Owner: Markism Explored URL:http://issuesandcurrentevents.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:09:53 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: A running collection of my thoughts and opinions about the current events of the world, focusing on politics, technology, and news, with a liberal slant. Site statistics:Click here
Abolish Affirmative Action? 2008-03-08 09:06:53 Affirmative action ban heads for ballot in 5 states - CNN.com Ward Connerly, who heads the American Civil Rights Coalition -- a nonprofit organization working to end racial and gender preferences -- and the main backer of the ballot initiatives, says the 37 word initiative would read: "The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting."I'll admit this is a concept I have mixed feelings about. I have often defended Affirmative Action
as a necessary evil. I grew up in a predominately white neighborhood, and am a white male. I have never competed for coveted positions in jobs or education so I have ne Read more:Abolish
Testy, testy, Mr. McCain 2008-03-08 08:41:06 McCain Asked About Kerrys V.P. Offer - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog when Mr. McCain was asked about the conversation – and why he said in an interview with The New York Times in May 2004 that he had not even had a casual conversation with Mr. Kerry on the topic – Mr. McCain displayed some of the temper that he has largely kept under control in this campaign.Watch this video. Is this really the man we want going into negotiations on behalf of our nation? I don't think so. He can't remember which denials he made, and which half-truths he told. How did this man get a reputation for a straight shooter?
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Smoking is Bad 2008-03-08 06:39:58 BBC NEWS | UK | England | Merseyside | Smokers 'make their children ill' "People feel guilty," he told BBC News. "If it was easy, they would give up. Looking after children is good fun but it can be stressful and for some, cigarettes are a way of relieving that stress."I'm actually an ex-smoker, and am known to indulge myself on occasion still. So I am speaking from experience. I know that quitting smoking is very hard. The biggest problem is that most smokers like smoking, whether they are willing to admit it or not. So, of course, the first thing is to really decide you want to quit, but here's the kicker, don't have kids if you can't stop smoking.OK maybe that's a bit drastic. Have kids if you want, but just don't smoke when they are nearby. Send them off to their room, or go out Read more:Smoking
Clinton's dirty politics 2008-03-07 08:17:14 globeandmail.com: PM must fire chief of staff: - Flash Player Installation Mr. Brodie, apparently seeking to play down the potential impact on Canada, told the reporters the threat was not serious, and that someone from Ms. Clinton
's campaign had even contacted Canadian diplomats to tell them not to worry because the NAFTA threats were mostly political posturing.So there you have it folks. Read this article carefully. That's right it appears it was Hillary Clinton's campaign that contacted the Canadians about not being serious about NAFTA. Apparently, she wanted to make it clear that she still supported the plan she has always supported. That didn't stop her from maligning the Obama campaign by claiming they had done exactly what she had actually done! The people of Ohio went to the Read more:dirty
, politics
No Veto on kids safety 2008-03-07 01:36:38 Senate Votes For Safer Products - washingtonpost.com "I'm glad something is going to change. I just hope future families don't have to go through what we had to go through," said Andrew Hartung of Manalapan, N.J., whose 14-month-old daughter, Abigail, was injured last fall in a Bassettbaby crib that was later recalled.Well congress is actually getting something good done. With any luck these two bills will come together nicely to protect eh health and safety of America's children. And the best part is that Bush the Small has not threatened a veto. I think it's telling about the behavior of this president that the author of the article feels compelled to mention that on it's own line. Up to this point I wasn't even sure he was being briefed on what the democratic controlled congress w
Primaries take two? 2008-03-07 01:25:39 Democratic Party debates primary do-overs in Michigan and Florida Who pays for a re-do is another sticking point.So far, no one is ponying up any money - not Congress, not state Democratic party leaders and not the DNC."That's not our problem," Dean said. "We need our money to win the presidential race."Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, urged party leaders in a recent joint statement to find a solution, but both insisted state dollars not be used.I have my doubts about either state being able to pull together another primary without spending any state money. I feel a little bit like they are just in the news because of the closeness of the race. Certainly, I have doubts about the sincerity of the GOP governor of Florida and his deep concerns
Don't trust McCain 2008-03-06 15:49:41 PoliZine » 5 Reasons to be Very Afraid of John McCain
Our little list of 5 Reasons to be Very Afraid of Mike Huckabee created quite the rift between readers: some thought that Huckabee is indeed a scary candidate; others insisted he wouldn’t stay in the race long enough to be a viable candidate anyway (we’ll try to resist saying “we told you so”). Lest we show a preference for the other guy, here are our top 5 reasons to be very afraid of John McCain.For those that weren't convinced by my earlier list I bring you this. I have heard a lot of good democrats who are saying they'll support McCain over Hillary. Don't be fooled. I have no love of Hillary Clinton, but she's still a democrat. Hate her if you will, call her names, and be disgusted at her behavior in the primaries, but Read more:trust
