knowmoreknowless

Goodbye and farewell.

2005-10-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

This is my final post on this blog. I have decided to begin a new blog (yourgeneralstore.blogspot.com). It will still contain some political opinion and banter but it will also contain some lighter reading which I would like to focus on for now. Please visit my new site it will be up and running in no time!

Thanks
--Stephanie

Detainee Update

2005-10-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

A U.S. Army official said that the reason detainees at Guantanamo Bay were hunger striking was due to the fact that they wanted media attention and that voluneteer fasting was "consistent with al-Qaeda training".

I'm not sure of anything that Army offcials in control at Guantanamo can be trusted or believed and I'm not sure of the current statements made by this Army official are any different.

A relative of one of the hunger strikers said the reason for the hunger strike could not be revealed due to restrictions imposed by the U.S.

I think these Army officials need to look at the bigger picture here. Media attention is probably not the first priority of men who have been inprisioned, some for over 2 years, without any charges brought against them. Hunger strikes are all these people have. Food is the only thing that these prisoners can control and the only thing that might help get their messages.

Army Officials who are afraid that these hunger strikers are creating more media attention should be afraid. The more Guantanamo is in the news the more people will be aware of the injustices that go on there.

Until these prisoners are treated fairly and given fair trials the media attention will continue because injustices, no matter how much the U.S. tries to keep them a secret, will be revealed.

Army Officials and the U.S. Government should look at this hunger strike as a call for action. If these prisoners are so dangerous then it should be no problem to accuse them of crimes. If they are not dangerous they should be released or sent back to their own countries without charges.

These hunger strikers want attention from the U.S. Governement because of the injustices and unfair treatment that they are receiving. Media attention is just a bi-product, a very important bi-product, but a bi-product none the less.

Facts cited from BBC article.

Dr. Phil--Thank You

2005-09-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

I would like to give praise to the Dr. Phil show.

Last night's episode focused on race and racism and being racist in America. The segment that caught my eye was on a black mother who had lost her daughter. She was talking about the huge amounts of media coverage for missing women such as Chandra Levy, Laci Peterson, and Natalee Holloway and the lack of coverage given to African-American women and other women of color.

Dr. Phil posted the women's daughter's picture along with a few other women of color who have gone missing and not received media coverage.

I know a lot of people watch Dr. Phil and I am hoping that his audience will become more aware of the racism in the media when it comes to missing people. It is so blatantly obvious that the media caters to the stories of lost white women and not women of color and this is a problem that I am happy that Dr. Phil addressed. Thank you Dr. Phil.

Non-Traditional Parenting--Here to Stay

2005-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading Peggy Drexler's Open-Forum column in the S.F. Chronicle about same-sex marriage and non-traditional parenting. Drexler links the two and says that the reason people fear same-sex couples getting married is because they fear the idea of non-traditional parenting.

I agree with Ms. Drexler. The same people who fear the idea of a same-sex couple getting married also fear this couple becoming parents. Our idea of parenting, though it is 2005, is still very traditional and very idealized. Most people still believe that having a mother and a father is the best way to bring up children because they have both a male and female role-model as well as role-models for their future relationships.

Parenting, though, is changing. More women are single mothers and bread-winners and there are also more blended families (families where a man and a woman marry and they already have children from another marriage) than every before. Why not add one more combination into the mix? Families with two mothers or two fathers.

Traditionalists believe that children brought up in these types of families will grow up to be gay or lesbian or end up having a warped view of what family really means. There is no evidence to prove any of this and it is very sad to think that traditionalists have forgotten about the one thing that all families need, love.

These traditionalists are too busy worrying about whether these two women will be good parents for this little boy when they should really be worried about is whether or not he is receiving love and the essential care he needs.

Two women or two men can love a child just as much as a man and a woman can love a child. The idea is still a little strange to some people who still have a traditional family view in their head but I think this strangeness is due to the fact that we are unsure of the outcome of this same-sex parenting.

In 20 years I think people will embrace same-sex parenting and see same-sex couple as equals to couples that consist of a man and a woman. This equality will come from years of standing back and watching these couples raise children into strong and intelligent young adults who are no different from the children brought up in more traditional families.

Global Warming Needs More Media Attention

2005-09-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina a very important issue has come into view, global warming. Though many scientists disagree about whether or not global warming caused the catastrophic hurricane, one thing is for certain, global warming is an issue that needs to be discussed so that people can become educated, informed, and act accordingly.

Most Americans do not believe that global warming is a pertinent issue and the don't believe that they are affected by it in their daily lives or have cause to worry about it currently or for future generations. It is these types of attitudes that lead people to buy gas guzzling vehicles and run their air conditioners all summer.

According to this article, each gallon of gas that your car burns produces 28 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution. Yet some people feel they need a car or SUV that only gets 15 or even fewer miles to the gallon. The article from the San Francisco Chronicle also states that America makes up only 4 percent of the worlds population but contribute 25 percent of the worlds waste. If that doesn't blow you away you must be REALLY bad with numbers.

Americans are wasteful by nature and most residents of this country do not believe that conserving is that big of a deal. "Bigger is better", has always been a motto here in America, but it is time to change. Global warming is real and conserving is a good way to halt the destruction of the ozone layer and create a safer world for the future.

If Americans only make up 4 percent of the world's population our waste should equate to something similar. Instead of buying huge SUVs that not only guzzle gas but create pounds and pounds of carbon dioxide pollution we should buy cars that get high gas mileage (30+ miles per gallon). The article gives more ways to conserve.

We need to do our part and hopefully global warming will become a more pertinent topic in the mainstream media because right now the message is not getting across. People are not realizing the affects of their lavish and extravagant lifestyles. These lifestyles might be fun and part of the "American Way" but they are harming the Earth and all the people on it.

Allegiance to What?

2005-09-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Pledge of Allegiance was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in Sacramento.

The ruling came after the judge found that the words "under God" were unconstitutional because of the mix of church and state.

I never understood the Pledge of Allegiance. All through elementary and middle school we consistently stood every morning and faced the flag and pledged allegiance to it. What does a elementary school student even know about pledging allegiance?

By high school we rarely did the pledge but it seems to me after learning a little more about the country and being more aware of it's history that the pledge would have been a little more relevant as a high school student.

I believe that ruling the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional was the right thing to do, after all making children hold their hands to their hearts and say the words "under God" is a little too much. I also believe it is a little too much for children to pledge allegiance to a flag when they don't really know anything of the country's history at the age of 5, 6, or 7.

Maybe I see it as a little bit of a brainwashing mechanism but then again that could be taking it a bit too far.

Patriotism is good but blind patriotism is not, even at a young age. Children should be taught to be critical thinkers early on and by blindly saying the Pledge over and over is just going to numb them to the patriotism that it stands for.

Children should be taught the history of their country. They should be taught about the founding documents, the wars, and the presidents who formed the country's policies. With this knowledge patriotism and pride for country are formed.

The Pledge of Allegiance is a blind form a patriotism that should not be used in schools for the simple fact that children have no idea what it means and are being instructed to say it over and over again until the words just blend together. Is this really any way to teach pride and loyalty towards their country?

Community-Based Radio

2005-09-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Let's hear it for small community-based radio!

Detainee Update

2005-09-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since I have spoke about the detainees at Guantanmo Bay, but they are never forgotten and are, unfortunately, not going anywhere.

The latest news is yet another hunger strike which at this point is all these detainees really have to express themselves. The last hunger strike led to talks with the U.S. government, but no one with charged with any crime and now they are back to square one.

Some of these men have been in prison for almost 3 years! If these men are so evil and deserve so much abuse shouldn't it be easy to charge them with a crime?

Keeping someone in prison without ever charging them for a crime and not ever giving them a trial is a crime in itself and is making America, the supposed "home of the free", look like an oppresive dictatorship in which we chose how we should give a fair trial and who we shouldn't.

It infuriates me to see these people sitting in limbo and not knowing when things will begin to happen. It infuriates me even more when the only way these detainees can get their point across is through a hunger-strike. What has this world come to? What has our own country done to it's name?

Breaking News. . .

2005-09-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Louisiana government took necessary and timely steps in response to Hurricane Katrina.

Wow!

2005-09-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Bush takes responsibility for the failures in response to Hurricane Katrina!

Hiding the Evidence

2005-09-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

FEMA has screwed up. They didn't respond to the disaster in time and now many thousands of people are dead, we know this. So why do we need to see pictures of the bodies as they are removed from the water and the waste?

