When a person is charged with a crime and brought to trial, they have certain rights. They can plead the fifth (meaning they have the right against self-incrimination), you can’t be charged for the same crime twice (otherwise known as double jeopardy) and in certain states you are protected from having to testify against your spouse. The problem being addressed is what constitutes as a spouse?

In an artilce, I read that at the University of Kansas, a new course is being offered titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies." This is an amazing step of a class that I find as a brave venture in a world that is so uninviting. There will definitely be complaints. The man that created the class, Paul Mirecki, has already been called a laughingstock.

Yesterday, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued an advisory opinion that finds that Fired Up America should qualify for 'press exemption status' to federal campaign finance laws. Congress defined the press exemption status to ensure that "the unfettered right of the newspapers, TV networks, and other media to cover and comment on political campaigns."

Well he had better, considering the fact that he is now facing his lowest approval ratings of his presidency. In a poll conducted over the phone from Friday until Sunday, it was revealed that 60% of the 1,006 people asked said that they disapproved of the way that President Bush was handling his job and his overall approval rating fell two percentage points to 37%. Still, White House spokesman Scoot McCellan told reporters on Wednesday that “We have a proud record of accomplishment and a positive agenda for the future.” Hopefully, this positive agenda will be shared with the rest of the country because right now, not many people seem to believe the President.

The IRS is currently investigating All Saints Episcopal Church, where a reverend delivered a sermon criticizing President Bush’s war policies two days before the 2004 election; the church risks losing its tax exempt- status because the IRS says the sermon may have constituted political campaigning from the pulpit. The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections. But people are questioning why the IRS is suddenly investigating a church that made anti-Bush remarks, and ignoring all the Christian evangelical groups and churches that actually told their parishioners to vote for Bush. There is an article in the Los Angeles Times summarizing the situation.

Turkey is a country in Europe. However, it is also Islamic, has a per capita GNP that is less than a third of the EU average, and an unemployment rate above 10%. More than forty years ago, the people of Turkey decided that they should become a member of the European Union, as they have always believed they rightfully belonged to. While some members met Turkey’s request with enthusiasm and support, others expressed fierce debate, criticism, and opposition. The question that remains is: Turkey is a country in Europe, but is it a European country?

As many of you know (or at least you should know!) elections were held yesterday all across the country. Among the governors and resolutions voted on, several local and city elections were held to vote on new mayors and city council members, even in the small town of Hillsdale, Michigan. And today, after all the ballots were counted, the people in Hillsdale have a new mayor younger than most of us here at Bryn Mawr.

I don't know about you, but I love the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I've gone about two and a half months without watching it on TV, but occassionally I'm able to catch a few clips on the internet.

Tennessee seems to be the place for scandals these days.

The question on the minds of many people is who is going to lead the way of the future for software? Google or Microsoft . While I personally never knew until recently that google is much more powerful and much bigger than I had ever imagined. The idea of another software company being more powerful that Microsoft is almost unreal to me. However, there may already be companies paving the way ahead of Microsoft. But I personally have always known Microsoft for leading the way as well as many other people I'm sure. I think it will be interesting to see who is more powerful and influential...Microsoft or Google?

When does racism begin in a child's mind? Where do they learn it from? These girls are thirteen years old and already working for the Ku Klux Klan. They're used as pawns to draw people to concerts benifiting the "cause." Their parents believe in white supremacy and the "preservation of the white race."

Growing up in a home with a mother and teacher (the girls are homeschooled) who is a white supremacist, these children may never know what they're really saying. Their mother is happy to announce how she teaches her children "her version" of history.

There has been some interesting talk recently about Lewis Libby and his inability to keep a secret. He recently disclosed the identity of a CIA agent. There will be a court hearing about it soon, there is still a lot of finger pointing as to the original source. Libby says that he first heard about the agent from a member of the media.

Although everyone is caught up in the new Supreme Court nominee, we've overlooked something that generally affects us as bloggers. Though it's not September anymore, this is still very pertinent to our class as well as the blogging community.

Recently the FEC (Federal Election Committee)attempted to regulate the internet in relation to campaign ads and political spam mails. Interestingly, the many in congress backed free-speech on the internet, and turned down the weak FEC regulation. This was also because the of large amount of outspoken bloggers against the regulation. This initial legislation was a collection of weak proposals as an attempt to stray from political blogging scrutiny.

Last time I checked, we were still in the year 2005, right? However, if you were a professional politician, one of the biggest issues that would be on your mind it the presidential race in 2008. Even though the majority of the United States citizens are not professional politicians, we will soon be bombarded by the images and issues of the upcoming election. Here is the beginning.

