One-Minute Timeout: We Are the Champions

I found the above video on the Warrior's Back-to-Back State Champion Women's Soccer Team Website. Last summer U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert gives her one-minute shout out to the Tribe. While we make fun of these "One-minute resolutions" legislatures use them to make constituents feel happy and proud. I did when I saw it.

www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=8586164

And even more Warrior Pride was seen when I read and watched about the 30 Warrior athletes that helped put on the first Family Fitness Night at Fry Elementary School. Politics were involved in the debate over where Fry graduates would eventually go to high school. But this is an example of governing by the people. These Warriors jumped right on President Obama's call to national service. I couldn't be more proud to be a Warrior!

http://web.mac.com/bergstromjulie13/WVSOCCER/FRY.html

"Gotta Run, Rod"

We posted in December (12/9) the question of whether Illinois was the most corrupt state in the union. After yesterday's historic day, where the Land of Lincoln officially ran Rod Blagojevich out of the Captiol office he seemingly was never at, it's time to compare the former Gov's situation -- not to Ghandi or Mandella -- but to Nigeria.

A Nigerian living in the US maintains a blog he calls, Grandiose Parlor.

In a recent post, the blogger does some comparative politics by examining the cases of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevic and some Nigerian governors charged with similar levels of corruption.

The comparison is not favorable to the Nigerian governors or the Nigerian regime.

Musing on Illinois governor Blagojevic and his Nigerian counterparts

"A comparison between Blagojevic and Nigerian governors: while the two are corrupt — well, maybe not in equal measures, the political system in the state of Illinois is able to self-correct, promptly...

"[T]he Nigerian Guardian newspaper captures the Rod Blagojevic matter...

"'First, Mr Blagojevic and his admirers did not plead an immunity... Secondly, Mr Blagojevic was not blindly supported by his own political party... Third, the law enforcement agencies were not corralled out of intrepid investigation...

"'In contrast, Nigeria is unfortunately in the abyss of institutional and leadership collapse. The typical Nigerian state governor today, more or less Mr Blagojevic’s counterpart, is virtually unavailable to account to any institution or person...'"

---

Next, CBS 2 School has this comparison of Illinois politics to the Wizard of Oz. You US History scholars might remember the Oz allegory comparison to the Populist movement.

Before he became Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn stated that Illinois politics was beginning to resemble the Wizard of Oz. With the departure of Wicked from Chicago and Rod Blagojevich from the governor’s office, there seems no better time to delve into the similarities between Illinois and Oz.

Wicked Vich of the West
We’ll start off with the easiest comparison of Blagojevich and the Wicked Witch of the West. The Illinois Senate has now melted Blago with 59 cups of water in his conviction and ouster from the governor’s office.

While he’s known for his poetry, Blago’s last ditch public appeals bore more resemblance to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked in which we learn about the complexities of the evil witch. In Wicked, Elphaba must battle rival witches, a culture of corruption and constantly being misunderstood. Add some FBI wiretaps, and you’ve got a musical starring Blago.

Dorothy
We haven’t seen him wear any ruby red shoes lately, but new Governor Pat Quinn still makes a wonderful Dorothy.

For three decades, Quinn has been a political outsider championing the causes of reform and the marginalized. He now enters the world of insiders where all of the characters have a little more color.

His yellow brick road will take him to Springfield, but watch out. Flying monkeys, tax hikes and plenty of other obstacles will be lurking and attempting to side track his bid to win in 2010.

Cowardly Lion
Like the Cowardly Lion, the General Assembly finally gathered enough courage for confrontation at the end. But even Blago was confused by this newfound bravado.

Several of the impeachment articles related to actions Blago took in his first term when plenty of Democrats in the General Assembly supported these efforts and then supported his re-election. They then managed to find the courage to impeach him for these and other offenses.

Toto
We’ve managed to impeach a governor with hardly a mention about Illinois Republicans, and that’s where Toto comes in.

