Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Here's wishing you all a very blessed Christmas indeed! This is truly the most wonderful time of the year! Just always remember that Jesus is the reason for the season! While we're all having an enjoyable time with our families and friends during the holidays, let's all take the time to stop for a moment and think of those who are less fortunate, and particularly those who are experiencing hardship or loss. I especially hope each of you will say a prayer for the family and friends of Jean and Jim Smith, who are dealing with a very tragic loss this Christmas, and also for a dear friend of mine who is going through his first Christmas without his twin brother. My heart goes out to both of these families.

May each of you experience the peace and love of Christmas during this holiday season and always! God bless! :)

Final Presentation Day aka I'm officially finished with Fall Semester '08

Ahh, how nice it is to finally be able to refer to this semester in past tense! Before I completely transition to Christmas break mode and get pumped up for our final playoff game against Montana tomorrow night (don't forget to Purple Out!!!), I wanted to post one final, graded blog entry about a particular presentation that interested me. One of my co-presenters on the environmental topic panel discussed Pickens Plan. While researching political advertising during the 2008 campaign as part of a project for my Media & Politics class, I saw several of the Pickens ads, but knew very little about the actual plan. The presentation today provided a detailed overview of the plan, and peaked my interest to do further research about it. From what I understand, the Pickens Plan is based on the idea that

the United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind power.

It advocates utilizing wind energy in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I have not had time to examine this in depth, but for those who are also interested, you can read the plan here. One question was brought up in class today whether the windmills' effect on birds has been addressed, so this could certainly become an issue for animal rights groups. If anyone out there has any information on this, I would be curious to learn more.

On that note, I am off to Starbucks to actually relax and drink coffee for pure enjoyment rather than for caffeine purposes. Have a wonderful evening and I hope to see you all "purpled out" tomorrow! Show your pride and support for JMU Football!!!!! :)

As the semester draws to a close...

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our final day of class presentations and then the semester will be finished! Thinking back, I honestly had no idea what to expect out of this class when I signed up for it. However, I must admit that I learned a great deal about social movements and how they have effected change on our country over the years. This class opened my eyes to the numerous methods of studying these movements, from the characteristics of social movements to emotions of protest, symbolism of collective action, social movement theories, and so much more. What initially sounded like a dry topic that was simply going to fulfill one of the course requirements for my political communication minor (sorry Mike!), turned out to be very informative and thought provoking. Although I have always taken a pro-environment stance, this class (and especially the amount of research I conducted for my final paper), encouraged me to learn more about the environmental movement. Now I better understand the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, the planning/structuring that is required, and the framing and other techniques that are employed in order to win possible participants over to the cause. Final presentations during the last two class meetings have shown that my fellow students have also learned quite a bit about the social movements that they chose to study. The knowledge that we have gained from this course has provided us with a deeper understanding of movements beyond what's on the surface. We now have the ability to analyze these movements and determine what methods have contributed to their success, or lack thereof. So, as the semester comes to a close, I realize that despite my initial lack of enthusiasm regarding the course subject, this class did indeed surpass my expectations.

Obama’s plans for the environment

In taking my own advice from a previous post (and also to get back on the topic of my favorite social movement), I want to bring up the issue of president-elect Obama’s plans for the environment. Being the pro-environment girl that I am, I must admit that I am optimistic about his overall environmental agenda. After spending the last semester doing extensive research on his environmental plans (for a paper that I am writing for my Media & Politics class), I can definitely say that he has good intentions. He is determined to “take a leading role” in combatting climate change by implementing a cap and trade policy that would reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. He is also a huge proponent of conservation, along with creating clean, alternative energy technologies.
Based on early assessments, it looks as though the environmental movement is likely to gain some ground under an Obama presidency. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if Congress agrees with his environmental plans. It should be an interesting topic to follow over the next four years. As for other issues, I’m not so sure, but I’m keeping the optimism intact thus far.

You can read more about Obama’s environmental plans here and here.


And in news completely unrelated to Obama, I found this New York Times article to be quite interesting and wanted to share it. Even Broadway is going green! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Be sure to take a few minutes to think about all the things you have to be thankful for! :)

Much anticipated political post....sorry, couldn't resist

So, I haven't blogged on anything political for a while, and now that the election is over, I think it's time to resume that. But, for the next 2 weeks, this still needs to tie in with social movements, so please bear with me. :)

As most of you know, the election did not turn out how I would have liked. While I was expecting a successful result for the Democratic party, I still held on to a shred of hope that the GOP would pull through, but clearly that did not happen. Was I disappointed? Certainly. However, I must say that my disappointment continues, only now the focus has shifted to the behavior of some of my fellow Republicans. The outcome of the election obviously shows that the GOP has some serious work to do toward reforming our party and our campaigning strategies, however, most of what I've been hearing is not about how we can improve, but rather how miserable life is going to be with Obama as president. I wish people would think back to the inspirational and heartfelt words of Senator McCain during his concession speech:

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. It is natural. It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.

Sure, our parties have stark differences in certain beliefs and moral issues, but in the overall scheme of things, we all want to live the American dream...we just have different philosophies on how to go about achieving that dream. Yes, we may disagree with many of president-elect Obama's policy plans, but like it or not, he is going to be our President come January and no amount of complaining is going to change that. As our commander-in-chief, he deserves our respect. Since the election ended, I have received numerous facebook invitations to groups such as "Now that Barack is president, I think I'll be a lazy bum" or "Don't Blame Me...I Voted for McCain!" What happened to giving the guy a fair chance? He hasn't even taken office yet and these are people's sentiments? It's no secret that I was a McCain supporter, but there comes a point where you have to stop being a sore loser. America is America because of democracy and free elections. The Democrats won this election because Americans apparently wanted a "change." Give Obama time to take office and start implementing his platform. If he screws up and you voted against him, then you have a right to start complaining, and maybe the majority who supported him will end up joining you, but in the meantime, show some optimism and refrain from the negative accusations. He is going to be our president for the next four years, like it or not.

