REVIEW: Diamond Dead (Continued...) @ Capital Fringe

Imagine my horror, attending this show, knowing it was musical and nature but entirely unsure what to expect. After showing the first installment of a MTV/VH1 style documentary showing a couple of extremely goth superfans bussed out to see their idols, The Diamond Dead, the band takes the stage. Dressed in shiny leather platform army boots, black trenchcoats, neon mesh leggings, death masks, and even an external fake spinal cord, the band announces that they are, in fact, the first, and finest, actually dead death metal band and proceed to sing a song about necrophilia. I immediately thought that I had gotten way over my head and started scanning the crowd hoping to find some indication that I wasn't completely out of place.

However, it immediately became clear that this was no serious act and was instead a Death Metal Band in the same vein of Spinaltap. The video clips were clearly meant to be mockumentary in nature, the songs were way over the top, and the performers were self-deprecating satirical. For example, the only "living" member of the band was not shy to admit her crush on the dead front man, who refuses to make a move on her due his personal stance against necrophilia.

The songs were catchy and well performed (hats off to the drummer), the video clips were funny and witty, and the story line (which included cameo appearances from Death, the dethroned Ms. California, and a certain recently resigned Alaskan governor) was engaging and surprising. The enthusiastic standing ovation lasted more than five minutes before the band came out to explain that they had to clean-up immediately and would not be able to play an encore because another act was coming in. Simply put, a terrific show, the best of what I've seen at the Fringe so far.

Off to the Races!

In 2010, the Democrats hope to build on their momentum by capturing more Senate seats to add to their 60-seat majority. Given the current state of the national GOP, that seems somewhat likely. However, is it as likely as we think? Could the Republican start their comeback in 2010? Well, let's take a look at a couple of states with Republican incumbents (or retiring Republicans) and see how it's looking:

North Carolina: The Democrats are hoping to unseat Senator Richard Burr in 2010 and continue to build on their momentum in the Tar Heel State. They did after all manage to capture the state for the first time since 1976 (and only the second time since 1968). Democrats have historically done well in North Carolina on a state level, the state has only had one two term Republican governor in its history (and he was elected for the first time in 1984, riding the coattails of Ronald Reagan).

The seat occupied by Burr has seen quite a bit of turnover since the retirement of Democratic Senator Sam Ervin in 1974 with Burr as the 7th Senator to occupy that seat in just 35 years. Of the seven Senators to occupy the seat, two were Democrats (Terry Sanford and John Edwards). It's worth nothing that since Ervin's retirement, no one has won re-election to his seat.

One hinderance to the Democrats could prove to be Governor Bev Perdue's approval rating. It currently sits at just 25%. Her popularity was caused by some controversal budget cuts that she had to make in order to keep the state functioning and the diversion of funds from the North Carolina Education Lottery away from education and into the general state budget in order to help cover expenses. The lottery is extremely controversial in North Carolina and was only passed in 2000 because of a promise that it would help fund schools. Perdue's popularity could prove to be a problem for Democrats throughout North Carolina.

Another hinderance could be the on-going investigation into former Governor Mike Easley's potential abuse of power in getting his wife Mary a lucrative job at North Carolina State University and his potential use of taxpayer dollars to fund lucrative trips (he traveled WITH his wife unlike his neighbor to the south). A grand jury recently convened to investigate Easley's dealings.

Also a hinderance is the fact that NOBODY of note is running against Richard Burr. The Democrats have yet to name a big name challenger and the top 5 choices for the national Democrats have all shown little interest. Even favorite Heath Shuler denied any interest in running. While there are candidates in the race, almost all of them lack name recognition. Of course, it's worth nothing that Kay Hagan was just a state senator with no name recognition who ended up defeating Elizabeth Dole by 9 points. The biggest name mulling a run at the Senate seat is Rep. Mike McIntyre of the 7th Congressional District. However, while extremely popular in southeastern N.C., he lacks name recognition statewide. Kay Hagan proved that name recognition isn't everything so it'll be interesting to see if anyone can duplicate what she pulled off in 2008.

Verdict: The Democrats stand a chance in the Tar Heel State if they can distance themselves from Governors Perdue and Easley. It would be wise of them to go ahead and rally behind a candidate because none of the announced candidates have name recognition and with the Democrats no longer as popular in NC as they once were, name recognition and the building of trust between the candidate and the voters will be extremely important.

New Hampshire: Historically a Republican stronghold, the Granite State has trended Democratic recently starting with John Kerry winning the state in 2004 (the only formerly Bush state to switch parties). In 2006, the momentum really picked up as Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter defeated Republican incumbents to become New Hampshire's two United States Representatives and the Democrats even took control of the New Hampshire House of Representatives for the first time since 1923.

Governor John Lynch enjoys great popularity throughout the state, the latest polls have his approval rating at 63% so he will certainly be no problem to any potential Democratic Senators.

With incumbent Judd Gregg retiring, this becomes an open seat. As of now, Democratic congressman Paul Hodes of the 2nd Congressional District and former Republican Attorney General Kelly Ayotte are the leading candidates in their parties. Ayotte presents a great challenge to Hodes as she is popular statewide and could potentially reverse the momentum of the Republicans in the state. The New Hampshire Republican Party recently put former Governor John H. Sununu in charge in hopes of doing just that. This will be Sununu's first election as party chair so it'll be interesting to see if he has any effectiveness.

Recent polls have shown that a large number of voters remain undecided in a Ayotte/Hodes race. A poll conducted by Research 2000 showed Ayotte leads Hodes 39%-38% with 21% of the electorate undecided.

Verdict: This is a wide open race. Both candidates have name recognition so the Democrats in NH aren't fighting the same battle as the Democrats in NC. With a popular governor and increasingly Democratic populace, it'll be Hodes' challenge to try to keep the wave of momentum that he rode into the House going and let it carry him to the Senate. If Ayotte wins this race, it could mark the end of the Democratic wave and the start of a Republican revival. The Senate race in New Hampshire will certainly be one to watch.

---

I'll possibly do more of these in future. I may use different states or possibly continue to update you guys on the North Carolina and New Hampshire Senate races. If you have any suggestions, post them in the comments section.

UPDATE- I've decided to do different states each post until I've completed all of the Republican held seats. Then I may either switch to Democrats or just do updates. Next up will be South Carolina and Florida. Any comments about my analysis are welcome.

Are States Hurting the Economic Recovery?

James Surrowieki has an interesting article in the New Yorker about the financial crisis and how it's affecting the states. I think Surrowieki is right in noting that states could retard the process of recovery. Most states are required by law to balance the budget.

To read the rest of this post, go here:

Henry Louis Gates, Revisited.

