Bush- voted as one of the unpopular presidents

In a remarkable historical coincidence, those same two records that were under assault in 1974 are on the ropes again in 2007. The sports world is already dreading the day Barry Bonds will pass Aaron. But the political world has scarcely noticed another milestone in the making: With 66% disapproval in this week's Gallup Poll, George W. Bush just tied Richard Nixon as the second-most unpopular president ever.
http://www.slate.com/id/2170269/nav/navoa/

For most of this year, Bush has been mired in the low 60s, unable to sustain any negative momentum. His team tried everything – mounting a hopeless surge in Iraq, botching the immigration bill, standing behind an Attorney General any other administration would have left for dead. So much for the electoral college's sane judgment on Bush. Popular vote shoudl directly vote for the president and not allow electoral colleges to choose OUR president.

Executive's Privileges

Something is rotten in the state of congressional challenges to executive privilege. The time it takes to move a challenge through the federal courts makes any potential congressional victory either stale or irrelevant. By forcing a lawsuit, the president wins politically whether or not he wins legally. If they become available only after President Bush leaves office, testimony or documents from the likes of Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and Sara Taylor would be politically worthless. That explains why Congress has pursued only one reported suit in its history: the 1974 case Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities v. Nixon, (which in the end proved superfluous because another congressional committee had already obtained the sought-after tape).
http://www.slate.com/id/2170479/fr/flyout

I think the executive branch should have more power or at least maintain the power they have right now. The executive branch can not possibly dictate the country because of check and balances. The system checks and balances each branches' powers.

McCain Criticizes Romney's Abortion Record

John McCain criticizes rival Romney's Abortion Record by releasing a video of Romney as a defendant of abortion-right laws. Now, the video shows that Romney flip-flops and not only emphasizes his personal opposition to abortion rights, but he also calls for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationally. This causes trouble for Romney because he is now seen as a flip-flopper and will have to re-establish himself on a definite side before he does anything else.

This shows how media can affect a publics opinion quite drastically. After McCain released the video, millions of people viewed it and probably have a worse view of Romney than before. McCain used the media as a weapon to bash his opponent to gain the upper hand. This isn't a race about who is the better candidate, but rather picking the lesser evil.

Edwards Pitches Health Care Plan

John Edwards proposes a plan to cut health costs by requiring companies to spend 85% of their premium to patient care. He wants to stop long-term patents of certain drugs for other to develop the drug and drive prices down using generic brands of medicine. He is a strong advocate of health care reform.

I think this is an excellent idea, because health costs right now are unbelievable. The health industry spends almost no money on patient care and monopolizes products with patents that could easily be made by other companies. They want the patent because it gives them the ability to hike up prices and rake in the dough. We should reform our system.

Sen. Joe Biden Expresses Regret Over Barack Obama Comments

Senator Joe Biden regrets the comments that he directed to Obama. He said before that Obama is "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean." This is very offensive, because they were African- Americans that ran before Obama and obviously people will infer that he doesn't think those candidates were as qualified as Obama. Senator Joe Biden also critizes canidates who refuse to cut the money that is paying for troops in Iraq.


I think Senator Joe Biden only apologized for his remark to Obama, because he needs the approval of the people if he is to get elected. People will not vote for an individual who seems to be racist in any way. He is also bashing his opponents saying that they should cut the money given to troops, because the boys should come home.

Obama Gets Strong Backing From NAACP Delegates

On July 13, 2007 Sen. Barkack Obama got a loudest cheers out of the his Democratic rivels from the NAACP. All 8 Democrats attended the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 98th annual convention. Each Democrat came up to the stage and talk about their point-of-veiw on civil rights and what should be done about them. Hoping to be the first black president, Mr. Obama, received the strongest and most cheers from the 3,000 prople that had attends. He state, "I know what you know, which is that despite all the progress that has been made we still have more work to do," meaning that he is willing to help the blacks all through the United States with their needs and rights. Speeches were not the only thing that the Democrats presented. They were so asked questions about their point-of-veiw on issues like health care, gun violence, and voting rights. Each Demcorat has their own thought on who will vote for them. Mrs. Clinton is hoping that her husband's former supportes will support her as well. Mr. Edwards has support behind him with his thoughts on anti-poverty. The black voters are the core source of votes for the Democrats, so getting their votes in this election is huge.

