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!