Strollerderby : president bush

Morning News - GOP Calls Sotomayor Racist

Brett Singer — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The Republican/Conservative Hive Mind Coalition has decided how to attack Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. What is it? Drum roll, please... She's a racist! This comment from Rush Limbaugh is... well, you decide: "Limbaugh called the president 'the greatest living example of a reverse racist,' and said that he has picked another for the Supreme Court vacancy of retiring Justice David Souter. Limbaugh later equated Sotomayor to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke." David Duke? Huh? The comment Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich and Hive Mind members are clinging to is one that Sotomayor made at a Duke Law School symposium in 2001: "a wise Latina woman would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

I haven't read much about Judge Sotomayor, but I think the GOP Hive Mind is grasping at straws by clinging to one quote that she made. How difficult would it be to review cases that were before her while she served as a judge, and to talk about those? I've said plenty of things that I wouldn't want thrown back at me if I were up for an important post. (Supreme Court seems unlikely since I don't have a law degree, but maybe I could be the head of the Department of Video Games and Comic Books.) Also, as a white man who grew up in the Bronx and worked for two years at a job where there were many Latina women, I can honestly say that a great many of them reached better conclusions than I did. So there.

Speaking of the GOP, Mitt Romney seems to think he's still running for President. He's mad at President Obama for the way he's handling our foreign policy. (Grrr... Mitt is angry... Grrrr...) I love how it's OK for people to criticize the President when said President is a Democrat. Remember how we were all supposed to support President Bush because we were a nation at war? That attacking the Commander-in-Chief of the United States could be damaging to troop morale, and make us look bad in the eyes of foreign leaders? I guess that doesn't matter anymore.

One more political item -- Dick Cheney (aside: if my name were "Richard" I wouldn't use "Dick" as my nickname) admitted that there was "no link" between Saddam Hussein and the September 11th attacks. But he still thinks we did the right thing by marching into Iraq. He, too, took issue with President Obama's policies. I'm not 100% positive about this, but didn't various Bush administration officials and the Republican/Conservative Hive Mind spend a lot of time and energy telling the public that Saddam Hussein was, in fact, involved in the September 11th attacks? If so, what is Cheney saying now -- sorry, my bad?

On to less important matters. Susan Boyle checked into the hospital after losing "Britain's Got Talent." She is said to be "suffering from exhaustion," which I think officially makes her a real celebrity, since I have never heard of anyone other than a celebrity checking into a hospital because they were tired. (I know, that's reductionist, and an over-simplification, and probably other words that basically mean the same thing as those two. Bear with me, I'm exhausted.) The funny thing about Susan Boyle? She didn't "lose." She came in second. She was a complete unknown and now she's famous enough to check into a hospital for exhaustion without being laughed at. She will certainly have some sort of career in the entertainment business if she wants to. How is that "losing"? A year from now, let's see who has had a better career -- Susan Boyle or the dance troupe Diversity. My money's on Boyle.

OK, one more serious thing: a federal judge has ruled that "Guantanamo evidence must be made public." This is "the unclassified evidence that it says justifies the continued imprisonment of more than 100 Guantanamo Bay prisoners." So, you know. So there.

Here's a headline you don't like to see: "Federal Reserve puzzled by yield curve steepening." It's one thing if I'm puzzled by financial matters facing our nation. But the Federal Reserve? They shouldn't be puzzled. They should know stuff. Lots of stuff.

Finally, something silly and utterly unimportant. Kathy Griffin says that Eminem walking out of the MTV Movie Awards was "a stunt." What happened? Sasha Baron Cohen, aka Bruno, stuck his heinie in the rapper's face.

Here's what happened:

And here's what Kathy Griffin thinks of it:

See? Now you know everything you need to know to start your day. Enjoy!

Image: Latina.com

Dad Charges Daughter With Grand Theft Auto

Morning News - Mike Tyson's Daughter Injured

13 Year Old Alfie Definitely Not A Dad

Kids Share Hopes, Dreams With Obama Via E-Book

Kate Tuttle — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:02:00 GMT

If kids could address President Obama directly, what would they tell him? More importantly, what would they ask him to do for them? Released yesterday in honor of President's Day, Dear Mr. President is a free e-book that answers those questions. Composed of kids' direct requests for Obama -- 150 of them, selected from about 4,500 that were sent in -- the project is a collaboration of the National Endowment for the Arts and kidthing, a company that provides downloadable media players.

The kids' requests ranged from the profound ("no war ever again") to the sublimely ridiculous ("make it rain candy"). According to the AP, a special hardcover edition will be given to the President, although it's clear that unlike any of his predecessors or his opponent, he would be okay with viewing it on his BlackBerry.