Are these feelings the result of the liberal college atmosphere rubbing off on me? I don't think so. I remain firm in my conservative values and I still support the principles that the Republican party stands for. I am simply appalled by the behavior of some self-professing Republicans who seem to have forgotten the meaning of respect toward our country's leaders.

Okay, sorry for the rant. I just needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for reading! :)

MLK’s objectives in writing “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”

One of the assigned readings for our current study of the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” King wrote this letter in response to a claim by eight Birmingham ministers that segregation was moving too quickly and should be fought through due process of the law instead of on the streets. Their letter was a reaction to the demonstration against segregation led by King, which was the reason he was in jail at the time. Directly quoting their resentment toward “outsiders coming in,” King addresses this assertion by justifying his reason for coming to Birmingham. He writes, “I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here. I am here because I have organizational ties here.” That statement provides basic justification for bringing his fellow demonstrators to Birmingham, but it serves as a segue for him to delve into the fundamental reason for marching there: to bring attention to the injustice that is occurring in the South. “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He then writes, “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” This serves to address, yet again, the ministers’ accusations that King is an outsider who came to town to stir up controversy.

He makes an unwavering effort to appeal to the consciences and emotions of fellow Christians. “Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.” He goes on to compare movement participants to the early Christians who were similarly persecuted for being “outside agitators.” King continues to lay a guilt-trip on church members by discussing the fact that young people are fed up with the current state of the church, meaning that church membership will dwindle in years to come. This serves as a call-to-action for Christians to stop ignoring their God-given responsibilities and instead join the peaceful fight against injustice in the form of segregation. He adds to his morality argument and reinforces his determination to overcome injustice by calling attention to the overlap of legal & moral obligations. "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws," King said, "but conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." He substantiates his basis for this claim by pointing out that Hitler’s policies in Nazi Germany were “legal,” while it was “illegal” to provide any aid to Jewish people. This comparison is meant to evoke strong emotions typically associated with the injustice, devastation, and inhumanity of the Holocaust, and likewise, bring the public to view the oppressive state of segregation in a similarly unjust light.

In sum, King’s obvious overall objective is to bring an end to segregation, both in the literal sense and in the attitudes and actions of people everywhere. Regarding this letter specifically, his aim is to defend the method of nonviolent protest which he employs, to refute the statements made by the Birmingham clergymen, and to make known to the public the vital need for the Civil Rights movement to intensify its efforts. In writing this letter, his heartfelt, yet firm words serve as a motivation for others to get involved and fight for his just cause.

Campus Sustainability Day

Tomorrow, colleges and universities across the nation will be observing "Campus Sustainability Day." This is JMU's first time participating in the event, and they intend to "trash" our campus in order to make an impression on students. Does this sound like an oxymoron? Probably. For those of you who have not heard about this event, allow me to explain.

According to JMU's website, tomorrow at 9:00 am, three dumpsters full of trash (taken from UREC, a faculty building, and a dorm) will be unloaded on the steps of ISAT. Then, students from JMU EARTH, JMU Recycling, the Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World, and health classes will sort through all of the garbage to determine how much of what was thrown away could have been recycled. The results will also be compared based on which location each dumpster came from.

This event is kicking off JMU's waste reduction effort, which is one of the main areas of sustainability that JMU is focusing on as part of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment that President Rose signed earlier this year.

This is just another example of how the environmental movement is impacting JMU and in turn, how JMU is contributing to the environmental movement by encouraging students to adopt lifestyles that contribute to sustainability. So, if you're not doing anything tomorrow between 9:00-11:00, make plans to stop by ISAT and witness this "trashy" event.

JMU's 2nd "No Drive Day" coming up this Wednesday, Oct. 15th

The JMU Clean Energy Coalition, Shenandoah Bicycle Company, and JMU's Institute for the Stewardship of the Natural World are sponsoring the 2nd annual "No Drive Day" this coming Wednesday.

Here are some interesting stats from last year's event (taken from the JMU website):
During No Drive Day last year:
-From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., traffic on campus was reduced by 7.7 percent.
-2,801 fewer vehicles navigated campus than on an average day.
-Transit ridership increased by 14.06 percent.
-Five tons of carbon dioxide were saved from entering the atmosphere.

Obviously, I believe this is a great cause and encourage everyone to participate!

More information on this initiative can be found here.

Radical groups and their effect on other social movement organizations

Recently, we read an article for class titled "Earth First! and the Rhetoric of Moral Confrontation," written by Brant Short. I was personally not familiar with Earth First! before reading this article, but I learned that this radical group uses extreme (and often illegal) measures such as "placing metal spikes in trees to prevent logging, pulling up survey stakes on land development sites, vandalizing machinery, and sitting in trees that are scheduled for timber harvesting." The founders of Earth First! split with the mainstream environmental movement, accusing its members of being too "soft," and "selling out" to political agendas or personal motives. Today's mainstream environmental groups fear that Earth First!'s tactics will hurt the overall environmental movement by causing the public to associate all environmentalist causes with radical environmentalism.

The author also uses Earth First! as an example of how agitation and confrontation can be important rhetorical tools for a social movement. Now, I would like to make it clear that while I consider myself to be very pro-environment, I am by no means a radical environmentalist, and definitely do not support the tactics that are employed by Earth First! However, it is interesting to consider how Earth First! can actually help the larger environmental movement. First, the radical group's controversial policies bring publicity to the concerns that the movement is aiming to address. Secondly, by creating a counter-response, these radical extremists make other pro-environment groups, such as Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, etc., seem much more moderate/rational in the agendas they set and the actions they take in order to preserve the environment.

Short's ideas on rhetoric can be applied not only to environmental groups, but to social movement organizations of all types. No matter what the cause, if a radical movement develops from a larger, but more moderate movement, the publicity they attract will reflect back to the moderate group. Thus, the larger movement will be given an opportunity to counter the radical agenda with a more rational one that the public will be more likely to support.

Class-cultural social movement theory exhibited in "Harlan County, USA"

During our last class session, we started watching “Harlan County, USA” a documentary from the 1970s that provided an extensive account of the coal miners’ strike against the Duke Power Company in Harlan County, Kentucky. Seeking higher wages and safer working conditions, the miners went on strike after the company refused to negotiate a contract with the United Mine Workers of America. After watching this documentary and completing the assigned readings for class this week, it is worth noting that Rose's interpretation of class-cultural social movement theory can be easily applied to the Harlan County strike.

