Liberty University has prohibited privileges granted to other student organizations, and these privileges where denied based solely on what the organization believes. Did Liberty deny recognition to a white supremacy group, or did Liberty not allow an anti-Semitic organization to use the universities name in association with their group? The university has denied the College Democrats to ability to use the university's name or to receive any funding from the university, based on their support of candidates.
According to a Liberty press release, the College Democrats are allowed to meet on campus, however the student group could no longer identify with the university and the university will no longer sponsor or endorse the group. The university has stated that this would be a better situation for the student group because they did not have to gain approval for meetings and could endorse candidates that are pro-life. However, this also means that the student group cannot participate in promoting their group on campus, and will not be allowed to invite speakers or hold any other events besides the unofficial meetings.
According to a National Public Radio (NPR) report, the chancellor of the university, Jerry Falwell, Jr., said that ""It's not about Democrat/Republican. It's about protecting the sanctity of life." Falwell stated that the reason the student group is not longer recognized was because of its support for pro-choice candidates and candidates that support gay rights. The College Democrats on campus have not publically endorsed abortion rights or same-sex marriage, and in fact the group's constitution expresses their opposition to those policies. In the NPR report Brian Diaz, the President of the College Democrats, said that "Jesus talked about the poor more than he did about abortion or gay marriage."
According to another article in the Washington Post, Diaz stated that the group's constitution, which was approved by university officials, gives the group latitude to endorse candidates. Both the College Democrats and the College Republicans endorsed candidates. Also, according to the same article the two groups where preparing to organize anti-abortion events this fall.
President Barack Obama likes to make history. Yesterday Obama announced Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for Supreme Court Justice; Sotomayor, if confirmed by the Senate, will be only the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court and the first person of Latin descent. Within the first twenty-four hours of the announcement the conservative voices began to attack Sotomayor, and the attacks have little if anything to do with substance and everything to do with sexism and racism. However, most of the mainstream media and even most of the alternative media will not call these attacks what they are.
There have been the expected references to Judge Sotomayor being a liberal and an activist judge, and these labels would have been applied to whatever nominee President Obama would have announced. However, there have been questions raised about her intellect and her temperament, questions that are completely centered in sexism. From all of the usual suspects these questions have been raised about a woman with impeccable credentials, a woman that graduated with honors from two of the most prestigious universities in the country. None of these same questions where raised about any of the previous male nominees. Also, this idea of temperament has a mixture of both sexism and racism. Women who achieve higher positions of authority are often painted as less feminine, and as being overly aggressive. There is also the racial stereotype of the angry Latin woman, a stereotype that is often specifically perpetuated about Puerto Rican women.
Judge Sotomayor has also already been labeled as a racist, or even the ridiculous label of reverse racist, because of the Ricci v New Haven case in which the New Haven fire department through out promotion exams because it was deemed racial bias. There is also the quote that the conservatives are already repeating with regularity. Sotomayor said in 2001 that, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." That sound you heard was every conservative white man clinching his fist at the idea that a Latina could actually reach a better conclusion than them.
A couple of weeks ago, Sarah from Public Citizen blogged about how San Antonio Democratic Congressman Charlie Gonzalez wanted to give away pollution credits for free. As Sarah wrote:
Charlie Gonzalez just doesn't have his facts straight on this one. If you're really concerned about consumers, giving away pollution credits for free is about the worst way you can write this bill. Giving away allowances would force customers to pay for industry and utilities' right to pollute without even cutting carbon emissions. There is a right and a very wrong way to write a good climate change bill, and Charlie is supporting the wrong way.
EPA's most recent analysis say that giving away pollution credits is "highly regressive", meaning it hurts low-income families the most. At best, this is a bailout and a free ride for the polluters. At worst it will create windfall profits for huge energy companies at the expense of every lower and middle income family in Texas.
Others have taken notice. VoteVets.org have produced a television ad urging Congressman Charlie Gonzalez to support clean energy initiatives. According to their release, the ad will run in the San Antonio cable market over 600 times. (A similar ad is running in Congressman Gen Green's district). Take a look at this excellent ad:
The speaker is Patrick Bellon, an Iraq War Veteran from Texas. In the press release announcing the ad, Bellon remarked:
“Getting America less dependent on foreign oil and towards clean energy is a national security matter,” said Bellon, who also is a member of VoteVets.org. “Congressman Gonzalez has a chance to vote for a comprehensive clean energy jobs bill that would lessen those Middle East oil profits that help fund terrorism, and would create jobs right here. As someone who’s fought against insurgents in Iraq, this bill is a no brainer, and we’re hoping the Congressman feels the same way.”