Dear God, It can't be true 2008-03-06 15:32:12 Feeding The Fish » Blog Archive » Science: 1, McCain: 0 Q: What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence? Mr. McCain: (Long pause) Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy. Q: So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV? Mr. McCain: (Long pause) You’ve stumped me. Q: I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it? Mr. McCain: (Laughs) Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you f Read more:Dear God
Keep driving up the price of oil 2008-03-06 15:24:50 Turning Glare Into Watts - New York Times The technology is not new, but it is suddenly in high demand. As price
s rise for fossil fuels and worries grow about their contribution to global warming, solar thermal plants are being viewed as a renewable power source with huge potential.As a proponent of alternative fuels and energy, I see news like this and I say hurray. As the price of oil continues to skyrocket the price of alternative energy seems more and more realistic. But the great thing is that all the money we invest now has long term price implications. What I mean is that with the price of oil at record breaking highs, the price of alternatives seem low even at what used to be ridiculous prices. So we invest. We build plants, we research new ways to fuel our cars, heat our hom
Here it is in black and white 2008-03-06 03:19:15 Both Obama And Clinton Hold Edge Over McCain - washingtonpost.comSen. Barack Obama (Ill.) leads McCain, who captured the delegates needed to claim the Republican nomination Tuesday night, by 12 percentage points among all adults in the poll; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) holds a six-point lead over the GOP nominee. Both Democrats are buoyed by moderates and independents when going head to head with McCain and benefit from sustained negative public assessments of President Bush and the war in Iraq.Here it is frozen in time. For the moment both democratic candidates have an advantage on McCain. He now has 6 free months to close that gap virtually unchallenged. Obama clearly has the largest advantage, and if Clinton would get in line, they could gain more ground instead of losing it.
When did it become OK 2008-03-06 02:16:42 FBI says warrantless wiretapping lasted until 2006 - Los Angeles Times The Justice Department is appealing that ruling. It has said the data gained from the requests, which are sent directly to financial institutions and phone companies without the knowledge of their customers, is crucial to building terrorism and espionage cases.Exactly when did our country decide that it was OK to spy on our own people without a court order? Between this and FISA the administration keeps telling us that they need to be able to tap our phones and delve into our personal information to stop terrorists. I don't care. Get out of my records. I expect some kind of probable cause before you drag me off to a shadow prison without charging me you b*stards. Go get a court order. If you have a legitimate cau
Start the violins a playin' 2008-03-06 02:10:56 DHS Strains As Goals, Mandates Go Unmet - washingtonpost.com "People keep demanding with each new homeland security challenge, 'Fix this today,' " Jackson said. "DHS is not funded to address every one, there's not time to do every one, and some of the increased effort needed to eliminate all risk for a given problem ends up . . . wasting time, focus and dollars."One can't help but feel sorry for a man who's working so hard but just can't get everything done with just a few billion dollars. It's really sad to see. You know a better way to spend that money? Hire a few hundred high quality economists and send them to Mexico. The best way to secure our border with Mexico? Make sure Mexicans don't want to come to America. Want to stop the drug trade across the border? Legalize drugs.I a Read more:Start
It's time to get into the ring 2008-03-06 01:55:55 Results Refocus Democratic Campaign - washingtonpost.com "The core of our campaign has worked very, very well," Plouffe said. But he added: "We're obviously not going to let these attacks go unanswered." He said Clinton has exaggerated her foreign policy experience, and he made it clear that Obama will go after her on the issue. He also made a veiled reference to Clinton administration scandals such as Whitewater. "We're surprised they would want to have an extended conversation about contributors and land deals and ethics issues," Plouffe said.So far I'll admit that I've been very pleased with the fact that Obama and his team have left the attack ads to Clinton. However, as Clinton gears up to destroy the democratic party with her, "If I can't have it neither can you," attitude, I thin
Thank god SOMEONE did the math 2008-03-05 02:27:25 Regardless of today’s results, can Clinton catch Obama? - The Carpetbagger Report The question seems to have been percolating, just below the surface, for a while now. When Barack Obama won 11 consecutive contests in February, he built up a noticeable lead in the race for delegates. Given that the competition is for delegates, not states, it created the impression that Obama was the frontrunner for the nomination.Let's face it, I'm just too lazy to find the delegate counter and start wriggling the numbers to figure out exactly how the rest of the contests could play out. Fortunately the blogger world is full of computer savvy people with time on their hands. So follow the link and discover just how difficult it will be for Hillary to pull off a win. It simply is not going to happen u Read more:Thank