I my opinion I believe that this election will be quite interesting for the Democratic side. Almost all 8 Democrats are qualified for the position of the president of the United States.

F.Y.I. — Harry Reid’s Vote

Summary- Many people are wondering why the senate majority leader Harry Reid cast his vote over the withdrawal of troops from Iraq with the minority Republicans. under the Senate Rules though it is sad that he had to vote this way in order to debate the topic at another time. Reid voted with the demarcates but then later decided switch his vote at the end



Opinion-I believe that this is crap. there should be no rule that makes a member of the senate vote a certain way it is just bogus to me.

McCain Meets Allies on the Hill

Summary- John McCain one of the Senators from Arizona Seems to be running out of money and out of campaign staff but one group of supporters still are there for him, his fellow senators. He had a meeting with his fellow colleges to assure then that he was still going to stay in the race for the presidency.

Feedback- To me i am not a republican but it is always nice to see people come together for a cause as much as i don't want McCain to win this years election I wish him the best of luck in his future as a Senator

Clintons Still Loyal To Eachother

Hilary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton have been seen together appearing as a happy couple. Through out all of Bill Clinton's scandals including his impeachment and affair with Monica Lewinski, Hilary has decided not split up with him. Don Peterson said, "It's phony. They're both good actors."

I agree with Don Peterson. Hilary Clinton's only reason for not divorcing her husband was for her political career. She knew that Bill's popularity would play into her favor when she decided to run for president and that is why she has stayed together with him.

Teens Hold Meeting about Gangs

A gathering of about 80 teens took place at La Pintoresca Library on Thursday to learn about gang violence and collaborate on peace making plans. The participants believed that the meeting was successful in discouraging everyone in attendance from becoming involved with gangs. According to police reports there were 24 attempted murders and 8 deaths attributed to gangs since August 2006.

This is a good plan with all of the gang violence taking place. If this can decrease the participation in gangs than it is a success.

2 Schools Forced to Share Campus

Nia Charter School and Rhythms of of the Village charter school are going to be sharing the campus of Edison Elementary School. Both schools opposed the proposition but the Pasadena Unified School District has decided against them. The plan is controversial because they are combining a Pasadena school and an Altadena School on a single campus. Rhythms officials requested space at Linda Vista Elementary School but the neighborhood refused do to problems with the structures as well as Blair where the Blair community also protested.

I think that the school district's decision is a bad one because both Altadena and Pasadena have their own gangs and that means that there is likely to be violence between the two. The students are also likely to be unhappy with moving to a new campus after all of this and share it with another school.

Pasadena asks: Is Racial Profiling Fair?

Racial Profiling is the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime. In Pasadena racial profiling was the topic at debate Tuesday night at the community forum. Police feel that racial profiling is appropriate to prevent gang crimes. However, memebers of the community testify about instances where they have been stopped even though they don’t belong to a gang. This is because of the way they appear. Polce and officals made it clear that the color of clothing one wears is a flash point in street gang life. Red represents the bloods and blue crips.

I feel horrible for the man who has been stopped by the police more than 30 times because he is African American and wears a birght red t shirt. In Pasaden, police have the right to racial profile to protect the community, but only under any suspicion. A person should not be stopped on the street for wearing a red t shirt unless they commit a crime. I understand that the police want to prevent crimes ahead of time, but this is unfair to many individuals. The discussion of racial profiling is very controversial and goes even bigger than Pasadena. Poloce should learn alternative ways to spot gang individuals; like recognizing specific tattoos.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_6345553

Sierra Madre Police Ask for a Raise

In Sierra Madre, California the police officers’ union is asking voters to give officers a increase in pay. The Sierra Madre Police Officers Association has compiled 1,7167 signatures qualifying them for the ballot in November. The initiative is called “Prioritizing Public Safety” and it would increase the police pay by 20 percent. In the surrounding departments, Sierra Madre is paid the least coming after South Pasadena police.