The curious story of Henry Louis Gates just got a bit bigger with President Obama's comment last night that the police involve acted "stupidly". Gates, the notable African Studies professor at Harvard (and friend of the President), was arrested for disorderly conduct by Cambridge police responding to a call that two men were breaking into Gate's home, one of which turned out to be Gates himself. When the story hit the national presses, it immediately was framed as one racist police arresting a black man in his own home. (The charges were subsequently dropped)

However, the newly released Cambridge Police Report paints a much different story: one damning to Gate's allegations of racist misconduct by police, his prestige as an Ivy Leage academic, and his credibility as an individual. It was so bad that the Boston Globe removed it from their website for some reason, probably because it hurts the sensationalism of the story.

Our colleague Marcus Gadson of The Gadson Review wrote an article laying out three criteria for us to examine this incident: (1) should Gates have been arrested for his conduct?, (2) what would have befallen him if he was a poor black man instead of a well-known one-- would the charges still have been dropped?, and (3) would a white Professor have been similarly arrested in the same situation?

Post your answers in the comments section. Here's the report:

...When I arrived at Ware Street I radioed ECC and asked that they have the caller meet me at the front door to this residence. I was told that the caller was already outside. As I was getting this information, I climbed the porch stairs toward the front door. As [reached the door, a female voice called out to me. I looked in the direction of the voice and observed a white female, later identified {} who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the residence, held a wireless telephone in her hand arid told me that it was she who called. She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of• Ware Street. She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry. Since I was the only police officer on location and had my back to the front door as I spoke with her, I asked that she wait for other responding officers while I investigated further.

As I turned and faced the door, I could see an older black male standing in the foyer of {} Ware Street. I made this observation through the glass paned front door. As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me. He replied “no I will not”. He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was “Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police” and that I was “investigating a report of a break in progress” at the residence. While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed “why, because I’m a black man in America?”. I then asked Gates if there was anyone else in the residence. While yelling, he told me that it was none of my business and accused me of being a racist police officer. I assured Gates that I was responding to a citizen’s call to the Cambridge Police and that the caller was outside as we spoke. Gates seemed to ignore me and picked up a cordless telephone and dialed an unknown telephone number. As he did so, I radioed on channel I that I was off in the residence with someone who appeared to be a resident but very uncooperative. I then overheard Gates asking the person on the other end of his telephone call to “get the chief’ and “whats the chiefs name?’. Gates was telling the person on the other end of the call that he was dealing with a racist police officer in his home. Gates then turned to me and told me that I had no idea who I was “messing” with and that I had not heard the last of it. While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me. I asked Gates to provide me with photo identification so that I could verify that he resided at Ware Street and so that I could radio my findings to ECC. Gates initially refused, demanding that I show him identification but then did supply me with a Harvard University identification card. Upon learning that Gates was affiliated with Harvard, I radioed and requested the presence of the Harvard University Police.

With the Harvard University identification in hand, I radioed my findings to ECC on channel two and prepared to leave. Gates again asked for my name which I began to provide. Gates began to yell over my spoken words by accusing me of being a racist police officer and leveling threats that he wasn’t someone to mess with. At some point during this exchange, I became aware that Off. Carlos Figueroa was standing behind me. When Gates asked a third time for my name, I explained to him that I had provided it at his request two separate times. Gates continued to yell at me. I told Gates that I was leaving his residence and that if he had any other questions regarding the matter, I would speak with him outside of the residence.

As I began walking through the foyer toward the front door, I could hear Gates agai,n demanding my name. I again told Gates that I would speak with him outside. My reason for wanting to leave the residence was that Gates was yelling very loud and the acoustics of the kitchen and foyer were making it difficult for me to transmit pertinent information to ECC or other responding units. His reply was “ya, I’ll speak with your mama outside”. When I left the residence, I noted that there were several Cambridge and Harvard University police officers assembled on the sidewalk in front of the residence. Additionally, the caller, md at least seven unidentified passers-by were looking in the direction of Gates, who had followed me outside of the residence.

As I descended the stairs to the sidewalk, Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him. Due to the tumultuous manner Gates had exhibited in his residence as well as his continued tumultuous behavior outside the residence, in view of the public, I warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell, which drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates’s outburst. For a second time I warned Gates to calm down while I withdrew my department issued handcuffs from their carrying case. Gates again ignored my warning and continued to yell at me. It was at this time that I informed Gates that he was under arrest. I then stepped up the stairs, onto the porch and attempted to place handcuffs on Gates. Gates initially resisted my attempt to handcuff him, yelling that he was “disabled” and would fall without his cane. After the handcuffs were property applied, Gates complained that they were too tight. I ordered Off. Ivey, who was among the responding officers, to handcuff Gates with his arms in front of him for his comfort while I secured a cane for Gates from within the residence. I then asked Gates if he would like an officer to take possession of his house key and secure his front door, which he left wide open. Gates told me that the door was un securable due to a previous break attempt at the residence. Shortly thereafter, a Harvard University maintenance person arrived on scene and appeared familiar with Gates. I asked Gates if he was comfortable with this Harvard University maintenance person securing his residence. He told me that he was.

Update 1: Sgt. Crowley, the arresting officer has the full support of his union and is unapologetic (and quite professional in the interview).

That Way Madness Lies...

The modern world is one obsessed with technogadgets. That is something we all have to accept, along with the dangers of such an obsession. Record players and even old-fashioned radios have fallen by the wayside- soon to follow may be those things we used to have, made of paper, what are they called again? Oh, yes. Books.

But even scarier than the total domination of the newest gadgets and iGadgets in the marketplace is the total domination such technological advances can have over our lives. Take, for example, an Internet-obsessed teenager (and there are many, not excluding present company), or a grown man wearing out his thumbs on the newest full-keypad phone even during important business meetings (I know quite a few of those, too). These people can waste their time away staring at tiny screens without realizing that important things are happening in the world around them.

However, this interest in up-to-date technology is reasonable, or at least acceptable, to a point. But where is that point?

Case in point, Sun Danyong, a twenty-five-year-old (now-ex-)employee of Apple, or more specifically Foxconn, the company that manufactures Apple's ultra-popular iPhones. Danyong was responsible for sixteen prototype iPhones. Something happened- no one seems to know exactly what- and one of the precious sixteen went missing.

On July 16th, 2009, Sun Danyong committed suicide.

Reports vary, but most sources seem pretty certain that a few Foxconn security guards visited Danyong after he reported the gadget missing on July 13, and possibly "interrogated" him (it's very sad but possibly not too far of a conclusion to leap to that my mind immediately jumps to the thought of torture). At any rate, Danyong is dead by twelve-story fall, and Apple is facing inquiries about their incredibly secretive procedures.

