Sunday, January 21, 2007
Madame President?
Yesterday morning Hillary Clinton made her official announcement that she's running for president in next year's elections. It will not be the first time a woman has run for the post.
American Women Presidents says:
"The campaign to elect women to the U.S. presidency began over 130 years ago when Victoria Claflin Woodhull pronounced herself a candidate for U.S. president in the 1872 election, in The New York Herald on April 2, 1870." Woodhull ran for the office at a time when women were still banned from the voting booths. It wasn't until 1964 though that a woman ran on a major party canditate.
Senator Clinton, however, is the first woman to be the front-runner in the bid for a party's nomination. She has a large lead over Obama, and a support team of strategists that dominates other canditates - including Bill Clinton. What an interesting White House we would have with Hillary in the Oval Office and Bill working as First Gentleman!
Hours after Hillary announced her candidacy, the political action committee EMILY's List endorsed her. What interested me about this org is that EMILY is not a woman - its an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast," from the political saying, "Early money is like yeast, because it helps the dough rise." Hillary already has a massive war chest of campaign funds; back-up like this can only help. I'm psyched.
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American Women Presidents says:
"The campaign to elect women to the U.S. presidency began over 130 years ago when Victoria Claflin Woodhull pronounced herself a candidate for U.S. president in the 1872 election, in The New York Herald on April 2, 1870." Woodhull ran for the office at a time when women were still banned from the voting booths. It wasn't until 1964 though that a woman ran on a major party canditate.
Senator Clinton, however, is the first woman to be the front-runner in the bid for a party's nomination. She has a large lead over Obama, and a support team of strategists that dominates other canditates - including Bill Clinton. What an interesting White House we would have with Hillary in the Oval Office and Bill working as First Gentleman!
Hours after Hillary announced her candidacy, the political action committee EMILY's List endorsed her. What interested me about this org is that EMILY is not a woman - its an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast," from the political saying, "Early money is like yeast, because it helps the dough rise." Hillary already has a massive war chest of campaign funds; back-up like this can only help. I'm psyched.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Shots to the head
Talking with John last night about the additional 20,000 troops Bush is sending over to Bagdhad in the hopes of stifling the brewing civil war there got me thinking. He had said that he hopes it'll work - and I do too - but the fire of war has burned too deep for this population that will not be held in check by a few thousand Americans - even in a single city, no less the entire country. Just yesterday there were 60 people found around Bagdhad with signs of torture and gunshot wounds to the head. There were two incidents of car bombs, and another suicide bomber blew himself up in a busy market in the northern town of Tal Afar. The day before 40 people were found around the city in similar execution style deaths while at least two incidents of mortar rounds destroyed houses in cities other than Bagdhad.
Every month for the past 6 months more than a thousand civilians have been killed in Iraq - in Sept alone more than 3,000 people were killed. Each month more than a hundred Iraqi police / military personnel are killed, and last month, at least 3 American soldiers were killed every day. You can read some of the stories that we've stopped getting on the American front pages here at iCasualties. Not a pretty picture, but its the truth -- and it clearly states that this war will be put down by outside influence. We started this thing, but we're not going to be able to stop it. India / Pakistan had to figure it out on their own. Lebanon / Syria war took 14 years to end (and there's still much to figure out) but they did it on their own. Some group will be in power, whether its the Sunnis or the Shiites, but most Iraqis will say that they preferred life with Saddam in power than what's happening now. We could send in 100,000 more troops and it would make little difference in the long run.
This is now an Iraqi question for them to figure out - and in the meantime we are throwing away billions of dollars (over $1 trillion in the last 3+ years) that could be put to enormously good use in a plethora of other situations instead of Iraq. Let's get out.
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Every month for the past 6 months more than a thousand civilians have been killed in Iraq - in Sept alone more than 3,000 people were killed. Each month more than a hundred Iraqi police / military personnel are killed, and last month, at least 3 American soldiers were killed every day. You can read some of the stories that we've stopped getting on the American front pages here at iCasualties. Not a pretty picture, but its the truth -- and it clearly states that this war will be put down by outside influence. We started this thing, but we're not going to be able to stop it. India / Pakistan had to figure it out on their own. Lebanon / Syria war took 14 years to end (and there's still much to figure out) but they did it on their own. Some group will be in power, whether its the Sunnis or the Shiites, but most Iraqis will say that they preferred life with Saddam in power than what's happening now. We could send in 100,000 more troops and it would make little difference in the long run.
This is now an Iraqi question for them to figure out - and in the meantime we are throwing away billions of dollars (over $1 trillion in the last 3+ years) that could be put to enormously good use in a plethora of other situations instead of Iraq. Let's get out.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
What A Dream!
Take a look at this guy, Nicholoas Negroponte, and what he is trying to accomplish. Jesse-- I told you about him when I first heard his story on NPR and you were filled with questions as to how his dream would work. This article has some of the answers and you can use the sidebar-links to search past articles and other websites for additional answers.
It's so inspiring to hear about initiatives like this. It keeps alive the idea that a dream can be accomplished, as long as there is enough talent and motivation behind that dream to carry its bulk. Who knows, maybe one day the talented authors of Optimism From The Hills will combine their niche talents in an effort to do some unthinkably large good deed for the world.
For now, let's watch Mr. Negroponte and be inspired.
It's so inspiring to hear about initiatives like this. It keeps alive the idea that a dream can be accomplished, as long as there is enough talent and motivation behind that dream to carry its bulk. Who knows, maybe one day the talented authors of Optimism From The Hills will combine their niche talents in an effort to do some unthinkably large good deed for the world.
For now, let's watch Mr. Negroponte and be inspired.
