Scientists Fault Lack of Studies Over Gulf Oil Spill

There is a lot of controversy occurring in regards to the oil spill that is still leaking in the Gulf of Mexico. The Obama administration is being accused of not conducting adequate scientific research with the extent of the damage. Instead they allowed BP to examine it which some may say is an opportunity for them to make it sound less terrible than it is. In reality BP hasn't allowed any equipment to the ocean floor in order to determine the total amount of oil spilled. Scientists are worried about what is happening in the deeper water and are baffled that there haven't been any results released to the public as to how much oil has been spilled. The Environmental Protection Agency seems to be the only group that are conducting any significant research concerning the oil spill.
Many people believe this is Obama's "Hurricane Katrina" and it will be a huge disaster that he won't be able to handle. In comparison to Hurricane Katrina, I feel like this oil spill has now been put on the back burner and not an issue that was as tramatic as the hurricane. Only the environmentalists have a tremendous problem with oil spills and will fight for safe cleanup and will protest against offshore drilling. Obama is certainly going to have a tough time come election season when his opponents ask him of his offshore drilling support.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20noaa.html?scp=2&sq=May%2020,%202010&st=cse

~Jackie Paluszek :)

Arizona "banning" ethnic studies in public schools

A month after the ridiculous immigration law was passed in Arizona comes a law that will limit ethnic studies in public schools. Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that bans the teachings of ethnic studies that show resentment of minorities.

In my opinion this bill is completely outrageous. Obviously certain minorities have faced tougher times than others. Teaching students about this is not going to harm anyone, it is just teaching them history. People come from different countries and have faced a variety of difficulties due to their race, whether it is accepted or not. Banning the teachings of minorities so others do not "feel bad" for them is racist. It is just Arizona's way of making sure that minorities, like Mexican-Americans, can not get ahead or have any leeway after the immigration law that was passed over a month ago.


http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/12/arizona.ethnic.studies/index.html?npt=NP1

"Don't ask, don't tell" to be repealed

A bill is about to pass that will repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy which did not allow openly gay men and lesbian women to join the military. In the House, the chamber voted 234-194 to add the amendment to its version of the defense policy bill.

Under the compromise, the repeal will happen only after a military review of the matter and approval by Obama, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Polls show that Americans are also ready for the change. Many people finally believe that the old policy was wrong and ignorant.

I personally am glad that the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is finally being overturned. What harm have gays or lesbians ever caused to the military? The policy was just pure discrimination. Also, with the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell", the military will be stronger in numbers and all members will finally be able to be completely honest.



http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/28/congress.military.gays.policy/index.html?npt=NP1

Veterans need more care

On this Memorial day we take time to remember the Veterans. Those whom fought oversees to defend our rights in the United States to keep us safe. Although 40 years ago the Vietnam veterans were booed, today the Veterans are at least treated with more respect and dignity like they deserve.

Although the veterans are treated how they are supposed to be today, that does not mean they are living a good life. Many people just assume that veterans have it better these days because they are no longer getting booed or are looked down upon, but they are very wrong.

There is a 13% unemployment rate among veterans today. Many are struggling to find homes and are living on the streets. Also many have gone crazy from what they have seen while fighting and are damaged emotionally. These veterans are not receiving the mental health assistance that they need.

Veterans deserve more care and financial benefits. What will the future generation think if they see what happens to many veterans? Will they even want to join the military anymore?


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/us/31iht-letter.html?ref=politics

Obama gets rained out

As Obama was about to give his speech today for Memorial Day at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery at Elwood, Ill., a thunderstorm began. Obama suggested that they stop the ceremony to avoid any possible injuries from lightning or the illness of any elderly or babies.

There were about 5,000 people awaiting the speech, but were unfortunately denied from hearing what Obama had written out. Once it was determined that the rain would not stop any time soon, Obama left and the ceremony was canceled.

Obama also drew criticism for choosing the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Illinois instead of the Arlington cemetery in Texas. It is considered a Presidential tradition for the President to lay a wreath at the Arlington National Cemetery every Memorial day in honor of the fallen soldiers; but it is not technically a tradition since former President George W. Bush never visited Arlington Cemetery on Memorial day either.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/downpour-cancels-obamas-memorial-day-event/?ref=politics

Parks and public areas are closing

In these tough economic times the country needs as much money as it can get. As a result, States are closing down parks and public areas (such as pools) as a way to spend less money. Even though public parks are a great way to preserve wild life and give the public a place to go and relax, the state governments have decided that they need the money.

Taxes and fees have also increased for parks that require money to get in. This does anger many people for obvious reasons, but others do understand. When the economy is failing, certain measures need to be taken to dig it out of the money hole.

I personally love going to public parks and beaches when the weather is nice, but I can see why the state government has to take these measures. Also, even though many parks may be closing down, there are still many more which are still open for people to enjoy. Although I will admit that it is unfortunate if your favorite park happens to be one that closes down.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/us/31parkintro.html?ref=us

White house playin' damage control

The issue with the oil spill in the Gulf is getting out of control. The White House knows it, and the people know it as well. The White House is getting severely criticized by the public for how it is handling the BP oil spill situation.

People think that the White House should have taken more control to stop the oil spill quickly. The White House is defending themselves and trying to explain how it is out of their control for the most part. The White House understands that the plans to stop the spills could go all the way to August!

I also understand that this is not an easy thing for the White House to deal with, but they should have taken action sooner. Obviously the oil spill is a huge issue that will be difficult to deal with, but it's up to the government to help protect the environment.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/us/31spill.html?ref=us

Iran has enough fuel for Nukes

Apparently Iran has enough fuel to create two nuclear bombs. Iran was supposed to not have enough fuel to create even one nuclear bomb, but they did not keep their promise. Instead of shipping out the fuel, Iran has kept it.

Other countries are beginning to worry that Iran has so much nuclear fuel. They believe that Iran is a dangerous country and might attack.

Iran also has nuclear laboratories underground which they claim is to prevent them from being destroyed by aerial attacks.

I think that other countries might be over reacting by the fact that Iran can make two nuclear bombs; but I also do believe that no country should be allowed to have enough fuel to make even one nuclear bomb. Nukes can destroy the entire world and end civilization as we know it. If we continue to allow countries to create nuclear bombs, who knows what the future will hold.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/world/middleeast/01nuke.html?hp

Representative Markey challenges BP

Rep. Edward Markey is challenging the oil giant BP. Markey does not believe the claims by the chief executive of BP that there are no underwater oil plumes as a result of the oil spill.

Markey is asking for evidence that there are no oil plumes underwater. He does not believe the company and thinks that they are lying. BP is claiming that the all the oil is on the surface and will be easy to clean up.

I agree with Markey because this is a serious issue. We need evidence immediately that there are no oil plumes underwater. We can not trust BP at this point after this huge incident. If there are oil plumes underwater, there needs to be action taken as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more damage the oil will cause to the planet.

Last political dance on the blog

I can't believe that it's really my last post. It makes me Mr.unhappy inside.

On a serious note, the issue is recent news of New Yorkers protesting the construction of a mosque close to the area of ground zero. Despite pleas of reason by the Musilm people, the New Yorkers still live in a mind set of fear of what they don't truely understand or comprehend. The recent bombing attempt at Times Square did not help the situation. One person is noted for calling the mosque a "house of evil". Another thought it was an offensive joke.

The joke is on them, the fear controlled citizens of the city who now have a instinctual terrorism twitch towards anything having to do with the muslim culture. It's not the Arab-americans that hate us, it's the heavily patriotic native arabs back over seas that want to place insurgents in our countries to destroy us. I feel saddend that these innocent americans are being patronized to a degree just because of a fear based generalization. As a society, we really need to move on. Don't forget 9/11 happened but if there's no acceptance that these islamic worshipers are just like everyone else than we will never advance as a society and 9/11 will be the equivilant of the Black plague due to the wide spread panic and false information with which fear is made, making it childishly simple for one to be controlled by those who supposively have the answers to the issue.

When will it stop nobody knows!

The failure of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico continues to gush out more and more oil, scientists have even detected heavier and murkier water around the spill, meaning that the oil is becoming thicker, and is polluting the Gulf with even more concentarted oil. However a plan devised aptly named "top kill" is going to be put in effect soon with in the week. The plan includes a team to dive into the spill and fill the broken line with mud and cement to plug up the break. However the company has given the sucsses rate of this plan a bleak 60 to 70 % chance of actually working. Legislation now is in debate on fines for the ones responsible for the failure of the oil rig.

The problem is fines on the people responsible won't change whats been done, instead of worrying whose going to pay for all of this, the government should be focused completely on a way to stop the spill for getting any worse or creating any more damage than it already has. The fishing industry in the Gulf is going to suffer heavely, but thats not even close to the long term enviornmental damage that will occur. This oil has been spilling for 5 weeks straight now, at this rate the Gulf may never recover. This is all the more reason to be finding better ways to fuel our nation, than with oil and other fossil fuels, they are becoming to costly and dangerious.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill;_ylt=Ah1VWM8c_YnF_diyyVYohm6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNoOTA3dWk4BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNTI2L3VzX2d1bGZfb2lsX3NwaWxsBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMwRwb3MDOQRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDNXdlZWtzb2ZndXNo

Republicans See Big Chance But Worry They Could Waste It

As the midterm elections are fastly approaching, Republicans feel they may have methods to recapture their votes-the problem is that they are unsure of how to properly mobilize. They are considering their "get-out-the-vote operation," hoping for grass-roots enthusiasm. However, they are unsure of how they might be able to surpass President Obama's consistently high and respectful ratings. They do not necessarily want to run against the Democratic Party, but want to discover an alternative agenda. They have proposed a new program called "America Speaking Out." With this, lawmakers will be listening to Republican supporters, who will be indirectly dictating their new agenda. In the fall, the party will take all of its supporters' ideas and transform them into policy proposals for the upcoming Congress. Republicans still maintain much in their favor, considering the fact that many voters have widespread feelings that government has become too expansive (after Obama's health care bill). Altogether, the economic recovery has not shown huge signs of success, with the unemployment rate still very high. Last month, Republicans raised more more than Democrats, possibly foreshadowing that they will be able to fundraise more money by the time November comes around. According to Thomas M. Reynolds, former New York Congressman, "We still have an angry electorate that both Democrats and Republicans face and our candidates need to talk abut what matters at home and what they are going to do about it from an unpopular Washington." Clearly, as we had discussed in class, our candidates are not receiving sufficient support from the public because they are not using grass-roots politics. They are representing majority opinion and not the views of the local areas they represent. That explains why many small, local areas in the country are underrepresented and suffering from this. Altogether, the Republicans have an extensive battle to fight. They left a very poor impression when they were in office recently, and lately the Democrats have generally pleased the American public. Supporting the public's ideas are essential to being an adequate politician, and if these parties become overly interested in their own personal views, our country's general state will suffer.

Super Tuesday got rained out???

That big day has come and gone once again. Today, May 18th 2010, was the day that every school district on Long Island held its budget vote. Out of the 123 districts, 10 distrcit budgets failed. This amount was an increase from last year, in which only 2 budgets failed. Luckily for our school district, the budget for Middle Country has passed. Considering our district has had a pretty good record concerning our school budget, this doesn't come as a surprise. However, the numbers are. The school board's budget passed 3,125 to 1,512. I think that this result must have something to do with changes in voter participation.

A lot of events occured that could have played a role in the huge amount of support for the budget. For example, the social studies department pulled off a successful get out the vote drive in which many students got the oppurtunity to register to vote. However, that would only account for a small amount of voters , perhaps maybe as few as 50 to 100. There was also a lot of community education sessions that were created to help people understand the difference between a congenial and a school board created budget. Still, this would only create a small amount of supporters.

However, there is one thing that probably deffered a lot of supporters for the congenial budget. I'm not saying this is fact, but my guess is that the heavy rain that occured today kept congenial budget voters from voting today. Here is my reasoning: Most supporters of the congenial budget are in the older age group of about 50/60-90 yrs old. On the other hand, supporters of the school board budget usually lie in the age group that is younger than 60. Rain can work as a huge obstacle to older citizens compared to younger citizens mainly because of transportation difficulties. Older drivers have trouble driving because of their declined sense of balance and awareness. Therefore, older folks probably came to vote in smaller amounts, therefore decreasing the amount of congenial budget supports.

Am I saying this thoery is right. Of course not. In fact is does sound very stupid, but whether can play a big role in an election. It is an added obstacle to any election.

...and the EPA takes action!

Well, sort of, anyway. The E.P.A has decided that to help regulate greenhouse gas emissions there will be a regulation set that any emits more than 75,000 tons of greenhouse gases will have to seek a permit. The E.P.A is only planning to give out about 550 permits within the first two years of these regulations being set into place. This seems to be a steady balance between regulating to the point of affecting small entities (as the plan would have originally done when the limit for emitions was 25,000), and not taking an action, an option that doesn't sound feasible when you consider the scope of global warming, as well as other environmental issues, such as the recent oil spill.
However, the more riveting tale to tell is a bill that is currently on the Senate floor -- a climate and energy bill. This bill, if passed, would shift control on greenhouse gases from the E.P.A to Congress. Personally, this had me baffled at first. What is the point in having a government agency that is supposed to protect the environment, if you're just going to take the power away from them, and hand it to Congress? Since the E.P.A announced carbon dioxide, along with other greenhouse gases, "posed a threat to human health and welfare" it is technically now their right to take control of the issue under the Clean Air Act. So, yet again, why is Congress butting in? Although the E.P.A faces major opposition from industries, I question whether Congress would be able to be anymore effective.


[source]

Obama Picks Kagan, Scholar but Not Judge, for Court Seat

Today at 10 am Obama introduced Solicitor General Elena Kagan as the choice for the new supreme court justice. He stated that she is "one ofthe nation' foremost legal minds." I believe that although she is very educated in law, a seat as a justice may not be the right spot for her. Considering she has no experience as a judge, her abilities would be better used in her current position or in some other position where it is more "intellectual" rather than being a judge. Hopefully, it turns out for the best and she fills the spot well.

Arizona Gets Sued

The new Arizona immigration law is surrounded by a lot of controversy and has recieved a lot of backlash. Police Officer Martin H. Escobar has asked to be exempt from enforcing the law and has stated that there is no "race-neutral criteria or basis to suspect or identify who is lawfully in the United States". Escobar has sued the state of Arizona in a federal court.

Governor Jan Brewer signed the law on April 23, and the law allows police officers to ask anyone for proof of legal United States residency. According to Brewer the law does not support racial profiling, however according to Escobar, the law is aimed at Hispanics, and places Hispanics in the state of Arizona, in the risk of losing their constitutional rights. With the increasing rate of illegal immigrants and hate crimes aimed at Hispanics, many that oppose the law believe that the law will build a wall between Hispanics and non-Hispanics, and will increase prejudice against Hispanics who already are portrayed negatively in Arizona. The case as of now is only in a federal court, however some believe that it might make its way up to the Supreme Court.

Justices Reject Ban on Videos of Animal Cruelty

On Tuesday, April 20th, 2010, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law in a first amendment ruling that made it a crime to "create or sell dogfight videos and other depictions of animal cruelty." In the 8-1 decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., stated that the law had established "a criminal prohibition of alarming breadth" and that "the government's aggressive defense of the law was 'startling and dangerous." Roberts argued that the existing law covered an abundance of speech protected by the First Amendment. This, among other recent court decisions, suggests that the Roberts Court is in the process of adopting a highly libertarian view of the constitutional protection of free speech. This significant decision arose from the prosecution of Robert J. Stevens, the author and film producer who declared himself an authority on pit bulls. Although he did not participate in the dogfights, he was responsible for compiling and selling videotapes that presented these fights, violating a 1999 federal law that banned trafficking in "depictions of animal cruelty." As a result, he was faced with a 37-month sentence. The 1999 law prevents recordings of animal cruelty from being presented, specifically of "conduct in which a living animal is intentionally maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded or killed." Even if the dogfighting in the video is conducted in a location where dogfighting is legal, it cannot be sold where it is illegal. Regarding this issue, Chief Justice Roberts rejected the assertion that depictions showing harm to animals were of such minimal worth that they should receive no First Amendment protection altogether. In Tuesday's decision, titled United States v. Stevens, Roberts said that the 1999 law was written too broadly. It contains an exception for materials with "serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical or artistic value," however, they were not sufficient enough to save the statute. Overall, the case has been unique, considering the fact that Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito disagreed, which is rare for these two. In the end, Roberts suggested that a more focused law "limited to crush videos and other depictions of extreme animal cruelty" may survive First Amendment scrutiny.
Altogether, this case has been, and will continue to be, highly controversial. Animal cruelty is a debatable subject, considering its significance is interpreted very differently by many. Personally, I agree with the principle that animal cruelty can be filmed where it is legal, but not displayed where it is illegal. It is nearly impossible to prevent people from filming what they desire. However, it is much easier to control what types of film are displayed and where. Therefore, in this case, I do not completely agree that the original laws should be altered, although I understand Roberts's intentions.

With the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens, Obama will soon be nominating a second supreme court justice. Obama has been reported as saying that he will nominate a justice that supports women's rights. This does not necessarily mean that the justice will be pro-choice and a supporter of abortion rights for women.
What Obama has said is that the new supreme court justice will not be appointed to even out the gender or ethnicity overall, but rather men and women alike of any race are eligible for the nomination. In a very interesting choice, President Obama has also decided that whoever is to be nominated will not undergo a litmus test to force out an opinion on the very controversial Roe v Wade court case of 1973. Instead Obama has said that the justice who he will nominate will have to be a strong supporter of women's rights and in favor of allowing women to make difficult decisions about their own health including reproductive health.
Although the first steps have been taking to appointing a justice and many candidates are under review, President Obama is still some time from making a decision. A decison that along with his last appointment will surely color the supreme court decisions for many years to come.




http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100421/ts_alt_afp/usjusticeobamapolitics

Verdict on Long Island

Two years ago Jeffrey Conroy of Patchogue was convicted of a hate crime. Conroy stabbed immigrant Marcelo Lucero. For two years the Suffolk County law enforcement could not come up with a decision in the case. The case has posed a large problem because Lucero was an immigrant. Under the 14th Amendment citizens of the United States are granted civil rights. Under the equal protection clause, "no state shall... dent to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Here on Long Island there are many immigrants that are certainly not treated equally. Lucero was stabbed by a Caucasian man as a hate crime, but since Lucero was an immigrant the 14th amendment could possibly pose misconceptions, in that he might not be granted those civil rights.

Due to the high level of of immigrants in Suffolk County and the discrimination against them, the Suffolk County police force has not done anything about it. Instead the county has been trying to crack down on illegal immigrants by, "cracking down on day-hiring and rental housing." Sadly, these hate crimes have been going on for a while. It was not until Marcelo Lucero's life was taken that the Suffolk County law enforcement enacted on the issue. Conroy was guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime.

After this case communities are now going to put more emphasis on providing equal protection for the people of the community rather than focusing on anti-immigration. Immigrants are not going to be afraid to speak out anymore about these hate crimes. They now know the law will protect them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/opinion/20tue4.html?scp=1&sq=long%20island%20verdict&st=cse

To trust or not to trust, that is never the question

In recent years ditrust of the government has been on the rise for many reasons. The government has not been solving the countries problems, nor have they been honest about their mistakes. They've either been to much about the government, or too much about the individual, neither has presented a middle road solution, Democrates or Republicans. This is another part of the problem, too much bipartisin arguments, both sides are to busy arguing with each other to get anything down, as well as with the Democratic party, sadly enough now, is fighting with in its self causing even more lag in passing legislation. However some feel that american distrust in their government has always been there. If you look at our nations history its understandable and quite frankly easy to see. Also how our government is set up, how everyone must agree, or everyone must be a part of the final desicion, conflicting beliefs will always stall the workings of government. However this distrust must take ease at some point before it gets out of hand, before less and less people actually participate in there government. Lastly the distrust comes from, atleast in recent years, the past presidency of Bush Jr. and now the newly instated legislation of the Obama administration.

Honestly if its come to this, personally i believe we need a strong third party, the democrates and republicans have been around for a long time, we may need some newer blood, not just new people in these parties. However as much the government screws up, really they are all still human, there is a sense of problematics when thinking of people governing the people. However just as well, there truely always will be distrust in our government no matter what it does. There will always be problems and disputes, for its been said "If men were angels government wouldn't be needed"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_go_ot/us_government_distrust;_ylt=AofuzqbKQse3CNWliT6kQzBv24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTNicG1hbzF2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE5L3VzX2dvdmVybm1lbnRfZGlzdHJ1c3QEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwMzBHBvcwMzBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDcG9sbG1ham9yaXR5

A Mighty Pale Tea

I recently read an opinion piece by a high school student who spoke of upcoming freshman who are put onto a waiting list by their first choice colleges because they did not fall into the quotas they were trying to fill. Reading an opinion piece by Charles Blow, I now realize that no matter where you go, Americans are trying to fill a quota and not seem racist.

The Tea Party recently had minorities speak at a rally , and Charles Blow had attended hearing that he may not have been the only black man in the audience. However, he ended up being just that. As he surveyed the people who surrounded him, he realized he had been engulfed in a sea of middle aged white male faces, and he was sticking out like a sore thumb.

Now I'm not claiming that all Tea Party-ers fall into this criteria, but so many of them do. They are wealthy Americans who sit comfortably in their homes and criticize government take over, the healthcare overhaul, and our racist president. The only thing I can say is I think that these people might need to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves what exactly it is that they are preaching. Factionalized America, welcome to even more factionalized America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/opinion/17blow.html?scp=1&sq=tea%20party%20op%20ed&st=cse

Steele Tells G.O.P.: ‘I’ve Made Mistakes’

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee acknowledged in front of party activists on Saturday that he had made mistakes and created distractions during a critical mid-term year. He spoke and stated that he learned from his missteps and warned that Democrats would try to divide the party. He added, " the one mistake we can't make this November is to lose."
I believe that this action and statement shows that there is still a great deal of party separation and that we are not closer to bi-partisanship.

Speedy Court Confirmation...for Mainstream Nominees Only.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, predicted that a replacement for Justice John Paul Stevens would be confirmed by the Senate before the court's fall term. However, Leahy's Republican counterpart, Jeff Sessions, said that a filibuster is a possibility if President Obama were to nominate someone outside "the mainstream." A few of those considered for the position include appellate judges Merrick B. Garland of Washington and Diane P. Wood of Chicago, the solicitor general Elena Kagan, and Governor Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed in August on a vote of 68 to 31. If President Obama hopes to have his nominee confirmed in as little time as possible, he must choose a more moderate liberal candidate. Senator Charles E. Schumer, also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, hopes that the new nominee will be able to sway Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who has been the decisive swing vote on many cases.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/us/politics/12court.html?ref=todayspaper

Will a Democrat Be Able To Fill Obama's Senate Seat?

Alexi Giannoulias is the Illinois Democrat hoping to fill the Senate seat that President Obama once held. However, his republican opponent is giving him a run for his money, literally. His opponent, Mark Steven Kirk, has brought up the fact that the bank Mr. Giannoulias once worked at is under some serious pressure to raise millions in capital with a consent order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. On top of the financial problems the bank is facing, according to stories in the Chicago Tribune Giannoulias made $20 million dollar loans to two felons while he still worked at the bank. Now, holding Mr. Giannoulias responsible for giving $20 million dollar loans to felons is one thing, but holding him responsible for a bank that he doesn't even work at anymore is another. However, Giannoulias is throwing mud around about Kirk as Kirk is about him. Giannoulias has called him the "“poster boy” for all that is wrong with Washington." Giannoulias has also said that Kirk isn't willing to talk about things that should be the front runner issues, such as unemployment, jobs and schools.
The democrats are desperately looking for a win in this state though. Not just because they need to hold on to as many Senate seats as possible, but because this was the president's former senate seat. What does it say if a democrat doesn't fill the position?
Giannoulias is hopeful that he'll be the winner in this years midterm election. He says that even if the bank fails he will not be dropping out of the senate race.