As the minority party, Illinois Republicans are expected to play the role of watchdog. But with their own recent ethics scandals and political woes, the Illinois GOP seems to have as much bite as cute little Toto.

Scarecrow
That’s where you come in.

You, the voters of Illinois, have managed to elect three recent governors who have ended up in prison. You also re-elected this most recent governor despite full knowledge that he was the subject of serious FBI investigations.

You have a terrible of track record of voting with no brain, and until you get some smarts we’re probably destined for more of the same.

Others?
We’ve left plenty of roles uncast. Feel free to comment on who you think would be the best fit to play the Munchkins, the monkeys and of course the Wizard.
_________________________

Check out the Chicago Sun-Times site, "Blagobusted.com" for full coverage of the removal by impeachment of Blagojevich. By the way the tollway signs with Blago's name prominently plastered above the open road tolling lanes started coming down on Day One of the Pat Quinn administration. They cost about a half-a-million to put up and will cost about that much to remove or cover.

www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/index.html

_____________________



The Transparency International CPI measures the perceived levels of public-sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on different expert and business surveys. The 2008 CPI scores 180 countries (the same number as the 2007 CPI) on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to ten (highly clean).



Here's where are comparative countries rank (the higher the number the less corrupt
between 10 highly clean and 0 highly corrupt) :

16. UK -- 7.7

18. USA -- 7.3

72. Mexico -- 3.6

72. China -- 3.6

121. Nigeria -- 2.7

141. Iran -- 2.3

147. Russia -- 2.1



The full index can be found here:


click to see the CPI table and Sources

Freedom and Democracy

(From Economist.com)

FREEDOM was in retreat across the world for the third straight year in 2008, according to an annual report published on Monday January 12th by Freedom House, an American think-tank. The report rates the freedom of each country according to measures of political rights and civil liberties. Freedom was curtailed in 34 countries, perhaps most notably in Afghanistan, where continued war and repression has pushed it from “partly free” to “not free”. A dozen countries in sub-Saharan Africa also saw some erosion of freedom. The number of electoral democracies, which has remained largely stable since the mid-1990s, fell by two to 119.

Dollar making a Big Mac Attack

How currencies compare with the dollar
(From:Economist.com)

THE dollar's recent revival has made fewer currencies look dear against the Big Mac index, our lighthearted guide to exchange rates. The index is based on the idea of purchasing-power parity, which says currencies should trade at the rate that makes the price of goods the same in each country. So if the price of a Big Mac translated into dollars is above $3.54, its cost in America, the currency is dear; if it is below that benchmark, it is cheap. There are three noteworthy shifts since the summer. The yen, which had looked very cheap, is now close to fair value. So is the pound, which had looked dear the last time we compared burger prices in July. The euro is still overvalued on the burger gauge, but far less so than last summer.

Executive Orders and Gitmo

Here is the signing of the closing of Gitmo one year from today. The video is interesting as Obama clearly has not read the executive order (what president really does) and even asks his counsel about another forthcoming one.

An executive order in the United States is a directive issued by the President, the head of the executive branch of the federal government. In other countries, similar edicts may be known as decrees, or orders-in-council. Executive orders may also be issued at the state level by a state's Governor. U.S. Presidents have issued executive orders since 1789, usually to help direct the operation of executive officers. Some orders do have the force of law when made in pursuance of certain Acts of Congress, when those acts give the President discretionary powers.

Sensitive authoritarians

As we begin our discussion of comparative systems, we contrast between liberal or industrial democracies that value civil liberties and illiberal democracies that may hold free competitive elections, but as far as rights, like freedom of the press -- not so much.

And then there is China. Maybe economically free to business, and able to host the world in a glorious-looking Olympic Games, but the authoritarian regime still rules. Autocratic capitalism, while the Communist Party retains absolute political power.

So while Americans heard words of change in their democracy in President Obama's inaugural speech, the more things stay the same in the People's Republic of China.

The BBC report includes a link to a video of the Chinese television broadcast of Obama's inaugural speech.

