Thursday, June 21, 2007

In the news

I've been so busy lately ranting about...well...everything, that I haven't taken time out to go over some of what's been in the news. Well, here's a recap of some interesting stories:

GOP = Gettin' Outta the Party
The 2008 race for President just got a little more interesting. Long time Republican and billionaire New York mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this week that he's ditching the Republican party and going Independent. Though he claims he's not seeking the Presidency, I'm still left to wonder if he can become a legitimate New York candidate in '08, especially considering that Gulliani can't even seem to beat out Fred Thompson. If he does decide to run, how will thisl impact the elections? Specifically, from which party will the most votes be taken?

Perhaps the biggest question is: Since he's not married, will he get a call from Obamagirl?

Email-gate?
The scandal involving the missing emails is starting to get pretty ugly for the White House. According to this report from the House Oversight Committee, electronic messages from 51 of the 88 accounts used by a Republican mailing system are missing. Among those missing emails are those from White House Political Director Ken Mehlman. Of the accounts that are still intact, emails from those accounts are nevertheless still missing; especially from key players like Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales. Though the Bush Administration contends that neither the Presidential Records Act or the Hatch Act have been violated, this scandal can't bode well with them.

The Cold War, part II
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has indicated that our missile defense efforts are still in effect; even after several European nations have expressed their opposition to the plans. NATO (who I've always viewed as being toadies for the U.S.) have actually co-signed on these plans, which doesn't surprise me one bit.

This story is a clear demonstration of the hypocrisy of America and the European Union. All this jazz about spreading democracy around the world; yet the citizens of these countries are not allowed to have any say on what's being done on their own soil. But the Russians have drawn their line in the sand. The question is: will the U.S. heed their warning?

"Illegal" casualities of war
I'm not at all fan of the immigtration plans currently laid out by the Democrats. But something has to be done to address the following:

The wife of a missing American solider is facing the possibility of being deported because of her illegal alien status. So essentially, a man's family will get kicked out of the very country for which he is fighting and will likely die. Amazing.

More horrible news from Iraq
The military has reported that another 14 American soliders have been killed in isolated incidents in the past two days. These killings bring the death toll to 3,545. I'm reporting this now because -- chances are -- most people aren't paying attention anymore.

I'm left to wonder if that's the going rate these days for 'democray and stability'.

Bush vetoes stem-cell bill
It seems to me that Bush is more and more intent on leaving a legacy of stubborness and opposition to progress that could be good for the country after he recently vetoed another bill supporting stem-cell research. Though the president urged Congress to adopt policies that are "ethically responsible", he successfully thwarted a reasonable and scientific way of doing just that. Will this guy ever get it?

Satellites getting "too costly"
According to reports, the U.S. will be pulling back on aerospace funding used to measure global warming. Though the White House has been warned of the impacts of not being able to track global warming patterns from space, the Bush Administration is getting dangerously close to pulling some major plugs on the project. All of this while Bush claims to be committed to leading the world's efforts in addressing these concerns. What better way to silence the reports coming from global satellites than by cutting the funding?

Church sponsored racism
This story just made me sick. Apparently, a school in Riverdale, CA (about 20 miles from Fresno) sponsored a Civil War themed senior prom and graduation service; which included whites dressed as mammies, field workers, and runaway slaves. Worst yet, this event was sanctioned by a Christian school.

Remember all this when you hear someone say that racism is a thing of the past.

I guess that about does it for now. My thesis work is going OK, I'm just about finished with my grad program (three classes to go! Woo hoo!), and life is generally good. Please keep the victims of the Kansas storms, the Gulf Coast, and the all-around disenfranchised in your prayers. Peace!

- ACL

9 "Insiders" spoke their mind. Join in...:

The H.C. said...

Hey Dre,
I'm hoping that Bloomberg could possibly bring the kind of money infusion needed to get a third party bid off the ground. Even though I hate the notion of a billionaire buying his way to the presidency, at least it would give hope to the notion of a third party. The E-mail thing doesn't interest me. I think i'm getting scandal fatigue. Some of the missing E-mails were from private accounts.Are the Dems now making a scandal out of having any private life at all? Unless they think there's a crime committed and have evidence it may have been (beyond just their suspicions) I can't take another fishing trip. Aren't the Dems supposed to be fixing health care or the oil crisis. Or did we hire them just to chase Reps around over small stupid shit? Well that's all I have time for right now. Great post Andre.

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Hey, Mr. Dre!

I had to comment on the Civil War themed graduation and prom. That just blew my feeble little mind! And in California of all places, sponsored by a church of all things.

It doesn't happen often, but I'm speechless.

Glad to hear things are going well with your classes. So, when you get your diploma will you be moving on, or still working at the University?

