JZipp - Politique

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A world free of nuclear weapons is not achievable. This would be the equivalent of achieving world peace. I think it's a great ideal, but someone always ruins the party for everyone else.

L’ONU n’est pas efficace.

Sarah Palin should not pursue political office again.

Mitt Romney has the best chance at becoming the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2012. Second place finish in the 2008 GOP primary, a solid fund-raiser, and any previous scandal would've come up during his last run. As long as he stays under the radar until the 2012 primary season kick-off, he's golden compared to the rest. As a Mormon, he'll be an out-there choice for the GOP, and if Obama is doing well come election time, at least they'll be able to say they gave Romney a chance. ("Look at how progressive we are! We nominated a Mormon!") That could certainly shake things up in a party that's lost it's overall identity.

Protests over the Iranian election will lead to a revolution. This is still a headline news beat. I think it would be tough to quell the situation without a stronger uprising, which would lead to a revolution... or at least an attempted one.

North Korea should be on the U.S. government's "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list. Am I missing something related to the definitions of "terrorism" and "terror"? Do we not live in a relatively constant state of fear over the possibility that North Korea could launch a nuclear warhead on another country at any moment? Are they not being aggressive with their missile testing? Whenever things get quiet, they make it a point to remind us that they still have these capabilities. That aggression is a clear tactic of terrorism.

Bill O'Reilly should bear responsibility for the murder of Dr. Tiller. I wish this issue was a tad more general, and here's why... this isn't about Bill O'Reilly's freedom of speech. He can say whatever he wants to just as Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, or anyone else can. Debating this from a Constitutional standpoint is moot. The real issue at hand is in understanding the power these particular media personalities hold over their audience when waxing poetic in one of the most public forums available. There's a disregard for how their message will be perceived even by their regular audience much less those who might be tuning in for the first time. For the record, this also does NOT have anything to do with O'Reilly as a role model. That's a completely different discussion. However, I think that many of these so-called "talking heads" provide arguments without a well-rounded foundation in how they're presenting them given that they're paid to excite and entice a particular group of viewers. It's one thing to agree or disagree with a point, and quite another to misunderstand it entirely. That happens too frequently on all sides because pundits and hosts aren't allowed to introduce an argument without some grandiose flare. It would lack "shock" value. Still, when you're *paid* specifically to act as an influencer, you simply must bear some responsibility when that influence leads to wrongdoing.

President Obama should not release new photos depicting U.S. detainee abuse.

Timothy Geithner should remain Secretary of the Treasury.

The Republican Party should try to rebrand itself. It's all about @MeghanMcCain, @AaronSchock and @RossDouthat... you go, young Republicans!

Assault weapons should be illegal.

Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party will have a negative effect on the GOP. Once Al Franken is sworn in as Senator of Minnesota, it will give the Democrats a filibuster proof majority. This move also opens the door for other moderate Republicans (who may not agree with the socially-motivated premise of the current neoconservative movement) to consider a switch as well.

Private sellers at gun shows should be required to do background checks.

Denying or trivializing the Holocaust should not be criminalized.

Eliot Spitzer should not run for public office again.

The Tea Party protests are not a grassroots movement. Grassroots requires spontaneity in thinking. The ORIGINAL Boston Tea Party was truly grassroots. The modern version is a lame copycat attempt with minimal (if any) impact potential.

Fox News' coverage of the Tea Party protests is not appropriate. For the record, EVERY network should have had *some* coverage of the Tea Party protests. However, FOX went a step further by making it the day's major headline and event. They also promoted the protests with commercials leading up to April 15 in order to help garner more attention. FOX crossed the boundary of reporting news and creating it - a big no-no for a network that touts the slogan "We report. You Decide." I chide EVERY news network for breaking that journalistic standard.

The U.S. should not take military action against Somali pirates’ land bases. This shouldn't turn into an all out war, but the U.S. needed to take some action to show Somali pirates that the country means business. It's not like giving them a pass would stop them from terrorizing future vessels. The government tried that in the past. It didn't work.

President Obama should have authorized the use of force against the Somali pirates. The Captain Richard Phillips situation was not the first time Somali pirates seized a U.S. ship and held hostages. This action would be considered an aggressive, potentially war-inducing move if done by another nation. Somali pirates are starting to mess with the wrong people.

The U.S. should join the United Nations Human Rights Council.

L'ONU devrait imposer des sanctions à l'Iran.

The U.S. Department of Justice should not drop the charges against former Senator Ted Stevens. Doesn't matter if it's a Democrat, Republican, Third-Party or Independent politician, the Department of Justice needs to stop dropping the ball so actual "justice" can be served. Even had the DOJ appropriately filed the evidence in question, Stevens likely would have been indicted on some charges. He shouldn't get a free pass entirely, though.

People overreacted to Obama's joke about the Special Olympics.

President Obama's video message to Iran will have a positive effect on U.S.-Iranian relations.

Kathleen Sebelius is not a good choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The religious beliefs of an elected official should not affect their policy decisions.

Both parties are equally responsible for the federal deficit. It's the fault of the system itself. Two dominant ideals clashing without any real potential for moderation. This pendulum will just keep swinging until it breaks.

Vacant U.S. Senate seats should be filled by popular election.

Tzipi Livni should be the next Prime Minister of Israel.

Senator Roland Burris should resign.

Bill Clinton's was one of the best presidents ever.

Barack Obama has led the debate on the economic stimulus package effectively. Yes, he's led the debate... no one can actually moderate ideological differences, though.

The U.S. should not extend military soldiers' tours of duty.

The President should not order domestic warrantless wiretaps to combat terrorism.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) should not include immunity for telecom companies.

La sécurité sociale ne devrait pas inclure de comptes de retraite privés.

Les États-Unis ne devraient pas construire de barrière le long de la frontière mexicaine.

Kirsten Gillibrand is a good choice to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. She's a centrist... which can be a coin-toss... but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. She's a tough politician, for sure.

The boos for President Bush at Barack Obama's inauguration were not appropriate. I was torn on this issue, but the reason I say "no" is because it put many Obama supporters on the same level as McCain fans during his concession speech on November 4, 2008. The people booing should've realized they were in DC to celebrate the inaugurati

President Obama's inauguration speech was good.