Annette Klosterman – In Memoriam

Yesterday I heard the news of Annette’s death. It came in the form of an e-mail message from the school district. It stung me. Aside from the few moments I had at my desk, during the hectic pace of a school day, I had little chance to reflect upon her life and passing. I couldn’t get Peter (her younger brother) and her parents out of my mind – the pain they must be going through.

Annette graduated from Mt. Rainier High School in 2003, where she had been active in the band program, track, and the "We the People" program. She loved flying, and after graduating from college was a flight instructor at the University of North Dakota. This week she died when her plane went down in Minnesota while training a young pilot. She was 22 years old.

Last night I searched for at least one picture I knew I had of Annette during her time at Mt. Rainier. I found only a thumbnail quality picture of her from 2002, and a recommendation I had written her for a scholarship.

Yesterday and last night, all I could think of was the senselessness of the loss of Annette, and the pain Peter and her parents must be living with. Annette was such a good person – a good soul - that it makes no sense, upon first reflection, that something like this could happen to her. She was way too young. Her intelligence, sense of purpose, and talent had so much more to contribute to this world.

I woke up thinking about Annette this morning. It occurred to me that Annette had lived so much in a short time. She had a good heart and she experienced and achieved so many things in her very few years here on earth. Maybe it makes sense that someone who was destined to live only a short time would be the unusually mature, focused, and responsible person that Annette was.

I remember her laugh. I remember her smile. I remember her nice handwriting on assignments that always seemed to be done with so much care and effort. I looked back at the recommendation that I wrote for her, and I am so glad that I still have it. I’ve been out of touch with Annette for the last 2 years or so, but I remember how genuinely friendly she was when I would see her attending a game or concert Peter was involved in during a break from college. I enjoyed hearing about the progress she was making in her career, and the enjoyment she was getting out of life.

It hurts that Annette has left us. It feels good to have had her as a part of my life.

Iraq Casualties

From the Washington Post - September 12, 2007.

Sick of the Iraq War?

If you are, you will likely appreciate this commentary I ran across by Jim Hightower, who calls himself a populist. If you remember the term, you will recognize the tone of populism in his commentary.

Can You Believe This War Is Still Going On?

What is our government up to?

Sudan: In news that people concerned about Darfur have been waiting some time for, the U.S. announced new penalties to be administered against the Sudanese government over its role in the genocide in Darfur. It would be nice to think it will make a big difference, but chances are pretty slim. It is a shame that the world continues to allow this tragedy to unfold.

Bush tightens squeeze on Sudan
His new sanctions Tuesday seek to press the regime but not deepen the Darfur crisis.

People Power! Those of us trying to do our part (through the "Save Darfur Coalition")to get action to stop the violence in Darfur are having an impact according to the following story in the Washington Post:
Saving Darfur, Multiple Steps at a Time
Coalition's Lobbying Blitz Is Credited With Spurring Bush's Sudan Sanctions

Iran: After refusing for many years, the U.S. government held high level diplomatic talks with Iran over the problems and issues we have over nuclear technology and Iraq. Will these be productive?

After historic talks, US seeks action by Iran
Security in Iraq was the focus of the first US-Iran talks in nearly 30 years on Monday.

Immigration: The proposed immigration bill is still a hot topic. Not a lot of Americans are pleased with the bill for a variety of reasons.
Fury grows over US immigration bill
Senate defenders of the reform plan cite misinformation, as e-mails clog their mailboxes and calls jam the switchboards.
Nearly half of US voters oppose the proposed reform, and only 26 percent of US voters support it, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll this week.

Iraq War: And, of course, the Iraq war continues with a high death toll for all sides....
10 American Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Memorial Day Casualties Make May Deadliest Month for U.S. in 21/2 Years

A win for the bosses and a loss for the workers?

The Supreme Court handed down an interesting ruling this week. A woman who had already won a lawsuit against the Goodyear Company for discrimination had her settlement money (over $300,000 dollars I think) taken away from her because, the Court reasoned, she waited too long to file the lawsuit.

On the face of it, I don't like this 5-4 ruling, but the news accounts I read really don't have all the facts of the case, so it is a little hard to say. Here is a link to the story. What do you think of the decision? Supreme Court Ruling Limits Time Workers Can Sue for Pay Discrimination

More Bad News on Carbon Emissions & Climate Change

What are we going to do about this??? The issue is getting a lot more attention in the last year or so, but the pace of destructive human activities, and our willingness to ignore the problem of global warming for so long may cause us to pay a heavy price. Many politicians are afraid of the economic and political consequences bold action on the environment will cost them. Maybe though, it doesn't have to be that way. Check out the following article(s) and let me know your thoughts.

