For the past month or so, I have been getting a constant stream of Facebook e-mails about the Troy Davis case, most of which I ignored as I went about my daily routine. But today, I finally took the time to read one of these messages, and I was moved. And so, I searched Troy Davis on the Web, and as I read more and more about the case, I realized that I had to spread the word of what’s going on here.
Basically, we have an African-American man who was sentenced to death row for killing a police officer. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Davis was convicted with scant physical evidence: no DNA, no fingerprints, no murder weapon.” Lacking physical evidence, the jury ruled that he was guilty based off the testimony of nine witnesses who testified against Davis back in 1991. But now, seven of those nine witnesses have recanted their testimony. And several of them have pointed to a new culprit. And, what about those two witnesses who haven’t recanted their testimony? Well, one of those two is the afore-mentioned “new culprit,” who of course, has an interest in making sure that Davis is the one blamed for the crime. Sounds like a pretty flimsy case, huh?
And yet, Troy Davis might be put to death without taking into account the stunning new developments in this case. It’s clear that the ruling should be re-examined. Certainly, in this great country built on principles of justice and reason, it would be wrong to kill Troy Davis without giving Davis’s story another look. The executiion must be stopped. We cannot kill someone when the evidence is that weak. It is morally wrong, and it would be a disgrace to the American justice system and to our country as a whole. We have put innocent men to death before. Let’s not risk making that same mistake this time.
Before I go through the particulars of how things are shaping up in the electoral vote count, I would just like to thank Susan for her comment on one of my earlier posts. Susan spoke about how we ought to change the system so that the election is decided by the national popular vote, and not the electoral vote. And I agree with her.
However, at least in this 2008 election, and probably for the next several decades of elections, we wil be using the electoral vote system, so here it comes. The latest on the race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.
Right now, things are looking strong for Senator Obama. He is leading by almost five points nationally when you average out all the polls. And if the election were held today, he would win with about 300 electoral votes, 30 more than necessary.
At this point, it looks highly likely that he will be able to swing Colorado (currently a 6% Obama lead), New Mexico (6% Obama lead), and Iowa (9% Obama lead) into the Democratic column. That’s 21 electoral votes right there that Bush got in 2004 that Obama will not be getting in 2008.
In addiiton, Obama might be able to swing Virginia (approx. 2% Obama lead) and North Carolina (.3% Obama lead) into the Democratic column. That would be another 28 electoral votes right there going from Bush to Obama.
Now currently, McCain is slated to receive about 240 electoral votes. But that’s assuming he wins Ohio and Florida, which are both tightly contested states. In both states, McCain leads by less than 2%, and without them, he has no chance. And in terms of Pennsylvania, Obama leads by a fairly safe-looking 5%.
So, as we head into October, it’s clear who is in the lead. Yes, the young African-American senator from Illinois is the frontrunner. Now the question is, with just several more weeks to go, can he hold the lead.
I’ll admit it. I didn’t catch all of this Friday’s presidential debate. I watched the first hour or so, but then it got too boring for me. Both candidates were saying the same exact things as they’ve been saying for the past few months. Yes, there were a few good lines and moments, but for the most part, it put me to sleep. And my god, you’d think all politicans were deaf or something, since neither candidate ever really answered the questions they were asked.
But there was one part that stuck out in my memory after the debate was over. And that was an exchange between the two candidates over Iraq. Barack Obama hammered away at John McCain for supporting the War in Iraq, trying to show that McCain lacked judgment. McCain responded with the following comments:
The next president of the United States is not going to have to address the issue as to whether we went into Iraq or not. The next president of the United States is going to have to decide how we leave, when we leave, and what we leave behind. That’s the decision of the next president of the United States.
And on a literal level, he’s right. We will not be deciding whether or not to go into Iraq, because, well, we’re already in Iraq. But, he is dead wrong to dismiss what Obama was saying. Because, after all what a candidate felt and continues to feel about our decision to go into Iraq tells us a great deal about how he will approach North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, and any other “threats” to America.
