A "Nobel" Week For Al Gore

In the academia community this is a very big week. Nobel awards are handed out to the very best and brightest in a number of fields. The fields of literature, science, chemistry, physics and medicine are all honored, but the most prized award is the one for peace. When it comes to peace and Nobel, that always means politics is involved. So many prominent figures have won it before, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, The Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King Jr. to name a few. And now the political figure of the year looking to become the newest Laureate is Al Gore.

From The Times UK:

Gore, a former American vice-president and failed presidential candidate, has reinvented himself as the “Goracle” with a rock star following after presenting last year’s Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, about the dangers of climate change.

He was nominated for the Nobel prize jointly with Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian Inuit activist who has campaigned about the effect of climate change on Arctic peoples.

“A prerequisite for winning the Nobel peace prize is making a difference and Al Gore has made a difference,” said Boerge Brende, a former Norwegian environment minister who nominated Gore and Watt-Cloutier.

“I think they are likely winners this year,” said Stein Toennesson, director of Oslo’s International Peace Research Institute. The winner will receive $1.5m (£750,000) in prize money.

The money aspect of it is irrelevant, it is a great chunk of change that can go for good works but the important part is that it highlights the importance of our environment and what it means for peace on this planet. Many military experts predict that a changing climate can lead to devastating destruction, whether that comes from the conditions themselves (rising sea levels, monstrous storms, etc) or actual war fought over the increasing scarcity of water.

Combating climate change now is essential for peace and Al Gore has made a tremendous difference by using political power to highlight the coming problems that we have brought on ourselves with the Industrial Age. Critics say that this a new thing for Gore after his "failed" Presidential attempt, but followers know that he has been a vocal advocate for the environment for decades.

Although I would love to congratulate him on his Nobel Prize, I think I can wait until they announce the winner on Friday.

Ron Paul Gets Noticed...Again

Ron Paul gets candid with ABC News this morning:

So I Saw This Parade Today

Walking across the park on this hot, balmy day in July October, I encountered a parade full of floats and dancers as I attempted to cross Fifth Avenue. People were banging on instruments and waving to a slightly sizable crowd on this second Monday of the month. For most of the country, it is a day off for banks and schools, but here in New York (and a few other East Coast cities) it is a chance to celebrate Christopher Columbus.

The New York Magazine pondered the holiday today and came up with some interesting ideas. My favorite part had to be about the glimpse into the truth about the man who thought he reached the Indies by sailing the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

One could argue that it is because Christopher Columbus not only didn't really discover America but was, you know, a syphilis-riddled dick who, with his buddies, decimated the Native American population.

Really, that was what he was all about. He didn't "discover" America, it was sitting right here for eons. Many other explorers had been here before him as well, from Amerigo Vespucci to the Vikings hundreds of years before. So why does Columbus get all the fame?

Maybe because the names of his ships rhyme and the textbook people thought that was cute? Or maybe Italian-Americans wanted a claim to fame besides the Mafia and the cuisine? Maybe it was a way for the United States to further marginalize Native Americans and piss them off some more by celebrating a day that symbolizes the death of their dominance over the continent. All I know is that I hated waiting to cross Fifth Avenue as the self-involved New Yorker that I am.

Killing For Christ On XBox

I don't know about you, but I usually do not equate camping trips with playing the video game Halo. However many Christian groups conveniently forget about the "Thou Shalt Not Kill" in the bible in order to increase the size of their flock of youthful congregants. Young Christians may not be actually killing people but the game is considered extremely violent by those that play it, especially since it was given a "Mature" rating by the video game powers that be.

From The New York Times:

Martial images in literature or movies popular with religious people are not new. The popular “Left Behind” series of books — it also spawned a video game — dealt with the conflict preceding the second coming of Christ. Playing Halo is “no different than going on a camping trip,” said Kedrick Kenerly, founder of Christian Gamers Online, an Internet site whose central themes are video games and religion. “It’s a way to fellowship.”

