Hilary Clinton's Song

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard a clip from back when Hilary Clinton was the First Lady. The clip was of her singing along (I presume with other people, but they were edited out) to the National Anthem. But she didn't know any of the words! She was stumbling all over them, making them up, singing anything BUT the lyrics!

I realize that not a lot of people know the words to this song and others that are significant to the country, but don't you think that if you hold a position like that that you should know them?

What do you all think?

Spitzer’s Education Agenda Promises Aid Increase

"By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and DANNY HAKIM
Published: January 30, 2007

ALBANY, Jan. 29 — Gov. Eliot Spitzer declared on Monday that he would propose a major increase in state aid for New York’s public schools in his first budget and would seek vastly expanded oversight of local school districts, including wide powers to remove school boards or force the dismissal of superintendents for repeated failures."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/nyregion/30schools.html?hp&ex=1170133200&en=f177f5f86dab4218&ei=5094&partner=homepage

While it's agreed that New York's public school system could use some work, I think throwing (even more) money at it is the wrong answer. While the entire budget change and accompanying regulation would try to illicit certain changes, and while it might succeed, I am shocked that New York still hasn't attempted privatization of education. Proponents of privatization often use New York as their favored example, because taxpayers there spend nearly 3 times more money per pupil than parents who pay for private schools average, and for an education of considerably lower quality. New York has more than tripled it's education funding since 1982 with less than favorable results... is more money really the answer, or is privatization the right choice? (Disclaimer: By this I don't mean parents should suddenly be forced to pay anything, just that the tax-money should be given out to the private schools, per tax-funded student taught there.)

Wednesday 8 am class

Your Constitution Knowledge Assignment (Assignment 2) is due today.

Protesters were mostly peaceful.

The anti-war protests seemed to be mostly peaceful, except for an incident where a wounded soldier who was countering the protest was spit at by anti-war protesters. The soldier was on crutches and had lost his right leg in Iraq. He was defending the goals of the war. And he spit back at the protester.
Also during the protest on our Capitol many confronted police, possibly trying to get the police to react. They spraypainted on the steps of the Capitol anarchist symbols along with phrases, "this is our capitol building."
Rocks were even thrown at a recruiting center.
The NY Times quoted a protester, “Cheney says it will be a 50-year war,” said Annie Yanowitz, “I find that totally inappropriate that our children may grow up with this war continuing."

There are a few issues here. First there were veterens on both sides of the protest. But these protesters have the wrong idea. They may be united in that they don't want the war but they don't seem to be united in much else.
A soldier being spit on is reminiscent of the Vietnam war era.

Second, if it is "your capitol" then why spray paint it? Protest, but remain respectful. Defacing "my Capitol" is sick. And if you agree please add.

Thirdly, the reason we are fighting over there is because we need to take charge of this disaster that has been the middle east for a long time before it escalates worse. We want to solve this problem before it reaches our children or our grandchildren.

Also, this ideology that we have to be attacked before we do anything is crazy. Lets look at history. We must be able to see strikes BEFORE they happen. WWII could have been averted. We saw anti-US sentiment and aggressive behavior in Japan and Germany before they attacked us.

I believe the United States is the best and most noble country in the world. Mr. Sean Penn, who was at the protest, said that Iran should be able to have nucs because we have them. Mr. Penn, we are not Iran and are not compairable with them.

History will look back at this with kinder eyes. It is a tough time, no doubt. Looking back, maybe we shouldn't have gone to war in Iraq. But we are there now and have an obligation to ourselves and Iraqis to stay and help them stabilize. Abraham Lincoln must have had the worst public opinion polls. He tore a country apart and was assassinated for his bravery to not follow public opinion and stand idle in a disaster, but to do what is right.

Iran is playing a deadly game.

