Politically Insane

Blog Moved

2005-10-31T02:33:00.000-06:00

This blog has formally been moved to Chicken Camels.

Bush Quote

2005-08-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

I came across this quote and thought it was pretty... interesting.

Free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.
President George W. Bush

Interesting... he says this... yet.. we have WMD weapons. Hmm... So he is saying we are not free? Well now... who's fault is that Mr. Bush?

Congress Passes Budget

2005-04-29T17:25:00.000-05:00

Of course the day after I praise Bush for his statements last night Republicans turn around and cut several billion dollars from education and add $50 billion to military operations and again cut medicaid.

So for 2006 we will again lose more schools, teachers, have more health problems... but we sure as hell scare other countries. Woopity doo dah.

Bush's Evening Press Conference

2005-04-29T01:22:00.000-05:00

Today Bush had a rare evening press conference. It was quite interesting to say the least and very surprising, at least to me. He spoke of the Iraq war, energy crisis and Social Security.

To some surprise he finally stated that he wished to push forward his Energy Bill through the Senate as quick as possible. It will help the United States become less dependant on foreign oil and later, definately no time soon, lower gas prices.

The only beef I have about this is the drilling in Alaska. If it weren't for that the bill would seem promising. I am all for nuclear power, biodiesel and advancing technology for hydrogen power, but as for drilling for more oil? No way. Expecially not in a wildlife area.

I do have to hand this one to Bush though, it's more than what I expected.

Freedom of Expression Censored

2004-12-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

Christopher Savido, a twenty-three year old painter from Pittsburgh, had his art work removed from a New York City art show for displaying a painting made of monkeys.

The 60-piece show was closed by management after the reveal of Savido's 'Bush Monkeys' which was originally scheduled to last over a month. The show had more than 2,000 visitors during the first day.

The painting shows a picture of George W. Bush from afar, but the closer you get you can see it is made of little monkeys.

Savido stated the closing of the show was "a blatant act of censorship."

"This is much deeper than art. This is fundamental American rights, freedom of speech," Savido said. "To see that something like this can happen, especially in a place like New York City is mind boggling and scary."

Post Kyoto Talks Underway - But with trouble

2004-12-13T18:50:00.000-06:00

Talks are underway in Argentina to help include the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, USA, who emits nearly 21% of the world's greenhouse gases, agree on a commitment beyond 2012 to cut greenhouse emissions.

The Kyoto Protocol reached an agreement in 1997 to use a "top down approach" in which the committee would set mandatory targets on dozens of nations to cut down on the amount of greenhouse gases by 2012. Over 200 countries are now engaging in talks for a post Kyoto agreement which will reduce gases way beyond 2012.

The Kyoto pact, which comes into affect this coming January, seeks to control emissions of six gases which harm the Earth's atmosphere. The most produced harmful gas is Carbon dioxide which is a product of automobile exhaust, coal and oil burning power plants and other fossil fuel burning sources.

President Bush, who denounced the Kyoto pact in 2001, stated the agreement would damage the US economy and complained of exemptions. He believes that a "bottom up approach" would work better for the United States.

A Greenpeace climate expert, Bill Hare, was saddened by the US approach stating "Bottom-up is a euphemism for not doing much at all beyond what would normally happen."

No-Count Ohio Rolls On

2004-12-11T18:21:00.000-06:00

With the Electoral College meeting Monday to certify the vote, it is very unlikely that the re-election of President Bush will not take place.

Mr. Bush won Ohio by 136,000 votes. Or did he? Voting problems around the state has left many in doubt of the actual number. Even Blackwell himself certified just 119,000 vote win for Bush.

The margin shrunk greatly after the Franklin County 'glitch' which gave Bush 3,893 extra votes where only 638 voters cast their ballot and then again when the overseas and provisional ballots came in, however only four out of five of those were counted.

Democrats, Greens and Libertarians are now working together around the country to insure that there is a recount. Other groups, even some Republicans as well have acknowledged the problems in the US voting system.

Many agree that national laws need to be put in place to insure that all votes are counted no matter what race or religion a person comes from. Rev. Jesse Jackson and other activists have asked congress for a wholesale change in the voting process before mid-term elections in 2006.

Another case has risen for discussion as well. In North Carolina a voting machine did not count 4,438 votes that were made before November 2nd. The incumbent lost by only 2,287 votes out of over 3 million.

Over 1,000,000,000 Children at Risk

2004-12-10T17:37:00.000-06:00

A new report by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has showed remarkable statistics about how the world’s children are now at great risk.

The report shows that more than 640 million children don't have sufficient shelter, while 140 million have never been to school. It also shows 400 million children do not have safe water to drink and 500 million live without basic sanitation. Another 90 million children starve.

The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child asked countries to help give children a healthy and protected up bringing however violence, aids and poverty are still at their worst. Nearly one in six children suffers from severe hunger and one in seven has no healthcare.

Carol Bellamy, executive director of Unicef, indicated that the main cause of the great risk is wars. Over 20 million children are forced from their homes due to fighting and 3.6 million, half of which are children, have died in such conflicts although a much higher number of children have died from indirect causes of the wars.

However, even though wars are a great cause it is not the only one. Over 30,000 children died last year which would have been prevented if they had adequate healthcare. Another half a million children under the age of 15 died last year and some 2.1 million children across the world are living with HIV. Fifteen million children have lost a parent to Aids, while 80 percent of who live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Carol Bellamy and the Unicef agree that the answer is simple. Over the last year the world’s nations have spent 712,000,000eu on weapons, whereas only 52 billion eu is needed to reach status quo.

Currently the United States spends over $400 billion a year on military equipment and $200 billion is currently going towards the war in Iraq.

Gay Marriage on its Way in Canada

2004-12-09T17:39:00.000-06:00

The final obstacle standing in the way of homosexual marriage in Canada has now been defeated. The land mark Supreme Court decision gives the Canadian Government the right to change the definition of marriage allowing marriage for both homosexuals and heterosexuals.

The decision will move Canada into the same ranks as Netherlands and Belgium allowing homosexual marriage, although Spain and possibly Germany will join soon.

Members of parliament are expected to back the change early next year, although church officials will not be required to marry such couples.

The Prime Minister also stated he will not allow Balkanization across his country. "I think we are a very mature nation, I think we can undertake that kind of debate," he said, Canada should not have "two classes of citizens."

Ex-Marine tells Iraqi Murder Stories

2004-12-08T14:21:00.000-06:00

Jimmy Massey, a former marine staff sergeant, testified in Canada on the behalf of a US army deserter, Jeremy Hinzman, yesterday.

Mr. Massey told the immigration and refugee board about the atrocities and murders which are occurring in Iraq. He said that he and his fellow marines had shot and killed more than 30 Iraqi men, women and children.

"We killed the man. We fired at a cyclic rate of 500 bullets per vehicle," testified Massey, "The company gunnery sergeant came running over and began yelling, 'You just shot a guy with his hands up.' "

The former staff sergeant said none of the Iraqis shot were any threat for suicide bombing. He speculated that many didn't understand the hand signals or signage used to indicate they should stop at the check points.

Another incident occurred when marines reacted to a stray bullet and killed a small group of unarmed protesters and bystanders, Massey said, "What they were doing was committing murder."

Mr. Massey's testimony reinforced that of Hinzman who said he did not want to be resent to Iraq because of fears of being forced to commit war crimes and atrocities that were considered illegal.

Hinzman had applied as a conscientious objector to being sent by Iraq, but was rejected and sought asylum in Toronto along with his wife and two-year-old son.

"We were told to consider all Arabs as potential terrorists... to foster an attitude of hatred that gets your blood boiling," said Hinzman, then adding he doesn't want to be involved in capturing Iraqis who not be given the rights of due process or the Geneva Conventions.

Mr. Hinzman went public with his asylum case because of fears Canadians would feel his claim be a "preposterous proposition."

"I didn't know how it would be dealt with. I thought they would say, 'You're an American, what the hell are you doing? Go home,'" Hinzman stated. "By being public, I could ensure it would be handled openly and fairly."

Hizman's asylum hearing could be the first of four other US deserters who made similar claims.