Fat kids watch too much TV 2008-03-05 02:06:13 Device helps fat kids cut TV time | Science | Reuters A monitoring device that cut TV and computer time in half helped young, overweight children eat less and lose weight, U.S. researchers said on Monday.I'll be honest; I find most of the findings in this study to be self-evident. Live a sedentary life style and you will be heavier than someone who doesn't. Play sports and you will be less likely to be overweight. No kidding. However, I did find some interesting points. The study about parental control versus the machine was more pointed than I expected. Obviously it's hard to argue with a timer that turns off the TV, and the timer probably never forgets or gets distracted by normal life, so I expected it to be more effective, but the difference is pretty striking. I'm considering Read more:watch
Home state letdown 2008-03-05 01:54:00 Clinton wins key primaries, CNN projects; McCain clinches nod - CNN.com I am very, very grateful and pleased to note that tonight, my friends, we have won enough delegates to claim with confidence, humility and a great sense of responsibility, that I will be the Republican nominee for president of the United States," McCain told supporters Tuesday night.I was pretty sure Clinton would take Ohio, but I was really counting on my home state of Texas to stand up for Obama. Instead the Hispanic vote was enough for Hillary to take a win. But here's the big problem, Clinton having gained nothing in the delegate count will now want to take this to the convention. McCain on the other hand now has the nomination, and will be running a national campaign. Every ugly attack Hillary makes will be e
Child Porn 2008-03-05 01:40:56 14 Americans arrested in child porn sting - CNN.com Fourteen Americans are in custody as part of a global crackdown on a well-organized child porn ring that used sophisticated encryption technology, the FBI and Justice Department announced Tuesday.Strike one up for the FBI. Well done boys. Send them to prison and never let them out. In my opinion abusing children has to be one of the worst crimes on the books. Maybe we should try them in Texas and ask for the death penalty.
Money to stop Abortion? 2008-03-05 01:36:00 BBC NEWS | South Asia | India announces girl child award British medical journal Lancet says 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in India in the past 20 years. Under the new scheme, poor families in seven Indian states will be paid cash at the birth of a daughter and again at different stages throughout her childhood up to the age of 18 years.I'm just going to come out and say this is a bad idea. Please don't take that to mean that I am in favor of aborting female fetuses. It's just that direct involvement in family planning through incentive plans generally turns out badly. Some ways this might backfire include the psychological state of the girls who have been brought up for pay, never being able to stop paying, and increased pregnancy rates to try and get money. A better Read more:Money
Outlaw George W. 2008-03-05 01:27:06 Vermont towns vote to arrest Bush and Cheney | U.S. | Reuters Voters in two Vermont towns on Tuesday approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest President George
W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution," local media reported.I don't have much to add to this article, I just thought it was really funny.
Pot this is Kettle 2008-03-04 15:27:49 Barack Obama takes heat over NAFTA memo, Rezko -- chicagotribune.com "Apparently, what seems to have occurred is that the Obama campaign had Sen. Obama in Ohio making speeches against NAFTA and having his chief economic adviser making it clear in Canada that he doesn't really mean it," she told an Ohio-market TV station. "I think that raises real questions of credibility." It continues to amaze me that Hillary Clinton can attack Obama for positions she holds. Let's be clear. Hillary supported and championed NAFTA. Wrote about how great NAFTA is in her book. When she started running for president she suddenly doesn't like NAFTA. On the other hand, Obama has always had questions about free trade. He has never been in favor of isolationism, but believes the deals we have could be bette Read more:Kettle
Death by Dildo? 2008-03-04 14:48:48 The Campaign Spot on National Review OnlineWhy on God's green earth does Barack Obama object to mandates on local authorities for porn shops but not for gun stores? Or conversely, why does he feel it's necessary to keep gun stores five miles from a school, but no limit on porn shops?My friend sent me this ridiculous post that seems to compare firearms to sex toys. Apparently it is equally important to keep our children and wives from seeing anything that might remind us that we are a sexual species as it is to keep guns out of our schools. I'll be the first to say that I'm perfectly OK banning gun shops from pretty much everywhere, but have no problems with having a sex shop down the street. If someone could please send me an article or study that discusses how teachers require extra pa Read more:Dildo
So speaks Iran 2008-03-04 02:26:34 Al Jazeera English - News - Iranian President Ends Iraq Tour "Without the presence of the foreign troops, the region will live in peace and brotherhood...We believe that the forces that came from overseas and travelled thousands of kilometres to reach here must leave the region, and must hand over responsibility to people of the region...The presence of foreigners in the region is nothing but a humiliation to the regional nations."I'm sure almost everyone will disagree with me here, but I say we take Ahmadinejad at his word and get the hell out. It's not the I trust him, it's just that I think the US is strengthened by leaving Iraq, and giving them the chance to stand on their ownScattered about the blogosphere I read a lot of conservative blogs who tell the terrifying tale of the US wit
Columbia in the hot seat 2008-03-04 02:07:08 Tensions rise along Colombian border | Video | Reuters.com Mar. 3 - Tensions continue to build between Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador after Colombia's attack on a leftist rebel camp in Ecuador.
