SPOTLIGHTS
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| Name: | Jason Easley |
| Email: | thepoliticaluniverse@yahoo.com |
| Current Roles: | Politics News Guy, and friend to Crow |
| Past Roles: | Arnold’s friend Dudley on Diff’rent Strokes, Tootie’s first love on The Facts of Life, I once played a piece of furniture on The Cosby Show. |
| Other credits: | : I was voted best looking in my apartment. (2003-2005). 1972 Oscar for Best Short Film Never Made. |
| Quote: | 'Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.’ – Charlie Brown |
| History: | : I was born in a small wooden shack in Alabama. This came as quite a surprise to my parents who were living in Pennsylvania at the time. By the age of 5, I had learned to drive an automatic, and I had resolved to go north and find my family. My uncle Clint attached some training wheels to his 1966 Black Mustang and I was off. Although, my parents kept moving, I managed to find them. I was never a great student in elementary school. I was always more interested in chasing girls. I would chase them for hours and hours until my legs got tired, and I had to take a rest. My parents moved when I was 12. This time they took me with them. The skills high school taught me that I still use today, include knowing how to smile, no matter what a woman is telling me, and juggling. College has been very good to me. I actually got to apply the skills I learned in high school, and chase more girls. You know, the older women get the easier they are catch. My hobbies include lifting weights, and playing a mean blues harmonica |
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And we're rolling... - 03.08.2006
This week there has been much discussion about the issue of abortion. In a broader context the abortion question is really about the underpinnings of social policy. There are issues in our history such as slavery and civil rights that have a constitutional basis. Then there are issues such as abortion whose advocates base their positions, not on the law, but on morality.
While the founders of this republic were Christians, they took great care to make sure that they founded a nation based on laws not religion. This is not to say that a person's faith, can not guide them in making political decisions, but that the basis for that decision should be legal not moral. In the past, it was the left that was frequently trying to pass social policy on the basis of morality. In the past 20 years or so that role has shifted to the right.
As we warn the rebuilding nation of Iraq, that its government must be secular, at home our government continues to blur the line between church and state. If Iraq was a Christian nation, would the US be worried about the role of religion in government? They should be, but I doubt they would. Morality is not only very individually subjective, and the moral standards of a nation change over time.
I don't feel that any group of people are superior enough to determine for the rest what is right and what is wrong. The whole idea that one small group in our society could do this really very undemocratic, and against the ideals up on which our nation was founded. The question of what is right and what is wrong is very subjective, and unless we have an overwhelming social consensus on an issue, then the government should tread very carefully when passing laws that have questionable legal pedigree.
The fragmentation of American politics today is best demonstration by the fact that many of those who have been elected to Congress on a moral platform have shown themselves to lack the very same morals they advocate on the campaign stump when the issues involved are money and political access instead of abortion and the life of the unborn child. I expect consistency in their political morality. If they care about they unborn child, then they should care about the children who are born. They should be moral enough not to sell themselves to special interests.
The problem lies with the same moral constituency that supports these candidates. They have conditioned themselves to listen what the candidate has to say about their single issue and tune out the rest. As long as the candidate shares their view on one issue, then whatever else they say is not important. The single issue voters on both the left and the right have created a crack in our democracy.
This nation's democratic process was based on the idea that voters would be persons who were informed about all the issues. I don't think the Founding Fathers ever for saw a time when people would vote for a candidate simply based on one position that they held on an issue. In this entry, I am not trying to attack anyone's morality. I am not in a position, nor would I ever want to be, to judge anyone. The point is that making laws based on nothing more than the morality of a few is very dangerous to democracy. Whether, the morality in question is on the left or the right, the danger is still the same.
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And we're rolling... - 01.18.2006
I have always thought that the question of abusing detainees of any type whether they be terror suspects or not was a fairly simple one. In the United States, we don't abuse detainees, end of discussion. The Bush administration has consistently failed to realize that abuse of detainees goes against their stated goals.