Watch out for that green-eyed heifer, she'll be sniffing around anytime now. She can't help herself. ;D

Have a great Friday and weekend, Andre. :-)

Love and hugs,

Diane

Greeneyes said...

Gasp!!!!!!!!!!!at Dianes Comment , ARGG!
What some people will do and say !
LOL

Andre
My Glorious greeneyed KING,
Great post , love all the info you put in , hard to get some news here , so thank you for the info .I enjoyed it very much :0)

Happy to know you are almost finished and doing well , I certainly hope the next chapter in your life is an adventure ,where you find all your hearts desire ,and be rewarded for all your hard work and excellence.
I also hope you remain blogging as you persue your next level of success and fill us all in along the way .
Good Luck and God Bless
Love and Hugs ♥♥♥♥
Greeneyes

Anonymous said...

Regarding Bloomberg: He's clearly trying to make a legitimate run for Prez. By ditching the Republican party (but not it's ideals), he will lure the Blue Dog Democrats in the 08 election. I think it's a brilliant move to keep the GOP in power. Crap! The Dems should've thought of it first.

Like The HC, I could care less about the email scandal. There are bigger things to worry about that emails about Karl Rove's grocery list or his "discreet" porn bills.

I agree with you on the missle shield defense. One day this country will get in trouble because of its hypocrisy.

The story about the illegal immigrant wife being deported makes me sick to my stomach. This government sure is a work of art, isn't it?

Terrible to hear about the mounting death toll. It's even more sad that -- as you said -- people don't even care anymore.

I don't get how Bush and the GOP defend the "life" of embryos that don't have organs, limbs, or a central nervous system, but have no problem sending REAL people to fight and die in war. Hypocrisy again.

I also agree with the satellite story. It seems fishy that fund cutting is likely in a potentially threatening area. But we need TONS of money in the Dept. of Defense, right?

The Civil War prom (especially the pictures) are harrowing. THIS is one of the reasons people turn away from the church. The people within are ignorant, intolerant, and racist; hardly things that would describe the Christ they allegedly are serving.

A great series of posts, Dre! Good luck on your thesis work too.

Anonymous said...

Parying for ya, Dre! Love ya!!

Andre said...

@ HC: Buying the presidency is nothing new. Either a person buys it with their own money or they do it with some else's. But you're right: with Bloomberg possibly running as an independent, it might 'bring some balance to the force'. I don't like Bloomberg, but anybody strong enough to break up the momentum of 2 parties is a friend of mine.

The email thing doesn't really matter that much to me either. It's just fun watching Republicans get caught in scandal. Now if those deleted emails only wind up being joke-of-the-days, spam mail, and gardening tips, I'll be pretty disappointed.

I guess the other topics weren't as interesting or you didn't have enough time to speak to them. So I'll just take that as a "I agree with you, Andre." Yeah. I know.

@ Diane: Hey granny: I guess that not all of California is tree hugging. Still, I would never expect this! Like you, I'm speechless.

How's Jessica, Jr? Tell her I said hello. Hope the family's doing well.

@ Greeny: Sometimes not knowing what's going on in the world is far more blissful than taking the red pill. That's when you start to get angry and frustrated with the world. But if you find yourself looking for informative outlets without bias, there are quite a few sources out there. I'll be willing to share them with you; at your peril. *sinister laugh, thunder, and lightning*

Andre said...

@ Cyn: Interesting idea about Bloomberg earning support from Blue Dogs. They might see his leaving the GOP as a sign that he's with them. Interesting.

Good point to you and HC about the email scandal.

The missile situation is scary; especially now that Russia has identified itself as a player. The U.S. needs to be careful with this.

The illegal wife story is absolutely astounishing. But sadly, it's not the only story out there regarding immigration.

It hurts my heart each time I hear about a solider's death and the voids made in people's homes/lives because of the greedy and cowardly moves by our "leaders."

Saving/improving lives through stem cells or destroying lives through violence. Well, we have a "war president", so you can guess which one is more important.

Don't like what the sats tell you about global warming? Cut them out of the space program funding.

"The Civil War prom (especially the pictures) are harrowing. THIS is one of the reasons people turn away from the church. The people within are ignorant, intolerant, and racist; hardly things that would describe the Christ they allegedly are serving."

Nothing to add there. You said it all.

@ Jos: Thanks dude! I'm gettin' closer...

Anonymous said...

I'm so proud of you Andre,

ps don't buy a house in Michigan!!!
That's my professional advise.

Get your degree and get the hell on.

heiresschild said...

hey andre, thanx for the news updates. congrats on the almost completion of your grad program. that's an honor and quite an accomplishment. what's your field of study? now, is the world really ready for andre?