It's up to us to decide just how far we'd like to take our obsession with technology. But if we're reaching the point where young people are committing suicide because of the loss of a technogadget- albeit a very expensive technogadget- don't we have a problem?

The Careless Whispers of Mark Sanford

I was listening to this song and thought it fit the whole Sanford situation perfectly: 

The meaning- I had to actually look up a good way to word this one but here it goes, from Yahoo Answers: 

"In several of George Michael's songs, he used dancing as a metaphor for a relationship. A "careless whisper" could be gossip, or could be a betrayed confidence, or even a metaphor for a bigger kind of betrayal. So I'd say that he's singing about realizing that he has carelessly betrayed a lover, and now he's seeing how badly he's hurt someone he cares about. He's at the point where he realizes that he's destroyed something that matters, and there's not a thing he can do to make it better."

Kind of fits Sanford's situation in both his personal life (with his wife) and his public life (with the office of governor). And well, since Sanford met his mistress at a dance party, it seems all that much more appropriate. 

I am a Real American

The issue continues to come up.........

Is Barack Obama a natural born American citizen?

He absolutely is...........unless you believe that the State of Hawaii, Kenya, Honolulu Advertiser and Star Bulletin (two different newspapers) are all in on a conspiracy theory to somehow put a Kenyan in the White House. After all, Hawaii would have had to authorize a false birth certificate then the Honolulu Advertiser and Star Bulletin would have had to announce a birth that took place thousands of miles away then the Kenyan government would have had to figure out how to smuggle young Barack out of the country without any paperwork to prove that he was there AND then they would've had to hope that America elects a black man with name Barack Hussein Obama to the presidency. Yes, I am aware that that is the world's most convoluted run on sentence but the point is that if Kenya and Hawaii wanted to share the White House, surely there had to be an easier way to do it.

The right wing nutjobs (known as "Birthers") who continue to spread this theory seem to have no concept of how difficult all of this would be to pull off. The world isn't some summer popcorn flick where the bad guys pull off seemingly improbable feats, it's real life where something like this would leave a paper trail a mile long. It's incredibly sad that there are people out there who support this theory and use it as a means to demean our President and question the legitimacy of his work.

That video makes me sad. Not because I support Obama (which I do) but because I'd like to believe that stupidity like this doesn't exist in the world. Wouldn't it be a wiser use of our time to support our President (whether you agree with him politically or not) as he tries to get us out of this recession? After all, Obama has proven that he is a natural born American citizen. Instead of tying up the court system with lawsuits over our President's legitimacy, it'd probably be wiser for these people to brush up on their analytical skills or at very least stop watching so many espionage movies.

The Henry Louis Gates Saga

The biggest news this week was the arrest of Henry Louis Gates under suspicious circumstances. Last Thursday, Gates had trouble unlocking a jammed door when a neighbor called the police to report a possible break-in.

To read the rest of the story, go here:

For the love of money.

As if we needed more proof, a PayScale study shows that a Dartmouth education is the best investment in town. Yet again, Dartmouth College alumni have the highest median mid-career salary of any University in America.



Other highlights of note:

• Name brands matter. Ivy League schools make up 5 of the top 10 earners.
  
• Engineering schools aren't bad either for starting salaries.
• Quantitative majors make bank over qualitative ones. (wish I knew that sooner)
• The lowest earning majors include: Spanish, theology, education, fine arts, and drama.
  
• US News and World Report is a third-rate magazine and its rankings are nonsensical.

Read the full article here.

The Latest on Sarah Palin

It's long been known that people in the public eye tend to have skeletons in their closets. Well, everyone has a few skeletons-- people with more to lose just pile 'em up faster.

Take, for example, everyone's favorite Republican Barbie (cough), Sarah Palin. There was that whole unpleasant incident with her daughter's boyfriend's mother- which, frankly, the press could've stayed out of. But then again, if the press stayed out of politicians' personal lives what would we Americans have to do with our free time?

Ignoring the personal scandals, though, Palin may have messed up her track record for good this time (or so some of us self-respecting women hope). The Alaska Fund Trust, which she established to fundraise for her legal fees, has not turned out to be the best idea. For one thing, there's that whole unpleasant using-public-office-for-personal-gain thing that makes certain American politicians look so bad sometimes.

Well, time will tell if Palin's fund will be shut down- according to the Washington Post, it's still accepting donations- but it sure sounds fishy to me. Doesn't Palin have enough money of her own without using her political clout to grab some more?

Maybe she's trying to get a head start on fundraising for her possible 2012 presidential bid... Though I doubt the Alaska Fund Trust will look like much more than lemonade-stand change in the face of President Obama's campaign fundraising records. The Obama campaign raised $150 million dollars in September 2008 alone.

Take that, Republican Barbie.

Post on Sotomayor's Abortion views

Continuing yesterday’s abortion theme, I wanted to consider what Sonia Sotomayor really thinks about abortion. Both Democrats and Republicans were anxious to hear her opinions on the subject.

To read the rest of this post, go here

New Contributors

In addition to the illustrious Laura Neill, Arnold Tungsten, and Chris Chavis, the brillant Marcus Gadson will be contributing parts of his articles from The Gadson Review, which I'd encourage you all to check out. We also have a few more contributors lined up, but I'll refrain from saying who they are exactly on the off-chance they will be contributing anonymously.

Copyrights and Child Services

The curious case of the at home murder of a Beulah, Florida couple who adopted 13 children (many of them special needs) keeps getting stranger. So far seven people have been charged in connection with the murder after the attackers overlooked the home's video surveillance system, despite casing the property for a month. At present, police have found no cogent motive for the crime, but even more bizarre were the actions of the late father, Byrd Billings.

Additional documents released Monday from the Florida Department of Children and Families show a bizarre attempt by Byrd Billings to copyright the children's names and request money from the department for their use.

A department attorney, Katie George, told the Pensacola News-Journal that every time the agency sent Billings a letter referencing the children by name, he would reply with an invoice demanding millions in copyright infringement. In one document released by the department, he demands $10 million in silver or federal reserve notes of equal value.

In a sharply worded letter of December 2005, another department attorney, Richard Cserep, wrote to Billings, "you reference a wide variety of law in connection with this claim" for damages.

"This includes copyright violations, trademark violations, contract violations, admiralty and maritime law, libel and the Truth in Lending Act," the letter said. "At no time in any of your correspondence have you made a plain demand for damages under a clear and cognizable theory of liability."

A handwritten note on the letter says that no further correspondence was received from Billings after that letter.

read more here at CNN.

REVIEW: Bargain Basement Game Show @ Capital Fringe.

