Markism Explored Markism Explored A running collection of the opinions and thoughts of the author as they relate to the current events of the world. Focusing on the current political climate with a liberal slant. Articles
It takes all kinds
2008-03-21 10:33:00 Public Health Risk Seen as Parents Reject Vaccines - New York Times Vaccine skeptics provide differing explanations for their belief that vaccines may cause various illnesses and disorders, including autism. Recent news that a federal vaccine court agreed to pay the family of an autistic child in Georgia who had an underlying mitochondrial disorder has led some skeptics to speculate that vaccines may worsen such conditions. Again, researchers say there is no evidence to support this thesis.I have so many objections to crazy parents refusing to inoculate their children I hardly no where to begin. I think I'll start with the part where they are risking their own children's lives because they read somewhere that there's a distant chance that vaccines might cause some other kind of illness. Now everyone in the legitimate medical community says these claims are bogus, but just in case these parents would rather risk measles, mumps, meningitis, or worse.Next lets look at the commun...
Free Tibet
2008-03-21 09:36:00 BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | US lawmaker speaks out on Tibet "If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China and the Chinese in Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak out on human rights," Ms Pelosi told a crowd of thousands of cheering Tibetan exiles, including monks and schoolchildren, in Dharamsala.It's good to see an American politician standing up and speaking about a controversial issue. Well said Nancy. If you haven't been following the Tibet story, you should be. For those looking for a way to help...http://www.freetibet.net/ More About: Free
Bush's policy is killing Americans
2008-03-10 09:51:00 Killing ourselves in Afghanistan | Salon News Interviews with Afghan and U.S. intelligence officials involved in covert U.S. operations along the border suggest that U.S. intelligence operatives have known since 2005 that the Pakistan army and the ISI have been training and arming insurgents in the Tribal Areas who cross into Afghanistan to kill Afghan, U.S. and coalition forces. "Our guys are getting killed because Pakistan has a double policy," said an American policy advisor who travels frequently to U.S military and CIA bases near the border. But the same advisor says intelligence officials have only recently gotten through to their superiors in Washington that Pakistan is part of the problem.It's not a new idea that President Bush has maintained power for himself and his party through fear. Encouraging Americans to believe that if the Democrats were in power the United States would almost certainly be destroyed by terrorists. During that time Bush has helped strengthen the ... More About: Politics , George Bush , Cain
Teaching children
2008-03-10 09:12:00 Mail-in ballot suggested as possible Florida -Michigan fix - CNN.com "The rules were set a year and a half ago. Florida and Michigan voted for them and then decided that they didn't need to abide by the rules. When you're in a contest, you do need to abide by the rules," he said last week.Before I started teaching young children there are a lot of things I thought I would never say. I never thought, "because I said so", would ever cross my lips. Also, "what did I JUST say", still sounds ludicrous to me. But as millions have learned before me, these are the things we say to children. We put them in the corner to teach them a lesson, and hope that they actually learn it. Recently I realized that when my kids were playing tag they would run around taunting whoever was "it", only to cry, "I'm not playing" when he or she got close. I decided to keep an eye on this behavior and realized they often quit board games if it looked as though they might lose, often leaving other player... More About: Politics , Children , Teaching
Leave it to Clinton
2008-03-09 19:00:00 Obama takes Wyoming caucus - CNN.com "We are thrilled with this near split in delegates and are grateful to the people of Wyoming for their support," Clinton's campaign manager, Maggie Williams, said in a statement.Leave it to the Clinton campaign to somehow turn a 61-38 loss into what sounds like a victory. I think we will see this pattern for the remainder of the race. The longer this race goes, the more people are bound to see that Clinton is exactly the wrong leader for our country. Not as bad as McCain , perhaps, but why be forced to make that choice when we have Obama in the race. Everything they throw at him misses. More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton
Iraq should pay
2008-03-09 18:53:00 Senators: Where is Iraq 's oil money going? - CNN.com Using numbers from the U.S. State Department and Iraqi Oil Ministry, the senators said Iraq hopes to produce 2.2 million barrels of oil a day this year. Weekly averages suggest that the number has climbed as high as 2.51 million barrels a day.Let's be clear. The US has spent billions of dollars trying to stabilize Iraq. The money has in many ways crippled the American economy, as we have been unable to finance other programs all so that we could ensure that our soldiers were well supplied. So now we're suggesting that Iraq start paying for their own recovery.Of course they should pay for their own recovery, and how about a little recompense. It's curious to see all of their money moved safely out of our hands, presumably so that when we eventually leave the country financially ruined, they will be flush with cash. I don't see why they can't foot the bill not just for their own reconstruction, but for some of our soldie...
