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FRENCH ELECTIONS TODAY: Why Should You Care?

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Elections for France’s highest office will be held today (Sunday, April 22). There are ten candidates for this year’s Presidency in France, and multiple rounds of elections, will whittle the field. Following today’s first round of elections, if no candidate among the original ten, receives 50% of the vote, a second round of elections will be held on May 6, for the two highest vote earners.

The French elections have been unusually competitive this year, due largely to weakness in the French economy. The current President, Nicholas Sarkozy finds himself threatened by the candidacy of François Hollande. Sarkozy is a conservative and his opponent is a Socialist. Both men represent the right and left of French politics.

World wide, (in America, Canada and Europe) conservatives have addressed the global recession with Austerity measures (slashes to government spending). In France, unemployment is at 10% and the Austerity measures have failed, in the minds of many. And this has led to a rise in France’s left.

The Socialist standard bearer, François Hollande is offering France, a very different set of growth oriented policies. Hollande is currently leading Sarkozy in the polls and another Far Left candidate,  Jean-Luc Melenchon, is poised to come in third place, which signals the rise of a far left, socialist block in France.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

U.S. voters are faced with a choice, similar to French voters. They must choose between the investment  growth and spending policies of President Obama (although he is not a socialist), and the cuts of the GOP. It remains to be seen if Americans will reject Austerity as French voters seem poised to do. The U.S. has persued a dual strategy which has restricted the levels of investment preferred by the President, while tempering the austere cuts desired by the republicans. This likely, makes it harder for Americans to choose between the two paths and differentiate between which policies have failed or worked. While America has faired much better then it’s European counterparts, in recovering from the global slump, Americans are divided on who deserves credit.

The final lesson from the French elections is that the continually struggling economy, is not friendly to incumbents of any political stripe. President Obama could simultaneously be the reason that America has faired better than Europe, through his stimulus package, infrastructure spending and bailouts, and still be the victim of a restless electorate.

INDIA DEVELOPS MISSILE AIMED AT CHINA: Is A Cold-War Brewing?

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India has test-fired a new missile, designed with the capability of hitting major Chinese cities which means that, for the first time, India has developed the ability to militarily strike at the heart of China. The angi-V missile, has been dubbed “The China Killer” by MSNBC. It is an intercontinental ballistic missile, with a range of 5,000 km. The Agni-V missile has the ability to bear a nuclear payload and this reality makes the Angi-V a game changer. In the past, India has measured itself and its military prowess, using China as it’s measure. The desire to overcome China, economically and militarily has driven the psychology behind a great deal of India’s development. The international community has been muted in it’s response. U.S. officials have been silent while Chinese officials have tried to emphasize that they are not rattled by India. A great deal of the rhetoric coming from Beijing has minimized India’s achievement, effectively dismissing India as an upstart, attempting to pick a fight that they are destined to lose. The tensions, although unspoken are palpable. The prospect of two of the most populous nations on earth, in conflict is a freighting possibility. When we further consider the new nuclear capabilities of North Korea, the Nuclear ambitions of Iran, the rising hostility of Russia, and the perpetually turbulent middle east, the eastern hemisphere is presenting the U.S. with increasingly complex problems.

FEAR vs. HOPE: Which Is More Powerful?

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The Mitt Romney campaign is reeling this morning as it contemplates the best strategy for dealing with one of it’s supporters controversial comments. Ted Nugent, a legendary musician and Romney supporter, set off a firestorm yesterday when he warned that if President Barack Obama, were re-elected he would “be in jail or dead”. He further signaled that the current President’s re-election would drive him to violence by comparing the President to a coyote that had invaded the homes of the American people and urinated on their furniture. “Its not the coyotes fault…” said Nugent, “its your fault for not shooting the coyote”. Nugent’s comments have drawn surprisingly little reaction from Republicans and right wing pundits. Few if any, have condemned Nugent’s threats of violence. The silence is most notable from Mitt Romney himself. The refusal to comment is striking in part because it contrasts directly with a recent controversy in which a prominent Democrat (Hilary Rosen) insulted Romney and his wife. Republicans demanded that virtually every democrat, including the President repudiate the comments (which they did condemn, publicly).

Nugent wasn’t the only Romney supporter that made noteworthy comments yesterday. Congressman Louie Gomert was asked if he was enthusiastic about voting for Romney. He replied that he was more “desperate than excited”. The Romney campaign has faced a single persistent problem. No one in the Republican Party, let alone the country, is excited about his candidacy. Romney’s own party has no faith in his core values or policies. Romney won his primary by drowning his republican opponents in cash. He ran ads that most in his own party regarded as demonstrably false.Unfortunately, when a candidate cannot inspire his base through the power of his personage, he must inspire them through fear.

In November, the Fear Strategy will be expanded to the general electorate. The Republicans will argue that the nation will not survive if President Obama is re-elected. They will not persuade voters through the power of their ideas; they will instead rely on the dread inspired by imagined consequences. Unlike the Republicans, President Obama cannot run, by attempting to prove a negative. He will have to defend his record and his ideas. Although, insiders are warning that the re-election campaign will be more aggressive then the first election, President Obama will likely run on some variation of his 2008 slogan of Hope and Change. The 2012 race will be a choice between Hope and Fear. Which is truly more powerful? Will Hope triumph of Fear? We will see.

CHESS IS COOL IN BROOKLYN PUBLIC SCHOOL: Middle School Challenges Stereotypes

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Most urban schools have been characterized and characatured for violence, drugs, and low education standards. In such places, students are discouraged from intellectual endeavors and are reluctantly corralled into athletic pursuits as their only chance for success. In most of these high schools the heroes are on the football or basketball team. But a high school in the heart of Brooklyn is defying all of the stereotypes of urban education and winning spectacular acclaim, in the process.

Intermediate School 318, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is a middle school that has made Chess it’s hallmark. IS 318 is a Middle School and yet they have just become the first middle school ever to win the National High-school Championship (held by the United States Chess Federation). At IS 318 Chess is better than sports. The children idolize certified Chess Masters, a status achieved by at least two of the teams African American members. At IS 318 varsity letters are not the emblem of esteem, chess trophies are the ultimate sign of achievement.

The Middle school serves as a reminder of “the possible”. IS 318 is not a rich public school or one of the often mythologized charter schools. It is a public school, in which 60% of the student body hales from families that live below the poverty line. The students at IS 318 learn critical thinking skills and sharpen their aptitude for strategy. They prove that many of the charges leveled at public schools are often wrong. A new documentary, “Brooklyn Castle” attempts to capture the incredible story of this middle school. The success of the school has required a significant investment. Every student at IS 318 gets to take an initial chess course and then choose to continue the pursuit in elective courses. But this has required dedicated classrooms, specialized instructors and significant resources.  Like many extracurricular programs, the Chess Program and school are facing cuts. Readers can donate to the program by visiting, http://www.is318.com/

Enjoy the promotional video for “Brooklyn Castle”, the documentary on IS 318

REPUBLICAN THREATENS DEATH IF OBAMA WINS ELECTION

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Ted Nugent is a rock n’ roll legend. He is also a right-wing republican and ultra popular speaker and pundit for prominent Republicans. He is a favorite guest of Sean Hannity and a constant fixture for right wing politicians, like Sarah Palin and Rick Perry.

Today, at an NRA (National Rifle Association) conference Nugent threatened death and violence if Mitt Romney did not win the November elections. The very popular, regular pundit of Fox News, was flanked by machine guns, when he warned that “If Barack Obama becomes the President in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year”. Nugent was emphatic in his praise of candidate, Mitt Romney. He admonished the crowd of cheering fans, that the government was “wiping it’s ass with the Constitution”. As Nugent insisted that the President doesn’t “even like the Constitution” the crowd signaled it’s approval. The rocker implored the NRA’s loyal attendees to bring potential Romney supporters to the polls. He stated that the future of the nation was dependent upon Mitt Romney winning the election, noting that “If you can’t galvanize and promote and recruit people to vote for Mitt Romney, we’re done”. He told the adoring crowd that “We need to ride into the battlefield and chop their heads off in November”.

