New site, bookmark it! http://web.mac.com/cmohrblue/Site/Politics/Politics.html

New Blog

At the moment, I'm working on a new blog. Keep checking back, all two of you, and soon I'll have the new link up.

FOX Attacks Goddamn Sally Field

Student Tasered At Kerry Speech: Longer Version

The Jena Six

OJ Caught Causing Climate Change

As always, here is a great post from the Huffington.

Universal Health Care

Edwards on Charlie Rose discussing health care.

Fair & Balanced

So, yesterday Gen. Petraeus told Congress we needed more time in Iraq. His remarks were followed by front pages stores on ever newspaper in America...except one...can you guess which one?

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

From Ben, from Ben & Jerry's, comes "A True Majority." Check out the news, sign up for updates, and DEF check out the videos!

I Own One of Those Too...

This is a list of News Corps companies:

Filmed Entertainment - News Corporation
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox Espanol
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox International
20th Century Fox Television
Blue Sky Studios
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Studios Australia
Fox Studios LA
Fox Studios Baja
Fox Television Studios

Television - News Corporation
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Sports Australia
Fox Television Stations
FOXTEL
STAR

Cable Television owned by News Corporation
Fox Movie Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox Sports Digital
Fox Sports Enterprises
Fox Sports Espanol
Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports World
FUEL
FX
National Geographic Channel
SPEED Channel
Stats, Inc

Direct Broadcast & Satellite Television - News Corporation
BskyB
DIRECTV
FOXTEL
Sky Italia

Magazines - News Corporation
Inside Out
Donna Hay
News America Marketing
Smart Source
The Weekly Standard
Gemstar

Newspapers - News Corporation
Australasian region Newspapers:
Daily Telegraph
Fiji Times
Gold Coast Bulletin
Herald Sun
Newsphotos
Newspix
Newstext
NT News
Post Courier
Sunday Herald Sun
Sunday Mail
Sunday Tasmanian
Sunday Territorian
Sunday Times
The Advertiser
The Australian
The Courier Mail
The Mercury
The Sunday Mail
The Sunday Telegraph
Weekly Times
United Kingdom region Newspapers:
News International
News of the World
The Sun
The Sunday Times
The Times
Times Education Supplement
Times Higher Education Supplement
Times Literary Supplement
TSL Education
United States region Newspapers:
New York Post
The Wall Street Journal

Books - News Corporation
Harper Collins Publishers
- Australia
- Canada
- Childrens Books
- United States
- United Kingdom
Regan Books
Zondervan

Other Investments - News Corporation
MySpace.com Profile
Festival Records
Mushroom Records
National Rugby League - Australia
News Interactive
News Outdoor
Nursery World


This is not a monopoly how...?

Who's giving? And How Much?

Doctrine of Discovery, Alive and Well

Who owns the North Pole? No one, you say? Try again! Russia has declare the North Pole to be theirs. How? By dropping a flag and then seeing if any Christians are around, of course. They asked the polar bears, but it appears they are Muslim, so it's all Russia's now!

Oh Doctrine of Discovery, what would we do without you?

"Not Gay, Not Gay, Not Gay!"

Oh c'mon we've all been there. We find our heterosexual-selves walking through an airport and suddenly are overtaken by the urge to have sex with someone, well....someone from the same sex. But that doesn't make us gay, geez.

He's not gay, he just likes sex with men.

Oh, and it wouldn't be utterly hypocritical to vote against gay marriage and to vote against extending protections to homosexuals.

* Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
* Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
* Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
* Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
* Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)

Craig has a 0% rating in HRC's 2006 Congressional Scorecard.

Running to the Center

You've probably seen him at a Democratic debate shouting, red-faced, and telling the other candidates he's afraid of them. His name, Mike Gravel, former Senator-D AK and current presidential candidate. He may be a little off his rocker, especially when you consider him for a serious presidential bid, but he is one hell of a liberal. And crazier yet, he often makes a lot of sense.

“Last week Hillary sandbagged the LGBT community with her states rights argument against gay marriage. This week she throws the anti-war movement under the bus. I'm curious to see who's going to be next week's victim.”

