May 25 - Thank You For Reading

As this is my last entry to my blog, I would like to sum up what I have learned through this process. I have noticed that by maintaining a blog, I have learned much more about the current events of the past few months. I feel that this has been a healthy experience for me since normally I don't read the news very often. This process has taught me much about the presidential candidates as well as the happenings within our society. I wish to continue the habit I have learned so that I can continue to be well informed about my society and continue to be aware of issues. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it!


Thank you,

Jasmin

May 24 - Presidential Fundraisers

In a few weeks, a few family members of mine will be hosting a few fundraisers. One benefiting Barack Obama and one benefiting Hillary Clinton. The event will cost $700 for the cocktail party and $2200 for the dinner party. Initially, when I heard of the pricing for these events I was in shock! However, after speaking to some members I learned that this pricing is rather normal for such an event. Because of the crowd that will be present... these are highly requested events and many individuals wish to attend. The Hilary event will also include an appearance from Bill Clinton, which in itself is worth going for, given the opportunity.

May 23 - American-Muslim Survey

A survey was recently taken to evaluate the opinions of Muslims in America and their opinions on various subjects. Most attention has focused on the extent to which American Muslims do or do not support al Qaeda and suicide bombing.

Some findings include:
One of the most striking results was the fact that American Muslims are indistinguishable from other Americans in economic terms.

Muslims here are not a ghettoized, discriminated-against group. Most observers assume this makes them less susceptible to radicalization.

Some American Muslims defend suicide bombings under at least some circumstances

May 22 - Bill Richardson's Presidency

In spite of his decidedly Anglo-sounding name, Bill Richardson made a big deal out of his Hispanic roots in announcing his presidential bid in Los Angeles today. And thanks to a decision by his father — an American born overseas — there is no question about Mr. Richardson’s ability to run for president.

While Mr. Richardson has written extensively about his rough adjustment to America as a youth, today he celebrates his heritage. During his announcement , he spoke about the immigration issue - which some other candidates have only delicately addressed - saying that “no fence ever built has stopped history.”

May 21 - Giuliani on Letterman

In an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman", Rudolph W. Giuliani said he believes America might have gone to war in Iraq even if George W. Bush had not been President.

Mr. Giuliani said that at the time America went to war, there were “a lot of Democrats who supported it” and initially praised the President for his decision.

“It was the policy of the Clinton administration to have a regime change in Iraq, so in a way, George Bush carried out what Bill Clinton wanted to do and didn’t get the opportunity to do. So who knows.”

But Mr. Giuliani did once again say that there were mistakes in the way America conducted the war. He said he would have done things differently:

“I would have used – I would have used an approach that I was familiar with in New York, the Compstat approach – Iraqstat – you know, how many people are working, how many factories are open, how many children are going back to school. As well as reducing the violence, because I think what happened in Iraq is we deposed Saddam. I think the vast majority of people in Iraq were very, very delighted about that – I mean, they got rid of a terrible dictator – but then, after a while, their lives were no better, and in some cases, their lives were worse. So, we had responsibility for that, and I don’t know that we understood that early enough. I think we’ve picked it up now, but I think for the longest time, we didn’t pick that up.”

May 18 - Immigration News

Republicans in the Senate have caved and agreed to a deal on immigration that includes amnesty for illegals.

The Republican talking points say:

The bill will create an Electronic Employment Verification System ("EEVS") so only legal workers can get jobs.

The compromise should have been the implementation of the enforcement provisions first, with the amnesty part coming into play only if the government proved it could stop illegal immigration.

May 17 - The Media Progress

Nine of Barack Obama's web videos now have closed-captioning. Before then, YouTube did not provide any real benefits for the deaf and hard of hearing. Project readOn created a special player to display captions alongside a Web video.

The project will help to caption any video that users submit. After Project readOn made captions for an Obama video requested by one of its members, according to Mr. Gutierrez, the campaign asked to have the captioning widget on all of its videos.

Though Project readOn has captioned videos of interviews with President Bush and former President Bill Clinton, Mr. Gutierrez said, Mr. Obama is the “only” 2008 candidate whose videos its users have requested so far. “I’ll be interested to see how that changes,” he added.