Rose states "members of the working class participate in work that is routine and repetitive over which they have very little control." This is especially true in the example of the Harlan County miners. Day in and day out, the men descended into the mines, inhaled the coal dust, mined the coal, and resurfaced from the mines at the end of the day. However, explosions and cave-ins, over which they had no control, occasionally disrupted this routine, usually wounding or killing many men. For those that escaped these tragic occurrences, many suffered from the symptoms of black lung disease for the rest of their lives. However, in one particular scene, Duke Power's spokesperson is heard denying that mine dust "necessarily" causes pulmonary disease.

According to Rose, "working-class people live in a system of enforced authority, and they tend to approach social change through organizing around immediate, perceived interests." Rose's analysis is exhibited in the miners strike; the workers are tired of being controlled by mining company bosses who show no concern for them whatsoever. Therefore, they decide to initiate a social change by organizing a strike based on their common interest (better working conditions and fair pay). The economic hardship facing the miners is exhibited through footage of families living in low-class housing that lacks indoor plumbing. In one interview, an older man recounted a conversation that he had with one of his superiors at the mine, wherein he was told to take all needed precautions in order to protect the work mules from falling debris inside the mine. The worker responded by inquiring, “but what about me?” His boss replied “I can always hire another man to take your place, but I would have to buy another mule.” Comments such as this help to illustrate the lack of regard for worker safety and well-being, and further motivate the workers to fight for a better working environment.

Rose goes on to say that "The form of working-class organizing is a direct outgrowth of the external regulation of the working class. Workers experience opposition to their wants and needs from the power of outside groups that control the system of rewards and punishments." This logic is easily applied to the Harlan County strike. The miners felt that Duke Power was denying them of basic human needs such as fair pay, a retirement plan, medical coverage, etc. When the company failed to address these issues, the workers united, forming a cohesive group to protest against the unfair opposition they were facing.

Environmental Institute Formed at JMU

Since the particular social movement that I tend to focus on the most is environmentalism, I thought I would share this recent bit of news from JMU’s public affairs department. Formation of the “Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World” provides yet another piece of evidence as to JMU’s role in the environmental movement. Environmentally concerned students and faculty persuade the university to enact more environmentally friendly measures, and in turn, once those measures have been implemented, the overall student-faculty body begins to adhere to these practices. Although there may be opposition at first, as with the removal of trays at D-hall, the eco-friendly measures will eventually become the norm for students. For example, after the class of 2012 graduates, the subsequent classes of students from then on out will not recall a time when trays were actually used in D-hall, therefore, the trayless system will be the norm for them. We current students complain about the new policy, because we remember the added convenience of trays, however, the incoming students will (hopefully) accept it as a standard campus practice, because they have no other option to compare it to. Based on this assumption, I contend that JMU, though an institution instead of an individual, is an active participant in the environmental movement. By creating situations and instituting policies that condition students to reduce their ecological footprint, JMU advances the pro-environment cause. While it would be absurd to expect every member of the student body to become an activist in the movement, I think it is safe to assume that several activists will emerge from the eco-friendly setting that the school provides. By contributing even a few activists to the cause, the institution can thus take credit for increasing participation in and furthering the reach of the movement.

Revenge IS Sweet!!!!

Words cannot adequately describe the level of excitement at yesterday's huge game against App. State. Going into the half, things were looking a little grim for us, but whatever Coach Matthews said in the locker room must have worked as we were on fire for the 2nd half of the game. Okay, so this has nothing to do with social movements (sorry Mike!), except maybe the uprising of the DUKES against the Mountaineers, but nonetheless, I had to post something about our amazing win over the number one ranked team in our conference!



Singing the "Hey, Hey, Hey.....Goodbye!" song to ASU

Final score: JMU-35 App. State-32

Rushing the field after the game ended.

Way to go DUKES!!!! Guess App State isn't as HOT HOT HOT as they like to think they are!

Absentee Ballot Rumor Addressed

It was interesting to see this article in today's DNR that "debunks" the idea that absentee ballots aren't counted unless there is a tie. I have heard several students in my classes pass this rumor along by saying things like "Well, they don't count the absentee ballots anyway, so sending in my ballot is just a waste." I am hoping that these particular students, and others who have heard the myth, will read this article for clarification and realize that every vote is counted.

In JMU sports news, the DUKES will take on App. State tonight at 7:00 pm in Bridgeforth Stadium. This is a HUGE game for us as we seek to avenge our heartbreaking loss in the last 22 seconds of the playoff game last season. On that note, I am including App. State's promotional video, which we DUKES all find incredibly hilarious.....



After tonight, hopefully they won't be thinking they're so "HOT HOT HOT" anymore!

Have a happy GAMEDAY! :)

Authors and their influence on social movements

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I personally could not have asked for a better weekend football wise....JMU, VT, and the Redskins all came out on top of their respective games, while UVA suffered a painful loss to U.Conn. Ah, gotta love football season!!!

Anyway, on the subject of social movements, (since that is technically what I'm supposed to be blogging about, LOL), I was browsing through some environmental articles and I found this interesting piece from U.S. News & World Report. The writer interviewed Bill McKibben, who is an environmental author/activist, and he points out that environmental literature is at the center of the environmentalist movement. Essentially, he believes that the movement stemmed from the writings of authors such as Rachel Carson, who caused the public to become aware of/concerned about issues that they had never taken the time or initiative to contemplate previously.

Regardless of your stance on environmental issues, I just wanted to share the idea presented in this article, because it applies to all types of movements. Even though we may tend to think of social movements in the context of groups of people who stage protests and circulate petitions to get what they want, it is important to also pay attention to the writers who share their own opinions and ideas with the public through words on paper. While these authors may not be activists themselves, they can potentially start a movement simply by bringing an issue to the forefront and sparking a need for change in the minds of their readers who will then take the initiative to make those changes occur.