Bargain Basement Game Show aims to be a game show of "high-brow trivia and low-brow humor" where everyone in the audience is a contestant. Upon arriving, every person is issued a score card, showing boxes numbered 0 through 40, a stack of cards reading "A", "B", "C", and "D", and a booklet overviewing the rules and directions. The plucky host then takes the stage with his lovely quasi-Vanna White assistant in a flowing red dress, and another comical female stage assistant. Questions are presented on three-sided poster boards (you know... from the 8th grade science fair?) and the audience members show their answers by raising the appropriately lettered card. The squirrely host then examines the answers, chides the few who are holding ones that are obviously wrong, and announces the correct one. Note: every person he called out gets free stuff so it might be a good idea to flunk on an easy answer to get a t-shirt.

His gang of helpers then jump out and cross off boxes on the correct cards according to the number of points the question was worth. Interspersed between the questions are witty dialogue, the host character's buffoonery (to the chagrin his straight-woman assistant), and theatrical productions designed to introduce clues to future answers. It becomes quite clear early on that the host's geekishness is not a production and is instead his authentic self -- evidenced by clumsiness and propensity to chortle at his own jokes -- but he is able to walk the fine line of comedy, preventing the show's inherent corniness from ever becoming awkward. There were a few goof-ups. Some lines were missed that weren't critical to the show's understanding, and a few subtle clues written into the sketches between the questions did not lead up to anything in the end. But the lovability of the cast smooths out any holes and makes it just another part of the show.

Even if quirky comedy isn't your thing, the show is full of wonderful prizes. First prize was a $50 gift card to best buy, second prize was $25 to Barnes and Noble, and third was $15 to Starbucks. The next five or so got 2GB flash drives. After handing all that out, they looked to hand out pieces of their set as prizes too and the first things that stuck out to them was the giant prop "NO" sign that stayed on stage the entire time. As the lucky man in 9th place, I won the sign and, taped to the back, there I found a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

Quite a bargain indeed.

What Else? ...The Moon Landing

Everyone in America has heard about the moon landing. Everyone in America knows that today's the fortieth anniversary. Everyone in America is reading up on that famous event today- right?

Well, sure. Lots of people are. But everyone? ...I don't think so. Some people are more busy reading up on more important things, like the news that Jon Gosselin didn't actually cheat on Kate and the sudden revelation that some bloggers have enough time and few enough scruples to post questionably obtained footage of Erin Andrews in her hotel room. And then of course there's the seemingly ever-present coverage of Michael Jackson's love child(ren)- I wonder how many millions the TV networks are making off of that never-before-heard development?

I won't deny that this stuff is interesting. Like every other good American citizen, I occasionally indulge myself by reading the "Entertainment" sections on the news websites. Entertainment. Yeah.

But today? Armstrong and Aldrin and everyone involved in making the moon landing happen would probably appreciate it if we also took a look at some lunar-related news. Here's a (long) article refuting pretty much every conspiracy theory ever concocted involving the landing:

http://www.braeunig.us/space/hoax.htm

Since I've never really read up on the conspiracy theories before, this article actually made me think about the possibility that the theories could be right-- but only for about a millisecond. I feel enough pride for Armstrong and pride plus pity for Aldrin (the second man to walk on the moon!) to believe NASA's story. Either way, this article seems to have its sources for both sides listed at the bottom of the page, so whether you  feel like becoming very, very educated about the moon landing or want to indulge in the conspiracy-theory kind of "Entertainment," go right ahead.

Buzz-izzle and the Rocket Experience

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, which was celebrated last night and will be again tonight at the National Air and Space Museum, Buzz Aldrin has released documentation of his latest career adventure: rap music.

Making of Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience w/ Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli from Buzz Aldrin

The guy is 79 years old and still kicking it, jet-setting across the world, giving lectures, and pushing the government to commit to manned missions to Mars in the coming decade. Buzz is a beast in every way. He wrote the thesis for his Doctorate of Science at MIT on "Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous", an unheard-of topic at the time, and then used that knowledge to dock Gemini 12 manually -- a feat mission control didn't think was possible -- when the computer system failed.

He is also a big proponent of world-wide cooperation and, according to my sources, wanted to include a line in his speech last night asking for Iran to be included in future US space missions, but was convinced against it.

REVIEW: SAPAN @ Capital Fringe Festival

The South Asian Performing Arts Network and Institute put on a production with Capital Fringe on Saturday, 11 July; with a family member working back stage and an interest in delicious Indian food Indian culture, I decided to make this show my introduction to the Capital Fringe Festival. Compared to the other, more decidedly chic venues in the festival, the United Methodist Church of Chinatown proved an strange choice (though it was clean, spacious, and comfortable) but since that was handed down from higher up, we won't hold that against them.

The show begins with three young women in flowing costumes dancing to the music of a three-person chorus and a harmonium. I don't know what it is about their chant-like melody or the soothing white noise of the harmonium, but the entire experience was deeply relaxing and almost spiritual. The opening act gives way to more singing, dancing, music, and costume changes, and culminating with a vibrant couple's dance in the style of a Bollywood musical. Each segment begins with a brief video introducing the instruments, theme, and the cultural significance of the act to follow. This really brings in the audience and makes an otherwise niche cultural show more accessible to the general audience.

The transitions were often quite long, featuring several minutes of darkened silence, and exhibiting a low level of organization, but the quality of the production more than compensates and makes this a fun and enjoyable show.

I had the chance to join most of the cast afterward at Ella's Wood Fired Pizza on 9th between F and G and can vouch that they are a fun, chill group of kids.

Obama's a Muslim and that woman needs a hobby.

Your bizarre news for the day.
1. Homeless stand in for lobbyists on Capitol Hill. Isn't there a dress code (or at least a whiff check) when you enter congressional hearings?

2. Republican congressman believes Obama's mom would have aborted him if given the opportunity. Poor taste, dude. And if you even bothered to open Freakonomics, you would know that mostly the poor and uneducated get abortions, not middle-class Ph.D's.

3. Fox News analyst calls the American hostage being held by the Taliban a liar, deserter, [collaborator] with the enemy, and believes that America would be much better off if they just killed him.

4. Teenage pregnancies and syphilis have risen sharply among a generation of American school girls who were urged to avoid sex before marriage under George Bush's evangelically-driven education policy. The number of Aids cases in adolescent boys has nearly doubled. And where is all this stuff happening the most? In the religious South. First Iraq and now this. Thanks GWB.

5. And this woman questions Obama's birth certificate, acts entitled, forces health care meeting to do the pledge of allegiance, and generally is a total bitch. I feel terrible for her miserable children and, undoubtedly, legion of cats who have to put up with her everyday.