“We noticed that everything is moving to the Internet,” Mr. Gutierrez said. Observing that advocates for the hard-of-hearing usually have to fight and lobby to get access, he sees the user-requested captions as “the perfect way to reverse that process.”

Visit Project readOn's website to see how the site works.

May 16 - Another Iraq Cutoff Plan Rejected

This morning, the Senate voted 67-29 on a procedural motion that effectively rejected the Democrats' latest effort to cut off funding for the Iraq war. It would have cut off funding for the Iraq war by March 31, 2008. No Republicans voted for the proposal, and a number of Democrats voted against it.

The New York Times called the vote a "stinging defeat" for antiwar Democrats that "underscored the divisions among Democrats over how to oppose the administration’s Iraq policy, as well as widespread fear of being seen as undercutting American troops." Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama voted for Feingold's cutoff plan. Their votes are, of course, an accurate barometer of where the Democrats' base is on the war.

May 15 - Iranian Weapons, American Lives

A pajamas Media exclusive vieo and interview about the Iranian weapons flooding Iraq was posted last week.

Visit this link for a full context: "Iranian weapons, American lives."

The video offers startling new evidence of Iran’s involvement in the insurgency. It is the first up-close, online video showing captured Iranian weapons. These particular weapons have not been shown to the public before.

Senior officers also realize that the Democrat-led Congress doesn’t want to hear about Iran’s sinister role in Iraq and that President Bush does not want a confrontation with Iran now. To make the interview even harder to get, Maj. Weber’s specialty, Explosives Ordinance Demolition or EOD, has a culture of not talking to the press. Any EOD officer who does, owes his unit a case of beer for each appearance.

May 14 - The 2008 Outlook

Last week, a few of the candidate's outlooks on abortion and taxes made news.


Rudolph W. Giuliani tried out his new political strategy of confronting head on his departures from the traditional G.O.P. platform. The Republicans are alarmed at the prospect of losing the White House, particularly after Democrats took control of Congress last year, that they will be willing to overlook differences on issues like abortion. The second is that voters often reward politicians for candor and independence though disagreeing with them on issues. Outlook's such as Giuliani's may raise voter appeal.

May 11 - Mitt Romney on Evolution

At the first Republican debate, there was a question of Mitt Romney's stance on evolution. This week he expanded on his belief in an interview. This view could put him in opposition to some conservative Christians. Seeing that Mitt Romney needs the vote of the conservative Christians to win the election, his view is quite controversial.

In the interview Mitt Romney said, “I believe that God designed the universe and created the universe,” “And I believe evolution is most likely the process he used to create the human body.”

He was asked: Is that intelligent design?

“I’m not exactly sure what is meant by intelligent design,” he said. “But I believe God is intelligent and I believe he designed the creation. And I believe he used the process of evolution to create the human body.”

Read More On The Interview Here…

May 10 - Abortion

In recent years, abortion has been an ongoing controversial issue. So far, the partial birth abortion has been banned. ow, those advocating life believe that women who wish to get an abortion must view an ultrasound of their fetus. This is a further attempt to make the mothers feel guilty for aborting their child. In my opinion, I believe that it is the woman's choice if she wished to keep a child. If a woman is not capable of taking of her child it is unfair to put an innocent child in her care.

May 9 - Hate Crimes

The White House is threatening to veto a bill that would add crimes based on sexual orientation or gender to the category of Hate Crimes. It does not make sense why a crime based on a certain characteristic of an individual wouldn't be considered a hate crime. The rights of every citizen should be protected by the law. Those who are advocating against the bill believe that considering these hate crimes, would impose on free speech against homosexuality. In my opinion, this is a very irrational argument taking into consideration the controversial issue homosexuality has come to be.

May 8 - Queen Elizabeth II

Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth the II visited the White House with her husband as guests of honor for a white tie dinner. President George Bush and his wife welcomed the Queen on the lawn in a ceremony in front of thousands of Americans who came early to catch a glimpse of the Queen.

