Well that seems to be the story of my life. I completely forgot about this final blog. I'm here now though, just a day late.
I can not believe that this is my last blog. The time has flown by. This has been a great experience that I would not trade for anything. That being said, this will be my last blog post. It has been a wonderful learning experience but it was just that, a learning experience. I have learned a lot this semester and that knowledge will help me in the future. Coming into this most of my writing was technical writing and not academic writing. Believe it or not they are completely different. Technical writing is almost like writing directions and academic writing is proving a point. After these 15 or 16 weeks I believe I am a more well rounded writer with a few more tools in my toolbox.
As I said this is my last post. Take it easy everyone and look for me in the 2020 Olympics.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Drone Strikes, Fair or Foul?
Since 2004 the CIA has launched 337 drone strikes in Pakistan(New America). Forty five of those strikes have killed fifty one leaders of militant groups. There are two schools of thought on the subject of drone strikes. One is that it is good to take the leaders of terror groups out. While the other side thinks that it would be better to send in a team of people to capture the leaders and try to get information out of them.There are certain risks and advantages involved with both.
One of the main advantages of the drone strikes is the certain level of safety. The drone can be controlled from many miles away so there is very little risk of any US service man or woman getting killed or wounded. A price tag can not be put on the life a service member. Their safety should be the first thing on every American's mind.
A disadvantage of drone strikes is the chance or collateral damage. It is common practice of militants to put their bases next to places with a large volume of civilians. When a missile hits its target it creates a lot of damage and unfortunately civilians are sometimes involved. As the drone strikes have gone on the US has gotten better at minimizing the damage but we cannot completely eliminate it.
One of the main advantages of the drone strikes is the certain level of safety. The drone can be controlled from many miles away so there is very little risk of any US service man or woman getting killed or wounded. A price tag can not be put on the life a service member. Their safety should be the first thing on every American's mind.
A disadvantage of drone strikes is the chance or collateral damage. It is common practice of militants to put their bases next to places with a large volume of civilians. When a missile hits its target it creates a lot of damage and unfortunately civilians are sometimes involved. As the drone strikes have gone on the US has gotten better at minimizing the damage but we cannot completely eliminate it.
Works Cited
New America Foundation. The Year of the Drone.
2012. 14 November 2012
<http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/about/militants>.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Its over
Well we know who won the election. Obama will be our president through 2016. As of right now(Florida is still too close to call) he has 303 electoral votes and Romney has 203. Although Obama won by 100 electoral votes it was a much closer race than that. If you look at this view of an electoral map you can see that there is a fairly even distribution of red and blue states. The races in a few swing states were super close also.
The results in Virginia were very close. Every vote counted here. Obama won Virginia by a little over 100,000 votes. In a state that populated that is very close. What is interesting is that some of the rural counties that normally tend to vote democrat went to Romney. Also is seems that northern Virginia specifically Fairfax and Loudoun county are close to the epicenter of the democratic growth in Virginia. That should be an interesting trend to watch.
North Carolina was also an extremely close race. With Romney winning it by under 100,00 votes. Again North Carolina was another state where every vote counted.
One state that was very interesting to watch last night was Ohio. Most people believed that Romney needed Ohio to win the race. Obama jumped out to a very early lead when the early election ballots and when the live ballots came in the race tightened up. Something that surprised me is that when Ohio was called for Obama, he was only up by something like 962 votes. I find it absolutely amazing the mathematicians could call it when it was that close.
The Aftermath
Well after hundreds of millions of dollars spent not a lot has changed. Obama is still president. The democrats still control the senate and the republicans control the house. Seems kind of like a waste to me.
As we the people look forward to the future there are some super challenges ahead for us all. We have a rising threat in Iran. A huge debt from China. We have not passed a budget in four years. Our politicians refuse to work together and sequestration looming on the horizon. These will be a tough four years for American, but we can rise through them and continue to be great. We must stick together and hold our politicians accountable for their actions.
The results in Virginia were very close. Every vote counted here. Obama won Virginia by a little over 100,000 votes. In a state that populated that is very close. What is interesting is that some of the rural counties that normally tend to vote democrat went to Romney. Also is seems that northern Virginia specifically Fairfax and Loudoun county are close to the epicenter of the democratic growth in Virginia. That should be an interesting trend to watch.
North Carolina was also an extremely close race. With Romney winning it by under 100,00 votes. Again North Carolina was another state where every vote counted.
One state that was very interesting to watch last night was Ohio. Most people believed that Romney needed Ohio to win the race. Obama jumped out to a very early lead when the early election ballots and when the live ballots came in the race tightened up. Something that surprised me is that when Ohio was called for Obama, he was only up by something like 962 votes. I find it absolutely amazing the mathematicians could call it when it was that close.