Mr. Kenerly said the idea that Halo is inappropriately violent too strictly interpreted the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” “I’m not walking up to someone with a pistol and shooting them,” he said. “I’m shooting pixels on a screen.”

Mr. Kenerly’s brother, Ken Kenerly, 43, is a pastor who recently started a church in Atlanta and previously started the Family Church in Albuquerque, N.M., where quarterly Halo nights were such a big social event that he had to rent additional big-screen TVs.

Ken Kenerly said he believed that the game could be useful in connecting to young people he once might have reached in more traditional ways, like playing sports. “There aren’t as many kids outdoors as indoors,” he said. “With gamers, how else can you get into their lives?”

Jesus, Mary and Joseph! I wonder what the Messiah would think about this?

I thought that the church was supposed to be a positive influence in kids lives, not actively promoting video game violence. Church groups should be condemning this, not endorsing large groups of kids sitting on couches for hours at a time. I agree with James Tonkowich, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy when he said "If you want to connect with young teenage boys and drag them into church, free alcohol and pornographic movies would do it. My own take is you can do better than that.”

We can definitely do better, thats for sure.

Jim Webb Scares Joe Scarborough Straight On Blackwater

Watch how this "cowboy" does a 180 on his views about Blackwater once Senatory Jim Webb of Virginia comes on his show:

Mitt Romney Turns His Back On MS Patient In Wheelchair

As Mitt Romney spryly walked around a campaign event to shake hands, he encountered Michael Clayton in his wheelchair. Michael has been debilitated by muscular dystrophy and asked the candidate about his views on medical marijuana, specifically if he would legalize the drug for those that use it for medicinal purposes only. What do you think Mitt had to say?

From RawStory:

At a campaign stop in Dover, NH, Mitt Romney was asked about medical marijuana by Clayton Holton, who has muscular dystrophy. "I have the support of five of my doctors saying I am living proof that medical marijuana works," Holton told Romney.

Romney suggested he use synthetic marijuana instead, but Holton said, "I have tried it and it makes me throw up."

He then asked, "Will you arrest me and my doctors if I get medical marijuana?"

"I'm not in favor of medical marijuana being legal," Romney told Holton curtly, then deliberately turned his back on him to say "Hi, how are you" to other members of the audience.

Wasn't that nice of Mitt? Another member in the audience asked him if he would answer Michael's question but basically ignored him and moved on to other people in the crowd. Apparently Romney would throw Mr. Clayton and his doctors in jail, despite the benefits that the drug provides.

Now that's compassionate conservatism at work!

The Friendliest Bike City Around?

I recently heard that New York City got third prize for being the best biking city in the country. How that came to be is besides me. NYC is a dangerous place to ride (or thrilling for some) where potholes, car doors and taxis can jump out at you at any moment. There are few bike lines and although the city is making an effort to increase the amount of lanes, there is another troubling problem. It is called the NYPD.

Not many people in the media talk about it, but the police here like to attack the Critical Mass bikeride that hopes to actually promote bicycle riding. Now I'm not talking about the savage brutality that occurred around the RNC meeting in 2004. Who cares what happened three years anyway, even if people were beaten and illegally detained? Well if you are as heartless as me, then maybe you'll consider what happened just a couple weeks ago:

About 70 riders regrouped and enjoyed a lovely ride for several miles before a rather nasty attack by the NYPD on scooters and other vehicles on 7th Avenue in the 23rd street area. Of the people detained, some were ticketed, some let go. Reportedly at least one person was arrested because she wasn't carrying identification.

Some riders regrouped and continued to ride, but were likely attacked again as cops were seen following them. A considerable amount of time later several cyclists walking down the sidewalk with their bikes were stopped by NYPD and ticketed for not having proper lights etc - a clear example of NYPD abuse.

Apparently, the past 3 months of cop-free NYC Critical Mass rides was too much for the NYPD and they were compelled to ratchet up their nasty illegal harassment of Critical Mass participants.

The cops just can't get enough of these cyclists, and the city could care less. If you call that being bike-friendly, I'd be afraid to see what the police would do if we weren't.

