Posts Tagged ‘Politics’
Woman in Labor Votes After Water Breaks
Galicia Malone of Illinois stopped to vote despite the fact that her water had broken, according to ABC News.
As the Facebook status update put it — if she can do it, you can do it. Vote that is.
Illinois Woman in Labor Stops to Vote on Way to Hospital – ABC News.
Campaign Ad Touts Kids Teeth
Jeff Barth’s campaign ad — in truth a YouTube video — is not as weird as I thought it would be based on the headline of the Political Wire blog post, which is “Most Bizarre Campaign Ad of the Year?” They do have a question mark. The ad does, however, tout the straightness of his children’s teeth. Which is indeed odd. Probably a first for any ad that isn’t for your local dentist.
It also offers a chance to show the silliness of politics as practiced by people on both sides of the aisle. Join us, won’t you? Read more »
Are Political Spouses Fair Game? Maybe, But Stay Away From The Kids
Leslie Marshall and Janine Turner appear on Fox News with Bill O’Reilly to discuss whether or not political spouses are fair game for criticism during campaign season. I say sometimes they can be, but not the kids. Them you stay away from.
Little Bit Of Money Saves Lots of Lives
With all the talk about budget cuts and wasteful spending, there are many cases where spending a little bit of money can save a lot of lives.
From the New York Times: Read more »
Interview With Wisconsin Parent Involved in Protests
Here is my interview with Jen, a Wisconsin parent who has been involved in the growing protest movement.
Some of the points that Jen made were:
- The protests have been peaceful and non-violent. According to her, the police have actually thanked protesters for behaving so politely. On Saturday, there were no arrests.
- The crowds have been getting bigger. News reports put the number at 100,000, which she says is “the largest gathering in Wisconsin state history”, and may even be the largest labor rally in United States history. “Even Fox News” said there were 100,000 people there on Saturday, she said. Jen questioned why the Tea Party rallies, which were not as well attended, received non-stop news coverage.
- According to Jen, the protests are being attended by people of all ages and social classes. The farmer’s union drove tractors to the Wisconsin State Capital building on Saturday. The police and firefighters have expressed support for their fellow public workers, despite the fact that Governor Walker made them exempt from the new “no collective bargaining” bill.
Jen is a parent who started going to the Wisconsin State Capitol building protests to support her kids’ teachers, who are, of course, public workers. According to her, the protests will continue every day, and the big rallies are usually on Saturday.
You can listen to the interview here, or subscribe to the Brett Singer podcast via iTunes. We hope to be able to talk to Jen again to get an idea of what’s happening on the ground in Wisconsin.
Ron Reagan Says Dad Had Alzheimer’s While He Was President
Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, has a new book coming out on January 18 called “My Father at 100“. The “Bedtime for Bonzo” actor would have been 100 on February 6, 2011. In it, he says that his dad probably had Alzheimer’s while he was President, according to published reports.
Although Democrats and Republicans are planning to sing kumbaya to celebrate the Reagan Centennial, an article on TheHill.com says that Ron Jr. “suggests…that the commander in chief began suffering from Alzheimer’s disease while still serving in the Oval Office.”
Oh. Is that all?
Ron did say on ABC’s 20/20 that “It wasn’t like oh my God he doesn’t remember he’s President,” and that he doesn’t believe a diagnosis was made; if it had been, he thinks his father would have stepped down as President, according to TheHill.com.
Personally, I didn’t need to know that the leader of the free world may have had oatmeal for brains while he was in office. I’m no fan of Reagan, and I think that Reagan’s centennial will once again prove that the so-called “liberal media” is nothing more than a creation of the GOP NeoCon Hive Mind. But the man is dead. We don’t need to speculate about whether or not he had Alzheimer’s while he was President.
I also don’t think I would be too thrilled with my kids writing a book about me, even after I was dead. Although if they had to do it, I guess I’d rather it happen after I’m gone so I wouldn’t get all worked up about it. Hopefully they’ll think I’m such a fantastic dad that they’ll have no desire to ever write a book about me unless it’s “My Father Was So Wonderful I Only Have Nice Things To Say About Him.” I doubt that would sell a lot of copies, though.
Reagan’s son says Alzheimer’s likely began in White House years (TheHill.com)
Father Sues To Block NYC Schools Chancellor Pick
From NY1, the story of a dad who decided to use his lawyering powers for good:
Eric Snyder is a lawyer with two kids in the public school system. In his lawsuit, he says the waiver granted to Black by State Education Commissioner David Steiner was illegal because the law states the chancellor must have a master’s degree.
Black needed the waiver because she has no educational background.
Black (who is white, which isn’t relevant but we couldn’t resist) was appointed by Mayor Mike Bloomberg. You remember him. He’s still the mayor of New York, despite the fact that he wasn’t legally able to run for a third term because the people of New York voted for term limits. Twice. But he convinced the City Council to make an exception. Sound familiar?
Snyder sued New York over that one too. He lost. He’ll probably lose this time as well, although maybe not. I like that Snyder is doing this. I wouldn’t, because I don’t do stuff like that and even if I did, it feels like tilting at windmills. Even if that’s true, part of me is glad that there are still some modern day Don Quixotes out there.
Father Launches First Legal Battle Against Schools Chancellor Pick – NY1.com
