Good Times in 1st period Govt.

Bush's State of the Union Address

2006-02-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

Well I must give Bush some credit for this one, I was pleasantly surprised by the succinctness of his speech. I felt as if it was well recited, with many well made points including staying the course in Iraq, homeland security, taxes, and he evened ventured into talking about ethenol power automobiles. I am the type of person who would typically rather eat grass and or brussel sprouts before listening to our bumbling ape-like president speak for an hour plus, but this... this was relatively pain free. I have one huge objection to the fact that he glossed over gay marraige rights and basically said that activist judges should not be permitted to make such unconstitutional rulings. Can I say UGH? How conservative, closeminded and Republican of you Bush... with the whole good speaking skills and positive and well written State of the Union Address I had almost forgotten the idiocy of our president. But then with a flash - one glossed over issue sent me back into my previous... eh it could be worse at least Bush tries his darndest state of mind. All in all, despite half hearted and half of the auditorium standing ovations and a few little bumbles, Bush presented a classy State of hte Union Address, which I didn't mind [too terribly much] watching, although it might be just because I kept busy counting applauses and standing ovations.

GAY RIGHTS

2006-01-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

So whats the big deal? Homosexuals don't deserve the same rights as any other citizen of the United States? It seems ridiculous to single out one group of people and place restrictions on their lifestyles, I thought that America was focusing on taking great strides against prejudice and hatred.... I guess gay people are an acception. Who is it really hurting if two gay men get married? Who's to say that two lesbian women wouldn't be a more loving and devoted couple than the half hearted eloping heterosexual couples in Vegas? They probably would, so why not restrict idiots who barely know each other from getting married if we are being picky? The point comes down to the fact that gay or straight, Americans should be free to marry whomever they please, and live a fulfilling life with their significant other without having to relocate to different states in order to get marraige rights and the privelage to have tax cuts with their spouses. Ignorance and prejudice are limiting these people from being happy. How can straight conservatives see it as their right to hold back two people from joining in holy matrimony when it not only doesn't effect them personally, but is also violating our constitutional rights. People should worry about the things that have a direct correlation with their own lives and stop trying to inflict their power and rules on innocent people who deserve much better. If Virginia bans Gay marraige, I will have lost all hope in our system. Just accept people for the way they are and allow them to live happily the way they see fit. No law should restrict two consenting adults from marrying one another. End of story.

appologizing doesnt qualify as admitting guilt

2006-01-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

in the 1982 rape case that has just come out into the public, the defense attorney for the rapist who clearly appologized for rape claims that by appologizing for rape in no way is he admitting to his guilt of this crime. HOW is that not admitting to having done this? basically i hope this guy does a lot of time for this. rape is rape, regardless of how long ago it happened, where it happened, whether or not there was alcohal involved, or whether or not the rapist appologizes for a AA exercise. some related sites include:

http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128769162983&path=!news

http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128769381265&path=!news

another issue that comes up in this case is the fact that the University of Virginia has screwy rules in regards to sexual assault and rape cases. they try to keep them secret, when really if someone is guilty of rape it should be well known. the university should set an example to other institutions and its own students that rape will not be tolerated. C'ville weekly came out with an article about another woman who was shushed up years ago about a rape that happened at UVA, now people are coming forward years later to testify. its a shame they were scared out of getting justice for so long.

Bush on Immigrants

2005-11-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040107-3.html

I read Bush's speech. I was pleasantly surprised. If this isnt a positive and rational step, Bush did a really nice job of making it sound so. It sounds as if without causing any problems with national security Bush wants to help more immigrants come to America legally to work for us. His temporary job ideas seem to be pretty decent, since there are seasonal jobs that immigrants can certainly help fill in America. He did a nice job of representing a positive image for immigrants and their important role in the American economy. He made a diplomatic speech, that sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I think that reading it was better than if i had listened to it given by him, because it seemed official and intelligent... but I want to give him credit when he is due it. So far as I can tell this seems like a positive step for immigration and the things seem like reasonable and possible ideas to make into laws. I didn't really expect to say this but... nice going Bush.

to torchure or not to torchure that is the question...

2005-11-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

So if Congress is trying to pass a law making torchuring illegal, AND Bush claims that 'we do not torchure,' WHERE IS THE PROBLEM? Why, if Bush is so adament that we don't torchure people, shouldn't there be a law forbidding creul and unusual punishments? I don't see where the issue is here unless in fact Bush is trying to sugar coat CIA prison and punishment policies.

