To Too Conservative

Republican candidate Mike Huckabee spoke out in front of South Carolinians before their primary in attempts to win them over as well as present a more conservative side of himself after his own party criticized that he was too liberal. This play was very important for the South Carolinians since 1/3 of GOP primary voters in 2000 are religious conservatives. He’s also claimed that he supports the flying of the Confederate flag, since it is a State’s business whether or not it should fly the flag, not the president’s. He has reiterated his support for constitutional amendments to outlaw abortion and same-sex marriage, which according to him, could open the door to polygamy, pedophilia and bestiality. He’s also told a Michigan audience before that state’s Tuesday primary that, “"What we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards, rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.” Thompson has also been pounding him left and right about his immigration policy and declaring he is populist because he is too lax in his issues and policies.

I suppose since Huckabee is speaking out towards conservative states right now, he can ramp up his conservative, religious side. However, I think his statements and implications about abortion and same-sex marriage possibly leading to the integration of polygamy, pedophilia and bestiality are way out of line. To me, that just sounds illogical. I hope he’s got some sort of ingenious explanation to his statement later when he’s lobbying in more liberal areas. He seems pretty darn conservative to me from that little snippet. I don’t think he would have a good chance at presidency if he keeps his view that far-right sighted. I think he should’ve kept being a liberal conservative. Criticism from other Republicans such as Thompson shouldn’t allow him to back himself up into a corner with no way out.

By flouting his very conservative side, he’s probably lost the vote of someone like me, a fairly liberal independent.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=10

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/17/election08.gop/index.html

Experience?

Experience Not Good Enough?

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson expresses frustration at the current political system because candidates campaigning “change” are enjoying success while those, similar to himself, campaigning on “experience” are falling out of the race. He also agrees that the world needs “change”, but some are calling his “experience” a liability. The public also agrees that they want someone with “experience”, but how can you gain experience of presidency without actually becoming the president first? The public argues that those campaigning with experience are boring and uninteresting. Even if they do want someone with experience, they must have personality and flair. Hillary Clinton did a lot better in the polls after switching the theme of her campaign from experience to change. Her exciting personality and emotional displays have also helped her win votes. Voters still agree the candidate’s stances on issues are most important.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/experience.2008/index.html

Clinton vs. Obama in South Carolina; Experience is a Plus

Clinton and Obama are heads to head fighting for the democratic win in South Carolina. The reported key is the African American population, which stands for 50% of the voters. The African American community feels loyalty to the Clinton family while curiosity towards the newcomer. Clinton is faring better in the stats and polls than Obama because the AA community feels her chances of winning are greater, because of her experience, and they don’t want to feel a vote wasted. South Carolina Senator John Edwards, a distant third, is playing up his roots to up his appeal.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/sc.obama.clinton/index.html

Stripped of Natural Rights

A torture house with mass graves was discovered on December 8th, 1007. The torture chamber was found fully equipped with and electrical torture device, rubber hoses, boxing gloves, ski masks, barbed wire, blood covered swords and knives, mines, pipe bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar tubes and rounds and 130 pounds of homemade explosives. There was evidence of murder, torture, and intimidation against local villagers found throughout the area. Eventually, 26 unidentified bodies were dug up from a mass graveyard next to what seemed to be an execution site since some bodies had their hands tied behind their backs. The identification of the victims is virtually impossible since their bodies were mutilated and advanced in the stages of natural decomposition. The finding of a bullet-riddled police car nearby does imply that some of the victims could have been Iraqi police. The area had been known to occupy Al Qaeda groups.

http://cnn.site.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Torture+house,+mass+graves+discovered+in+Iraq+-+CNN.com&expire=-1&urlID=25500083&fb=Y&url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/19/iraq.torture.complex/index.html?iref=topnews&partnerID=21191

After stripping certain individuals of numerous rights, the CIA has detained many people without due process at Guantanamo Bay. One of the detainees claims that the CIA tortured him severely after he was taken into custody in 2003. Since the court did not require the preservation of evidence, “there is substantial risk that the torture evidence will disappear”, thus affecting the detainee’s challenge to his detention. Already the CIA claims that it had stopped videotaping by 2002, which means videotapes of the detainee’s torture could not have existed. The CIA also claims that it does not torture detainees because “ the United States does not conduct or condone torture”. Did the torture ever actually take place? Perhaps the detainee made up the whole story as delusional as he was since he mysteriously suffers from “severe physical and psychological trauma” after stepping out of the CIA prisons. He also seems to think that he “admitted anything his interrogators demanded of him, regardless of truth, in order to end his suffering”.
http://cnn.site.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Guantanamo+detainee+says+CIA+tortured+him+-+CNN.com&expire=-1&urlID=25324963&fb=Y&url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/08/detainee.cia/index.html?iref=newssearch&partnerID=211911