FEMA has told the media that they will not be allowed to take pictures of the dead bodies if they want a story. Why is FEMA trying to hide these pictures from the public?

I'm not sure why anyone would want to see the pictures of the dead bodies but it is very similar to the pictures of coffins coming back from Iraq, we know the people are dead and government is trying to hide the "evidence". When images are kept from the public it makes the operation seem even more secretive and wrong. By keeping images from the public questions are not forgotten, instead more are formed.

Images of dead bodies should not be strewn across the front page of any newspaper or be posted on t.v. during primetime viewing but the pictures should be accessible for public viewing because the actions (or lack of actions) of our government led to the mass amount of bodies being found, just as our government's actions have a direct correlation to the amount of coffins brought home from Iraq.

I am not saying that our government could have prevented a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina but I believe with better planning less people would have died.

We have the right to see the pictures of the bodies of victims of Hurricane Katrina and we also have the right to not look at them but they should be available. They will be upsetting and gruesome but so is the war in Iraq and that continues today with government cooperation, even as bodies are brought home in coffins that the American public are not shown.

A government that gives the public all the information is a fair government no matter what politics are involved. Though the information is not always agreed upon, atleast we know that we (the American public) is not kept in the dark about what our government is doing.

Refugees?

2005-09-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

I really thought this article touched on some very good points, maybe points that have been overlooked in the whole media frenzy that is Hurricane Katrina.

When the victims of Hurricane Katrina were labled as refugees nobody really flinched because everyone was calling them by this title but these victims are not escaping social persecution and are not seeking refuge from a third-world country. The victims of Hurricane Katrina are victims of a natural disaster, a natural disaster that happened in our own country. By calling these people refugees we are separating them from the rest of the U.S., we are making them seem as if they are really actually lower in status than other Americans. The author of this article points out, if these people were mostly white would we still label them as refugees? I don't want to make this into an arguement on race but I believe he has a good point, for the most part the victims of Hurricane Katrina were lower-class and non-white, so the refugee title that the media gave the victims just stuck because we began to lump these people in with the true refugees of third-world countries.

These people have suffered greatly and will be suffering for years to come trying to rebuild their lives and continuing to mourn the deaths of their loved ones who died in the tragedy. By using the term "refugee" to describe them only makes them feel less connected to the American public, and makes the American public feel less connected to the victims.

Resignation of Brown

2005-09-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Michael Brown, director of FEMA, resigned today. His resignation is not a surprise and is a sigh of relief to the American people.

Not only did the man lie about his credentials but he was slow to respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Last friday Mr. Brown was sent home by President Bush so that he could have a stiff drink and think about all the chaos caused by the FEMA disaster.

Our President should have fired Mr. Brown but I guess in the end the man with a little more dignity was Mr. Brown, and that isn't saying much.

Will our country be safer without Mr. Brown? It is hard to say because a disaster like Katrina might not occur again for many years (let's hope).

"Stuff Happens"

2005-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

A very well written Washington Post article on the downfall of our lovely country.

How can people with so much pride in their country be so greedy and selfish? Why are the rich so rich? Because they believe that only they deserve the money that they have and that charity should be a four-letter word.

The poorer the poor people are, the richer they will be.

Powell Apologizes

2005-09-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

Colin Powell has come out to say that the speech he gave about Iraq having WMDs, in 2003, was a "blot" on his career.

He also admits that there was never any evidence to suggest a connection between 9/11 and Iraq. Well, no shit Sherlock, but thanks for confirming that for everyone who already knew.

Powell stated that finishing what we started in Iraq is the best thing to do because of how deep into the mess we already are. Is finishing what you started a good thing if it began on false premises? Won't this make it worse? Is digging deeper into a wound that you created with your own hands going to make it heal any quicker?

Admitting wrong doing is only half the battle. Taking a stand to action is the other half. Staying in Iraq after knowing the premises were wrong is not right on any level under any circumstance.

I have respect for Powell only in the sense that he didn't have to come out and talk about this embarassing speech in which he thought he had received valid infomation. He could have blamed everything on the CIA and had nothing more to do with it.

Do I think it is a little late to be apologizing? Yes.

I'm wondering how President Bush will respond to this.

One Big Step

2005-09-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

The U.S. granted a temporary visa to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad so that he can attend the U.N. General Assembley.

Though the U.N. building is technically international land the U.S. proved some fairness by allowing Mr. Ahmadinejad to attend the meeting and speak his voice just as every leader of every nation should.

Sadaam Hussein Update.

2005-09-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

A government official in Iraq has said that the former president of Iraq, Sadaam Hussein, will go on trial in mid-October. He is being charged with the 1982 deaths of 143 people in Dujail after a failed assassination attempt.

I'm glad to see this man finally getting a trial. No matter how evil he is he deserves a trial like everyone else.

Does this mean we are now safe? Is the war on terror going to be over wants he is rotting in jail? No, of course not. Mr. Hussein had nothing to with 9/11 and has no ties to Osama binLaden. Oh yeah. . . .where is that guy?

Found

2005-09-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Fats Domino was found.

Smile!

2005-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad President Bush finally decided to come down to the disaster site. Looks like he just happened to show up when the helicopters and National Gaurd's men weren't doing anything, yeah right.

Can you say photo oppurtunity? This man is ridiculous!

Homeland Security Update---Not That Secure

2005-09-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Bush apparently had no idea that the levee near New Orleans would give way during Hurricane Katrina, though news headlines have stated otherwise. Funding for the levee repair was drasitically lower than what the state of Louisiana had asked for because more funding was needed for the war in Iraq.

People are without food, water, and are wallowing in human waste because of something that could have been prevented. Now FEMA has said that they had no idea that people were being kept at the SuperDome, how did they not know this? How did everyone in the U.S. know this and not the government? The government is already looking real bad in this situation, do they need to make it worse by lying?

Why can't our governemnt keep our own country safe? The war on terror means nothing if people in our own country, thousands of them, are without food and water. We can't be a strong nation promoting democracy and freedom when our own government cuts funding for projects that directly effect our citizens safety and well-being.

People are being raped and bodies are being found floating in the water. Is this really the United States of America? Can we not take care of our own people?

If the war in Iraq was not enough for us to depise and distrust our president maybe this disaster will open everyone's eyes and make them realize how corrupt our government has really become when a national disaster is less important than a war that began on false intentions.

Comparing Heroes and Cowards

2005-08-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Bush is comparing WWII to Iraq? Hmmm, I wasn't there for WWII but it seems much different. Is it that Bush has run out of wars, that aren't Vietnam, to compare it to? Read this article to find out why this comparison is just so wrong.

As we now know Bush has admitted that this war is about oil and the support is waning because most Americans don't see this as a legitimate reason to be in Iraq. Is greed a good reason to have invaded and remain occupying a country, I think not.

Support for our cowardly president, who refuses to admit that the occupation is a bust, is also waning and maybe that is why he is now putting himself in the same boat as Roosevelt who had a vision to spread democracy just as President Bush had a vision of doing the same thing today in Iraq. Americans can't be that stupid, can they?

Teaching Kids to Eat Right

2005-08-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

There has been much concern over the eating habits of elementary and middle-school children and the links of these habits to obesity later in life.

The concern is real and though I believe schoosl play a big role in teaching kids to eat right by not making candy, chips, and soda available, I still believe home is where good eating must begin. If a child is given the tools and education for knowing how to eat right at school this doesn't do much good unless parents support this.

Many children with bad eating habits learn them from parents but many learn them from being exposed to certain foods at school. Once junkfood is eliminated from our children's schools parents are the ones that must follow through on healthy eating.

Healthy eating must begin at an early age and must be taught that it is tasty and not just a necessary evil.

Healthy eating at a young age leads to healthy eating later on in life.

Let us not rely on our schools to teach our children eating habits. This is a job for parents too.

700 Club Disclaimer

2005-08-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

The 700 Club now has a new disclaimer before it begins. I saw this and shrugged, I know ABC Family has an obligation to show this program and I believe the real test will come when CBN's contract with ABC Family ends. Will they renew?

White Women Aren't Missing

2005-08-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is a really great column I read today. It touches on the point of how much network news has focused in on this girl Natalee Holloway. The writer of the column, Cynthia Tucker, talks about how so many other people go missing everyday yet all we see on the news is the latest on Ms. Holloway, which sometimes isn't even news.

Ms. Tucker even points out that more men go missing per year than women. So why Natalee? The reason is is that she is young and beautiful. Her disappearrance is nothing out of the ordinary but she sucks in viewers because she is young, beautiful, and white. Yes, its true, race does has something to do with it. People tend to feel more sympathy for those they can relate better to. But this does not mean the disappearance of a Black girl or a Latina girl is any less important.