Reusable vs. disposable cup usage

To anyone who has read my blog over the past several months, it is obviously no secret that I consider myself to be a part of the Environmental Movement, so to speak. Last week, I posted my reaction to the removal of trays at D-hall, but since school has started back, I’ve been reminded of something that really bothered me last year, and continues to irk me this semester, as well. At the beginning of the fall semester each year, dining services issues large, reusable plastic mugs to every student who has purchased an on-campus meal plan. These mugs can be filled up at the soda fountains in any dining facility on campus. The idea is for students to actually use these mugs in place of the paper cups, plastic lids, and straws that are provided at the dining locations, however, I continually see students roaming around campus, sipping from these paper Coke cups. Now, don’t get me wrong, using these cups on an occasional basis is understandable, however, I know some people who use the paper cups every day of the week! Now, I’m sure some of you are thinking that I’m a crazy environmentalist at this point, but seriously, stop and think about that….some people go through at least 5 paper cups a week, then multiply that by the number of weeks in a semester, and that’s approximately 75 cups thrown away by one person in one semester! I’m sure I would be appalled if I knew how many cups are actually thrown away at JMU on a daily basis. I wonder if anyone else has contemplated starting some type of campus-wide initiative to promote using the mugs instead of wasting paper cups….I realize that some of the city’s trash is incinerated and converted to steam that heats/cools campus, but I’m quite certain that by cutting back on the number of cups that are thrown away, there will be a noticeable drop in the amount of trash produced on our campus daily, thus extending the lifespan of the H-burg/Rockingham landfill.

Thus my rant is finished....temporarily at least. LOL. Comments are encouraged and appreciated. :)

"Local Republicans 'Energized'"

Okay, so I know my blog is supposed to be focused on social movements this semester, but I can't resist from posting some political things now and then. Maybe I can link this to SM's by saying that the local Republicans are united in our "movement" with fellow GOPers across the country in order to elect McCain/Palin '08! Haha, yes that's a bit of a stretch, but at least I made an effort. Anyway, here's a link to today's front page DNR article by Jeff Mellott....and when noticing my Redskins jersey, please don't hold against me the fact that they lost to the Giants last night; true fans stay faithful no matter what! :) Football aside, I had a blast last night watching the RNC coverage as the elegant Cindy McCain and of course Senator John McCain gave their respective speeches. I'm sooo energized for our ticket now and can't wait to start campaigning around the Valley!

Another post will hopefully be coming later, but I've got to go take a quiche out of the oven and then head to campus to work on an editing project for my Video Production class. Have a wonderful Friday! :)

Social Movements

Well, I'm happy to report that I made it through my 2nd day of classes! This is going to be a reading/writing/group project intensive semester for me, without a doubt! I'm ready to take on the challenge, though! It turns out that I am going to be graded on my blog again this semester....I enjoyed SCOM 353 so much last semester that I signed up for another course with the same professor, and he's giving us a blog assignment for this class, as well. This course is titled "Communication and Social Movements," so I must warn you that my reaction posts this go-round will likely not be as interesting to read as my political commentary, but I suppose we will determine that soon enough. I'm hoping to continue posting my own original content aside from the course requirements if time allows, but regardless, I hope you guys will still visit my blog frequently and leave your feedback/reactions, as well.

Oh, and one more thing! I ate at D-hall today for the first time this semester and they have done away with trays!!! In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, our main dining hall no longer provides trays for students. The explanation for this is posted in the facility and it states that washing trays uses detergent, which pollutes our waterways. I was admittedly pretty surprised by this new policy, and I'm all for saving water that no longer has to be used to clean trays....but it seems to me like wastewater has to be treated before it can be dumped into our local waterways, so I don't really understand how having detergent in the water is a problem since it's going to be treated anyway...Maybe if I get a free moment I will try to dig through some of my environmental science and natural resources management materials from Governor's School to see if I can make sense of this. In the meantime though, I must admit that not having a tray wasn't really an inconvenience...I just balanced my plate and salad bowl in one hand, and made separate trips for drink and dessert items...which makes you get a tad bit more exercise in the process....which is certainly needed at any buffet style dining facility, in my opinion at least. And with that, I am off to spend the rest of the night attempting to get on top of my overwhelming amount of reading assignments....

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :)

Back to School

Ahh, what a fun, yet incredibly hectic time as fall semester classes started today. To my readers who reside or work in the 'Burg, I know you guys are enjoying the insane amount of traffic, long lines at Wal-Mart, crowded restaurants, trails of SOLO cups, etc. that have returned to the friendly city in the same fashion that it occurs every fall when we JMU students move back. Oh, but don't you miss us when we're gone?! Hehe. :)

Anyway, I only have one class on Mondays: HD Video Production, so I spent the afternoon running errands, buying oh-so-cheap textbooks (note the sarcasm in that reference), relaxing a bit, and going for a run. Not such a terrible way to spend my first day back, if you ask me. Tomorrow will be a different story with classes from 9:30 til 4:45, but hopefully it won't be too bad.

On a political note, campaign signs seem to be popping up everywhere. My townhouse community has a no-sign ordinance, so I'm not allowed to display my McCain, Goodlatte, etc. signs here. However, the parking lots are a different story! I've seen plenty of Obama '08 bumper stickers....heck, my roommate actually went beyond that and in addition to her Obama sticker, she also has a "McSame" one right beside that. I'm dying to find a "NOBAMA" sticker to counter hers...wouldn't that be an interesting sight to see those contrasting bumpers parked side-by-side in front of our house. LOL. Ohh ya gotta love politics!!!

Okay, time to go start on some reading assignments! Have a wonderful evening ya'll! :)

"Young Voters Speak Out"

Okay, so I have been slacking to post here all summer and I know that I should have done a better job of maintaining my blog, but hindsight's always 20-20 and there's nothing I can do about it now. However, since I was interviewed for a story in today's DNR, I figured I would take this opportunity to post a link to the story for anyone who might be interested, so please check it out here.

Thanks and have a wonderful and blessed weekend! :)

Around the Valley in 60 Days!

