we recognize the sheer horror that was endured by men and women across the globe, and we take great steps to study and prevent the causes of the second war that was created in the wake of the destruction. On the centennial anniversary of the armistice, we look at the world in comparison to the one our great grandfathers and grandmothers experienced.

The armistice on 11/11/1918 was not the conclusion of the war - but the conclusion of fighting. The Treaty of Versailles was enacted months later, in June of 1919, to iron-out the details of German/Austro-Hungarian surrender. We today know now that the League of Nations, the reparations required by the defeated, and the shaky alliances formed in the aftermath of the war were all flawed and led directly to WW2. Careful steps to ensure international peace were taken in 1945 - these steps were overlooked in June 1919. 70 years later, the world continues to enjoy peace; but for how long?

As every first world observer has seen, the inclusion of global communication has brought society together. Unfortunately, it has also isolated nations and created a hotbed for new nationalism, propaganda, and a slew of 21st century problems - eerily similar to the early 20th century kindling that ignited global conflict. We should look back and be incredibly grateful of the brave men and women who gave us the infrastructure of peace. Years of proud men holding their truce with other proud men to ensure a conflict like this doesn't occur for our children have given us stability and prosperity. We can only hope that the future holds sustainability and cooperation, instead of death and devastation.

Lest We Forget