By continuing to stand by the war in Iraq, McCain is allying himself with a foreign policy that puts military over diplomacy, a policy that doesn’t shy away from unilateralism, a policy that stresses America’s right to intervene when we feel necessary. A policy that refuses to bend to the will of the world.
Ever since 9/11, President Bush has run this country’s foreign policy on what I call the strength doctrine. Essentially, this means that according to Bush and his compatriots, the best way of protecting America is through looking tough. This is the Bush foreign policy, that McCain is allying himself with. Obama, on the other hand, seems to be emphasizing the importance of diplomacy. Yes, we must be strong, but we also must talk to the world, and respect other countries, and remember that the War on Terrorism is far more than just a military struggle.
So, John McCain’s comments are wrong. His opinions on whether or not we should be in Iraq right now are highly relevant. They tell us a great deal about what a McCain administration would like. And, in my view, they remind us just how important it is that we elect Obama as our president.
By continuing to support our invasion of Iraq, McCain is allying himself with this foreign polict
The ball rocketed off Ryan Church’s bat. And for just a second, the melancholy faded. Tie game. The Mets could still be going to the playoffs. On a huge two run home-run by Church. And then the ball fell out of the sky into the right fielder’s glove, at the edge of the warning track. And that was the end of the season. And the end of Shea Stadium. 44 years at Shea. The lovable losers of 1962. The Miracle Mets of ‘69. The Mets that believed in ‘73. One of the best teams ever to play the game in ‘86. And the group of nobodies that somehow made it to the World Series in 2000. And the Chavez catch of ‘06. And now, the collapse of ‘07 and the near-miss of ‘08. Shea is gone.
This was obviously a frustrating game for Mets fans. Oliver Perez was masterful for the first five innings. But, so was Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen. The tension kept adding up. I knew the Mets needed to score, before the Marlins broke it open. We needed to get some runs. Establish the fact that this was our game. Just like the Mets ought to have established weeks ago that this was our season by beating the Phillies at home.
But no, the Marlins scored first. The walk with the bases-loaded was particularly tough to watch. 2 – 0 Florida. But at this time, Milwaukee was still losing toi the Cubs, so for all intents and purposes, the Mets could’ve lost to the Marlins and still ended up tied for the wild-card. And then things got even better. A two-run homerun by Carlos Beltran, an incredible clutch hit that tied the game up and energized the Shea crowd.
But Mets fans were still nervous. Perez had been replaced in the sixth inning, which meant that the whole Mets season was going to come down to their bullpen and their late offense. Not good. And sure enough, after a strong performance by Joe Smith and a beautiful inning from sudden star Brian Stokes, the Mets bullpen gave it up in the eighth. The first batter Scott Schoenweis faced. Homerun. The first batter Luis Ayala faced. Homerun. At the end of seven and a half, Marlins four and the Mets two.
And at around the same time, the Milwaukee Brewers stromed to a 3 – 1 lead over the Chicago Cubs on a huge two-run shot off the bat of Ryan Braun. So, the Mets needed to win. And as always, they came close, torturing their fans with near-miss after near-miss. With two runners on in the bottom of the eighth, Carlos Delgado lifted a long fly ball to left-center. But if was caught, right at the edge of the warning track. And then with two outs and down to the final strike of the season, Damion Easley walked, bringing up Church, who had struck out his last six times at this plate. But this time he gave it a ride. A ride that fell just short.
Give credit where credit is due. C.C. Sabathia pitched a marvelous game. A Johan Santana type of performance. And the Brewers fought. And they won. Their first playoff berth in decades. It really is a nice story.
As I was perusing the AOL news headlines this morning, I came across an article titled “Biden Calls Ad Mocking McCain ‘Terrible.’ The article discusses how Democratic VP Candidate Joe Biden reacted to a Democratic advertisement that took a few shots at Republican John McCain and his struggles with technology, Biden said it was “terrible.” And first of all, let me just say that I think Biden is right. The ad was rife with cheap shots.
