Problem: War in Iraq is fueling terrorism and Islamic radicalism.

Solution: Stay the course.

Translation: We started this fire and, by God, we are going to keep throwing gasoline on it 'til it goes out.

For drug possession.

I feel so much safer knowing that the 73 year old legend has been busted along with Tony Sizemore, 59, St. Cloud, Fla.; Bobbie Nelson, 75, Briarcliff, Texas; Gates Moore, 54, Austin, Texas; David Anderson, 50, Dallas. Obviously, all are seasoned and dangerous criminals and subversives.

Let's face it, if Willie can corrupt the kick ass All-American Toby Keith, then could the fall of Western civilization be that far behind?

JK Rowling clashed with airport security after they attempted to confiscate the manuscript of what, critics and fans believe, will be the explosive finale to the Harry Potter series.

Eventually, Rowling was allowed to board her plane with the manuscript, which, fortuitously, did not detonate in flight.

That's right, you heard it here first. Vietnam II is on its way.

Impossible you say?

Well, I say you are wrong. I think that Vietnam is the perfect contestant to be chosen as the next victim err... lucky winner in the neocon global democracy crusade. Here's how I see it,

1. Vietnam is ruled by an oppressive socialist party dictatorship. This alone means little to those seeking to use war for the spread of democracy, they need a more convincing impetus. Well, they got it. Vietnam has confirmed that they have arrested Cong Thanh Do a 47 year old Vietnameze born American citizen and democracy activist. Do's California congresswoman has said,

"The Vietnamese government has a track record of human rights violations against people who work to bring freedom and democracy to Vietnam through peaceful means...His incarceration is outrageous. I will do everything possible to guarantee Cong Thanh Do's prompt release."

Peaceful means have failed. It's time to bring out the guns.

2. The war makers have access to a large and passionate anti-communist Vietnamese Diaspora that could be called on to fabricate intelligence about WMD programs and to tell hyperbolic stories of torture and human rights violations.

3. The US "cut and ran" after getting their asses handed to them in Vietnam I (which, of course, led to the domino like spread of communism all across the globe.) Unfortunately, according to Bush this "send[s] the wrong message to the enemy. It would tell them that if they wait long enough, America will cut and run. It would vindicate the terrorists' tactics."

The US government cannot afford to look weak especially after 9/11. They must show the world how tough they are, how they will not cut and run and how they will stay in every fight no matter how long it takes to defeat every enemy. Clearly, Vietnam I is a thorn in the side of the American tough guy image.

So, that's it. In my opinion it's not a question of if but when. Bring 'em on!

However, there is one pressing conundrum that Washington's warmongering elite will have to solve. Much of the pro-democracy opposition to the current regime in Vietnam has been labeled terrorists by both Hanoi and Washington. That means that a war for democracy in Vietnam would give aid to terrorists or, conversely, fighting the terrorists would help prop up a violent and oppressive undemocratic regime. How would the impeccable, moral minds of the Washington war crowd ever deal with such a terrible contradiction.

Ok, so really it's only one reason that I'm going to write about here but I have two stories to tell.

First, a few months back I received an email from a Chinese businessman who lives and works in mainland China. I have been dealing with this man and the company that he represents for a couple of years now and most correspondence has been pretty typical. This email was different.

He was so excited to tell me, and probably countless other business acquaintances, about the birth of his first child, a beautiful little girl. I could sense his jubilation in the way that his already broken English seemed more broken than usual, as if he had written this message on the fly, perhaps writing from the hospital or in a stolen moment in the office before he rushed home to be with his newborn. And to top it off, this proud papa attached some absolutely adorable photos. (After seeing the photos I asked my wife if I could have a Chinese baby. She said, "NO".)

Though simple in nature, it was a remarkable experience for me and I was happy that he took the time to share his joy.

The second story I have to share happened just this week.

For the last few months my company has been doing business with a firm in Austria. They are building some custom machinery and tooling that we will be using in our factory. It is some really cutting edge stuff and we're excited to get our hands on it.

Last month a few of my coworkers went to Austria to test the equipment and to make the final arrangements. They had an amazing time. The Austrians were great hosts and spent a lot of time and effort entertaining our guys after hours. All had a great time and many alcoholic beverages were consumed.

Then, this week we finally received our shipment of tools and equipment from Austria. We were already excited to crack open the crates though we had no idea that the contents were far more pleasing than we imagined. As we looked into the open containers we found that our Austrian friends had taken great care in filling all of the empty spaces with milk crates full of beer.

This Friday, after work, we are going to have a beer fest and take lots of photos to send back across the puddle to our new best friends in Austria.

So, that is why I love international trade. It gives us the opportunity to see people from across the globe, not as scary and threatening foreigners who are a part of the monolithic "Chinese" or "Europeans", but as fellow humans, individuals, parents, children, businessmen, innovators, friends and drinking buddies.