Sanford puts back on his Bible Belt

Governor Mark Sanford continues in his attempts to win back the trust of the people of South Carolina. His latest attempt? An editorial written to "The State" (a newspaper out of South Carolina) in which he reaffirmed his faith in God and said that God will make him a better person. Of course, I'm no biblical scholar or even a church-goer but I fail to see how God could help you improve your own personal behavior. After all, He did give us all free will. And if Sanford was such a good Christian, he never would've been in this situation to begin with. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is one of the ten commandments.

Hopefully the people of South Carolina will see that Sanford is just trying to use their religion to get back in their good graces. As much as I like writing about him, I just wish he'd go away.

I should do a whole blog post about religion, growing up in the South as a non-religious person has given me an interesting perspective on it. When I figure out how not to offend anyone by talking about religion, I'll do it.

Green... An Appropriate Subject, Right?

First of all, money isn't really green. Not if we're talking about the good old United States standard-issue dollar bill. It's more a kind of greenish grayish (and now, since the new bills came out, peachish) mixture that normally wouldn't look all that appealing, except for the numbers, curliques, watermarks, and patriotic propaganda that miraculously make it so.

Now,. that's a literal interpretation. But the thing about money is that it isn't green figuratively, either. I mean, look around- we're still (kind of, not really, but let's say so for dramatic effect) the richest country in the world, and how many chlorofluorocarbons do we have floating around our atmosphere?

I won't go into the tirade that goes on and on and on about how we could recycle more. Or about how we could try manufacturing cars with stricter emission standards. Or even about how we could just plain be a little more careful about life in general and we'd save our grandchildren from having to clean up quite so much of our mess. No, I won't go into that.

All I'll say, quite truthfully, is that we at Dartmouth are all about green, right? An alumna speaking at the Dartmouth Club of Long Island dinner a few weeks ago unraveled a rather graphic description of just how green every student's blood is. And she seems to be correct.

So, apart from the going-green programs I'm sure we all participate in- apart from the work organizations have done helping the world to go green, maybe we can each do something to make ourselves just a little greener...

Remembering Walter Cronkite

I'd like to say a few words about the late broadcasting legend, Walter Cronkite. I should first note that the title of my post is ironic as Cronkite has been retired from news anchoring for the entirety of my lifetime. But even so, I can clearly understand the affection people have for Cronkite and why contemporary opinion polls labeled him "the most trusted man in America". For Americans of an older generation, Cronkite's reputation was earned by two decades of authoritative news-casting, his affable demeanor, and his tremendous journalistic ethics. In remembering him, many have looked back to the historical moments he brought to the lives of Americans by virtue of his position. Chief among these is the Kennedy assassination.

Pundits have argued that Cronkite's greatness was in the emotion of his voice during that broadcast -- the pain of a common man forced to tell his country of the murder of its president -- choking back his own sadness to fulfill his journalistic duty. And while that is certainly true, that broadcast in particular was remarkable for what he did not say.

He did not embellish the truth. He did not plaster the story with adjectives. He did not call it tragic, even though it was. He did not insert his own commentary. Even in this apocalyptic moment, in the pit of his own despair, and in the darkness of a nation's uncertain future, Walter Cronkite simply read the news and left its meaning up to our interpretation.


He was the conduit between Americans and the world around them. He was the friendly man on the screen in the living room box. He was the last of his kind. He will be sorely missed.

And that's the way it is.

Bipartisanship, Or an Oh-So-New-and-Fresh Idea

Ah, bipartisanship... You're a castle in the air. But why? Why can't we all just put aside our differences- or at least pretend to put them aside, for the common good? Why must we scream at each other instead of saving our energy to end all of those wars, or cure AIDS, or work on the new healthcare reforms (all of which, incidentally, could use our energy)?

Well, there are some relatively credible reasons for our reluctance to cooperate with each other. Think certain life-and-death issues and the lack of certain basic Declaration-of-Independence freedoms. The Republicans believe that the Democrats are stealing all of the Republicans' money and robbing red-blooded entrepreneur-capitalists of their rightful gains. The Democrats believe that the Republicans are oppressing kindergardeners with anti-evolution propaganda and denying practically everyone (including gays, lesbians, minorities, women, and anyone not earning over $250,000 a year) their basic rights.

Some of this may be true.

However, there are also a lot of rather less impressive reasons behind the fierce face-offs between Democrats and Republicans. Take the I-can-lecture-longer-at-dinner-parties reason, or the I-want-my-extra-bonus-even-though-I'm-hiding-most-of-my-money-in-a-Swiss-bank-account-and-avoiding-tax-evasion-charges reason (there's irony). Then there's the ever-impressive my-friend-said-so, or the hey-George-Bush-is-cute (I've heard that one), or the good old just-because.

And when we're yelling at each other for these amazingly intelligent reasons, it's time to rethink a few things. Straighten out our priorities. After all, President Lincoln was (supposedly) a Republican, and he freed (some of) the slaves (talk about making the liberals happy). And President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt was (supposedly) a Democrat, and he imprisoned thousands of Japanese Americans during World War Two (talk about making the conservatives happy- and violating basic human rights, but that's a different story).

So, really, aren't we all the same? Shouldn't we all just come together and celebrate our status as (ex?)imperialistic bipartisan capitalist aristocrats?

Well, no... I'm more of a realist than to expect that. But the starving and dying and miserable people of America and of the world would really appreciate it if we could put our differences (at least the silly ones) aside and work together to do something useful, like ending war and poverty. Sound good?

Let's try it.

RIP Walter Cronkite (1916-2009)

"And that's the way it is." 

Quick! Breaking News

In case you were all wondering, apparently Sarah Palin is still out there in the political scene. I know, right? I find it hard to believe, too... But these people are pretty serious. Check out this link:

http://www.palin4pres2012.com/

--Complete with descriptions of McCain's plots to overthrow Sarah Palin (I guess he resents the fact that she sunk his ship in the latest presidential election- her people don't seem too crazy about him either) and tidbits about the latest Democratic designs to steal all of your money.

Oh, and the sidebar advertisement showing a T-shirt depicting Obama with Mickey Mouse ears? I thought that was very mature.

A Blast from the past.

Al Franken on the Judiciary Committee before he was elected to the Senate. Phil Hartman does a spectacular Ted Kennedy.

A false sense of security.

My TV has been bombarding me with commercials for Brinks (now "Broadview") security systems, which is great because I wasn't feeling insecure enough without the TV reminding me what a danger strange, scary men are.

In case you haven't seen the spot it goes something like this: Kind-looking white lady returns into her house and immediately arms her home alarm system. Scary-looking, darker-skinned, and not recently shaven man breaks down door and menaces at woman, who promptly screams and retreats into her house. Cue: brinks alarm. Scary man runs away, phone rings, and Brinks sends in the cavalry.