I feel that the police should be paid more. They work long hours to protect the residents of their city. It’s very smart of them to have a petition signed. I think South Pasadena police should do the same because out city would support the raise.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_6398625

Which Way L.A?

Warren Olney, a former local television newsman, with high interests in politics, and a man with a mind full of specific opinions and views, and a desire to spill what's been kept in his head for so long, "bolted across the threshold of public radio" and established himself as a talk host on KCRW-FM (89.9). There he created a show called "Which way, L.A?" where it responded to the historic civil unrest of the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots. Olney began to interrogate people who were rarely heard of on the radio and began discussions on the air between the warring tribes in our midst. By the time the urgency sparked by the riots had ebbed, "Which Way, L.A.?" had become an institution, looking beyond the crisis in South Central to "the issues Southern Californians care about," as its on-air signature proclaimed. Olney states, "The way I see my role is I don't take sides because I want everyone to be comfortable and be able to express their views. There are times when someone comes in and says the Earth is flat, and I have to say, no, it's not. But if the subject is controversial, then by definition what we need to know is the richness of the argument, and let people decide for themselves." With many guests speaking to the host by phone about national topics, the show is broadcast live to the East Coast at 11 a.m. and replayed an hour later in Los Angeles.


I think this is a really good addition to the variety of radio shows that are aired. I think it is a great way for people to express their opinions and ask questions about a certain issue that they might be confused about. The show has been airing for fifteen years, and it has been proven that it has been quite successful. I hope the show continues to become a success because a radio show talking about historical and national issues such as the L.A Riots, probably appeals more to the youth than reading it in textbooks, and most probably allows them to get involved and participate with the debates more.

Bush the albatross

That would be President Bush, whose approval rating scraped new lows last week. Bush won't be on the ballot in 2008, of course, but throughout American history, outgoing presidents have cast a long shadow over the campaign to succeed them. And when a departing president has been as unpopular as Bush is now, his party has usually lost the White House in the next election.
It's true that Republicans in 2008 should perform slightly better among voters who disapprove of the president than George H.W. Bush and Gore did, because their nominee, unlike those men, won't be the retiring president's vice president. But another pattern underscores how hard the challenge will remain: On average, 80% of voters who disapproved of a president's performance have voted against his party's candidates even in House races since 1986, according to the respected University of Michigan post-election polls. When a president takes on water, in other words, everyone in his party flounders.
One senior GOP strategist says Bush could most help the party by redirecting the American mission in Iraq away from front-line combat operations toward training and counter-terrorism. But even if Bush dropped his opposition to that idea, such a change might be too little, too late to rebuild his public standing. Whatever Bush does in Iraq, Republicans next year will probably need to paddle away from him much more energetically than they have so far. It also means that no matter how hard they swim, they could still be swamped if Bush can't stabilize his sinking ship.
Bush dug a deep hole for the Republicans, and to not hurt his party's chances during the campaign he would need to stop digging. Hence, he would need to play it smart with the situation in Iraq. If he fails so does his party.

Toy Guns Banned in Azusa

In Azusa, California on Monday the City Council introduced a new law that banned the sale of imitation guns to children. The ordinance was unanimously approved by council members. However, it will not be in effect until revisions are approved at the next meeting. City officials are scared that an incident at Powell Elementary School could happen again. At Powell three kids carried toy guns that looked very similar to authentic firearms. A concerned janitor warned police leading to the boys a gun point. This misunderstanding and possible danger made the minds up for the council members.