Iranian ambassador, Hassan Kazemi Qumi announced yesterday that they will send military forces into Iraq to help with security. They are also going to establish banks in Iraq.
This is extremely dangerous. They are interferring with the reconstruction of Iraq. Iranian military in Iraq would not just be dangerous to the fragile situation between them and the U.S. but also the Iraqis themselves. The sunnis in Iraq are already fearful of the shi'ites. There is much speculation that Iran is sponsering sectarian violence. We already know they sponser this sort of violence around the world (Hezballah).
The banks could be used as an easy way to front money to terrorists in the country right in front of us.
The United States is sending another carrier to the gulf. There will now be two carriers in the gulf. This decision came before the Iranian announcement yesterday.

President Bush has said Iran needs to stop meddling with Iraqi affairs otherwise we will act "firmly".

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/world/middleeast/29iranians.html?ei=5065&en=edfc17a01def1213&ex=1170738000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

Textbook Assignment 2

The answers to these questions can be found in Chapters 3,4,13.

1. What are two crises of nation building?
2. In the four basic types of government classifications (statist, socialist, laissez-faire, welfare state), which type does the U.S. have?
3. Name three symbolic public policies.
4. Name two of the purposes of a constitution.
5. What is the difference between civil rights and economic rights?
6. Define sedition and give one example of a statement that would be considered seditious.
7. Define republic.
8. What are the two major types of electoral systems?

Monday 9 am class

You will have a quiz on Democracy, Totalitarianism and Authoritarianism.

Bring your textbook, you will need it.

Your U.S. Constitution Assignment (Assignment 2) is due today.

Monday 8 am class

You will have a quiz on Democracy, Totalitarianism and Authoritarianism.

Bring your textbook, you will need it.

secretary general Ban calls for Nuclear nuclear disarmament

click here for the story....

Pretty much the Secretary General of the united nations has called for countries to begin the disarmament of nuclear weapons. personally nuclear technology has provided us with great strides such as nuclear power. but if countries sell the materials that can be used to create W.M.D's to non state actors, then the whole world is at risk. i think that the nuclear powers should do more to stop the selling of dual use technology to unchecked buyers, or we should disarm. Do you think that countries (particularly the US) should adhere to this call and begin major disarmament of nuclear weapons?

Crowds on both coasts protest Iraq war

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people marched in an anti-war demonstration against the war in Iraq in Washington. The demonstrative body consisted of regular citizens, military families, law-makers, and celebrities (including Jane Fonda). The organizers of the protest said that the demonstration and the crowd consisted of people that traveled there on 300 buses from 40 different states. The rally was a peacefeul one, eventhough a few protesters tried to rush the Capitol. No arrests were made, however. 40 or more people including injured veterans held a counter-protest at around the same time; stating that the crowd needs to take the sacrifice of the soldiers in Iraq into consideration. Smaller rallies had been set up in California. Apparently, a lot of people are against the war and ready for the troops to come back home.

Crowds on both coasts protest Iraq war
By CALVIN WOODWARD and LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writers
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070128/ap_on_re_us/iraq_protest;_ylt=AjvCBD3WbzEyBBsuu6.DyY9vzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
Jerrell Bostick (POS2001 MWF 8a.m.)

Webb's Response to the State of the Union Address

In Senator Webb’s response to the State of the Union Address, Webb states that “Many, including myself, warned even before the war began that it was unnecessary, that it would take our energy and attention away from the larger war against terrorism, and that invading and occupying Iraq would leave us strategically vulnerable in the most violent and turbulent corner of the world.” While it is obvious that Webb is against the war, there are still plans for more troops to be sent to Iraq. Do you feel this is a wise move to send more troops or a great opportunity to make America more vulnerable?

President Bush's State of the Union Address

Yet we can go forward with confidence -- because the State of our Union is strong ... our cause in the world is right ... and tonight that cause goes on.

Video of the State of the Union and Democratic Response

Transcript of Bush's Speech

Transcript of Sen. Webb's Democratic Response

News and Reaction

Wednesday 9 am class

You will have a quiz on the Nation-State lecture notes.

Wednesday 8 am class

You will have a quiz on the Nation-State lecture notes.

Today is the last day to do your office interview or turn in a letter on time.

U.S. Warns Iran to Back Down

"By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group now steaming toward the Middle East is Washington's way of warning Iran to back down in its attempts to dominate the region, a top U.S. diplomat said here Tuesday.

Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, ruled out direct negotiations with Iran and said a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran was "not possible" until Iran halts uranium enrichment...

...U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the U.S. buildup in the Gulf was intended to impress on Iran that the four-year war in Iraq has not made America vulnerable..."

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/01/23/568615.html

I am glad we are still able to show Iran that we are not as weakened as their president may claim. Previous conjecture has been that if someone were to take military action against Iran, it would be Israels fight, due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, possibly with the aid of Europeans, since even the war-weary France has declared that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain weapons-grade uranium. I think putting the Navy back in the middle east may be a positive impact, since locals who are made upset by US military presence were likely already upset, and this could eliminate delusions that the US will simply go home to lick it's wounds and forget about the world's terrorist havens and rogue states again

Who....

As we can see, many and almost everyone is speaking up about there desire for the White House. McCain, Clinton, Obama, and many many other Senators on both sides.

When things came into to play, who they are doesn't matter...the factor that is of importance is what they have done while in office and what they feel is best for our nation. Some have more experience while others have more popularity and not much experience.


With our country in such economic and political division and with such "strong" foreign problems, I am looking for who can best "parent" our country at this time.
Isn't that what they are, our parent? When we need something we ask for it (ie welfare)....when we are in trouble (ie Katrina) don't we wait for them to bail us out? (whether they did it the right way or not)

Who is the better parent here?

With Iraq, Iran, Samolia, Korea, and the countless problems on the home front who is going to continue "raise" this country to best fit us and solve our problems?

Carina ... AKA 1bucfan

Textbook Assignment 1

The answers to these questions are in chapters 1 & 2 of the textbook.

1. What is the political concept of legitimacy?
2. What are two reasons why politics isn't quantifiable?
3. What are the traditional hallmarks of scholarship?
4. What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?
5. What is the difference between something that is descriptive and something that is normative?
6. What is a social contract?
7. What was the most important factor in society according to Karl Marx?
8. What is rational-choice theory?

You will have four of these assignments before the midterm and the questions will appear on your exam. If you missed this assignment, you can't turn it in for credit, but you do need to get the answers to these questions.

State of the Union Address

Students may get credit for watching the State of the Union address and the Democratic response Tuesday night. To get credit, you should write a one-page, typed, double-spaced opinion response that specifically makes reference to things said in both the president's speech and the Democratic speech. The extra credit paper will be due Friday.

Blog Reminders

1. You cannot get credit for comments on posts written from before January 1, 2007.

2. To get credit for a post, you have to include your opinion, not just report information.

3. If you copy text from anywhere, you have to include a citation or it is plagiarism. If the text comes from another web page, you MUST include a link.

4. You have to include your full name in any post or comment to get credit for it.

Monday 9 am class

Bring your textbook, you will need it.

Monday 8 am class

You will have the quiz on The Study of Politics you were supposed to have on Friday.

Bring your textbook, you will need it in class.

Senators Demand Details on New Eavesdropping Rules

"WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 — Lawmakers demanded more information on new rules for governing a domestic surveillance program on Thursday, a day after the Bush administration announced that it had placed the National Security Agency eavesdropping under court supervision.

Senators from both parties who had long criticized the eavesdropping without court warrants said at a Judiciary Committee hearing that they welcomed the change but wanted details. They said they wanted to be sure that the new rules adequately protected Americans’ privacy..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/washington/19justice.html

I think that this, along with the judicial review of this investigation process, should have happened a long time ago. I understand not making every detail of an investigation open to the public, but I can't imagine why we let leaders who supposedly work us keep entire programs completely under wraps from the people, and the judicial and legislative branches. Is the NSA really supposed to police themselves? Is there any reason to believe that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts, consisting of judges who have been hearing sensitive information and keeping it secret for years, may compromise national security? Or special commissions of congress, for that matter? Is there really any harm in letting the public know that a program exists, without divulging any specifics?

Another New Presidential Candidate

Miami Herald:

Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, who set off a firestorm of controversy by comparing Miami to a Third World country, said today he's forming an exploratory campaign committee to look at running for president in 2008.