As I have said many times, our network and cable news have so many problems. This is just another one. FOX, CNN, and NBC are obligated to their ratings to show us more and more Natalee Holloway because as Americans we see it as tragic or maybe fascinating that this beatiful, blonde girl went missing in a tropical paradise.

I can't wait until the close the Holloway case so that they can make a t.v. movie about it and get it out of the media's view (which is not all that big to begin with). Viewers of the "news" get sucked in by the silliest things and the executives at the news stations feast of this, they feast off of our stupidity to not want to know anything other than what we are being fed by their marketing machine.

I can't say it enough, network and cable news are the laughing stock of all the real news out there. As a viewer, you will also be the laughing stock if you allow CNN, FOX, and NBC to spoon feed you their crap.

Chavez Wants Action Taken Against Robertson

2005-08-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hugo Chavez wants the U.S. government to take Pat Roberston's comments as terrorist threats and wants them to act accordingly as they would with any other terrorist threat.

Do I think this will happen? No. Simple as that, our President won't do anything to punish Pat Robertson because I believe he doesn't want to cause a stir in the Christian world, the world he is so closely linked with politically and economically.

The Problem With Commercial News

2005-08-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

This is a very good article that touches on some very important ideas. The news we watch on t.v. is totally geared towards ratings. Stories like the Runaway Bride, Terry Shaivo, and Michael Jackson are just real-life soap operas that people can tune into everynight to get the latest. These stories though are not real news, they are not the stories that should be making the front page of the newspaper, they are not the stories that should be the main topics of t.v. news programs, and they should not be the stories that ABC, NBC, CNN, CBS, and FOX focus on.

Americans ARE concerned with real issues such as healthcare and social security but, as this article points out, are rarely gone into depth on commercial news. The real issues get put into nice little 30-60 second packages while hours of air time are devoted to the Runaway Bride, and Natalee Holloway.

News programs and news stations are failing miserably on informing Americans on the real issues that affect us at home and abroad and because of this we have become a society that is unaware of current issues. Commercial news is dumbed down and made into audio-visual tabloids that are ratings extravaganzas.

News should not be based on ratings, plain and simple, and no matter how much stations like CNN and FOX tell you that they are informing you they are simply leaving you in the dark.

An Olive Branch to Chavez

2005-08-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Rev. Ted Haggard, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, would like to meet face to face with president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez to apologize for Pat Roberston's remarks on assassination.

This is all good and well and I'm sure that Chavez would love the face to face apology but don't you think he would like to hear the apology from the man who made the remarks? Rev. Haggard is a good man I'm sure but his apology for someone else's wrong doings is just not going to be as good.

Rev. Haggard also encourages Christians to distance themselves from Roberston's remarks. This, however, does not get him off the hook for apolgizing to Chavez. Christians, though, should distance themselves, not only from his remarks but from everything that he is associated with. A man of faith condoning hate is no man of faith.

BBC Article.

Who is Hugo Chavez?

2005-08-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

A democratically elected president who has 70% popularity, better than we can say for our president. I hear Chavez is even popular with the poor, who would have thought that a president could be in touch with the poor people of the country, again, more than we can say for our president.

Wikipedia article.

It's That Time of Year Again

2005-08-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

No, not Labor Day, though that is nice, I'm speaking about the 4th Anniversary of September 11th. I'm sure President Bush has a speech planned that will somehow link the two things that we know are not linked; September 11th and the War in Iraq. Bush will come out with his rhetoric about how we need to win the War on Terror so that we can have a safer America and don't forget to support the troops.

I think I will have the t.v. off on September 11th. I don't think I can stand to see our President exploit the people who were killed in 9/11. Remembering these peoples' lives is not what our President has on his agenda though, he plans on using their deaths to reach out and make Americans believe that this war is a war against the people who flew into the World Trade Center. We all have sympathy for the families of 9/11 and our President knows this. What our President won't believe though is that this war we are fighting in Iraq will not make Americans safer.

The war in Iraq and the policies that our President is executing in that country are becoming less popular by the day yet here comes his one saving grace, 9/11. He will exploit this day as part of his agenda to support his unjust war in Iraq while the families of 9/11 suffer and mourn.

Pat Roberston IS an Idiot!

2005-08-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Pat Roberston seems to have got himself into some trouble. He is now trying to take back what he said yesterday. He is now lying by saying that he never said the word "assassinate" when he did in fact say that exact word. Roberston also said the phrase "take him out" which could of course mean any number of things but when that is followed by "assassinate" it would take an idiot not to realize what Roberston really meant by the term "take him out".

If Roberston is such a Christian why is he speaking of killing and then lying about it on top of it? My opinion, they guy is a crock and a waste of everyone's time.

Bill O'Reilly and I Agree!

2005-08-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of watching the O'Reilly factor tonight, in hopes that he would speak of Pat Roberston's comments on the assassination of the Venezuelan President. Finally, after a half hour of his blabbing, he condmned Roberston's comments by saying he didn't think Jesus would want to assassinate the Venezuelan President and if he did he wouldn't need Mr. Robertson's help. Yes!

Pat Roberston= Idiot, Part II

2005-08-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Pat Robertosn should keep his mouth closed! How can this man call himself a Christian when he is telling the U.S. to assassinate the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, because it will be cheaper than war? How can a man who condemns murder and abortion even entertain the thought of the assassination of a world leader?

I'm sure many other "Christians" agree with Mr. Robertson on this one. I think Robertsonian Christians believe that we have the right to kill others who won't give us their oil(Venezuela has the 5th largest oil reserve in the world) and that seems to be why we give a damn about Venezuela's government in the first place.

If you are going to call yourself a Christian you should live and speak peace. Why should we kill rulers of countries with different politics and government than ours? Shouldn't we be trying to live together, in this not so big world, peacefully?

We speak of the Muslim religion as being violent and how it is based on violence but the Christian religion does not seem much better when it has spokespeople like Pat Robertson who support assassination. Maybe this should be a lesson to all those who are intolerant of the Muslim religion.

All religions have a crazy spokesperson who ends up sucking up all the attention in the media because talking about assassination and killing innocent people is much more interesting than promoting peace (how often is the Dalai Lama in the news?). Shouldn't we be smarter by now and realize that Islam is peaceful for the most part just as Christianity is peaceful for the most part, it is just that each religion has a crazy person who has become the poster boy of what the religion stands for.

I doubt Robertsonian Christians will realize this because they are too busy thinking about who to assassinate next. Maybe others in our country still have a chance.

BBC article.

Now it's 2009?

2005-08-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Is Iraq looking more and more like Vietnam everyday? The other day we heard that U.S. troops might have to say in Iraq until 2009? I knew we couldn't trust the statement that we would be out by 2006. And we need more troops? Up to 100,000? Where do we get these eager bodies? Is anyone willing to raise their hand and volunteer for the war that no noble cause has even been given? Is giving "freedom" to the Iraqis the noble cause? It seems to me (when comparing us to Sadaam Hussein) that we are just the lesser of two evils.

Many are saying we need to get out of Iraq right now. I don't know if now is any better than later but it does seem like the longer we are there the less stable it will become. Isn't that what happened in Vietnam? Didn't Nixon keep saying "a little longer"? Look where that got us.

Will Iraq be the same kind of story? Many say we are winning the war we just need more time. Didn't they say that six months ago or even a year ago? When will the "more" part of this "more" time be up? We can't stay forever and once the Iraqis decide on their constitution shouldn't we let them deal with their own problems? Remember Vietnamization? Do any of these people read history books?

Today 2009, tomorrow eternal hegemony.

Inspiration

2005-08-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

I read this article about how a 23-year-old-blogger got a real job working for The American Prospect. I know you may not be interested in this story but I sometimes wonder why I blog and I think I finally found my answer. Politics and current events are my passion and as long as I keep on truckin' (or bloggin' in this case) maybe something good will happen for me like it did for this guy.

P.S.

Here is one of his articles.

Global Warming--At the Forefront of the '08 Election?

2005-08-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Let's hope that the two presidential candidates in 2008 will focus on Global Warming and the Environment. We need to focus on the future and the future doesn't look good for our environment. Unfortunately, this idea has gone far over our current President's head. If we can have two candidates in 2008 who will make Global Warming the big issue instead of gay marriage then we will be moving a step in the right direction.

Article from Truthout.org

Are We Secure At Home?