Abolish Affirmative Action?
2008-03-08 16:06:00 Affirmative action ban heads for ballot in 5 states - CNN.com Ward Connerly, who heads the American Civil Rights Coalition -- a nonprofit organization working to end racial and gender preferences -- and the main backer of the ballot initiatives, says the 37 word initiative would read: "The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting."I'll admit this is a concept I have mixed feelings about. I have often defended Affirmative Action as a necessary evil. I grew up in a predominately white neighborhood, and am a white male. I have never competed for coveted positions in jobs or education so I have never benefited from or been harmed by Affirmative Action . While I have had a few friends of different ethnic backgrounds I have never known anyone who was harmed by or benefited from Affirmative A...
Testy, testy, Mr. McCain
2008-03-08 15:41:00 McCain Asked About Kerrys V.P. Offer - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog when Mr. McCain was asked about the conversation ? and why he said in an interview with The New York Times in May 2004 that he had not even had a casual conversation with Mr. Kerry on the topic ? Mr. McCain displayed some of the temper that he has largely kept under control in this campaign.Watch this video. Is this really the man we want going into negotiations on behalf of our nation? I don't think so. He can't remember which denials he made, and which half-truths he told. How did this man get a reputation for a straight shooter?
Smoking is Bad
2008-03-08 13:39:00 BBC NEWS | UK | England | Merseyside | Smokers 'make their children ill' "People feel guilty," he told BBC News. "If it was easy, they would give up. Looking after children is good fun but it can be stressful and for some, cigarettes are a way of relieving that stress."I'm actually an ex-smoker, and am known to indulge myself on occasion still. So I am speaking from experience. I know that quitting smoking is very hard. The biggest problem is that most smokers like smoking, whether they are willing to admit it or not. So, of course, the first thing is to really decide you want to quit, but here's the kicker, don't have kids if you can't stop smoking.OK maybe that's a bit drastic. Have kids if you want, but just don't smoke when they are nearby. Send them off to their room, or go out on the back porch and tell them to stay inside. The article above mentions that one of the biggest problems is smoking while in the car. How hard can it be to wait until you get where yo... More About: Smoking
Clinton's dirty politics
2008-03-07 15:17:00 globeandmail.com: PM must fire chief of staff: - Flash Player Installation Mr. Brodie, apparently seeking to play down the potential impact on Canada, told the reporters the threat was not serious, and that someone from Ms. Clinton's campaign had even contacted Canadian diplomats to tell them not to worry because the NAFTA threats were mostly political posturing.So there you have it folks. Read this article carefully. That's right it appears it was Hillary Clinton's campaign that contacted the Canadians about not being serious about NAFTA. Apparently, she wanted to make it clear that she still supported the plan she has always supported. That didn't stop her from maligning the Obama campaign by claiming they had done exactly what she had actually done! The people of Ohio went to the polls thinking that Hillary was the best bet for changing NAFTA, but it looks like they made a mistake. In the long run they have helped prolong the campaign of the one person least likely to... More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Dirty
No Veto on kids safety
2008-03-07 08:36:00 Senate Votes For Safer Products - washingtonpost.com "I'm glad something is going to change. I just hope future families don't have to go through what we had to go through," said Andrew Hartung of Manalapan, N.J., whose 14-month-old daughter, Abigail, was injured last fall in a Bassettbaby crib that was later recalled.Well congress is actually getting something good done. With any luck these two bills will come together nicely to protect eh health and safety of America's children. And the best part is that Bush the Small has not threatened a veto. I think it's telling about the behavior of this president that the author of the article feels compelled to mention that on it's own line. Up to this point I wasn't even sure he was being briefed on what the democratic controlled congress was working on, he just had a veto threat written into the daily press briefing. More About: Kids , Safety , Veto
Primaries take two?