May 7 - Eliminating Poverty

The Washington Post has presented John Edwards' plans to combat poverty. Edwards has made his program to "end poverty in 30 years" in this country his signature domestic issue. The Post story, by Alec MacGillis, provides insight into both Edwards and the issue.

The centerpiece of the Edwards plan is to do away with public housing projects and replace them with one million rental vouchers through which to disperse the poor into better neighborhoods, closer to good schools and jobs. However, as the Post explains, a major federal experiment started during the Clinton administration shows that dispersing poor families in this fashion does not improve earnings or school performance. When this inconvenient truth was brought to Edwards' attention during his November 2005 symposium on poverty, he apparently had no answer.

Visit this link to John Edwards' official site addressing his issue on poverty:

Eliminating Poverty

May 4 - 1st Republican Debate of 2008

The first "debate" of the 2008 campaign on the Republican side took place last night . It was broadcast from the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. The event began at 7:00 central, 8:00 eastern. Covered by MSNBC.

The first Republican presidential debate between a field of 10 presidential hopefuls highlighted a party in flux as it struggles to figure out how to retain the White House for a third consecutive term. While several of the candidates invoked Ronald Reagan, a few tried to distance themselves from President Bush on Iraq.

Read the transcript : transcript

May 3 - Clinton's New Iraq Expiration

Senator Hillary Clinton proposed to Senate today at the that October 11, 2007 be the new "expiration date" for the Iraq war.

“It is time to sunset the authorization for the war in Iraq,” she said. “If the president will not bring himself to accept reality, it is time for Congress to bring reality to him.”

A measure by Mrs. Clinton and Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia would end Congress’s use of force authorization five years to the day after the original use of force legislation took effect in 2002.

“I urge my colleagues to join Senator Byrd and me in supporting this effort to require a new authorization resolution for these new times,” she said.

Text of Senator Clinton’s remarks on the Senate floor.

May 2 - Internet Blog Influence

Never before have individuals specifically in the form of the internet had such and influence on the elections or politics in general. Internet bloggers have to opportunity day to day to express their emotions and exchange ideas with other people.

But contemporary campaigns are courting a broad group of Internet activists. “There’s absolutely no way to keep them all completely on message,” said Ms. Lemieux, “and you wouldn’t really want to because you want them to sort of internalize it and put it in their own words.”

Specifically, Barack Obama has raised the most commotion with his internet pages. Specifically with his unofficial Myspace campaign page. Where advocates of his campaign have created a greater rise in his popularity.


http://myspace.com/barackobama

May 1 - Bush Vetoes Iraq Bill

Today George Bush vetoed the war spending bill which included a timeline for troop withdrawal. The bill was initially passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress last month. He made his decision public and included that he believed the Democrats had approved a plan that set a “rigid and artificial” deadline that “would impose impossible conditions for our commanders and troops in combat.”

“I recognize that many Democrats saw this bill as an opportunity to make a political statement about their opposition to the war,” he said. “They sent their message,” but now, he warned, Congress should begin working on a new bill so that troops can get necessary funds.

Text of President Bush’s Statement

April 30 - Bush's Immigration Concern

President Bush has openly solicited the support of congress in tackling the growing issue of illegal immigrants residing in the United States. It has been evident that the swelling number of illegally residing people in the state has been an issue that has haunted the nation for the past years.

April 27 - Terrorist Recruitment

I saw a video earlier this week about how the terrorists recruit other people to join their groups. The groups use the internet and various chat rooms in order to teach other people and persuade others to join their terrorist groups. They have many different videos and tutorials in order to teach viewers how to be suicide bombers or how to get involved in other terrorist activities.

Many organizations have started to go undercover in order to try and put an end to these websites and terrorist organizations. I think it is scary and even disgusting to see how easy it is for people to get involved in such violent actions. This is similar to the Virginia Tech Massacre, because sites like these have made it acceptable for people to be violent and detrimental to the lives of others.