And not only were they cheap shots, but also quite likely, were ineffective cheap shots. According to the AOL story, which was reported by the Associated Press and filed earlier today, the ad read as follows:
He admits he still doesn’t know how to use a computer, can’t send an e-mail, still doesn’t understand the economy, and favors $200 billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class“
The ad does have good substantive points, which I’ve put in bold. The problem is the cheap attacks above it take away from the overall message, which is a good one and a fair one.
MEDIA-WATCH: Biden’s Comments and the McCain Campaign
The AP article also quoted Joe Biden, as he tried to turn the attention away from Obama’s advertisement:
“Having now reviewed the ad, it is even more clear to me that given the disgraceful tenor of Sen. McCain’s ads and their persistent falsehoods, his campaign is in no position to criticize, especially when they continue to distort Barack’s votes on an issue as personal as keeping kids safe from sexual predators,” Biden said.
And then, the writer explained what Biden was referring to.
Biden was referring to a McCain ad that said Obama supported sex education for kindergartners, based on a bill he voted for as an Illinois state senator. Obama’s campaign said the ad was a “shameful” distortion of his record because the bill’s language meant young children would have been taught about sexual predators and concepts such as “good touch and bad touch.”
Now, if you’re curious as to why cheap shots and slimy negative advertising are so effective, just read this paragraph. The writer acts as if there is a legitimate question as to whether of not Obama supported comprehensive sex education for kindergartners. He presents both arguments as if they have equal merit. In an effort to be balanced, the article neglects the truth. And the truth is that the McCain kindergarten ad was a shameful distortion of Obama’s record. That’s a fact, not just something the Obama campaign said.
The New York Mets haven’t been awful of late. They’re 6 – 4 in their last 10 games. And they now have a 1.5 game lead in the NL Wild Card chase over the Milwaukee Brewers. But they have definitely failed to take control of this 2008 season and this NL division. Losing two out of three at home against Philadelphia was disappointing. Then after two wins versus the Nationals, they lost two out of three to the Braves at home. And then, they were only able to win 2 of 4 in D.C., even though the Nationals are currently one of the worst teams in baseball.
The point is the Mets need to take advantage now of the opportunities they have. Luckily for them, Milwaukee is currently collapsing (2 – 8 in their last 10), so the Mets might be able to win the Wild Card without too much effort. But, if they want to show fans that this year is different than last, then they need to start winning. They won the last two games in Washington. Now, they’ve got to continue success. Atlanta is a bad team this year. And in this series, the Mets will send Oliver Perez, Pedro Martinez, and Mike Pelfrey to the hill. The Braves counter with a struggling Jo-Jo Reyes (who the Mets battered several days ago), a good pitcher in Campillo, and an unproven one in Parr. The Mets will not have to face Jurrjens, who has been the Braves best pitcher this year. So, the Mets ought to win two out of three, particulalry the Perez vs. Reyes one and the Pelfrey vs. Parr one. And if they want to win this division and start beating down the ghosts of 2007, they’ll need to win two out of three.
After months and months of campaigning, this 2008 election remains hotly contested. In a poll of likely voters around the nation, Obama has retaken a slight lead. But as we have learned in past elections, it is the state-by-state electoral vote, not the national popular vote that matters. And right now, the electoral map is as tight as ever.
According to Yahoo’s Political Dashboard, if the election were held today, Obama would win. The Dashboard currently gives him 250 electoral votes, and that’s not counting Maryland, Delaware, Hawaii and DC, all of which will certainly end up voting for Obama. That would give him over 270 votes, which would mean sweet, sweet victory for the Dems. And the dashboard also didn’t count West Virginia, which could end up in the Obama category.
But there’s a long way to go. Both candidates have a lot to worry about.