2005-08-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a pretty interesting opinion column about homeland security, security on public transport, and the problems they both face. Read it!

Culture Report Part II

2005-08-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some things I have been listening to seeing and planning on doing.

Movies:
March of the Penguins
The Aristocrats--funniest movie I have seen in a long time.

Music:
The Foo Fighters new Album "In Your Honor"
The Arcade Fire EP

Concerts:
Tom Petty @ the Greek Theatre August 26th

Destroyed Road -Side Vigil

2005-08-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Now anti-Sheehan protesters are destroying her vigil by driving their vehicles over the road-side crosses that line the road near President Bush's Crawford ranch. What do I say to this? How do you expect to get a point across by acting like a child? If an individual does not like what Ms. Sheehan is doing in Crawford then they should speak up in a grown-up manner. Running over someone's vigil is disgraceful and it makes the individuals that are against Ms. Sheehan's cause look stupid and irrational.

Another point, aren't Sheehan's opponents talking about how she is not showing respect for her son's life and service in Iraq? Well it seems as if these people are hypocritical. You can't talk about respecting the dead and then mow over some crosses on the side of the road.

Read the Reuters Article.

Is Freedom Worth Dying For?

2005-08-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Is freedom worth dying for? For a country built on the idea of freedom we are in a sticky situation with the war in Iraq. Yes, the Iraqis are free from Saddam but do they have freedom? Freedom the way we (the U.S.) define it? Probably not, and depending on how you look at it this could be a very bad thing or it could be just one of those things that we have to deal with because we respect the rest of the world being very different than the U.S.

When Cindy Sheehan set up camp in Crawford, TX she had many questions to ask the Commander in Cheif. She wanted to know, and still wants to know, if her son died for the right cause. Ms. Sheehan is not undermining freedom because if we all thought the Iraq war was acheiving what it was meant to acheive, people would be less hostile of our actions in Iraq.

People who support the anti-war movement are not anti-freedom. Freedom does not stem from war and smothering other countries with our views and policies. Freedom comes from acceptance and fairness. Yeah, I know this sounds comepletely naive but it is true. People who are against the war are not against our country and they definately do not support the terrorists but if you look at the way things are going you can see that this war really hasn't made anyone feel safer, but it has made a whole lot of people ask "why?".

Cindy Sheehan is a courageous woman for standing up and demanding answers. Do I think she will get her talk with Mr. President? No. But she has sent a message to him that he can not ignore.

Freedom is something we are all lucky to have as Americans but when we inflict "freedom" in other countries things become tricky. Is what we are inforcing in Iraq actually freedom or is it our way of controlling the beast?

Contradiction in Conservative Ideology

2005-08-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

This article touches on some very interesting points that have always made me wonder. How does a political ideology like Conservatism who say they want less government control also want all these different things regulated (stem-cell research, gay marriage, abortion)? Is it because they believe that stem-cell research, abortion, etc. are wrong? They want the things that they as Conservatives feel are wrong to be regulated by the government but everything else should be left up to each individual citizen.

What the Conservatives don't realize (or just care to ignore) is that not everyone shares the same ideology as a white, Christian, Conservative. The things that this select group of people want regulated are only going to benefit them and in a country such as ours which prides itself on diversity (atleast that's what I've heard) this is not going to fly. You have to think of everyone's best interest and prayer in public schools does not statisfy this ideology. Just because one group is Christian and believes public schools should allow prayer does not make it something that the U.S. government should regulate.

The Conservatives should just admit that they support government regulation on the things that don't fit into THEIR agendas, screw everyone else's. The things that they are intimidated by or the issues that they are ignorant on, should be dealt with by a higher power (the government) because they have no place in our country.

You know what really has no place in our country? People who believe that only their beliefs are worth having governement come in and implement. Everyone else's beliefs are shit and don't deserve a second look.

Hiding What We Already Know

2005-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

The pictures and video tapes of abuse at Abu Gahrib prison would not have to be kept from public view if nothing had ever happened. The Pentagon is stating that if they release these incriminating photos there will be riots here in the U.S. Well I'm glad they realize this, that when something is unjust people get angry. Our country is abusing prisoners in Iraq and trying to hide the evidence from its people because it will make the Administration look bad. I think Americans are smarter than this.

We as Americans deserve to see the photos and video taken at Abu Gahrib because it is our right. It is our right to know what is going on in our country and to know that not everything that our country does is perfect.

The funny thing is, those who demand to see the photos already know what is going on at Abu Gahrib and already agree that it is wrong. Those who agree with the abuse probably have no desire to see the photos because it will imprint images in their minds that will dampen their pride for our "perfect" country.

Another shocking thing, only 8 lower ranked soldiers have been convicted of any wrong doing in these abuse scandles. What about those who are of higher rank? Do they have no idea what is going on at Abu Gahrib? Did they never give orders to abuse and humiliate prisoners? I highly doubt that these officials were blind to what was happening at Abu Gahrib. Why aren't they getting put on trial?

I know I sound like a broken record when I speak of the abuse at these prisons but I just don't understand it. How can our country be in Iraq trying to promote peace when they are abusing and humiliating men in these prisons who have not even been convicted of a crime? If Americans were be treated this way we would have none of it. How can we allow these prisoners to be treated so horribly and not even stop to think for one second how demonic and cruel we must look to others.

Al Jazeera Article cited in this blog.

Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy week for me so I'm a little behind on my current events this week. With that said I picked up the paper this morning and read the story of Cindy Sheehan which itched my Blogging Bug. Ms. Sheehan, for those of you still living under a rock, is the mother of fallen soldier Casey Sheehan, who died in Iraq in April of 2004. Ms. Sheehan has taken up camp outside Bush's ranch in Texas demanding to speak to him about the "just cause" that her son died for. She also has a broader message "Bring the Troops Home". Bush is now in a tough spot because whether he speaks to her or ignores her he is going to be looked at critically. The media is having a hayday with this story so all attention is on Ms. Sheehan. If Bush does speak to her what will he say is the "just cause"? If he doesn't speak to her then what is he hiding? It is a lose lose situation and the Republicans do not like it one bit and neither do military supporters who say Ms. Sheehan is undermining her son's legacy.
This brings me to the point which urked me the most about this story, some Republicans are saying that the Democrats are using Ms. Sheehan as a pawn for the left. They say that she has become part of their political agenda to popularize the anti-war propaganda that they have been trying to spread since the war began. I wish righties like Bill O'Rielly, who was one of the accusers, could remember back to the Teri Shaivo case in which Republicans used her case to promote THEIR agenda. Do you remember Shaivo and all the attention she was getting from the relgious right about her "right to live"? The Republicans had a field day with that and she didn't even have a choice! Now they are throwing it back on Democrats with this Sheehan story. Ms. Sheehan is a conscious person doing what she is doing on her own free will. She has many supporters, much of whom are from the left, but no one is using her as a pawn as Republicans say. Her cause is real and those who believe she is undermining her son and those who say that she is changing her story(Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity to name a few) as to further the anti-war agenda have it all wrong. This is a grieving mother who wants to speak to the President, the Commander-in-Chief, to answer some questions. The media attention she is receiving is not part of an agenda, it is to make people aware of Ms. Sheehan's quest for truth and knowledge. When Republicans undermine the courage of Ms. Sheehan they are undermining knowledge they would rather we just blindly support something just because our President and government support it.

Comparing Apples to Oranges.

2005-08-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Debra Saunders of the S.F. Chronicle points out an interesting little fact. If we had given up on the Revolutionary War we would all be Brits. Yes, this is true, but why is she comparing the war in Iraq to our Revolutionary War? They seem to be two completely different circumstances. One in which our Founding Fathers fought for freedom from Britian the greatest power in the world at the time and one in which the greatest power (the U.S.) in the world is now in a country trying to make it democratic and civil but under U.S. rules and regulations. Hmmm, I think the message Saunders is sending is a little mixed because we were fighting for our freedom to become independent and now we are helping Iraq fight for their freedom so they can be like us. Saunders even asks the question "why doesn't Iraq adopt the U.S. constitution?" Why would they? They are a completely different country with different morals, beliefs, and ideas of how a country should be run. The U.S. is not a perfect model of how to run a democratic nation, our country has way too many faults to even begin to explain, it is just one example.

Waste of Ink

2005-08-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm glad the Associated Press took time to write this story. I was really concerned about the "Run Away Bride" and her whereabouts. Phew, my questions have been answered.

