Orble - The New Leftist

Before I start, you can read the text of the ruling HERE

I have to say, I'm pretty surprised that there's not one post in the Orble Politics section regarding the Second Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling on the FCC's policy regarding language on the air. In essence, a person or character on television or radio can now use fleeting expletives such as "fuck" or "shit" as well as use such terms as verbs ("to fuck") or adjectives ("this is fucking ridiculous"). BAM!!! Just like that, the Court scored a point for free speech in America. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we need to have people cussing at kids on TV or the radio, but come on! Shouldn't our nation allow parents to make the decision as to what their kids watch/listen to?

This also empowers media outlets with a new form of competition. They can now more accurately decide what kind of programming to allow at which times of the day to attract different audiences. Some stations and channels already would prefer to attract more mature ausdiences, but are limited by what they can say. For instance - SpikeTV might want to air an unedited movie complete with expletives. Well, if I want to watch a movie as it was intended to be seen, I'd say Spike's got the right idea. If I'm a parent, I can put a parental lock on Spike because I know that they air unedited movies. Hooray! Spike has successfully attracted the adult audience it attempted to so that it can advertise the products it knows those people will buy. Increased efficiency in finding the right advertisers = incresed ad revenue = better programming.

We already have the technology to allow parents (the rightful child-rearing units in our society) to choose what their children watch or listen to. What more do we need in the way of safeguards? Nothing! And I have to say, I grew up in pretty conservative household where swearing was verboten and even censored TV shows were turned off at times. Yet, I compare myself to people who grew up in households that were the opposite, and I don't see much difference. But I digress

All that notwithstanding, I would like to say that I have just an inkling more faith in the U.S. Judiciary than I had yesterday. They really knocked this one out of the park.

Koyunbaba

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Immigration Reform - Where Does It Begin?

July 6th 2010 20:46

Arizona recently sparked a bit of an uproar regarding illegal immigration in this country by passing a law that would allow law enforcement officials to demand paperwork or identification as proof of legal residence in the U.S. Of course, due to the conservative nature of Arizonans in general and the rising tide of illegal aliens in their state, many onlookers felt as though the law were specifically geared toward people of Mexican descent and, as such, could be used in a very, shall we say, xenophobic manner? Apparently, the Obama administration feels the same way, and has decided to challenge the constitutionality of the law - a move that will bring heat from the Right (but really, what doesn't?). But I'd like to take a more expanded view of the issue and give a step-by-step plan which might provide a possible solution to a real problem - illegal imigration in the U.S.

1. Build That Fence

It may be impractical, but controlling the flow is priority 1. As long as we are able to funnel immigrants into specific entrances, we can better enforce existing laws.

2. Moratorium on Pending Deportations

No, not on deportations as a result of crimes committed, but specifically for being in-country without authorization.

3. Amnesty

Allow illegal aliens to easily become citizens without leaving the country and without spending a lot of money. Also provide an easier path to citizenship for Mexican nationals looking to emmigrate to the U.S.

4. Crackdown on Employers

Start enforcing existing Labor Laws regarding the hiring of illegal aliens by small employers. This would make it much more worthwhile to hire TAXABLE citizens than illegals. Additionally, the pool of illegals to choose from would be much smaller due to the Amnesty already provided. And with a federal minimum wage of $7.25 / hour (not much higher for border states), this is not going to break the bank for employers.

Let's face it - our system is currently burdened by the cost of incarcerating, deporting, and providing Federal services for a population that isn't taxed as much as the normal citizen. This plan would alleviate the tax burden by receiving revenue for services rendered and by substantially reducing the cost of their illegality. Let's hear what you think. And please keep racism out of it.

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I'm Ba-ack!

July 6th 2010 18:19

Well, folks, after a hiatus of nearly a year, I'm back on the scene ready to plunge into the depths of the American political scene. For those of you wondering where I was, I'll enlighten you. In July of 2009, I decided to join the National Guard in my lovely State of Colorado. So I went off to Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC and then on to Advanced Individual Training in San Antonio, TX to become a Combat Medic. I came back from training with a new sense of civic duty and heaps of discipline. My political views, however, did not change and I'm certainly as far left as I've ever been. So enjoy my posts as I know you will, and keep reading - I've got a lot of catching up to do!

Koyunbaba

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New House Health Bill - The Pros and Cons

October 29th 2009 19:12

The U.S. House today revealed their version of the much anticipated health care reform bill (herein referenced as "the bill" or "AHCAA"). Many hot-button issues are addressed in the proposed bill and, while the bill is not perfect (indeed I wish it was a single payer bill - but I digress), it would allow coverage for nearly all Americans and it is certainly a step forward in comparison to the "system" we currently "enjoy." Below is an explanation of the pros and cons of the bill.

Pro: Health Insurance Exchange

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Wake Up Call

October 10th 2009 00:25

Imagine you are the POTUS. You have a million different issues that require your attention. You have to live up to some of the promises you made during the campaign. You have to push an agenda. You have to fight legislators and lobbyists. With all of this weighing on you, you go to bed, only to be awakened by your press secretary who informs you that you've just won the FREAKING NOBEL PEACE PRIZE! Do you think you'd take it well?

Here's what's on President Obama's mind right now: damage control. How do you convince people (like me) that you deserve the prize, even when it was imparted more on potential actions than on completed actions? I don't know, but I wouldn't like to be in his shoes right now. Let's just hope he puts the prize money on his tax return.

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Geopolitics in the 21st Century - Killer Apps and Governments

August 9th 2009 22:01

Welcome to the new face of global politics. In the last two years, we've seen how effective use or denial of the internet's "Killer Apps" can literally change the world. Here are some examples:

1. For those of you in America at the time, you know what I mean when I say that nearly every social networking site was flooded with Obama ads and links to pro-Obama blogs during the 2008 election. This was not true of John McCain. While there were many factors that led to the election of Barack Obama as President, I firmly believe that effective use of those portions of the internet frequented by young voters (age 18-25) caused a huge boost in voter turnout. These cheap media allowed the campaign to ooze into the very pores of popular culture and demographics that historically did not vote or rarely voted turned out in record numbers

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Resignation - New GOP Strategy?

August 9th 2009 18:21

I find it ironic that resignation has become a new political strategy for the right. First, Palin decides to resign as governor for "personal" reasons. Now, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) chooses to resign the year before the 2010 election. The irony exists in that Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) refuses to resign after a highly publicized affair. So how important are family values to the GOP really? What is really going on here? If Martinez wants to spend more time with his family, I'm all for it. But can't he serve out his term? Another year and a half won't kill him, will it? Or is there some ulterior motive?

I'm inclined to believe the latter, of course. It would seem to me that this is the perfect opportunity for Florida Governor Charlie Christ to make a deal with his Lieutenant Governor to name Christ as Martinez's successor. Here's how it would work: Martinez resigns; Christ resigns; Lieutenant Gov. Kottkamp becomes governor; Kottkamp names Christ Senator; Christ runs for reelection in 2010 with no Republican contender in the primary; Christ spends 2 years in the Senate then runs for President in 2012

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Health Care or Bust!

August 4th 2009 12:19

That's it folks, I've had it. I've thought and wished and hoped, and now it looks like nothing more than an echo of a whisper of health care reform will be passed in Congress. What the hell? Look, I know politicians like getting campaign contributions, but this is ridiculous. There is an outcry in America - a loud, screaming, OUTCRY for at least a public option and at most single payer. Everyone I talk to (with the exception of my right-wing talking-point machine friends) wants this. Why are we negotiating? Why are we compromising? What is it going to take to tell Washington that enough is enough?

If the economy didn't suck so bad right now, I'd advocate a national strike. Instead, all I can ask is for you to GET ACTIVE. We have opposition from extremely powerful corporations that don't want to give up profits. We must fight back. We must protest in the streets, we must waive signs in the faces of our elected officials, we must march. Talk to everyone about this issue. Why

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Beer Summit - Who Cares?

July 31st 2009 14:26

This is the result of the 24-hour news cycle, I know, but give me a break here people! It went down like this: An older black man couldn't get into his own house, so he used force. A neighbor (who didn't recognize her own neighbor? What's up with that!) called 911 because she thought someone was breaking in. A white police officer arrested him for disorderly conduct. A president stated that a police department acted "stupidly." I've left quite a few details out to boil down the story to its roots. Basically, three people overreacted and three people decided to patch it up over beer. Don't we do that with our workmates? What the hell is the big deal? Do we need to do countdowns? Do we need to remark on the brand of beer and read into anyone's character? NO!

Give everyone a freaking break! Let men be men and bury the hatchet the old-fashioned way - and let CNN find some real stories

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Sarah Palin, We Wish We Never Knew Ye

July 29th 2009 23:14

Now that she's out of public office, I've begun to sigh a rich, bellowing sigh of relief. She came, she saw, she swept across the nation on her whirlwind tour of idiomatic expressions and distasteful criticisms of the media. And she left the same way.

In many ways, I had a lot of respect for Sarah Palin when she ran for Alaska's Governor in 2006. I was living in Ketchikan, Alaska at the time and her platform of... oh I don't know, Maverickism, was very appealing to me. She did in fact take on her own party and promise an end to the seemingly endless corruption in Alaska. She was also a proponent of the "bridge to nowhere" - a bridge that would have connected Ketchikan to nearby Gravina and Pennock Islands, thereby allowing room for expansion and allowing commuters to get to the airport without taking a water taxi or ferry (trust me, this is more inconvenient than it sounds). In any case, I left Alaska in 2007, so I never really got to see first hand the fulfillment of the promises she made during her campaign. To be sure, her very election was a step forward - taking on Frank Murkowski as the incumbent took a lot of chutzpah and was a welcome change. Yet she never seemed to go anywhere from there. It seemed like she was waiting

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