Leave Some Children Behind

In a typical Bushesque publicly stand for one thing and do anything, the federal government has laid out new restrictions states must use when enrolling uninsured children into their health care programs. This curtailment of states rights will affect many states with such programs, NY included. Why would the federal government do this? Because states are individually changing what they consider to be the poverty level for a family of four. The federal government currently says a family of four can survive on $21,000 annually, but states seem to disagree, and of course the Bush administration is all for states rights, as long as they agree with them.

More importantly however, and unfortunately largely undiscussed in this article, is the protection of for-profit health care. Our government shouldn't be in the business of protecting business over people. Why do we allow this? Why don't we do something to stop this?

I don't normally get personal in theses, just a quick two cents and then a link, but I know I can't possibly be the only one outraged. So please, write a letter to your representative, and most importantly know where the candidates stand on issues like health care, and use your vote to send a message. They can't represent us if we don't elect them, and they can't read our minds once they are in office.

Please, read the article.
And if you live in New York, be thankful we have this man on our side.

“Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York said that, “contrary to the senators’ objections,” federal law allows states to set higher income limits. “Granting this expansion,” Mr. Spitzer said, “is essential to the health and well-being of New York’s children.” ”

New Tactics "working"

Hilliary says the new tactics in Iraq are working...I guess she and I differ on what is an acceptable body count.

What Time Is It? Time To Move the Nuclear Clock.

If you've been paying attention the last few months, particularly the last few weeks you should be shaking in your boots. It looks like Iran might NOT be our biggest threat.

Invisible - Hillary Ad

Ok, so Edward is my main man, as he should be yours. But with ad's like this, the Clinton campaign could steal my heart.

What We Ought to Have Apathy For

Which candidate is best for a gay America? Well, Dennis Kucinich, but if his unsuccessful presidential bid's since the Washington administration foreshadow anything, he won't be the Democratic nominee.

So who comesout as number one? No one. And this is why.

To Vote Again

As people in the United States take for granted their right to vote, some of our brethren around the world remember what it means to be a democracy.

An Offense Is The Best Defense...?

That's what we've all heard a thousand times, so why is it not true here? Well, it is, perhaps we shouldn't be giving them a reason to go on the offense, just a thought.

When You're Smiling, Russian's with Nuclear Weapons Will Be Smiling with You!

Chilly Willy

A Cold War front seems to be heading our way, with a 100% chance for increased tension.

Civil Liberties, Goodbye!

Protect America Act - Vote Passed (60-28, 12 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill which would temporarily expand the executive branch’s authority to spy on suspected foreign terrorists without a court order, when communications are passing through the U.S.

Sen. Charles Schumer voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Hillary Clinton voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

John Edwards - YearlyKos

He needs your vote, but we need this man!

Not biased?

Obama, bad! Democrats, bad! Liberal schools, bad! ahhhh the terror of liberalism! Thank you Fox, for your fair and balanced news coverage.

Babies Are NOT People!

This says it all!

"If they were people they would have some special clause in the Constitution defending their rights. But they don't, and so clearly our forefathers recognized their non-people status."

National Priorities Project

How much has the war cost you?

John Edwards - Hair

He's right, what really matters?

A New Cold War, or a Real War?

The slow, painful result of diplomatic regression.....when is enough, enough?

Democratic failure of the US, the Democratic demise of Russia. 

Sex Ed, First Hand.

BuffaloPundit making a great point

I Don't Think Miranda Lives Around Here

You have no right to remain silent. If you cannot afford an attorney, and chances are you cannot, one will NOT be appointed to you. Anything you say, or that we make you say, will be used against you. Oh, and it doesn't matter if you understand these rights, as I have not read them to you.

CNN Gets Blitzed by Michael Moore

China OK, Cuba NO-K

A Cuban human rights group reported there are less political prisoners, granted only 70 less but still a step in the right direction. Excruciatingly slow reforms, yes, but the US continues its pointless embargo and travel ban while China, with an atrocious human rights record, has been reward with favorable trade status. But I guess the US is too busy with investigating Michael Moore to be bothered with lifting sanctions against a tiny island. Just look at those frightening pink and blue buildings and 1950's vehicles, imagine the hell life would be if they could sell us cigars.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment: Pardon of Scooter Libby

End it now.

.....Maybe it is time we start thinking about more than just ourselves. No more new phones, no more new clothing, no more distraction...............

I-N-S-T-A-N-T  K-A-R-M-A

It's what the News isn't talking about.

It's Called Deterrence

It's still illegal to go to Cuba. In fact, to be more specific, apparently it is illegal to go to Cuba and seek medical treatment. Regardless of whether or not the Cuban government put on a show to shame America in Michael Moore's movie SiCKO, it had the opportunity to do so and it is America who has allowed that to happen. If a celebrity can leave prison after 23 days, receiving preferential treatment for a violation that would have sent an average citizen to jail for 6 months or more, why is it that we choose to investigate a woman who helped to save lives and now can barely afford to live?

See Here: CNN SiCKO Investigation

Once Upon a Time....

When I started off on my long journey in college, I knew "nought" what I would do with my life. I knew I loved Politics (yes with a big "P"), I knew I wanted to change the world. I realized I was fortunate enough to live in the United States, .... I, I, I! Now I am not so sure. My faith in this country's oldest constitution was fledgling, it has since slowed to a small trickle hardly worth any notoriety. Truth is: I'm uncertain as to what has happened to the America I believed in? I'm inclined to assume it may never have existed. There was a time when the words Amendments and Freedom caused a spark of patriotism to rush up your spine. Yet, now I am ashamed of myself, of this country, of what we have done. I am ashamed of my parent's, my journalists, my reporters, my teachers, my politicians, my friends, my family, the list goes on. Our failure is just that, "our" failure. We are all responsible and we will all pay the ultimate price if our great democracy falls, and the light that once shone so brightly, beckoning the world, becomes the dim night light of a bygone era. 

 

Today the Supreme Court handed down a number of rulings, all of which worked to erode precedent decades in the making: Free speech, which once was herald as a right that did not "shed itself when a student walked through the doors of a public school," is now set back; School Integration is no longer a prime concern, when at one point we recognized that despite our best efforts some schools still stayed black while others stayed white (Meredith v. Jefferson changes some of this-the court decided the case: quotas are not permissible). 

 

There are those who blame the homosexuals, the women who allegedly "destroy life," or the minorities who live in the slums they have been relegated to. But they blame others because it is always more difficult to blame oneself. Sadness is when the top stories of the day are a hot blonde's exit from prison after 23 days, condom use being manly,... the list goes on? We no longer wish to search inside of ourselves, rather, we seek solace in celebrity and frivolity. When John Stewart and Steven Colbert exude comic news that is more informative than a country's national news, we can clearly expound, "Houston we have problem!"

Chalk One Up For the Bad Guys

5 to 4, 5 to 4, 5 to 4, what a difference one vote can make. It appears that America's new conservative court is anti antitrust, anti integration, anti free speech, and anti campaign finance reform. This is not the America I want to live in.

Loud and Proud

So I haven't always been the biggest fan of Rosie O'Donnell, by-and-large I've thought she was loud, rude, overly opinionated, and most of the time wrong. Of course, I was only trusting the snippets CNN and MSNBC were playing on the news, if we can still call it that. I came across Rosie's blog after reading a New York Times article a couple of weeks ago, and I gotta tell ya, it ain't so bad. You can start with this article.

Going down?

America the hated

Elizabeth Edwards calls Ann Coulter

You can only evade the truth for so long.

Welcome! You are sick! Goodbye!

Support our troops, until they get home.

Re: SiCKO Movie -- Michael Moore Wants to Hear From You

Re: SiCKO Movie -- Michael Moore Wants to Hear From You

For those of us soon finishing college.