April 26 - South Carolina Democratic Debates

Tonight, MSNBC and South Carolina State University hosted the first 2008 presidential candidates debate. NBC's Brian Williams was he moderator while Snator Hilary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, former Senator John Edwards, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Joe Biden, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and former Senator Mike Gravel took the stage in order to debate their policies.

There were not real big surprises. Hilary Clinton was well prepared and vocal to answer all the questions. While on the other end, Barack Obama seemed rather hesitant in his commentary.

April 25 - Giuliani's 9/11 talk

On Tuesday night, Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani made comments that if the Democrats come to power, we could risk being vulnerable to another terrorist attack. These comments outraged Democratic candidates Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama who both issued comments criticizing Giuliani.

These comments are rather surprising seeing that the Republican party was in power when the 9/11 terrorist attacks took place. Giuliani claimed that “America will be safer with a Republican president.” We have to realize that whoever wins, America has to take peaceful steps so to release the tension in the Middle East.

April 24 - Congress To Bring The Troops Home

Congress has brought forth the resolution to bring home the troops by October 1st. Their bill creates the time table to bring the troops back from Iraq since this endless war puts Bush's reputation on the line. President Bush has spoken about vetoing congresses actions if the troops have not yet finished what they went to Iraq to achieve. In some opinions, this would actually be a valid action because it could leave some Republicans with an incomplete feeling. This may result in the troops being sent back out in the future. However, since nothing has really been accomplished in the two years that the troops have been stationed in Iraq, Congress' decision has been long awaited. America has already attempted to rebuild Iraq and has done everything they can. But at this point, Iraq's civil wars can not be resolved with U.S. aid. The Iraqi issue is internal and should be resolved within the country.

April 23 - McCain's Reckless Actions

Presidential candidate John McCain's outrageous "song" last Thursday rose some eyebrows. Many came to realize that the United States can not afford to have another reckless president. Only in his campaign, McCain has already made some surprising comments. His campaign has been staggering in recent weeks but McCain says that his critics should "just get a life".

MoveOn.org has released ads about McCain's recklessness. However, this comes expectedly from the most liberal interest group.

April 20 - Is This A Joke?!?!

As an Iranian-American, I was completely shocked to see that John McCain would sing bomb Iran to the tune of the Beach Boys song... I pretty much don't know what to say. Although this was taken as a joke, I was very offended to see such a serious matter taken so lightly. I don't think that a bombing and war is something to be taken as a joke.

April 19 - Bush on Darfur

Yesterday, President George Bush warned the Sudanese President that the United States would increase sanctions if the efforts to bring peace to Sudan did not show effective. Bush continued to assert that the situation in Darfur is classified as a "genocide" which would need to come to an end soon.

"It is evil [what] we're now seeing in Sudan and we're not going to back down," Bush said. "No one can doubt that genocide is the only word for what is happening in Darfur and that we have a moral obligation to stop it."

These responses are a result to American disappointment of Bush for not doing anything sooner to help the situation in Sudan.

April 18 - Candidates on the Abortion Ruling

Today the Supreme Court made the decision to uphold the nationwide ban on the partial-birth abortion. Each of the candidates made statements about the decision. The republican candidate's responses varied greatly between the candidates. McCain and Giuliani's responses vary drastically, as McCain strongly opposes abortion except in rape or incest cases, while Giuliani may disagree but believes it is the woman's decision.

Mr. McCain:

Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children. It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures. As we move forward, it is critically important that our party continues to stand on the side of life.

Mr. Giuliani:

The Supreme Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial birth abortion. I agree with it.

Mr. Romney:

Today, our nation’s highest court reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency. This decision represents a step forward in protecting the weakest and most innocent among us.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat:

This decision marks a dramatic departure from four decades of Supreme Court rulings that upheld a woman’s right to choose and recognized the importance of women’s health. Today’s decision blatantly defies the Court’s recent decision in 2000 striking down a state partial-birth abortion law because of its failure to provide an exception for the health of the mother. As the Supreme Court recognized in Roe v. Wade in 1973, this issue is complex and highly personal; the rights and lives of women must be taken into account. It is precisely this erosion of our constitutional rights that I warned against when I opposed the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.

John Edwards, a Democrat:

I could not disagree more strongly with today’s Supreme Court decision. The ban upheld by the Court is an ill-considered and sweeping prohibition that does not even take account for serious threats to the health of individual women. This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election. Too much is at stake - starting with, as the Court made all too clear today, a woman’s right to choose.

Senator Barack Obama, a Democrat:

I strongly disagree with today’s Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women. As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her dissenting opinion, this ruling signals an alarming willingness on the part of the conservative majority to disregard its prior rulings respecting a woman’s medical concerns and the very personal decisions between a doctor and patient. I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman’s right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women.

April 17 - Events Cancelled in Respect of VT

Yesterday should have been just another Monday where presidential candidates continue to with their campaigns. But it wasn't. The Virginia Tech Massacre led to the cancellation of fund-raisers and various events. Barack Obama, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney were among those who canceled their events. Some candidates helped to organize memorials as well as speaking about necessary gun-control options. Many others have also spoke out about the tragic events.

It makes me think... what has been done since Columbine to prevents massacres like this from happening. What do we need to do in order to educate people so that we do not have to face such devastating events every year.

After such events, there are typically many cases of copy-cats. Just hours after the massacre, numerous confused students ran away with armed with guns. This has scared so many schools and has also resulted in many schools remaining closed due to a fear of other copy-cat killers.

April 16 - Virginia Tech Massacre

Today was just a normal day until you turned on the news or went online to any homepage. Virginia Tech University had "The worst tragedy and shooting in U.S. history". Schools throughout the nation took the time to speak about the devastating event that resulted in the death of 33 individuals. Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean English student was responsible for the shootings. Cho made the effort to send his own image as well as a video to NBC studios today.
All the political candidates have made comments about gun control and the tragedy.

April 13 - Hilary knocks the Bush Administration

Hilary Clinton threw some hits at the Bush administration in New Hampshire today. Mrs. Clinton spoke up about the inefficiency of the government. Although her talks were rhetorical, they were blatantly aimed at the current administration. Clinton went off about various topics which ranged from how the Hurricane Katrina situation was handled, to the controversy over fired U.S. Attorneys, to no-bid contracting in Iraq. She described the administration as "a stunning record of cronysm and corruption, incompetence and deception" that had "shaken the faith of many Americans in our government"

April 12 - McCain on War

Yesterday, presidential candidate John McCain delivered a speech in defense of the war in Iraq. McCain has been struggling to rejuvenate his sinking campaign. He made the statement that the current war is 'necessary and just'. He believed that those in opposition of the war were being reckless and inconsiderate of the reasons we are in war. He consoled the people: "I understand the frustration caused by our mistakes in this war. I sympathize with the fatigue of the American people," he told cadets at the Virginia Military Institute. "But I also know the toll a lost war takes on an army and a country. It is the right road."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/AR2007041100203.html

April 11 - Political Media in 2008

It's amazing the effect websites such as YouTube and MySpace have had on the youth of the country in the first few years of their establishment. Already, MySpace has added pages addressing political candidates as well as political messages to get across. The youth who are on MySpace daily can go online and register to vote on a site to their convenience rather than searching and visiting an unfamiliar site. The political candidates have each made their own site as well in order to educate the public on their positions and to get their message across.

Visit the site to learn more about the registration process as well as the political candidate pages:
http://www.impact.myspace.com
http://www.myspace.com/declareyourself

April 10 - More Troops!!!

It was announced today that the Pentagon will send four National Guard brigades to Iraq as well as extending the time five active-duty Army brigades by as much as four months. Our country is straining to find enough troops to occupy Iraq while this devastating war has affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. During this time Bush has also offered to invite the Democrats to come discuss the standoff over war spending. However the Democrats do not feel there is any use in meetings if no negotiations will be made.

April 9 - Introduction

Hello, my name is Jasmin and the real reason I'm starting this blog is because I am enrolled in a class at the University of California Irvine dealing with blogs and politics in the media. I have never really had a blog before so I really don't know where to begin. I will be blogging daily about interesting political topics within the media so hope you enjoy it!