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Posted on 04.28.08 by Stephen Covington @ 3:54 am
Zimbabwean security forces beat members of the opposition demonstrating in Harare.Almost a month after Zimbabwe’s recent presidential election ended, the results still have not been released. In the meantime, a Robert Mugabe’s supporters have waged a fierce campaign of violence and intimidation against the opposition, often blaming it on the opposition themselves. There have even been rumors that the African nation is headed for civil war. The United States has been pressing Zimbabwe through diplomatic channels, and calling for its neighbors to decry the violence. Still, little seems to be happening. Mugabe is not the type of person to let go of power without a considerable struggle. In addition to a long history of violence against political opposition, he has publicly compared himself to Adolf Hitler:
Some experts believe that Mugabe will not be prosecuted for his role in war crimes, instead living out his days in a relative degree of luxury, in exchange for releasing his grip on political power - although if he does not go soon, he risks incurring enough wrath by his opponents to make that all but impossible. A larger question is why Mugabe feels comfortable that he can remain a despotic dictator and not have to eventually answer to the citizenry. One possibility is that the Chinese government is running around the world with a torch, glorifying the mistreatment of its own people as some sort of “unity”. All the while, they still continue to sell massacre-bound weapons to Zimbabwe. Curiously, the Chinese government’s argument of “it’s just a business transaction and nothing more” reason for a large shipment of arms strangely echoes the “it’s just a sporting event and nothing more” justification given for the holding the Olympics in a nation where most of the principles of the Olympics are banned. More than likely, China’s government doesn’t see this as anything more than a “business transaction” because for them, like Mugabe, killing citizens is business as usual. Only the immediate future will tell if Zimbabwe’s government will really change. If so, maybe Mugabe will get acquainted with his own brand of Hitler justice, tenfold. Filed under: Foreign affairs and Opinion Comments: None |
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Posted on 04.27.08 by Stephen Covington @ 4:08 pm
Recent campaign expenditure reports show that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have spent a combined $110 million vying for the Democratic nomination. Obama alone is near $70 million as compared to Kerry’s $20 million in 2004, and is outpacing Clinton 2-1 in television spots in the key states of North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold primaries on May 6. Obama already stands to outdo Clinton in North Carolina, which has significant numbers of liberal voters in specific enclaves, and a large black population. Areas around Raleigh have seen significant growth in the last decade as younger voters have moved into the state seeking jobs in the “research triangle” region that focuses on the high-tech and bioscience sectors. Indiana, although politically dominated by Democrats, is fairly conservative and has a long history as a “red state” in Presidential general elections, which could play in favor of Clinton. Her convincing win in Pennsylvania shows that she is still relevant in the eyes of conservative Democrats who haven’t gone over to the Obama camp. Indiana could either reinforce this, or be a coup for Obama if he can garner more of the traditionalists in the party. An Obama win in NC and Clinton taking Indiana would allow Hillary to hang on, but barely. Filed under: Barack Obama and Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: None |
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Posted on 04.27.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 3:43 pm
Having just lost his bid to become the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee, Alan Keyes did an interview with Missouri Viewpoints about his political ideas and his future. The interview is conducted in the corner of a hotel meeting room and appears to feature a studio audience of about 2 people. Keyes starts by comparing his defeat to the aborting of an unborn baby. When asked if he plans to continue running for President as an independent, he doesn’t close the door on any possibility… Filed under: Alan Keyes and Third Parties Comments: 2 Comments |
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Posted on 04.26.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 5:28 pm
Pastor Chuck Baldwin, and former 2004 VP candidate, won the Constitution Party’s nomination for Presidential today. He defeated former Ambassador Alan Keyes by a margin of 384 to 126 delegates. This is not much of a surprise, considering that Howard Phillips, the founder of the Constitution Party, gave a speech to the convention yesterday blasting Keyes as a political opportunist. Keyes seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t take losing very well. It wouldn’t surprise me if we now see him try and form his own party, run as an independent, or go after another nomination - maybe from the nearly-defunct Reform Party. No word yet on who the Constitution Party will nominate for Vice-President. Filed under: Alan Keyes and Campaign 2008 and Third Parties Comments: 4 Comments |
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Posted on 04.25.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 2:40 am
This week the tiny Constitution Party is holding their national nominating convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Along with the many points of internal party business that will be addressed… the main task for the delegates is to pick a ticket for November that will likely appear on 35-45 state ballots. The current fight for the party’s Presidential nomination seems to be between Former Ambassador Alan Keyes, who left the Republican Party after his unsuccessful run this Spring, and talk radio host Chuck Baldwin. Baldwin is the choice of many long-time party activitists. He served as the Vice-Presidential nominee along with Michael Peroutka in 2004 and the two captured a decent showing with 144,499 votes. That was up from the 98,000 or so votes that Howard Phillips recieved in 2000, but down from the party’s 1996 showing. Of course, Pat Buchanan was the Reform Party’s nominee in 2000, and those tickets were going after many of the same voters. Alan Keyes has turned off many within the party because he supports the current War in Iraq, while Baldwin strongly opposes it - a view shared by most Constitution Party members. Keyes is also seen as arrogant and disconnected by some, but there is definitely the chance he could win hundreds of thousands of disaffected Republican votes in November. A Baldwin candidacy would likely be “more of the same” from the Constitution Party… perhaps drawing a quarter million votes at best. Tomorrow the candidates will have a chance to address the convention and then votes will be taken to pick both the Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominees. With so many unhappy delegates in the room, it wouldn’t be too surprising if a compromise candidate popped up at the last second…. or if the delegates try to nominate Congressman Ron Paul. Filed under: Alan Keyes and Third Parties Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 04.20.08 by Stephen Covington @ 11:21 pm
Australia has warned the Chinese government that if any members of the People’s Armed Police touches a member of the public, they will be arrested and charged. The PAP previously roughed up protesters in London and Paris, leading to their branding as “thugs” by the governments in those countries. Additionally, the PAP has been the force primarily responsible for atrocities in Tibet, and regularly carries out executions for non-capital crimes. They can be easily distinguished by their green, military-style uniforms. Australia has decided to allow three PAP officers to run next to the torch, not allowed to carry weapons, and will be surrounded by Australian police. China has not been happy with the agreement, but has been forced to agree as a condition for allowing the torch to go through. Below: Three members of the People’s Armed Police preparing to scatter the brains of one of their unlucky people all over a wall.