Democrat Veterans

2005-08-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

Why can't this guy Paul Hackett catch a break? He ran for congress in Ohio, in a district that has voted Republican forever, but Hackett is a Democrat and a Veteran who fought in the Iraq war. In fact his is the first veteran of this Iraq war to run for public office. Though Mr. Hackett did not win the election he only lost by 4,000 votes to a Republican with more campaing money and a bigger smear campaign than Hackett.
Republicans, including Rush Limbaugh and Mr. Hackett's opponent in the Congressional race are saying that he was trying to hide behind the military uniform, trying to hide his liberalism, to sway republicans to vote for him and the Democratic party.
Why is it always Democrats hiding behind the uniform and using their military resume to their advantage (remember Kerry?). Why can't Mr. Hackett be a genuine war hero who went and served in Mr. George Bush's war. I bet if he were Republican no one would even think twice about this guy.
Are Republicans mad because veterans are coming home and supporting the Democrat Agenda instead of the agenda of Mr. Bush? I think Republicans are a little intimidated by a man who fought honorably in Iraq and has now come home, put himself in the public eye and said that he is against the war.
Wake up call, there are many veterans of the Iraq war who are Democrats, what if they all decided to run for office, what then? Would they be accused of hiding behind a uniform to sway voters?
Why must Republicans even talk such nonsense. They are the ones who supported this war from the beginning and now they are mad when someone comes out publicly saying courageously that they were in the war and they are against it.
If people like Mr. Hackett weren't fighting in the war who would be? Aren't the Republicans all about "Supporting the Troops"? Then what about the verterans? Republicans need to rethink their views because there are too many inconsistancies in their rhetoric.

For further reading read this article.

Intelligent Design

2005-08-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

The idea of Intelligent Design is the idea that life is so complex that it must have been created by some divine being. Should this idea be taught in science classes across America along side the theory of evolution? My answer is no, simply because Intelligent Design is not supported by science and therefore should not be taught in a science classroom.
I admit that there are things about evolution that are questionable, after all, none of us were there so no one really knows what happened for sure. But the one thing about the theory of evolution is that it is supported by scientists and these scientists say that the theory of evolution is the most widely accepted theory there is on the matter.
Intelligent Design is a touchy subject because it means speaking of religion when religion should be kept out of public school classrooms, period. You can not bring a religious theory into a science class and compare it side by side to a scientific theory such as evolution, it just doesn't make sense.
I understand why Bush supports the teaching of Intelligent Design. The man calls himself religious, therefore he probably believes this is how humans were created. But I know that he didn't learn this in his science class, he probably learned it in church or from his parents.
I do not disrespect the theory of Intelligent Design but I firmly believe that it should not be taught in a public school setting where science in part of the curriculum, not religion.

For further reading on this subject click here.

Blacklists for "Excuse Makers"

2005-08-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Thomas Friedman, a New York Times columnist has suggested to the U.S. government that they create blacklists for those who believe that U.S. government actions may encourage reprisals. These people which Friedman has labled "excuse makers" are "one notch less despicable than the terrorists". He is suggesting that these people support terrorists because they feel that learning about why terrorists do things is just as important as connecting them to certain terrorist attacks. You can be in denial about it but terrorists ARE people who think and act on thoughts and feelings. We need to understand them to defeat them. We can not defeat terrorism by creating fearand hate.
Friedman continues to write in his column that these "exuse makers" see a connection between Iraq and further terrorism (in the U.S. and abroad) and see the U.S. as less safe since the war began. This doesn't seem like an excuse to me, it seems like it is common sence. When you go to another country and take people captive and then perform unthinkable acts of torture on them what do you think is going to happen? It is not excuse to say that the war in Iraq has led to more terrorism and that anyone supports the war is probably more of a target to terrorism. Terrorists aren't stupid, they make political moves just like our government does, this is why we need to understand them more.
I do not support the war on terror but I also do not support the terrorists. Wanting to understand these people that attacked our country does not make me "one notch less despicable than the terrorists". Without questioning government without learning more about current issues and without trying to understand individuals we are confining ourselves and cutting ourselves off to the rest of the world. This is not a good place to put yourself especially in an age when everything is so interconnected. I think the real "excuse makers are those who believe that our actions in other countries are not linked at all to things that happen in other countries. The world is interconnected and this has made the earth smaller than ever. We can not do one single thing without effecting others.
This blog sited an article from FAIR.org.

Next Step

2005-07-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have been writing on the blog for about a month and a half now and have noticed how much my more I am writing day to day. I think I am ready to take the next step in the progress in blogging. I would love to hear from the people who read my blog on what I should write about next and I would also like to hear your opinions of my blog and opinions on the issues I have already covered. Please feel free to leave your comments on this blog. Thanks you.

Global Warming.

2005-07-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Global warming is a very important issue and this website helps you participate in the fight to eliminate it even if you do not have alot of time. Also learn more about what global warming is doing to our environment all over the country, learn about the impact, about what people around the country are doing, and about the future of our environment if global warming continues at the alarming rate that it is going at right now.

Register as my friend on my own personal page at stopglobalwarming.org.

stopglobalwarming.org

A Breath of Fresh Air

2005-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel as if I sound like a broken record with all my ranting and raving out the abuses at Abu Gahrib and Guantanamo Bay prisons but this morning I opened the paper and found a breath of fresh air, an Open Forum column by Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek.
The column discussed what needs to be done in the cases of abuse at these prisons. I will not discuss them because I have discussed them time and again in my blogs but please please read this article because Ms. Tauscher hits the nail right on the head with her reasons for having an idependent commission investigate the abuse allegations. I agreed with everything she said, the column is focused and brings up very good points from beginning to end. The column does end with a quote from former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that I loved so I'm going to post it:
"It is during our most challenging and uncertain moments that our nation's commitment to due process is most severely tested; and it is in those times that we must preserve our commitment at home to principles for which we fight abroad."

We Deserve to See the Pictures.

2005-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mr. O'Reilly (my favorite target) is saying that the ACLU's demand for more pictures from Abu Jahrib is unnecassary and dangerous because these pictures would promote violence against Americans.
We have the right as Americans to see these pictures. If our military never abused prisoners and took abuse of their power then there would be no pictures in the first place. We can not just cover up things in this country because we believe they are wrong. If our soldiers were getting abused by Iraqis and there were pictures we would demand to see them, this is no different. As far as promting violence against Americans and promoting terror, the media contributes to this daily by putting fear into the average American with stories like "is your subway system safe?" or "when will the next terror attack hit?" and "in what city will it hit?". These stories promote terror because terrorists feed of the scared and paranoid, and though these stories may have parts to them that are true we don't really know when and where terror will hit so why must we contantly speculate while the American public becomes more and more paranoid?
Pictures of abuse at Abu Jahrib will not promote violence against Americans anymore than what is already going on. These picutures need to be seen because we, as Americans, deserve to know what our military is doing in Iraq. Violence against us can be stopped only when we stop being violent. That is what war is and will always be.

Thank you, John McCain.

2005-07-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

President Bush does not want to take any responsibility for what is happening at Abu Jahrib or Guantanamo Bay because he wants to be able to do whatever it takes in the situation of war. "Whatever it takes" has become degrading, inhumane, and very un-American to the detainees at these two prisons. I know that I have wrote many posts on this subject but it is very important to me and should be important and of great concern to all Americans because we are smearing the name of our country by carrying on with the interrogation methods that are currently going on in these two prisons.
Whether the detainess are guilty or not they do not deserve the treatment that they are receiving. The treatment that is promoted by both George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, the two men who refuse to take any responsibility what so ever for the mess they have created.
Some people in the senate and congress don't understand why America should be ashamed of what it is doing to prisoners of war. Maybe it would take walking a day (or six years) in their shoes as Senator John McCain did when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for six years. McCain is trying to pass an Amendment to "set uniform standards for interrogation for anyone detained by the Defense Department." The Amendment would also prohibit the "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment," this is a step in the right direction but the issue need to be raised to the frontline so that discussion between our President, Congress, the Senate, the media, and the American public can begin. Until then this Amendment is just a good intention that needs to be acted upon but I still praise Senator McCain for bringing it to the floor because discussion must start somewhere. Hopefull our President will see the light and realize that what we are doing to prisoners of war can also happen to Americans who are captured, like Senator John McCain.

For this blog I sited this article from truthout.org.

