News Dumpage!

So, Kyle is finally done with school, so after a month of no blogging, Kyle is back. Not in black, however, as I am shirtless at the moment. Let that image sink in. As Kavi would say..."ooh..kinky!"

Anywho, so what has happened politically in the last month? A whole frickin' ton of poo has happened, that's what.

Cuba has come an inch closer to being with the rest of the world, as North Korea has taken a plunge in the opposite direction. The list of those pissed at North Korea includes: South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, the USA, the EU, the UN, Chuck Norris, and the rest of the world. Somewhere Kim Jung Il is laughing to himself because he doesn't have any friends.

Obama gave another big speech. He seems to do that a lot. The one I am talking about was on new Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor...or was it on his new health care plan? Oh no, this one was on Israel and the Middle East. He had some stern words for Israel.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

Oh wait, I think I got Obama confused with Samuel L. Jackson again. He actually said something about Israel needing to stop putting settlements in the West Bank. Benjamin Netanyahu just said he was okay with that, but Netanyahu is kind of a hard-ass, so don't get too excited. I need to see the goods first before I'm sold.


In other news, Sarah Palin is in a vicious verbal brawl with comedian David Letterman. While I don't think Letterman's jokes were very funny, Palin is trying to play the victim at a point when nobody cares. Here is a little taste of the fight:

She also said Letterman’s joke that she looked like a “slutty flight attendant” as “pretty pathetic”. Letterman in the above response said he thought the flight attendant joke was actually pretty good.

I promise this is the first of many new posts to come. Have a great day!

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Important News Dump

News Dump # 2

Gay marriage is now legal in four U.S. states

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage Friday in a unanimous and emphatic decision that makes Iowa the third state — and first in the nation's heartland — to allow same-sex couples to wed.

I remembered reading about this last November and thinking that late March/early April would never come. However, I forgot all about it until the ruling came.

Then, yesterday, a fourth state legalized gay marriage.

MONTPELIER, Vt.—Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage.

The state legislature voted Tuesday to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill allowing gays and lesbians to marry. The vote was 23-5 to override in the state Senate and 100-49 to override in the House. Under Vermont law, two-thirds of each chamber had to vote for override.

The vote came nine years after Vermont adopted its first-in-the-nation civil unions law.

It's now the fourth state to permit same-sex marriage. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa are the others.

This has been a very good three weeks for supporters of gay marriage. Whose next?


UPDATE: Surprise! Some conservatives are angry!


Iran reform candidate says open to US negotiations

What better to follow up news about gay marriage with news about Iran, which, according to Ahamdinejad, doesn't have any homosexuals...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The leading reformist candidate in upcoming Iranian presidential elections says if elected, he would negotiate with the U.S but not over Iran's nuclear activities.

Mir Hossein Mousavi said at a news conference Monday that he would talk with the United States, if Iran is "not required to pay a heavy cost," such as giving up its nuclear program.

Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian use only.

The U.S. and its allies charge Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.

Mousavi also condemned the killing of Jews in the Holocaust, a much different stance than current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who in 2005 called the Holocaust a myth.

Mousavi is seen by many as the candidate with the best chance of defeating Ahmadinejad.

I think Ahmadinejad has a good chance of being defeated, and Mousavi would appear to be an improvement over Ahmadinejad. It is refreshing that he is willing to sit down, although who knows what that will lead to. It is very good, however, that he condemns the Holocaust. I commented once that the shortest class ever would be The History of the Holocaust taught by Ahmadinejad. I don't think Admadinejad actually believes it didn't occur, but instead denies it occurs because he doesn't want to give legitimacy to Israel. I'm scared of an eventual Iran/Israel showdown, so this would be a nice development.

UPDATE: Ahmadinejad cautiously agreed to meet with the U.S., and now the U.S. will join the United Nations security council in talking to Iran about nukes.


Obama: Turkey, US can be model for East-West ties

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. and Turkey can be a model for bridging the East-West divide.

During a news conference in Ankara with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Obama said Monday the most promise in building stronger ties between the U.S. and Turkey lies in being able to create a modern, international community that is respectful, secure and prosperous.

