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( Obama and Harper: Bookends in a broken democracy )
"Oddly enough the problem is the opposite in each country. In Canada, individual members of Parliament have almost no power and under Harper even Cabinet ministers have little. All power is centralized in the PMO and in the office of the Leaders. Even still, we don't get a direct vote for those leaders, only for their party and that vote is counted by the antiquated first past the post system so a candidate with a minority of votes usually is the winner and the party that wins almost never has a majority. There are few checks and balances in the Canadian system unlike in the US
In the US, individual members of the Congress have a lot of power supposedly to represent their constituents but in actual fact most of them are bought and paid for by the corporate lobbyists through Political Action Committees. The balance of power in the US means the President is limited by the Congress and in the hyper sectarian atmosphere on Capital Hill, the only things Obama can achieve are things the Republicans want.
But despite the differences, in both countries democracy is broken. The only way to fix it, is by engaging citizens in democratic decision making at every level. The demonstrations on Saturday are just the beginning.".
source
"Oddly enough the problem is the opposite in each country. In Canada, individual members of Parliament have almost no power and under Harper even Cabinet ministers have little. All power is centralized in the PMO and in the office of the Leaders. Even still, we don't get a direct vote for those leaders, only for their party and that vote is counted by the antiquated first past the post system so a candidate with a minority of votes usually is the winner and the party that wins almost never has a majority. There are few checks and balances in the Canadian system unlike in the US
In the US, individual members of the Congress have a lot of power supposedly to represent their constituents but in actual fact most of them are bought and paid for by the corporate lobbyists through Political Action Committees. The balance of power in the US means the President is limited by the Congress and in the hyper sectarian atmosphere on Capital Hill, the only things Obama can achieve are things the Republicans want.
But despite the differences, in both countries democracy is broken. The only way to fix it, is by engaging citizens in democratic decision making at every level. The demonstrations on Saturday are just the beginning.".
source
(no subject)
Nov. 14th, 2009 04:48 pmSo. The 9/11 masterminds will get a criminal trial in a civilian court, but former child soldier Omar Khadr is still going to face a military tribunal. Apparently the reason is that certain evidence that would be prohibited in a civilian court (translation: evidence obtained under torture harsh interrogation techniques) will likely be accepted in a military court (surprise, surprise!).
This is all despite the fact that a. Khadr was fifteen years old at the time of his arrest, and b. evidence he might not even be guilty. And if that's not enough, let's add some insult to all this injury. Khad'rs own (minority) government is refusing to extradite him.
WTF, people? Since when are child soldiers treated like this? I thought there was supposed to be a law against that.
I'm completely unsurprised by Stephen Harper's actions, but I didn't expect Barack Obama to go along with Bush-era policies. Not, on, Mr. President. Not on at ALL.
This is all despite the fact that a. Khadr was fifteen years old at the time of his arrest, and b. evidence he might not even be guilty. And if that's not enough, let's add some insult to all this injury. Khad'rs own (minority) government is refusing to extradite him.
WTF, people? Since when are child soldiers treated like this? I thought there was supposed to be a law against that.
I'm completely unsurprised by Stephen Harper's actions, but I didn't expect Barack Obama to go along with Bush-era policies. Not, on, Mr. President. Not on at ALL.
(no subject)
Nov. 7th, 2008 07:06 pmPresident-Elect Obama gives his first post-election press conference:
I really like how he's taking a cautious approach to the transition--he stresses the need to do everything as quickly as possible but wants to do it thoroughly as well. Also the bipartisan spirit in which he plans to get things done.
Dear President-Elect Obama,
Regarding your Most Important Issue, I'd like to offer some advice: Why not choose a dog from one of the many breed-specific rescue organizations? That way you'd be able to pick out a breed that's appropriate for a a dog-allergic person like Malia and you'd still be giving a needy animal a good home. After all, what dog wouldn't want to be the First Pet?
The Poodle Rescue of New England has lots of dogs that need homes. Poodles are intelligent, energetic and people-oriented (a lot like yourself, actually), and are recommended as an ideal pet for someone with allergies. A list of Poodles looking for a good home is here.
Or maybe a Greyhound? They're sweet and affectionate and don't need as much space as people think. Here's a list of Greyhounds up for adoption in the DC area.
Wishing you success in all you do,
Me
I really like how he's taking a cautious approach to the transition--he stresses the need to do everything as quickly as possible but wants to do it thoroughly as well. Also the bipartisan spirit in which he plans to get things done.
Dear President-Elect Obama,
Regarding your Most Important Issue, I'd like to offer some advice: Why not choose a dog from one of the many breed-specific rescue organizations? That way you'd be able to pick out a breed that's appropriate for a a dog-allergic person like Malia and you'd still be giving a needy animal a good home. After all, what dog wouldn't want to be the First Pet?
The Poodle Rescue of New England has lots of dogs that need homes. Poodles are intelligent, energetic and people-oriented (a lot like yourself, actually), and are recommended as an ideal pet for someone with allergies. A list of Poodles looking for a good home is here.
Or maybe a Greyhound? They're sweet and affectionate and don't need as much space as people think. Here's a list of Greyhounds up for adoption in the DC area.
Wishing you success in all you do,
Me
(no subject)
Mar. 18th, 2008 08:46 pmUS faction of flist, take a few minutes out to watch this speech, even if you're not planning on voting for Barack Obama. Because as ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
newleaf31 says, it's a message that needs to be heard.
Everyone else might want to watch it, too. Forget the steretypes forged by people like Rush and Dubya and Fox News. This is what an honest-to-goodness American sounds like:
It's been a long time since I've felt this proud to be an American. It's an unfamiliar feeling given the current climate, but such a welcome one. This is a speech for the history books.
newleaf31 says, it's a message that needs to be heard.Everyone else might want to watch it, too. Forget the steretypes forged by people like Rush and Dubya and Fox News. This is what an honest-to-goodness American sounds like:
It's been a long time since I've felt this proud to be an American. It's an unfamiliar feeling given the current climate, but such a welcome one. This is a speech for the history books.
