Let the lames begin!

2012 Republican straw poll happening in New Hampshire this weekend. Way to take the lead on meaningless undemocratic processes that politicians can use to garner momentum. In your face, Iowa!

Enter this contest!

Looking for a way to stay involved in the off season? The Federal Voting Assistance Program is holding a contest for slogans and artwork to promote absentee voting for Americans (and military) living abroad.

Check it out here
and here!

A noble cause deserving of our creativity... also there's a $10,000 prize.

1/3 of Zimbabwe's Registered Voters are Dead

According to this NPR report.

In case this made you curious about the US statistics. I googled it.

New Wisconsin Voting Law

would require state issued ID.

Interestingly, I couldn't find a non-partisan article on the subject and I am (only slightly) torn myself.

On the one hand, I am kind of amazed how easy it is to register in certain states. I am currently registered in IA, MN, NY, MA and CO that I know of. Although I've only voted while I legitimately lived in these places, I am concerned about the implications of the possibility of concurrent registration and the like. So are these guys.

On the other hand, laws like these disproportionately impact students and other low income groups. I tend to think that this specific laws like these are actually aimed at disenfranchising those who are entitled to and, from my point of view, should be encouraged to vote. So does this guy.

What do you think?

Here's a scary thought...

...if 2011:2012 as 2007:2008, that is, if the 2012 Democratic nomination were in serious dispute, and I was not, God-willing, going to Grad School, I would be vigorously looking for a job in Iowa or New Hampshire right now.

Shudder.

Hero

Pictured above, Daniel Hernandez, the intern who may have saved Rep. Giffords' life.

Like all of my colleagues, I was horrified to hear about the shooting in Tuscon earlier this week, which killed a nine year old girl, a Federal Judge, and a Congressional staffer and wounded Rep. Gabby Giffords.

Interestingly, different people in my life have speculated about the shooter's motivations as a reflection of their own lives. Activists seem to blame Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement based on the violent rhetoric used during the 2010 elections. Two fellow campaign workers seemed to believe he had a vendetta against her staff. My mom seems to think it was antisemitism.

The incident hit particularly close to home for a lot of us because of the death of Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords' Community Outreach Coordinator. That easily could have been me or any one of my friends. I am positive I know people who knew him. There are now 4,230 people on the Staffers Honor Gabe Zimmerman facebook page.

My first reaction was "this is not how we should function in a democracy." As a society, we tend to vilify our politicians and abhor politics. We forget that politicians are public servants and that they are people. More often than not after telling someone what I do, I find myself defending the concepts of popular sovereignty and representative democracy in some form or another. Of course too many of our politicians are corrupt, but this doesn't discount the tradition, sacrifice, and service made by our representatives and their staffs. I miss living in an America where public service means something not just to the servants but the served.

A perfect example is Daniel Hernandez an intern who RAN INTO THE FIRE to save the Congresswoman's life.Words cannot express my admiration for this young man, or my sadness and frustration over the entire incident.

I don't generally like to mix my religion and politics at all, but I hope you will join me in praying for Rep. Giffords' recovery and the families of all the victims.

Ivory Coast Update II

This is a pretty incredible story.