Global carbon emissions in overdrive
From 2000 to 2004, emissions grew at a rate of 3 percent a year – more than the highest rates used in recent key UN reports.

Curbing global warming won't bankrupt economy
Aggressive measures would only trim annual world growth by 0.12 percent, new report says. But will politicians go along?

States Push to Legalize Hemp Cultivation

This is another NPR story, so you have to have the ability to listen to streaming video - if you can't, you might be able to find the story on other news outlets. At any rate, what is the debate about legalizing hemp about? Listen and offer me your comments.

States Push to Legalize Hemp Cultivation

May 24, 2007 · The crop known as "industrial hemp" may look like marijuana, but it has little in common with its illegal cousin. The plant, a non-narcotic version of cannabis, is valued for its fiber and oil.

But there has been a virtual ban on farming industrial hemp in America for nearly 50 years, even though it is grown in other industrialized countries. Now a number of states, including North Dakota, are fighting to make hemp farming legal again.

What is it like to survive on food stamps?

I found this story interesting and I think a lot of you will to - unlike what many people believe, the foodstamp program doesn't provide enough for most people to eat a healthy diet. Listen to an NPR report and tell me what you think:

Lawmakers, Reporter Survive on Food Stamps
May 24, 2007 · The Food Stamp Challenge is an effort to make people aware of the plight of food stamp recipients. U.S. Congressman James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Texas reporter Julie Simon talk about their experiences living on just $21 a week for food.

Democrats abandon push for Iraq deadline

With a majority in Congress, you still don't necessarily get what you want under our Constitutional system. Many Democrats, believing that they could have a big impact on the direction of the Iraq war, are finding themselves frustrated by the President's veto of their Iraq spending bill that included deadlines for the beginning of withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. So, Senator Harry Reid, the Dem's majority leader has announced a bill to be considered by the Senate that drops most of what Bush objected to. What do you think of the bill Congress is considering this week? Would you vote for it if you were in Congress? What would be the political danger of voting either for or against it?

From Seattle Times: Democrats abandon push for Iraq deadline

From New York Times: Democrats Pull Troop Deadline From Iraq Bill

America's War on Drugs

I think we are making a lot of mistakes in the way we deal with drug offenders in the U.S. We spend a lot of money on sending non-violent offenders to prisons. Our prison population is huge and we still have lots of people using drugs and wasting good portions of their lives to addictions.

Jerry Large wrote a column that expressed a lot of the concerns I have about the way we deal with the problem of substance abuse in the U.S., including the implications for racial minorities, who are incarcerated at a much higher rate than the white population. Check out his column, and tell me what you think about it. Rescuing drug war's prisoners

Some News from This Week

The biggest news story out of the Iraq war this week involved the killing and capture of several Americans. The lastest headline I've seen is Iraqis Admit Ambush Roles as U.S. Searches for 3 G.I.’s. Meanwhile in Washington D.C., Congress is still having a hard time passing anything that will significantly alter our course in Iraq. Senate Rejects Iraq Troop Withdrawal Finally, what kind of war crimes may have been committed by U.S. Marines in the Iraqi town of Haditha, and was there a criminal cover-up? The trial started this week, and however it turns out, it is incidents like this that stir up anti-American feelings in many parts of the world. Lawyers on Haditha Panel Peer Into Fog of War

One of our new WA State laws made national headlines: Texting While Driving. Listen to this story from National Public Radio and tell me what you think.

Among those that follow politics closely, there is a lot of talk about how the internet will impact the 2008 Presidential race. I think it is a really positive development, and the impact is discussed in a great article in the Christian Science Monitor: Web 2.0 meets Campaign 2008 . If you are interested in seeing one of the first big commercials to hit the web, check out this one from Democrat Bill Richardson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjOuL5qwNIc&mode=user&search=
I think he uses humor pretty effectively.

Well, this never makes a history teacher happy, but do tests like this really tell us what students know, and to what extent do we want the federal government involved in testing students? It is an important question of the roles of federal and state governments. Students Gain Only Marginally on Test of U.S. History

Can the Police Trick You into Giving a DNA Sample?

In a close decision, our State Supreme Court said that they can. Does this violate the 4th Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures? Or is this fair game? Read the story and tell me what you think.

