Get Ready For Election 2008!

It's a shame that voter turnout is so low. Mainly because voting is the best way to voice your opinion, punish leaders who are not doing their jobs, and reward those that are. Apathy helps no one. Stop thinking that politics don't matter. Sure, there needs to be a hell of a lot of reform, but it does still matters. Your vote can send a powerful message to Washington about what you want done in the next four years. So if you're registered to vote, please go vote on November 5th.

If you are not registered to vote, Rock the Vote has a list of registration deadlines for every state. You can also register to vote on this site. It only takes a minute, so fill out the form.

Not sure who to vote for?
Barack Obama - Joe Biden
John McCain - Sarah Palin
Cynthia McKinney - Rosa Clemente
Bob Barr - Wayne Root

A McCain Administration = Secrecy

Republican VP pick Sarah Palin's inability to give interviews and talk to reporters is getting annoying. I also feel it's a good representation of what John McCain's administration, if elected, will look like.

Sarah Palin is being kept out of the spotlight, not to keep her away from the "sexist, angry media" as some have suggested, but because she doesn't know what she's doing. McCain is scared as hell that she will say something that is out of place and extreme, and as a result she will hurt his campaign. Her lack of experience and inability to do the job are the main reasons McCain shouldn't have even bothered, but he feels that Americans will be okay with it since she's a fresh face and *gasp* a woman.

If McCain is keeping Palin out of the spotlight because he's scared she'll fuck up, what does that say about the possible McCain presidency? Does it mean less press conferences and interviews with out president? Less transperancy than what we've had even with Bush? Probably. I want to know what my government is doing, and be aware of what my leaders are thinking.

Sarah Palin Bans Reporters From UN Meeting

John McCain & the Economy

One of my favorite political blogs, Crooks and Liars, has published a fantastic post written by Jon Perr called "McCain's 5 Stages of Grief Over the Economy." Be sure to check it out. Perr makes an especially good point about McCain's distress over the economy being probably the most important issue in this year's election. Watching McCain try to talk about the economy is like watching a dying fish struggling for air. He just can't do it. Repeating over and over that the "fundamentals of our economy are strong" isn't going to go over well with the thousands of Americans who are losing their futures. Then again though, Republicans do have a tendency to try to make things true. Sort of like with the Bush Administration's attempt to convince Americans Iraq and 9/11 are somehow connected. If they say it enough times, it must become true.

As a political science student, almost all of my classes has one point in common: Americans vote with their pockets. Money is the most imporant deciding factor in many American's lives, and if they don't think John McCain understands money (unless you count the houses and cars he and his wife have bought with her fortune), they won't vote for him. Granted, Obama isn't an economist, but he acknowledges that America's economy is in trouble, and something needs to happen to make it right again. He's much less likely than John McCain to just sit on his hand and let another depression settle over the land.

Solar Power Saving Lives?

Apparently, Iraq now has solar street lamps that are resulting in less crime. According to an Iraqi police officer, "Before, we struggled in the darkness. We couldn't see the cars clearly. But now we can do our job normally, and we feel more confident staying out late in the street."

Two aid workers kidnapped

From BBC News:

Two aid workers working for Medecins du Monde in Ethiopia have been abducted from the Ogaden region that borders Somalia, the French aid agency says.

Nothing is known about the aid workers other than that it was a man and a woman who was kidnapped. Aid workers who go to conflict zones to help people are putting their lives in danger, and they know it, but their courage to help people no matter what the conditions are is amazing. I hope these two are released safely and quickly.

Fox Attacks Obama Like Kerry

440,000 Jobs Could Be Created by Solar Energy

A new report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association finds that as many as 440,000 permanent jobs, and 1.2 million jobs altogether, could be created if the solar investment tax credit is extended by Congress.

"By extending the solar investment tax credits, Congress can provide an immediate boost to the floundering U.S. economy by creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and injecting billions of dollars of new investment capital into the economy, while at the same time driving down energy costs for consumers," said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), based in Washington, D.C. "The solar energy industry creates jobs that are the foundation of our economy - jobs for manufacturers, construction workers, engineers, roofers, electricians, and plumbers. These jobs are needed now and Congress is in a position to extend the ITC and ensure that these jobs are created here in the U.S."

The coal industry loves to put forth the idea that by creating clean energy, thousands of people will lose their jobs. Thus, one of the more striking finds from SEIA is this:

This figure [440,000 jobs created] reveals the strength of the solar job creation engine when compared to the current 79,000 direct employees of the coal mining industry and the 136,000 direct employees in oil and gas extraction.

Using job losses as an excuse to continue to use coal and other dirty energy sources is mostly a tactic used by the coal industry reps to convince people that coal is still the best thing we have to power our houses. If America and other nations were to quickly switch to clean, renewable energy such as solar and wind, the only people to suffer would be the coal czars.

Full Report: Solar Energy Industries Association

Trouble the Water

Here's the trailer for a new documentary about hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in New Orleans.



This documentary is sure to create even more discussion of how our government totally dropped the ball.

Trouble the Water

Fear of anti-feminism stopping proper debate?

When John McCain chose Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, he was clearly trying to gain female votes. Which, as I said in an earlier post, it offends me that McCain thinks Clinton's women supported her simply because she was a woman, instead of believing in the issues she stood for.

There's something else that upsets me about Palin. The fact that when a man attacks Palin politically, they're instantly said to be anti-feminist and they're attacking her sex rather than (serious) lack of experience. I think it's great when a woman succeeds to the highest postitions that exist, but that doesn't mean I want that woman in there simply because she's a woman. Feminism is equality, not that notion that women should be treated differently and used as political moves and thrust into top positions because people are scared of seeming unfriendly to women.

Such equality means that Obama/Biden should be able to bring up Palin's lack of experience without being treated unfairly by the media. Of course it goes both ways. Remember that Hilary Clinton was labeled a "bitch" because she is tough and could hold a great debate with Senator Obama. When will we get to the point when we can just let people debate without worrying about sex, race, or any other discriminating factor?