Essential Observations

Civil Liberties

2009-09-17T10:14:00.002-05:00

Please go to the website of the American Civil Liberties Union. Spend at least 30 minutes on it, clicking on links of your choice. Specifically, what was the most interesting controversy/issue for you? Why?

The Change in Japan

2009-09-01T07:50:00.002-05:00

Please read this article and this analysis. What was the most important aspect of Japanese politics that you learned from these pieces? Why?

Oxfam

2009-04-20T22:03:00.002-05:00

Please go to the website of Oxfam International. Spend a few minutes on it, going to links of your choice. Briefly, list some new information you learned from the site. Why is this information important for international relations?

Primary Care Physicans

2009-04-15T09:29:00.003-05:00

Isn't one of the main problems for US health care the lack of primary care physicans? Why is this so? What can be done to solve this problem?

Oil and Iraq

2009-03-27T07:27:00.002-05:00

It looks like the future of Iraq will be influenced by the presence of multinational oil companies.

In what ways could their presence influence the future of Iraq? How could they influence the future relationship between Iraq and the USA?

Florida and Taxes

2009-02-23T23:20:00.001-05:00

Please read this editorial.

Here Comes the Government!

2009-02-23T22:29:00.001-05:00

Please read this article.

SJC chief justice says state courts are in crisis - The Boston Globe

2009-02-19T18:02:00.001-05:00

SJC chief justice says state courts are in crisis - The Boston Globe

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South Central Asia

2009-02-10T09:05:00.004-05:00

Please read this article.

What was the most important point that this article made about US foriegn policy in South Central Asia? Why?

Va. gov, House GOP leaders agree on smoking ban - Boston.com

2009-02-07T13:32:00.001-05:00

Va. gov, House GOP leaders agree on smoking ban - Boston.com

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State transit bill launches debate on restructuring plan - The Boston Globe

2009-02-07T13:04:00.001-05:00

State transit bill launches debate on restructuring plan - The Boston Globe

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In sweet shops, response to candy tax proposal is sour - The Boston Globe

2009-02-07T12:45:00.001-05:00

In sweet shops, response to candy tax proposal is sour - The Boston Globe

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The Nomination of Eric Holder

2008-12-02T20:23:00.003-05:00

Eric Holder has been nominated to become the next U.S. Attorney General. If confirmed, he will lead the U.S. Department of Justice. His nomination will be controversial because of his role in the Marc Rich pardon.

Should Holder be confirmed as the next Attorney General? Why or why not?

Details, Details, Details: Voting

2008-10-21T21:12:00.005-05:00

Please read this article. Is this article significant for the 2008 elections? What questions does this bring up for you? Please list your name and school.

Interest Groups

2008-10-15T15:24:00.006-05:00

Check out this interest group and this one. How do these websites help build support for their cause? Please remember to leave your name and school

Race in America- the 2008 Presidential Election

2008-09-23T21:02:00.006-05:00

Please read this blog entry. And this CNN story (with links to videos contained within it)on the the poll. What do you think? Will race play a significant role in the upcoming US Presidential election? If so, how might it? REMEMBER TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF

Democracy in America!

2008-07-16T12:07:00.001-05:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Obama wins...

2008-06-04T21:06:00.007-05:00

Obama is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a nice editorial about where we are now.

It truly was a historic night for America. This time, the chant of "The Whole World is Watching" was mostly positive, praising and admiring America's progressivism in Obama's becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee. Check out these newspaper headlines form across the globe.

Now comes the hard part; details. I was disappointed in a part of his speech dealing with Jerusalem this morning at the AIPAC conference. Is this pandering? Will it be be helpful to the Middle East peace process? Check out James Zogby's take.

However his judgement has been excellent on Iraq. His website says "judgement you can trust." Here's his plan on Iraq. I believe Obama has a tremendous opportunity to help make progressive change, if he can win. Who would have thought this opportuity would even be possible in November, 2004, after Bush was re-elected?

Responsibility and Poverty

2008-04-23T21:48:00.002-05:00

Please read this article on poverty aid. What is the most signifiacnt aspect of this article for international relations? Why?

Means and Ends

2008-04-23T21:19:00.009-05:00

What do you think of this editorial in The New York Times? Compare it to this on The Huffington Post. I think it is matter of timing. Tough, comparative and, yes, negative ads are part of today's political reality. But doesn't it make a difference WHO, or WHICH PARTY, is throwing the punches? Does self-restraint have ANY place within Democratic Party politics?

The AKP, Turkey and the European Union

2008-03-26T20:13:00.004-05:00

Please read this article. If the AKP is ruled an illegal party, what effect would that ruling have on Turkey's negotiations to join the European Union?

The Right to a Speedy Trial?

2008-03-09T19:01:00.006-05:00

Should the state of Maine suspended all criminal trials for six weeks starting on April 1st? Is this an acceptable solution to help solve the budget crisis? Why or why not?