Source

"My dear Mr. President"

What do you think of when you hear the end of a supreme court justices career? What do you feel?

You should feel excited.(Or unhappy if you're a fan of the judge.) The supreme court has been an enormous part of our system. So much so that people have argued for, and against, their constitutionality. But to know the significance of the court, you must understand their history.

In 1789, the first official supreme court was established. The power was placed in, not 9 justices, but 5.(In 1792 they made it 6 justices.) The Jay, Rutledge, and Ellsworth were the first courts but are often overlooked for there lack of groundbreaking cases and relatively short lives.

Then, in 1801, John Marshall was made Chief Justice and the court that would forever change the very court itself was formed.

The Marshall Court impacted the system in two enormous ways: one with it's ruling in Marbury v. Madison(1803). When the court established Judicial Review it not only gave the court an enormous deal of power which would create controversy in the future, but it also created the fear of court stacking.

That was not the end of The Marshall Court's rulings though. Its other significant ruling is Baron v. Baltimore(1833). This ruling helped to establish what is known as selective incorporation and is the most important cases regarding the bill off rights to ever to ever be reviewed. Of course, Selective incorporation would be used in almost every case after the ruling of Baron v. Baltimore.

Now, You're probably wondering: "All these cases were decided by 6 justices, right? When did we get 9?" Well, that gets a little messy but, it all starts in the Taney court and ends in the Chase Court.

The Taney Court started as a 6 justice court like the few before it but in 1837, the court added a seventh justice. in 1838, an eighth. And finally, a ninth in 1863. But, this was not the end of the turmoil. After Lincoln's assassination and Johnson's takeover, The congress passed the Judiciary act of 1866, which decreased the justice amount to 7. It finally went back to it's current number in 1869.

The Industrial Era courts had significant rulings, too many to count, but, they are also held in obscurity because of the times. One of the more interesting Chief justices during the times was actually once the commander-in-chief: President Taft.

In 1937 Roosevelt tried to change the numbers of the court. He tried to change the numbers from 9 to 13. His "court packing plan", As it would later be known as, failed and it remained as a shadow lurking in his career.

The last 4 courts have familiar names: Warren, Burger, Rehnquist and, currently seated, Roberts. More recently, the trend of activism in the courts has appeared. An odd change from the days of strict constitutionalists courts.

So, what do you think of when you hear that John Paul Stevens is retiring at the end of this term? Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, you should know it means a lot that one of these 9 great justices will soon be leaving their seat, for the last time.

Sources: http://www.oyez.org/courts

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/politics/10stevens.html?scp=1&sq=stevens%20retiring&st=cse

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/16188

Has Scandal Lost its Bite?

As New Yorkers, we all know about the Eliot Spitzer scandal; our governor was revealed to be tied to a prostitution ring. After being caught, Spitzer resigned from the governorship and was succeeded by David Patterson. But now, nearly two years later, Spitzer appears on multiple news programs, including CNN, Hardball, the Colbert Report, and Good Day New York, among others, speaking about the economy and his theories about recovery, and he has higher approval ratings than those of our current governor.
So, why the sudden change of heart? Does New York hate Paterson so much that it wants Spitzer back? Or, Are adultery and prostitution just not as shocking or condemnable as they once were? The actual reason for Spitzer's easy return to the bully pulpit via the television screen is unclear. But one thing is certain: his opinions are valued. Playing the outsider coming down hard on Wall Street in the wake of the economic downturn, professing the desire to make changes but no longer in a position to do so, makes Spitzer an intriguing and unique character in the political world.
While Spitzer denies that he is strategically setting up a political comeback, he is certainly doing a good job of it. Should he succeed, he will join the ranks of Nixon, Ted Kennedy, and Bill Clinton who all have under their belts astonishing political comebacks.

Article: "Spitzer's Long Road to Redemption"
Source: New York Times
url: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/fashion/08Spitzer.html?pagewanted=2&ref=politics

White House Presses Japan to Reopen Market to U.S. Beef

The Obama administration is stepping up pressure on Japan to reopen its market to American beef, in hopes of helping ranchers and meatpackers gain full access to what was once their most lucrative market.

Japan resumed American beef imports in 2006, but restricted them to meat cattle 20 months old or younger - a limit that American exporters say has no scientific basis. Japan says older animals are more prone to developing mad cow disease. Japan also bans certain body parts.

Japan, the world's largest net importer of food, abruptly banned shipments from American meat packers in 2003 after mad cow disease was discovered in one animal imported to the United States from Canada.

In 2003, Japan was the largest market for American beef, with exports of $1.4 billion; since then, American beef exports to Japan have averaged about $196 billion, or less than 15 percent of 2003 levels.

Americans note that in recent years, Japanese beef producers have found at least 36 cases of mad cow among their cattle herds while only three have been identified in the United States.

Although it may be a beneficial thing for the United States to reopen their beef trade with Japan, to not only boost our poor economy but to also help Japan's poor economy; it has many draw-backs. For example, since they have an unfortunate history of having mad cow disease amongst their cows, it would be a catastrophic event for Americans if the beef they consumed was tainted; and we can certainly not afford for that to occur. If Japan made regulations stricter, or if the United States created the reglulations for them to follow to meet our standards; it would then be a fantastic idea that would greatly benefit both the United States and Japan's economy.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/business/global/08beef.html?ref=politics

"We are beginning to turn the corner"

This past Friday Obama visited North Carolina and reported on the status of our economy. He states, "we are beginning to turn the corner". He spoke about how the businesses that the stimulus package allocated money to are progressing. These business are now opening jobs and helping with the unemployment rate decrease. Throughout his speech he cautions the public that "more difficult times are to approach," but keeps the public hopeful by saying the phrase "brighter days are still ahead." According to the Labor Department report 162,000 nonfarm jobs were added in March.
This number may sound promising however 48,000 of those jobs were hired for the 2010 census therefore 48,000 will lose their jobs in the coming months. Also, the unemployment rate continues to sore at 9.7%.
To emphasize and reiterate his point about the stimulus package resulting in positive feedback Obama visited Celgard a firm that produces lithium batteries that received funds from the stimulus plant. That firm in now opening another factory in Concord and creating over 300 jobs and another 1,000 jobs for construction workers and contractors.
Overall the economy is slowly getting back on its feet. The government is solely highlighting the success stories of the stimulus plan, but im reality does that really help the hundred thousands that are unemployed?

Obama, for the First Time, Opens Offshore Drilling

In an interesting announcement, President Obama announced that he plans to open oil and natural gas drilling off the coasts of the United States. Politicians have been debating this topic for years now. President Obama's plan, which would not take effect for several years, opens drilling along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and northern Alaska. The Pacific coastline, areas on the Atlantic coastline above New Jersey, and the sensitive Bristol Bay in Alaska would all be closed to drilling.

President Obama cited America's dependence on foreign oil and gasoline as the main reason for why he was now allowing offshore drilling. Although, even with this oil available to us, it would not make a significant impact on America's gas prices, for there is simply not enough oil and natural gas off America's coasts to fulfill our oil and natural gas demands.

This is a very strange decision that Obama has made. The reasons behind this decision may be more than trying to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Those on the right have been calling for the government to open offshore drilling for years. Major corporations have also been calling for this for many years. It is strange to see Obama listen to the words of Sarah Palin saying "drill, baby, drill." It is also strange to see Obama support the corporations. By opening offshore drilling, he has made many Republicans happy. President Obama is always striving for bipartisanship and this may be another attempt to reach across the aisle. Although, considering the partisanship in government these days, this attempt may be futile. While he makes many Republicans happy with this decision, he also make many Democrats angry. Many feel that offshore drilling will hurt the environment, a cause which many Democrats are very passionate about. Even Obama is an advocate of green energy. For this reason it is particularly strange that Obama made this decision. No matter Obama's motives, only time will tell whether or not this was a good move by the President.