I keep forgetting that I'm not being graded on the content of this blog anymore and can therefore discuss things other than political issues. That being said, I would like to introduce my readers (if any of you are still out there, haha) to my new favorite blog: Around the Valley in 60 Days. It's the place to go for everything related to Valley League Baseball! My friend and former classmate (from our days at the Massanutten Regional Governor's School) serves as photographer for the blog and does an incredible job of capturing all the VBL action at the games she attends. So, to all the baseball fans out there, I definitely encourage you to check out their site and also come out to the games and support our local teams!

Congrats to the Luray Wranglers for their 11th inning win over New Market tonight! :)

Frederick elected RPV Chair!!!

This afternoon at the RPV convention, Jeff Frederick defeated incumbent John Hager in the race for Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. Being a huge Frederick supporter, I was ecstatic to hear this great news! I wish I could have been there to join in the celebration with the Frederick campaign! Way to go guys and major congrats Jeff! I cannot wait to see the great things you will do for the party!

Happy Summer everyone!!!

Ah, what a relief to be finished with exams and final SMAD projects! I hope that you all have an AMAZING summer! To the seniors, I will miss you guys like crazy, but I wish you luck in your future endeavors. I can't wait to hear your success stories! Now that the semester is over (and thus my blog will no longer be subject to grading), I may tend to sway a bit from posting solely on political issues. Anyway, it's hard to believe that I'm now a junior! Time flies!

Take care ya'll and thanks for reading!

Battle for Democratic nomination continues...

As I'm sure you all are aware by now, Hillary won the Pennsylvania primary last night, meaning that she and Obama will continue to duke it out for at least another two weeks. There's a great article on Drudge that discusses what this means for McCain. Most Republican strategists see this continued internal fight amongst the Democrats as beneficial for McCain, however, the GOP candidate himself has refrained from making such assumptions.

So, with the Democratic nomination still up in the air, the debate continues as to whether the country is prepared for its first African-American or female president. We have been discussing this issue in class and there are mixed views. A few articles that we studied include:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/02/12/pa-gov-ed-rendell-some-white-voters-not-ready-to-elect-black-candidate/

http://www.newsweek.com/id/115397

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-kinsley27mar27,0,6660646.story


Personally, I feel that gender and race should not be the primary focus of an election. Rather, voters should support a candidate whom they feel will best fulfill the duties of the office. Vote for a candidate because you feel that he or she is most qualified for the position and because you share similar beliefs with him or her. However, voters should not push all rationality aside and vote for a candidate on the sole basis that they want to see the first African American or woman in the White House. While I believe that America is ready to overcome these race and gender issues, I hope that voters will make an informed decision and vote for the best person for the position, not simply the first.

neVer forgeT 4/16/07

It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech.

JMU is having a candlelight vigil tonight at 8:00 PM on the Festival Lawn to remember those who lost their lives and the entire VT community that was affected by the shootings.

Please take some time out of your day to remember and pray for the Hokies.

Del. Jeff Frederick at CRs

Delegate Jeff Frederick (R-52) visited JMU this evening to speak at our College Republicans meeting. Delegate Frederick is currently running for Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia against current RPV Chairman John Hager. I first met Del. Frederick and his Communications Director at the annual Page County Reagan/Lincoln Day dinner back in February. I was really impressed with his speech that night and enjoyed chatting with him afterward. He seems to have great ideas for the future and exhibits a genuine devotion for getting our party back on its feet. After hearing him speak that night, I was eager for him to come to campus and hopefully have the same effect on other CR members that he had on me. At tonight's meeting, he talked about how he reactivated the CR chapter at Emory College when he was a student there, and then went on to discuss his current campaign. I highly encourage you to check out his website, and if you happen to be a delegate for the RPV State Convention, please keep Del. Frederick in mind as you cast your vote!

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!

Bob Marshall speaks to CRs

Delegate Bob Marshall, who is running for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator John Warner, spoke at our College Republicans meeting last night. Despite the fact that I don't think he has any realistic chance whatsoever of beating Gilmore, I must admit that he gave a convincing speech. I was quite impressed with his sense of humor, as well.  As expected, he discussed social issues quite a bit, touting the fact that he authored VA's Marriage Amendment. He also pointed out the differing views between Gilmore and himself on issues such as abortion, transportation, drilling for oil in Anwar, etc.  However, what is most impressive to me about Marshall is his stance on environmental issues, for which he has been recognized by several pro-conservation groups. (Leave it to me to pay the most attention to a candidate's environmental stance, LOL). Taken from the Bob Marshall for Senate website:

As a state delegate I received a"2007 Legislative Hero Award” from the Virginia League of Conservation Voters for my 100% voting record in environmental preservation. I also received endorsements from the Farm Bureau and Sierra Club, a rarity for a social conservative legislator.

I am particularly fond of this quote, also taken from his website:

I believe that the earth is a gift that must be preserved by good stewardship so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy what our forefathers enjoyed. Wasting or destroying our natural resources is like stealing from our future generations.

So, despite the fact that I don't necessarily agree with Marshall on some issues, it was nice to realize that we share common beliefs in certain areas. I'm glad that Delegate Marshall took the time to come speak at our meeting last night and offered us the chance to ask questions afterward. TV-3 has the story and video footage from the meeting here.

Speaking of conspiracy theories....

As I was doing my daily scan of the Drudge Report this morning, this article caught my attention. I thought it was interesting that the Princess Diana murder conspiracy theory is getting press coverage in the midst of our study on such theories.  According to the Associated Press, a coroner's jury determined yesterday that there is no evidence to prove that the Secret Intelligence Agency or any other government agency organized the murder.  Apparently, despite this ruling, Fayed still suspects foul play, however, Princes William and Harry endorsed the verdict.

Ah, conspiracy theories....

Anyway, have a wonderful Tuesday and thanks for reading!    

