Blood Nationalism

The new voter ID laws proposed in Missouri are, for starters, unconstitutional. They put unfair demands on voters to provide identification that they may not be able to obtain due to economic factors or other mitigating circumstances. Although a similar law has already been upheld in Indiana by the Supreme Court, this in no way proves its constitutionality. A biased and partisan Supreme Court does not follow the spirit of the constitution and certainly doesn't work in the way it was meant to. The Missouri secretary of state himself says that the law could disenfranchise up to 240,000 legitimate voters in a state that has historically been crucially relevant in presidential elections. Many of these voters are the poor and already disenfranchised, which is to say: they'll probably be voting Democrat come November. Or, at least, they will be if they aren't unlawfully barred from doing so. In an election year where the chances for a Republican win look so slim, is it any surprise that these actions are being taken? It shouldn't be.

However, there is an even more frightening side to all of this. By placing ever stricter limitations on who can and cannot vote, we are also limiting more and more who can be labeled a citizen, a member of the nation. What happens to groups within a democracy that have no voice? Who do they turn to? The last time this kind of limitation on voting occurred, it was under a system of laws called Jim Crow. These laws have no place in the U.S., or any country calling itself a democracy. Although, when you think about it, what do you call a country that has as its president a man who lost the popular vote but was bumped into office regardless due to the decision of a Supreme Court staffed by his own father? I'm not sure, but I don't think the term is "democracy."

-The Ambassador

A follow-up and A new identity

I said I would post a new entry everyday...and by that I meant every week day comrades. Anyway I am a man of my word.

First of all, I want to announce the new name by which my partner is enlightening the world will now by known as (provided he is accepting of it). David will hanceforth be known as Ambassador. The decision was made after much deliberation and discussion, which I fear puts me on the brink of schizophrenia. However, in response to that, I think it is fair to say that, if not for intelligent debate (discussion), no matter what level of sanity it poses, what would there be? Not a whole lot.

Now I'd like to say a few more things about stem cells.

Although I raised concerns with my last entry, I do not want anyone to think that I am somehow condemning stem cell (and genetic, for I have learned recently how closely they are tied to one another) research. I think it is also important for people to understand what it is and how it works, so I urge everyone to read up on it. NIH.gov does a decent job giving the basic information.

The U.S. government will spend approximately $80 million this year funding research institutes as part of the ENCODE program. The goal of ENCODE is to use the information they learned by decoding the human genome to make progress in health related fields. The hope is to cure such diseases as alzheimers and cancer, among others.

At first glance, $80 million seems like a ton of money. It is in fact a ton of money. But lets keep in mind who we are talking about. For a country the has an $11 trillion GDP, a $3.1 billion proposed budget and has spent alomost $600 billion in Iraq over the past 5 years, $80 million is nothing. The San Fransisco Chronicle published an interesting story regarding Iraq war spending, check it out here http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/09/INEMVEVHK.DTL .

Regards,

Colonel

So the other day, I was generously given the chance to sit in the breezy hallway outside Lecture Center Seven at SUNY Albany and talk to a professor of microbiology. His title to be more precise is "Assitant Professor" which suprisingly does not mean at all what it sounds like. He is in fact the director of UAlbany's School of Public Health, and a lead researcher at the Gen*NYS*is Center for Excellence in Cancer Research. He told me that he approaches his research on a genomic level...meaning he plays around with the "regulatory code" trying to figure out how and why certain proteins binding in the replication of DNA can effect and cause mutations in genes, ultimately leading to cancer.

Fascinating stuff, really. I have no idea what most of what he said meant, but i did get the jist of it. Basically, we are really really really close to understanding the human genome so well that we will be able to pin point mutations that will cause cancer and other such diseases.

On the bright side, this is great. This knowledge will eventually lead to cures for cancer or whatever disease of your choice. But don't get the champagne out too fast. This ability to detect people's predisposition to developing diseases is a very very scary thought. This knowledge, in the wrong hands, could have consequences that will go beyond the simple issue of employment. I mean really, what company is going to hire someone who has a mutation on the seventh chromosome (completely chosen at random and there is no scientific basis for my choice, but it is to make a general point) which we know will lead to the development of lung cancer roughly at age 40? Probably not many.