Court upholds murder conviction based on DNA from envelope

Terror Plot Broken Up

Did you hear about the terrorist plot that was disrupted in New Jersey? If not check out the following story and comment:

Jihadis in New Jersey?
The FBI arrested six men Monday over a plot to attack Fort Dix Army base.

Is Torture Ever Justified?

Ever since the attacks on September 11th, this question has bedeviled Americans. You hear the debate: torture is evil, torture is wrong, it is against our values as a nation. Yet, if you knew you could save lives by extracting information from a detainee using torture, is it appropriate? What are the facts about torture. Follow the link to listen to a four minute news story from NPR which explores the subject.

Politics & Society
Why Do People Use Torture?
May 7, 2007 · Many experts say torture produces false leads and damages U.S. credibility. Yet, in his new book, George Tenet advocates something that sounds like torture, although he refuses to call it that. If torture doesn't work, why do so many people believe that it does?

Some News Stories from this Week

Some important political/governmental news: I haven't read these stories yet, but am planning to - pick one and let me know what you think!

Obama Placed Under Secret Service Protection

House Votes to Expand ‘Hate Crime’ Protections

Protesters Press for Path to Citizenship

Citing ‘Rigid’ Deadline, Bush Vetoes Iraq Bill

Why genocide is difficult to prosecute

Current Events - Week 8

Oh, my life has been complicated and full this week. Busy with lots of personal stuff, and I haven't had time to post about all the stuff that is going on this week. So for now, why don't we say that you choose, post a comment about what was significant that happened this week. Explain about some of the issues you have followed in the news this week.

Related to the Virginia Tech Massacre

As I talked about in class today, this was a very disturbed individual, and a lot of people knew about it. Why did he get away with purchasing guns? Do our gun control laws need to change? Check out the articles below:

Rules should have barred weapon purchase

VA Tech Massacre Reignites Gun Control Debate

The Latest from Darfur

A sign of hope from Darfur this week, but based on the track record of the government in Khartoum, I'm not holding my breath...

Why Sudan is now allowing U.N. troops in Darfur

Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion Procedure

A few articles on this week's Supreme Court Ruling involving a controversial abortion procedure:

US Supreme Court allows late-term abortion ban;
'>Court Ruling Catapults Abortion Back Into ’08 Race;
Justices Back Ban on Method of Abortion

Student Protest

I didn't know about this being planned, but I think student activism is really cool. Check out the article and let me know what you think about their actions and their cause.

Students leave school, join rally against war, recruiting
Students from Seattle area schools walked out of class to take to the streets on Wednesday. Fed up with the war and on-campus military recruitment, they left school at noon for a rally at Westlake Center and marched through the city streets.

Nation & World | Supreme Court won't hear Gitmo habeas-corpus case | Seattle Times Newspaper

The on-going legal struggle of what to do with prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is in the news again. Ther argument over whether or not they deserve the protections of criminal defendants provided for in the Constitution has been something the Bush administration has argued against since we first started the "war on terror".

However, they also claim that they are not subject to international law under the Geneva Conventions; not prisoners of war because they do not fight on behalf of a nation-state, but an organization - al-Qeuda.

Here the court decided in a close decision to avoid hearing a case involving this important issue for another year. Do we really need to wait that long? Perhaps Congress will take action before then and re-write the Military Commissions Act under which we are now operating.

Read the following article and let me know what you think.

Nation & World Supreme Court won't hear Gitmo habeas-corpus case Seattle Times Newspaper

Who isn’t supporting our troops?

One of the biggest stories this week is the Constitutional showdown between Congress and the President over the spending bill for the war. In a nutshell, the House and the Senate passed bills authorizing money for the troops in Iraq, but added withdrawal dates. Setting deadlines for American withdrawal from Iraq is something many Democrats in Congress favor, but also a fair number of Republicans.

However, President Bush rejects these guidelines, and doesn’t want Congress to tell him how to run the war. He has vowed to veto the bill, and the current funding for the war runs out on April 15th. (Until a bill is passed, the Department of Defense will continue to fund the war out of other parts of its budget, but they can’t go on like this indefinitely.)

What do you think of the arguments being made on both sides? (Read some of the articles I suggest or others you have found.) Both the President and the Congress are claiming that it is their responsibility to decide issues of withdrawal dates and timelines. Use your knowledge of the Constitution in responding!