Conspiracy Theories

Our current topic of study/discussion for class this week is conspiracy theories. In particular, we have been studying various 9/11 conspiracy theories. Several examples of our assigned readings can be found here and here. Personally, I believe they are all bogus, but one of the great things about America is that everyone is entitled to have and share their own opinions, no matter how skewed they may happen to be. Other conspiracy theories we discussed in class in addition to 9/11 are whether Apollo 11 really landed on the moon, if aliens were found in Area 51, and the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. On that note, I'm curious if there are any conspiracy theories that you guys believe in, and/or what your feelings are regarding conspiracy theories in general.

As usual, thanks for reading and take care!

Pre-Ignition Catalytic Converter

After reading my post about No-Drive Day, a friend passed along an article regarding the Pre-Ignition Catalytic Converter and its potential to help vehicles get 5x better gas mileage. More information can be found about this latest development in fuel economy technology here. If this really works, I hope people start embracing this technology ASAP! What an awesome way to help the environment, lessen our dependence on foreign oil, AND save money! Please encourage your legislators to look into this technology and fight for the EPA to review it.

Thanks and have a happy No-Drive Day!

No Drive Day-April 2nd

On Wednesday, April 2nd, the JMU Clean Energy Coalition and HDPT are sponsoring JMU's first No Drive Day.

You can find more information on the Clean Energy Coalition website. Here's a bit of information they offer that you may find interesting:

Approximately twenty pounds of CO2 are created for every gallon of gasoline consumed. A simple three-mile trip back and forth to campus generates 2.5 pounds of CO2!

I highly encourage you to take part in this great cause. Okay, so call me a tree-hugging Republican (there don't seem to be too many of us out there), but I support any reasonable initiative to preserve our environment. Maybe my environmental concerns can be attributed to the fact that I attended a Governor's School for Environmental Science and Technology. Regardless of your opinions on global warming and more "controversial" environmental issues, there is no denying the fact that the Shenandoah River fish kills and the abominable condition of the Chesapeake Bay require serious attention.

Speaking of the environment, one of John McCain's platforms that has appealed to me since early in the campaign is his take on environmental issues.  A quote taken from his website states:

America has been blessed with a rich and diverse natural heritage. In the tradition of his hero, Theodore Roosevelt, John McCain believes that we are vested with a sacred duty to be proper stewards of the resources upon which the quality of American life depends. Ensuring clean air, safe and healthy water, sustainable land use, ample greenspace - and the faithful care and management of our natural treasures, including our proud National Park System - is a patriotic responsibility. One that must be met not only for the benefit of our generation, but for our children and those to whom we will pass the American legacy.

Amen to that! I just wish more people would come to realize that preserving the environment should not be a Democrat v. Republican issue, but rather a bipartisan goal to work toward. Being someone who has a deep faith in God, I personally feel that we should do everything within our power to take care of the earth He has given us during the time that we're here.

Anyway, that was my environmentalism rant for the day. Don't drive on April 2nd, walk/bike to class, get some exercise and a breath of fresh air, and help preserve the environment. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!

Bolling Announces Plan to Seek Re-election

Earlier today, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling announced that he will seek re-election in 2009 for his current office, instead of campaigning for the GOP nomination for Governor, as many had been anticipating.  More details can be found in the press release on his website.

Admittedly, I was a bit surprised by this announcement, expecting him to declare his bid for the Governor's mansion.  However, I am quite pleased with his decision, as it should prevent a heated battle for the GOP nomination by making Bob McDonnell the obvious frontrunner for the nod. With this news, I wish Lt. Governor Bolling much success in his re-election campaign! 

Lt. Governor Bolling Visits CRs

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling stopped by JMU last night for a pizza party with the College Republicans.  He ate and mingled with the students, asking questions about our hometowns, majors, etc., and showing a genuine interest in getting to know more about each of us.  Once he had a chance to meet everyone, we sat down and gave him our attention as he spoke on everything from his entry into politics to the importance of getting out to help campaign for GOP candidates next fall. He thanked us for being so interested/involved in politics and encouraged us to focus our efforts on helping John McCain, Jim Gilmore, and Bob Goodlatte win their respective elections, but jokingly added that we should also aim to stay on top of our studies in the process.  He also took time to respond to several questions from club members following his address.  I was quite pleased with the event and feel that it was a great opportunity to be able to hang out with the Lt. Gov. in the informal setting that the pizza party provided.

The DNR has a great article about it here.

American Politics and the Permanent Campaign

Our topic of class discussion/study this week regards the permanent campaign, which plays a large role in American politics today.  One of the articles we read in order to introduce the subject was an article by Michael Kazin in The Washington Post.  It is common to hear people complain that campaigns start earlier these days than they ever did before, however, in reality, the permanent campaign began with Martin Van Buren prior to the 1828 election.  One major difference between now and then is today's 24-hour news cycle, which subjects politicians to constant public scrutiny.  This factor greatly contributes to the permanent campaign by requiring politicians to act in ways that will gain public favor.  

Personally, I have mixed feelings regarding the permanent campaign.  On the negative side, the permanent campaign prevents elected officials from revealing their true opinions and standing up for their personal beliefs for fear that they will lose public support from certain groups.  For instance, many legislators today who want to maintain reputations as moderates are hesitant to propose legislation that would in any way align them with either the far left or right agenda. This ongoing campaign process also makes it necessary for a candidate to raise (or have plenty of their own) funds in order to counter an incumbent, or to maintain a viable candidacy.  On the positive side, the permanent campaign forces elected officials to be responsive to public needs. In the United States today, it seems unrealistic to think that the permanent campaign will ever lose its permanency.  What do you think?  Do you support or oppose the permanent campaign? Are there other pros and cons that I overlooked?  I'm interested in hearing your opinions so please feel free to comment and have a wonderful day!

Virginia Lottery Trust Fund

I hope that everyone had an awesome spring break and is getting back into the swing of things just in time for the Centennial festivities this week! College Republicans started off the 2nd half of the semester with Senator Mark Obenshain coming to speak at our weekly meeting.  One of the main issues he discussed with us was the budget dispute in Richmond, which will likely wrap up and close the session tomorrow.  A major point of controversy came in the efforts of the Senate Democrats to approve a budget that would re-route the distribution of lottery proceeds from funding education to use in the general fund.  Lt. Governor Bill Bolling tried to prevent the budget from passing the Senate by declaring that in order to re-route these funds, a 4/5's vote would be necessary.  His decision was initially overruled, however, a senior staff lawyer with the state agrees that routing the funds is unconstitutional.  The Examiner has the story here. Following this controversial decision, Senator Obenshain introduced Senate Bill 800, which sets up a Lottery Trust Fund to ensure that all revenue from the Lottery will be used directly for education as required by the Virginia Constitution.  In order for Obenshain's bill to be implemented, it must pass in the Senate, House of Delegates, and gain Governor Kaine's approval, as well.  The Daily News Record has the full story.  I personally hope that Senator Obenshain's bill will pass and require our lawmakers to uphold our state constitution when it comes to budget allocation.  Any of your thoughts/opinions regarding the situation are welcome!

Spring Break!

I just wanted to wish my fellow Dukes a very happy and safe spring break! I am leaving today to take part in a mission trip to Milton, Florida. I will be incommunicado (at least in the online sense) for the next 8 days, but will hopefully be back to blogging more frequently upon my return.

Take care until then!

CPAC recap

I promised to give you all a recap of my CPAC experience when I returned, so here it is! The overall mood of CPAC was a bit dismal at the realization that we no longer have a truly conservative candidate in the race. Many speakers and attendees voiced their dissatisfaction with McCain’s platform and voting record. While I agree with their concerns, I have chosen to support him based on the fact that I would prefer to have a moderate Republican in office over a liberal Democrat. However, my intent in this post is not to sway people one way or the other, but rather to give a summary of CPAC from my point of view.

I arrived at the Omni Shoreham around 7:00 PM on Thursday. Since I had missed all of the candidate speeches, I just spent the evening mingling with fellow conservatives, and finally crashed around 12:30 AM to get a bit of rest for the busy day ahead.

My friends and I woke up bright and early (around 4:00 AM) on Friday morning in order to get in line for President Bush’s 7:30 AM speech. It was definitely worth the wait and I personally felt that he did a wonderful job of holding our attention at such an early hour. He mentioned issues ranging from his tax cuts to national security to the established representative government in Iraq, to education, etc. He also brightened the early morning atmosphere by throwing in several jokes throughout his talk, such as “Listen, I'm not known for my English…” and “I used to think that leading a group of strong-willed senators was one of the toughest jobs in the country. I may have found an even tougher one: father of the bride.” He closed by thanking attendees for our support and urging us to fight for another Republican victory.

Later that day, I attended the Thomas Phillips Student Luncheon with Michelle Malkin. She was wonderful and very friendly to those of us who stayed to get her book signed. However, the highlight of the conference for me was attending Ann Coulter’s speech (which was televised on C-SPAN) and getting to meet her afterward. She was absolutely hilarious, but made serious points, as well. She even joked on herself about her previous claim (before Romney dropped out) to support Hillary if McCain became the GOP candidate. I was extremely excited to meet her and get my book signed following her speech. Despite what some of you may think, she is without a doubt one of the most lovely, genuine, and congenial people I have ever met. As anyone who talked to me that evening will tell you, meeting her completely made my weekend!

Another memorable moment occurred when several members of the JMU CRs, myself included, along with other CRs from across the country, were interviewed by Fox News and HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher regarding the presidential campaign. Our Fox News interview concluded with the reporter asking us to hold hands and sing “Kum Ba Yah,” which I heard was aired over the weekend and I’m sure was quite entertaining.

Newt Gingrich gave an eloquent speech on Saturday afternoon. He called for conservatives to declare independence from the Republican Party by embracing "Real Change" as elaborated on in his book of that name. Several people commented afterward that they wish he would be our presidential nominee, however, others responded that he has too many skeletons in his closet.

In sum, CPAC turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more! It was an exhausting, but fun-filled and motivational weekend. I only wish that the events could have been scheduled a little differently, since there were other speakers (Dinesh D’Souza, John Bolton, Mike Pence, etc.) who I wanted to hear, but missed because I was either attending another event or waiting in line to get a good seat for a highly popular speech. I came back with an armful of conservative books that I can’t wait to read! Now, if only my hectic schedule would allow for some free time to do that...

Anyway, I hope everyone had a Happy VA Primary day!

Romney Drops Out

Wow!  I am completely shocked at Mitt Romney's decision to suspend his campaign for the GOP nomination.  You can read more about it here.  

"I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country."

Romney was quoted in his speech at CPAC earlier today. I believe this was a noble decision on his part, and because of it, I now have a greater respect for Romney. With McCain now clearly the Republican candidate, this will hopefully help bring the party together to focus on his campaign against the Democratic nominee, instead of continuing the inter-party conflict.  While I do not agree with McCain on certain issues, I plan to support him, as I am much more closely aligned with his stances than those of either of the potential Democratic nominees.

This breaking news is going to make for an interesting turn of events and atmosphere at CPAC. Ah, never a dull moment in the world of politics!  Well, I must go finish packing for the weekend! Check back next week for my CPAC recap!

CPAC!!!

I will be attending CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) this weekend at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and I am extremely excited about it!  Unfortunately, I will be arriving after the presidential candidates give their speeches on Thursday, however, there are going to be many other great speakers and events throughout the weekend.  President Bush and Vice President Cheney are scheduled to speak, as well as many other big-time conservatives, such as Dinesh D'Souza and Newt Gingrich.  Thank goodness I registered early for Ann Coulter's speech and Michelle Malkin's luncheon.  I received confirmation to attend both of these events, sponsored by the Young America's Foundation, but apparently the waiting list is quite long.

I'm looking forward to a great weekend and the opportunity to network with other conservatives from throughout the nation.  I will have a follow-up post on the conference sometime early next week after I return to JMU.

On a side note, following Super Tuesday's results, it looks as though our VA Primary next Tuesday will be a bigger race than initially expected.  Instead of each party having a definite frontrunner, nominations are still up in the air.  Obama and Clinton are in an extremely tight race on the Democratic side.  On the Republican side, it should be interesting to see how things turn out between McCain, Romney, and Huckabee.  For those of you who, like me, are still undecided about who to vote for, we have less than a week to decide.