Quantity vs. Quality

2005-07-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

We live in a country where everything bigger is better. Where burgers are bigger than our heads and SUVs are bigger than our homes the U.S. is getting bigger by the minute. But does this increase in size mean better quality? Certainly not. We all know good things come in small packages and that a Super Big Gulp contains the same crappy soda that it's 16 oz. companion does so why the need to be so large? We are a country that takes things for granted. We throw things away without thinking, we fill our huge SUVs with $100 worth of gas that might last us until the middle of the week, and we build shopping malls and 50 screen movie theatres where beautiful open space looked so nice. Our country loves large things because they make us feel more important and give us more self-worth and self-esteem, but super size has become a super problem. With super-size America we have seen obesity rise, consumerism take over, gas guzzling vehicles take over the road, and our open space disappearing. When will this stop? When will America realize that quality is much more important than quantity? When will we learn that massive amounts of waste now will only lead to fewer and fewer natural resources for future generations? When will we learn that a serving size is not something that fast food giants pay much attention to?
My worry is that this won't stop and that we will keep wasting, over eating, and over expanding our boundries into open spaces, we will keep buying vehicles that are too big for us and we will keep filling them with 30 gallons of gas as we complain about being too dependent of foreign oil.
Can this be changed? Not overnight. But by the time we become more aware of what we are doing it may be too late.

The New Energy Bill

2005-07-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Reading this article made me sick to my stomach. This article pinpoints all that is wrong with the new energy bill which seems to be just about everything. Little or no talk of solar or wind energy, little or no talk of becoming less dependent on foreign oil, it would exempt large oil companies from strict environmental laws, and there would be no increases on the amount of miles cars get to the gallon, the list goes on. Does our president not think of the future at all? Does he not realize that the earth will be a baron waste-land sooner than his daughters can be great-grandmothers? President Bush is smart enough to know that oil will not last forever and that the earth is delicate and needs to be handled with care but he is too ignorant and greedy to acknowledge these issues for it would mean breaking with the status-quo.

O'Reilly--Purely Cold Blooded on Hot Issue

2005-07-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

Bill O'Reilly was speaking of the heat waves last week in the southwest where many died of heat exhaustion and dehydration. He mentioned the homeless population and said that if they wanted somewhere cool to stay they would have found that place and because they didn't the homeless MUST be mentally incapable of taking care of themselves. Wow, this man gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling everytime I listen to him speak. O'Reilly's guest stated that there wasn't that many places for the homeless to go other than the public libraries (how many people would let a homeless person into their home?) and the Catholic charaties only set up 100 beds when the homeless population is in the thousands. I love O'Reilly's insistance that ALL homeless people ar crazy drug addicts and that they are all too strung out on something to find refuge from the heat when the reality is most are just people who have fallen on bad times and now they are out in the heat dying because they have no where to go. No one likes the homeless problem we all wish that every person had somewhere to go to be safe from the elements (whether hot or cold) but when someone so boldly comes out and throws out this statement about ALL homeless people it is quite scary. I would like to think O'Reilly as the only person who thinks the way he does but he has many followers that agree with his every word and this is the population of America that worries me the most.

Religion & Reproductive Rights

2005-07-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

A doctor with religious morals and values has the right not to end someone's live in the case of abortion or taking someone off life support. But does this same doctor, or a doctor with the same values, have the right to deny the joy of becoming a parent, the joy of bringing new life into this world because of the mother's sexual orientation? What someone does behind closed doors is their business. There are many reasons that you can equate to someone being unfit to be a parent but sexual orientation is not one of them, there is no scientific proof that lesbian mothers are more or less unfit than mothers who are heterosxual. A doctor who preforms artificial insemination should not be allowed to pick and chose who he or she helps due to who a woman decides to lay down with at the end of the night. A lesbian couple who have a stable relationship should have the same rights as a heterosexual couple in a stable relationship.

Read this article from the SF Chronicle. It is quite eye-opening and will bring together what I said above.

Links

2005-07-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

This article didn't really surpise me at all. It discusses how former Commander of Guantanamo Bay, Gen. Geoffrey Miller, went to Abu Gharib to discuss effective torture techniques for use at the Iraqi prison. This meeting was rumored to be set up by Mr. Donald Rumsfeld himself. Wow, what a suprise! The man does promote torture all over the world! Gen. Geoffrey Miller asked why military dogs were not being used at Abu Gharib maybe that's why they had those prisoners in dog leashes, no dogs to put them on so lets put prisoners in them.
My question is, why isn't Rumsfeld being held accountable for what is going on in either of these prisons. He knows what goes on here, he promotes it and promotes dialogue between the two torture facilities. Isn't it time that Rumsfeld took some credit for what is going on in Guantanamo and Abu Gharib? Just a thought.

The New Pact.

2005-07-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

We all know that President rejected the Kyoto pact but now he has come back and joined in a partnership with Japan, China, India, South Korea, and Australia to use cleaner energy. Of course the partnership is non-binding because the U.S. seems to be afraid of commitment when it comes to lowering emissions.
Bush backed out of the Kyoto pact because it did not require China and India (two developing nations) to deal with climate change. Is that really a reason? Does the U.S. do whatever it wants while every other country is set to rigid standards? I agree that China and India should work on lowering greenhouse pollution in their respective countries but for the U.S. not to be a part of such an important pact like Kyoto is unexceptable. U.S. is responsible for one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gases escaping into the atmosphere and this is a critical matter that can not be brushed to the side anymore.
The new pact that the U.S. has with several other countries is voluntary and is not really a step in the right direction. Voluntary looks good on paper but it really does not help us set standards for other developing nations to follow. We are the country that industrial nations should look at as an example and not as an exception to the rule. We should use our size and strength for good instead of pushing the little guy around.

Penguins

2005-07-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

I saw "March of the Penguins" yesterday. The movie is absolutely beautiful in vision as well as the message it leaves. The dedication that the Emperor Penguins have to the lives of their unborn baby chick is amazing and it makes you step back for a second and re-examine what is really important in life. Oh yeah, you also can't pass up any movie where you can watch penguins waddle around, it is on of the cutest things I have ever seen on the big screen as well as touching and very informative.

Withdrawl in Sight?

2005-07-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Rumsfeld said that there would be a withdrawl of U.S. troops from Iraq by the spring of 2006. Why do I doubt this? Maybe because the original plan was around 6 weeks in Iraq and then there was no set timetable for withdrawl and now this? For me to believe a word this man says I need a little consistancy.

Definition of Terrorism

2005-07-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

UN Cheif Kofi Annan is calling for an international definition of what a terrorist is. A new UN proposal calls an act of terrorism "any act intended to intimidate a population or to compel a government or an international body to act". Hmmm, so I would definately put American media into this category wouldn't you agree? American media intimidates and compels us to act and think differently only for the simple fact that they (American media) bombard us with images of war, natural disasters, and more. American media has never made anyone feel safe because if they did their "jobs" would be over they would have nothing more to do. By keeping the American public feeling unsafe and unsecure of our surroundings, they keep us tuning in for the latest news with some hopes of safety and security. It won't ever happen.

More Bill O'Reilly

2005-07-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Bill O'Reilly on his latest "Talking Points" says that Abu Jahrib should not be our main concern and that too many people are forgetting the main point of this war because they are getting caught up in all the politics. Huh? This man never makes sence to me. Should we just keep abusing prisoners while telling other countries that their governments are corrupt and should take example from ours? It seems to be all about politics Mr. O'Reilly and frankly for people to stop getting "caught up" in them would mean that people stopped giving a damn about what our country's effect has on the rest of the world.

No Reasoning

2005-07-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Bill O'Rielly, not debate club president, not even an alternate.

Suicide Bombers

2005-07-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

I found this article and skimmed through it. Looks very interesting, unfortunately I have to heading to school in about 10 minutes so I couldn't read the whole thing. I wanted it to share it none the less. Understanding Suicide Bombers.

Hunger Strike

2005-07-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

With only 4 of the over 500 detainees at Guantanamo Bay being charged with any crime its no wonder they are on a hunger strike, it seems as if this is all they have. No matter how good or bad detainees are being treated at Guantanamo Bay is not even the issue anymore. It is immoral to hold people on the "guilty until proven innocent" policy. We don't use it in our own country and we should not condone it anywhere else either. We speak of being a civilized nation but when our own country allows the "guilty until proven innocent" policy we can no longer call ourselves civilzed and a model to other countries.

Correction

2005-07-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, yesterday's Blog about Roberts becoming the new Supreme Court Juctice was wrong. He was just nominated he has not actually been appointed yet. This will happen sometime in September.

John G. Roberts Jr. Replaces Sandra Day O'Connor

2005-07-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Who is John G. Roberts Jr.? He's our new Supreme Court Justice. Here is a brief article about his history, not exactly what a call a "middle of the road kind of guy". He looks like a good political move on Bush's part.