Nugent’s comments followed Mitt Romney’s own speech to the NRA, yesterday. His comments are also somewhat unoriginal as they are common place claims in right wing media. The idea that America cannot survive another term of President Obama is a constant refrain of the right. Nugent’s comments are also a less reserved parody of Mitt Romney’s speech to the NRA. Romney portrayed himself as the champion of freedom in his speech and he suggested that President Obama was a direct threat to our nation’s freedom. ” We need a President who will stand up for the rights of hunters, sportsmen and those who seek to protect their home and family. President Obama has not; I will”. He accused the President of attempting to “browbeat” the Supreme Court. He warned that in a second term, President Obama would threaten the right to bear arms.

It should be noted that President Obama has taken no action against gun ownership and that in many ways he has liberalized the right to carry weapons. Despite his relatively friendly policies gun owners have been fed a steady diet of conspiracies regarding President Obama’s hostility towards gun ownership. Shortly after the President’s election, gun stores were besieged by consumers who believed (largely as a result of talk radio) that the President was going to artificially raise the price of bullets (the equivalent of Chris Rock’s famous joke).

Thus far Mitt Romney has offered no comment on Ted Nugent’s controversial comments or his advocacy of his bid for the Presidency.


“VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT” IN DANGER: Republicans Poised To Block Law

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The Violence Against Women Act was passed for the first time, in 1994. Since its initial adoption, reporting of domestic violence has increased by 51%. The legislation, which must be periodically renewed improved the nation’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Advocates say that it has been pivotal in tamping down violence against women. Yet, despite it’s importance, this crucial piece of legislation is poised to fail in the U.S. Senate.

Republicans are threatening to refuse reauthorization because the new version of the Violence Against Women Act includes LGBT (Gay/Lesbian) Couples. The bill also includes a provision from the SAVE Native American Women Act, which allows tribes to prosecute Indian and Non-Indian offenders in domestic violence cases. Adding to the list of Republican complaints against the new Violence Against Women Act, are its extension of protection for female illegal aliens. The provision provides visas for undocumented victims of domestic violence to encourage them to come forward when they are abused by alleviating the fear of deportation.

The Republicans have faced an avalanche of recent criticism, for their policies effecting women. This latest maneuver is unlikely to curry favor with women. Critics have accused the Republicans of waging an all out WAR AGAINST WOMEN and they will likely use the Republican opposition to the Violence Against Women Act, as more ammunition in their attacks on the GOP. The culmination of the GOP’s controversial policies have created a popular perception that threatens to permanently brand the party.

If the politics of the issue are not in the Republican Party’s favor, the facts of the issue are also working against the GOP. The GOP’s stated reasons for opposing the bill fail to stand up to inspection. The “controversial” provision covering illegal aliens was in previous versions of the bill. The only change in the new bill increases the number of visas available for abused women, from 10,000 (in the previous versions) to 15,000. It is unlikely that voters will accept the notion that the slight increase in visas, justifies blocking an otherwise worthwhile bill. The additional provisions protecting Native American Women were also once bi-partisan suggestions.

The final provision including Gay and Lesbian couples leaves the Republicans in the difficult position of arguing that Gays and Lesbians, shouldn’t be protected from the violence of spouses or intimates. Considering the dangers to women (should the Violence Against Women Act fail) the Republicans must ask themselves, if opposing the provision that protects LGBT individuals from violence, warrants lending credence to the mounting charges that the GOP is at War with Women.

SHOULD DRUGS BE LEGALIZED? President Obama Open To Debate (Editorial)

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Should drugs be legalized? President Obama waded into the controversial debate during his visit at the sixth Summit of The Americas in Cartegena, Columbia. The President, responded to a question about the potential for legalization, a policy favored by many in Latin America as a way of alleviating the pressures of the narco war on beleaguered latin american nations. President Obama stated plainly that while he was personally against the prospect of legalization, he would be open to the debate. 

The President has, on more than one occasion flirted with politically perilous topics. At times he has over-estimated the national appetite for (and discipline to sustain) the debates that are common-place in the halls of academia, from which he hales. I believe that this is yet another example of his professorial nature rearing its ugly, scholarly head. The President seems to believe that a fair discussion can be held in the open. He seems to believe that simply because he eschews cheap attacks and political opportunism that everyone else does as well. The President is wrong! Almost as soon as the President delivered his, off-hand, heavily conditional statement the internet came alive with declarations that the President is “OPEN TO LEGALIZING DRUGS”. In the truncated vernacular of the internet, nuance often goes unappreciated. If, then statements are also ignored. It was as if he never even said that he was opposed to drug legalization. Somehow we missed his argument, that legalizing drugs would make the drug problem worse. Such is our political discourse. Terse, unforgiving and sloppy!