Obama speech censored in China

"China has censored parts of the new US president's inauguration speech that have appeared on a number of websites.

"Live footage of the event on state television also cut away from Barack Obama when communism was mentioned...

"In his inauguration address, President Obama said: "Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions."

That entire passage was retained for an English-language version of the speech that appeared on the website of state-run Xinhua news agency.

"But in the Chinese-language version, the word 'communism' was taken out.

"President Obama's comments addressed to world leaders who 'blame their society's ills on the West' also fell foul of the censor's red pen.

"'To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history,' the president said.

"Once again, Xinhua included the passage in full in its English version, but the sentence was taken out of the Chinese translation...

"And websites were not the only media organisations that struggled to report some of the comments made by President Obama.

"China Central Television, the country's main broadcaster, aired the speech live with a simultaneous Chinese translation.

"But when the translator got to the part where President Obama talked about facing down communism, her voice suddenly faded away.

"The programme suddenly cut back to the studio, where an off-guard presenter had to quickly ask a guest a question..."

Pomp and Ceremony Over There

On the first day of the new Parliamentary session, the Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to deliver a speech before a Joint Session of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The speech is written by her government, and outlines its priorities for the coming year.

Queen Elizabeth II gave her address to open Parliament on Dec. 3. Here is the speech she gave as Head of State. Coverage provided courtesy of the BBC.

The Queen has said the economy will be the government's 'overriding priority' for the year ahead. Compare other themes and delivery with Obama's Inaugural Speech

//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7762675.stm

With more than 500 years of history the State Opening is the most colourful and ceremonial occasion in the parliamentary year.

The Queen's Speech marks the start of a new session at Westminster, but what is the political significance of all that pomp and ceremony?

The BBC's Ben Wright was given exclusive access throughout the Houses of Parliament to explain what it means:

• Behind the scenes at Queen's Speech(04.15)

A Day fit for a King

(From CBS 2 School)

Each Inauguration Day reminds us of the bit of regret that we have for fighting against the King more than 225 years ago.

While the War for Independence was supposed to set America down a path away from the divine right of kings and toward popular sovereignty, Inauguration Day symbolizes our innate need to be awed by leadership every so often.

Like any inauguration, the celebration of Barack Obama’s presidency will certainly project the country’s hope that the festivities will lighten our outlook on to the future of our nation.

Under the Articles of Confederation, we wallowed without a chief executive for years fearing the creation of a tyrant. When the Constitution created the office of the President it purposefully made this individual both Head of Government—to manage the daily affairs of the federal government—and Head of State.

(Above Right) Washington's Monument: The Man who could have been King's Memorial was surrounded by hundreds of thousands Tuesday during the inauguration.

Heads of States represent their countries in mostly symbolic ways. England still empowers Queen Elizabeth II in this capacity while the Prime Minister gets the more powerful but less ornate job as Head of Government.

As our first President, George Washington recognized the need merge both jobs. Washington brought a healthy dose of pomp and circumstance in respecting the office of the presidency. But he also recognized the danger of cementing too much power the office…hence his retirement after two terms.

The festivities were filled with parades, poetry, 21-gun salutes, military ceremony and formal dining as a celebration of our newest chief executive and as a celebration of what we hope lies ahead.

Barack Obama will use his initial hours as President to sign executive orders to start his job of governing just as the Constitution mandates, but more of Tuesday’s focus was be put on how Obama carries himself as the Chief of State. Our Constitution says little about this role, but our state of mind will be fixated on this for the next four years.

VIDEO: Inauguration Day

__________________

On Wednesday, there was mix of ceremony, and governing. Politico.com reports on a handful of first day executive orders the 44th President signed on his first day in office. They include: lobbyist reform; a white house staff pay freeze; FOYI requests to be routinely approved, rather than routinely denied; and a revoking of President Bush's order limiting access to White House documents.

www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17765.html

But the bigger news may come Thursday, as Reuters is reporting:

"President Barack Obama, moving swiftly to restore a U.S. image hurt by accusations of torture, is ready to issue orders on Thursday to close Guantanamo prison and overhaul the treatment of terrorism suspects.