John McCain and conservatives

2008-02-01T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Arizona Senator is now the frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination. However some conservatives don't believe he is one of them. Read this column. What were the two most important things you learned about McCain in this column. Why were they important to you?

The Caucuses are Coming!

2008-01-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

Maine will hold its Republican caucuses on February 1-3 and its Democratic caucuses on February 10. Do you want to participate? Click here for the Republicans, here for the Democrats and here for the Independent Greens. Remember, politics is not a spectator sport!

Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Nomination

2008-01-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

The battle is on for the Democratic nomination. Please read this article about Hillary Clinton and her race to win the White House. What were the two most surprising things you learned from this article? Why?

Well, something was happening, but not what I expected...

2008-01-08T23:09:00.000-05:00

Hillary wins New Hampshire.

Obama, Obama, Obama!

2008-01-08T16:38:00.000-05:00

It is happening! Now!

How Am I Doing?

2007-10-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

That's what most US presidents think during their presidency. Their popularity with the public is an important factor in how succesful they will be in accomplishing their objectives. Check out the popularity of our presidents: from our current occupant to Franklin Roosevelt. After that, check out this article on war and presidential popularity. How do you explain President Bush's low approval rating? Is it mostly related to the war in Iraq? Or their other factors involved? If so, what are they?

Can You Believe This?

2007-10-01T21:36:00.000-05:00

It looks like a part of the Bush Administration is seriously considering "limited" bombing of Iran. If such strikes were to occur, what would the Iranian response be (directly and indirectly)? What then might happen?

Ahmadinejad Comes to the USA

2007-09-24T09:31:00.000-05:00

Iraninan President Ahmadinejad is in New York City today. He is controversial, to say the least. What are your thoughts on what he might say, how he is being greeted, and what it all might mean to the future of the Middle East?

Starbucks: The "Image" of Social Responsibility?

2007-08-24T20:29:00.000-05:00

I must admit I like Starbucks coffee. I like the full-bodied taste and I also enjoy the pleasant atmosphere in a lot of their stores. I applaud them for treating their employees well and supporting progressive causes.

It is no secret that some progressives don't like the company because they feel they drive independent coffee shops out-of- business. Many also feel they represent a negative side to globalization through the homogenization of global culture.

However, there's another story out there that doesn't get much attention: Intellectual Property Rights, Royalties and Trademarks. The dispute is essentially over money and involves a very poor country and a very rich company. This shouldn't come as a surprise to many: there were lobbying, public relations and the refrain of social responsibility.

Recently, Ethiopia and Starbucks had a dispute over these issues with a mutually beneficial "agreement" being reached in June. Was this agreement fair? To whom? Will we ever know? Should consumers care how much money a coffee farmer receives from every cup they purchase?

The Late, Great Tom Snyder

2007-08-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

Tom Snyder was one of my favorite broadcasters ever. He was one of the best, and original, TV personalities when I was growing up in the 1970s. Anybody else remember him?

Haiti

2007-08-06T10:05:00.000-05:00

Haiti. The poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Median age is 18.4 years. Life expectancy at birth: 57 years. Approximately 53% literacy rate. Infant mortality rate: almost 64 deaths per 1,000 live births. GDP per capita:$1,800 External Debt: $1.3 billion. "80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty." Source: CIA World fact Book. The process of reform is slow and difficult, filled with many reverses.Isn't time to for the international community to start paying more attention to Haiti? If it doesn't, why should anyone be surprised when another crisis erupts there?

Albert Gonzales: Time to Take the Bus Back to Texas?

2007-07-26T20:03:00.000-05:00

This is what President-Elect George W. Bush said, as reported by the New York Times (p. A23) on Decemember 18, 2000 "...I'm proud to announce that Al Gonzales, Supreme Court justice of Texas, has agreed to become my White House counsel....Al is a man who has only one standard in mind when it comes to ethics, and that is the highest of high standards..."

Given his current controversy, isn't it time for him to resign? If he won't, and a special prosecutor isn't named, then does Congress need to impeach him? Or should it go back to the past and pass new legislation creating an independent prosecutor?

Should the Middle East Conference be held NOW?

2007-07-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

It seems the word wants to forget the month of August. Thus a lot of political moves that are controversial (to say the least) are done in that month... ie, it is when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Can the Middle East wait until September? Why doesn't President Bush make a bold move and call a mid-August peace conference smack in the middle of the heat? Yes, it would disrupt the natural flow of August. But don't things in the Middle East need a positive, yet deliberate, intervention now?

No Jail for Libby

2007-07-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

How will President Bush's decision commuting Libby's prison sentence affect the 2008 elections? Will it be just a blip on the screen, largely forgotten in a few months or will it add to the perception that he wants to cover up how his administration got us into the Iraq War?

Waterloo

2007-06-30T10:41:00.001-05:00

Pop Culture Meets Political Reality...

Immigration Reform

2007-06-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

The Immigration Reform Bill, or "Amnesty" Bill is being discussed in the U.S. Senate this week. The speechs are red-hot. Should it be passed, or should it be defeated?