Is Bush taking responsibility or Spinning?
Topic: Hurricane Katrina
JW said today "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government." Does this mean he is taking responsibility for the failures, or did one of his aides explain the seriousness of the situation and he is doing some damage control? The fact is that he has not "taken responsibility" for anything in his presidency that has gone wrong. He has not ever acknowledged that he is human and makes mistakes, especially if it involves the loss of human life. Why now? We are fed up! Thats why. He is simply responding to low approval ratings. He does not care about the response (or lack of response). All he cares about it his legacy and his money (and his "base's money). Don't be fooled!

President Approval Below 40%
Is America finally seeing what a few of us have seen for the past six years? Now that Karl Rove has been publically humiliated, and everyone finally knows he is the most unethical man in politics, he cannot spin GW's abysmal performance into gold anymore. When this president is left to make decisions on his own, and speak without his speech writers, his approval ratings go down. I wonder why. Maybe because he is not a leader, nor does he have any life experience (other than dodging all responsibility and spending dad's money). It is obvious that he was appointed as our president by the religious right, and they are not interested in saving the poor, Social Security, or the stability and budget of this nation. All they care about is that no gays are getting married and no one is getting an abortion.

Plan B
Topic: Science News
Plan B Contraceptive is known as the "Morning After" pill. The FDA has succumbed to political pressure in their disapproval of this medication as "over the counter".

The problem with this process is the charter of the FDA. Regardless of how we fell about contraception, the FDA should only be looking at the facts concerning the reliability of the medication and the health of the American people. They should not be making decisions based on morality or their personal religious beliefs.

If the American people feel we need a morality check on medications, we need to make one. The FDA is not prepared or trained to make morality decisions for Americans.

The fact is, we need this medication. Young girls are having sex, and will face unwanted pregnancies. There are numerous contraceptives available for anyone currently "over the counter". Why not offer another choice?

History has shown that people will not stop having sex. Abstinence education has failed. The best approach to controlling unwanted pregnancies and STD's is to stress monogamy, and education about birth control.

I think it is a far greater crime to bring an unwanted child into this world than to provide emergency contraction to women. Unwanted births contribute to poverty. Children raised in poverty are at a huge disadvantage in every aspect of their life. Young women should be kept in school, preparing to take care of themselves before they become mothers. If that process is disturbed by a pregnancy, the likelihood that they will fail is very good. Regardless of whether they give the child up for adoption or not. It is a huge disruption to their lives.

It is critical that the public sector be made an integral part of the decision making in science. Morality should have a place in determining how we use information discovered by scientists, but so should the greater good of the population.

The approval committee has explored the safety and efficacy of Plan B, and found it to be an excellent candidate for "over the counter" status. As far as the FDA is concerned, that should be enough.

Keep in mind that this is not an "abortion" pill. It works like "the pill", in that it prevents a pregnancy. If the fertilized egg has attached to the uterus, Plan B will do nothing.

Please visit http://www.sciencefriday.com/pages/2005/Sep/hour1_090905.html for more information.

Brown Sent Home!
Topic: Hurricane Katrina
Michael Brown was sent home today. Finally! It is too late for those who drowned waiting for rescue, but it is a positive development none the less. Maybe the administration will start checking out resumes now, and placing qualified people in top posts? Wishful thinking!

Hurricane Katrina and Homeland Security
Topic: Hurricane Katrina
It is obvious that Michael Brown did not earn his position as Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. His job in responding to the Hurricane has been abysmal. All Americans should be furious! Let's send him back to the horses!!

Message to G.W.: Stop rewarding your incompetent friends by giving them jobs that involve real responsibility. You are directly responsible for the death of hundreds (maybe thousands) of people in the path of Hurricane Katrina. With the thousands dead in Iraq, the billions of dollars wasted, and total destruction of one of the worlds most beautiful and diverse cities, I honestly do not know how you sleep at night.

What does it mean to be an American?
Topic: Patriotism
I would like to define what it means to be a patriot in this United States.

A patriot is someone who truly believes in the wellbeing and longevity of the country. In order to be patriotic, one MUST question their government.

Under no circumstance should we "fall in line behind the President" just because we are experiencing a national disaster. This is the time when the true patriots need to be the loudest.

It is a very sad day when Americans feel afraid or ashamed to complain about the job their government is doing. What are we here for? What do so many Americans die for? The ability to speak freely.

I have heard countless times that speaking against the war is "un-American". I say, speaking against the war is the most American thing we can do. Make sure the Government knows that their actions are being noticed and checked. We put them there, and we can take them out.

Those of you sporting American flags off their cars and homes, remember one thing: that flag stands for liberty and free speech. You should be first in line to defend the rights of anyone who is critical of how our government is behaving.

Those of you who destroyed your Dixie Chicks Cd's after their comment should be very ashamed. They were exercising their rights as Americans.

A true patriot would know this!

"People should not fear their government, the government should fear it's people."

Budget and Tax Cuts
Topic: Hurricane Katrina
Those of you who have supported this administration in the past because you are very religious, against gay marriage, or against abortion should take a very close look at what they are actually doing when you are not looking. Everyone in Mississippi and Louisiana knows.

If you are on, or have been on, any public assistance, you know how important it is to give our most desperate citizens some dignity and hope. In public, this president is making his photo ops at church on Sunday, threatening to veto any legislation that does not suit the ultra religious right, and appointing conservative judges. Behind closed doors, he is making deals with his true base, the very wealthy. These deals are costing us all dearly.