Mellencamp Sings About "Our Country" In "Jena"

George Sure Likes To Gossip....

If there is one thing that is certain about Iran, there is a lot of talk going on about the country and what the Bush Administration might or might not do with the regional power in the Middle East. The saber-rattling has grown increasingly strong over the last few months and it made al-Arabiya ask our President if it means he will provoke a war with Iran. George calls it "baseless gossip" but whenever he says one thing, he generally means another.

From RawStory:

The al-Arabiya questioned asks Bush about reports in the Arabic press which have alleged the United States has detailed plans to strike military sites in Iran.

"There are some leaking to the press and particularly the Arabic press," the questioner asks. "Is it true that you've issued orders Mr President to your senior generals in the American military to prepare for a major and precise strike that could happen in the middle of January or February."

"Empty propaganda," Bush replied. "Ah, evidently there is a lot of gossip in parts of the country... the world, that's trying to scare people about me personally, my country, and what we stand for. That kind of gossip is just what it is. It's gossip. It's, uh, baseless gossip."

Uh, uhhhhh, uh, I call bullshit Mr. President. There is no reason to believe what you say in an interview with any media outlet, whether it is based in the Middle East or here at home. I'd rather (and yet unfortunately) trust the journalism of a pulitzer-prize winning Sy Hersh over you any day of the week.

The only propaganda being waged is by his neo-con friends and others out there that want to see us go into another war that would stretch our military even thinner than it is now. I am not alone in saying that it could make our armed forces pass their breaking point. Instead of going after the military junta in Burma, we choose to fight a losing battle in Iraq while threatening another conflict next door in Iran.

That is sheer lunacy George.

If The Cards Are Right, We Can Take Back The Senate

Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate right now, but unfortunately the mere threat of a filibuster sends Harry Reid and his merry Democratic men and women scurrying for the trees. It is sad to see the takeover of the Senate last year do so little for the electorate that gave the Dems the upper hand.

There is hope for us however next year. If everything goes the way we want it to, Democrats could end up with sixty seats in the Senate. That would eliminate any chance for Republicans to strike fear into the hearts of our Democratic caucus.

So how do we go from fifty-one to sixty? Blow by blow it is rather quite simple. With all of the individual accounts of corruption and the overall Republican culture that fosters all of their evil-doers, many of the twenty-two Senate Republicans are vulnerable. Five seats (Hagel, Warner, Craig, Domenici and Allard) are being vacated for various reasons. Other incumbents such as Ted Stevens up in Alaska and John Sununu in New Hampshire are vulnerable to Democratic opposition.

Overall, Republicans continue to disappoint Americans and they in turn will show their displeasure come election day next year. The conservatives didn't get the message last year when they lost control of the legislature but I fear they won't get it next year either. Being stuck with narrow-minded vision has its downsides, thats for sure.

Presidentin' Is Tough

Thou Shalt Steal From God's University

Oral Roberts University has been at the butt of many jokes over the years, but a brewing scandal might just topple the Oklahoma Institution like Joshua at the battle of Jericho. "God" is a mighty word, and it is definitely being tossed around Tulsa. Oral's son Richard runs the place now and is claiming that God has told him to deny the allegations in a lawsuit brought by professors and students of the campus.

According to the lawsuit, Richard has been stealing from the University to pay for lavish trips for his kids, remodeling his house, buying luxury cars for his wife, ridiculous cell phone bills that involve underage boys being called during the middle of the night (I swear I couldn't make this up if I tried) and on top of that, having students work on a Tulsa Mayoral campaign that is highly illegal as the University is a non-profit institution.

Students and professors are extremely angry at what they have uncovered and seek unspecified damages for being dismissed after making the allegations public. Some students are even transferring to avoid the shame of having a degree from ORU. Of course in Richard Roberts' world, God tells a different story:

At a chapel service this week on the 5,300-student campus known for its 60-foot-tall bronze sculpture of praying hands, Roberts said God told him: "We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit ... is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion."

God Richard Roberts is close to what this case is all about. The word isn't "extortion," it is "embezzlement."