Politics

Online Bailout Outrage Jumps to Streets, and Into Lawmakers' Inboxes

Posted by Shemuses from Blog.wired

An e-mail that began as a rallying cry from a lone journalist to an influential circle of friends to protest the U.S. government bailout of Wall Street has ignited a national day of street protests. Some demonstrators plan to dump their rubbish in front of the bronze bull sculpture near Wall Street in downtown Manhattan Thursday. "People are going to bring their own personal junk that they think is worth as much as the junk financial instruments that the government is proposing to buy from the Wall Street banks," says Andrew Boyd, an activist and freelance online-video artist for nonprofit groups in Manhattan.

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Afro-Netizen: Afro-Netizen covers the 2008 Clinton Global Initiative: What a difference a year makes

Posted by Shemuses

On Wednesday morning, I attended the first full day session of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an annual meeting of world leaders, corporate executives, NGO representatives, foundations and research institutions. Timed to coincide with the opening session of the UN General Assembly, CGI's goal is to link these various organizations in an effort to direct resources towards sustainable solutions to some of the most vexing global problems.

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Dirty Secret Of The Bailout: Thirty-Two Words That None Dare Utter

Posted by thaimat from Huffington Post

American taxpayers get the shaft, and the bill, once again

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Palin And Alaska Native Women

Posted by Shemuses

Reports are saying that Palin's stands on issues of abortion and sex education may be attracting evangelical voters and perhaps scaring off Clinton supporters. What we haven't heard much about, though, is how her positions on women's health have played out in Palin's home state. Alaska's population is 15.4 percent Alaska Native or Native American - the largest percentage of any U.S. state. That's relevant to a discussion on women's issues for a few big reasons. The rate of rape and sexual assault among Indian women is 3.5 times higher than among women of any other racial group in America. In addition, sexual assault victims in Indian country frequently lack access to basic health resources, including rape kits and screening for sexually transmitted diseases.

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McCain’s Camp Tests Fund-Raising Limits

Posted by Shemuses from New York Times

Senator John McCain toiled for years to push a campaign finance overhaul through Congress. After the measure finally passed, Trevor Potter, a lawyer and vigorous advocate for reforming the system, was instrumental in defending the law from challenges and pressing for strict enforcement. Now, as Mr. McCain makes his final sprint for the White House, Mr. Potter is again helping Mr. McCain, but this time by maneuvering to wring the maximum out of campaign finance laws in ways that some contend are at odds with the spirit of the reforms they championed.

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Why the Polls Drive Us Crazy (and Shouldn't)

Posted by Shemuses from Alternet

If you've been on an emotional roller coaster, you might want to disembark. There was a lot of talk last week about John McCain's "momentum" -- about the Republican brand rebounding. Then, this week, the storm clouds parted and the sun shone down on progressive America as Obama seemingly regained his mojo. Now he has

back into the lead!

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The Conservative Mind: Political Viewpoints Linked To Fear

Posted by Jeff from Slashdot

Researchers writing in Science report that the political orientation of test subjects who have strong views is linked to how easy they are to startle. They found that subjects who were more fearful were more likely to have right wing views, such as being in favor of capital punishment and higher defense budgets. The researchers suggest that this psychological difference is why it is so difficult to change people's minds in political arguments.

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