During the same legislative week, the Senate is debating hurricane relief and making tax cuts permanent. Don't be fooled, those cuts are for the ultra rich ONLY! Average Americans will not see anything! All the while, our national debt is skyrocketing out of control. This will have a direct effect on the social fabric of every state, city, town, and citizen of the United States.

If you are a supporter of this administration, please ask yourself "why". Do you strongly believe in one of the "hot topic" items that Karl Rove has driven into the spotlight so we can see and think of nothing else? Is there anything else that you like about this administration? Are you a blue collar worker, a farmer, an educator, unemployed, a student, or any other average American trying to survive? Do you have a family and are worried about insurance and college tuition? If so, every decision this administration is making is changing your life, and not for the good. Stop focusing on what Karl Rove wants you to, and start asking the real questions!

The War
Topic: Iraq
We need more people talking in public about the war. I do support the troops, and think they are doing the best job possible under the circumstances. However, we need to say it like it is. Iraq did not have any weapons of any value and we knew that going in. This administration knew that before they attacked, otherwise the invasion never would have happened.

Example: North Korea is responsible for numerous human rights violations (far more than Saddam). If we believe this administrations explanation that we are in Iraq on a humanitarian mission, then why aren't we in N. Korea? Simple: They have several WMD's and they will use them. So, lets take a diplomatic approach there (I wonder if they have any oil?)

What about Africa. There are numerous human rights violations there each day. Why aren't we invading (oops, liberating) Africa? Who knows, but I bet it has something to do with oil again.

Don't be fooled. The top three officials who were pushing for war have no military record (at least public record), no combat experience, and nothing but dollar signs in their eyes.

Is it worth the thousands of dead? Would you be willing to give up your son or daughter for this cause?

Evolution in Schools
Topic: Evolution
Here is the problem with the new spin on Creation: "Intelligent Design". Proponents of creation want Intelligent Design to be taught in science classes in American high schools. What is the big deal? Most Americans identify themselves as "Christians" and claim to believe in one "Maker" responsible for the creation of everything. You would think that most of us would be fine with teaching an idea that supports our core beliefs to our next generation, and since most parents are failing to teach such subjects to their children at home, why not have the schools do the job for us?

Here is the problem. Science is a systematic approach to understanding the natural world. In order for science to be critical and objective, it must be tested. We must be able to devise a hypothesis and test that hypothesis. If we are able to generate data that supports the hypothesis, someone on the other side of the world can replicate our experiment and generate the same data. That is science. If we cannot form a hypothesis, devise an experiment, generate data, and make conclusions that are able to be replicated, it cannot be taught as a science. It is that simple.

Intelligent design integrates the "Supernatural" into the natural world. We cannot generate a valid investigation that tests the supernatural. It does not matter how we feel about Creation or Intelligent Design, we cannot teach it as a science.

Creationists have been trying to get into the realm of science for hundreds of years. It is the lack of understanding of the nature of science that has allowed this debate to continue. If more Americans understood how science worked, we would not be having this discussion.

Evolution, on the other hand, is a theory that has stood up to countless tests. There are literally thousands of real scientists trying to disprove elements of this theory on a daily basis. They have failed. Every attempt only strengthens the overall theory. It is one of the best, if not the best, scientific theories we have.

Creationists would like us to believe that there is a great deal of controversy within the scientific community concerning the validity of Evolution. This is simply not true. There is controversy about small discoveries and placements of fossils within the time line of life on earth. There are controversies with the early morphological data and the new chemical data. These will be worked out in time, and new issues will arise. However, the scientific community is more united over the theory of Evolution that any other theory. Don't believe the Creationists propaganda.

Back to the point. Should we eliminate Evolution from the required curriculum in our public schools? Should we avoid the theory that unites all fields of biology, chemistry, and physics? Are our children going to be living under a rock for the rest of their lives?

The fact is, we cannot begin to understand our natural world without understanding evolution. Everything around us is a product of evolution, and it is still and always will be, working. Everyone in this world benefits from the adaptation and change of living organisms as a response to their environment. We cannot ignore humans role in Evolution. The evidence is overwhelming.


Should we teach "Intelligent Design" in our public schools? Sure, but not as a science. Lets have discussions and debates about this idea where it belongs, in history or sociology class. But how can we stop there? There are several more interesting ideas about the creation of the universe from other cultures. Why not discuss creation from the perspective of Native Americans? Why is their idea not as valid as ours? What about the Eskimos, Mexicans, South Americans, or Africans. The Asian culture has generated numerous fascinating explanations for the creation of the universe. Why not discuss those ideas? I'm sure that they are just as passionate about their version of creation as our Creationists.

The fast is, we are doing our students a huge injustice by avoiding such a beautiful and unifying theory. Imagine teaching Physics without gravity. We can memorize facts, but nothing really makes sense. You cannot truly understand Biology without Evolution. Our kids need to be taught to think critically, process information, and make their own decisions. Our goals as parents and educators should not be to generate clones of ourselves, but to generate free thinking, independent, and educated adults. This is the only way our culture and way of life can survive.

Your Comments
Topic: Your Comments
If you would like to make a comment here, please email them to:

comments@easternoregonliberal.com

They will be screened for offensive material, and posted on this site. Thank you.