US to Purchase Flu Vaccine

2004-12-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

After a long disputed topic in the Presidential debates the United States has set out to do exactly what John Kerry wanted, buy the vaccine from other countries like Germany and Canada.

The United States hopes to buy almost 5.2 million flu vaccines from these foreign companies. The US hopes to buy 1.2 million from Germany and the other some 4 million from Canadian manufacturers.

The United States first learned of its shortage when a British company, Chiron, lost nearly 48 million vaccines due to contamination. The US originally hoped on receiving nearly 100 million vaccines, but instead received just 55 million.

The US responded to public outcry by sending Food and Drug inspectors to the German Plant GlaxoSmithKline and Canadian ID Biomedical early last month.

As of now there are only two companies, Chiron and Aventis, which are eligible to send vaccines to the United States. However Glaxo and ID Biomedical hope to join the elite two by 2007 and continue to send vaccines for years to come.

Unwanted Barrier Met

2004-12-07T16:10:00.000-06:00

The US troops killed in Iraq met 1,000 today during a patrol in Baghdad. The number came after a quick revision of the casualty count to 999 earlier in the day. The number had risen sharply over the past month due to the Falluja assault.

Overall the total US casualty number for Iraq is 1,275. The additional 275 is made up of other US service personnel who were launched with the invasion on March 20th, 2003.

The total number of US wounded troops now stands at 9,765 while the total Iraqi Civilians dead is at least 14,000 and as many as tens of thousands. The total Iraqi military dead now is estimated around 5,000.

Wealthy Countries Richer… but Sending Less in Aid

2004-12-06T17:01:00.000-06:00

Forty-five million children are set to die by 2015 if countries like the United States and Britain don’t meet their aid quotas, reports the international agency of Oxfam.

Even though countries like those in the G7 are wealthier than they have ever been before, they are giving far less in developmental assistance than what they did in 1960. The paltry assistance gives only $50 million dollars in foreign aid, while even less, about 40% is given to underdeveloped countries.

The Oxam agency is looking to G7 countries to cancel all poor nations' debts and double their developmental aid. If the G7 does not agree to these terms, the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) for reducing poverty will be put out of reach.

The MDG also called for universal primary education, halving the hunger, reduce by two thirds the mortality rate of children under five and by three quarters the maternal mortality rate; and halt the spread of HIV/AIDS and the occurrence of other deadly diseases, like malaria and tuberculosis.

The G7 agreed in 2000 to reach these goals, however none have increased spending.

The United States is actually ranked dead last with only 0.14 percent of GDP going to foreign aid, which is only 1/10th of what it spent on the Iraqi war in 2003. Foreign aid given by the United States is only 1/14th the spending of its annual defense budget.

The report also shows that Italy and the United States are the worst in giving aid to poor nations. The Italians spend approximately 90% of its aid on Italian goods and services while the United States spends around 70% on its own companies.

The report also shows that not only is the aid important, but also their influence on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. If countries like the United States wished to do so, they could cancel their debt that is causing so many problems in places like Africa.

The debt in fact, makes these countries pay three dollars for every two dollars they received in aid. This causes many indebted countries to spend more on the debt services than it does on its own health services for its people, which is especially hard on countries in Africa which have been stricken with wide spread HIV/AIDS.

The latest report by Oxam showed that spending $30 billion would cancel the debt of 32 of the poorest countries; this would only cost $2.10 per person each year in the wealthiest countries.

Oxfam states that if the current trends continue nearly 247 million more people in sub-Saharan Africa will live in poverty; 34 million more will suffer from hunger; and 45 million children will die.

"Unless world leaders act now to deliver a historic breakthrough on poverty," said Jeremy Hobbs, Oxfam's executive director, "next year will end in shameful failure."

Democrats to Pick New Leader

2004-12-06T16:43:00.000-06:00

The Democrats have their hands full this coming winter. Not only do they have to select a new minority leader, but also a new Chairman for the DNC (Democratic National Committee).