SiCKO Movie -- Michael Moore Wants to Hear From You

Michael Moore SICKO

As always, Michael Moore incites us all to get up just when we're about to give up. This is a great film that challenges the conservative position of government inefficiency, especially in connection to a nationalized health care system. When did we decide health was a privilege and not a right, and why are we still tolerating this? Yea, taxes might go up, but you know that health insurance premium you pay...that's a tax too...

Richardson Commercial

May the Best Song Win!

Help Hillary select her new campaign song!

I picked Jesus Jones :-)

Mini Me!

McKinney Grills Rumsfeld

Old information, but interesting nonetheless.

Just in case...

you weren't convinced, NASA says climate change will be up 10 degrees by 2080

Chat it up!

I came across this yesterday when I was downloading the new version of Windows Messenger.

Check it out! For ever conversation you have a portion of proceeds from the adds that appear on the MSN messenger will be donated to a campaign like an AIDS or MS foundation or to help stop climate change...you're going to talk anyway, why not help raise some cash in between the gabbing!?

Friends aren't on it? Tell them why they should download it too!

I'm baaaack

So it's been awhile since my last post, sorry, but finals tend to kill me and mush my brain to a point were drool becomes a task. BUT, now I'm back with some news about consumers making a difference.

Citigroup has promised to commit $50 billion in reduction of climate change over the next 50 years. They've also committed to reducing their own emissions %10 by 2011.

What does this prove? If consumers actually do care about an issue, business will too...we have the ability to make a difference!

Visit earthshare.org to learn more.

Vote!

Bill of Rights, thinner and trimmer

This is a repost from BuffaloPundit, but I laughed my ass off when I read it so I wanted to share it with the four of you who read this - which includes my aunt, her husband, and her two children. Enjoy!

Bill Of Rights Pared Down To A Manageable Six

WASHINGTON, DC-President Bush approved a streamlined version of the Bill of Rights that includes a "tight, no-nonsense" six amendments.

A or B, both equal C?

For those of you who continuously say there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic Party, I say the votes scheduled and the bills passed offer ample proof to make you all a joke.

Now, I only have NY specific information, with the entire vote in "( )", but we can see a CLEAR difference:

Recent Senate Votes
U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 - Vote Agreed to (51-46, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate gave final approval to this $124 billion bill that funds military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and sets a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Sen. Charles Schumer voted YES
Sen. Hillary Clinton voted YES

Recent House Votes
U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 - Vote Passed (218-208, 2 Present, 5 Not Voting)

The House passed this $124 billion bill that funds military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and sets a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Rep. Thomas Reynolds voted NO

Wild Horse Protection Bill - Vote Passed (277-137, 18 Not Voting)

This House bill would prohibit the Bureau of Land Management from selling wild horses or burros to be slaughtered for commercial use.

Rep. Thomas Reynolds voted YES (would wild horse preservation even come up under a Republican controled House?)

Upcoming Votes
Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments of 2007 - S.1082

The Senate is scheduled to take up this bill reauthorizing the Food and Drug Administration’s drug review operations.

---

Improving Head Start Act of 2007 - H.R.1429

This House bill would reauthorize the Head Start program.

---

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 - H.R.1592

This House bill would provide federal assistance to local jurisdictions to prosecute hate crimes.

---

There is a difference.

You can recieve updates about your Sentor and Congressman/woman by signing up and clicking here. This is a FREE service and great to keep you updated on important House and Senate votes.

Racist? That's fine, as long as it's in favor of a minority...

Last night at the Democratic Presidential candidates debate, which over the next fifty years will probably be held the day after general elections, candidate Bill Richardson declared his inherent racism which favors Hispanics. Up until now he's been my favorite candidate, on paper his qualifications blow the others out of the water, and after the last 6 years the White House desperately needs a diplomat. But after his remarks to The Hill, and the debate last night, where he bluntly proclaimed he didn't call for Alberto Gonzales' resignation because he was Hispanic, he's clearly not what we need to unite people.

“The only reason I’m not there is because he’s Hispanic, and I know him and like him,” Richardson said, adding, “It’s because he’s Hispanic. I’m honest."

