oldthom - Politics
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The U.S. should not ban funding for international family planning groups that perform abortions and/or lobby for abortion rights. It is not our place to force our morals and ethics on other countries to whom we give aid, wait we allow abortion in our country ...
Michael Steele is a good choice to head the Republican National Committee. Sure, just another goon from the goon squad as far as I'm concerned. The goonier the better- every time the GOP selects some whacko to do a major image job they only succeed in distancing themselves further from mainstream America.
The boos for President Bush at Barack Obama's inauguration were appropriate. childish and disrespectful. I don't like Bush, to put it mildly, and dislike Chaney even more, to put it even more mildly, but I'm not going to boo them. What for? To show others what a jerk I am?
Sanjay Gupta is a good choice to be Surgeon General of the United States. Here's a person who knows how to get things done and do it with excellent communication and collaboration. This guy has charisma, youthful and in good health himself - a plus in my book!
Kirsten Gillibrand is a good choice to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. Yep, a level-headed moderate in the camp? Always good to have around went things get too liberal.
Israel should not use force against Iran. In what context - in general, just because or when they feel like it? If invaded, yes; if not, no. - what a silly question.
The Senate should eliminate the filibuster for presidential nominees. Yes! long overdue.
It should not be legal for healthy adults to sell their organs for transplants. there was a really interesting book on this topic a while back, now what was it again ... hmmmmm - come on people!
Congress should pass President Obama's $819 billion stimulus package. I think they did ... a little late on the take here I'm afraid.
The $825 billion stimulus price tag is too low. There is alot wrong with our country. Based on the dollars spent during FDR's first term and equating them to today, we are short by at least a trillion dollars ... but this ain't then and much of what we are seeing may be artificial recessionary tactics
President Obama should not loosen restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research. He will, but he shouldn't. Research in adult stem cell research will put on the back burner as a result ... sigh
Rush Limbaugh has had a negative impact on the Republican Party. Plenty of folks in the GOP just see him as a hate monger, but there are those who do like (within the party) when he sticks it to their favorite "voodoo doll" of the day. Many of my friends are border line republicans and they shudder at the mention of hi
The U.S. should not restrict prisoners' access to lawyers at Guantanamo Bay. Absolutely not! What a shinning example of jurisprudence to the world! Why not just start the Inquisitions again while we're at it - oh wait, maybe we have! God help us!
U.S. Presidents should not have the power to grant pardons. One of the many reasons George Washington in his wisdom and experience, and foresight, knew not to take the title of king. We are a democratic republic, whose government is "We the People". Presidential pardons outside the normal checks and balances of go
People residing illegally in the United States should not be deported. No, not carte blanché. We need to wake up and smell the reality of the world around us and remember how we became a great nation: on the backs of immigrants, here legally and illegally, whose imagination and hard work made our country possible.
President Obama's inauguration speech was good. I truly hate qualitative ambiguity with labels such as "good" or "bad". So in this context, I rate his speech "good" because it had more substance and content and less rhetoric than many of our past presidents combined. Well done. But that was the easy pa
Barack Obama should give up his Blackberry when he becomes President. Until they can make them 100% secure (good luck!), then yes, he should abandon all devices that could be used against him or this country. Sad but true.
Tom Daschle was not a good choice to be Barack Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services. No. He is not human, so how could he oversee such an enterprise? He is an attack dog and should be used accordingly.
President Obama should not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Bush Administration policies. I have to agree with Obama on this one (or whoever told him to say this). It is bad karma to start out pursuing the worst president in history in this way. Much better to let the collective press and outside "investigators" start the ball rolling and then
Tim Kaine is a good choice for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Didn't know much about him, but he seems to be a pragmatic, dogmatic democrat and suppose in that sense, he does fit the "mold".
Governor Blagojevich should resign. He broke the first cardinal rule of politics: he got caught. If for no other reason than just because he was stupid. Just another Clinton with a different fly unzipped.
Israel should withdraw all Jewish settlers from the West Bank.
Lebanon's government should be held accountable for Hezbollah's actions.
Israel's military action was not justified in the 2006 Lebanon War.
Israel's invasion of Lebanon is not justified.
The post-cease fire Israeli air strikes in Gaza were not justified. Israel is just taking advantage of the current world economic turmoil. Diplomatic and other methods had not even been effectively tried much less exhausted.
Caroline Kennedy is not a good choice to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. She has a name only. While that may be popular, it should not be the criteria for leadership.
The U.S. should not negotiate with Iraqi resistance leaders. No, that is up to the Iraq gov't, no matter what their current makeup or authority. We need to back out of their country in all aspects.
Iraq's national oil industry should not be privatized. Iraq needs to make that determination for itself. What is best for Iraq and it's future? If I were able to make that decision as an power broker in Iraq I would bring the industry under full government control and out of the hands of western capitalists a
Barack Obama's national security team is "Satisfactory." Time will tell if his choices were spot on, on paper it looks good, in practice, as a team, they are untested - we shall see.
Israeli military action in Palestine is not justified. We do it all the time! A sovereign state has the right to defend itself from it's neighbors, right? I mean even if that neighbor is struggling to survive and it was their land you took away in the first place and people from your country are illegally bu
Leon Panetta is a good choice to head the CIA. The blogs are alive with comment on this one! Panetta, the perennial low-profile man, in the spot light ... gives me goose bumps. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Panetta, from his early days in CA politics to the rapacious plundering of his good
The pursuit of Osama bin Laden should be a top priority in President Obama's agenda. He SHOULD have always been our TOP PRIORITY!! However, it was always a fools errand ... kill one bin Laden and 20 more will take his place, but it feels good to catch the bad guy and string him up, right? ...
Democrats should reject Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate. Guilt by association? I guess this is just another dog with the same fleas ... what Blagojevich did is not uncommon in any world political situation, he just got caught because he made a few "real" enemies along the way, after all he was not supposed to b
Eric Holder is a good choice for U.S. Attorney General. I honestly did not know much about Mr Holder, so I had to do some research. He certainly has the experience, being the Ast. AG under Clinton and kept a relatively low profile while under Reno. I am hoping his support for the Patriots Act was more politica
Pastor Rick Warren was a good choice to give the invocation at Barack Obama's inaugural. I don't agree with Warren on some spiritual and moral issues (I have read his "The Purpose Driven Life" .... a blend of western New Age thoughts in a material world seeking solace outside itself) but I think his search for the truth is genuine. Obama's el
Hillary Clinton is a good choice for Barack Obama's Secretary of State. She is strong, dependable and a classic example of a successful woman, politician, human being and partner. In my opinion she is a little too strong and independent minded but part of a team she should do well once she gets used to the rules (which she is
Supreme Court Justices should be given term limits. The Harvard Journal of Law in 2006 published a very long and detailed analysis of the issue whose premise was that term limits should be imposed. I agree in principle but not without changes to the approval system as it now stands. As it is, with liberal
Timothy Geithner is a good choice for Barack Obama's Treasury Secretary. Not sure really, he seems to be an interventionist and tends to lean towards deregulation, at least since 2007. We'll see ... I am a little disappointed tho ...
The Bush Administration was the primary cause of the Republican Party's losses in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Only Bushaney can be charged here ... so many articles, facts and numbers to sort through ...