I feel that the law is going over board. The incident that occurred at the elementary school was unfortunate, but the janitor could have taken it up with the principal first. Having play guns is a part of being a kid. The school should be the one to enforce that they are not brought to school. Even when the law is in full force, business owners will probably continue to sell toy guns.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_6398639

Senator Rodney Tom Enters Congressional Race

During the campaign kick off, held on Tuesday, July 17, 2007, Democratic State Senator Rodney Tom has become the 8th District's next congressman to enter the Congressional race. Tom, a former Republican from Bellevue who switched parties in 2006, tried to make clear contrasts between himself and Democrat Darcy Burner, who declared her candidacy in March. Tom states that the difference between himself and Burner is that he "forces Representatives to run on issues." Tom also states that he "takes experience off the table, has local roots, unlike Burner who grew up in Nebraska and moved to the district a few years ago." But the most important difference between the two, that Tom makes clear of, is that "Burner has lack of experience."

From this article, it just sounds to me that Tom is just bashing out Burner, which doesn't seem highly professional or sound like someone I would trust to elect during the Congressional Race. Another source also states, at the end of the article that "Tom is not a guy who's that serious. He has not had major accomplishments." If this is true, then I don't know why Tom is focusing on making Burner look bad, when he hasn't really accomplished anything either.

Latin America is home to some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. While only three countries—Chile, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic—provide no exceptions or extenuating circumstances for the criminal sanctions on abortion, in most countries and jurisdictions, exceptions are provided only when necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life and in certain other narrowly defined circumstances. Even where abortion is not punished by law, women often have severely limited access because of lack of proper regulation and political will.
Advancing access to safe and legal abortion can save women’s lives and facilitate women’s equality. Women’s decisions about abortion are not just about their bodies in the abstract, but rather about their human rights relating to personhood, dignity, and privacy more broadly. Continuing barriers to such decisions in Latin America interfere with women’s enjoyment of their rights, and fuel clandestine and unsafe practices, a major cause of maternal mortality in much of the region.
Latin American women’s organizations have fought for the right to safe and legal abortion for decades. Increasingly, international human rights law supports their claims. In fact, international human rights legal instruments and interpretations of those instruments by authoritative U.N. expert bodies compel the conclusion that access to safe and legal abortion services is integral to the fulfillment of women’s human rights generally, including their reproductive rights and rights relating to their full and equal personhood.
This paper offers (1) a brief overview of the status of abortion legislation in Latin America and (2) an in-depth analysis of international human rights law in this area. In addition to citing international treaty texts, it draws heavily from the work of United Nations treaty monitoring bodies.1 Human Rights Watch hopes that this distillation of international law will support the efforts of women’s rights activists in Latin America




this sux women should be able to make their own decision on what to do with their child

A GOP comeback strategy

But there is one big question that has hardly been asked at all, mostly because it threatens to upset the narrative of the best election in decades: Do Republicans have any chance whatsoever of winning the White House in 2008? Given the extraordinary unpopularity of the Bush administration, isn't the Democratic candidate, whoever he or she ultimately is, going to be a shoo-in?
The simple answer is that it doesn't look good for the Republicans. A GOP victory is not absolutely out of the question, of course, but getting there would take a forward-looking agenda, unparalleled message discipline, a strict focus on the millions of independent voters, an innovative candidate and campaign and a lot of luck.
The success of the Republican Party since 1980 was to eschew definition or brand. Whatever hopes, dreams and aspirations people saw in themselves were seen in the Republican Party. That's all gone now. The Democrats didn't win in 2006. The GOP lost. And for the party to keep the White House in 2008, it will require a Herculean effort.
That's horrible. The media has no hope for the Republican party at all. Because of the idea that history repeats itself, it will only make us want to make that come true. The Republicans just need to win Ohio to make sure they still have a chance in the campaign. Good luck to them.