Senate Passes War Spending Bill With Iraq Deadline

Bush Rules Out Bid by Congress for Iraq Pullout

News Analysis: Democrats Are Building on Unity Over Iraq Pullout'>News Analysis: Democrats Are Building on Unity Over Iraq Pullout

High-stakes face-off over ending Iraq war

U.S. Iraq Role Is Called Illegal by Saudi King

Bush Criticizes Democrats on War Funds

Will this man be fired?

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. Will he be forced to hand over his resignation to President Bush because of the controversy involving the firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys? A lot of the political pundits are saying that things don't look good for Mr. Gonzalez.

This case is all about separation of powers. The struggle right now is whether Congress will issue subpoenas (court orders) to White House aide Karl Rove and former White House legal counsel Harriet Miers. The White House doesn't want them to have to testify under oath, with transcripts made of their testimony. They claim that under the doctrine of "executive privilege" a President's advice and consultation with his staff should be protected from Congressional oversight. Congress says it doesn't want conditions put on their testimony, and as a part of their oversight role, should be able to fully investigate whether prosecutors were being fired for not following Bush's political agenda.

Dispute Over Executive Privilege Divides Congress and White House

Panel Approves Five Subpoenas on Prosecutors

We will see how this continuing story unfolds....

Fourth Anniversary of the War in Iraq

One of the many stories I read about Iraq this past week cited a poll that over half of Americans now believe it was the wrong decision to take military action in Iraq.

Well, the decision has been made and the following stories continue:

• Is the troop surge making any difference?


• What action will the Congress take to bring an end to the American presence in Iraq?

Lots of protesters exercised their 1st Amendment rights around the country last weekend expressing their opinions on the war. What do you think about all of this? What would you like to see done now?

Some reading on this:
US public's support of Iraq war sliding faster now
House Democrats Weigh Plan for Iraq Withdrawal
Protesters Mark Fourth Anniversary of Iraq War

Bush Pleads for Patience in Iraq on War’s Anniversary

I'll try to add more links here - if you see some you like, pass them along.

"Bong Hits 4 Jesus" Case to Supreme Court

The "Bong Hits 4 Jesus Case" was argued before the Supreme Court today. Surely, James Madison and the rest of the Framers didn't have this type of "smart-ass" humor in mind when they adopted the First Amendment, but I think the student in question has a good case that he shouldn't have been disciplined for waving his banner.

This case is built on a 1960's student free-speech case known as Tinker v. Des Moines. In it, the Supreme Court did rule that students had a right to political expression. (Mary Beth Tinker, a high school student at the time of the Vietnam War was disciplined for wearing a black arm band as a sign of protest against the war.)

Check out the details on this case and let me know what you think. To read a preview of the case published last week, check out: Justices to Hear Landmark Free-Speech Case Next Week.

A story on the oral arguments today can be read at Court Hears "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case.

I read part of the 71 page transcript and it is pretty good (and entertaining). If you have Adobe Reader, you can check it out here: Read the transcript of Supreme Court oral arguments

The case has been named Morse v. Frederick.

Commentary on Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

After getting to read and digest some of the news about Khalid Shaikh Mohammed , my main reaction is disappointment in how our government has been handling the war on terror over the past several years. I found myself in agreement with a lot of the things written in this column by Newsweek's Micheal Hirsh: KSM case: How not to win the war on terror

Some Stories Catching My Attention this week...

Ok, I don't have much time to comment yet, but here are a few headlines I've found interesting:

The alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, has reportedly confessed. I mentioned this in class today. He has taken credit for dozens of terrorist attacks. Here are some articles on the topic: Suspected Mastermind Of 9/11 Confesses; Terror Suspect Said to Confess to Other Acts; Can KSM's Confession Be Believed?; Mohammed Confession Leaves Room for Skepticism

Senate Debates Resolution Calling for Iraq WithdrawalKnight Ridder/Tribune News Service.March 14, 2007
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans will buckle down Thursday to try to prevent passage of a Democratic resolution that calls for getting most American forces out of Iraq by March 2008

Pentagon Report Acknowledges 'Civil War' in Iraq
March 15, 2007 · The Pentagon's quarterly update to Congress on the Iraq war is out, and the assessment is grim. For the first time, it uses the term "civil war" to describe the violence in Iraq.

Committee Endorses Bill to Give D.C. Full Voting Rights in HouseThe Washington PostMarch 14, 2007
A congressional committee approved a bill yesterday granting the District a full vote in the House of Representatives, giving the measure its first victory in what will probably be weeks of fierce wrangling as it moves through Congress.