(John is doing great work to help organize Democratic activists for the two State Board of Education elections in Travis County in November 2010. Get involved early and help make a difference! - promoted by Katherine Haenschen)
State Board of Education Forums at Yarborough For Saturday May 2, 11:45-1:15 pm
"Why You Should Care about the State Board of Education"
Julie Cowan is the proud mother of three Anderson high school students. She has served as PTA president at Anderson High School (currently), Murchison Middle School, and Doss Elementary School. She has served AISD in numerous capacities, most recently participating on the 2008 Citizens' Bond Advisory Committee, 2007 Middle School Strategic Planning Task Force, and 2007 and 2008 Budget Committees. In addition to supporting public education, Julie served the Travis County Medical Alliance as president. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Julie has a BA in Political Science, a BFA in Public Relations, and a Texas Teaching Certificate. Julie is married to Dr. Rob Cowan, a board certified OB/Gyn.
Alana Morris works in K-12 public education in suburban Houston. Her over twenty years of public school experience in Texas, includes work both as a classroom teacher and as a district-literacy specialist. She is author of Vocabulary Unplugged, and past president of both the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language and the Coalition of Reading and English Supervisors of Texas. Alana was appointed by the SBOE as a work-group specialist for the most recent revisions of TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading. This service led her to testify before the SBOE, and got her fired up enough to testify before both education committees of the Texas legislature. Because of their leadership, Alana and two colleagues were given an Intellectual Freedom award from the National Council of Teachers of English.
Dr. Ronald Wetherington is professor of anthropology, and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Southern Methodist University. He received a B.A. in zoology from Texas Tech and an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan. In the Spring of 2009 he served as one of six special science advisors to our State Board of Education. The Texas Freedom Network gave its 2009 Grassroots Hero Award to Dr. Wetherington, saying that he is :a "dedicated individual who exemplifies Texas Freedom Network's work to Stand Up for Science", and adding that "whether working behind the scenes to patiently educate board members or in front of the cameras making a vocal case for science standards free from creationist ideology, Dr. Wetherington has worked tirelessly to ensure Texas students have a rigorous science curriculum that will prepare them for the 21st century."
Forums are at Yarborough Public Library, 2200 Hancock Dr., Austin, TX 78756, on the first Saturdays of each month from February-November, 2009, except for July and September when the library is closed for holidays. Forums are always from 11:45am - 1:15pm. All forums are free, and open to the public.
Coming in August: Laura Ewing(D) from Galveston county, and Patricia Hardy(R) from Tarrant county on "What You Should Know Before You Run for the State Board of Education". Each has run for the SBOE, where Ms. Hardy represents SBOE-11.
For more information, contact John Keohane keohane@prodigy.net (512) 371-3853
I was recently having a conversation with a fellow student, and we were talking about the debate in Texas about whether or not students should be allowed to carry concealed guns on campus. This student and I happen to share the same view that concealed guns should not be allowed on campus, and this view happens to be one of the few that we have in common. I am a liberal, and he is a conservative. I vote Democrat, and he votes Republican.
This fellow student then recounted a story to me about a conversation he had with one of his professors on the subject of concealed guns on campus. When he told this professor that he was against allowing students to carry concealed guns on college campuses the professor asked him if he was a liberal. The student told the professor that he was a conservative and a Republican, but that he was pro gun control and pro choice. "You're a conservative Democrat."
Monday marks the 70th day of President Barack Obama's presidency. I thought it would be interesting to look back at how we got here and -- more importantly -- to examine exactly what his administration has achieved over the past seventy days.
How Barack Obama Won
By now, most of us can list the reasons how President Obama won the 2008 election. However, it is always a good policy to find solid research and reporting that source those reasons. Chronicling the events of history allows us to remain an informed citizenry -- and gives us data points for understanding how to model future success from best practices of the past.
The following are a selection of readings discussing how President Barack Obama won the 2008 election:
Newsweek's Secrets of the 2008 Campaign -- A very long, extensive series of articles on the 2008 election. The link will direct you to the first chapter in the series, titled, "How He Did It." There are seven chapters overall -- just above the article headline are links to the other chapters -- which discuss Obama vs. Clinton, McCain emerging from the primary, Sarah Palin, the final days, etc.
"The Man Who Made Obama" (Esquire) -- This extensive profile of David Plouffe tellsl the story of the campaign through the eyes of one of the architects that thought it all through and helped make it all happen.
E.Politics Series on Obama & the Internet -- This is an excellent series that breaks down exactly how Obama used the internet to win his election. The series contains a series of hyperlinks; reading it will naturally lead the reader to shorter stories about Obama's campaign and the internet. Within the wide-ranging series, the following are some of the most useful links:
Those are just a small collection of the resources that already exist explaining how President Barack Obama won. If you have other good resources you would like to share, please leave a comment below and share them with the community.