A draft executive order obtained by Reuters on Wednesday sets a one-year deadline to close the controversial U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where suspected Muslim militants have been detained for years without trial.

Obama, who was sworn in on Tuesday, is expected to issue the final order on Guantanamo on Thursday, along with orders to ban abusive interrogations and review the detention of terrorism suspects, a congressional aide and a White House official said."

uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE50K5W020090121

Whistle Stop Rail Ride Starts Historic Journey

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln's rail ride to his Washington, D.C. Inauguration took 12 days, included 100 speeches and was a security risk with a nation on the brink of Civil War.

The historic theme of the 56th Presidential Inaugural began on Saturday when President-elect Barack Obama got aboard the Amtrak's "Obama Express" in Philadelphia and gave the speech above. He will go on to give two more speeches, a total of three for the day.

The train was to stop in Willmington, DE to pick up VP-elect Joe Biden. Biden is a regular rider on this route to Washington. Both he and Obama, apparently will be supportive of Amtrak policy (which might make rail riders in Chicago fume diesel after an Amtrak derailment delayed commuters for hours):

From an Amrak discussion board:

Found this on his website...
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/addition...nsportation.pdf

"Barack Obama has been a strong supporter of federal financial support for
Amtrak. Obama believes we need to reform Amtrak to improve accountability. In many parts of the country, Amtrak is the only form of reliable transportation. In the U.S. Senate, Obama is a co-sponsor of the Passenger Rail Investment and Innovation Act of 2007, a leading act to provide long-term federal investment to Amtrak. As president, Barack Obama will continue to fight for Amtrak funding and reform so that individuals, families and businesses throughout the country have safe and reliable transportation options."

But, I digress.
____________

CNN has a good page, with various video links to journey. The views of the crowds cheering the train, which includes three press cars and "about 50 everyday Americans," as well as Michelle, Malia and Sasha, of course, were truly inspiring. They, no doubt, are Hoping inspiration can bring Change.

www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/17/obama.train/index.html

____________________

NO GOLDEN TICKET: They expect maybe 2 million to join Obama in Washington, D.C. but to get anywhere close, you have to have a ticket. But the ticket I got in the mail would probably not get me any where close as low-level financial supporter to Obama campaign. Though it felt better than the standard junk mail I normally get. You need to have a colored-coded ticket.

Mrs. Fuhrer, my co-advisor for Youth & Government, did get a real ticket through a relative who is a registered lobbyist. She didn't have to pay for the ticket, just her travel. And she may blog here from inside a big-time ball or something. If she did want to sell her "free" ticket, she could probably have paid for her daughter's first year of college:

CNN reports here on tickets fetching five figures from ticket brokers.

www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/10/inaugration.tickets/index.html

This site had pictures of all the tickets to the inaugurations from 1925 to the present for the US Senate.

YOUR BONO UPDATE:

Oprah Winfrey's taking her show on the road next week for Barack Obama's inauguration - and she's bringing an all-star cast of stars with her.

Fans on Monday will see an exclusive, one-time-only, music performance by Bono, Will.i.am, Faith Hill, Seal, David Foster and Mary J. Blige of a brand-new song celebrating Obama's inauguration and her show's trip to D.C.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher will also appear on Monday's show - and other stars, including Scarlett Johansson, will share special messages about the event.

Actor Forest Whitaker and musician Jon Bon Jovi will join Winfrey on Wednesday as she broadcasts her show live from chef Art Smith's "Art and Soul" restaurant.

PARTY PLANNING:

Plan to bring in something (food stuff, educational stuff ...or better yet both) as we have our own inaugural bash in class on Tuesday.

A little fun about last year

Just for fun, there are a ton of great issues in this humorous clip. From Uncle Jay's website:

"Uncle Jay thinks it’s really, really important for today’s news to be understood by today’s innocent, ignorant and immature minds.

Also children.

“Uncle Jay Explains the News” began in 1995 on a local TV station. It even won an Emmy. Today, Uncle Jay continues his mission on the internet.

Tell all your friends about Uncle Jay so that you can all learn more about the world and figure out what it all means. Then you can explain it to grownups, because they … maybe you noticed … haven’t."

Inauguration Day Irony: Bush declares DC emergency

Here's irony (I will try not to get too much up on my Soap Box): With the 2 million people expected to flood into the nation's capitol next week for the 56th Presidential Inauguaration, departing President George W. Bush on Tuesday took quick action to declare Washington, D.C. a federal emergency area.

www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2009/01/20090113-9.html

I'll let this one stand and you can comment yourself on this decisive action from the Lame Duck Decider-in-Chief. Though I do remember flooding in New Orleans that waited for an executive call to action.

But there are many points for discussion for the coming week's history.

First, with the nation in a financial crisis, will this all be worth it?

The Guardian (UK) reports:

"President Barack Obama's inauguration next week is set to be the most expensive ever, predicted to reach over $150m (£102m). This dwarfs the $42.3m spent on George Bush's inauguration in 2005 and the $33m spent on Bill Clinton's in 1993.

Part of the spending includes emergency funding announced by the White House on Tuesday to help with the soaring costs. Most of this new federal funding will be to deal with the huge influx of people, estimated 1.5 million to 2 million."

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/14/barack-obama-inauguration-cost

At the Obama/Biden inaugural blog, there is some cool stuff including a personal message from the President-elect, urging all of us to get involved, thoughout the country. Here's a map marking sites of events throughout the country.


www.pic2009.org/blog/P0/

But the biggests events, with the biggest stars will be in DC. At Sunday's free We Are One event, 3 Killer Bs -- Bruce, Beyonce and my guy Bono (the Best) will kick off four days of fesivities. All the parties, balls and blowouts will be historic, exciting. Truly something to see and take in about our American political culture.

www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/13/springsteen-beyonce-bono-to-headline-obama-inaugural-celebration/

They don't have this in Great Britian, where the Prime Minister will be determined by the institutional parlimentary elections, where the party will pick the leader. Here the people pick the leader (well, sort of) and then we party every four years......We will in class on Tuesday.

The question is: In troubled times, should we party like Rock Stars over an inauguration? Or does W finally have a point. See the next post, if you didn't know, there is some real serious stuff going on in the world.

Hopefully, B-Rock won't have too big a hangover Wednesday morning.

Clash of Civilizations sadly still slugging it out

American political scientist Samuel Huntington, who gained prominence through his Clash of Civilizations (1993, 1996), and through the founding of Foreign Policy magazine, died of natural causes this past Christmas Eve. But his theory of the Clash lives and dies on in the area that is the Cradle of Civilization.

www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/education/29huntington.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=huntington&st=cse

As of Thursday, the Washington Post reported on the 20th day of a conflict -- no, a war -- that sadly must seem as natural as life and death itself in the Middle East. In the fight between Israel and Hamas diplomatic progress was seen as military escalation occurred:

"JERUSALEM, Jan. 15 -- Israeli troops backed by helicopter gunships fought their way into a crowded neighborhood of Gaza City on Thursday, signaling an expansion in the 20-day-old war even as diplomats in Cairo suggested tentative progress in their efforts to reach a cease-fire."

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/01/15/ST2009011500809.html

This is a conflict that is deeply rooted in several comparative political themes: Territory; Sovereignty; Democracy; Nationalism; Religion; East vs. West; just to name a few. As we transition into our study of comparative political systems, let's try to figure out what's going on in Gaza.

Huntington wrote about a third wave of democracy, and George W. Bush will leave office believing that democracy will eventual take root in both Iraq and throughout the Middle East, maybe even in the Gaza strip.