2008-03-07 08:25:00 Democratic Party debates primary do-overs in Michigan and Florida Who pays for a re-do is another sticking point.So far, no one is ponying up any money - not Congress, not state Democratic party leaders and not the DNC."That's not our problem," Dean said. "We need our money to win the presidential race."Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, urged party leaders in a recent joint statement to find a solution, but both insisted state dollars not be used.I have my doubts about either state being able to pull together another primary without spending any state money. I feel a little bit like they are just in the news because of the closeness of the race. Certainly, I have doubts about the sincerity of the GOP governor of Florida and his deep concerns about the fairness of the democratic primary season.On the other hand I think Hillary is looking at this the wrong way. I guess it's conceivable that if another vote is held everyone will go ba... More About: Politics , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Primaries
Don't trust McCain
2008-03-06 22:46:00 PoliZine » 5 Reasons to be Very Afraid of John McCain Our little list of 5 Reasons to be Very Afraid of Mike Huckabee created quite the rift between readers: some thought that Huckabee is indeed a scary candidate; others insisted he wouldn?t stay in the race long enough to be a viable candidate anyway (we?ll try to resist saying ?we told you so?). Lest we show a preference for the other guy, here are our top 5 reasons to be very afraid of John McCain.For those that weren't convinced by my earlier list I bring you this. I have heard a lot of good democrats who are saying they'll support McCain over Hillary. Don't be fooled. I have no love of Hillary Clinton, but she's still a democrat. Hate her if you will, call her names, and be disgusted at her behavior in the primaries, but if by some long shot miracle she wins the nomination, get behind her. In follow up to my previous post, a good friend sent me this site. It demonstrates I think quite clearly that McCain has never bee... More About: Trust
Dear God, It can't be true
2008-03-06 22:32:00 Feeding The Fish » Blog Archive » Science: 1, McCain : 0 Q: What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush?s policy, which is just abstinence? Mr. McCain: (Long pause) Ahhh. I think I support the president?s policy. Q: So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV? Mr. McCain: (Long pause) You?ve stumped me. Q: I mean, I think you?d probably agree it probably does help stop it? Mr. McCain: (Laughs) Are we on the Straight Talk express? I?m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I?m sure I?ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception. I?m sure I?m opposed to government spending on it, I?m sure I support the president?s policies on it.Unfortunately this brilliant piece of journalism comes without a r... More About: Politics , Hillary Clinton , True
Keep driving up the price of oil
2008-03-06 22:24:00 Turning Glare Into Watts - New York Times The technology is not new, but it is suddenly in high demand. As prices rise for fossil fuels and worries grow about their contribution to global warming, solar thermal plants are being viewed as a renewable power source with huge potential.As a proponent of alternative fuels and energy, I see news like this and I say hurray. As the price of oil continues to skyrocket the price of alternative energy seems more and more realistic. But the great thing is that all the money we invest now has long term price implications. What I mean is that with the price of oil at record breaking highs, the price of alternatives seem low even at what used to be ridiculous prices. So we invest. We build plants, we research new ways to fuel our cars, heat our homes, or run our air-conditioners. If the price of oil ever starts to drop we will already have discovered these new fuels or built our beautiful new solar plants. What drives the new alternative f... More About: Driving , Price
Here it is in black and white
2008-03-06 09:49:00 Both Obama And Clinton Hold Edge Over McCain - washingtonpost.comSen. Barack Obama (Ill.) leads McCain, who captured the delegates needed to claim the Republican nomination Tuesday night, by 12 percentage points among all adults in the poll; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) holds a six-point lead over the GOP nominee. Both Democrats are buoyed by moderates and independents when going head to head with McCain and benefit from sustained negative public assessments of President Bush and the war in Iraq.Here it is frozen in time. For the moment both democratic candidates have an advantage on McCain. He now has 6 free months to close that gap virtually unchallenged. Obama clearly has the largest advantage, and if Clinton would get in line, they could gain more ground instead of losing it. More About: Politics , Hillary Clinton , White
When did it become OK
2008-03-06 09:16:00 FBI says warrantless wiretapping lasted until 2006 - Los Angeles Times The Justice Department is appealing that ruling. It has said the data gained from the requests, which are sent directly to financial institutions and phone companies without the knowledge of their customers, is crucial to building terrorism and espionage cases.Exactly when did our country decide that it was OK to spy on our own people without a court order? Between this and FISA the administration keeps telling us that they need to be able to tap our phones and delve into our personal information to stop terrorists. I don't care. Get out of my records. I expect some kind of probable cause before you drag me off to a shadow prison without charging me you b*stards. Go get a court order. If you have a legitimate cause it can't be that hard. The problem of course is that they don't always have probable cause. Fine, then you can't have my phone records.