Is it ever okay to torchure people? Is the ban on creul and unusual punishment NOT considered to be an important part of our constitutional rights? If we wouldn't torchure our own, why would be sink to a different level of terrorism with citizens of different countries. I tried to think of the possible reasons that torchure might be considered acceptable. I understand where people are coming from when they claim that by torchuring detainees we can find out new information about possible terrorist attacks ... but how do we know which detainees have information? it's a needle in a haystack game and it just doesn't seem right to potentially torchure innocent people who happened to be the wrong ethnicity, in the wrong place, in the wrong time.

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?p=1849286
-some pictures and some very honest blogger opinions [not censored, but i found it to be a good radical bush hating liberal source.]

narrow escape from the clutches of evil

2005-11-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

so i don't know about everyone else in this class, but for me personally i am exstatic about the election results. THANK goodness that the people of Virginia had enough sense not to elect shifty sketchy Kilgore. yikes. i feel like this goes to show that i negative campaign like the one Kilgore used in running for governor does not work. a successful campaign cannot be only about bashing your opponent. also about this whole support from bush thing... well i dont know that it persuaded people that much, but obviously Bush's approval rating is dipping lower and lower these days so i cannot for the life of me understand why Kilgore would associate himself with an unpopular president. i guess he thought it might draw more votes, and that seems to have backfired nicely.

so im pleasantly surprised that Kaine pulled out a victory. but really why fix whats not broken? Kaine helped Warner pull our state together and by balancing VA's budget and by acting with good bipartisanship as well. i feel that Kaine is well aware of what he needs to continue to do for our state and will be more than capable and dedicated to fulfilling all his campaign promises and he will indeed continue to keep Virginia moving forward.

response to scooters indictment and shenanigans

2005-10-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

soooo this is one complicated case. it shouldnt be as complex as everyone is making it out to be. did scooter give away a CIA agents identity or did he not? the second question should be did he lie under oath in court or when talking to police officials... or did he NOT? hmmm tricky tricky.... it just seems like its yes or no answers... and we are not focusing our attention enough.

a whole other side of the case is why someone would disclose an undercover agent's identity? could it be to get back at the govt. for unfavorable editorials? possibly. what sucks is that if that is the actual reason we are looking at a much bigger issue here: the govt. trying to sneakily punish people that are reporting things that go against their actions.. no matter how TRUE the information may be. the war in Iraq was started for a lot of reasons according the the preseident, but it seems that the most important reason - weapons of mass destruction, were not really ever a threat... and that is what mr wilson reported.... and then he was punished by the outing of his CIA agent wife. now thats screwed up.

also.... is bush trying to landslide this bad news with the new nominee for supreme court justice? i think so.... thats all i got for now.

Miers articles

2005-10-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Based on these articles it seems unlikely that Miers will make it to the courts. Since Bush has recently been on thin ice in the public popularity polls, it seems ridiculous for the only reason to accept this candidate to be that Bush trusts her and claims she will not change. And what will she change from? She has not previously been a judge, so no one really does know what she will rule on any number of cases. Before any decisions are made she should be questioned THUROUGHLY about issues to be sure that she is indeed who people would like to fill in the job vacancy. Roe vs. Wade is up in the air as to how she may rule on it, and some people are worried that she would reverse the decision made in 1973.
Basically what these articles said over and over is that they cannot trust Miers simply because she has been dedicated to Bush, they need more proof and they need to know WAY more about this woman before they induct her. this is too important of a decision to not fully research viewpoints and be completely sure about who they are appointing. Bush saying "i trust her, trust my decision" doesnt give sufficient evidence to trust Miers who has no previous judicial experience and probably has yet to decide on many issues for herself because they have not been brought up in her previous job experience. I'm skeptical, and it seems like i should be.

Another blog about the election for Governor

2005-10-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is why I have a general dislike for politics- THESE STUPID ADS ATTACKING OPPONENTS. Whats terrible is that half of the voters probably see one or two ads on television and base their voting decision on slanted media and in some cases skewed bias. It's frustrating that an election can be won and lost by television ads that basically just bash the competition.

The fact that the majority of Kilgore's publicity is bashing Kaine's disaproval of the death penalty. Kaine has already said that he will stay true to the previous laws about corporal punishment in Virginia. His beliefs are purely religious, so it's apparent that he will take his oath as governor and "putting his hand on the bible" seriously, which he repeatedly stated during the debate last Sunday. Kilgore has no case, both Kaine and Kilgore will treat the issue of the death penalty in the exact same way if elected to Governor.

It amazes me that candidates for election can put such crap on television. I guess it's freedom of speech, but honestly it can get pretty ridiculous. That's all I have to say for now.

