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"Reason of Insanity" Men Get Voting Rights Back. Right Idea?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:46:28 -0700

The Rhode Island Board of Elections has reinstated the voting rights of two men who had them taken away last year. The men were found two decades ago to be not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. However, they now live in a psychiatric center and neither man had ever been released from mental care custody.

Rhode Island law says both convicted felons and those “lawfully adjudicated to be non compos mentis” - or sane - aren't allowed to vote. Lawyers for the men appealed for their right to ballot on the grounds that the finding of insanity applied only to “a brief period of time” and that “since it covers a brief period of time, it didn’t seem to persuade the Board of Elections that the men should lose their right to vote.” Let's remember that the "brief period of time" was long enough to let them escape being charged with murder, though they killed four people between them.

The subject of felons getting to vote came up when we were all watching Recount - the Florida felon list played heavily into the plot. Is the right to vote something that should be taken away permanently? Do we need a more nuanced system where those convicted of federal felonies could re-earn voting rights? Or should we be even more selective as to who gets to pick our leaders? Was Rhode Island right to reinstate the rights of the mentally ill men?

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Front Page: IAEA Concerned About Iran, Zimbabwe Toll, Fox Commentator Apologizes

CitizenSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:55:05 -0700

IAEA Concerned About Iran: The International Atomic Energy Agency issued an honest and specific report yesterday saying that Iran’s suspected research into the development of nuclear weapons remained “a matter of serious concern” and that Iran continued to owe the agency “substantial explanations.” The report pegged Iran with a willful lack of cooperation, especially answering whether nuclear capabilities are intended more for military use than for energy generation. According to Western intelligence agencies, Iranians have ventured into explosives, uranium processing, and a missile warhead design - nuclear weapons activities. One official said of Iran's actions, “There are certain parts of their nuclear program where the military seems to have played a role. We want to understand why.”

Zimbabwe Toll: Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said today of the violence resulting from the contested election held in March, "Over 50 Zimbabweans have been killed in the past six weeks. More than 25,000 people have been displaced. I've been saddened that Zimbabweans are willing to shed the blood of other Zimbabweans over political differences." The runoff election between Tsvangirai and incumbent Robert Mugabe is to be held June 27.
Fox Commentator Apologizes: Over the weekend, Fox analyst, Liz Trotta, said while discussing Hillary Clinton's RFK remark “now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, um, Obama - well, both, if we could.” The Fox News anchor interviewing her was startled saying, “Talk about how you really feel,” as Trotta laughed. Yesterday Trotta went back on Fox News Channel to apologize. She said, “I am so sorry about what happened yesterday in that lame attempt at humor. I sincerely regret it and apologize to anybody I’ve offended. It’s a very colorful political season, and many of us are making mistakes and saying things that we wish that we hadn’t said.”

To see the video of the incident, read more.

Thanks to ladychaos for the video!

Global Totals: Bolivia Votes on States' Rights

CitizenSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:59 -0700

Exit polls are showing that Bolivia’s wealthiest province, Santa Cruz, voted to pass a measure yesterday that would grant them autonomy from the federal government. The federal government, lead by Evo Morales is calling this move “unconstitutional.”

Although a few hundred years and a couple of time zones separate the two, Bolivia is facing a heated smidge of the conundrum that Hamilton and Jefferson debated in the early years of the American republic: States' Rights versus Federal Government. The debate between the two sides in Bolivia was heated at best, violent at worst.

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The area of Santa Cruz, the most affluent in Bolivia, has the most to lose if the federal government decides to move forward and nationalize their gas and oil industry. Their solution is to make like Jefferson and grant themselves greater autonomy, including the right to select their own regional governor (currently the federal government appoints all regional governors). Santa Cruz is only one of five states in Bolivia voting on this statute. To see what the federal government is up to, read more.

The federal government’s plan since Morales was elected has been to nationalize the oil and gas industries siphoning more money to the central government and to break up large landholdings, most of which are owned by those in Santa Cruz. The federal government’s position is complicated - but they claim that with this revenue, they can further reinvest in the nation’s infrastructure and provide land to those who have none.

The Bolivian central government stands by their belief that no state should have the right to control what they believe are the nation’s resources for their own benefit while the states claim that they have the right to self-determination by their federal government. Sound familiar?

Should wealthy Bolivians get to declare autonomy? Or will the vote serve to codify economic inequity? Do you think the government will uphold its word to spend the cash on country improvements?