Source:

The New York Times

The New York Times

To Sue or Not to Sue

With the ground-breaking passing of the Health Care Bill in Washington have come varying reactions from many states. Some states support the bill, many oppose it and a few plan to sue the federal government on the grounds that the law is unconstitutional.
In Georgia, however, the opinion is split. While Republican Governor Sonny Perdue supports such lawsuits, Democratic Attorney General Thurbert Baker has rejected the idea altogether as a waste of time and resources. Perdue, who is coming to the end of his final term as governor, says that if needed he will hire a "special attorney general" who will sue on behalf of the state of Georgia against Washington D.C.
Many Republicans have called for Baker's impeachment on the grounds that Baker is in violation of Georgia's Constitution, which requires the attorney general to file suits at the governor's request. But, even though Republicans hold a majority in the state legislator, they do not have enough votes in the state Senate to get Baker out of office in a party-line vote.
Mr. Baker states that although his state largely disapproves of the new law, it is his job to decide if the bill violates the federal constitution in such a situation; even though many Georgians dislike the bill it does not make it illegall and is not actually a reason to sue the federal government.
While his actions who dedication to his profession, they may also lead to Baker losing the upcoming Democratic primary in the race for the governorship of Georgia, which Perdue must soon vacate due to term limits.
The situation in Georgia is just on of many messy situations created by the new health care legislation and, until the Supreme Court makes the final ruling on the constitutionality of the law, it certainly won't be the last.

Article: Georgia Attorney General Spurns Suit on Health Care
Author: Robbie Brown
Source: nytimes.com

The Bill That Never Ends

President Obama is set to sign the new health care bill with all of the changes. The signing will take place in a community college in northern Virginia. Changes to the bill include expanding health insurance subsidies for lower and middle class families. The overall cost for health care reform legislation changed from $940 billion over the next ten years to an additional $65 billion. Another change is that student loans have moved away from commercial banks. The changes to the bill passed in the house last Thursday in a 220-207 vote in the House of Representatives without any backing from the Republicans. The GOP believes that this change will not slow down the cost of medical services, and will cut necessary medical services. The different views in the health care bill is displaying the deeply divided and growing views between conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. The health care bill has been on President Obama's agenda for a while now and is still proving to be difficult to pass and get approved.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/30/pol.health.care/index.html

Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan

President Barack Obama on his visit to Afghanistan hints that difficult times lie ahead for US-led forces in the war-weary country but vows to win the war.

Obama landed at the Bagram Air Base on Sunday, yesterday, for a surprise first visit to the country. "We know there are going to be difficult days ahead. We face a determined enemy. But we know that the United States of America does not quit when it starts on something," Obama told US troops gathered to hear him after his unannounced arrival at the military base in north of Kabul.

Obama vowed to stop the Taliban militants, saying that his troops would prevail against their enemies. The remarks come as the number of US troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first quarter of 2010 compared with the same period last year.

According to media, after more than eight years of military involvement in Afghanistan, violence continues to spread in the war-ravaged land. Most of the casualties in the war have been civilians, fallen victim to both militant activities as well as indiscriminate attacks, particularly air raids by US-led forces. In the past December, President Obama ordered the deployment of an extra 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan, on the request of his military commanders. More than 121,000 US and NATO troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan. The number is set to rise to 150,000 by August.

His visit is viewed significantly important and is reflected in worldwide news agencies. It is important because he ordered more troops shortly after taking Office. Addressing the future strategies, Obama's trip to Afghanistan happened right after President Karzai was back from his trip to Iran.

A lot of people are worrying if the presence of our military is helping with "war against Terrorism" in Afghanistan at all, due to lack of any tangible achievements after about of a decade of war.

SOURCE LINK: Click here please.

Republicans Vow Repeal Effort Against Health Bill

A health care bill has finally been passed! Only, of course we are now expected to face the party-to-party criticisms, mainly the ones being directed from the Republicans to the Democrats. Today, Republicans began a campaign to repeal the new legislation and to use this as a weapon in the upcoming and highly awaited midterm elections. Republicans are proclaiming faithfully that they will not let this Democratic legislation last and they will reform it according to their own standards. On the other hand, Democrats have been very proud of their tremendous achievement. Nancy Pelosi even related to the health care legislation to our Founding Fathers, in that it "gives all people in our country the liberty to have healthier lives." The Democrats are asking that Republicans back down from their insulting regime toward the Democrats and be glad that legislation is in effect at all, and also that their consitutents can finally receive proper health care. It was proposed to tax the leaders of organized labor-which is quite a risky move for the middle-class that already has strong union-sponsored benefits plans. If Senate Republicans were able to block this change from the House Democrats, it would indeed cause immense political controversy for Obama. Mitch McConnell stated that the Democrats want to "make the tax hikes even higher, the Medicare cuts even deeper." Truly, these variances in beliefs from both parties provides quite a headache for the American public and all other politicians, including President Obama. It even resulted in violence around the country, as glass doors were shattered, offices were vandalized, threats were issues, etc. As of now, the Republicans will continue to fight against this bill, as they believe it "violates the U.S. Constitution and infringes on each state's sovereignty." Yes, the bill that we never thought would pass has finally been signed. However, will the health care debate between Democrats and Republicans ever come to an end?

Is Bin Laden ever to face trail?

On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced to congress Osama Bin Laden will never face a trial because it is believed he may already be dead or will be killed in the future either by American troops or his own people. Although his controversial statement stating Bin Laden deserves equal rights in a trial and comparing him with Charles Manson has many politicians angry. Questioning whether war criminals deserve equal rights as legal American citizen murderers. Another controversy with the Attorney general concerned whether Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial would take place in a federal civilian court or a military commission trial. This "mastermind" behind the September 11th attacks, his trial has been postponed by Washington and has irritated many politicians believing no matter where the attack was a civilian court case is necessary. Through the past decade, traumatic events has American politicians arguing over what is the right thing to do and whether "enemy combatants" still have their natural rights after killing massive amounts of people. Following the interrogation or a suspected terrorist attack on Detroit, the suspect was read his Miranda rights and interrogation took longer for compliance. There is no truly right or wrong answer to this on going issue, but there should be an agreement met on the issue of where enemy trials should be taken place.

Obama Rallies Democrats in Final Push for Health Bill

Tomorrow will be a significant day for president Obama because the vote on the health care bill will occur. After a year of preparing this bill congress will vote on it tomorrow. However the controversial sections of the bill, such as abortion have caused many people to not support the bill. The bill proposes that tax payer money will go to the funding of abortions. Many republicans are passionate about the bill not getting through and have confidence that it will not pass. House Republican leader John A. Boehner of Ohio, said the Republicans could still prevail. “The American people are making their voices heard, here on Capitol Hill and across America,” he said. “It’s time for Washington Democrats to listen.”On the other hand speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi believes that regardless of the controversial subject in the bill, the bill will still pass. She is confident enough about the bill that she has not made adjustment to the abortion section to gain the votes of more congressmen.

The health care bill will now grant affordable quality health care to all Americans. Today many individuals do not even have health care because of the sky high prices. Insurance companies have essentially become monopolies and will finally be stopped with this bill. Health benefits will not be slashed anymore because now Americans will be entitled to an affordable insurance.
Also, the bill is said to decrease the federal deficit by $198 million over the next ten years. The passage of the bill will benefit the nation greatly. Perhaps this new health care bill will allow more jobs to open up and at the same time decrease the high unemployment rate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/health/policy/21health.html?pagewanted=2&ref=us

Democrats Face a Final Scramble for Health Votes

There is major dispute going on now in the House over the health care legislation passed in the Senate. Democrats and White House officials are working to get the votes needed to pass this piece of legislation. Abortion has become a huge issue in the legislation since the Republicans are against the federal government paying for abortions through health care while lawmakers and Democrats are for it and wish to include it. Interest groups such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association are becoming involved and going head to head over this problem as well. Democratic officials are attempting to find a compromise by suggesting that an executive order "would prohibit the use of taxpayer money for abortions." Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi does not want the focus of the legislation to be just on abortion.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, this health care legislation will cost about $940 billion over ten years. To offset this price tag, government spending will be reduced in programs such as Medicare.
The debate over this legislation has been revolved unpreferably around abortion. One of the statements in the House bill was that no federal money can be used to pay for an abortion. The Senate bill federal money could not be used for the abortion procedure but health plans are allowed to cover abortion. What else is there to cover if the procedure is being taken care of by health plans?