This is not too terrible of a concern, however, because of the stringent doctor-patient confidentiality codes. For example, I know a woman who had cancer 10 years ago and was job searching five years ago. She was able to go through the job hunting process without telling her possible future employers that she was a cancer survivor. We'll see where all that goes. It seems now-a-days you can get just about anything on the internet.

The real scare is eugenics. Who is to say that it won't become law for everyone to have genetic testing done? You could argue the cost will prevent this from ever happening, but already it is only a few thousand dollars and anyone who is curious enough (and has a decent pocket book) can have their own genome mapped.

You may be saying that I am a lunatic, and I am, but not on the eugenics score. I advise anyone who does not beleive eugenics is still practiced in the United States go to Google and search "Norplant" and "eugenics." Nor plant is a drug, well more like a device, that is implanted in women that prevents them from getting pregnant for 5-7 years.

Anyway, if you do indeed Google this, you will see stories about state legislatures trying to pass laws suggesting that women on welfare also go on Norplant. There is also a somewhat famous story (and I hesitate to say famous because I had never heard about it until the afore mentioned researcher told me about it) in which a young woman in Alabama was charged with child abuse. She was a single mother of 5 and lived in poverty. The judge gave her the option of choosing to go to jail, or go on Norplant.

Stem cells have the potential to be life saving, but unless the knowledge is used responsibly, we could be in serious trouble, as my microbiologist researcher told me, "There will be human cloning, without a doubt, and I don't know if the ends justify the means."

Until tomorrow,
Colonel Brian

p.s. - sorry Dave I have yet to think of a good name, but one is on the way, I swear

reflection

To mist Dave, the elitist drunken political theorist whom I respect and addorn:

i had a blog post all written out right? like free hand pre-computer style. when i went to sign in to our blog, i had completely forgotten the email address we use for signing in. the password is unforgettable, and ingenious i might add, nicely done.

however, this dilemma caused me to retrace my cyber steps over the past, shit i dont know...approximately 2 or 3 months, and i eventually found an email of interest. it was from none other than DAVE (well since i dont know if we use last names around here...) ********* all in capitals, i said "alas, my search is complete, this email shall hold all the information i am seeking." well, it didn't.

instead this email opened my eyes to the excitement, the absolute bliss and passion that we shared when creating this blog. it was an email in which you called me "colonel" (which i fucking love and have yet to counter that with a name as remarkable for you) and you were telling me about your first entry. you sounded (if thats possible via email) excited and i know i was excited when i read it. the point is, what happened? absolutely nothing. we have done shit since the day this motherfucker first took off.

we sit back and criticize all of those around us. as deserving of criticism as they are, we are no better. we are wastes of human intellect, something which, i beleive, we both value immensely. we need to get our heads back into this.

that being said. i vow to post a blog everyday from now until we take our trip, which i feel is inevitable, every single fucking day. Though i may be drunk right now, hold me to this shit because i t hink we have something here and i think we could bring upon this sedate society a change that is not only inevitable, but absolutely necessary.

until tomorrow (and i promise i will have a post up within 24 hours...and a sweet nickname for Dave),

Colonel Brian

A Step Forward

The first real elections since a military coup in 1999 took place in Pakistan yesterday, a step forward for a country that has lost credibility due to the actions of its leader. Since that coup in 1999, Pervez Musharraf has acted as both the head of the military and the president of the country. In that time, his actions have lost him the popular support of the people of Pakistan as well as that of many leaders from around the world. The United States (and more specifically the administration), on the other hand, has chosen to stand by Mr. Musharraf through his myriad human rights violations and clear disdain for democracy.
While this support has been mostly based on the idea that Mr. Musharraf is an integral ally in the fight against terrorism, it seems that Mr. Musharraf has had a difficult time stopping not only terrorist activities in his own country (despite at least $1 billion a year in military aid), but he has also had trouble with other forms of discontent. On May 12th, 2007, the city of Karachi saw protests of the suspension of the Chief Justice of Pakistan that left many dead and even more injured. The judge who had been dismissed was "reinstated" by the Supreme Court, was dismissed again in November, and remains under house arrest. Furthermore, the New York Times noted today that there was actually a rise in terror activity in Pakistan throughout 2007, which seems to contradict the ideas behind the administrations staunch support of the Pakistani leader.
The Times said that "ten people were killed and 70 injured around the country," during the night before and the day of the elections, but the popular discontent centered on Mr. Musharraf showed strongly anyway. Early reports have shown big gains (around 110 seats in a parliament of 272) for the Pakistan Peoples' Party, as well as around 100 seats for the Pakistan Muslim League-N. Both of these parties were headed by former prime ministers until Dec. 27th, 2007, when Benazir Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples' Party, was assassinated at a rally.
Though these elections are a step forward, they are not the end of the process. There is still anti-american sentiment in Pakistan (with good reason). Perhaps the most sensible idea to have been put forward in mainstream politics has come from Senator Joseph Biden Jr., who says that we need to focus less on military aid and more on economic development aid. We need to help average Pakistanis gain some stability in their everyday lives, and stop focusing so much aid so directly on attacks on terrorists and terrorist activities. The rest, as they say, will take care of itself (ah, if only it were actually that easy).