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Funny Man Al Franken's Campaign Flummoxed by Blogger

CitizenSugar — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:00:52 -0700

Al Franken, former SNL funny man turned face of Air America is the Senate candidate running for election in Minnesota, interested in discussing problems that concern his constituents. You know the good issues like jobs, health care, and the environment. Enter the blogosphere. Oops. Unfortunately for the Franken campaign, what he's now being forced to discuss is his failure to pay his income taxes on time. To the tune of $70,000 in 17 different states.

Republican blogger Michael Brodkorb started the blog MinnesotaDemocratsExposed and scooped the mainstream media to out Franken's suspicious bookkeeping and calls Franken “mean spirited and un-Minnesotan” candidate behind a “desperate and ridiculous” campaign. Franken says of the blog, "when people talk about the right wing noise machine, that's what it is." Brodkorb says, "I do think it has some influence right now, but that's never what I sat down to do. This was always about a political junkie looking for an outlet."

Franken is taking on Republican incumbent Senator Norm Coleman.

But, Al - if it's true, how is it noise?

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Front Page: eBay Sues Craigslist, Zimbabwe Recount, India Rebuffs US

CitizenSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:53:37 -0700

eBay Sues Craigslist: The "shop victoriously" eBay is suing the popular no-frills community and ad website Craigslist, saying it needs to "safeguard its four-year financial investment." eBay claims that Craigslist executives took actions that "unfairly diluted eBay's economic interest by more than 10 percent." No further details of that action were gvien. Craigslist responded saying it was surprised and disappointed by eBay's "unfounded allegations." Craigslist is the seventh most popular English-language website.

Zimbabwe Recount: In a recount, Zimbabwe's ruling party (Zanu-PF) has been confirmed as the winner of the first of 23 constituencies to analyze the results of March's election. The opposition, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has questioned the recounts as an attempt to rig the election and overturn its parliamentary majority. The initial results of the election have not been announced. The deputy information minister said that Zanu-PF was preparing for a second round in the presidential election."We are waiting for the official announcement of results to say, we're waiting for a re-run, that's a fact. MDC knows that, Zanu-PF knows that, that there is no clear winner. No-one has got 51 percent." Post-election violence in Zimbabwe has displaced 3,000 people, injured 500 and left 10 dead.
India Rebuffs US: India has declined a call by the US for it to ask Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program. India's foreign ministry said neither India nor Iran needed US guidance on how to proceed with relations. The rebuff came after a senior US official said the US would welcome India telling Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad is set to visit Delhi next week. A foreign ministry spokesman said, "India and Iran are ancient civilizations whose relations span centuries. Both nations are perfectly capable of managing all aspects of their relationship with the appropriate degree of care and attention. Neither country needs any guidance on the future conduct of bilateral relations as both countries believe that engagement and dialogue alone lead to peace."

Cashed In? Should Candidates Accept Public Financing?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:15:07 -0700

Barack Obama and John McCain are trading pointed queries over who's spending cash from whom, and it all swirls around the question of accepting public financing.

McCain is urging Obama, the fund-raising powerhouse, to follow through on his promise and accept public campaign matching funds this fall. The funds effectively cap the amount of money a candidate can spend. McCain had already bought into the plan (receiving a $4 million bailout on his faltering campaign last year) and now might be in hot water for exceeding spending limits while still technically in the primary portion of the budgeting.

Public finance reforms aim to give voters more control over government, make politicians accountable to constituents rather than campaign contributors, and provide a level playing field. By combining both an equal amount of dough for candidates, and assuring that a certain amount of donations they do raise are small contributions from a varied audience of voters, the system hopes to give everyone a fair shot at getting elected.

Should Obama keep his promise and accept matching funds, or be the first candidate since 1976 to go private? Do the limits enhance the debate by granting greater accessibility, or limit speech by tying the hands of voters who might want to give more?

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Global Totals: Italy's Candidates Say "Buongiorno!"

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:00:03 -0700

Earlier today we took a peek at a little history behind the curtain of Italian politics. While we wait for the results in their election (notoriously inaccurate exit polls show Berlusconi with a lead for now) let's crack open some Chianti and meet the candidates.

Silvio Berlusconi, the would-be three-term premier, is known for his off-color humor. How off? Like, I don’t know, maybe once saying, “Chinese communists used to eat children”? He later apologized, of course, and is widely considered Italy’s most entertaining politician. Funny résumé tidbit? The self-made man was once a cruise-ship singer. While the tips were probably great, he made his real euros as a businessman, in particular an empire of privately-owned television stations. But for an Italy teetering on the edge of recession, his business acumen is what the people want.