Why do we excuse racism when it seems to favor the minority, and I'm not talking about affirmative action or quota's which work to stop racism inherit in the system. I'm talking about out right favoritism for a specific race, any race, by declaring actions are less important than skin color, that guilt is demonstrated not by your actions, but rather we must assess punishment based race. Replace Hispanic in his statement with "white" and he would have committed political suicide...

We have to stop this. We have to stop placing blame on a race, we must stop giving privilege simply because of race, we must stop determining guilt based on it, we must stop!

Do As I Say, Not As I do.

Take one from the Bush Admin, don't do a half-assed job when you don't have to do one at all:
“These are treaty obligations, and everyone is expected to live up to treaty obligations,” [Rice] said.

US pulls out of Kyoto Protocol
US pulls out of Rome Statute
US pulls out of Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972

I guess if you don't feel like living up to them then you should just pull out...

ONE

Think about it while you shop....

New York State Governor Ellior Spitzer needs your help passing marriage equality legislation! In the coming weeks he will be introducing legislation so that all of New York State's citizens can receive equal treatment under the law. Please, email your NYS assemblyman or woman, and your state senator to tell them you support this legislation.

Soldier In Iraq: War Can't Be Won, That's Unfortunate

Busy week...

light posting this week...many tests, much to do!

McCain: Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran

Citizens of the world...

While we all sit behind our TVs and mourn the loss 30 Virgina Tech students 127 people died in Iraq, the result of 4 bombings; eleven were killed in Mogadishu amidst fighting between rebel groups and Somalian troops; 50 people died in Nigeria when government elections faced charges of fraud causing mass protest; continuing violence in Darfur has resulted in 200,000 murders and the displacement of 2.2 million people. While we sit in dismay, and read the Virgina Tech murder's blog post in a vain attempt to find his motive, our fallen in Iraq reached 3, 309 resulting 6, 618 mothers and fathers without their child.

"Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds."

"Worldwide, more than 1 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day."

"In 2006, 4.3 million people become infected with HIV and 2.9 million people died of AIDS."

While our 24 hour cable news covers nearly exclusively Virgina Tech, Israeli's fear each trip to the cafe, Iraqi's fear stopping at the market, and millions in the world face torture and murder at the hands of repressive regimes, many of them US backed.

"In extreme situations when human lives and dignity are at stake, neutrality is a sin. It helps the killers, not the victims." -Elie Wiesel

The Program, The Legend

Practically all my life I've heard people speak negatively about the welfare program, and coming from a small, low income town this always shocked me. But I guess the abuses of the system are more apparent when you're in a rural area and you know each and every neighbor and ALL of their business. What really perplexes me is why do so many people hate the welfare program? Constantly comments are made about paying for these "lazy" people's taxes or that it's all going to illegal immigrants, but is that actually the case? Can people really just have another kid and make some extra income?

Some truths lie in the above, for example Welfare used to be known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC),thus increasing your assistance with each child, but in 1996 Bill Clinton proposed legislation that changed ADFC to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. This, in the words of the 42nd president, would "end welfare as we know it," and it did in many ways, but some people still hold on to those old notions of an idle-able body mooching off the system.

Truth: Workfare (today's welfare) has a 5 year limit on benefits
Truth: Workfare recipients must work 30 hrs/per week after two years of benefits
Truth: Since the passage of workfare the number of people on workfare/welfare has decreased

The people on the "welfare system" are living in poverty, to suggest that many of them enjoy this life style is absurd, and to alleged that they keep "popping out children" in some revenue raising scheme is nonsensical since the child would cost far more than any available benefits.

Often the problem is those two or three people we know that just seem unwilling to help themselves, and so we grumble that they are the reason for our high taxes, surely if they weren't receiving assistance we would have and extra 300 or 400 hundred dollars in our paychecks. Although the many billions being shipped off to Iraq might...


Welfare: aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need

Government Funded Welfare Programs:

Social Security
WICK (program for newborns provides formula, diapers, etc)
Unemployment Insurance
HUD (helps people afford housing)
Student Aid

Click here for a list of government funded programs, chances are you have or will one day receive some form of welfare, and I'll bet you'll be thankful it's there.