My internet homepage is set to the Washington Post. I don't always read it past the main headlines but it serves as my daily good morning website. I reserve the heavier reading for the New York Times. Perhaps you can understand then my disappointment at the WP for not posting a major story of huge international importance. And the New York Times only had one of those video posts about the situation.
The International Criminal Court has finally issued an arrest warrant for the murderer (leader of Sudan) Bashir. Bashir who is primarily responsible for the organization of the genocide in Sudan and Chad has gotten off without any serious threats from the international community. The implications are serious though. The ICC has now demonstrated that they are willing to go after a sitting country leader. I hope this means the end of an era of impunity .
Also-why aren't more people up in arms about what is happening in congress right now? I don't mean the spending of billions of dollars and increasing the spiral of debt already there...I'm talking about the actual discussion of not giving the residents (about 600,000) people the right to a voice in Conress. They can vote for President but their representative in the House (none in the Senate) has no voting right.
Undemocratic? Yes. Unconstitutional? You bet.
Ridiculous. Wyoming with about 250,000 citizens has two senators and the appropriate amount of house members. Why is this any different? This shouldn't even be up for debate.
11 comments:
I think you'd better read The Constitution! The Founding Fathers specifically constructed DC so that it would not have Congressional representation. It's a DISTRICT, not a State. There is a difference. Giving DC representation would require a Constitutional amendment. Any representation given without it would be UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Legally any current representative voting to give DC representation without an amendment could be charged with breaking their oath of office, "to protect and defend The Constitution."
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/02/misstating_the_constitution.html
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/tms/politics/2009/Feb/27/d_c__voting_rights.html
So you'd rather deny 600,000 US citizens the right to vote rather than admit that The Constitution is a living, breathing document capable of amendments?
The only reason this is even an issue for most people is because DC is urban area which tends to have a high minority population....which political party do minorities belong to generally? Shameless political plug.
The Constitution is NOT a "living, breathing" document open to the whims of the electorate, its representatives or the judiciary. Yes it can be amended, but the Founders set specific rules for that process and intentionally made it a difficult process. That's why there have been so few since it was written. As I said, for DC to obtain representation or state status the amendment process MUST be followed. Simple legislation would be unconstitutional.
As for who lives in DC or the amount of people living there, I could care less. You see, unlike the left, I don't look at people and see color or any other such thing. I don't divide people into "victim" groups or separate "voting blocks." I look at everyone as AMERICANS all governed by the same Constitution and rule of law! So, as you can see no one is being "denied" anything. Their "status" is irrelevant. If the people of this great nation want to amend the Constitution, fine, but it MUST be done under the confines of the rules set up by the Founders or we become no better than some 4th rate banana republic.
As for them being predominantly members of one party, that's their problem. What has that blind loyalty got them? Their freedom? No, that was a Republican President. Passage of the '64 voting rights act? No, that would not have passed had it not been for Republican support. They have been taken advantage of and for granted by that party, yet they keep allowing it to happen. They were slaves to Democrat plantation owners, now they subjegate themselves to Democrat politicians.
Why don’t you not get rid of the Washington Post and New York Times and read better newspapers in the country, For example, connect with the Washington Times and New York Post. I find the Washington Post and NY Times to be extremely bigoted in their concern and opinion of people of my religious and political beliefs. Those two papers think that we are back wooded bumpkins and racists with no original thoughts and concern for people. In fact, I feel they downright hate us. Naturally, I do not and will not support them. About five years ago, a medical NCO I knew was retiring from the USAF. He was from New York. I asked him if he were going to return to NY when he retires. His reply was, “Yes!” I asked him if he liked the NY Times. His reply was, “Yes!” I said that they do not like Republicans. His reply was, “Neither do I!” That was the end of the conversation, forever. The NY Times is like that too. Not nice!
Pop
It is good that you are concerned about the plight of the citizens of Darfur because very little can be done to help them. President Omar al-Bashir is such an evil man but has tight control of the country, Sudan. Fortunately the International Criminal Court stepped in and issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir. However many of the Arab nations have thrown their support for him. Such respect senior leaders from Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas support al-Bashir. What a guy he is and what a great group of moral countries support him. What to do. International opinion will have no effect upon him. Someone will have to take him out if it is possible to get close enough to him. Meantime, the great world military powers of Germany and France should step up and throw their military might behind the ICC. Let’s hope that Germany and France get brave enough to help out in a big way. Unfortunately, diplomacy does not work with criminals like he is.
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It is mandatory that Gov Strickland end the charter schools because the teachers union ordered him to close them down. The charter schools have been for the most part a success. However, the governor must walk in lock step with the teacher’s union. However the Governor gets rid of the charter schools, one fell swoop or incrementally, he will try. The real losers in this looming debacle will be the poor students who are performing well but will be thrown back into the failing inner city schools. It is sad.
Pop
I think you need to revisit the Constitution to see how the number of representatives in
Washington DC is selected. The Constitution is quite specific about this issue. They get to vote for the President and VP but they cannot have more representatives than the least populist state in the country. Because DC is not considered to be a state, they do not get all the representation of each state. However, DC does not get left out. So, don’t cry for this group of supposedly unrepresented and oppressed people. They are not oppressed. Population matters! By the way, Puerto Rico and Guam are in the same state of representation. I do not hear them complain. I guess they know the difference between a state and a territory.
I do not like profanity. I do not like the sound of it. I find it disgusting. I think it degrades the person and culture that use it. However, there is a word drifting around that says, “If you do not cuss but have the urge, use the word, Pelosi, because it has the same effect as cussing.” I can handle that! I had the first chance today to try out the new word this morning when I read in the paper about the Pelosi 410 billion dollar pork-stuffed bill which would fund the federal budget for the rest of the year. Obama promised in his campaign that he would not tolerate the earmarks which are in this bill. But yet, Obama said, “He must signal to legislators that he must end the old way of doing business.” He did not have the guts to sign the bill in the daylight; he signed the bill in private and dissed a reporter who asked a question about why. What a guy! Pelosi!
Pop
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