It's clear that this new presidency has inspired American kids -- and kids around the world -- more intensely than any political event of the last quarter-century. We can only hope that their passion and interest is sustained, and then rewarded by smart, honest candidates when it comes time for them to vote. But it's not the first of its kind; if the project makes you want to dig deeper into the history of American children's involvement with political figures, a new book compiles letters from kids to Eleanor Roosevelt, and then of course there are the letters youngsters wrote to George W. Bush (and yes, that last one is a spoof, as if you couldn't tell from the letter ending, "Please put food on my family! Anything you can spare would be great. God bless!").

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Elizabeth Hasselbeck's Son Headbutts the President

SunnyChanel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:49:00 GMT

Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s 14-month-old son got to do something over the weekend that most can only dream about. He headbutted the president.

The Hasslebeck clan flew to D.C. and had a 15-minute visit with President Bush, which Elizabeth described as feeling “historic and comfortable”. Her daughter Grace brought dog biscuits for the Bush’s dogs and had a conversation about the canines with the lame duck.

But then son Taylor got his time, he took this opportunity to nudged noggins with the literal head of the United States of America.

"Taylor shows his affection by headbutting people, so he also engaged in that with the President" she said. "He clocked the President in the head."

Oh, to be young and to be able to head butt however your want, whenever you want.

You can check out a outtake from The Viewabout the visit on Huffington Post here.

Daughter's Homework Assignment Leads to Presidential Pardon for Dad

Brett Singer — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Not one of Bush's daughters (that's what I thought when I first heard about this story, but maybe you're not as gullible as I am). The daughter of the man who was pardoned.

Danny Pue received a pardon from President Bush on Monday, one of 14 total. (I'm not including the annual turkey pardon.) Pue, a Vietnam veteran, was charged with, "illegal treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous materials and chemicals used to preserve utility poles." Sounds bad. That was in 1996. In 2003, Pue's daughter, Karen Flint, wrote to Bush asking him to pardon her dad as part of a class project in college. Five years later, Pue received a pardon.

On a separate but related note, I've always found Presidential pardons to be a little bit sketchy (except for the turkeys, of course). All Presidents do it, Democrat and Republican, so this isn't a partisan thing. I just always found it odd the way it gets done -- when there's no chance for a political backlash. At least in this case it seems that the pardon wasn't politically motivated (although I guess that's possible). And it's nice that Pue can get out and have a second chance at life.

The daughter wrote to Bush originally when she was in college, meaning she's not a kid anymore. Still, I hope dad gets her one heck of a Christmas present.

Source/Image: KHOU

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Cheetah Girls Banned From Macys Thanksgiving Parade

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Teacher Has Affair With Student, Parents Say Keep The Door Open

Chicago Woman Lived With Dead Siblings For 20 Years

Breaking News: Earthquake in China kills thousands, 900 children buried at a school

Brett Singer — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:15:00 GMT

CNN is reporting that close to 9,000 people have been killed by a 7.9 scale earthquake in China. One area, Beichuan County, has had 80 percent of its buildings destroyed.

To make it even worse, if that's possible, is that 50 bodies have been pulled from the rubble of a high school in Central China. 900 children were buried by the quake at that particular spot so the death toll is likely to rise.

President Bush released a statement expressing sympathy for the Chinese people, adding, "I am particularly saddened by the number of students and children affected by this tragedy."

The quake was so strong, it could be felt in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Pakistan.

CNN has a lot of coverage, including eyewitness accounts (sample: "The floor was moving underneath me") and video.

Truly horrible.

image: CNN.com

Political Propaganda Directed at Children

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:18:00 GMT

My grandfather, a lifelong Republican and World War II Vet who proudly raises his American flag every day, recently told me he is disgusted with the current leadership of our country. These are words I never imagined would come out of his mouth. So at this point almost all institutionalized expressions of the outside world’s hatred of our current regime are, in my opinion, worth taking seriously. But what if this criticism comes in the form of a children’s puppet show promoting murder at the hands of a young boy?

A Hamas-owned children’s television has broadcast a puppet show in which a Palestinian boy murders President Bush to avenge his parents, who were killed in the wars in Iraq and Lebanon. “I place my trust in Allah,” the boy says before stabbing the president. “I need to kill you.” (Islam permits murder only when one is being oppressed or directly attacked).

Leaving aside the fact that this slapdash presentation is unlikely to hold the attention of any child for longer than ten seconds, the video raises concerns about the use of propaganda to politicize youth. This is a rather clear-cut example of teaching unhealthy values to children—no matter how opposed one may be to the war in Iraq or how fervently one hopes that the next election lands us a president who will not appear as the villain in any children’s shows, it’s hard to get behind a production that shows children committing murder. But many subtler forms of propagandizing to kids exist in every country in the world in the form of movies, TV shows, and history books. For instance, the maps in Israeli history books fail to mark the boundaries around the West Bank and Gaza, which some argue teaches children that the occupied territories belong to Israel.

Do you parents out there have any reports of what you viewed as propaganda being taught in your children’s schools?