Have a great weekend everyone!

News Coverage of Gilmore's speech

First of all, I would like to say "thanks!" to everyone who came out last night.  I must admit that it was nice to see that all my publicity work actually paid off.  I was quite pleased with the turnout, as well as the number of media outlets that were represented: The DNR, News Leader, WHSV TV-3, The Breeze, and New Dominion blog all provided coverage of our event.  

Here are links to the articles for those who couldn't make it last night:

"Gilmore Stops at JMU" by Kelly Jasper, Daily News-Record.

"Gilmore Stumps at JMU" by Nicole Barbano, Staunton News Leader.

"Gilmore Visits JMU" WHSV TV-3

"Gilmore addresses war, economy issues at JMU" by Chris Graham, The New Dominion.

I was personally quite impressed with what the former governor had to say.  Following his speech, he fielded questions from the audience, which consisted of College Republicans, College Democrats, members of the student body, and citizens from the local community.  I admired his ability to address the questions that were presented to him in a tasteful, yet unwavering manner.  Though I realize his battle against Mark Warner for John Warner's Senate seat will be a tough one, I wish him luck in his bid for the GOP nomination.

Gilmore to Make Campaign Stop at JMU

This is pretty much a shameless plug, but since I'm in charge of publicity for CRs, I figured that I might as well publicize this event on my blog, as well.  In case you haven't already heard, former VA Governor Jim Gilmore will be speaking at JMU on Monday, January 28th at 7:30 p.m. in HHS 1302.  Click here to read the DNR article for more details.

Hope to see you there!

Thompson Drops His Presidential Bid

As I'm sure most of you have heard by now, earlier today Fred Thompson officially withdrew his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.  I was disappointed to hear this, considering that he was my favorite of the nominees, although I must admit that his chances were looking very slim.  Now we're left to choose between Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Paul and Giuliani. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to get excited about the idea of any of these guys as our nominee. While there are a few things I like about each candidate, there are also a few (in some cases more than a few) things that I dislike about each of them, as well.  Now that Thompson's out, I need to figure out who to support in the VA primary on Feb. 12.  So, if any of you who are reading this have already aligned yourself with a candidate, please tell me who you are supporting and why.  Any input is greatly appreciated as I am interested in hearing your opinions.

Please Support Adopt-a-Platoon!

The College Republicans kicked off our Adopt-a-Platoon drive this past Tuesday. Kaleigh Maher, news editor for The Breeze wrote an excellent article about it: 

College Republicans adopt...a platoon, that is.

I realize that many of the people reading my blog affiliate themselves with the party at the opposite end of the political spectrum from myself, however, this really is a bipartisan issue.  As Mike Sargent points out,

"...it’s not a Republican or Democrat thing. There are people who need socks whether or not they’re a Democrat or a Republican."

 Despite whether or not you support the war, I urge you to show your support for the brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line in order to defend our freedom.  So I'm asking, when you see us out on the Commons throughout the semester, please donate whatever you can.  I realize that college students don't have a lot of extra cash, but every little bit helps. On Tuesday, it was heartwarming to see so many people stopping by to support our drive.  I'd like to say a huge "Thank you!" to everyone who has already contributed.  This cause is especially dear to my heart, as my brother's high school best friend/college roommate is being deployed to Iraq within the next month, and I'm sure that many of you also have family and friends serving overseas.  Please help show the troops how much you care....support Adopt-a-Platoon today!

Is the Media Biased?

During our last class, we discussed the article "What Biased Media?" by George Case.  This topic has always been of interest to me, seeing as how I am planning for a career in broadcast journalism.  Back when I was in high school, I used to tell people that I intended to be an effective reporter, however, I was going to be different from the others in that I would present the facts of breaking news in a completely unbiased way.  Since then, I have come to realize that this was probably an unrealistic idea.  As much as any reporter may sincerely intend to present news stories in an unbiased way, his or her strong personal beliefs regarding certain issues are likely to slant their presentation of the story at least slightly.  This is not to say that reporters intentionally use their positions in order to sway the public into becoming aligned with their personal beliefs and values.  It is simply a part of human nature to think more favorably of causes that you support and less favorably of opposing ones.  I'm certainly not suggesting that this makes the media any less credible, however, I do believe that the public needs to take this into consideration when consuming news from the various media outlets.  In order to be well informed citizens, we should attempt to get our news from several different sources.  As I have been taught in several of my SMAD classes, "the media doesn't tell us what to think, but rather, what to think about."  Major media outlets decide which stories are of interest to the public and then present them to us.  Once we learn the basic facts of these stories, it is up to us to use other available resources, along with our intellect, in order to decipher these media messages.  If we choose to get our news from only one source, then we have no right to complain about the "biased media."  By getting the story from several sources, it should be easy to distinguish the facts from the biased views.  Although it actually requires a little bit of effort on our part, each of us is consequently able to determine our own view of newsworthy events. 

Textbooks

Though this may not be a political issue, I feel the need to rant briefly about something that all college students face: textbook prices.  I just purchased the final books that I need for this semester, bringing my total to a whopping $493.29.  I find this completely ridiculous and appalling.  I am taking 6 classes this semester, 2 of which do not require textbooks (God bless those professors!), which means that the aforementioned total is for 4 classes.  That comes out to be approximately $123 per class...ouch!  Even worse is the fact that some of my friends in other majors fork out even more than that!  Usually, I try to buy used books, however, when new editions are printed and selected by professors for class use, buying a used book is not an option.

Well, that's my rant.  Please share your feelings/experiences on the topic.

My Blogging Debut

Hi there!  Welcome to my first attempt at running a blog!  

I created this blog as an assignment for my SCOM 353 (American Political Culture and Communication) class at James Madison University.  Although I have frequently followed the discussions on many Virginia political blogs in the past, I'm pretty excited about actually contributing my own perspective to the blogosphere.

Please visit often to see my new posts and feel free to leave your own comments/reactions.  I will also appreciate any suggestions anyone has to improve my blog, since I'm new to this.

In the meantime, have a wonderful week!