Start the violins a playin'
2008-03-06 09:10:00 DHS Strains As Goals, Mandates Go Unmet - washingtonpost.com "People keep demanding with each new homeland security challenge, 'Fix this today,' " Jackson said. "DHS is not funded to address every one, there's not time to do every one, and some of the increased effort needed to eliminate all risk for a given problem ends up . . . wasting time, focus and dollars."One can't help but feel sorry for a man who's working so hard but just can't get everything done with just a few billion dollars. It's really sad to see. You know a better way to spend that money? Hire a few hundred high quality economists and send them to Mexico. The best way to secure our border with Mexico? Make sure Mexicans don't want to come to America. Want to stop the drug trade across the border? Legalize drugs.I actually joined in a discussion the other day about the legalization of drugs. The conversation went on and on, but generally no one could come up with a good reason for the vast sums o mon... More About: Start
It's time to get into the ring
2008-03-06 08:55:00 Results Refocus Democratic Campaign - washingtonpost.com "The core of our campaign has worked very, very well," Plouffe said. But he added: "We're obviously not going to let these attacks go unanswered." He said Clinton has exaggerated her foreign policy experience, and he made it clear that Obama will go after her on the issue. He also made a veiled reference to Clinton administration scandals such as Whitewater. "We're surprised they would want to have an extended conversation about contributors and land deals and ethics issues," Plouffe said.So far I'll admit that I've been very pleased with the fact that Obama and his team have left the attack ads to Clinton. However, as Clinton gears up to destroy the democratic party with her, "If I can't have it neither can you," attitude, I think it's time for Obama to get into the ring. I'm not saying he should go on an all out offensive, because that would be a change in tone that wouldn't work for him, but let's be honest, Cl... More About: Politics , Hillary Clinton , Time , Ring
Thank god SOMEONE did the math
2008-03-05 09:27:00 Regardless of today?s results, can Clinton catch Obama? - The Carpetbagger Report The question seems to have been percolating, just below the surface, for a while now. When Barack Obama won 11 consecutive contests in February, he built up a noticeable lead in the race for delegates. Given that the competition is for delegates, not states, it created the impression that Obama was the frontrunner for the nomination.Let's face it, I'm just too lazy to find the delegate counter and start wriggling the numbers to figure out exactly how the rest of the contests could play out. Fortunately the blogger world is full of computer savvy people with time on their hands. So follow the link and discover just how difficult it will be for Hillary to pull off a win. It simply is not going to happen unless she can pull off a full character assassination of Barack and bring the party down. Read through some of the comments at the bottom of this post as well, I found some really interesting info... More About: Politics , Hillary Clinton , Math
Fat kids watch too much TV
2008-03-05 09:06:00 Device helps fat kids cut TV time | Science | Reuters A monitoring device that cut TV and computer time in half helped young, overweight children eat less and lose weight, U.S. researchers said on Monday.I'll be honest; I find most of the findings in this study to be self-evident. Live a sedentary life style and you will be heavier than someone who doesn't. Play sports and you will be less likely to be overweight. No kidding. However, I did find some interesting points. The study about parental control versus the machine was more pointed than I expected. Obviously it's hard to argue with a timer that turns off the TV, and the timer probably never forgets or gets distracted by normal life, so I expected it to be more effective, but the difference is pretty striking. I'm considering buying one of these devices for myself. Another interesting idea is having special sports teams for the overweight. i think in older children this would just increase the sense of separation ... More About: Watch , Kids
Home state letdown