This ad is kind of like an impressionist painting: it appears cogent when looked at quickly and from far away but a closer inspection reveals that the details are blurry. First, thieves spend a lot of time casing out their targets and know to strike during the day when suspicion is at its lowest. They will likely not kick down doors, instead opting to pick locks, disabling the systems, cutting phone and power lines, or gain entry through open windows and side doors. They will be after specific targets like cash, jewelry, and electronics and will make quick work of collecting them. Before the police are even dispatched, they will probably be long gone. Second, alarms are largely over rated. How many time have you heard a car alarm go off and not called the police? My guess is about every time. Professional thieves are likely not afraid of loud noises and will simply continue with their plan as quickly as possible. Three, only the most paranoid home owner would turn on their security system the moment they entered their house, instead choosing more likely to leave it off while home and on only during periods of extended absence. Third, in cases of malice towards the individuals of the house, a security alarm would be totally ineffective. One spot shows an ex-lover breaking into a woman's home, being scared away by Brinks's assuring siren. In that kind of case, the ex-lover would probably know about the alarm in advance (probably even how to disarm it) and would still have the time to harm, kill, or kidnap the victim before Brinks even calls. And last, the mere ownership of a security system gives home owners a false sense of confidence that will likely cause them to be more reckless in other areas of basic property protection.

Most would-be criminals would likely be deterred by the security sign posted out front, and those who aren't are going to be a lot more resilient again Brinks's loud noises and response phone calls. My advice, build a sturdier home. You won't need Brinks if it is physically impossible for a criminal to break-in in the first place.

The Hypocrite of South Carolina

"I reckon he's a hypocrite," the Democrat [State Senator Minority Leader John Land] said. "He goes before the Christian right and professes to be one thing and yet his conduct is something else. He goes before the people of the state and talks about his fiscal conservatism. But yet when you see him in action, he's going first class and spending the state taxpayers' money."

That quote sums up the entire Mark Sanford debacle pretty well. Over the last month, we have seen Sanford slowly exposed as a lying hypocrite who cheated on his wife and used taxpayer money to fly lavishly while admonishing other state officials for their spending habits. In all, Sanford spent $37,600 of taxpayer's money for his trips in which he flew first and business class while his staffers flew coach for a fraction of the cost.

Remember when Sanford said that the stimulus was an inefficient use of taxpayer's money? I guess paying for his trips was a better use of it. After all, who doesn't want to pay for their governor to travel abroad in style? For a man who took pride in his frugality and even once bragged about sleeping in a cot to save money, this seems out of character. Par the course for a hypocrite like Mark Sanford.

As for the details of his travels, he hasn't exactly been forthcoming with details regarding his trips to Argentina. His staff is only releasing emails from his state account and in many of these released emails, he directs people to email him at his Comcast account. Hopefully, the state can subpoena the Comcast account as part of their investigation into his spending habits.

All in all, Sanford has only reimbursed the state for $3,300 of his travel expenses. Hopefully the State of South Carolina can get some more of that money back so they can use it to benefit its citizens and not their hypocritical governor.

Selective Memory and Texas Hold'em

Selective memory seems to be increasingly popular these days. Like Facebook stalking, it began its career masquerading as a social faux pas and has now become a large part of the lives of the most sophisticated, intelligent, Hamilton-beloved people on the planet- the citizens of the United States of America.

It's a shock to discover that that illustrious body has fallen so far. Imagine! A world in which the American public debates the relative merits and negative attributes of an Alaskan governor's haircut and forgets- oops!- some silly things that used to be important, such as a few wars with rising death tolls and the impending threat of nuclear devastation.

Well, guess what, folks? Look around and you'll see that that description's not far from the mark. The plague of selective memory is here- and seems to have taken over the whole known world (or at least the whole known world with the time to cruise the Internet searching for free samples of Cialis).

This wouldn't be quite so shocking if I wasn't quite aware that every red-blooded, patriotic American knows the cardinal rule of any good card game. Never forget the cards you've seen- and most of all, never forget the cards you're playing.

Take Texas hold'em. Five cards out on the table for all to see. In this case those would be Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, and for a hoot let's throw in the complete wreck of a job this country does feeding and educating its poor. Shouldn't our fine-historied citizens be able to remember those five simple things? Especially when they're right in front of their faces? (A neighbor's son who just died in Afghanistan. A second cousin who joined the National Guard and ended up in Iraq...)

But they don't. We don't. And I sure wish we were only playing Texas hold'em for marbles because as is, we're playing with our lives and the welfare of our country and of the world. And it looks like we're losing, because we keep forgetting which cards are on the table.

Time to step it up, America.

"ConDENscending"- Boxer dukes it out

Quite a tense video. Mr. Harry C. Alford of the Black Chamber of Commerce charges Senator Boxer (D-CA) with racism for quoting another black community leader, but, in doing so, he reveals his own prejudice in thinking that Boxer (and presumably any other white senator) would only have a black witness testify as a token for his or her race. Sergeant Race Card plays an ignoble act of false indignation and real desperation in his attempt to undermine criticism of his position and questionable expertise.

As much as the GOP is playing this up -- saying that Boxer was being condescending towards a black man -- Boxer came off pretty well. It's not like SGT. Race Card ma'am-ed her or anything...

Vittergate 2

In addition to using my dry-cleaner, LGB has learned that Senator David Vitter (R-LA) also shares my grocer. Milano cookies, crest toothpaste, and Ben & Jerry's Heath Bar Crunch rounded out this big-shot's shopping. Someone's got a sweet tooth.

And yet again, despite the fact that I'm in there every single day, the kindly Asian lady who works the cash machine asked to see my ID.

Sounds like a wild after-party for the Senate Judiciary Committee

Your bizarre news for the day:

1. Iowa man smears poop on door, "defies the basic morals of the community."

2. New Hampshire man buys most expensive cigarettes in history of man-kind.

3. Bride's bouquet crashes plane in Italy. Bride and groom somehow not involved.

4. Joe Biden out-gaffed by Senator Jeff Session's cocaine habit.

This Week on "The Governor and the Restless"...........

The Sanfords are going to Florida!

Governor Mark Sanford will be vacationing with his wife in Florida in an attempt to repair his marriage. An admirable idea but what would a Sanford vacation be without a little bit of irresponsibility? Before leaving, the Governor skipped a meeting with a key economic advisor that was scheduled to allow them to discuss the worsening economy. This meeting was pretty important because South Carolina's unemployment rate is 11.6% and not showing any signs of improvement.

Here's some advice, if you can't fully commit to the people of South Carolina, quit your job Governor and focus on your marriage. It seems like you're struggling with being a governor and a husband so pick one and stick with it.

Thought of the day.