Pat Roberston= Idiot.

2005-07-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Pat Roberston is an idiot who is eating his words as we speak. He says that we never hear of "Christian extremists" bombing and killing civilians yet Eric Rudolph(Atlanta Olympics bomber) was just sentenced to two life sentences for bombing an abortion clinic in 1998. Do they call Rudolph a Christian extremist? No. But anyone bombing an abortion clinic is extreme and is probably doing it because they believe abortion is wrong because of what they are taught in their religion. Rudolph is a religious extremist. Eat your words and choke on them Mr. Robertson.

Democratic Elections?

2005-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

President Bush had plans to fix the Iraqi election but then trashed them. Though he did not follow through with them is anyone really surprised what could have gone down in the "democratic" Iraqi elections?

The British Did It Right.

2005-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

I applaud the British government and so does this opinion column from the San Francisco Chronicle. Instead of saying that the London terror attacks were caused by Muslims they recognized radical, fringe groups of the Islamic religion. When a country's government does not point fingers neither do its' citizens. The British Ambassador to the U.S. called Islam a peaceful religion which is what government and officials should be saying. Talking of peace and love in Islam instead of the radical groups bombing subways undermines the terrorists progress. It lets terrorists know that what they are doing is not creating fear. Government must set examples and the example set by the British government about how to talk of the London terrorists was done extemely well. Maybe our government and media could take a few hints. Attacking and blaming a whole religion for something done by a radical splinter group is ignorant and lazy and causes fear, prejudice, and racism that is not necessary.

O'Rielly--Not a Journalist

2005-07-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

O'Rielly, maybe you should have done your research (as journalists should) on CPB and the history of its members of the board of directors. Why does he think all of CPB's board of directors are liberal? Is it because of the programming on NPR and PBS? Does it strike O'Rielly as wierd that such a liberal media source has members on its board of directors that might be conservative? Who would have thought. . .still, some people (mainly O'Rielly) think O'Rielly is a legit journalist.

Hard or Soft on Terror.

2005-07-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

If the terrorists are the big problem then why do conservatives blame the liberals and the liberal media? Bill O'Rielly says that the liberal media is soft on terror but isn't all American media just fueling terror when they talk of it endlessly and show us bloody images over and over. To be hard on terror is not to promote its images and the destruction that it causes. To be hard on terror a media outlet must study the incident, talk to experts, keep the public calm, and report the facts as they become available.

Reclaim Your News!

2005-07-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

Check out this website.

American's need to be more informed about what is going on around the world and our mainstream media is keeping us in the dark . We need to open our eyes and take action and let mainstream media know that they are not fooling us by showing useless "news" . There is never such a thing as a "slow news day" it is all in the eye of the beholder. Every day news happens around the world that we never hear about and we are left with minute to minute updates on things like the Michael Jackson trial. American's need to take back their news because mainstream media news is a poor excuse for information .

Bush's Speech

2005-07-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Failing support for a war+London "Terror" attacks=More reason why we need to stay in Iraq and fight terror. I am not one for conspiracy theories but this seems too perfect. Things seem to be falling into Bush's hands a little to easily.

Culture Report

2005-07-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

From time to time I like to get off my political soap box and get on my cultural one.
Here is an awesome band that I don't think that many people know about but should. Check out their site, listen to songs and order their album if you like it!

The 88

London Bombing--To Whose Advantage?

2005-07-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade needs to check himself. Did he really say what everyone think he said? Mr. Kilmeade said that the London terror attacks work to the Western world's advantage because it puts the issue of terror right back on the front burner where it belongs. As opposed to the issue of global warming. What? Is this man for real? Innocent people dying in the London Underground is not to anyone's advantage. By Mr. Kilmeade making this statement it only shows how selfish Americans can be. Only thinking of what is good for America and not realizing the tragedy that London has just faced. Mr. Kilmeade (and others I'm sure) sees this London bombing as a strategic move to get more people on the side of Americans. This makes me sick.
I'm sure Bush is happy too. More support for his war and less focus on the issue of global warming which had him in the hot seat.

Let the U.S. Lead By Example

2005-07-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

President Bush is more worried about the short-term economic effects than long term-term environmental effects of cutting CO2 emissions. He has barely scratched the surface by saying that he recognizes that the Earth is getting warmer and that people have something to do with it. He needs to take action. There are other countries that need to do so as well, but it is a lame excuse to say that because China or Brazil are not doing anything about thier CO2 emissions that America shouldn't either. America does not do everything right but maybe President Bush should for once lead by example and do the right thing.

Article.

News Networks=Terrorists?

2005-07-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a VERY interesting article written for the Baltimore Sun. It discusses the difference between news coverage here in the states and over seas in the U.K. With the terror attacks that happened in London earlier in the week American news channels have been hyping up the disaster by showing shocking images and footage over and over while the BBC has been trying to keep viewers calm by having interviews with experts and by not showing unecessary images.
Is this coincidence? No. Americans are drawn to news that shocks. The old saying "If it bleeds it leads" is very relevant in U.S. news.
I don't know if shocking news effects us differently but the article does point out that people who watched alot of news coverage in the U.S. right after the 9/11 attacks were more likely to have anxiety about the attacks than those who didn't watch news.
All the blood and gore, all the death toll figures and the headlines like "London Terror" in U.S. news put people in fear. Terrorists are supposed to put us in fear not news networks. Are the news networks the terrorists of the media? Just a thought.

Who Will Speak for the Muslims?

2005-07-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

Who will speak for the Muslims? It is important in this country for each minority group to have their own place in the mass media. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

Article.

Spain is Speaking

2005-07-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey W. the Spanish Prime Minister has something to say and we're all listening, are you?
Spain's Prime Minister speaks on the historic day about legalizing gay marriage and the adoption of children by gay couples.

Gay Marriage

2005-07-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved this column. The tone taken is hysterical and really gets the point across. What point is that you ask? Just because a country makes gay marriage legal does not mean that the country will crumble into the pits of hell. All gay marriage is is an act of love and commitment between (God forbid) two people of the same sex.
I know Bush thinks that gay marriage is the sin to end all sins. He believes that the legalization of two people of the same sex sharing their love and wanting to make it legal will cause the U.S. to become overrun by gayness. He believes that gay people getting married will ruin what the U.S. stands for morally and he also believes (along with right-winged Christians) that children brought up in gay households will cause them to become gay.
I'm sorry Mr. President, it does not work like that and until you become aware of the gay lifestyle, aware that gay couple can be just as "Leave it to Beaver" as the most straight, Christian, married couple from Texas, you will never understand that the reason people fight so hard for gay marriage is that they want to be happy just like any other married couple in this country.
People are not fighting for gay marriage because they are devil worshipers and want to piss off religious groups, they fight because the believe in it and they believe that in this free country that they should have the right to be as happy as they possibly can.

What does Patriotism Really Mean?

2005-07-03T15:55:00.001-07:00

From an article by Marco Grimaldo, director of Faith & Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress, he states simply but eloquently,"In my viewl, it is the essence of patriotism to question authority and to exercise freedom responsibly and in context of community."

For the whole article by Mr. Grimaldo click here. He has alot of good things to say.

Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?

2005-07-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

I think we can all rest easy at night because of the simple fact that our President does not want to reinstate the draft.
With this said where are the new soldiers going to come from? This article discusses the dire straits that our army is in because the enlistment numbers have gone way down. Young men and women do not want to sign up for a war that was started under false pretences. Our president says we need to be patient and finish what we have started over in Iraq but the fact still remains, there are no WMD's and no end in sight to this war that was supposed to last maybe 6 weeks according to Donald Rumsfeld.
Now enlistment is down and they have lowered the standards and upped the signing bonuses for new soldiers, you don't even need to be a high school graduate to join the army, scary, but America's troops are being spread thin all over the world and it seems to me that young people are catching on that this war is not America's war but is now Bush's war and they don't want to fight it.

Replacing O'Connor

2005-07-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

With Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement pro-abortion and pro-life activists are ready to fight for the countries top spot. Will Bush stay with a moderate like O'Connor or will he decide that his own personal agenda, that of the extreme-right, is a more important one to uphold? Bush has stated that he plans to take a reasonable amount of time to decide on who will be appointed in O'Connor's place but he has never backed down from his beliefs that abortion is wrong. He calls life precious in all phases and believes that abortion should not be legal except in the case of rape, incest, or harm to the mother. This has me wondering what Bush is really doing behind closed doors in his decision making. Rubbing his hands together saying "finally, someone to overturn Roe v. Wade," which in 1992 was upheld by O'Connor in a 5-4 majority. I would like to think Bush would pick someone moderate but I feel he has his own agenda in mind and not the interests of the masses. A recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll stated that 65% of Americans wanted a Supreme Court Justice to uphold the Roe v. Wade decision while 29% said they wanted a Justice that would overturn the decision. I wonder which "majority" George Bush will side with.