The Aftermath
Well after hundreds of millions of dollars spent not a lot has changed. Obama is still president. The democrats still control the senate and the republicans control the house. Seems kind of like a waste to me.
As we the people look forward to the future there are some super challenges ahead for us all. We have a rising threat in Iran. A huge debt from China. We have not passed a budget in four years. Our politicians refuse to work together and sequestration looming on the horizon. These will be a tough four years for American, but we can rise through them and continue to be great. We must stick together and hold our politicians accountable for their actions.
Works Cited
Politico. 2012 Presidential Election. 6-7
November 2012. 7 November 2012
<http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/President/2012/>.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sandy and the Election
Well, this was an interesting weekend and Monday wasn't boring either. The family spent most of the weekend getting our stuff together for the storm. We have enough water for probably a year. Rice, canned foods and lets not forget beer and wine. The one thing we didn't buy was batteries. Luckily we did not lose power and did not need to do any water sterilization. One good thing that came out of the storm was two days off of school and one day off work. We also needed the rain.
Unfortunately not everyone got away with as little damage as my family did. About three miles down the street people don't have power and there was flooding at the office. And farther up north they got the heck knocked out of them. I just hope God is looking out for them and few people are hurt or killed by it.
Being that this is a political blog eventually I need to speak about politics. Well here we go...
How does a storm effect an election? The incumbent's reaction to the storm can hurt or help them. Look at Bush when katrina hit. Also in some areas it will impact people from voting. Please keep in mind, that the office of president is not the only office that must be voted on next week.
While reading some news and political blogs, I stumbled across a topic that didn't even cross my mind. How will this impact the next election? Politico addresses the topic;
Until next time folks stay warm and stay safe. Do not forget to vote next week!
Unfortunately not everyone got away with as little damage as my family did. About three miles down the street people don't have power and there was flooding at the office. And farther up north they got the heck knocked out of them. I just hope God is looking out for them and few people are hurt or killed by it.
Being that this is a political blog eventually I need to speak about politics. Well here we go...
How does a storm effect an election? The incumbent's reaction to the storm can hurt or help them. Look at Bush when katrina hit. Also in some areas it will impact people from voting. Please keep in mind, that the office of president is not the only office that must be voted on next week.
While reading some news and political blogs, I stumbled across a topic that didn't even cross my mind. How will this impact the next election? Politico addresses the topic;
The 2016ersPersonally the thought of thinking about the next election didn't occur to me. It is a good thing to think about though. Watch how these people react to this natural disaster so you know what they did in hard times and not fall victim to what they say they're going to do.
Any number of the nation’s governors (or mayors) can attest to the leadership challenges of natural disasters and the powerful effect they can have on approval ratings — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is among those who experienced a post-hurricane spike in popularity after Hurricane Irene.
The path of Hurricane Sandy means it will test a handful of governors with prospects beyond their home states — Christie, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
With the nation watching, how they respond will go a long way toward establishing their home state narrative. But it will also provide a first impression to many voters outside their states whose introduction to them comes solely through glimpses of interviews and press conferences on cable and broadcast news.
Until next time folks stay warm and stay safe. Do not forget to vote next week!
Works Cited
MAHTESIAN, CHARLES. Politico. 30 October 2012.
30 October 2012
<http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-the-political-fallout-147734.html?hp=l6>.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Presidential Debate Round Two
So, this last debate was considered a "town hall debate". This debate was different for a couple reasons. First instead of harping on a general topic, the candidates are asked a question by a member of the audience. The candidate is then supposed to answer the question. Well that didn't really happen so much, both candidates brushed over the question and proceeded to do their standard speech on said topic. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The other big difference was that there was nothing separating the candidates. I do not know why, but I really liked that aspect of it. A couple times they got in each others faces a couple times and that was good for the viewers in my opinion.
The Moderator
A moderator is supposed to keep the speaker of a debate on time and on task. Ms. Candy Crowley did neither of those things last night. She was terrible! Both candidates continually went over time and off topic. Every topic or question that was brought up, each candidate went way over their two minute mark. There was a couple topics where Obama went at least three minutes. That is completely unacceptable. I can accept fifteen to twenty seconds over to finish a sentence but a minute over is just awful.
Also Ms. Crowley was completely biased. First off shes from CNN. Can you say democratic bias? Why yes, yes I can. She got to pick the questions for the debate and three of the first fiver were soft balls for Obama and put Romney at a disadvantage. That would be 60% for those of you who don't want to do the math. Before I forget, I can't believe that after Romney talked about his tax plan she rephrased it and asked if it was "settled". No! It obviously was not settled.
