In a couple of weeks citizens in Wisconsin will be voting on two referendums. I’m voting NO on both.
One referendum is asking if the State should institute the death penalty for capital crimes with DNA evidence. Wisconsin hasn’t executed anyone for the past 150 years, and I certainly think we should keep it that way.
The death penalty has always struck me as being a tool of vengeance, which I believe is morally wrong.
The lead story in the New York Times today was, Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him, with regard to his speeches on global warming, and the ability for the United States to take a lead roll in doing something to reverse this trend. Earlier this week it was announced that 2005 was the warmest year on record. Other climate experts have predicted ice-free summers in the Arctic by mid-century.
But apparently, the current administration thinks having an uninformed public would better suit its policies. Or, should that be “would better suit their corporate interests?”
The U.S. has long taken on the role of world leadership. Where is the leadership when it comes to the environment? What an embarrassment.
Flipping through the Sunday morning talk shows today, I hit upon G. Gordon Liddy criticizing Mark Felt, recently announced as Deep Throat, for his “unethical actions.”
So, here is the man who actually performed the act of political espionage, breaking into the democratic party headquarters, spewing on about unethical behavior in others? Am I the only one who finds this totally absurd?
In the news recently, the Downing Street Memo has finally come to light. How three years ago, the Bush Administration had decided to “fix the intelligence” to support its policy of invading Iraq to remove Saddam Hussain from power. Would that we had someone with the courage of Mark Felt’s convictions, three years ago.
It’s election time here in the United States — time for the endless barrage of political commercials that saturate the television airwaves. Is this any way to inform the public on where our potential leaders stand on the issues? The election campaigns seem to depend more on marketing experts than policy experts. Instead of hearing about the real issues, we get mudslinging.
Forty years ago this past Friday, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System to “…secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.”
I was driving to work today listening to my latest CD purchase, The Very Best of Jackson Browne, when the song “Lives In The Balance” came on. Jackson Browne was inspired to write that song by the political events of the Iran-Contra scandal in the mid 1980′s. As I listened to the lyrics I was struck by how a song written 18 years ago was so appropriate for today. In particular, the final verse is especially relevant for 2004.
I’ve been conflicted about President Bush’s proposal for establishing a base on the moon and a manned mission to Mars. My first reaction is I feel space exploration is something we should be doing. We humans can learn a lot from exploring the universe around us. The more we learn, the better off we will be. Just think of all the technological innovations we use everyday, which evolved from the work NASA did in the 1960s. I also feel that someday humans will be living on other worlds and in space. Perhaps that’s the best insurance for the disastrous asteroid strike that scientists say will inevitably occur on our planet.
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