Thursday, August 28, 2008

Joe Biden

I hear a lot of people criticizing the choice to choose Biden to be Barack's running mate. I have heard people saying he will bring nothing to the ticket. Do people actually believe this?

Whether that is true or not doesn't matter too much. My point is vice presidents shouldn't be picked on the basis of winning over voters; they should be chosen by measureing how they will perform in office. I comend Obama for his choice in this moderate democrat because he was chosen not because he will nod his head and smile at everyone of his ideas. He chose him because he has the ability to challenge him.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Recognizing Racism

There is no getting around it; some people will vote for Obama because he is half-black and some people will not be voting for him for the same reason. The people that fall in these categories are irresponsible. Voters should be voting based on character and policy.

It bothers me every time I hear someone (Ann Colter mostly) call Barrack Obama by his middle name; Hussein. When asked why they use his middle name, most respond; "because it is his name, why can't I use it?" It is obvious why they use the name; it is to spark fear in people.

A Clinton supporter stood up at the DNC and yelled "Hussein, Hussein!" He was later interviewed.

"We just finished getting rid of a guy named Hussein in Iraq and why are we trying to elect someone with the same name?" said Zhivotovsky. "Everybody thinks if you're against Obama you're racist."

It is apparent this guy is a racist. And I'm sure Obama supporters do not label all McCain supporters as racists, only the ones who use his race agaisnt him.

Friday, August 22, 2008

The "Born Alive" Scandal

There has been a lot of talk about Barack Obama voting against a bill to protect children that born alive after a botched abortion. Many are criticizing him for not protecting these children, claiming he would rather let them die than helping them. This accusation is false. The bill he voted against was not necessary, considering there was already legislation in Illinois that required these children to be cared for. Many other people voted agaisnt the bill, including some pro-choice Republicans.

For more information about this click here.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Obama's VP decision

He has chosen, who do you think it will be? I think he will choose Biden. I guess Hilary is back in the VP talks, but I doubt she will be put on the ticket.

McCain is also trying to select his VP. He has promised to choose a guy with his same values, implying that he will choose a Pro-Life candidate. Even after this claim, Leiberman's name still comes up in talks. I think if he chooses Leiberman, he will lose credibility and thus lose the election by a landslide.

If you would like state who you think it will be go ahead!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Flip-flopping on Issues

When and when it is not okay.

Whenever I hear a pundit accuse a politician of flip-flopping I laugh. It is funny to me that politicians are not allowed to change their minds on issues. Why can't these people have a change of heart? It is okay for anyone to change their mind on an issue if they have received new information. But, it is not okay for candidates to change their mind on an issue to pander for votes.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Abortion Policy

This is an issue that I do not pretend to have an answer to. People are always going to have different feelings about it. I do not believe that policy should be passed to eliminate abortions in our country. My reasons for this are as follows:

1) People have different morals. How can a government legislate ones moral over another's?

2) Abortions are going to happen anyway. True, the number of abortions will drop considerably. But abortions are in turn going to be preformed in a more dangerous manner.

3) Possible health risks to the mother.

An Essay on the Potential of the Internet

Revolutionary Medium

The Internet is the newest medium in which people can attain information. More people are getting their daily news from the internet instead of other mediums, such as newspapers and television. Those who use the internet have access to vast amounts of information. Unlike television, the internet allows users the ability to search for what they want, instead of limiting them to what is on it at any specific time. The internet allows its users to engage in conversation and political debate, a feature the television and the newspaper do not offer. The internet does not undermine political participation; it takes participation to the next level by allowing people from all types of backgrounds to engage in political discussion through weblogs and online forums.

The internet is the only media source that allows regular people to discuss any type of issue. Anyone can get online and discuss current events through forums, discussion boards, and weblogs. Online forums give citizens who want to have a greater participation in politics the ability to do so. They can contribute more than just their vote by participating in online discussions on any news network websites. People can give their opinions, anonymously or not, on websites that potentially hundreds or even thousands of people will read.

Watching television and reading printed newspaper do not permit people to voice their opinion. These forms of media decide what they are going to report, giving the people receiving the news little choice in what they learn. People attaining their information on the internet are able to choose what they view. Additionally, they are able to discuss what they have just viewed, depending on which website hosted the news. A survey, conducted by Annenberg School for Communication, showed that eighty percent of internet users age seventeen and older considered the internet to be an important source of information. Television, radio, and printed newspapers polled at sixty-eight percent or less (Annenberg 2008 Report 84).

Internet usage invites civic engagement. Users can access the internet at any time during the day. Newspapers update only once a day and television does not consistently report news throughout the day. News usually reports on television in the mornings and throughout the evening. Twenty-one percent of people surveyed in the Annenberg 2008 Report say they have cancelled newspaper subscription because they receive the same content online (79). This statistic shows that the same information in printed newspapers is available online, making the newspaper less valuable. The internet helps people to become informed about political issues because it forces users to become more literate; internet increases the likelihood of voting (Mossberger 27).

Weblogs are an effective method to publish ones views. Creating a weblog is a simple and free process, which allows its authors to publish anything they would like to write (Shirkey 40). Weblogs can be used to express political views, to discuss class projects, or even to tell the readers about ones weekend. Clay Shirkey claims that bloggers are more successful when they post weblogs for their friends to read instead of posting the same blog designed for the public to read. He asserts that having friends read the submission gives the feeling of a conversation. Weblogs take political participation to the next level by allowing the user to do more than just take in knowledge; it lets them express feelings and opinions as well.

