Just the thing to cut through the BS of the campaign…

Thanks to reader Ken. A. for tipping me off about this one. Now you can get your very own custom pocketknife designed especially for the Presidential candidate of your choice – either the McCain “Maverick” model or the Obama “Change” model!

Be sure to click the links to read the detailed descriptions of each, but be forewarned, this is humor that cuts to the quick:

http://www.onlyknives.com/obama-mccain-pocket-knife

The Great T-Shirt Debate

It seems that every year somewhere in America, a student gets suspended for wearing a shirt to school with a controversial message on it. The incident inevitably gives rise to debates about freedom of speech and political correctness in schools.

Apparently we’ve started early this year. Less than a month into the school year, an 11-year old in Colorado has been suspended for wearing an anti-Obama T-shirt.

The whole mess began when the school decided to have a day on which students were asked to wear red, white, and blue to show their patriotism. Already, we’re off to a bad start here. The potential for ostracism or discrimination against kids who choose not to wear the colors is obvious. As much as I believe in patriotism, I also believe that America should be a place where you should be free to not be patriotic if you don’t feel like it, provided you can do so respectfully.

Anyway, the kid at the center of this incident, who bears the rather hard-to-believe name of Daxx Dalton, followed the school’s dictates to the letter. He wore a homemade red, white, and blue T-shirt. Problem was, his T-shirt said “Obama A Terrorist’s Best Friend”. By now you should be able to guess what happened next. The school gave Daxx the option of either turning his shirt inside out, changing his shirt, or being suspended. Daxx chose to stand on what he and his father saw as his 1st amendment right to free speech and took the suspension. Of course, Mr. Dalton now plans to sue the school district.

I think the issue becomes pretty clear when you view what the T-shirt actually looks like:

http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7490636&version=6&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

It’s obvious that the T-shirt was designed to provoke a response. I believe the school could reasonably assume that this shirt would be disruptive and proscribe it on the grounds of maintaining order. Had Dalton simply worn a standard McCain or Obama T-shirt, then I think his right to express his opinion should have been respected (despite the fact that legally, minors are not automatically entitled to all the rights expressed in the Constitution.) But in this case, he was clearly trying to provoke those who might be supporters of Obama – not just expressing an opinion, but the equivalent of “fighting words”. So, I think the school did the right thing, and the father should find something better to do with his time than using his kid to fight political battles.

Related posts:

http://sanityinjection.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/lets-use-children-to-fight-our-political-battles-for-usnot/

http://sanityinjection.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/jewelry-religious-freedom-and-education/

What happens if the 2008 vote is a tie?

As if you didn’t have enough nightmares, consider this: What happens if the Presidential race ends in an electoral tie – 269-269, with neither candidate getting a majority?

This is a very real possibility. In fact, it’s more likely than ever to occur this time. The Washington Times explains how – and what’s worse, nobody is completely sure what happens next. Various wacky scenarios could make any of the following people President – Obama, McCain, Biden, or even Nancy Pelosi:

http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/sep/23/an-electoral-college-doomsday/

Obviously, the uncertainty and confusion surrounding this possibility would be bad for the country. It would be helpful if the House and Senate could come to an agreement ahead of time on exactly what the process would be, just in case.

How the news media try to shape your perceptions, part 3

Our latest example of the ways the media gets you to think what they want you to think comes from our friends at the Associated Press. The article in question is about polling data on former supporters of Hillary Clinton and the extent to which they are, or are not, supporting Barack Obama now.

The beginning of the article very clearly states that Obama has made little or no progress in winning over these voters (mostly Democrats and some independents), while John McCain has been able to win over a few more of them. However, as you read through the rest of the article, the tone very subtly changes. By the end of the article, you are left with the distinct impression that it is only a matter of time before the Clinton supporters “come around” and line up behind Obama – despite no evidence being presented to support this conclusion. How is this achieved?

One of the main ingredients is the quotes that are interspersed in the article. Readers tend to focus on quotes rather than on statistics in an article like this. The first quote is from a Clinton supporter who has doubts about Obama and is clearly undecided and struggling as to who to support. The next quote we get is from an Obama campaign spokesman who (not suprisingly) tells us that Clinton supporters are backing Obama “in huge numbers” and reminding us that Hillary herself has been unequivocal in her support for her former opponent. This is followed by a Hillary Clinton spokesperson who underlines the same message. 

You might expect that logically a McCain spokesperson would be next – but that nod to basic principles of equal coverage would ruin the whole effect. Instead you get a quote from another former Clinton supporter who has decided to back Obama, thus completing the journey from “undecided and struggling” to  ”united for change”. You don’t get any quotes from any Clinton supporters backing McCain, which helps them seem vague and tentative.

What’s missing from the article is even the slightest mention of a large group of Clinton-backers who call themselves “PUMAs” (Party Unity, My Ass). This is odd because it is this group of people, fundamentally, that the article purports to be about. PUMAs are united in their determination *not* to vote for Obama under any circumstances. The majority seem to be leaning toward McCain, while others plan to vote for a third-party candidate, write in Hillary’s name, or just stay home. A quick web search turns up literally hundreds of PUMA web sites and blogs. And yet, the article does not offer us any opportunity to hear what they are thinking, or even acknowledge their existence as an organized group.

The last word of the article, the final impression you are given on this topic before moving on to something else? Is this gem:

“people in the AP-Yahoo News poll who backed Clinton in earlier waves of the survey might not want to appear inconsistent by suddenly backing a candidate – Obama – they opposed earlier.”

In other words, just in case you are still thick enough to believe that Hillary supporters are serious about not backing Obama, it turns out they’re simply waiting for a decent amount of time to pass to save face before filing into line where they belong!

Judge for yourselves. Here is the full article: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080923/D93CC8A80.html

Words of wisdom from…Bill Clinton?

Former President Bill Clinton has never been one of my favorite people, but even a stopped watch is right twice a day. In an AP interview, Clinton said he understood why Sarah Palin has struck a chord with many Americans. Then he said this:

“My view is … why say, ever, anything bad about a person? Why don’t we like them and celebrate them and be happy for her elevation to the ticket? And just say that she was a good choice for him and we disagree with them?”

What is sad is that this should be obvious, yet in the modern political climate it comes across as wisdom. And yes, it should be practiced by both Democrats and Republicans. If a candidate wants to win over voters from the other party, the best way to start is by acknowledging that the standard-bearer of that party is not a bad person or ill-intentioned, which also means that his or her supporters aren’t either, by and large.

Both candidates are offering visions for the next 4-8 years that are different from what we have seen recently. Senator Obama is offering a renewed focus on domestic issues such as health care and government programs to help the disadvantaged, as well as greater attention to minority issues. Senator McCain is offering a new spirit of bipartisan cooperation to solve problems, combined with fiscal discipline and ethics reform to help put the government’s finances in order. Choose your vision.