Here's something interesting on the story our John McCain speaker shared with the class today.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/24/mccain.sticker/index.html

I like how the B on her face is backwards... probably because she did it while looking in a mirror. WINNER.

One of the most influential aspects of politics has yet to come to attention in this year's election: music.

From the protest songs of Vietnam to the anarcho pop-punk of today, music has been at the forefront of nearly every political scandal and event.

One of the most infamous recent political protest songs comes from Bright Eye's frontman Connor Oberst, who shocked many when he performed this song on the Late Show with Jay Leno in May of 2005:



I was recently given the opportunity to shoot for Against Me! and Ted Leo, both of whom are very active in voicing their political opinions. Seeing the sentiment that the crowd had when both acts referred to politics was intense (and it is actually kind of scary to stand in front of over 1,000 kids screaming "Fuck the Man"). Nonetheless, I think that music is a vital source of getting kids involved in the political scene. I remember being 13 and seeing Green Day, and at every entrance, there was a table of people registering voters.

Mr. Chesler often mentions that the people that vote the least are the youth, but I think with the activism taking place in music today, that may eventually become untrue.



"But after listening all morning, as I drove down 95
To a story of detainees who were barely kept alive
I could deal with trying to process pigeons acting like they're doves
But not with interference from the power lines above"
- Counting Down the Hours, Ted Leo

"Regime change under a Bush doctrine of democratic installations.
Constant war for constant soldiers.
What are we gonna do now?
De-escalation, through military force.
Increase the pressure, Oh Condoleeza
What should we do about the situation in Iran and North Korea?"
- From Her Lips To God's Ears (The Energizer), Against Me!

(From top to bottom: The Future of the Left, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Against Me! perform at Starland Ballroom on 10/10/2008)

http://www.myspace.com/futureoftheleft
http://www.tedleo.com/news.php
http://www.againstme.net/am.php

This video is an interesting look at some of the voters in the midwest. I think that living in such a liberal state really shelters us from seeing a majority of Americans and their viewpoints, which greatly varies from us.

Also, here is an interesting link about where the Obama/Muslim rumor came from.

And here is a video with the instance not specifically mentioned in the article, but similar.

What was supposed to be a picture of Howard during his question just ended out being a picture of this kid I don't know taken after HL sat down.

Martin asks a question.




Here are a few pictures I took when Cogressman Rush Holt came to speak. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of Alan Bateman because I thought I was giving blood that day and I didn't want to carry around my camera.

This is probably my number one biggest concern with Sarah Palin taking the vice presidential position, or even John McCain as president.

I think it is truly horrific that Palin does not support adequate sexual education, birth control, or abortions. It is a concept that, as a woman, I cannot even begin to wrap my head around another woman at least being pro-choice (even if her personal beliefs are different).

I understand, as a point HL frequently makes, that the decision of Roe vs. Wade will be incredibly difficult to overturn and most likely will not happen. However, with McCain making vital Supreme Court decisions and cabinent appointments, the likelyhood of a conservative, religion based government is a definite threat to womens' rights.

It especially urks me that Palin finds fault with Obama's description of "punished with a baby/STD" for making a mistake, when that is the most accurate way to explain it. Bristol Palin is facing the punishment of not having safe sex and/or adequate safe sex eduacation. And I am really very happy that the Palin family's 1.5 million dollar "middle class" income can support her daughters decision and RIGHT to choose, but the truth is, very few families can provide that safety net for their pregnant daughters. Many parents wouldn't even allow their daughters to continue being part of their family if they became pregnant.

To ban abortions is to only promote black-market, back alley answers which will not help any person. To cut funding for foundations like Planned Parenthood is to take away a vital source of information and safety for men and women who may not have otherwise had the resources to make a good decision with their lives.

No matter what you teach them, kids are going to have sex. I think we have all been through the DARE program, but I can easily name many kids who smoke, drink, or do drugs. I can name twice as many that have sex, no matter what we have learned. The point of these programs is to educate kids on how to do these activies safely. It's why we learn to have a designated driver and watch all of those gory videos in health class. So even if you do drink, you will probably not get behind the wheel of a car. Shouldn't sex ed be the same? To allow the student to make their own decision but show them the safe options behind them?

Alaska has finally concluded that Sarah Palin was in the wrong when she attempted to fire her sister's ex-husband, but not his boss. Very interesting.

Artist Phillip Toledano recently created an enthralling installation titled "America the Gift Shop".

You can view the entire collection online here.

The poll results are in, and it looks like Obama took last night's debate by storm.

Nonetheless, I personally think Obama could have done much better by sticking to the allotted time limits and listening to the moderator. However, I also was not a fan of the "town hall" style debate lengths and would rather see a lengthy discussion of the issues. I still liked having average Americans pose the questions, and I do hope that is a concept that sticks.

The McCain campaign has quickly switched over to an even more negative campaign. An interesting article I read on CNN, however, fact-checks one of the many ignorant statements Sarah Palin has made.

Instances such as this are one of the major reasons that I share a major disdain for Palin and the arguments raised in the debates by her and John McCain. Consistently, they raise these empty points that can sound bad but actually aren't. Their political spin on Obama certainly makes me think less of them, especially since the two seem to share a distaste of the "media spin".

Probably the most offensive article I have ever read in my life.

The beginning I can deal with, indeed, it can be true. However, my dislike of Sarah Palin is not because she is prettier than me (not true) and more confident (I doubt it). It's because she wants to destroy my rights as a woman, turn the White House/America into a pentecostal prison, kill the polar bears, and deny comprehensive sex education and birth control to the masses.

Fact Check: Did Obama Really Vote to Raise Taxes 94 Times?

Posted: 09:36 PM ET

The Statement: At a debate Thursday, Oct. 2 in St. Louis, Missouri, Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin charged Democrat Sen. Barack Obama of supporting higher taxes. "Barack had 94 opportunities to side on the people's side and reduce taxes, and 94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction — 94 times."

Get the facts!

The Facts: The effort to convince voters that Sen. Barack Obama would support higher taxes is a central part of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. McCain and the Republican National Committee have repeatedly cited 94 alleged votes by Obama to bolster their argument. Factcheck.org, a non-partisan project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, pieced through records to determine just what these 94 instances were. Key findings:

–23 were against proposed tax cuts.

— 7 were "for measures that would have lowered taxes for many, while raising them on a relative few, either corporations or affluent individuals."

– 11 were to increase taxes on people making more than $1 million a year, to help fund programs such as Head Start, school nutrition, or veterans' health care.

– 53 were votes on budget resolutions or amendments that "could not have resulted by themselves in raising taxes," though many "were clear statements of approval for increased taxes"

The total also includes multiple votes on the same measures. Annenberg says a close look at the record reveals that Obama has "voted consistently to restore higher tax rates on upper income taxpayers but not on middle- or low-income workers."

The Verdict: Misleading. Palin's summary ignores the fact that some of the votes were for measures to lower taxes for many Americans, while increasing them for a much smaller number of taxpayers. The total also includes multiple votes on the same measures and budget votes that would not directly lead to higher taxes.

Source: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/02/fact-check-94-times/

As I'm watching the debate, Sarah Palin is already beginning to annoy me. Not only did she announce that she wasn't going to answer the question, but she continues to ramble on in futility. She is not speaking to the American public. I have no faith in Sarah Palin should she become VP, and my respect for her continually decreases as this debate continues.

Anyone who has talked to me for more than 5 minutes knows that I share a ridiculous affinity for funny pictures of cats on the internet. So today, when I discovered this site, I was completely enthralled.