After watching the first two days of the Sotomayor hearings and in preparation of its last day today, I am left with one clear thought: If I hear one more question about her "wise Latina" remark, I'm going to punch the dumb republican cracker who asks it.

Bang Bang Maxwell

Well it looks like the constant police presence that surrounds my apartment on fortified Capitol Hill got a bit of action today. Within minutes of me leaving a Senate hearing (and spotting Vitter with his dry-cleaning), at 5PM U.S. Capitol Police shot and killed an armed motorist on the north (Senate) side of the Capitol. Sotomayor hearings briefly went into lock down.

Rural what now?

Rural economic development......

I came across an interesting article in BusinessWeek today that discussed former President (and Governor of Arkansas, a predominantly rural state) Bill Clinton's observation that little is done to help rural regions economically. I am actually doing an internship in a small town in a predominantly rural area in North Carolina and my observations have led to me to believe that Clinton is absolutely right in his view. The greatest poverty in America can be found in rural areas, where the labor force is often uneducated and unable to adapt to the rapid change from an industrial to a service economy. These people are often left unable to find work because of their lack of a formal education or if they can find work relegated to lower level service jobs that only pay minimum wage. After all, you can't work in an office if your highest level of education is 10th grade.

For many people it isn't economically feasible to return to school. After all, if you have a family to support working at Wal-Mart at least provides an income for your family. However, even 10 years ago, well-paying jobs would be relatively easy to come by. I know that my state (North Carolina) has been hard hit by the exodus of the textile industry, long a provider of well-paying jobs that require little education.

There are many jobs out there that could suit the needs of rural America. Clinton pointed out a basic means of creating jobs, investing in green energy. A solid investment in green energy requires almost an entire rebuilding of our energy infrastructure. Who better to do that than the predominantly blue collar labor force that exists in rural America?

We need to address poverty and unemployment in America. What better way to do it than to address the root of the problem? Will we continue our inadequate response to rural poverty? I hope not because like our former President said, to do so would be extremely ill-advised.

The stain that won't come out.

Apparently I have the same dry-cleaner as Senator David Vitter (R-LA). I ran into him while picking up a suit and was surprised he (1) looked so old -- that scandal really took its toll -- and (2) didn't have some intern to pick up all those shirts for him.

Apparently my local guy is frequented by other big wigs. I'll keep my eyes out for you all.

The Governor and the Restless

Who doesn't like a good soap opera? Long a guilty pleasure for many people, soap operas provide a form of escapism. After all, nothing that happens in it is real and no one is actually hurt. Soap operas keep us on the edge of our seats with twist and turns. You never know what's going to happen next!

You know what my favorite soap opera is? The one that had the Governor who met a girl at a dance party in Uruguay and then had an affair with her. The twist is that it was no ordinary affair, the Governor had finally met the love of his life. He was conflicted, his political career would suffer if he came out publicly and divorced his wife so the Governor decided to keep it hidden by making secret trips to her homeland of Argentina to see her. The two star-crossed lovers knew that their affair shouldn't happen but they followed their hearts and found a way to let their blossoming love grow.

Of course as you all know, the above does not actually describe a soap opera but a reality for the people of South Carolina. The Governor mentioned is Mark Sanford and the events described actually happened. Of course, unlike an actual soap opera, people were actually hurt and Sanford's actions had consequences.

Sanford behaved incredibly irresponsibly in his quest to live a real life soap opera. He never ceded power to his Lt. Governor prior to leaving the country, he misled staffers into believing he was hiking the AT when he was actually in Argentina and he refused to respond to the attempts of his staffers to reach him. What if his staffers weren't just contacting him to check in? What if something major was happening in the state? Turning on the news wouldn't update him. After all, Governors probably deal with issues that we as citizens never find out about. Had an important issue gone unaddressed, it could have had dire consequences for South Carolina.

At times though, it seemed like Sanford was aware that all of this was unraveling like a bad soap opera storyline. He gave interviews calling his mistress the "love of his life" and said that he asked for permission to see her but was denied so he went to see her anyway. He said that he would try to fall back in love with his wife, a revelation that again sounds like something a character on "As The World Turns" would say and not the Governor of South Carolina. How do you "try" to fall back in love with someone?

Since Governor Sanford didn't actually break the law, impeachment efforts have proved futile and South Carolina Republicans have largely backed off any attempts to do so. South Carolina Democrats are still behind impeachment efforts but since Democrats in South Carolina are an endangered species, it really doesn't matter.

All we can do now is sit back and continue to watch "The Governor and the Restless."

Nunchuckery: Today in Politics

The Judiciary Committee discussed ninja weaponry...


...Sotomayor remembered some comment or other she made about Latinos and wisdom...

...Republicans also apparently nominated a Latino to be a federal judge, but he was rejected on the grounds of having "no judicial experience"...

... most republicans (and Americans) don't think Caribou Barbie is ready to be the Commander in Chief...

... a solider claims that he cannot be sent to war because Obama is not the President...

... and best of all -- this clip of must-see TV -- a CNBC anchor demonstrates extreme ignorance of law and science and general dickishness.

Oh, yeah....

What ever happened over there?


Mr. Ahmadinejad as Cookie Monster snacking on Mousavi's votes. (thanks to trendpiece)

Funny, I can't seem to remember what were talking about before Michael died....

New York Harbor is filled with a lot of neat stuff.

Your bizarre news for the day:

1. Making scumbaggery a little greener: discounts to brothel patrons who arrive on bicycle.

Customers who arrive on bicycle or who can prove they took public transportation get a 5-euro (4 pounds) discount from the usual 70-euro ($100) fee for 45 minute sessions, Goetz told Reuters. He said the environmentally friendly offer was working.

2. Television advertisement showing Israeli Soldiers and Palestinians playing soccer over the West Bank barrier is "disturbing" because "in reality, if a Palestinian comes close to the fence to return a football ... he is likely to get shot."

3. The bottoms of New York City's harbors still house 1,600 bars of silver, if you can find them amid the junk and the 4-foot-long, wood-eating worms.

4. CLASSIC: The Rubber Room- Where naughty New York Teachers go to wait and die.

The room in question was about 1,100 square feet and on blueprints submitted to the Fire Department was designed to hold 26 people. On this day, it contained upward of 75. It had no windows, no land phone, no Internet access, no wall decorations, not even a clock. Any personal belongings left overnight were removed by custodians.

The Tuck Bridge to No Where

It looks like the Bridgers are not making friends in Hanover, but then again such is impossible if you insist on playing Beirut. From The Dartmouth...

We’ve all seen them around — the girls who wear handbags in frat basements, the guys who try to set up games of Beirut. They come into our social world, drink our alcohol, never say “thanks” or “sorry,” and are occasionally unruly. You know who I’m talking about — the Tuck Bridge kids. Keep Reading

From Our Honduran Correspondent...