Kilgore/Kaine Debate

2005-10-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

Let me preface what I am about to write with the fact that I have a great dislike for political debates because generally speaking they tend to make me angry and I usually end up liking neither one of the canidates that i've just spent an hour plus listening to.

This debate was no different. I can say that I like Kaine a LITTLE BIT better than Kilgore, and only because Kilgore seems like a slimey creep who's only method of defense was attacking his opponent. Something about him just gives me the heeby jeebies. Kaine is not much better, he seems overconfident from his previous experiences and close work with Governor Mark Warner. He had valid and detailed answers which is more than one could say to defend Kilgore who did a lot of side stepping and accusations to aviod actually answering specific questions. The thing I couldn't stand about Kaine was his left eyebrow which for the duration of the debate was raised and gave him an almost comical look.
Both candidates seemed well informed and confident with their issues, also both candidates were calm and generally articulate, and they also both dressed nicely in suit and tie. Kilgore has a sort of Southern feminine voice which I personally wouldn't care to listen to for long periods of time. Kaine's voice was quick and strong, I didn't have any difficulty understanding what he was trying to say and his voice didn't make me want to vomit [but Kilgore really didn't have to do too much to accomplish this since I am currently battling a stomach bug].
Both candidates had typical politician body language, pointing, gesturing with own hands as well as the George Bush closed fist with the thumb capping the top. Kilgore had a few shoulder shrugs mixed in there as well as a forward lean with his neck, which also [surprise surprise] got on my nerves.
While Kilgore avoided questions and attacked Kaine with what seemed to be false and/or exaggerated accusations [from Kaine's reactions], Kaine repeated that he worked closely with Mark Warner about 8 times and also managed to squeaze in that the homicide rate in Richmond went down while he was in charge by 55% at least 4 times that I can recall. Both candidates were out to prove that they were better than the other one, which is the goal as a politician running for office. What the two candidates both acheived in my opinion was to make themselves look silly in their scramble to discredit or outdo the one another. It reminded me of the last Presidential debates... the Democrats talking primarily about past experiences and qualifications and NOT what they will do in the future, and the Republicans bashing their opponents and not addressing the topics which they are questioned about.

Katrina's Silver Lining response

2005-09-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

So Katrina is a tragedy, we all can agree. As our first lady not so tactfully reminded us, many people who populated New Orleans and the hard hit areas were poverty stricken and this new beginning can lead to better things for them in the future. It's their slate wiped clean. This article more tastefully argues that the survivors can be relocated into middle class areas and start a new life. "It would be a double tragedy if we didnt take advantage of these unique circumstances to do something that could serve as a spur to the anitpoverty programs nationwide."
The article is realistic in the fact that it does not expect automatic social and behavioral changes, but it does pose a good point that there is hope for the future generations if their families are relocated. This article tells us on several occasions that children are more capable of adapting to new social standings and that the future is bright for relocated children to lead middle class, NOT poverty stricken lives like their parents did. Something terrible and unfortunate can lead to good things in the releif effort and the new beginnings it sparks. Basically, this article did its very best to put a positive spin on the aftermath of the storm.

responding to govt reaction to Katrina

2005-09-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

The government response to Hurricane Katrina is a controversial subject. When the storm was coming there were crucial warnings that people ignored or did not take seriously enough. The government couldn't force evacuate people at that point becuase none of us did know how bad the devastation would be. That said, as the storm was about to strike they could have prepared more for the aftermath and the destruction by making plans for rebuilding and frundraising for the Louisiana territory. It is frustrating that the government is so helpless to help these survivors, but we can't blame them for a natural disaster. We can't change the weather, but we can try our best to prepare for it. The city is originally under sea level, so it was just a matter of time that the levies which are not properly funded and kept up for such enormous natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina would break. there is a lot of mixed media going around about the President and the President's wife and thier lack of sympathy, but they are simply trying to put a positive spin on the situation. The people of New Orleans are relatively poor so that when looking towards the future there can be hopes of bettering their lives by a fresh start. It's hard to imagine that this terrible tragedy can lead to something decent but one can only hope that the contributions of charities around the country can jumpstart the affected areas into a new life, and hopefully a better life, but that may take a long time.
The government might have been slow on the uptake of this tragedy, however it seems that now our nation has joined together to help the devastation. the government is doing all that it can to put people's lives back on track, and better the people who had been poor and without before the hurricane.

Gas Webquest

2005-09-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Gas Prices Webquest
Harper Metcalf, Elizabeth Weaver
Mr. Daly
9/6/05

1. Research the impact of Hurricane Katrina on gasoline prices. Why did it cause an increase in gas prices? What are some problems that this increase may cause? What are some things that are being done to control costs?