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They grow up so fast 2008-03-03 15:00:58 Children acting older at young age | Reuters Almost three-quarters allow their children to drink alcohol before they are 18. Almost half allow their 16 year-olds to spend a night at their respective partner's house. Fifty-three percent of teenagers under 16 are allowed to stay out later than 11 p.m. while more than two-thirds of pre-teen girls are allowed to get their ears pierced.I don't have kids, so everything I say here will have to be taken with that in mind. But realistically, the idea of children being children until they are almost 20 is a pretty new idea historically. Young women used to be married and have children by 16. Preteens and teens used to hold down jobs, and help support families, the idea coming from the fact that when the majority of us were rural we all helped o
Only in the Bush administration 2008-03-03 14:54:21 Hope Now: We've helped 1 million home owners - Mar. 3, 2008 The groups has reworked more than 1 million mortgage loans since July, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in a speech before the National Association of Business economists on Monday. But of those borrowers, only 278,000 actually saw the terms of their mortgages modified. Their lenders either froze or reduced their interest rates, and may have reduced their balances as well to make loans more affordable. The remaining home owners were put on repayment plans, which merely allow borrowers to make up missed payments by tacking them on to the life of the loan. Critics argue that this does little to make to make mortgages any more affordable for hard-pressed borrowers.OK the economy is in crisis mode, we are on the verge of a com
Race in the race again 2008-03-13 02:23:21 Racial Issue Bubbles Up Again for Democrats - New York Times “The Clinton campaign has talked more during the course of the last few months about what groups are supporting her and what groups are supporting me and trying to make a case that the reason she should be the nominee is that there are a set of voters that Obama might not get,” he said. “And that seems to track in a certain racial demographic.”Again the Clinton campaign is trying to marginalize Obama by making him look like the Black candidate. Of course he's the black candidate, he's black. The problem is that Clinton was under the impression at the very beginning of this race that she had the black vote sown up. She surely felt that the relationship her husband had built with the black community would win her their
Bush III 2008-03-12 01:12:20 John McCain is George Bush | Salon Surely lack of health insurance for tens of millions, loss of good jobs, blighted cities like Detroit and New Orleans, and erosion of key civil liberties are a more "transcendent challenge" than the activities of small cultlike groups that are finding it harder and harder to operate on the soil of Middle Eastern and European allies of the U.S. But that's not to say that McCain isn't pushing a domestic agenda as well. McCain does have a domestic agenda. It's George Bush's.It's like a bad horror movie sequel. While I have often disagreed with McCain, I used to respect the man, but I'm beginning to see that he looked good in the past only in comparison to those he stood beside. What makes that realization even worse is that McCain has clearly drunk the pu
Signpost of Failure 2008-03-12 00:43:10 BBC NEWS | Middle East | US Mid-East commander steps down US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the decision to take early retirement was entirely Adm Fallon's, adding that he agreed it was the right thing to do.This seems like one of those situations where the public is clearly not being let in on something. The Commander of the Central Command is retiring early because of a public perception that he doesn't agree with the administration?Garbage. That sound like a well written sound bite. It tells us nothing of consequence. A public perception of disagreement is meaningless. It's not like he's been quoted on the front page of all the newspapers calling Bush a warmonger or a lunatic. Now that might be a good reason to retire early.A better guess might be that in closed meetings or
Iraqis on Iraq 2008-03-11 03:18:32 How the U.S. can still save Iraq
| Salon As the debate over Iraq has raged in America, one group has been conspicuously absent: the Iraqis
themselves. Neither war supporters nor opponents seem very interested in the opinions of the people most directly affected by the invasion. This fact reflects the moral confusion and blind spots that have haunted both sides of the debate, ones that stem from the profoundly ambiguous nature of Bush's war.Here's an interesting question. What do the Iraqi's want? I don't think most Americans have ever asked that question, though as the war's popularity has wained, I'm sure more have started to wonder. The article above is long and interesting. It catalogs many of America's failures throughout the Iraq conflict. I'm not sure if I agree with all of it,
Marketing the Churrch 2008-03-11 02:49:45 Vatican lists new sinful behaviors - CNN.com Traditionally the Catholic church has had a list of seven deadly sins, that of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride established by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century. The terms entered the popular vocabulary after the publication of Dante's "Divine Comedy." The deadly sins are in contrast with venial sins - relatively minor sins that can be forgiven.My first response to this article was frustration. I'm not Catholic, but the very idea of the church adding new sins to the list seems a step backward for social progress. Our society as a whole needs to come to grips with the growing divide between morals (the list of right and wrong decided by a religious organization) and ethics (the list of right and wrong we decide fo Read more:Marketing
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