I for one must agree with the President. Legalizing drugs would be a massive error, especially for many of the minority communities that often call for an end to the drug war. Its quite easy to understand the desire for such a policy. The number of minority men, taken into custody and remanded to absurdly long sentences for minor infractions of the law is upsetting and discouraging. We lose so many of our men and boys to incarceration that, like military families, eager to see an end to the war, we are tempted to leap toward any solution that might see our boys come home. The sad affair is blinding and the potential for it’s end is emotionally and intellectually confounding. But a clear mind would hesitate to embrace the solution of drug legalization. We do not need to debate the simple fact that crime, drug use, poverty and familial disintegration exist as a result of systemic cycles in all communities. Each of these, tends to feed the others. In order to understand why drugs should never be legalized, we simply need to understand that adding legal drugs to this cycle would only perpetuate it. Those of us that are active in our communities know how difficult it is to break these cycles. Why would anyone wish to strengthen them by creating, easily accessible and cheaper drugs.

In virtually every minority community, liquor stores occupy corners in near equal proportions with McDonalds. Despite the protests of residents, churches and activists, there is a constant, hovering temptation, capitalizing on folks that are down on their luck. As the financial pressures of depressed economies, and battered marriages conspire to culminate in life’s stress on the individual, the ever present reprieve is simply a corner away, in most minority communities. This has sunk the will power of many in our community. Now consider adding drugs to this. Consider how difficult it is to overcome alcoholism in communities with malt liquor billboards, and inescapable media campaigns. Advocates of drug legalization would have us impose these same temptations on populations that are most susceptible to their persuasion. Drugs may be common in many communities but legalization would herald a new level of availability. Of course advocates would argue that every person has to be responsible for themselves, but YOU have to live in a community with those that find themselves too weak to abstain. Its hard enough surviving in a difficult economy. Its hard enough to not perpetuate pathologies in our families. Let’s not add to that difficulty by legalizing drugs.

Extended Facebook Status: Self-Doubt

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By: Morgan Collins

“Quiet the nausea of self-doubt, and take a Pepto Bismol.”

 

It’s half past midnight and I’m awake. No, I’m not out at a bar having a late night rendezvous with friends. I’m in bed staring at the dark shapes circling on my ceiling. I can feel my pulse pound and my temples throb. A cold sweat soaks my pajamas, and they cling to my clammy skin. My mind races as I try to convince myself that I am awake and not stuck in a nightmare where failure is the only option and the only road leads to nowhere. As the panic resides, I force myself out of bed and grab a glass of water. This is my body on self-doubt.

 

Self-doubt is sneaky. It pops up when I least expect it. Big test coming up, did I study? Doesn’t matter because self-doubt may show up in the essay portion. Did I really think I was going to finish that screenplay? It’s a waste of time because it wouldn’t be any good. Self-doubt creeps up on me like a chill through an open window. I pull up my collar, toss on a scarf, but it’s still there. It’s a master of disguise. I can never guess how self-doubt will appear next. A whisper from the unconscious beyond? A snide remark from an enemy? A piece of advice from a friend with good intentions but bad perspective? Who knows, but it will come.

 

I close my eyes, count to ten, and hope the fear resides. “Trust your instincts,” I tell myself. “This isn’t reality.” “Stop talking to your self,” says Self-Doubt. “Now people think you’re crazy.” I can’t escape it. Self-doubt is my shadow, and at night it camouflages itself in the corners of my room, waiting for the moment in between rest and sleep to hijack my brain. It hits me with a fury of pain and pity. I try to run, but I slip and fall down an endless tunnel and think that this is the end. Finally. But then my alarm rings, and the sun rises. I wipe the crust from my eyes and pick up the cover and sheets that ended up on the floor. It’s a new day, and I’m ready to face self-doubt in whatever form it chooses.