-Dave

A few things I forgot to mention...

As for education, there is a great example of an unorthodox school in Atlanta Georgia (of all places..). It is a school that welcome refugees rfom other countries at the same time as courting the affluent (and probably liberal minded) citizens of the same area. I'll get back to this with the name, but the book I learned about it in is called "What is What." Check it out.

Also, with Mr. Edwards out of the Democratic race for the nomination, it is quit entertaining watching Hillary and Barack dance around trying to be friends with one another while trying to point out their many flaws.

Farewell good sirs and madams

Brian

Sir,

In an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Speaker of the House NancyPelosi hit the nail on the head when she said "Huge deficits. An endlesswar. I don't know what else he has to offer."
She was, of course speaking of President Bush's State of the Union speech which he delivered Monday night. Her words are exactly what so manyAmericans think. Is it even worth watching when nothing new will be said and certainly nothing will be accomplished?
The obvious answer is yes, in fact it is most important to watch the president speak, there is nothing more disheartening than the ignorant fool who criticizes without having anything to back it up. However, there is a grander message in this disdainful outlook on the presidents speech. That he is washed up. It's over for Mr. Bush. We are a forward looking society and have our eyes on the next president. One who will lead us to economic stability, fairer education, health care reform and a cleaner environment.
Mr. Bush of course mentioned these difficult issues in his speech. However, he devoted the majority of the speech addressing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These endless, ruthless tales of misguidance. When the rest of the country is putting the economy at the top of their list of concerns, why is it that Mr. Bush continues to try and put fear intoAmerican families in order to gain support for his war on oil?
Mr. Bush boasted about the tax relief agreement the Whitehouse and Congress recently came to, which is good, but as many economists have said, it is too little too late.The economy is not the only thing that Mr. Bush failed to adequatelyaddress. Health care and education do not seem to be important issues in his mind, regardless of the fact that the United States is becoming inferior to other developed countries in both areas. Rather than giving money to some to be used to pay for private education, perhaps we shouldtry to make our public schools more appealing to the upper and middleclass. Or as Mr. Bloomerge has done in New York City, try a kind of charter school. As Mr. Bush tried to boast of the accomplishments of the No Child Left Behind bill and ask for more support of it in the future, itwas difficult not to think of the uninsured children that, although they may not be being left behind by our low educational standards, they are indeed being left in the dust when their parents cannot afford the proper medical care they need.
It is important to remember that, as was mentioned before, Mr. Bush is on his way out. So, Dave, Mr. Bush is the one being left behind. As are the people who have his same antiquated train of thought. What we are doing is clearly not working, we must (and we will) find a way that will change the course our country is on.
Don't let the Democrats dupe you however. They are merely friendly advocates for the devil. The better of two evils perhaps, but nonetheless, spineless thoughtless parasites living off our support. It's time for us to wake up and force our political leaders to make the necessary changes the will benefit all of us, not just the rich.
As for Mr. Bush i think he is a waste of intelligent thought and I refuse to mention him this blog ever again. From this point forward, Mr. Bush is off limits, I refuse to waste my readers time by discussing a man who is merely a puppet going out of style. Have a nice life Mr. Bush.

Regards,
Brian