"I'm going to do so because I believe there is a void in the present panoply of people seeking that office," Tancredo said during a morning appearance on the FoxNews program "Fox and Friends" Tancredo has toyed with running for president in the past, in part to spread his belief that uncontrolled immigration threatens the U.S.

Friday All Classes

You will have a quiz on The Study of Politics lecture notes.

Obama Running for President

MSN:

Barack Obama, America's fastest rising political star, on Tuesday beat Hillary Clinton to the punch when he announced he was taking the first legal step towards declaring his 2008 presidential candidacy.

Wednesday 9 am class

You have no quiz or assignments due.

There is a link in the critical thinking lecture notes to "Logical Fallacies." You should print that page as well as the rest of the notes.

The question we will discuss in class is "How Does the Government Affect Me?"

Wednesday 8 am class

Your basic knowledge assignment is due.

There is a link in the critical thinking lecture notes to "Logical Fallacies." You should print that page as well as the rest of the notes.

The question we will discuss in class is "How Does the Government Affect Me?"

War VS. People

The war has cost America now over 400 billion dollars. As a student I get affected by this war because tuition gets raised and financial aid gets cut. Are we at war for what the news and government really tell us or is it true that the real war is right here in America? Is it true that the real people who are suffering is Americans.

Children of Man Immigration "Solution"

I saw Children of Man the other day, and it takes place in the future. One part that stood out to me was the way that futuristic Britain handled illegal immigration. Basically, they rounded them up, executed the sick/weak ones, and then send the rest to these "ghetto World War II" type places. It was very distressing.

What's more distressing is the fact that some radical conservatives desire this type of "solution" and are really pushing for it. Seeing this movie made me realize how horrible a "solution" that would be. Illegal immigrants may hurt our economy in some way, but that's no reason to cage them up/execute them.

What do you guys think about illegal immigration and/or this radical opinion of extinguishing it?

News Story of the Day

Associated Press:

ATHENS, Greece - A rocket struck the U.S. Embassy early Friday, exploding inside the modern, glass-fronted building and shattering hopes that Greece's leftist anti-American militant networks had been dismantled.

Greek authorities said the attack, which caused no injuries, was probably carried out by a domestic terrorist group.

There is little chance that this has anything to do with al-Qaeda.

President Bush on Iraq

Full Transcript of the President's Speech:

Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror — and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.

When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation. The elections of 2005 were a stunning achievement. We thought that these elections would bring the Iraqis together — and that as we trained Iraqi security forces, we could accomplish our mission with fewer American troops.

Democratic Response

News Story of the Day

USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House on Tuesday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign promises made by Democrats last fall.

Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States.

The vote was a bipartisan 299-128.

"Our first and highest duty as members of this Congress is to protect the American people, to defend our homeland and to strengthen our national security," said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Several Republicans criticized the legislation as little more than political posturing in the early hours of a new Democratic-controlled Congress. Democrats want to "look aggressive on homeland security. This bill will waste billions of dollars, and possibly harm homeland security by gumming up progress already underway," said Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky.

In a written statement, the Bush administration listed several objections and said it could not support the measure as drafted but stopped short of a veto threat.

Democrats have pledged to make fiscal responsibility a priority in the new Congress, but they advanced the bill — their first of the year — without even a bare-bones accounting of the estimated cost. The funding will require follow-up legislation.

Legislation introduced in the Senate a year ago to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 commission had a price tag of more than $53 billion over five years.

(Click the link at the top to read more)

9 am Class

You will have a quiz on Critical Thinking. You will also have the Introduction Quiz that you were supposed to have on Monday, but you do not need to study for this one, which is quite easy.

We will be going over the directions for the blog, so bring your handout.

Your Basic Knowledge Assignment is due.

8 am Class

You will have a quiz on Critical Thinking. You will also have the Introduction Quiz that you were supposed to have on Monday, but you do not need to study for this one, which is quite easy.

We will be going over the directions for the blog, so bring your handout.

Welcome to POS 2001

Welcome to Mr. Quinnell's POS 2001 blog. Students may only comment on posts that are newer than this one.