As the first National Tea Party Convention fired up in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend, I mused to a few friends that the “revolution will be televised.” I was curious as to what would be the prevailing theme coming out of this first convention. It seemed I got my answer within the first few hours. Not only was this being “televised,” but it was choking itself on all of the cable wires. Tom Tancredo set the tone and tenor for the entire weekend, by saying that Barack Obama was only elected president because “we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country”.
“Literacy Tests,” were used during segregation by Southern states to prevent Blacks from voting. Prior to 1965, southern states maintained an elaborate system to deny Blacks, and other non-whites,their ability to vote. As explained by The Veteran’s Civil Rights Movement:
Check out a great archive of super spots from Adland. Football season is over. I’m trying to drag it out as long as possible. Here’s my favorite spot from last night:
There are so many ways I can go here. I’m going to go with irony. In her speech last night to the Tea Partiers, Palin blasted President Obama for his usage of teleprompters. Yet her talking points were clearly visible, etched in black marker on her left hand. Full of hypocrisy, signifying nothing. Check out the former governor in her question and answer period after her speech. Even with the doting, slobbering crowd– and the easy questions tossed right down the middle of the plate– she still had to look down at her hand, because she couldn’t remember what the hell to say. Watch it:
The battle between sex education and abstinence teaching rages on after a recent study concluded that teenage birth rates increased at the end of the Bush administration– giving fodder to those pro-contraceptive folks who believe that ignoring the use of contraceptives is the wrong play. When I was in high school, abstinence seemed the furthest thing from my mind– and the very notion of anyone preaching it was quickly shot down. The support system I had back then encouraged independent thought, but they cautioned against thought without consequence. I didn’t feel abstinence was practical.
A recent study concluded by Kirby suggests several important memes to the reduction in teen births and STD’s, and understanding the elements that are successful in the approach. Below are a few examples:
•sex and HIV education programs with certain qualities;
•some clinic-patient protocols that focus on sexual behavior;
•service learning programs that include both intensive voluntary service and ongoing small-group discussions about the service; and
•the Children’s Aid Society-Carrera programs (CAS-Carrera programs), which include multiple youth development components, health services and close relationships with the staff.
Sounds good in theory, but the issue then is participation. Not every teen would be made available for this type of process. Some parents might feel as if these programs were an intrusion in their personal space as. Plus, it seems hard to counter the social norms of teenagers as evidenced by the burgeoning birthrate. As I said earlier, it seemed pretty cut and dry to me to use protection. It wasn’t as if I ignored all the jargon, I just made an easy, effective choice for me.
Here’s a little link love to get you through your day. Or bore you. You make the call.
Republicans are up in arms about the Christmas bomber being read his Miranda rights. The Bush administration did the same with the shoe bomber, and he was the most safest president ever!
Uh-oh! The president is planning to raise taxes on the middle class secretly, says Drudge Report. Wait. Upon further review… Oh hell! Let’s run with the story anyway!
This is from Daniel Pipes, National Review Online columnist:
I do not customarily offer advice to a president whose election I opposed, whose goals I fear, and whose policies I work against. But here is an idea for Barack Obama to salvage his tottering administration by taking a step that protects the United States and its allies….
…This poor performance has caused an unprecedented collapse in the polls and the loss of three major by-elections, culminating two weeks ago in an astonishing senatorial defeat in Massachusetts. Obama’s attempts to “reset” his presidency will likely fail if he focuses on economics, where he is just one of many players.
He needs a dramatic gesture to change the public perception of him as a light-weight, bumbling ideologue, preferably in an arena where the stakes are high, where he can take charge, and where he can trump expectations.
…He failed to deliver on employment and health care, he failed in foreign-policy forays small (e.g., landing the 2016 Olympics) and large (relations with China and Japan).
Such an opportunity does exist: Obama can give orders for the U.S. military to destroy Iran’s nuclear-weapon capacity.
In honor of Black History Month, wrightandleftreport is highlighting the remarkable achievements, inventions, and ideas of Black Americans– that have enriched our great American history and legacy.
On February 2nd, 1897, Alfred L. Cralle invented the ice cram scooper, and patented the ice cream mold.
If you watched or heard anything from Friday’s monumental meeting between President Barack Obama and House Republicans, then you may have come away impressed. In today’s heavily covered political landscape, pure political gamesmanship is going the way of the dodo and the brontosaurus. The art of deftly pointing and counter-pointing your political rival doesn’t make for riveting television– so it’s often left out of the equation. The media deems John Edwards’ transgressions against his wife juicy fodder for consumption by the masses. I suppose it does grade out as newsworthy. But what I witnessed Friday was real political theater, worthy of the mainstream media stage.
I also discovered something about this president. Intelligence matters. Intelligence in men or women in positions of authority matter. Intelligence int he oval office matters tremendously. Here’s why.
I remember this ad, which ran during the Super Bowl in 2007. It’s subtext was pretty clear, yet CBS felt it was a suitable ad for public consumption. Take a look:
Flash forward to the present, and CBS’s refusal to air an ad for the gay dating site Mancrunch. Watch it:
Pretty similar ad no? To me, there is no subtlety to what CBS is doing. They’re blatantly catering to homophobic fears. Why air one ad and not the other? I suppose it’s okay to air an ad with a man on man kiss– if it’s portrayed as a puerile display of anti-homosexual stereotyping. Thumbs dumb CBS.
"This isn’t about rights. This isn’t about fairness. It’s all about national security. And apparently, Mr. Obama has forgotten it. … Now, here’s what’s next. NAMBLA [North American Man/Boy Love Association] members, same-sex marriages. Are chaplains in the U.S. military going to be required to perform those kinds of rituals? Do they get government housing?" - Oliver North
As the first National Tea Party Convention fired up in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend, I mused to a few friends that the “revolution will be televised.” I was curious as to what would be the prevailing theme coming out of this first convention. It seemed I got my answer within the first few hours. Not only was this being “televised,” but it was choking itself on all of the cable wires. Tom Tancredo set the tone and tenor for the entire weekend, by saying that Barack Obama was only elected president because “we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country”.
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