Who Won?
I honestly don't think anyone won. To continue with the boxing analogy from the last debate, I think Romney caught Obama flat footed with his hands on his hips and threw a jab instead of a real punch. At that point Obama woke up and was back in the fight. There is really no way a neutral party can say who won. Although I think each side can make a case for their person being the winner. So lets call round two a draw!
Stay tuned for the next debate on October 22 2012.
The Moderator
A moderator is supposed to keep the speaker of a debate on time and on task. Ms. Candy Crowley did neither of those things last night. She was terrible! Both candidates continually went over time and off topic. Every topic or question that was brought up, each candidate went way over their two minute mark. There was a couple topics where Obama went at least three minutes. That is completely unacceptable. I can accept fifteen to twenty seconds over to finish a sentence but a minute over is just awful.
Also Ms. Crowley was completely biased. First off shes from CNN. Can you say democratic bias? Why yes, yes I can. She got to pick the questions for the debate and three of the first fiver were soft balls for Obama and put Romney at a disadvantage. That would be 60% for those of you who don't want to do the math. Before I forget, I can't believe that after Romney talked about his tax plan she rephrased it and asked if it was "settled". No! It obviously was not settled.
Who Won?
I honestly don't think anyone won. To continue with the boxing analogy from the last debate, I think Romney caught Obama flat footed with his hands on his hips and threw a jab instead of a real punch. At that point Obama woke up and was back in the fight. There is really no way a neutral party can say who won. Although I think each side can make a case for their person being the winner. So lets call round two a draw!
Stay tuned for the next debate on October 22 2012.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The Presidential Debate...a Day Late
I'm a tad late with this post. For good reason though. Last night was the presidential debate and I wanted to wait until today to do a post so I could take a look and see and analyze what everyone is saying. I for one am glad I waited. Some exciting stuff went down today, well exciting if you're into politics.
The Great Debate
Well actually, the "debate" was not all that great. In my humble opinion neither candidate went in for a kill shot so to speak. It did not appear that either candidate was trying to win. Isn't that the point of a debate?
Each candidate made their point. They both also made their point well, but they were both on the weaker side when they went to attack each others "plans for recovery".
I think that the nearest either candidate got to attacking the other on his opinion was this moment from Mr. Romney. The man who posted this on YouTube used boxing terminology to describe it and I agree with it. Romney used a couple nice jabs to set him up and then threw a hay maker to win round one.
The Pundents
It is always entertaining to read what the analysts have to say about the debate or anything else political related for that matter.
According to this article by the Associated Press on www.WashingtonPost.com;
Now Al Gore has come out and said why he believes that Obama lost the debate in some people's mind. The thin air in Denver through Obama off his game.Hard to believe, I know so I will let Mr. Gore explain it for me,
And the Winner is...
Honestly I think it was a tie, but judging on how people reacted and the flurry of activity from the left, I think the general consensus is that Romney won. He was able to keep the pressure on Obama fairly well and was aggressive without coming off as being overly rude. For his part, Obama look very tired. He appeared edgy and honestly he did not seem all that prepared. So I guess you could say he lost, but the real loser was Big Bird.
The Great Debate
Well actually, the "debate" was not all that great. In my humble opinion neither candidate went in for a kill shot so to speak. It did not appear that either candidate was trying to win. Isn't that the point of a debate?
Each candidate made their point. They both also made their point well, but they were both on the weaker side when they went to attack each others "plans for recovery".
I think that the nearest either candidate got to attacking the other on his opinion was this moment from Mr. Romney. The man who posted this on YouTube used boxing terminology to describe it and I agree with it. Romney used a couple nice jabs to set him up and then threw a hay maker to win round one.
The Pundents
It is always entertaining to read what the analysts have to say about the debate or anything else political related for that matter.
According to this article by the Associated Press on www.WashingtonPost.com;
"Challenger Mitt Romney used Wednesday’s debate to put President Barack Obama on the defensive on health care, jobs and other issues. The president’s reluctance to fire back harshly gave new hope to Republican partisans."When the Washington Post is saying Romney won, you know he did something right. Or at the very least didn't screw up too terribly.
