What is this blog about and why should I care?

I, like most of my contemporaries (and the majority(?) of Americans for that matter), have become increasingly concerned about how the Unites States is acting on the world stage. I think all of us like to believe that the US has traditionally been a positive force in helping shape a peaceful, benevolent…

(JPF commentary: I quickly find that there is a balance that a writer must strike between getting thoughts down en masse and finding the perfect words and phrasing that not only capture the exact point, but also make the writer sound sophisticated and smart. I'm going to try to err on the side of the former (bulk thoughts), but I must admit... my ego may slow me down)

(Back to the post)… I think all of us like to believe that the US has traditionally been a positive force in helping shape a peaceful, benevolent, diplomatic global political environment. Of late (last 6 years, no coincidence) it feels as though this stance/position has shifted, not just slightly, but nearly 180 degrees. As I’m sure everyone reading this has a few (scores?) examples or thoughts on the subject, I’ll wait for future blog postings to get into the specifics of my personal opinions or concerns about the current state of politics.

The general point of this blog (if there is one) is to start to air my thoughts on local, national, and global politics; expose my discoveries and my ignorances; and get reactions from people I trust on issues I care about.

I guess a secondary outcome of this blog may be to help empower a group of people (my friends and family for one) to start to become more involved in city, state, and national politics so as to be equipped with the tools and knowledge to effect change as quickly as possible; To get this once great nation back on track. The first of these “tools” is a simple website link. I’ll use this as a transition into my next post…