Random Political News Bulletin #1

[emmagrant01]

I'm going to try to post this sort of news as I get it, as an FYI. These bulletins will consist of political news and essays that catch my eye, and that's all. I know most of the people on my f-list are socially liberal, in the sense that they support the right of a person to marry whomever they want regardless of gender, don't support the war in Iraq or the US goverment's grab for civil liberties in the name of "homeland security", have issues with both American presidential candidates to the point of feeling they have to choose the lesser of two "evils", support reproductive rights, and so on.

Those who don't agree with any of those can feel free to ignore these posts. If you feel so strongly that you decide to unfriend me, I won't complain. I won't unfriend you in return, because I don't unfriend people just because I don't agree with them. :-)

Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment Saturday banning same-sex marriages and civil unions.

The Bush administration's elevation of force as a principle above all else has driven up the levels of terrorism, of violence, and of danger to our long-term survival. (Noam Chomsky)

Senators urge Bush to rethink Iraq, but he's not listening.

It's not just the TV ads that contain bum information. Both Bush and Kerry pepper their "stump speeches" with dubious factual claims.

Comments

[sorion.livejournal.com]

Usually I am liberal... I'm afraid the republicans is where that ends, though.

And "dubious factual claims" are nothing unusual before elections... >_<
We'll only know what we get after.

[cenas-plots.livejournal.com]

I'm actually quite upset about Louisiana banning gay marriage.
I'm a citizen and registered, but I haven't received my voting card to actually vote.
Another thing that's upsetting is that only a small percent of the registered voters actually went out and voted on the amendment.

But I'm just going to leave it because it brings no good to sit here and complain when I wasn't actually able to sway the decision.

<333

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I know it's too late now, but for future reference, when you register to vote, you're supposed to get a receipt that proves you've registered. that receipt can be taken to the voting place, and they can't turn you away. I'm a voter registar, actually, and that's a fairly common rule in most states, as far as I know. I'd suggest calling your local election authority and asking them what you can do to make sure you won't miss your next opportunity to vote.

[cenas-plots.livejournal.com]

I think the reason I didn't get anything after registering is because I did it through the RockTheVote website and sent it through the mail.

But I'm going to make sure I get my card before any other elections here.
Thanks for the information!

<333

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

thanks for the chomsky link, must go and check it out despite lack of time. the other day i heard that he said the death tolls in bosnia-herzegovina had been much much lower than said, but i know many people from there and wonder if he finally has made a mistake ...

[conversant.livejournal.com]

"Senators urge Bush to rethink Iraq, but he's not listening."

That's a whole pile of very senior *Republican* senators, and they're all saying Bush has mishandled the war, the "peace," the appropriated funds, and that he has not been straightforward with either the Congress or the public.

When Luger, McCain, and Chuck Hagel (who is not only a Republican, but co-chairs Bush's campain in Nebraska) join Joe Biden to criticize the President's incompetence in handling this war, you know (a) that there's dissension in the ranks on the Republican team, and (b) that Bush has really, really fucked up -- and you have to wonder whether these accusations/admissions are really a bunch of Republicans breaking ranks or whether this is round one of a two part information dump in which we are being innoculated against feeling surprise/shock/outrage at whatever the more damaging information is going to be.

(On the other hand, I've felt sure that McCain was about to blow at any minute: he has to have been absolutely gagging at the campaign duties he's been asked to perform. I would love to know what the backroom conversations sounded like when the President's team strong-armed McCain into stumping for GWB. I imagine it would be a very similar scene if, in the summer after his fifth year, you got something so damning to hold over Draco Malfoy that you were able to force him to make a bunch of public speeches rebutting the Daily Prophet's smear-Potter campaign.)

[hearts-n-roses.livejournal.com]

I am so glad to see so many people on my friends list posting about political issues lately. I know it's not everyone's thing, but getting the issues out there, and having healthy discussions about them is important I think.

Thanks for giving me some more food for thought.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Louisiana voters are nincompoops, but so is (at the very least) Chomsky. As for the usual suspects Lugar and Hagel, they are regularly trotted out to use as the Republican Zell Miller mirrors - vastly irrelevant to the debate within the Rpublican Party, just as Miller is largely irrelevant to today's Democratic Party.

[vichan.livejournal.com]

I don't unfriend people just because I don't agree with them. :-)

And that's the attitude we all need to have. *grin*