convicts cant vote

felony convictions on their records.Fourteen states, including Massachusetts, do not allow felons to vote, but do reinstate voting rights immediately after their release from prison. Eight states permanently disenfranchise felons depending on the type of felony conviction. In four states — Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia and Florida — people with any felony conviction are barred for life from the polls, unless the government grants them individual rights through a petition process. Robinson had the unfortunate luck to commit his crime of conspiracy to distribute in Alabama, thus giving up his right to vote forever. These laws disproportionately affect black and Latino men, as they are incarcerated on felony charges at much higher rates that whites. Nationally, 13 percent of black men are unable to vote and 36 percent of the disenfranchised are black — as opposed to 6 percent being white. “These laws are definitely racial in nature,” says Mervyn Marcano of Right to Vote, an organization working to enfranchise people with felonies on their records. “Certain states — such as Florida and Alabama — enacted these laws after poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses were deemed unconstitutional, as a means of keeping African Americans from voting.”African Americans constitute 5 percent of the Massachusetts population, yet represent 29 percent of those who are disenfranchised. Prior to 2000, felons in Massachusetts were able to vote, though they did not vote in large numbers. According to Peter Wagner of the Prison Policy Initiative, a New England-based nonprofit working to re-enfranchise felons, it was the threat of prisoners organizing that catalyzed the issue of voting rights for felons and led policymakers to push to deny them the right to vote. “A small group of lifetime prisoners were organizing a voting bloc against then acting governor Paul Celluci. They raised $327, and all of a sudden they were punished and their rights were taken away with almost no debate,” Wagner explains. The amendment was introduced, voted on and passed during the Nov. 2000 election.Countries such as Israel, Japan, Kenya, Poland and Peru allow and often encourage prisoners to vote. Vermont and Maine are the only two states that allow prisoners to maintain their right to vote. Iowa was one of those states that permanently disenfranchised felons, until last July, when Gov. Tom Vilsack signed an executive order extending the right to vote to those who had completed their sentences. “It’s the right thing to do. Research indicates that when people are successfully reintegrated into society after they’ve paid their debt to society, they are less likely to re-offend,” a spokesman for Vilsack told the Des Moines Register after the decision. But opponents argue that the 14th Amendment allows for states to deny the vote to people “for participation in rebellion or other crime.” Many say that reinstating the vote, particularly to those still behind bars, sends the wrong message about what it means to be a responsible citizen and jeopardizes the necessity for society to protect itself from criminals. Advocates disagree. “The wrong message is that we think we can have a democracy which doesn’t include the voices of all of its citizens,” says Marcano. “A democracy should represent everyone.” In Florida alone, 7 percent of the total population is permanently disenfranchised, with almost 257,000 of those being African American. A number of voters, says Wagner, that could have easily swayed the controversial presidential election in 2000. According to a study conducted by University of Minnesota sociology professor Christopher Uggen and Jeff Manza of Northwestern University, had even a small percentage of Florida’s overwhelmingly Democrat-leaning ex-felons voted, Bush would have been defeated by up to 80,000 votes.“Many people who oppose felons regaining the right to vote say ‘we don’t want prisoners to decide our laws and affect our communities,’” Wagner explains. “But what they are really saying is ‘you made a mistake and we do not want to consider you a part of society anymore.’” Others opposed to extending the right to vote fear that felons and ex-felons will create a voting bloc that will be soft on crime.“That argument is silly for a variety of reasons, as only 5-10 percent of felons were voting, and many of them support anti-crime laws,” says Wagner. “Besides that, laws need to be proposed by legislators before they can even be voted on.”Currently organizations such as Right to Vote, Prison Policy Initiative and the Sentencing Project are working to extend the right to vote through educational forums, lobbying and litigation. In Massachusetts, the lawsuit Simmons v. Calvin is challenging the constitutionality of denying felons the right to vote, working its way through the courts. Several pending cases in Florida and Alabama are challenging the disenfranchisement of ex-felons as well. For many ex-felons, voting represents one step in the transition from inmate to a functioning member of society. “Ex-felons still have to pay taxes, therefore, they should be able to vote,” says Marcano. “For the previously incarcerated, it is about making the walk back into society. I believe people with felony convictions are as capable as anyone else; we are not ‘damaged goods,’ but rather badly needed voices in a society where few people think twice about how the criminal justice system works — or doesn’t work,” says Robinson.


i dont think convicts should be able to vote they lost that oppurtunity.