Early Successes of the President Barack Obama Administration
President Obama continues to encourage patience on the single most dominant issue facing the country: the economic crisis. Rarely a day goes by that he does not remind the American public about the challenges ahead over the coming years. Though the stimulus package passed through Congress in mid-February remains the trademark piece of legislation, there are numerous other policies he has signed off on that have clearly demonstrated a departure from the President Bush-era of governance.
The following are a sample of the legislative highlights and early successes of President Obama's administration:
The Act specifies that 37% of the package is to be devoted to tax cuts equaling $288 billion and $144 billion or 18% is allocated to state and local fiscal relief (more than 90% of the state aid is going to Medicaid and education). 45% or $357 billion is allocated to federal social programs and federal spending programs.
Expansion of SCHIP - The law, which was vetoed twice by President Bush, expands health care coverage for 4 million children, in addition to the 6 million children already enrolled in the program.
Lifts Ban on Stem Cell Research - President Obama's executive order rescinds the previous policy of the Bush administration and, as it states:
The purpose of this order is to remove these limitations on scientific inquiry, to expand NIH support for the exploration of human stem cell research, and in so doing to enhance the contribution of America's scientists to important new discoveries and new therapies for the benefit of humankind.
Removal of Abortion-Related Rules for Foreign Aid Groups - The memorandum signed by President Obama will end "prohibition on supplying federal family-planning funds and contraceptives to international aid groups that provide abortions, abortion referrals or abortion counseling."
It is the policy of the Federal Government to encourage executive agencies to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects in order to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.
Overturns President Bush's Endangered Species Rule - The new rule restores the practice -- which President Bush ended -- that agencies must check with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine if new projects will affect the livelihood of endangered species.
Those are just some of the new laws, rules, and policies President Obama has ushered through in his first 70 days in office. Though there remains tremendous work to do, I sincerely believe that he has done excellent so far, and have confidence that he will continue to do his best going forward.
Brazos Valley Stimulus: How much Bryan and College Station have requested in stimulus projects.
According to Stimulus Watch.org Bryan has requested $46.5 million, College Station has requested $36.2 million, Waco has requested $81.55 million and overall Texas has requested $10,775,423,039.
All of the projects that Bryan has requested funds for are for water improvements. Bryan has requested $13 million for improvements to the Burton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was built in 2004 for $1.2 million dollars, and another $13 million to construct the Thompson's Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Also $6.5 million has been requested for improvement to Still Creek sewer; $1.5 million for a Highway 47 waterline extension, $1.5 million for a Highway 21 waterline extension and $1.5 million for a Well 19 collection line.
Bryan also requested $4 million for 5 million and 1 million gallon ground storage tank, and another $5.5 million for a Westside Interceptor. Bryan did not include the number of estimate jobs created in the stimulus project request.
College Station has requested $9 million for "pedestrian improvements" to Northgate, which the city estimates will create twenty-five jobs; $4.2 million was requested for Northgate park improvements that the city estimates will create 31.5 jobs. Another $2 million was request for improvements to Tauber Street and Stasney Street off of University Drive, which the city estimates will create six jobs.
College Station also requested $4 million for mixed-use development and another $2 million for utility-line burying on Holleman Drive; the city estimates that these projects will create a total of 75 new jobs.
The project that is estimated to create the most amount of jobs is the Community Center project that College Station requested $7 million for; this project is estimated to create 120 jobs. The project that could possibly be most beneficial to the community is $8 million that was requested for affordable housing development that is estimated to create 40 jobs and help several people attain affordable housing.
How much and where the stimulus money is going in Texas under the cut...
A Gallup.com poll released today shows that there are only 5 states left with a statistically significant Republican majority. Texas is not among them. In fact, they said:
In contrast, only five states had solid or leaning Republican orientations in 2008, with Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Alaska in the former group, and Nebraska in the latter.
The most balanced political states in 2008 were Texas (+2 Democratic), South Dakota (+1), Mississippi (+1), North Dakota (+1), South Carolina (even), Arizona (even), Alabama (+1 Republican), and Kansas (+2 Republican).
I can't read this with the eye of a statistician, but did find it cool that they sampled the cell-phone-only crowd.
How exciting for Texas! Now we get these folks out to vote.
This December, Wake Up Wal-Mart is going all out with our annual Holiday Campaign to awaken America's largest retailer to its responsibilities. Here is a peek at our second TV ad for 2008's holiday season:
Titled Wal-Mart: America Just Can't Afford It Any Longer, the ad focuses on the hidden costs of shopping at Wal-Mart:
