Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addressing the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.   (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

When Tea Party maverick Rand Paul came to Washington, he rose from the desk that Henry Clay—an ancient Senator from Kentucky who will remain in American history one of the greatest vocal opponents to abolitionism—once called his own. Paul spoke of the profound honour it was to be an orator, like Clay, in the most impactful legislative body in the world.

However, Paul found no honour in Clay—the “Great Compromiser”—himself. The libertarian’s leanings clash with the 50 years of Clay’s career as a stalwart to slavery in the Capitol.

Clay compromised on the 1824 Presidential election when none of the four candidates (including Clay) could reach a sufficient majority in the Electoral College, resulting in a stalemate. He inevitably backed John Quincy Adams and was appointed Secretary of State under his administration. This is referred to as the ‘corrupt bargain’. The cost of Clay’s endorsement would be working under a man who publicly held anti-slavery sentiments. But compromise also meant gaining a coveted position in the White House, even though it was an administration that disagreed with him on the issue that would eventually be settled thanks to a civil war.

Since delivering his maiden speech in the Senate, Paul too has fallen victim to the compromise of Washington.

The Senator, along with 8 other GOP lawmakers, departed for Israel earlier this month and some surprising revelations came to light concerning his stance on foreign aid to the sole Middle East democracy that—up until now—he had been very much in favour of cutting:

The trip is the latest push to boost Paul’s foreign policy cred as he prepares to take his new seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee later this month. It also offers the Senator another chance to distance himself from his father, retiring Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose libertarian foreign policy views have been widely ridiculed by the GOP.

Like his father, Sen. Paul opposes foreign aid on principle; but he has tempered that position to focus primarily on cutting aid for countries in conflict with the U.S., like Egypt and Pakistan. In recent weeks, the Kentucky Senator has reached out to assure Republican Jewish leaders that he is not interested in cutting funding for Israel. (Business Insider)

Quite a change in tone for a man who once referred to the aid as  “welfare” for the Jewish state, but with U.S. support for Israel at an all time high, Paul has little to lose and much to gain by endorsing continued aid to Israel, especially if he has the 2016 Presidential election in his sights.

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On January 16, President Obama issued two Presidential Memorandums and a Proclamation (see here, here and here) in light of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took place a little more than one month ago. The Presidential Actions direct members of the Executive to commission a study on the causes of gun violence and request the Department of Justice to hasten current investigations into federal gun crimes. These directives will hardly dent gun violence in the United States and President Obama is much aware. That’s why he is demanding legislative action in Congress and has even offered a few proposals for the body to consider.

Those proposals are as follows:

1. banning the sale of new “assault weapons”
2. banning the sale of high-capacity magazines (over 10 rounds per clip)
3. mandating universal background checks

Although they might pass unscathed in the Senate, proposal one and two are dead on arrival once they hit the House.

The third is worth paying closer attention to, especially when 9 in 10 Americans back universal gun background checks.

Over the weeks since Newtown, the central question remains: will the diminishing credibility of the National Rifle Association and the discourse on gun control in the wake of the tragedy lead to action?

OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE TO

Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.

The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn’t on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:

• The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We’re working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.
• The Administration does not support blowing up planets.
• Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

However, look carefully (here’s how) and you’ll notice something already floating in the sky — that’s no Moon, it’s a Space Station! Yes, we already have a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth that’s helping us learn how humans can live and thrive in space for long durations. The Space Station has six astronauts — American, Russian, and Canadian — living in it right now, conducting research, learning how to live and work in space over long periods of time, routinely welcoming visiting spacecraft and repairing onboard garbage mashers, etc. We’ve also got two robot science labs – one wielding a laser – roving around Mars, looking at whether life ever existed on the Red Planet.

Keep in mind, space is no longer just government-only. Private American companies, through NASA’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office (C3PO), are ferrying cargo — and soon, crew — to space for NASA, and are pursuing human missions to the Moon this decade.

Even though the United States doesn’t have anything that can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, we’ve got two spacecraft leaving the Solar System and we’re building a probe that will fly to the exterior layers of the Sun. We are discovering hundreds of new planets in other star systems and building a much more powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that will see back to the early days of the universe.

We don’t have a Death Star, but we do have floating robot assistants on the Space Station, a President who knows his way around a light saber and advanced (marshmallow) cannon, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is supporting research on building Luke’s arm, floating droids, and quadruped walkers.

We are living in the future! Enjoy it. Or better yet, help build it by pursuing a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field. The President has held the first-ever White House science fairs and Astronomy Night on the South Lawn because he knows these domains are critical to our country’s future, and to ensuring the United States continues leading the world in doing big things.

If you do pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field, the Force will be with us! Remember, the Death Star’s power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force.