The best way to keep America safe is not through torture and abuse of suspects. Any information an abused detainee provides, should be viewed with a skeptical eye. A person who is being abused will say anything, true or no not, to get the abuse to stop. The end result is that we base our intelligence operations on faulty information. I think everyone is now aware of what happens when you, for example, go to war based on flawed information.
Bush has stated his goal is a democratic and free Iraq, however democratic and free societies do not allow their government to carry out torture. What kind of message do you think this is sending to the Iraqi people? When America tortures, it only serves to confirm the distrust which most of the Muslim world already has of us. To the Iraqi people, what is the difference between Hussein and the US, if both are going to torture? We are sending them the message that they are free, but they better be free our way, or else.
The United States used to be the leader in the global human rights crusade. Because we are who we are, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard. We can not be like China, N. Korea, or Iraq was under Hussein. When America stoops to their level of repression, it becomes no better than the enemies of freedom it once fought.
As the latest annual Human Right Watch report said, "Other governments obviously subject detainees to such treatment or worse, but they do so clandestinely," the report said. "The Bush administration is the only government in the world known to claim this power openly, as a matter of official policy, and to pretend that it is lawful."
That is the problem, they pretend like there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified to the Senate that he believed the power to use cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment was legal as long as the prisoner was not a US citizen and was held outside the United States.
The idea that the US government would justify torturing anyone is frightening, and demonstrates just how far this administration has set us back. Every time the US tortures hatred of America grows. In my mind, this is the perfect recipe for making America less safe and more vulnerable to attacks in the future. There are ways to be aggressive against terrorism that do not go against our fundamental beliefs. The administration is sowing the seeds of a crop of violence, which I fear will be unleashed on us for decades to come.
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And we're rolling... - 01.13.2006
how we got into this mess we are in today? I know liberals who think about it all the time. I don't, no really I don't, because politics goes in cycles. Eventually, if you wait long enough, everything will swing back the other direction.
A buddy of mine said,"50% of people don't care about politics." I said it is more like 75%, because I didn't have the heart to tell him that it is more like 80-90%. Here is the way I think of it. All the people in the USA =100% Out of that 100% maybe 10-20% closely follow politics. Within that 10-20% 1/3 are solid liberal, and 1/3 are solid conservative. That means that no matter what happens in the world these folks are not going to change where they stand.
The final 1/3 are people that are the precious swing group. This the group that both the left and right try to woo. A few more people paying attention can make a big difference in this group. By staying non-committal these swing voters have a great deal of power. In practice, they are king/queen makers.
People say all the time that politics is too complicated, or they don't have the time. The key isn't understanding everything political, but just keeping an eye on what your government is doing. When people stop paying attention,then the government is not held accountable for their actions. Our current state of affairs has more to with people choosing to ignore politics, and deciding not to hold our leaders accountable than anything else. It does not have to be this way, but it would take a wake up call for things to change. |
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And we're rolling... - 01.10.2006
It's funny that everyone gets caught up in the hot button issue of abortion when discussing a Supreme Court nominee. While abortion is an important issue, and one that in the era since Rowe v. Wade, has tended to define the Court, I think Bush saw something else in Alito that made him an excellent choice. The Miers nomination showed that this president was looking for someone who would be friendly to the Bush administration's definition of executive authority.
Not since the years of LBJ and Nixon has a president been so aggressive in his attempts to expand the power of the executive branch. This White House has little respect or trust in the legislative branch. This has led to the problem of the Congress ignoring much of the President's agenda. Bush says he wants spending under control, and the members of his own party shake thei heads in agreement then promptly go back to spending more money. Bush pushes
Social Security reform, and it goes nowhere. The President wants a guest worker program, and that seems to be dead in the water too.
The Bush legislative history is very thin. Part of this is his own fault. he came into office without much of a legislative agenda. He wanted to cut taxes, and this along with the Patriot Act and No Child Left Behind, are his major accomplishments. However since 9/11 the President has set out to expand executive powers. Whether it be the current domestic spying, detention camps, rules on torture, anything and everything that can be folded into the war on terror the president has claimed a unilateral right of action on.