The Gulf Coast not only produces a lot of fuel, but is also a critical port for foreign oil. Many oil rigs stationed in the Gulf had to be brought in before the hurricane, and several oil pipelines were shut down when the power went off, severely decreasing supply. The coast is no longer able to effectively receive or refine oil, or distribute any gas. Demand for gas is high, as are prices. In Georgia, Governor Sonny Perdue put price caps on the cost of gas, and President Bush is also warning against price gouging.

2. Research current gasoline prices across the country. Write a summary on why some states or areas have higher gasoline prices than others. Think about the area's location and population, does that affect their gasoline prices? Include current prices in your explanation.

Georgia currently has the highest gas prices (with a high of $5.87 per gallon in some areas). The lowest price in Louisiana is $2.43, and the highest is $3.19. The lowest in Texas is $2.64, and the highest is $3.29. In Mississippi the prices range from $2.69 to $3.09. In some states, like California, gas prices are higher because there are stricter regulations on how clean gas must be.
3. Describe the changes in gasoline prices in the last fifty years.

In 1945, gas cost 15-20 cents a gallon (price not adjusted for inflation). Several energy crises over the years have spiked the price of gas. The first significant one of these occurred in 1973, when OPEC stopped shipping oil to the United States to protest western support of Israel. Prices rose from 38.5 cents to 55.1 cents in the summer of 1974. In 1979, prices spiked again during the Iranian Revolution. Another oil crisis happened in 1980 when Iraq invaded Iran, cutting off a large portion of both country’s production. In 1990, another Iraqi invasion, this time of Kuwait, caused another mild energy crisis.

4. Compare gas prices around the world. Do certain regions have lower prices than others? Which countries have the highest prices and which have the lowest? How does the current prices in the United States compare to the rest of the world?

As of March 2005, gas prices in Europe averaged around $5 per gallon, because of high taxes on gas. The highest prices are in the Netherlands, at $6.48 per gallon. Norway, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Portugal, and Hungary all average prices above $5 per gallon. This probably accounts for the small cars in Europe, as well as the popularity of public transportation. Five countries list prices below $1: Venezuela ( the lowest at 12 cents), Saudia Arabia, Nigeria, Egypt, and Kuwait keep prices low because demand is lower, and as oil-producing nations, they are able to give better prices to their citizens.

5. Write down or copy/paste the URL of the websites you take information from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point. Keep a list of the websites you visited to hand in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_crisis

article about buh and the iraq contitution

2005-08-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

the firt article 'Divided They tand' eemed to be the more productive of the to article becaue intead of bahing Buh for hi vacationing habit. Intead thi article i poitive and claim that promoting or even forcing Iraq to create it on peronal contitution ill help them be more unified or even force them appart in a more peaceful mean. The unni cant compromie ith the hiite and the Kurd on baic iue. but at leat they can tand up for thier belief in a peaceful fahion. Galbraith epreed hi frutration ith people ho are arguing that the contitution i dividing Iraq. Iraq i already divided. my favorite part of thi article i Galbraith' quote 'it' not a problem if a country break up, only if it break up violently, Iraq ant created by God. It a created by inton Churchill.' Hopefully thi hole contitution buine can lead to future peace and cooperation in Iraq. Even if Iraq end up dividing into to eperate nation o that each group can keep it on integrity, it ould be better than it i today. people hould embrace the poitive tep to peace taken by Buh, even if he ha more elfih intention and even if one think that thi ar in Iraq i a poer trip by our Daddy folloing preident ho pent a year out of hi 5 in office at home vacationing on hi ranch. thank for your time... orry about my computer key that are miing, im ure youve figured out the three crucial letter.

aiting in cla for computer to ork

2005-08-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

ye my computer hate me becaue it doent have 3 letter can you gue hich one ? gooood time in firt period ith our top of the line laptop cu e have a really rich chool. ooooohooooo!

current event - flood in switzerland

2005-08-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/08/27/europe.floods.reut/index.html

well i thought this article was interesting because i couldnt imagine having to shovel a mudpile out of my house ever. it seems like Switzerland's rescue effort is coming along quite nicely. what concerns me is that no other nations were reported to have been supporting these waterlogged countries in their time of need. is that outside the norm of helping other countries out? some dry things and food and water would be generous. all and all i would say that Switzerland and the other countries were pretty fortunate that only 41 ppl have been reported as casualties considering the severity of the flood and the damages that they have recieved. i hope the prevention against more floods doesnt get cut off short.... sometimes after great disasters things are proposed to help prepare for next time and arent followed through with later. i hope thats not the case with this issue.

test

2005-08-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

wooohhooo i have a blog address!