American Civilization

Robert Kennedy died.  That was 26 hours after he was shot in Los Angeles, California.  He had just won the California primary in his bid to become the Democratic Party nominee for the presidency when he was assassinated.

Let’s hope history does NOT repeat itself.  When I listened to people’s responses to the elevation of Barack Obama to this year’s Democratic candidate for the presidency, I was struck by how many people – especially African-Americans – are very concerned for the safety of Obama and his family.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/mental-disorders-medicine-europe.html zp-pdl.com

Finally! It looks like there’s a Democratic nominee for this November’s race for the American presidency. According to NPR,
« Obama reached the milestone as polls closed in South Dakota, which, along with Montana, were the last two states to hold nominating contests in a process that began in Iowa in January. Obama was projected to have reached the magic threshold of 2,118 delegates needed to become the Democrat’s 2008 nominee, based on a pledged delegate total of at least 1,756 and a superdelegate total of at least 366. His overall delegate total is now 2,122. »

Clinton has said that she will not make any decision or statement tonight. However, she has suggested to some supporters and colleagues that she would be willing to accept a bid for the vice presidency.

After all Obama and Clinton have been through during these last months, I wonder if they could work together as a team.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://otc-certified-store.com https://zp-pdl.com

There’s more news today from California about gay marriage.  First of all, there’s now a date for when the marriages can begin.  It was announced today that California counties can begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 17. 

And, that wasn’t the only piece of news on the topic of gay marriage.  In a new survey announced today by the Field Poll, California voters agree by a slim majority that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.  Those numbers suggest a dramatic reverse in public opinion.

By 51-42 percent, registered voters said they believed same-sex marriage should be legal in California.  When the Field Poll first asked that question in 1977, only 28 percent  favored gay marriage. 

According to the poll, younger voters and those living in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other Democratic urban strongholds were the most supportive of same-sex marriage, while older voters and those living in the more conservative inland areas were more opposed.

However, not everyone agrees with these numbers.  A statewide Los Angeles Times/KTLA Poll released last week showed different results: 54 percent of registered voters said they would support the initiative that would change the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

What’s the status of gay marriage in France?  What are your thoughts on the subject?

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/beauty-products-medicine-usa.html https://zp-pdl.com/apply-for-payday-loan-online.php

Yesterday, California’s Supreme Court overturned a state law that allowed only opposite-sex couples to marry.  That 4-3 ruling has, in effect, set the foundation for legal gay marriages.  Up until now, the state of Massachusetts has been the only state to consider such unions as legal. 

This decision resulted even though 6 of the 7 justices are Republican appointees.  In the United States the Republican Party is considered to be more conservative. Does this decision suggest that cultural values have really changed for the majority of Americans?

According to the San Francisco Chronicle reporter Bob Egelko, the state Constitution’s guarantees of personal privacy and autonomy protect « the right of an individual to establish a legally recognized family with the person of one’s choice, » said Chief Justice Ronald George, who wrote the 121-page majority opinion. He said the Constitution « properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as opposite-sex couples. »

Even one of the dissenting justices, Carol Corrigan, wrote a separate dissent.  Her separate dissent said that the court should not invalidate the ban but that « Californians should allow our gay and lesbian neighbors to call their unions marriages. »

It’s not clear exactly what this decision means in terms of practice.  There is a 30 day period before this legal decision becomes final. 

Also, some fear that the opposition to such a reform will have a major effect on the elections in November.  It’s expected that there will be a state constitutional amendment on the November ballot which would ban same-sex marriage.  That could bring out lots of more conservative voters and impact the presidential election. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/mental-disorders-medicine-usa.html https://www.zp-pdl.com

I was shocked to hear America’s First Lady, Laura Bush, state strong opinions today.  While she has devoted herself to a number of causes during her husband’s presidency, she’s usually been the quiet type, the prototype of a traditional First Lady.

But not today!  Today she was extremely – and publicly – critical of the government of Burma.  Not only did she attack the government for not warning the Burmese people of the approaching cyclone, she also criticized the military government’s reluctance to accept much needed international aid.  She also took the opportunity to condemn the military junta’s failure to meet the basic needs of its people and to deny democratic rights to the citizens of Burma.

Bush said she has been interested in the situation in Burma for some time.  Her interest began when she read about Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for her efforts to establish democracy in her country.  