Filed under: Foreign affairs Comments: 5 Comments |
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Posted on 04.20.08 by Stephen Covington @ 10:53 pm
Arizona Senator John McCain filed a report today showing that his campaign has $11.6 million in the bank. This is still significantly less than Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who have been locked in an extremely competitive primary. There has been some discussion about McCain accepting public funds, a step which might prevent having to deal with quite so many of the heavily-demonized donors and lobbyists and also jive with McCain’s preference towards campaign finance reform. However, it may also rankle free-market conservatives who constitute a significant portion of the base. McCain may have a decent chance of selling conservatives on the idea if he starts early. Filed under: Campaign 2008 and John McCain Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 04.20.08 by Stephen Covington @ 9:01 pm
Lockheed-Martin’s F-117A Nighthawk, long a symbol of American power in the late and post-Cold War eras, and highly synonymous with secrecy, will retire for good on Monday at a 10 AM ceremony at Holloman Air Force Base. The oddly-shaped black aircraft has a ubiquitous presence in B-roll footage for news networks reporting on government or military activities, space aliens, UFO sightings, science education, crop circles, etc. It also has achieved some notoriety in its own right, having served in the invasion of Panama, both wars in Iraq and at least one having been lost in military combat to Serb forces during NATO operations in Kosovo. Although its low-observable technology is still quite effective, the F-117A is high-maintenance and has been supplanted by newer aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor. UAVs and other projects are also changing the paradigm of air superiority to emphasize automation and continuous operation, while increasingly taking pilots out of the equation. As unmanned aircraft become more capable in the next decade, it’s possible that we could in fact see a growing trend towards retiring otherwise young operational aircraft. Filed under: Military Comments: None |
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Posted on 04.20.08 by Stephen Covington @ 12:20 am
With 188 delegates at stake, this coming Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Pennsylvania is shaping up to be a make-or-break event for the Clinton campaign, which has recently seen a string of strategic endorsements go to Obama. The list includes former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, former senator Sam Nunn, Nebraska Democratic State Chairman Steve Achelpohl and even singer Bruce Springsteen. Pennsylvania is seen as a stronghold state for Clinton, with large numbers of working class voters, high levels of union membership and a labor force that has seen significant displacement from manufacturing and industrial jobs. A Zogby poll on 4/18 has Clinton at 47% to Obama at 42%, with a 5-point margin of error. A Rasumussen taken on 4/17 seems to agree, with Clinton at 47% and Obama at 45%, with a 3% margin of error. Obama is running competitively in the state, maintaining at least 30 field offices and blasting the airwaves with TV ads. Geographically, the candidate’s strong areas in the state are divided; Clinton has a lot of support in the western area of Pittsburgh, traditionally associated with heavy industry. Obama has a great deal of momentum in Philadelphia, with its large numbers of black voters who traditionally vote Democrat. The rest of the state is pretty much up for grabs. This is the first time that Pennsylvania has played a decisive role in any presidential election since 1976. Clinton needs to win the state somewhat decisively; a slim margin of victory would be considered a plus for Obama, showing that Clinton’s support is eroding quickly. A win for Obama would almost certainly knock Clinton out of the race as a serious contender. Many superdelegates may make up their mind based on what they see on Tuesday, or in the early-May primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. Filed under: Barack Obama and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: 3 Comments |
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Posted on 04.12.08 by Stephen Covington @ 6:18 am
As many people may have heard, the Newseum - a museum dedicated to journalism and the media - has recently opened in Washington, D.C. It has exhibits concerning the First Amendment, an area where visitors can be anchors, various newspaper and media clips, and so on. The facility has been widely touted as a “new museum”. Actually, the truth has not been accurately reported. Ironically, the media has screwed up a story about a museum dedicated to the media. Here’s one such article from the Washington Post. Here’s another from ABC News. All media reports I have seen so far - both on television and in print - make no mention of the fact that the Newseum actually goes back to 1997. It was in a different location and it was much smaller, but it did exist and had many visitors. I vividly recall going there myself in 1999. The original location closed in 2002 as work commenced on the new facility. The reports as of late have been about the new location, but it’s important to realize that this does have some history behind it, and the Newseum is not just something that sprang to life as of April of 2008. The media might be good at getting the word out on something, but they’re terrible at showing context. Filed under: Breaking News and Media Comments: 3 Comments |
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