The State Party Officials are set to interview candidates for the upcoming position in Orlando this coming weekend. They will be looking for someone who is energetic, organized, and charismatic and can give concise sound bites. Those who are from states leaning republican will also get a more thorough look, while those looking to become president will not be asked to be considered.

When asked about what the Democrats are looking for Mark Brewer, president of the Association of Democratic State Chairs, stated "We are looking for somebody who's got a four-year plan and vision to work with state parties in every state, to elect folks up and down the ticket."

The Democratic Governors however see this opportunity to bring more than just one chair person to the DNC but rather two co-chairs, one to run the DNC and the other to be a high-profile spokesperson.

"We want somebody who can speak to the heart… speak the language of values," says Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Those who have agreed to meet Saturday in Orlando include; Howard Dean, Wellington Webb, Leo Hindery, Donnie Fowler, Martin Frost and Simon Rosenberg.

More Iraqi Election Doubts

2004-12-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command, said that the Iraqi security forces were unable to handle the challenges brought to them, even with additional American forces deployed to help.

The comments came after President Bush announced a total of 150,000 troops would be in Iraq for the elections, mostly made up of extended tours.

The UN Election Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi also has doubts about the up coming election "If the circumstances stay as they are, I personally don't think so. It is a mess in Iraq."

He also stated "Elections are no magic potion, but part of a political process. They must be prepared well and take place at the right time to produce the good effects that you expect from them."

Ohio Recount - Update

2004-12-05T16:16:00.000-06:00

Actually this is not an update at all. The recount hasn't even started yet.

John Bonifaz, general cousel of the National Voting Rights Institute in Boston, has charged the Secretary of State in Ohio, who also happens to be the associate Chairman in Bush's re-election campaign, with "actively engaged in thwarting the recount law" by delaying certification of the vote until tomorrow. By doing this, the recount would not be complete until after the Dec. 13th deadline set in the US Constitution.

Bush Administration Set to Change Environmental Laws

2004-12-05T15:40:00.001-06:00

The Bush Administration has announced that within the next few months a rewrite of the three decade old document protecting environmental areas against gas and oil drilling will be changed while reshaping the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

When asked about whether the American people would approve of such action the Bush Administration stated that "The election was a validation of the philosophy and the agenda." Ironically President Bush went out of his way to avoid any conversation about the environment during his campaign.

The new document reshaping the EPA holds a line giving the current members the right to retire within the next four years, giving President Bush the ability to fill the positions with other anti-environmentalists.

Mr. Bush's first plan is to open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The land is home to caribou, polar bears, musk oxen and millions of migratory birds. A vote held two years ago was turned down 52-48 in the Senate, but with the new Republican majority the plan is likely to pass.

The next Republican action will be a call for a new energy bill asking for permission to explore in other environmentally fragile areas for oil and gas, followed by the reshaping of the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act is the most successful environmental bill declining air pollution by 50% over the past thirty years.

Richard Pombo, the Republican Chairman of the House Resources Committee, has asked for a review of the Endangered Species Act which protects the wildlife. The law is the only legal papers protecting remaining rain forests in the United States.

To round up the environmental changes, Congressional leaders have started an offensive against the National Environmental Policy Act which requires a thorough look at how major developments effect the environment before proceeding.

The President of the National Environment Trust, Philip Clap, said the previous Bush Administration has contended to weaken the environmental legislation but now intends to go even further. He said "We will now see an assault on the law which will set the US in the direction of becoming a Third World country in terms of environmental protection."

Washington State Recount

2004-12-04T10:14:00.000-06:00

Democrats Friday finally agreed to extend the unresolved Governor's race in Washington State. The Democrat's had agreed to pay the some $730,000 to Secretary of State Sam Reed which under state election rule, the state requesting the recount must finance it.

The final tally for the November 2nd election left the Democrat Attorney General Christine Gregoire 261 votes behind, however an even more recent machine count left Gregoire just losing by 42 votes. The Democrats requested a hand count, which promptly received a $200,000 contribution from Presidential Nominee John Kerry.

Paul Berendt, Chair of the Washington State Democrats stated "We're going to count every vote in every county, whether it's a Rossi county or a Gregoire county."

Democrats later filed a lawsuit requesting the rejected ballots be reconsidered.