Current.com is a perfect example of how the internet allows its users to engage in politics through this new medium. The viewers run the site; it is up to them to post the stories that are then voted on by the rest of the Current community. These votes decide what stories are most pertinent and worthy of viewing which helps to keep the quality of material viewed up. After the stories are submitted, people can choose to view them and even participate in discussions about them. This site promotes regular people to be journalists, which allow the material to cover anything newsworthy. Brazen Pantic claims that professional journalists are paid to cover what sells, which could lead to important stories being left out of the media because they are not sensational enough (57). Current journalists have no personal agenda; what sells has no relevance because they are not paid by how many views they receive. This ensures Current users will cover any newsworthy topic, even if it is not popular.

Many other websites share the same concept. Facebook groups allow users to discuss practically any topic. Youtube permits people to discuss videos. These sites share the concept of discussion that Current has, allowing its viewers to give their opinions, which could eliminate biases because any view can be voiced. The viewers engage in conversation with each other, which allows them to debate what is being viewed.

Search engines can be a valuable resource when researching virtually any topic. Some would argue that the information found using search engines are inaccurate and unreliable. It is true that some informational sites are unreliable sources, but it is easy to sort out the accurate from the inaccurate. Little additional research about the viability of the information can deem the source reliable or not. In order for people to effectively use the internet, they need to sort out the bad information from the good.

Online forums and weblogs connect people across the country. People, that were previously unable to, can now engage in conversation (Payne). This enables people with vastly different lives to talk with one-another, an ability that is not easy to do without the internet. This is important because this is a way for Americans to connect across the country. It allows Democrats to unite with fellow Democrats, and Republicans to unite with fellow Republicans. It also creates a place where people can debate topics that they would not normally be able to debate.

The internet provides a more in depth coverage of events than any other form of media. News programs often advise their viewers to seek additional information on their website when they are unable to cover every aspect of a story on the air. News shows are given an allocated amount of time and are not always able to cover every current event in the designated time. If a person is watching the news and wants a greater understanding of a topic, it would be more time consuming waiting for the topic to come on the air than to go online to seek the information. The television can be a quick way of getting current events, but the internet is a far superior source for receiving the full story.

Television stations can have a biased analysis of the news. Some television stations do not give both sides to important issues, this can be remedied by going online to receive other opinions on the same issue. Manuel Castells suggests that media politics create scandal politics, claiming that “negative messages are much more effective than positive messages” (142). I agree with this statement, I would rather receive news that has actual meaning. This type of news can be found on the internet when the media is reporting scandal politics, unbiased news has to be sought out.
Technology is formed around the needs of the people who use it (Castells 136). The internet improves civic engagement by giving the people a new medium in which to communicate. The internet has the same capabilities the television and newspaper with the additional ability to discuss the news country and worldwide. If this did not attribute to our needs, it would be a fad and would have died out. The fact is, forums and weblogs are revolutionary methods of conveying personal opinion. The internet invites political participation by offering more ways for the user to participate in politics.



Works Cited

Annenberg 2008 Report: Annual Internet Survey by the Center for the Digital Future. Annenberg School for Communication. 2008. 73-84.

Castells, Manuel. The Network Society: From Knowledge to Policy. Washington DC: Center for Transatlantic Relations. 135-146.

Mossberger, Karen, Caroline Tolbert, and Ramona McNeal. Digital Citizenship. Cambridge: The MIT Press. 25-34.

Pantic, Drazen. “Anybody Can Be TV.” Reformatting Politics. Ed. Jon Anderson. New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2006. 55-66.

Payne, Will. Lecture. UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz. 25 Apr. 2008.

Shirkey, Clay. “Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality.” Reformatting Politics. Ed. Jon Anderson. New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2006. 35-42.

The Corporate Media

It is no surprise to anyone that Fox News is a right-wing news station. Likewise, it is no news that MSNBC is a left-wing news station. My question is; is this a problem? And if so, what cant hey do to fix it.

My view is; corporate news stations should not hide behind their non-partisan claims. They should be up front about it so they do not pass what they say off as facts. This will allow the viewers to make a better choice about current issues without being led astray.

$5 Million a Year is Rich

Those of you who watched the Saddleback Forum witnessed McCain make this ridiculous comment that people are defined as rich if they make at least $5 million a year; but he was obviously joking. There was no doubt he said it in jest.

Barack Obama later commented on McCain's remark as if it was what McCain actually thought to be true. He covered his bases by saying, "Maybe he was joking." This was a cheap trick that does not serve his "New Politics" claim. I was hoping that Obama was serious when he claimed that he was going to introduce a new way to run politics. Perhaps he is another typical polititian.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Same Sex Marraige

Why shouldn't SSM be allowed? How can people deny others their rights? The role of the government (obviously in my eyes) is to protect their people from physical danger. This is an umbrella definition because this can be from any number of things, such as; violence, poor financial situations, theft, and even oppression. The government should not be responsible for spiritual protection, which is why our constitution states that we should separate the church and the state. Religous beliefs do not belong in politics.

What is the harm in allowing all people the ability to marry whom they want?

If you want to, please feel free to comment.