For more information about her comments, click here.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html https://zp-pdl.com/fast-and-easy-payday-loans-online.php

I’m guessing I’m not alone, but I’m definitely ready for this presidential primary process to be over. Once upon a time I was excited and enthusiastic about the upcoming election, but no more. It’s just taking too long, with too much spin about nothing.

As much as I love summer time, I almost wish summer would be over. That would mean that both the Democratic and Republican parties would have held their conventions and that there would be an actual candidate for America’s next president. And, each candidate would have selected a running mate, the person to be vice president in the next administration. That will add a new element to the election season.

But, meanwhile, most news coverage continues to focus on the primary campaigns, trying to create unnecessary drama, as opposed reporting on other news of the world. I’m ready for more variety from the news media. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html https://zp-pdl.com/how-to-get-fast-payday-loan-online.php

Today the Supreme Court made an important decision on the issue of capital punishment. The Court upheld the use of death by lethal injection. Not only will this decision affect the particular court case from Kentucky, but it will also make it likely that other states will resume executions.

There has been an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment in 35 other states as this case worked its way through the courts. Prisoners had contended that the three drug procedure used on death row was unconstitutional based on the 8^th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Of the 36 states which use the death penalty, nearly all of them use the same three drug procedure. And, now these states have been given the go ahead by the Supreme Court.

It was by a 7 to 2 vote that the court rejected this challenge to the Kentucky execution procedure. The majority of the court felt that the challengers had failed to show that the risks of pain from mistakes in an otherwise “humane lethal execution protocol” amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

One of the justices, John Paul Stevens, even though he sided with the majority view, is hopeful that this decision might lead to a further examination of capital punishment, which he believes is in itself unconstitutional.

However, this decision only further shows the long term impact of George Bush’s presidency. His two court appointees have created a more conservative Supreme Court. And, regardless of what happens in the November presidential election, the new members of the court will be around for a long time. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html zp-pdl.com

The big news in the Bay Area is that the Olympic torch will be here next Wednesday, making its only U.S. appearance on its way to Beijing. The anticipated arrival of the torch has been accompanied by quite a lot of controversy. Many want to use the occasion as an opportunity to protest China’s poor record on human rights issues, including the government’s recent response to demonstrations in Tibet. Others want to highlight China’s emergence as a world power and to celebrate the athletes who will participate in the Olympics.

After an opening ceremony, the torch will meander through downtown San Francisco – occasionally along the water front – on a six mile route with a closing ceremony at the end. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid disruption, both the opening and closing ceremonies have been shortened to about 15 – 20 minutes each.

The mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, wants to provide an event which will balance the interest of all parties, both those who want to protest and those who want to celebrate. Listen to an interview with him here. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/antibiotics-medicine-europe.html https://zp-pdl.com/emergency-payday-loans.php

This “Pizza Delivery” video has become really popular on youtube.  And, the main reason I know about that is that the young man who plays the pizza delivery guy is the son of a friend of mine.

In the film the actor is satirizing David Sedaris.  Sedaris is a playwright and a regular commentator for National Public Radio. He is also the author of the bestselling Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays on Ice, and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He travels extensively though Europe and the United States on lecture tours and lives in France.

 Actually, much of the recent work of Sedaris does focus on France.  So, I’m curious.  Have you ever heard of him?

Read more about David Sedaris here. 

And, now watch the video « David Sedaris delivers a pizza. »
Merci d'activer Javascript et Flash pour voir cette vidéo Flash.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/hiv-medicine-europe.html https://zp-pdl.com/how-to-get-fast-payday-loan-online.php

I’m guessing that most people know that Barack Obama made a speech this week about race in America.  After comments – some quite sensational – attributed to his former pastor, Obama had to do something.  And, regardless of one’s preference for the Democratic nominee, Obama took the opportunity both to show leadership and to show that he doesn’t shy away from tough questions.  

My favorite part of the speech occurred at the end when he told the story of Ashley, a young campaign organizer in Florence, South Carolina. Here’s a transcript of that part of the speech:

“There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.
Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, « I am here because of Ashley.’ ” 

So, maybe I’m just sentimental. Or maybe I’m just hopeful about the future of racial unity in America.  But, I found myself crying at the end of that speech.

If you’d like to hear the complete speech, click here.

http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com https://zp-pdl.com/fast-and-easy-payday-loans-online.php