Photo: alarabiya.net

What Happens When Mom Gives Up: Cindy Sheehan Quits the Anti-War Movement

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Thu, 31 May 2007 22:20:00 GMT

Cindy Sheehan, who came to symbolize the anti-war movement, is selling the plot of land she bought in Crawford, Texas, where she led the anti-war protest and waited (in vain) for President Bush to talk with her. She states she is quitting as the public face of the anti-war movement to "...go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost."

Sheehan's son Casey died in Iraq in 2004 and in her view "died in vain." As Morra Aarons at Blogher asks, what does her quitting ".. say about the state of the American anti-war movement?"

It must be unbelievably horrible to lose a child to a war you don't believe in. Even more heartbreaking to feel that you've failed to make that loss mean anything. Let's hope someone else stands up to do this important work.

Bush's Plan to Fight Fat in Kids: Play

Karen Murphy — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 22:17:00 GMT

What a novel idea. President Bush said yesterday in a meeting with executives from around the country that one way to combat obesity is to "get people outside" in activities such as "sports or hiking or conservation". (Conservation? Oh, that's right, I forgot, scraping toxic oil-sludge off wet waterfowl is a fun-filled activity for the whole family. Come on, kids! it's our turn to aerate the landfill this week!) But play? Kids? What a concept! Reminds me of the "good old days" when we were all out on the street playing kick-the-can until midnight.

Laura Bush weighed in with this slam on moms, as if they haven't been slapped around in the media enough this week: "Mothers are the ones, a lot of times, who make choices for their children...They make their choices on the foods they eat. They're the ones at home, many times, who encourage their children to exercise." That's right! So not only are we incapable of watching our own children without getting totally plastered, but it's completely our fault that the kids have a BMI that gets notes sent home from their schools because their diet consists solely of Cheetos, Pepsi, Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, and Happy Meals, all consumed while glued to the TV.

Guess how President Bush plans to break the news to kids that they should be out playing instead of watching TV? Of course! Television ads! That's right, coming soon to your TV are clever little commercials "featuring characters from the 'Shrek' animated movies encouraging children to 'Be a Player' and get up and play for an hour a day." Right. Very effective. I can totally see all the kids getting up and turning off that TV after watching ~~such dreck~~ Shrek telling them to.

Also attending the meeting were ~~heads of state~~ representatives from General Mills Inc., Coca-Cola North America, Univision Communications Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., Kellogg Co., PepsiCo Inc., Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust, McDonald's USA and Nickelodeon Television. I guess it's good to know who's in whose pocket.

Texas Leaves Children Behind to Work at McDonald's Someday

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:56:00 GMT

Education experts say one in three Texas students drops out of school. They're predicting a social crisis in years to come, but I don't know why everyone's worried. With deplorable academic records like that, these Texans could end up as oil magnates, big league baseball team owners or, wait for it ... president.

Of course, life won't be quite as fun for those that don't make it to the White House. According to a Houston Chronicle story, high school dropouts earn about $9,000 less each year than graduates, and there is an increased risk for poverty, illnesses, jail time, fatherhood and writing for blogs. (I really should have listened to my guidance counselor.) And because more kids in the state's largest cities are dropping out than graduating, experts are predicting, well, something close to Armageddon.

"We have a huge problem," the state's lieutenant governor said. That's right -- you do. Because there's no way in hell I'm moving to Texas. California is doing, ahem, just fine, thank you very much.... God I hope the next guy -- or girl (hope hope) -- actually does something about education. Besides leaving children behind, I mean.

Will No Child Left Behind be Left Behind?

Karen Murphy — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:04:00 GMT

This year President George W. Bush's controversial No Child Left Behind act is up for renewal, sparking debate among education think tanks who alternately have declared it to be either the "best or the worst thing ever to happen to schools". Educators in the field seem to agree on one thing, however: that although it "has become part of the education mantra", this law must be changed.

One area everyone agrees that requires the most change is in the field of special education. Educators would like "more flexibility", as NCLB currently requires that "most kids with disabilities take the same tests" as their non-special-ed peers. So, let's see...to increase test scores so we look better, we change the requirements for kids who would fail anyway, right? And then we can just let them slide even more. After all, they'll probably ending up just bagging groceries anyway.

While the NCLB Act was highly touted as something that would bring a more equal playing field to all children, thereby attaining President Bush's dream to "keep workers competitive", educators also say now that even without NCLB, the "education of poor and minority children would still be a low priority" and that the burden is "unfair" to educators. Unfair? If educators don't shoulder the burden of making a quality education available to every child, who will?

Let's face it, not all children learn in the same way, not all children and families maintain the same priorities about education, and not all people are cut out with the same cookie cutters. Is a cookie cutter approach to education really going to work? Does a standardized method of evaluating children's progress through the school system really portray accurately the teaching success of the school, or is it just one more way to attempt to fit round people into square holes?

Admittedly, the public school system in this country leaves a lot to be desired, but the way to fix it so that it works is clearly not the one that is already leaving many children far behind.