Now Al Gore has come out and said why he believes that Obama lost the debate in some people's mind. The thin air in Denver through Obama off his game.Hard to believe, I know so I will let Mr. Gore explain it for me,
"Obama arrived in Denver at 2 p.m. today, just a few hours before the debate started. Romney did his debate prep in Denver. When you go to 5,000 feet, and you only have a few hours to adjust, I don't know"Actually that wasn't helpful in explaining it at all. Again this is just my opinion, but I think the lack of a teleprompter is to blame. When he is doing a prepared speech in a controlled environment Mr. Obama is a wonderful speaker. Unfortunately when he does not have a teleprompter or is in a hostile environment he does not do too well. Also Bill Maher has this opinion too. Here he is quoted by Fox News, "I can't believe i'm saying this, but Obama looks like he DOES need a teleprompter,[Text is not edited]". Mr. Maher is an Obama supporter, so when he says Obama messed up, Obama messed up!
And the Winner is...
Honestly I think it was a tie, but judging on how people reacted and the flurry of activity from the left, I think the general consensus is that Romney won. He was able to keep the pressure on Obama fairly well and was aggressive without coming off as being overly rude. For his part, Obama look very tired. He appeared edgy and honestly he did not seem all that prepared. So I guess you could say he lost, but the real loser was Big Bird.
Works Cited
Fox News. 4
October 2012. 4 October 2012
<http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/04/gore-blames-denver-altitude-for-obama-debate-performance/>.
Press, Assiciated. Washington Post. 4 October
2012. 4 October 2012 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/analysis-in-first-presidential-debate-romney-is-aggressor-obama-is-careful-in-pushing-back/2012/10/04/f44913f4-0dd7-11e2-ba6c-07bd866eb71a_story.html>.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Vice president, a key piece of the election puzzle
Picking a Vice President may be one of the trickiest things a Presidential candidate may have to do. The tricky thing is, a good choice won't really sway many people to your cause, but a bad choice will send the voters running. Another thing the voter must consider is that the Vice president is only one heartbeat away from being the leader of our country. After seeing some of the recent picks(and our current VP that should scare the hell out of the voter).
What makes a good Vice president? Well, a good VP is smart and educated for starters. They should also compliment the Presidential candidate. The VP candidate should cover the Presidential candidates flaws. If the Presidential candidate has a reputation for being weak on foreign affairs, the VP candidate should have a very strong background in foreign affairs. The VP candidate should also not be a loudmouth or detract people away from your base. A good candidate will support the Presidential candidate without putting their foot in their mouth. A good example of putting your foot in your mouth is Joe Biden saying something to the effect of the Republicans wanting to put black people and minorities in chains. I believe they call that an oh sh*t moment. Obviously the Republicans do not want slavery or to put anyone other than terrorists in chains. Besides being flat out wrong it detracted voters from Obama's cause and in no way stated why we should vote for him. Dumb, dumb dumb!
Another bad example of a VP candidate is Sarah Palin. God bless her soul, she is obviously a nice person. She is a smart and successful person, but she is flat out annoying to listen to. Unfortunately speaking is a big part of being VP and no one wanted to hear what she had to say. She did a very good job of firing up the base but she drove away many more voters than she brought in.
In short I believe that the Vice Presidential candidate is an important person to look at when deciding to vote for. They cast a key swing vote when needed in the Senate and they are one heartbeat away from being President.
Until next time, inform your self of the facts and be prepared to make an informed decision in a little over a month. The future of our country is going to be decided then...no pressure or anything.
What makes a good Vice president? Well, a good VP is smart and educated for starters. They should also compliment the Presidential candidate. The VP candidate should cover the Presidential candidates flaws. If the Presidential candidate has a reputation for being weak on foreign affairs, the VP candidate should have a very strong background in foreign affairs. The VP candidate should also not be a loudmouth or detract people away from your base. A good candidate will support the Presidential candidate without putting their foot in their mouth. A good example of putting your foot in your mouth is Joe Biden saying something to the effect of the Republicans wanting to put black people and minorities in chains. I believe they call that an oh sh*t moment. Obviously the Republicans do not want slavery or to put anyone other than terrorists in chains. Besides being flat out wrong it detracted voters from Obama's cause and in no way stated why we should vote for him. Dumb, dumb dumb!
Another bad example of a VP candidate is Sarah Palin. God bless her soul, she is obviously a nice person. She is a smart and successful person, but she is flat out annoying to listen to. Unfortunately speaking is a big part of being VP and no one wanted to hear what she had to say. She did a very good job of firing up the base but she drove away many more voters than she brought in.
In short I believe that the Vice Presidential candidate is an important person to look at when deciding to vote for. They cast a key swing vote when needed in the Senate and they are one heartbeat away from being President.
Until next time, inform your self of the facts and be prepared to make an informed decision in a little over a month. The future of our country is going to be decided then...no pressure or anything.
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