His opponent may sound familiar to those following the US elections. To see why, read more. With an intellectual air and a campaign slogan that translates to, “Yes, it can be done,” Walter Veltroni is considered Italy’s Obama. What country doesn’t need one? He speaks of hope. He admires the Kennedys! And at 52, he’s awfully young to be prime minister. He would be the youngest in post-World War II Italy. Though he got his start as an activist in the Italian Communist Party, he now dons a bipartisan allure. His critics chide him for trying to be all things to all people.

For all Berlusconi and Veltroni’s differences, policy-wise these two oni’s actually have a lot in common. They both support tax cuts, restoring public programs, and moving toward a two-party system. In fact, they are so close many are calling for a joint coalition in which they would govern together, and while Berlusconi welcomes the possibility, Valtroni rejects it. Hmm. . . but does he denounce it? Stay tuned to see the results of this match up!

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Front Page: Iraq Sacks 1,300, Maoists Lead in Nepal, Polygamy

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:00:40 -0700

The Iraqi government dismissed 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight in last month’s Shiite-on-Shiite battles in Basra. The announcement came yesterday after an admission that more than 1,000 members of the security forces had laid down their weapons during the fight. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki had characterized the fight as a campaign to restore law and order to Basra. An Interior Ministry spokesman highlighted the conflict in service saying, "some of them were sympathetic with these lawbreakers, some refused to battle for political or national or sectarian or religious reasons.”

In their first elections since 1999, Nepal's Maoist party has taken a commanding lead. The goal of the election is to form an assembly to write a new constitution. The Maoists are reported to have won about half of the 160 seats so far, and are well ahead of other parties. It's been decided that the new constitutional assembly will implement the abolition of the 240-year-old monarchy, and the deputy Maoist leader announced that he believes the monarchy will be abolished in three weeks.
The state of Texas this week will argue to retain custody of all 416 children removed from their parents after a raid on a polygamous compound. Child welfare laws require each child to have his or her own attorney, and bar officials are reporting that more than 350 attorneys from across the state have volunteered to represent the children for free. Three mothers of the children in custody have appealed to Gov. Rick Perry for help in a letter, saying that some of their children have become sick since being removed and are being questioned about events they know nothing about. Yesterday state officials enforced a judge's order to confiscate the cell phones of the women and children removed from the ranch.

Global Totals: Italy Votes . . . Again!

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:14 -0700

Think Italians are best known for hot cars and delicious food? How about their wild and wooly politics? Italians head to the polls again today in a second day of voting to elect Italy’s 63^rd prime minister since the end of World War II. Keeping score at home? We’ve only had 11 presidents in that window. How about a break from the US election? Let’s take a peeksy at what the Italians have been up to - and then meet the top two candidates later today.

The Italians called early elections in January after the prime minister up and quit. This is not as sensational as it sounds: In the last 50 years, all but one government - that of conservative Silvio Berlusconi’s from 2001-2006 - have dissolved before their time. Why the revolving door? To find out, read more.

There are 36 active political parties in Italy today. And if two parties can run a country, 36 is a crowd. With so many competing for power - 20 held parliament seats in 2006 - consensus is monstrously hard to reach making the country hard to lead. Most prime ministers have found it impossible.

Though there are 32 candidates in today’s election, only two are viable for the first time in Italy's history: to the center-right is former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi (yep, he's running again), and to the center-left is former mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni. Basta for now! Check back in a bit to learn all about these colorful characters.

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Out of Africa: Kenya Hits Two Finish Lines

CitizenSugar — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:16:55 -0700

In Kenya today President Mwai Kibaki named rival Raila Odinga prime minister. The power-sharing deal became official after lengthy negotiations over the agreement they signed more than a month ago.

The two became locked in heated debate over the governing of Kenya following disputed elections between them last December. The official announcement of the agreement is a welcome finish line as deadly violence spurred by the election has left more than 1,000 people dead and around 300,000 displaced.

Another Kenyan crossed a triumphant finish line this morning at the London Marathon. Martin Lel won the London Marathon for the third time in four years, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 15 seconds.

Other Africans running in the marathon today included a group of Maasai warriors, hoping to raise money to build a well in their village, Eluai, in Tanzania. To see the distinctive athletes in action, read more.

The warriors ran dressed in red toga-like wraps and sandals made from old car tires, carrying cowhide shields and sticks. They hope to raise awareness for the drought they're suffering, as well as $120,000 to solve their water woes.

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