For the last decade our national attention in foreign policy has been scattered across the Eurasian Continent, but not trouble is brewing in our own backyard. At the moment, Honduras is in crisis. The military has ousted the elected president Manuel Zelaya, removed him from the country, and replaced him with the President of the National Congress Roberto Micheletti. The Organization of American States has suspended Honduras and the World Bank has halted all future loans to the country, leaving it in dire straits and its leadership uncertain.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton have vowed to support the ousted Zelaya and have declared the "coup" to be illegal. The role America plays in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere, ever since Mr. Monroe gave us dominion over it, is critical and any action we take now will have vast repercussions in events yet to unfold. To analyze the proper course of action, let's do a quick recap of what happened.

-In November 2008, Zelaya announces his intention to put a fourth box on the upcoming ballot allowing for the creation of a National Constituent Assembly to rewrite the constitution. While the wording of the proposition was vague, only 7 of the constitution's 375 articles cannot be modified by a constitutional majority. Because these 7 exceptions concern the limits of the terms and powers of the president, Zelaya's intentions are obvious.

- The Honduran Supreme Court found that the referendum was illegal because it would modify unmodifiable articles of the constitution. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, chief of Honduran armed forces, followed the ruling and refused to aid Zelaya in distributing referendum materials (which were printed in Venezuela), so Zelaya fired him. The court found that firing unconstitutional as well.

- The Attorney General and the National Congress each concurred with the court that the referendum was illegal and in the lead-up to the referendum date, the National Congress, including Zelaya's own party therein, began to consider ways to impeach Zelaya.

- On 28 June 2009, the day of the referendum, after anti-Zelaya protesters marched on Tegucigalpa, the armed forces seized Zelaya and extradited him from the country. Zelaya's attempts to return to Honduras have been unsuccessful and mediation between Zelaya the newly installed President Micheletti by Costa Rican President Óscar Arias have been unsuccessful due to both sides' unwillingness to compromise.

For my work in Washington D.C., I attended the nomination hearings in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the U.S. Ambassadors to Brazil, Mexico, and Haiti and the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs. Honduras came up, and here are the transcripts (as best I could produce at the time).

Q13: Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Returning to Honduras: some dictators use democracy to legitimize a power grab instead of bolstering democracy. The people of Honduras were concerned that a person would install themselves permanently in the presidency. Zelaya was trying to change the constitution to continue his term in office. Zelaya used mobs to distribute ballots created in Venezuela. Zelaya’s own party said his move was illegal. I have here the order from the supreme court of Honduras to arrest the ousted president. The military was ordered to do this by the unanimous opinion of the court. They followed the Constitution to prevent a president from destroying the constitution. Their constitution says that not only are presidents term limited, but if they attempt to extend their reign, they automatically resign.

A13: Arturo Valenzuela, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs
As far as I know, the Honduran congress did not issue a declaration of unconstitutionality prior to Zelaya’s removal. The solution is not for the military to exile the president without charge; judicial processes should have been used. If a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court orders the U.S. President to be removed from the country by the military, that justice is breaking the constitution….

Q14: DeMint
…the congress voted almost unanimously, the court did vote unanimously, the attorney general issued charges, Zelaya’s party was in Washington to lobby against US supporting Zelaya. He resigned as soon as he attempted to extend his power. The military had to be used due to corruption of the police forces by Venezuela.

A14: Valenzuela
The disagreement is that the military used this option. The U.S. is not the only one to see the facts and say that it was illegal.

Demint (cutting in): Castro, Chavez, Ortega… all good friends of ours… (muted laughter)

Valenzuela: There was a unanimous declaration that a disruption occurred in the constitutional order. In my study of military coups, this is a textbook example of a coup, though I would not call it a coup because the military did not take power. I will call it a “disruption in the constitutional order.”

Q15: DeMint
There is no question that Zelaya was going to use the referendum to extend his term of office. Should we allow dictators to legitimize themselves?

A15: Valenzuela
We need to use constitutional means to protect democracy.

DeMint: But he was trying to change the constitution! And constitutionally he removed himself from office. When we find ourselves on the side of Ortega, Castro and Chavez, we need to reevaluate our position.

Needless to say, I don't agree much with Senator DeMint, but he seems to hit the nail right on the head here. I see five reasons why the U.S. should be more critical to Zelaya and supportive of the ouster:

1. There is no realist U.S. interest in keeping an anti-U.S. leader in power in Honduras.
2. It seems clear that in this extra-constitutional crisis, the constitutional order was followed as best the Honduran government could. Zelaya forced his own ouster.
3. Regardless, what happens in Honduras is the Hondurans' business. The proper order might not be followed 100% of the time (when is it in America?), but that is certainly not grounds for U.S. intervention, especially when we consider how well intervention has worked elsewhere in the world.
4. For the good of democracy in Latin America, we should not be complicit in allowing dictators to hijack democratic processes. Democracy is not about voting or majoritarianism, it is about the protection of civil rights with sovereignty vested in the people. If the democratic tradition in Latin America continues to be colored by such misconceptions, then it is doomed to continually produce similar results.
5. Perhaps the biggest thing missed in this whole process is that Zelaya is wildly unpopular in Honduras. His party has abandoned him and his countrymen don't want him.

Obama needs to explain why he is so supportive of Zelaya, because there are plenty of reasons why he shouldn't be.

Success!

Admin privileges have been granted. Thanks to Mr. Shah. I'll get the staff assembled and the writing wheels turning again. Blitz me if you'd like to contribute.

Keep checking back for updates. I hear the weather in Hanover has been rain for a month straight. Can anyone confirm? Juicy sophomore summer gossip also welcome.

Don't Call It A Comeback

Hello Little Green Bloggers, Nathan Bruschi here.

I've been trying to wrestle this blog from the cold, dead, graduated hands of one, Niral Shah '08, and thus far with little success. It strikes me tragic that such a storied center of campus debate as this one would whimper in to the forgotten shadows of history. With Wheelock as my witness, I intend to forestall its demise!

You may have noticed the emergence of a fascinating little organization, The Dartmouth Political Union, which some colleagues and I started a few terms back. The DPU aims to become a nexus of student political interaction by promoting and organizing political ideologies on campus and then pitting them together in constructive debate. Until we can get back on our feet here, and baring something better to do, I see LGB's place as an online community surrounding Union activities. Don't worry, we'll still give DartBlog and DartLog a run for their money with campus gossip, but I thought I'd make our bent clear from the get go.

So here we are. Hopefully someone will give me admin privileges so I can invite the other contributors waiting in the wing. Keep checking back to see if they ever do.

Keep it chill, Dartmouth, and let everyone know we're back.
Nathan Bruschi