SCANDAL: Recap of Episode

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The second episode of ABC’s hit show, Scandal was just as enthralling as the premiere. The show opened with a mysterious new client, an elderly woman sitting in in Olivia Pope’s Office. While she and Olivia calmly sit and banter, Olivia’s crackerjack staff quickly cleans out an office. They wiped the hard drives, boxed up the files and bolted, just as the police were pulling up. Olivia is percent and clairvoyant and in the next scene she is standing at the entrance of her office waiting for the Police, whom she greets with a smile. We learn that Olivia has just cleaned out the home office of her client, just before the Police gained a warrant. Ms. Pope’s latest client is Washington’s finest Madam!

The elderly Madam is being investigated for her “services” but the plot of this story, very neatly intersects with a simultaneously progressing plot that involves the President. President Grant has just nominated a Judge to the Supreme Court. His name and reputation are impeccable. No one anticipates a problem because the reserved judge is believed to be a boy-scout. While the President prepares his nominee, Olivia and her staff are searching, high and low for the madam’s client list. After hours of wasted effort, the Madam reveals that she has all of the names, handwritten on sheets of paper that she always carries with her. The list consists of phone numbers only. Soon the work of identifying all of the “Johns” is done. Olivia’s office walls are filled with the faces of D.C.’s most successful men. One of those men, is the President’s recent Supreme Court Nominee! Despite her disdain for the President, Olivia races to the White-House to warn the him.

Olivia and the President’s Chief of Staff confront Judge Keating, the nominee. He denies the charges and Olivia, the most perceptive person in Washington, can tell that he is telling the truth.Pope reluctantly agrees to help “fix” the problem. Through a series of twists and turns, Pope realizes that the Judge never actually visited the Madam, but she gets an idea about who may have. The Judges wife—– Olivia immediately tracks her down and gets a full confession.

The Wife, as it turns out, was a prostitute. She worked for the Madam. On her first night of “work” her “John” didn’t show up. Patrick Keating, then a young student, came into the bar and struck up a conversation. The two hit it off. She was immediately in love. The two began dating but she logged her time with Steven as if he were a “John”. Their relationship was picturesque and their love was pure. They didn’t even have sex until they were married. During their relationship she continued “working the night shift” with the Madam. She paid for his law school with the money she made “working”. Everything the straight laced judge has, he owed to his wife’s activities. If he knew, he would be distraught. Their whole life has been a lie. Olivia forces the wife to confess to her husband. He is crushed. They will lose everything now; their marriage is destroyed and he will never sit on the Supreme Court. But Olivia can’t simply leave it like that!

She assembles the prominent politicians on the Madam’s list and persuades them all that Patrick Keating is an excellent nominee and that he should sail through the nomination process, without much inspection. Even the politicians that were previously opposed to his nomination are persuaded to recant.Olivia Pope has saved the day!

A side plot also developed in which Olivia decided to represent the President’s mistress as a client. The poor woman tried to kill herself after Olivia threatened to destroy her life for “lying” about the President. After discovering that the girl’s story of an affair with the President was true, Olivia was compelled to make amends. A reporter is on the trail of the story and the young lady, will need protection.

THE MAYOR OF AMERICA: Heroic Mayor, Cory Booker Rescues Woman From Fire

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Newark New Jersey Mayor, Cory Booker is not only one of the nation’s most successful mayors but he is now a genuine hero. His miraculous of a woman from her burning home, has many calling him America’s Real Mayor (a simultaneous riff and diss on the title given to Rudy Giuliani of New York for his efforts during 9-11). The Assoicated Press is reporting that last night, upon returning from a Television Interview, Mayor Booker noticed that his neighbor’s home was on fire. Mayor Booker immediately sprung into action, along with his security detail. The men charged into the home, searching for victims. They headed for the second floor when Booker reports that “Suddenly [I] had the realization that I can’t find this woman. I look[ed] behind me and [I] see the flames and I think, I’m not going to get out of here. Suddenly, I was at peace with the fact that I was going to jump out the window. I just grabbed her and whipped her out of the bed“. The two made it to the front entrance, where they both collapsed.

Booker has been revered for his yeoman’s effort at transforming New Jersey. But these types of heroics can  propel spectacular politicians to the status of inevitable national figures. It may not be long until we see Booker 2016 (for President) T-shirts. Levity aside, we should all be grateful that Mayor Booker and his neighbor are alive and well.