Last night, while on a radio call-in show he hosts, Bill Bennett, author of, might I add, The Book of Virtues, made the following quote:

"I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you cold abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down...that would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

Yes, Mr. Bennett, that was possible the dumbest and most ignorant thing anyone could have ever said.

Behind a façade of individualism, Bryn Mawr, a college that prides itself on its diversity, is an unknowing participant of racism. Racism that is being carried out with one rather chocolaty weapon: chocolate milk.

Last August in Memphis, Tennessee, seemingly out of the blue, a group of people began to protest three public parks in the city. The cause for the huge debate that ensued was not the location of the parks but rather the names of the parks. These three parks in Memphis carry names that are tied to the old Confederacy: Nathan Bedford Forrest Park, Jefferson Davis Park, and Confederate Park.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Park is the park in which most of the controversy is focused on. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife are both buried in the park and there was talk of moving their graves to the Confederate plot at Elmwood Cemetery. The fact that Forrest was a high-ranking officer in the Confederate Army and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan rightfully unnerved the group, which was headed by the NAACP, that began the movement to change the names of the parks. Many felt that the names of the parks were offensive and could possibly promote a resurgence of negative feelings toward African-Americans.

For a startling look at our educational system and the context in which many poor students are educated, read this article by Jonathon Kozol, one my favorite writers on this topic. It's really heartbreaking.

via Bryan

I just found Global Voices, a group blog that covers news from around the world from a citizen journalist point of view. That is, you can get commentary and explanations of what's going on in world politics that's every bit as personal and interesting as some of the US blogs. They also have

and here it comes. we spoke briefly about why we are reading such works like "fahrenheit 451" and "1984" in the beginning of our course and how it all relates to the internet and blogging worlds-- here's why:

Fact: Bush spends $60 billion a year on the war in Iraq.
Fact: Bush spends $2 billion a year on the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Problem? I think so.
While I know there are enough reasons to take issue with President Bush and his administration right now, I feel that this country can not let the way the US is handling the AIDS epidemic in Africa go by the wayside...

I've often been told that I'm rather vague. Check this dude (J. Roberts) out:

"Go ahead and continue not to answer," Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., told the nominee at one point.

Later, Biden interrupted Roberts and, when criticized by the Judiciary Committee chairman, said, "His answers are misleading, with all due respect."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! They may be misleading but they are his answers," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the chairman.

The nation of the poor is often invisible to the rest of America. Unlike the destitute of other times and places, its inhabitants are not usually distinguishable by any of the traditional telltales of want . . . Foreign observers of U.S. urban riots are frequently stunned at the vigor of the American poor. How, they wonder, can a looter claim to be hungry and oppressed, yet walk off with a color-television set as easily as if he were hefting a loaf of bread? . . . While no region has a monopoly on poverty, the South comes the closest. Virtually half of America's poor live in the 16 Southern and border states, an area that holds less than a third of the total U.S. population.

so i just basically felt compelled as a citizen of the world to post these two little tidbits i found courtesy of the livejournal daily show community

Whatever happened to Rove?? This slimy man of mystery has yet again eluded the main stream media. I am sick to my stomach reading over Rove's rap sheet. This guy is pure political scum in my opinion. He's been pulling the political strings for both puppet Bush Brothers, an apprentice to 'Segretti'- Nixon's campaign advisor (who spent six months in jail for illegal campaigning). For more dirt check out an old site: Counterpunch.org

Since I got to Bryn Mawr, I almost feel like we're in this bubble. I personally don't have a television in my room (a couple girls down the hall do) and now am experiencing television news withdrawal. While at home I was a CNN/MSNBC junkie during the day and a Daily Show fan at night. Without these outlets I MUST check online sources as often as I can. The bubble situation really came to my attention when the first major hurricane hit, not Katrina but the one prior, Florida. I actually had family staying down towards the southern tip of the state and had no idea they were in any danger. Which is why, as a heads up, I'm posting. If you find yourself checking blackboard alot for classes, there's a portion of your own personal preferences that you can change to include a New York Times daily feed for International, National and other news. So if you don't check the aggregator on this site very much (but you should!) you can use your own Blackboard site.

About a year ago, the Dan Rather story, or Rathergate, as it's now called, got its start. I tried to track this down a few days ago, but couldn't find the beginning via Google. But thanks to one of the many blogs I read, I found a reference to the first post that started the investigation into the papers that Rather had used for his story on Bush's service in the National Guard. The post didn't actually begin on a blog, but on a discussion forum, though blogs certainly contributed and kept the story alive, creating a firestorm that eventually brought Rather down.

So here I am, I just finished some homework and I decided to kind of "surf the web". During my exploration I found a blog pertaining to the disaster that is Hurrican Katrina. It talks about the political aspect of Katrina and how it is being handled. I found it rather interesting to read. link

Excerpt from the Truman Doctrine:

At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one.

One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression.