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.