Abolishment of Death Penalty

New Jersey lawmakers intend on signing into law the abolishment of the capitol punishment in New Jersey. It was decided that the possibility of killing someone innocent and the pain of the victim's family is too great a cost for capitol punishment. The current worst sentence in New Jersey will now be life in prison. New Jersey is the first state in 44 years to abolish the use of the death penalty since it was reinstated in 1976. Capitol punishment is still currently being used in 37 states with over 1100 prisoners executed since 1976. Some radical republicans still argue that the death penalty should still be allowed in cases of terrorism or police killing.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/nj.death.penalty/index.html

People living in York gathered to march and request more severe penalties for child murderers. They believe the current punishment is far too lenient and not tough enough to deterr criminals. They're marching to reinstill capitol punishment for child murderers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/news/2002/09/14/march.shtml

my personal opinions on the death penalty side with the first article's opinon. I don't believe in the death penalty because there's always just that possibility that an innocent can be put down. After DNA testing was accessible, people on death row were pronounced innocent because of new evidence! I think the chance of putting an innocent down is too big of a risk to take. Life in prison is enough in its own sense a punishment for convicted villains.

Unstable Teens and Shootings

Recently, an unstable 19-year-old gunman later identified as Robert Hawkins opened fire at the Westroads Mall of Omaha Nebraska, then later took his own life. There were 6 fatalities and a couple critically wounded, with victims ranging from customers to employees. The evidence suggests that he had chosen his victims randomly. Hawkins had apparently visited a friend near the Westroads Mall and then proceeded to the mall afterwards. Police are still baffled at why he choose that particular mall or the Von Maur department store in particular. The attack seemed premeditated because Hawkins left a suicide note and another correspondence. His suicide note, found by Debora Maruca-Kovac, a friend of the Hawkin's family who was allowing him to stay in her home, pretty much described how he was sorry for everything, how he didn't want to be a burden to people anymore and how he was useless all his life and how he was going to be famous. The gun, an AK-47, has still not been traced yet, but police believe Hawkins stole it from his stepfather's house. Hawkin's presence was flagged as suspicious when he entered the mall. It doesn't seem that this incident could've been prevented. Hawkins had been in state's custody for the last 4 years, and broke up with his girlfriend 2 weeks ago. His friends are shocked that he is capable of this amount of violence and describe him usually playing a mediator role during arguments.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/06/mall.shooting/index.html#cnnSTCText



Also recently, 16 year old Eric Hainstock was convicted and found guilty of first degree murder when he went to school on September 26,2006 with two fully loaded guns- a 20-gauge shotgun and .22-caliber revolver- and ended up shooting and killing his principal, Mr. Klang. Hainstock originally plead not-guilty and provided an abundance of material about his physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse by his father, his step brother, and class mates. He says that he was driven to the edge of their bullying and only intended to use the guns to scare them into submission and allow him to talk to the principal. According to him, the second gun had gone off accidentally as Mr. Klang grabbed his arm. Hainstock appeared stoic and unremorseful during his court appearance. School reports also identify him as the instigator of fights and brutality. His intentions of shooting were also incredibly questionable because the gun "accidentally" went off 6 times, the first time hitting Mr. Klang in a critical zone which cost him his life.



http://www.courttv.com/trials/hainstock/080107_ctv.html





Both of these shooters were both clearly mentally unstable teens who needed counseling and therapy. Although the question of culpability comes into question, I do not believe that anyone is ever justified in taking another's life. I think these cases should be looked upon as lessons for other schools and institutions where students who seem disturbed are offered help in better fashion. I am also a huge advocate for gun-safety. Guns shouldn't be made so readily for purchasing, and those parents with guns should take better precaution in storing those guns.

Cancer from NOT SLEEPING?!?!?

Recently, the link between working graveyard (late-night) shifts and cancerous tumors has been taken more seriously. Originally the link was conjured by Richard Stevens, a cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He published a paper in 1987 describing the increase in breast cancer during the 1930s industrialized societies as a result of late night shifts. His hypothesis was considered crazy and ignored until now. Studies show that a reason for the increase in breast cancer or prostate cancer in late night workers could be due to the insufficient production of melatonin, a tumor suppressor. Melatonin is made only at night when the body is not exposed to light. Workers working under artificial light have lower melatonin than regular folk, which could be the factor making them more cancer-prone. Another possible theory is that working late at night weakens the immune system. Switching or disrupting the body's natural clock. A balance between light and dark schedule is also needed for a healthy body. Scientists are now experimenting with different colored lighting that would have the least amount of affect from producing melatonin. The most probable color workers could work under currently is red.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/night_shift_cancer

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/10/011017064917.htm

(the two site are pretty much talking about the same thing, so its all combined in one paragraph, or blob)


warning to all you late night prowler folk out there pushing your homework to 3 AM in the morning (like me. -__-) GET SOME SLEEP! (at night) do not abuse your circadian rhythm and body. I'd like to see you all healthy and lively (possibly more wrinkly with receding hairlines and bald patches) at our .. what 40th class reunion or something? o.O