2008-03-05 08:53:00 Clinton wins key primaries, CNN projects; McCain clinches nod - CNN.com I am very, very grateful and pleased to note that tonight, my friends, we have won enough delegates to claim with confidence, humility and a great sense of responsibility, that I will be the Republican nominee for president of the United State s," McCain told supporters Tuesday night.I was pretty sure Clinton would take Ohio, but I was really counting on my home state of Texas to stand up for Obama. Instead the Hispanic vote was enough for Hillary to take a win. But here's the big problem, Clinton having gained nothing in the delegate count will now want to take this to the convention. McCain on the other hand now has the nomination, and will be running a national campaign. Every ugly attack Hillary makes will be echoed by McCain who is definitely the under dog to Obama. In the end Hillary might just had over the presidency to McCain. But then again that might be her plan. She recently told the press tha... More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Home
Child Porn
2008-03-05 08:40:00 14 Americans arrested in child porn sting - CNN.com Fourteen Americans are in custody as part of a global crackdown on a well-organized child porn ring that used sophisticated encryption technology, the FBI and Justice Department announced Tuesday.Strike one up for the FBI. Well done boys. Send them to prison and never let them out. In my opinion abusing children has to be one of the worst crimes on the books. Maybe we should try them in Texas and ask for the death penalty. More About: Child
Money to stop Abortion?
2008-03-05 08:35:00 BBC NEWS | South Asia | India announces girl child award British medical journal Lancet says 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in India in the past 20 years. Under the new scheme, poor families in seven Indian states will be paid cash at the birth of a daughter and again at different stages throughout her childhood up to the age of 18 years.I'm just going to come out and say this is a bad idea. Please don't take that to mean that I am in favor of aborting female fetuses. It's just that direct involvement in family planning through incentive plans generally turns out badly. Some ways this might backfire include the psychological state of the girls who have been brought up for pay, never being able to stop paying, and increased pregnancy rates to try and get money. A better plan would be aggressive re-education and legal engineering. By that I mean you aggressively try to change attitudes to females, and give them equitable rights under the law for property and in... More About: Money , Abortion , Stop
Outlaw George W.
2008-03-05 08:27:00 Vermont towns vote to arrest Bush and Cheney | U.S. | Reuters Voters in two Vermont towns on Tuesday approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest President George W . Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution," local media reported.I don't have much to add to this article, I just thought it was really funny. More About: Politics , George Bush , Outlaw
Death by Dildo?
2008-03-04 21:39:00 The Campaign Spot on National Review OnlineWhy on God's green earth does Barack Obama object to mandates on local authorities for porn shops but not for gun stores? Or conversely, why does he feel it's necessary to keep gun stores five miles from a school, but no limit on porn shops?My friend sent me this ridiculous post that seems to compare firearms to sex toys. Apparently it is equally important to keep our children and wives from seeing anything that might remind us that we are a sexual species as it is to keep guns out of our schools. I'll be the first to say that I'm perfectly OK banning gun shops from pretty much everywhere, but have no problems with having a sex shop down the street. If someone could please send me an article or study that discusses how teachers require extra pay because kids are bringing in sex toys, or how students are afraid to come to class because the kid sitting next to them has porn in their locker I might reevaluate my position. More About: Death , Dildo
Pot this is Kettle
More articles from this author:2008-03-04 09:34:00 Barack Obama takes heat over NAFTA memo, Rezko -- chicagotribune.com "Apparently, what seems to have occurred is that the Obama campaign had Sen. Obama in Ohio making speeches against NAFTA and having his chief economic adviser making it clear in Canada that he doesn't really mean it," she told an Ohio-market TV station. "I think that raises real questions of credibility." It continues to amaze me that Hillary Clinton can attack Obama for positions she holds. Let's be clear. Hillary supported and championed NAFTA. Wrote about how great NAFTA is in her book. When she started running for president she suddenly doesn't like NAFTA. On the other hand, Obama has always had questions about free trade. He has never been in favor of isolationism, but believes the deals we have could be better. He has said exactly that. Who's credibility is at question? More About: Politics , Barack Obama 1, 2, 3 |
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