The battle between the legislative and executive branches for power is as old as our republic itself. In Roberts and Alito, Bush has found two judges that agree with his rationale for executive power. While this concerns the Senate, they see no reason to vote against two very qualified individuals. I have not written about Alito on my column because I expect he will sail through the confirmation process. However, it is important to keep in mind that there are other issues that impact a president's selection of a nominee besides abortion. Issues like executive power that could have a great impact on the way our government works in the future. |
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| Archive |
John Edwards Withdraws From the Democratic Race
(01.30.2008)
Lagging in the polls, and low on cash, John Edwards decides to suspend his presidential campaign. |
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Rudy Giuliani Hints that the End Might Be Near for His Presidential Campaign
(01.29.2008)
It looks like win or go home tonight for the former Republican frontrunner. |
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Ted Kennedy Dismantles Clinton Talking Points
(01.28.2008)
Elder statesman refutes arguments for supporting Hillary Clinton. |
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Kucinich to Drop Out of the Presidential Race
(01.24.2008)
A looming primary fight forces Kucinich to focus on his district. |
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Questions about the Economy, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama
(01.23.2008)
I have managed to resurrect myself, and return with questions about stimulating the economy, John McCain, and the mudslinging between Clinton and Obama. |
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Even the FBI Has To Pay Their Phone Bill
(01.10.2008)
It is tough to spy when the phones are disconnected |
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How Hillary Clinton Won the New Hampshire Primary
(01.09.2008)
The Democratic race takes another dramatic turn. |
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What to Watch For in New Hampshire
(01.08.2008)
Although it seems like a foregone conclusion that Barack Obama and either John McCain or Mitt Romney will be the winners after tonight’s New Hampshire primary, there are still some things to keep an eye on within the results that could impact future primaries. |
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Hillary Clinton Gets Choked Up While Campaigning in New Hampshire
(01.07.2008)
Is Hillary cracking up, or displaying some genuine emotion? |
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Clinton Continues to Press the Experience Argument in New Hampshire
(01.04.2008)
Did she learn anything from her defeat in Iowa? |
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A Political Universe Special: The Iowa Caucuses
(01.04.2008)
There weren't many surprises, but the Iowa caucuses did confirm a shift in the 2008 presidential campaign. |
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My Predictions for the Iowa Caucuses
(01.03.2008)
Here is the way that I see the caucuses shaking down tonight. I rank all the candidates from first to last in both parties. |
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What to Watch for During the Iowa Caucuses
(01.02.2008)
Here are three things to keep an eye on tomorrow night in Iowa. |
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411's 2008 Political Predictions Roundtable
(01.02.2008)
Join the guys from 411 Politics as they offer up their thoughts on what 2008 has in store for us. |
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What’s Next for the U.S. and Pakistan?
(12.27.2007)
Bhutto is dead and the Bush administration is left with an ally in turmoil. |
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A Very Ron Paul Christmas
(12.21.2007)
‘Tis the season for political ads? |
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The Political Universe: Bush Bashes Congress, Goodbye Tom Tancredo
(12.21.2007)
Yesterday, President Bush held a press conference where he blamed the Democrats for the lack of progress this year. The Democrats blamed the Republicans, and I am here to tell you who are really to blame. Also we’ll say goodbye to the man who hates illegal immigrants more than any other presidential candidate, Tom Tancredo. All of this, plus the political quote of the week is inside the Friday column. |
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Clinton Opens Up a Lead in New Hampshire
(12.19.2007)
Clinton and Romney now lead in nation’s first primary. |
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Bill Clinton Continues to Attack Obama
(12.18.2007)
Is the former president hurting his wife’s campaign by going negative on Obama? |
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The Political Universe: Huckabee Disagrees With Bush, Gets Attacked By Romney
(12.18.2007)
In today’s column, I’ll take a closer look at Mike Huckabee’s disagreement with the Bush administration on foreign policy, and it might both help and hurt him. Also a federal judge ruled that the White House visitor logs are public documents. Yippee, we have a victory for common sense. |
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