According to Huntington, the modern world is now in a "third wave of democratization" that began during the 1970s. the first wave developed gradually over time; the second wave occured after the allied victory in World War II, and continued until the early 1960s. The second wave was characterized by de-colonization around the globe. The third wave is characterized by the defeat of dictorial or totalitarian rulers from South america to Eastern Europe to some parts of Africa. Recent political turnover in Mexico may be interpreted as part of this "third wave" of democratization.

Huntington outlines some factors on why democratization has occured:

• The loss of legitimacy of both right and left wing authoritarian regimes
• The expansion of an urban middle class in developing countries
• A new emphaasis on "human rights" by the United States and the EU
• The snowball effect: When one country becomes democratic, it influences others to do so. An example is Poland's influence on other nationas of Eastern Europe during the 1980s. It is also George W. Bush's hope for his legacy.

If we plug in the factors, we should ask ourselves, can the U.S. military lead Iraq by accomplishing all these goals? And can a sovereign military force of Israel live by work with and govern with a democratically-elected "terror organization" like Hamas?

Before we go further, who's packing the punch among the 100 square mile (1.4 million population) Gaza ring in this Clash?

In 2006, Slate.com produced and interactive Middle East Buddy List:

"Last month (2006...same as it ever was), Hamas militants tunneled into Israel and kidnapped an Israeli soldier. Israel immediately invaded Gaza. Hamas began lobbing rockets into Israel. The Lebanese group Hezbollah kidnapped two more Israelis near the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel responded by carrying out airstrikes against Lebanon. Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned Hezbollah for instigating the violence. Syria, Iran, and Lebanon called Israel's retaliation an excessive use of force.

Confused? We are too. Slate's Middle East Buddy List breaks down the relationships between the countries, terrorist organizations, and political factions who are fighting it out in the current conflict. Who likes whom? Who are the bitterest of enemies? And which groups don't really know where they stand? Click here to open an interactive chart that tells you everything you need to know."

CBS 2 School has their take on the Clash, with the debate over a "Just War."

One discussion worth revisiting these days is what comprises a JUST war. When is violence a legitimate course of action? Are the rockets firing from Gaza justifiable? Is an aggressive pursuit into Gaza by Israeli forces right?

A review of a just war theory may advance peace.

VIDEO: Just War Theory Here is a criteria for a just war:

Just Cause: War is permissible only to confront “a real and certain danger,” i.e. to protect innocent life, to preserve conditions necessary for decent human life existence, and to basic human rights.

Competent Authority: The right to use force must be joined with the common good; war must be declared by those with responsibility for public order, not by private groups or individuals.

Comparative Justice: No state should act on the basis that it has “absolute justice” on its side. Every party to a conflict must acknowledge the limits of its “just cause” and the consequent requirement to use only limited means in pursuit of its objectives.

Right Intention: War can be legitimately intended for only the reasons set forth as a just cause.

Last Resort: For war to be justified, all peaceful alternatives must have been exhausted.

Probability of Success: This is a difficult criterion to apply, but its purpose is to prevent irrational resort to force or hopeless resistance when the outcome of either will clearly be disproportionate or futile.

Proportionality: The destruction to be inflicted and the costs incurred by war must be proportionate to the good expected by taking up arms. Destruction applies in both the temporal and spiritual sense.

(The above discussion of the just war theory is taken from the Catholic Peace Fellowship. There are many other cites who use the same criteria. See http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2198)

By debating whether Israel should JUST stay or JUST go, we may help the advance of peace after all.

The Clash sung in the 80's "Should I stay or Should I Go?" Any answers here?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ag8J2NMYmc

Or here, in "Rock the Casbah" we see a fundamentalist Jew and an Arab rockin.' Any diplomatic answers to replacing the rockets with rock in Gaza?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkfHShATKY&feature=related

Finally, one more question. Will many of us in the West really understand the complexities of the real Clash of Civilizations if we use "Buddy Lists" and MTV to tell the story?