My Lovely Smoke Free City, Cough Cough.

2005-07-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I must roll my eyes at the things that go on in this lovely city of mine.
A outdoor smoking ban was supposed to go into effect yesterday, but while there was no one to enforce the "law" smokers lit up anyways and I'm glad they did.
I am not a smoker and in fact I think it is a pretty nasty habit but people should be allowed to pollute their lungs in a park if they like. Banning smoking from public parks and squares is about the stupidist thing I have ever heard of. Who is going to enforce this law when there are so many other things that are way more deserving of a police officers time. I'm sure the cops are thrilled about this new law too, I'm sure they can't wait to roam through the park handing out $100 citations.
What's worse is that while this law took effect yesterday there was not a single cop enforcing the no smoking ban. If a city is going to put a law on the books, no matter how stupid it is, don't you think they should atleast hand out one or two citations to show that they mean business?

Just some thoughts.

More Commandments.

2005-07-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this article. I am not a religious person but I am trying to make sence of the Supreme Court ruling past last week that says the Ten Commandments can be posted some places as long as they don't have a religious agenda attached to them. What exactly does that mean?
This article talks about the history of the Ten Commandments and what they really mean to Christians. According to the Bible, the Ten Commandments were handed down to Moses from God before Christ was even born so why are Christians so attached to these 10 rules. I like the way this article was written and it gives me faith in the Christian believer that there are some out there who believe in their religion as a moral code and way of life and not a political agenda.

I'm Back!

2005-07-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

I felt naked without my blog! Just some light news to get warmed up, the Oakland A's have just won their 8th in a row! Keep up the good work, hopefully they can do some more damage to the Chicago White Sox in game 2 of that series.

I have not Forgotten!

2005-06-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. The blogs and web were a buzz with the President's speech and I was itching to blog but my computer was down! I promise to write something up, if not tonight then tomorrow!

Another Kind of Abuse

2005-06-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

First it is abuse of the person and now it is abuse and neglect of the Quran. I am not a religious person but I can only imagine the feeling that these Guantanamo Bay prisoners must feel when their holy book is dumped in a bucket of urine and feces. Not only is that disgusting but if someone had done that to the Christian holy book it would be front page news!

Is Any Abuse Okay?

2005-06-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

In Bill O'Rielly's column on Bill O'Rielly.com he tries to justify the the alleged abuses that went on at Guantanamo Bay by saying that there were only about 100 cases of alleged abuse but over 68,000 interrogations. First off, 100 cases is still a big number though it is a small percentage of 68,000, does this make it okay? Does it make it okay because it is a low ratio of interrogations to cases of abuse. Second, O'Rielly doesn't seem to mention that a very small percentage of the imprisioned have even been charged with anything and that they are being held for long periods of time with no official charge and no chance for trial. If that is not some form of abuse I don't know what is.

More Update

2005-06-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yet ANOTHER story about how the conditions at Guantanamo Bay are improving. Maybe they are improving since the alleged abuse took place but don't we deserve to know that there was abuse? Why are we told over and over about the improvments at the prison when there is a story about Washington admitting abuse at Guantanamo?

I'm sorry I keep writing about this and I might sound like a broken record but I'm just shocked of the lack of news on this story and I think we as Americans have the right to know what is being said and done.

Update

2005-06-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

The prisoner abuse story is still not being reported by Associated Press, Fox News, ABC News, BBC, or The London Times. I don't think they are officially realeasing the documents discuessed in the story until spring of next year but does this mean that they must remain completely silent?

Two Different Stories.

2005-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Al-Jazeera is reporting that Washington admitted to prisoner abuse while Fox News is reporting that the treatment received in war prisions is fair. Hmmmm.
I'm not trying to single out Fox News as trying to cover up the abuse but I am using it just as an example of an American media source holding back news that is very important to the American people. How dare they think that it is okay to hold this kind of information back. When will they decide to report on the story? I will keep you updated.

The Will of the People.

2005-06-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Bush says that it is the terrorists objective to break down the will of the American people. I feel our will is far broken and it has nothing to do with the terrorists it has to do with a war that was started on false pretences that the leaders of the U.S. refuses to acknowledge and refuse to end due to pride and ignorance.

ABC.com Article.

Wierdly Funny.

2005-06-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, once in awhile we all like to take a little break from reality and just focus on something funny wierd or wierdly funny. Check this website out.

War in Iran.

2005-06-24T23:18:00.000-07:00

A very good article about the future of the U.S. in Iran.

Sorry, Another Rant.

2005-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Do Ameicans have enough interest in what goes out side the walls of our country? Do we care about wars and poverty in other countries? Do we care about the disappearance of natural resources or the pollution of our atmosphere? It seems that for the most part Americans only care about what goes on right outside their doors or what goes on in the lives of our favorite celbrities. Real news does not interest us unless it affecting us directly. This leads to a narrow view of the world. A view in which American is biggest and best and everyone else just lingers in the shadows. A view in which a story must be shocking and gossip worthy or it is not worth reading. A view which will separate future generations from learning about the politics, culture, and people of other countries.

Sorry, I have to Preach a Bit.

2005-06-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

I am a huge advocate of keeping up to date with current events, domestic and international. Reading one newspaper or watching one news program is not good enough though. By limiting yourself to one source of media you are only getting a partial story and sometimes you get no story at all. That is why I strongly advise reading multiple papers, magazines, news websites, and Blogs everyday. You need to become aware of all sides of the story and maked an informed opinion based on all the facts. Don't take what you read in your daily paper as 100% fact just because you agree with the politics of the editor. Read and watch news with different view points and from different countries. This is the only true way to learn everything about the world that you possibly can.

"No Soldier Left Behind" (Cont.)

2005-06-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Another article about how "No Child Left Behind" has become "No Soldier Left Behind". It is scary to know that the government is looking at the future of America not to become the next great thinkers, teachers, and peace keepers but to become the next fighters in a war that has gone on way too long.

knowmoreknowless

Goodbye and farewell.

Detainee Update

Dr. Phil--Thank You

Non-Traditional Parenting--Here to Stay

Global Warming Needs More Media Attention

Allegiance to What?

Community-Based Radio

Detainee Update

Breaking News. . .

Wow!

Hiding the Evidence

Refugees?

Resignation of Brown

"Stuff Happens"

Powell Apologizes

Top 10 Censored Stories

One Big Step

Sadaam Hussein Update.

Found

Smile!

Homeland Security Update---Not That Secure

Comparing Heroes and Cowards

Teaching Kids to Eat Right

700 Club Disclaimer

White Women Aren't Missing

Chavez Wants Action Taken Against Robertson

The Problem With Commercial News

An Olive Branch to Chavez

Who is Hugo Chavez?

It's That Time of Year Again

Pat Roberston IS an Idiot!

Bill O'Reilly and I Agree!

Pat Roberston= Idiot, Part II

Now it's 2009?

Inspiration

Global Warming--At the Forefront of the '08 Election?

Are We Secure At Home?

Culture Report Part II

Destroyed Road -Side Vigil

Is Freedom Worth Dying For?

Contradiction in Conservative Ideology

Hiding What We Already Know

Cindy Sheehan

Comparing Apples to Oranges.

Waste of Ink

Democrat Veterans

Intelligent Design

Blacklists for "Excuse Makers"

Next Step

Global Warming.

A Breath of Fresh Air

We Deserve to See the Pictures.

Thank you, John McCain.

Quantity vs. Quality

The New Energy Bill

O'Reilly--Purely Cold Blooded on Hot Issue

Religion & Reproductive Rights

Links

The New Pact.

Penguins

Withdrawl in Sight?

Definition of Terrorism

More Bill O'Reilly

No Reasoning

Suicide Bombers

Hunger Strike

Correction

John G. Roberts Jr. Replaces Sandra Day O'Connor

Pat Roberston= Idiot.

Democratic Elections?

The British Did It Right.

O'Rielly--Not a Journalist

Hard or Soft on Terror.

Reclaim Your News!

Bush's Speech

Culture Report

London Bombing--To Whose Advantage?

Let the U.S. Lead By Example

News Networks=Terrorists?