Report: Federal Spending on Children Dropping
March 15, 2007 · An Urban Institute report indicates that the share of the federal domestic budget devoted to children is falling. Researchers say the number could drop even more in coming years.

WASL Time: and the State Legislature is pondering what to do about the high-stakes test - Students start taking WASL; lawmakers debate its future

Other local and state issues: (Keep in mind bills must pass both houses of the legislature and be signed into law by the governor.)
Sex-education bill passes state Senate
Students return to school after suspended for praying
Ban on cellphones for drivers advances
State Senate passes a variety of education bills
House approves simple majority approval of school taxes
WA House passes measure to inform parents about HPV

UPDATES: Senate rejects timetable for troop withdrawal
Sen. Pryor: Attorney General lied to the Senate

Were Attorney Firings Political?

And if so, should heads roll?

The flap over the firing of several U.S. attorneys has grown bigger this week, and it seems to have a strong connection to things that went down right here in Washington State after the close race for governor in 2004. One of those fired was John McKay, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. (Read below for details)

It has been front page news and these firings are looking more and more like they have been motivated by politics. One result is that several Democrats and one Republican in the U.S. Congress are calling upon Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to resign, even though he testified before Congress and admitted mistakes were made.

Firings furor puts Gonzales on hot seat

McKay "stunned" by report on Bush

GOP chair called McKay about '04 election

Gonzales Vows to Fix Attorney System in Face of Criticism

Some News involving Constitutional Issues

Not all of these stories are the biggest news items of the week, but they involve some interesting Constitutional issues:

School district sued over graduation held in church03/08/07 The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Newark public school district, saying a school's decision to hold its graduation ceremonies in a Baptist church violated a Muslim student's religious freedom.

Another First Amendment issue involving the "establishment clause" is involved in this story: Conn. Supreme Court Hears Dispute Over Building of Buddhist TempleMarch 7, 2007 Is the Connecticut town denying religious expression or just upholding a reasonable restriction to keep the town from getting overcrowded. What do you think?

Is random drug testing of high school student-athletes an unreasonable violation of the Fourth Amendment's ban on illegal searches and seizures? This debate has been going on for a few years, but is in the news once again. N.J. Debates Effectiveness of Steroid Tests for High School AthletesMarch 8, 2007

What about police who refuse to obey a Court order that they conducted an illegal seizure? What happens when state and federal laws conflict? You can read or listen to this story from NPR: Court Orders Police to Return Medicinal Marijuana In Santa Rosa, Calif., a judge is holding police in contempt of court for not returning the medicinal marijuana they confiscated from a man during a raid. The case highlights the conflict between state and federal drug laws

Other big stories this week:
Did good government lawyers get fired because of their political affiliation? Some think so. Eight lost their jobs, leading Democratic lawmakers to try to rein in presidential powers. The battle over fired US attorneys

Heavy imprint of Libby verdict
The conviction Tuesday of onetime Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby adds to a list of White House woes.

A huge story involved the poor conditions some Iraq & Afghan War Veterans are facing at home. A big expose was done on conditions of some of the buildings at Walter Reed Army Medical Base. US Army scrambles to clean Walter Reed 03/05/2007
Another look: The problems at the US Army hospital show how strained military resources have become - How decay overtook Walter Reed

NYC Bans the N-Word, Anniversary of Civil Rights March

The theme of race was in the news the last few weeks. It caught my eye, that although not an enforcable law, New York City has passed a ban on the use of the "N-word". (See Racial slur banned in New York.)

Does it make sense to you for a city government to take this action (especially in light of the fact that it is of questionable constitutionality given the First Amendment's protection of free speech)? Many in New York are disturbed that many young people believe it is okay to use the word as a friendly greeting, even those that are not African-American. I think that while this law will have little impact, it is good for government to make a principled stand on the use of what has been called the ugliest word in the English language. It remains a very offensive word to many.

The BBC reported on this, and had an accompanying article on the controversy over the modern usage of the word by the so-called "hip-hop" generation. It is written by a woman of mixed race that calls herself a "reformed n-word user". Check out her thoughts: Should racist word be rehabilitated?

In a related story, today (Sunday) was the anniversary of the attack on civil rights workers in Alabama in 1965. "Bloody Sunday" as it was called, and the outraged that followed the attack helped give momentum to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (See Jubilant Crowd Recreates Selma March.)

Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton were on hand as both candidates are wooing the vote of African-Americans. (See Clinton, Obama Link Selma March to Present.)