Obama currently leads in Colorado by 3, but that could change in a hurry. And Democrats also have to wonder about a surprisingly narrow lead in Minnesota. And of course, Pennsylvania is close (Obama leads by approximately a percentage point there), and could remain tight to the finish. And make no mistake about it, Pennsylvania is a state the Democrats desperately need. They don’t actually need Ohio, but they do need the big PA.
McCain meanwhile has to keep a couple of traditionally Republican states with a lot of electoral votes from turning blue. His lead in Indiana is just over two percentage points. So, that’s 11 electoral votes hanging in the balance. His lead in Virginia is also just over two percentage points. That’s another 13 electoral votes. And his lead in Nevada is small as well. Winning those states would get McCain close to the 270 votes he needs. But this is all assuming that Ohio, with it’s 20 electoral votes, goes Republican like last year. And as it currently stands, McCain barely leads in Ohio, with RCP polls giving him 46.6% to Obama’s 45.1%.
The point is both candidates have vulnerabilities, and subseqently, strong needs. Obama needs Pennsylvania. And if he’s not going to win Ohio, then he’ll need to win in Colorado, or steal some combination of Nevada, Virginia, and/or Indiana. For McCain, the task is simple. Win Ohio! And hold onto those Bush states.
We’ll do another update later on, but for now, that’s how things stand on the electoral map.
Sorry that I haven’t posted in a while. I’m currently a little busy moving in to college, but I am hoping to get some new posts up in the next several days. Thanks for your patience.
When I look back at the attacks of September 11th, a lot of thoughts hit me. And it’s not hard to understand why. After all, that day was one of those days that can define a young boy, and that day certainly changed my life. What World War II or Pearl Harbor meant to my grandfather, 9/11 meant to me. I still struggle to understand exactly what happened that day. I still struggle to understand the nature of evil, nationalism, Islamism, and the death of innocents, and all sorts of related ideas.
But, one thing about these attacks that struck me tonight is what 9/11 reminds us about humanity. There are over 6 billion of us in this world. From all walks of life. With varying beliefs. And varying moral codes. With different influences. Differing understandings of what courage is. What goodness is. Who God is.
Every man or woman has the power to make life. And every man and woman also has the power to take life away. Two men can care about their family, and about their faith. And one of those men can be a United States politican, and another a vicious Al-Queda terrorist. And both can go to sleep at night, firmly confident in their righteousness.
This new global humanity is fascinating. We are so diverse and widespread. And yet, we have so much in common. And we all are so interconnected. A brutal dictator in Iraq can try to invade Kuwait, causing the United States and the world to attack, which in turn causes the US to open up bases in Saudi Arabia, which in turn increases the anger of a bunch of Islamist terrorists, who are already infuritated by Israel, who then turn around and attack America, and end up changing our entire world.
But, the most important idea that must come from the events of 9/11 is that we all have a stake in each other. We, the humans of the world, all have the power to help each other. We also all have the power to hurt each other. We all have greatness in us, and we all have evil in us. And the whole of it can get very confusing. Nations, ideas, values can all get jumbled in a hurry. But, it is clear that we have great power. So, what will we do with it?
The attacks of September 11th, 2001 will forever be a part of my life. I was a very impressionable 10 years old when those two planes hit the Twin Towers. And so, those attacks changed me for good. I have never been able to look at an American flag the same way since that day. Before, the flag just represented where I was from. On that day, and in the days following, that flag became a part of who I was. The tattered flag. The tears. The warmth. The spirit of America.
And perhaps, nothing better illustrated the beauty of America then the night of September 21, 2001, when the New York Mets came home to play the Atlanta Braves, in the first baseball game to be played in New York since the tragic attacks. This was the first front in the War on Terrorism.
The presenting of the colors. All the emergency personnel. The Mets players wearing FDNY, NYPD, and EMS hats. The players hugging before the game. The players crying. The singing of New York, New York. And most of all, that big eighth inning home run by Mike Piazza sent chills down my spine that night. And it still sends chills down my spine as I watch it on the seventh anniversary of September 11th. The video is below. I hope you enjoy.