State officials believe the final count will be received by December 23rd.

Ukraine Closer to Justice, Democracy and Freedom

2004-12-03T14:19:00.000-06:00

Earlier today Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled for a new run-off Election. Both candidates agreed that significant fraud had occurred, however President Kuchma wanted a new Election while Yushchenko and his supporters favored a new run-off.

It is believed Kuchma sought after a new election instead of run-off in hopes of replacing Yushchenko with another candidate.

Supporters of Yushchenko gathered in Kiev’s main square shaking fists and waving Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag. As the ruling arrived the crowd started singing the National Anthem.

Later Yushchenko gave a speech to his supporters saying "Today Ukraine has turned to justice, democracy and freedom… It happened thanks to you."

Afterwards, both Poland and America were worried about the days to come. Insisting the election be held quickly and swiftly to avoid demonstrations of violence across the nation.

Source: Ukraine Court Orders New Run-Off Election

Iraqi Elections Must Go On - Bush

2004-12-02T13:57:00.000-06:00

Thursday, President Bush stated "The elections should not be postponed. It's time for the Iraqi citizens to go to the polls and that's why we are very firm on the Jan. 30 date" after meeting with Nigerian President Olusegan Obasanjo.

The American forces in Iraq will gain some 12,000 troops in the coming weeks to help calm the resistance. The elections have been criticized by many Iraqi politicians who feel now is not the best time to elect officers while Sunni muslim areas are still unrest.

Source: Reuters

Ohio Votes Challenged

2004-12-01T13:27:00.000-06:00

The Guardian Unlimited reports that the US election held in Ohio will be decided in courts once again.

The news comes after a lawyer, Cliff Arnebeck, made claims that new evidence of fraud and vote stealing have arose. The Ohio Supreme Court will hear the case of Arnebeck and 25 other voters in Ohio.

The Ohio election critics have long argued that voting fraud has taken place in many counties, including one which 3,893 votes were counted for Mr. Bush when only 638 citizens voted. Other charges include evidence of malpractice such as the pro-Republican group that destroyed registration documents in Nevada operating inside of Ohio.

One judge out of the seven Supreme Court Justices will hear the case in Ohio. The judge may declare a winner or throw out the result asking for a new election. The result however may be appealed to the full court.

Guantanamo Uncovered

2004-12-01T01:32:00.000-06:00

The Guantanamo Bay Prisons have long been under scrutiny by the Red Cross for violating international law. A new report by The New York Times uncovers the confidential reports filed by the UN in both January 2002 and January of 2003.

The report in 2002 shows that both physical and psychological treatment of prisoners in Guantanomo Bay have amounted to torture. The report in 2003 then again brought up the concern of torture.

New York Times states:

"The construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture," the report said. It said that in addition to the exposure to loud and persistent noise and music and to prolonged cold, detainees were subjected to "some beatings." The report did not say how many of the detainees were subjected to such treatment.

Asked about the accusations in the report, a Pentagon spokesman provided a statement saying, "The United States operates a safe, humane and professional detention operation at Guantánamo that is providing valuable information in the war on terrorism."

Although these were found by the Internation Red Cross inspectors, the concerns were neither brought public nor aggressively confronted towards President Bush.

Tom Ridge Resigns

2004-11-30T16:40:00.000-06:00

On February 1st, 2005 the National Security Secretary will resign from his post. The Secretary served since January of 2003 and has been known for his color coded threat warnings which have been criticized widely for bringing up President Bush’s approval rating before the election.

Mr. Bush will be asked to name yet another member to his cabinet. The resignation signals the 7th this year, and possibly not the last.

Left Winged Mind

2004-11-30T01:53:00.000-06:00

First off I would like to tell everyone a little about myself.

I am very much into politics and an extreme leftist. My ideas of a perfect government are that of socialism, however nothing like communism or anarchy. I wish for freedoms of the people, but also free health care and free education.

My view points are not shown in Washington, and are rarely shown throughout the US like many others.

This blog in return will help educate peoples minds about what is really going on in the United States and not just what Mr. Bush or any other politician tries to get us to believe.