-Jackie Paluszek
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/health/policy/21health.html

Al-Qaida on the ropes

"The president gave us the mission to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda and their military allies and I think that's what we are trying to do." Is what CIA Director, Leon Panetta, had to say about the recent events that have taken place in the fight against Al-Qaida. The CIA has been working around the clock, along side Pakastani officals to crush Al-Qaida. Recently, with in the last month, Hussein al-Yemeni, one Al-Qaida's top 20 was killed in the militant stronghold of Miram Shah in North Waziristan. Along with the capture of Mullah Abdul and Ghani Baradar, in Karachi, who are being interigated as of now. Even high comands in Al-Qaida have been requesting aid and leadership from Bin-laden himself, for the CIA has caused such disaray for them, causing Bin-laden to flee into deeper hiding.

With combind strength of Pakastani intelligence and American intelligence, we may yet be able to bring down Al-Qaida for good in the near future.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35916832/ns/world_news-washington_post

Jobs Bill Passes in Senate With 11 Votes From Republicans

Today in the Senate, something was finally agreed upon. The country is in need of employment, and by passing a bill that gives tax breaks to businesses that are willing to hire, we may get what we’ve been asking for. In a vote of 68 to 29, 11 Republicans pushed the vote forward and got the bill onto the desk of the President.

Democrat Charles Schumer calls this action a legislative dream, while Republican Judd Gregg believes this jobs bill to actually be a “debt bill”. Even if both statements have some truth to them, our country is in dire need of jobs and any type of employment. This bill gives an exemption from payroll taxes through the end of 2010 on workers hired that have been unemployed for at least sixty days. The federal highway construction program will also be extended. This will hopefully stimulate the economy and benefit our country in all the ways that are possible.

The passing of this bill has proved that our Senators are listening to the people they represent. If this small twinkle of hope can turn into something bigger, it is possible things might start getting done during this administration. But let's not get too carried away.

No Child Left -- Wait, hold on!

The No Child Left Behind Act, started during the Bush era, is taking an overhauling now that Obama is president. The old act required teachers to teach according to a test, forcing them to narrow the curriculum. Instead of this pass-fail system the new plan is to measure academic achievement on the individual scale. This new bill would also require government intervention to help out, while top achieving schools would get incentives. It would also put pressure on schools to reach 'college-and-career readiness' for its students.
Although this is bill has been worked out in a bipartisan way, there are still many critics of it, such as the two major teaching unions. They're both unhappy with the way the bill is shaping out, especially because it is leaving all of the responsibility on the teachers to reform things, without giving them any power to do so.
Even if this bill is brought to Congress this year, I wonder if they'll really be able to be bipartisan about it, or if this will be just another battle of the parties. This bill is requiring a major change in the education system that I doubt will just be passed in an easy manor. What also concerns me is, even if this bill is passed, what if Obama is out of the White House in 4 years and we have a Republican in office? Will the whole system be swapped back for the original No Child Left Behind?

Source.

Timing of Obama Indonesia Trip Questioned

As the health care bill is on the floor and hanging in the balance, the white house is facing questions on if Obama's trip to Australia and Indonesia is really necessary. Experts say that this trip is unusual in that there is no planned economic summit or other multicultural gathering. Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs stated that the president intends to democracy conference in Indonesia while also highlighting the country's' counter terrorism efforts.
Since Obama wants this bill to pass so eagerly I believe that this is not the right time to go on vacation. Although it seems like there is somewhat of a purpose in his trip I think it should wait till a later time. This is especially important if Obama wants his bill to pass while still having a Democratic majority because once mid term elections take place he will certainly not have the same support. Even though this seems quite selfish of him, there does seem to be some good intentions, I guess.

Supreme Court Divided on Gun Control

The NRA must be joyous with the split in the Supreme Court over gun control. In McDonald v. Chicago the court questioned whether or not the Second Amendment applies to local and state laws. Can the Second Amendment overturn Chicago's ban on handguns? .This issue has been toiled with for many years. In the 2008 case of Heller v. District of Columbia the Supreme Court ruled that there would be limits on how much the federal government can regulate guns. The McDonald case is mirroring the Heller and the justices are at a split vote.
Justice Stevens states, “Is it just the right to have it at home, or is the right to parade around the streets with guns?" This raises an extensive amounts of questions when interpreting the Second Amendment. One thing has to be kept in mind is that the Second Amendment was created hundreds of years ago. In modern day having the "right" to carry guns around is a death sentence. With gang and crime rates at an all time high is it a wise decisions to allow anybody to carry guns around?
The Justices must take this case for what it is and not what interest groups, like the NRA, turn it to be because at the end of the day peoples lives are at risk.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/us/03scotus.html?scp=22&sq=wednesday,%20march%203,%202010&st=cse

The Case for Financial Reform

It is clear that we are in one of the worst financial crises to hit America. What is not clear is whether or not we are doing anything to protect ourselves from another financial disaster in the future. Unfortunately, at the moment it looks like the government isn't doing much to prevent another economic disaster.

Both President Obama and leading members of Congress have called for banking regulatory reform. The House has passed a reform bill which is strong and adheres to many of the standards set by the Obama administration. But the Senate has yet to pass a bill of any sort. The partisanship and Republican opposition in the Senate has brought almost all hopes of a bill of any sort passing in the Senate. Apparently 51 votes is no longer a majority in the Senate. The Republicans are threatening to fillibuster almost anything that the Obama administration wants, including anything relating to financial reform. The Democrats could pass a watered-down bill, but in this case it might be better to pass no reform at all. As Paul Krugman states, a watered-down bill would create "a false sense of security and a fig leaf for politicians opposed to any serious action." This bill would "then fail in the clinch." A watered-bill would be doing the opposite of what it was created to do. For this reason, it would be better to pass no bill at all. Although this too is a bad idea. Having no bill at all would be a big win for Republicans and lovers of the free market. Politically, Democrats in the Senate are in a very strange predicament.

It has been over a year since the great recession began, yet nothing has been done to prevent it from happening again in the future. If Congress remains as partisan - or as Republican - as it is right now, then a financial reform bill will most likely never pass. In these difficult times, one can only hope for the best.

Source: The New York Times

Religion gone wrong.

If you read today's Pledge of Allegiance and Constitution, a lot of religion, especially Catholicism/Christianity is "read between the lines." That's because religion has had a significant impact on the building and foundation of the United States of America. Unfortunately, in the case of this article, religion was the last thing to cross the minds of devout and faithful men. One thing that slowly crossed my own mind as I read was the fact that yes, this country was based on religion but why did we found it on that? Then later why did we create a separation?

What really irks me is the fact that these people called themselves Christians and then later committed these crimes. We don't do things like that. We've had our names bashed and used and it's really about time people stopped (although it's not likely.) There are those who have grown up in the church and lived their whole lives doing good deeds but that doesn't make them Christians. It's about accepting Christ as your Saviour and really believing that. What happened with this, that's not it...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/us/02church.html?ref=us

Paterson Is No Quitter

New York State Democratic Governor David Paterson recently stated that he would not seek to run a full term however he will not resign during the ten months that he has left. The news of his resignations came shorty after a scandal of one of his top aid, David Johnson, being involved in a domestic violence with a female and the state police paying "hush" money to the female to prevent any news from getting out. The New York Times has accused Johnson of wrongdoings in the past even though he has not been officially charged on his actions. Paterson however denies any accusation made against him, suspended the aide accused in this case without pay, and has said that he looks forward to a full investigation of the case.