He says the Muslim and Christian countries have a strong foundation to build on, because they both believe in religious freedom.

Obama said the U.S. doesn't identify with a single religion, instead considering itself a nation bound by a set of ideals and values. And, he says, Turkey holds similar principals.

And following the strain of the Iraq war, Obama says he hopes to bolster relations with Turkey.

also...

(Obama) Stands by his 2008 claim that Ottoman Turks carried out Armenian killings early in the 20th century, without saying the word "genocide."

Says at Monday presser with Turkish President Gul: "Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views."

Gul responds by saying historians, not politicians, should decide how to label what happened nearly a century ago.

also...

Obama supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

I feel this trip to Turkey was pretty important. Obama extended a huge olive branch to Turkey, so it will be interesting to see how relations between the two countries develop.


New Mexico Bans Capital Punishment

New Mexico became the newest state to outlaw the death penalty when Richardson signed a bill into law.

"Regardless of my personal opinion about the death penalty, I do not have confidence in the criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime," Richardson said in a statement Wednesday.

He noted that more than 130 death row inmates have been exonerated in the past 10 years, including four in New Mexico.

"Faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe," he said.

The death penalty is a tricky issue. Personally, I don't think I'm against the death penalty for those who commit heinous crimes, but I am scared of putting people to death who don't deserve it. I think New Mexico and Gov. Bill Richardson did the right thing.


I spy a Putin

A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.

The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders - US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - in Moscow.

But, according to the man who took the photo, it also captures Mr Putin disguised as a tourist.

The photo was taken by Pete Souza, who worked for Reagan and is currently Obama's official photographer.

In an interview, Mr Souza recounted being surprised at the "pointed" questions these supposed tourists asked the US leader.

They included searching enquiries on the state of human rights in the US.

Cool story.


North Korea Launches Rockets

North Korea launched rockets into the Pacific Ocean, which violated a good number of agreements. Obama is peeved. Asia is scared. The U.N. doesn't know what to do. And this man is probably going to be even more ronery.



Arggghhhh....Somali Pirates hijack American ship

Remember when Somali Pirates took over the Ukrainian arms ship? Well, they took over an American ship now. They held the crew hostage, but now the crew has been released and the crew has retaken control of the ship. However, the pirates, who left on a lifeboat, apparently have the captain hostage. Maybe I should liveblog it?


Have a good day!

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Political News Dump

This post is exactly what the title says it is - a place where I dump a ton of different news stories and write briefly about each one.

Report: Obama Continues Strikes Inside Pakistan

Front-page NY Times: The president has expanded its covert war attacking a militant network seeking to topple the Pakistani government. There's been two missile strikes within the country over the past week.

Obama is using the CIA for this, and I feel it is important for everyone to know about it. Click here for the full story.

Ayers: Obama Presidency Could "Burn Up in the Furnace of War"

The former Weather Underground member and Obama acquaintance tells Fox News sending more troops to Afghanistan is a “colossal mistake.”

“I fear that this brilliant young man, this hopeful new administration, could easily burn their prospect of a great presidency in the war in Afghanistan or elsewhere.”

Full interview to air Monday at 9 pm ET on “Hannity.”

I found it interesting that Ayers is appearing on Fox News for two reasons: (1) I didn't think he would want to be on Fox and (2) I didn't think Fox would want him on. As for what he said, I think he has a good point.

Clooney, Biden to Discuss Darfur

The two will meet in Washington Monday evening to discuss the conflict and the actor's recent travels in the region.

I am happy that the administration is looking into the situation.


Holder Headed to Gitmo

Obama's AG will visit the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay Monday as the administration weighs what's needed to shut it down.

Please, please shut this place down. However, it is important that we don't put so much focus on Gitmo that we forget about other similar camps, like one being currently built in Afghanistan.

Rice to Ink Trio of Memoirs

The former Secretary of State signs a three-book deal with Crown Publishers reportedly worth at least $2.5 million. The first book is planned for 2011, will focus on years in White House.

I won't read them.

Debate Begins on D.C. Representation

Senators start debate Monday on a bill that would give the 600,000 residents of Washington, D.C., their own voting member of the House.

Adding a Democrat would be offset by giving red Utah another seat, bringing the House to 437 members.

I hadn't heard anything about this, so it surprised me. I've always felt that D.C. should have representation, although I find the Utah part of the proposal odd. I understand that there should be an odd number in the House, but why Utah now? I think this should wait until congressional redistricting in 2010, in which case the new seat would go wherever it was needed most.

Bunning Apologizes for Ginsburg Remark

Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning (Republican) has apologized after making some pretty awful comments.

U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning predicted over the weekend that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would likely be dead from pancreatic cancer within nine months.

During a wide-ranging 30-minute speech on Saturday at the Hardin County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner, Bunning said he supports conservative judges "and that's going to be in place very shortly because Ruth Bader Ginsburg ... has cancer."

"Bad cancer. The kind that you don't get better from," he told a crowd of about 100 at the old State Theater.

There may be a reason why nobody likes him and he is likely to lose re-election if he makes it out of the Republican primary. Meanwhile, Ginsburg is now back on the bench.

Bobby Jindal's Big Moment

Politico: When the Louisiana Governor delivers the GOP response to the president's message to Congress, most Americans will see him for the first time.

A lot of people like Jindal and compare him to Obama. I think they do this because he is a minority and is young. I really don't think Jindal is anywhere near the skilled politican Obama is.

GOP Governors Split on Stimulus

A rift among Republicans over the spending plan goes on full display on Sunday's TV shows. Schwarzenegger: "I think it's terrific and will help us." Crist: “It’s a matter of helping the people." vs. Sanford: "We're digging yet another hole for ourselves." Jindal: "We should be unafraid to stand up on principle...." NY Times: Debate "will go a long way toward shaping how the national party redefines itself...."

Schwarzenegger (CA) and Crist (FL) represent a more moderate wing of the party. Jindal (LA) and Sanford (SC) represent the stubborn right wing of the party. Whether they like it or not, the stimulus money will help their constituents a lot. I don't think the citizens will appreciate this very much. Meanwhile:

Empire State Senators (Schumer and Gillibrand) call on Obama to give their state the stimulus money that several GOP governors say they don't want.

“If any governor -- Democrat or Republican -- leaves stimulus money on the table, then we respectfully request that funds be distributed to New York.”

Schwarzenegger made a very similar comment. If you don't want it, please, let us take it off your hands.

Schwarzenegger Heads Back to the Big Screen

The California governor will make a cameo in the upcoming Sylvester Stallone film "The Expendables." Will be his fourth movie appearance since being elected.

Cool.

Sebelius: No Talks on HHS

The Kansas governor says she hasn't had any talks with Obama on taking over the Department of Health and Human Services. "There really isn't anything to tell. I haven't had any meetings about the position."

Believe her if you will.

Rulings Diminish Coleman's Chances

A series of court rulings have dealt the Republican long odds for overturning Franken's lead. And/But: He could still be laying the ground for another appeal.

I've been reading about Coleman suffering setbacks for over three months now. This is ridiculous, as is this:

RNC Gives $250,000 to Coleman Recount

FEC reports show the party has invested a quarter of a million dollars in the fight over Minnesota's contested Senate seat. The funds were given to the Republican Party of Minnesota on Jan. 26.

It must be so frustrating to live in Minnesota.

Citigroup Possibly Headed For Nationalization

WSJ: Citigroup is in talks with federal officials that could result in the government substantially expanding its ownership of the bank.

Meanwhile: NYT reports Obama aides will begin taking a hard look at the financial condition of the country’s 20 biggest banks this week.

Plus: Federal regulators deny plans to nationalize any bank but announce they will launch an effort to get more money to banks on Wednesday.

Citigroup is dead. My guess is that the federal government is going to have to nationalize some banks, turn them around, and try to privatize them again as quickly as possible.

Alright, that was a massive dumpage. My apologies. Have a nice day.

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