Should Bush and Cheney Be Impeached?

For a long time, I'd been very supportive of this idea. I do think that terrible decisions, and more significantly, deceptive and selective use of intelligence data were used to get our nation into a seeminly endless war in Iraq.

But now that Bush can no longer count on a Republican majority to support his efforts, he is already less powerful. Also, he can't say that the majority of the people support his war policy. Without any sort of impeachment, he is already a president with significantly less power.

So is impeachment a wise thing to do in this case? Among those who don't is Seattle Times editorial writer Danny Westneat. Read his column here.

What do you think?

The War in Iraq

In less than a month, it will mark five years that the United States has been at war in Iraq. In the last election voters sent a clear message that they wanted the government to find a way to get our troops out quickly. So how are we doin' on that?

We have an executive branch and a legislative branch that want to go in different directions....

1. Bush has ordered the troop surge, and the 21,500 have started deploying.

2. Violence continues out of control in parts of Iraq, with deep divisions among factions of Sunnis and Shiites.

3. The Democratic Congress wants to limit our role in Iraq. They tried a non-binding resolution condemning the "troop surge" plan. It passed in the House of Reps, but enough Republicans voted against it to prevent the Senate from passing the resolution. Senate Shifts Focus After Vote to Debate Iraq Resolution Fails

4. So now, Democratic leaders are drafting legislation to amend the 2002 authorization for the war. They want to work toward what they called a "phased withdrawal" of American troops from Iraq. Congressional Democrats Wrestle Over How to Force Bush to Alter Iraq Policy

5. The British announced they are pulling out. As US surges, British start exiting Iraq

Some related articles:

Home Page" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/us/23military.html?ex=1329886800&en=b1ae35068d5bf12a&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss" target=_blank>Long Iraq Tours Can Make Home a Trying Front

Iraq War's Effects Seen, Felt in High School's Halls

Europeans' chill deepens on US policy

Europe's rising unease over 'terror war'

U.S. Seizes Son of a Top Shiite, Stirring Uproar

Political News

Hi,

Wow, this week off is flying by -- I spent the day at Olympia on Wednesday and visited the State Senate. Saw a few interesting things I might share with you when I see you Monday. Anyway, I do think we have one of the most impressive looking state capitols in the Union.

Here are a few random news stories I found interesting:

As I've mentioned in class, the 2008 Presidential race is already underway, and much earlier this year than is usual. One reason for all of the early interest is that there is a wide-open field, but also ther are many possible "firsts" which you can read about here:
In 2008 race, many presidential 'firsts' are possible

A lot of Democrats are having a hard time deciding which of the "firsts" to support. Whether to support Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton is a hot topic among Democrats - although I wish the other candidates got more attention too! This story from the New York Times discusses how Hillary has dealt with African-American voters: After a Delicately Worded Pitch, Clinton Draws Cheers

Also, the first bit of nastiness has started to creep into the campaign. The Obama and Clinton campaigns also got into a bit of a shouting match this week:
In Both Parties, 2008 Politeness Falls to Infighting

Several months ago the New Jersey Supreme Court handed down a decision stating that the ban on same-sex marriages violated it's state constitution. The N.J. legislature than had to act on the issue to remedy the problem. They did and this week "civil unions" began. Same-Sex Civil Unions Begin This Week in New Jersey

Human Rights Violation!!!!!
Egyptian Blogger Sentenced to Four Years in Jail
February 22, 2007 · A young Egyptian blogger has become the first person in Egypt sentenced to a jail term for opinions expressed on the internet. Human rights groups condemned what they called the "chilling precedent" set by an Alexandria court when it sentenced Abdel Kareem Suleiman to four years in prison for insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak.

The Ugliness of War!!!!!
Iraq Insurgents Turn to Chlorine Bombs
February 22, 2007 · Insurgents are deploying a new and deadly tactic against Iraqi civilians, authorities say: bombs combining explosives with poisonous chlorine gas. At least five people died in such an attack Wednesday, the third in a month.

Let me know what you think about these or other issues in the news....

Re-Opening this Blog

President's Day and mid-winter break! Woo-hoo!

Especially for my 11th grade WTP class, I'm reopening this blog for current events discussions and current events assignments. I'll be trying to add interesting news items about our system of constitutional government and politics as I have time. Hopefully this blog will steer you toward some of the bigger issues of our day and promote discussion. Links to some good news sources are included on this page.