The large and populous state of New York is feeling the heat of the poor economy and a budget crisis and Paterson has stated that he can't run for office and be able to manage all of these financial problems. New York, the home of Wall Street, has gained attention of other officials due to its financial problems. Paterson who came into office after the scandals surrounding Eliot Spitzer caused him to resign, appeared on CNN and claimed that the New York Times used stories of Johnson during his teenage years against him and wrongfully blew the story out of proportion and stated that he believed individuals should be given a second chance. Whatever the reason, the news of Governor Paterson not seeking reelection is giving room to other officials who believe they have the knowledge on how to improve New York's financial problems.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/01/new.york.paterson/index.html

Chile Toll at 700; 2 Million Are Displaced After Quake

The death toll for the eathquake that struck chile stands at 708. This toll is seen to increase dramatically within the next couple of weeks.The earthquake has caused a mass panic in the country and the president has issued for soldiers to scrummage through debris in hope of finding people and also to supply aid to people in need. The ruling of the earthquake was determined to be one measuring at an astounding 8.8 which is by far the most catastrophic in Chilean history. This earthquake has also caused a great amount of illegal acts to take place. Police fired water cannons and tear gas into crowds because people were stealing groceries and other items. The president eventually made a deal with grocery stores and shopping chains to let the people take the food for free but not take non essential items like tv's. The people of chile are in need of help. There are power shortages all throughout the country, bridges collapsed, and other buildings that were toppled. The people are in need and time is running out for them. The world needs to unite to help out our fellow inhabitants of the world, we have to make this there home again.

Click here for link

Major runway closing at JFK airport

According to CNN, New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport isn't exactly the poster child for on-time departures and things may get worse before they get better for travelers using the airport this spring. JFK's longest, and busiest, runway (13R-31L) will close for four months.

The closure is all part of a $376-million, three-year makeover. Last year the runway handled more than 143,000 takeoffs and landings, and individual airlines are currently analyzing the effect the closure will have on flight schedules (a JetBlue spokeswoman said "It certainly does have an impact on operations."). The director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey explains, "The scope of the project is truly enormous. It provides for the replacement of almost three miles of asphalt pavement."

The asphalt on the runway has already worn out earlier than expected due to excessive use and is due for repair. The Port Authority voted to replace it with concrete, which will last longer, and to widen the runway to 200 feet from 150 feet, which will allow bigger aircraft to use the airport.The new concrete has an estimated service life of over 40 years, compared to an eight-year service life for asphalt.

The shutdown comes as the nation’s air travelers brace for new security precautions that could cause further delays at the gate. And any problems in New York have the potential to ripple around the country, just as problems in Atlanta or Chicago, for example, have been known to delay flights from coast to coast.But officials at Kennedy, and several of the airlines that serve it, insist that the situation is not likely to be a problem and that the long-term benefit will be fewer delays.

The time will clarify and reveal the true impact of this runway closing not just only on the air transportation issues of the nation, but also on the economy of the national transportation.


->For the CNN source link please click here.

N.Y. Terror Suspect Admits Guilt ad Cooperates

Najibullah Zazi, a member of Al Qaeda, pleaded guilty today to terrorist charges. He was convicted of attempting to detonate a bomb in a New York City subway, which posed a highly serious threat to the city of New York and the United States. Zazi was very close to committing this suicide bombing near the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, but since he realized he was under government surveillance, his "martyrdom operation" was cancelled. He was charged in court with attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, attempting to committ murder in a foreign country, and supporting a terrorist organization. According to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., this situation poses one of the greatest terrorist threats to our nation since the September 11 attacks. In court, Zazi reacted to these charges in a highly unapologetic manner, arguing that his terrorist intentions were inspired by his concerns about the United States's relationship with Afghanistan. He was fighting against the United States's "invasion" of Afghanistan in honor/order of the Taliban. Many of his family members were even arrested in this case. The United States is proud to proclaim though that this case has represented effective defense of/a successful avoiding of an advanced terrorist plot. In fact, the weapons that were directed toward this subway bombing were the same types of weapons used in the 2005 London Subway/Bus Attacks. Mayor Bloomberg described this terrorist plot to be highly dangerous and a huge threat to the city and nation: "This is not an amateur operation. It was a very serious plot against New York City."
The prevention of this mass suicide bombing represents a strength in the United States. Lately, our nation has been overwhelmingly criticized of its economy, foreign policy, health care reform, other domestic issues, etc. However, our Homeland Security made a remarkable effort in the Zazi case and proved that in this difficult era for our nation, we can still prevail. Also, New York City's (and the overall nation's) reaction to this foiled plot has been extraordinary. When was the last time we saw our nation pull together so strongly and demonstrate as effective a defense as in the Zazi case? It truly is a catalyst for hope that can be induced on the American public. Upon recently viewing the February 14th, 2010 episode of "The McLoughlin Group," a significant debate was brought up about how the United States would respond to a mass terrorist attack or the threat of a terrorist attack if the city of Washington D.C. could barely shovel its way out of the snow. These political pundits made some frightening remarks that warned of a possible failure against the next terrorist attack on the United States. However, the Zazi case clearly proved those from "The McLoughlin Group" who denounced the United States's defense against terrorist attacks wrong. As an American, I can finally speak proudly again now that I realize I can truly have hope for our country and have faith that I will be safe as an American that lives in a country of constant fear of a massive terrorist attack.

Fighting to take Marjah

Since Feburary 13th American and Afgan forces in Marjah have been trying to take down a Taliban instellation and opeum smuggling in the city. Also even with fighting still going on, the newly apointed civilain cheif of Marjah has planned to fly back into the city monday, with hopes of restoring government, overriding all taliban contorl of the city. However this easy victory has turned out to be quite a slog, do to the bombs and boobytraps set by taliban operatives. Even though the taliban members are enclosed in a small area now, they are unfortunately still giving American and Afgan forces a run for their money. Lt. Col. Brian Christmas even states "It looks like they want to stay and fight, but they can always drop their weapons and slip away. That's the nature of this war."

Sadly enough, this is a war that must be fought, but seemingly no end in sight, much like the many other battles like this in the Middle East in this day and age. People are forced from their homes, and many times civilians as well as soliders as killed. Yet these battles continue, and people conitnue to die, almost sickeningly ironic enough, each side are people dieing for their beliefs.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100221/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan;_ylt=Ar5IX9tTrbb.iOGpZc9NtgCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNlODZuNDhxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMjIxL2FzX2FmZ2hhbmlzdGFuBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMgRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDb3V0Z3VubmVkdGFs

Health Executive to Lead N.A.A.C.P.

One of today's most recognized interest groups in the country has just elected a new board leader to take the place of Julian Bond. The NAACP has picked Roslyn M. Brock, who is currently the vice chairwoman of the NAACP board, to be the board leader and who they believe will continue the fight for equality through public policy. Her experience in health care administration and policy for the past twenty years has given her colleagues the confidence that she will lead the younger generations.

During the 1950's, this interest group was involved in major court cases and influenced the end results of many historic events. These include the Brown v Board of Education case of 1954, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Lately the organization has declined in power due to decrease in membership, scandals within the society, and confusion as to how to implement their ideas to the country. Embezzlement of money during the mid-1990's by the president along with lay offs due to "budget shortfalls" in 2007 have tarnished the reputation and respect once given to this organization.

Honestly, I'm surprised this interest group hasn't disappeared by now. They have not dramatically influenced policy since the 1950's and are almost perceived as just a name by today's citizens. Those who have studied American history and government will recognize the values they stood for when the South was still segregated and continue to protect. But what have they done in the past 5, 10, 15 years? Is there really a need for this organization to exist? We elected a black man for the presidency a little over a year ago. What more could you possibly ask for? I wouldn't be surprised if in the next twenty years this establishment isn't considered an interest group anymore because of it's lack of power in Congress.

-Jackie Paluszek, period 7

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/us/21NAACP.html?hp

Truth and Fiction on the Stimulus Bill

A year ago president Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus bill into law. Throughout this year the stimulus bill has prevented the recession from becoming worse. So far the bill has created and preserved 1.6 million to 1.8 million jobs. The bill still has 700,000 more jobs to potentially create. The total sum of the jobs created from the $787 billion stimulus bill is 2.5 million. Despite the slight decrease in the unemployment rate Republicans are claiming that the bill was a total failure. Ironically, Republicans are lobbying for money from the stimulus bill for their voting districts.

Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan has helped the American economy out, but that stimulus plan has not completely recovered the American economy. Since unemployment rates are still high there has to be another stimulus bill so that the economy does not go back to how it was last year. Unfortunately many Americans are skeptical about another stimulus bill because they do not believe the money is going to benefit the people. It is disheartening to hear that our government is spending so much money on stimulus bills and packages to help our economy when Jamie Dimon, the chief executive at JP Morgan Chase are getting $17 million bonuses.

The most recent stimulus bill now calls for $266 billion. This bill is for " jobs and stimulus, including all-important extensions of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and fiscal aid to states that will otherwise face a punishing round of layoffs, canceled projects, spending cuts and tax increases this year and next." Hopefully the new bill will decrease the high unemployment rate even more than the last bill. America needs to get "back on their feet" by creating jobs and decreasing the unemployment rate it can potentially cause America to get out of the recession.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/opinion/20sat1.html?scp=1&sq=february+20+2010&st=nyt

Tea-publican?

The new "Tea party" has found another way of spreading their word and power across the country: they are now seeking out jobs as Republican precinct representatives. Instead of trying to fight the party, as they had originally done, they are now trying to slowly infiltrate it and change it from the bottom up. These new "tea-publicans" are having an easy time finding positions as Republican precinct representatives because most of these positions are open due to the lack of interest; in Maricopa county, Arizona only 30% of the Republican committee positions were filled before the Tea party started moving in on these ground level positions. Now the percentage is up to 50% because of the organization led by the Tea party.
It's a big step for the party to be taking a stand in local party politics. Republicans are relieved to have them joining their party, as they had been worried about them becoming a major third party that could cause a split ticket. This happened in NY's 23rd Congressional District election, where a Democrat had won a longtime Republican seat.
What's yet to be seen though is if this ground up 'movement' by the Tea Party will cause permanent change for the Republican party, or if the 'Tea-publicans' will die out and fall right back in line with traditional Republican ideals.

Party Gridlock in Washington Feeds Fear of a Debt Crisis

Things are so heated within Congress, nothing can be passed through. There is so much controversy and talk about the Obama administration and its goals that the country's overall well being is being ignored.

What should be scrutinized are the motives behind why nothing is getting done. It was said, " Elected Republicans, however, are under intense pressure from their party’s conservative base to oppose any tax increases — a line in the sand that dims any prospects for bipartisan cooperation." President Obama is unable to increase taxes because of these blocks and everything remains at a stand still.

A poll was taken by the CBS News that asked whether President Obama is trying to work with Republicans, and who the deficit was caused by. There is a two to one ratio that says President Obama is trying to work with Republicans, while they say that more than two to one believe Republicans aren't reciprocating. As for the deficit, it is said that 41 percent believe the Bush administration is to blame, 24 percent believe it to be Congress' fault, and 7 percent believe it to be blamed on Obama.

At this point, we have fiscal policy advisers asking if this country is even governable anymore. Our country needs to start believing in our ability to make things right instead of what we consider to be wrong. "And to use the politics of fear and division and hate on each other — we are at a point right now where it doesn’t make a damn whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican if you’ve forgotten you’re an American." Our country needs to pull together once again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17gridlock.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper

Two Parties Join Together, Then Resume Divided Ways

On Wednesday, Obama and Republican Leaders agreed that they have found a handful of areas where the two sides may be able to work together. However, Obama's choice of Craig Becker for the National Labor Relations Board has caused Republicans to try and block it. After a meeting in the White House with the president and leaders from both parties, it was made clear that both parties do not seem ready to end political discord yet. John Boehner was reported to have asked the president, "If you're serious about cutting spending, why don't we do it now?"
I believe that the attempt for bipartisanship has been long needed. If our government can just put all the differences aside for a while to try and make compromises and fix our country, we will be off to a great start. This will allow for more actions to take place such as the long needed health care bill and the resurrection of our economy. Also I think that John Boehner was right in his statement. It is easy to say we should cut spending, but why can't we put our money where our mouth is and do it?!

Suicide Attack Kills 17, Mostly Police, in Pakistan

In the northwestern region of Khyber near Islamabad a suicide bomber attacked a convey of policemen, killing 17. The police convey was passing through a market when the suicide bomber, who was on foot when he detonated the explosive. . A rescue team was sent in Peshawar and passed through Tirah when they were ambushed. The Army captain was killed in the ambush. The suicide attack came hours after a Pakistani Army Cobra gunship helicopter crashed in the Tirah Valley in Khyber. The pilot and gunner were killed, the army said. Tirah is a known hide-out and escape route for the Taliban.

This suicide bomb attack is one of many attacks that have been occurring and will most likely continue to happen. The Taliban will continue to attack any ties to American forces inside of Pakistan. Peshawar is known as one of the key points to getting around Pakistan for the Americans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/world/asia/11pstan.html?hpw

Obama Plans Bipartisan Summit on Health Care

President Obama plans to have a half-day health care session at the White House, which will be televised. The event would show whether or not Republicans and Democrats are willing to work together to pass a Health Care bill. With the loss of some seats in congress for Democrats, they were contemplating their next step in getting this bill passed, and if continuing was the best choice for them. It will be seen if the session will lead to an agreement or just simply a debate that leads to nothing.

President Obama said he will not start the bill over from scratch, nor will the debate be restarted. Some see this debate as being something that will merely lengthen the process of getting the bill passed. Others believe that along the way this bill will cause Obama to break his promise to not tax the middle class workers. Democrats in the House and Senate were willing to try and come up with a unified health care plan in time for the meeting, something that will be important when the time comes, with the split between the House and Senate bills.

This meeting may work wonders, but it also might fall short of doing anything. Hopefully the meeting will yield positive results, and the citizens will be happy with the consensus reached. It may be the end to the long health care bill.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html?ref=politics

Care to Join Us for Tea?

There's a new faction in town : the Tea Party. The grassroots anger that appeared a year ago, in response to the federal government's stimulus package, has now taken a new form of political power. Organizers of the inaugural national convention which took place in Nashville, Tennessee, said that they were forming a political action committee to raise money and provide campaign management, as well as political consulting, for party approved candidates. The PAC seeks to raise $10 million to spend on the 2012 Congressional elections.

Advocates were urged to elect like-minded conservatives in the primaries that take place over the next few months, so Tea Partiers would not have to choose between a Democrat and a Republican "in name only." Organizers outlined plans to gain control over the Republican Party by replacing Republicans with Tea Party conservatives. Mark Skoda, a spokesman for the convention and leader of the Memphis Tea Party, as well as the declared president of the PAC, stated that the Ensuring Liberty PAC would choose candidates based on their loyalty to the "'first principles': less government, fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, states rights and national security."

The success of the Tea Party is still in question, with the convention reflecting the fractiousness of the Tea Party movement; many sponsors and participants had pulled out, citing concerns. The formation of a new third party, especially one that appeals to conservatives, will cause a split of the Republican votes, guaranteeing either a Democratic victory or more competition in the 2010 Congressional elections.

Article Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/us/politics/06teaparty.html?ref=politics

Late Arrival

Recently top military officials such as Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, have looked to end the seventeen year law of "Don't ask don't tell" from 1993. Finally after so many years gays and lesbians will be able to be open about their sexual orientation while fighting for our country. A number of officials are coming out and supporting the end of this law. Adm Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has supported Robert Gates decision saying that, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” The truth of the matter is what does one have to do with another. In combat when we need people the most what impact does it have who at the end of the day they decide to go to bed with. The American government was essentially condoning lying.

The government has the audacity to tell people what they can and can not reveal when the gays and lesbians are serving for them! It is simply illogical to me. There have been thousands of soldiers that have been discharged as a result of reveling their sexuality in previous years. The Armed Forces have lost vital soldiers such as Arabic translators as a direct result of this irrational law. Just because some one chooses to be homosexual does not mean that they are inadequate to fight in war.

Due to the fact that there has not been a draft since Vietnam , the Armed Forces could use however many soldiers they can get. However the homosexuals across the country are being hindered by the law that requires them to conceal themselves. It is long over due and finally officials are repealing this ludicrous law. Although, congress is moving very slowly to finalize the repeal, homosexuals will gain another freedom, after waiting seventeen years.




http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/us/politics/03military.html?ref=us