TresSugar

Front Page: Plot to Assassinate Obama, Hundreds Held in Immigration Raid, Mystery Virus Hits India

CitizenSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:55:20 -0700

Plot to Assassinate Obama:
Denver authorities announced they had arrested three people on drug and gun charges in connection with a possible plot to assassinate Obama during his speech accepting the nomination Thursday night. The US Attorney Generals office will hold a press conference this afternoon to discuss the "aggressive" inquiry into the case. It's not clear how detailed the plot was before the arrests.

Hundreds Held in Immigration Raid:
Another large-scale immigration raid, this time in Mississippi, led to 350 workers being detained. Numerous ICE agents infiltrated the Howard Industries factory and so far dozens of workers have been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the US.” Immigrants' rights activists said, “It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities.”
Mystery Virus Hits India:
A virus that started in one village in India has spread to 350 people and claimed 160 lives; 15 to 20 people are dying everyday. Doctors are unsure what the disease is, though possible causes lie everywhere in the piles of garbage and waterlogged roads. The villagers are getting desperate: “Everyone here is waiting for doctors to come and examine people; but they aren’t coming and we are counting our dead.”

Are the Dixie-crats Making a Comeback?

LibertySugar — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:00:48 -0700

Three recent upsets in special elections for US House of Representative seats in the deep South, have Democrats rethinking their political fortunes in the region. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson famously said: "There goes the South for a generation" as he signed the Civil Rights Act. But recent and unlikely victories mean it might be time for the Democrats to draw a new map.

Alabama Pollster John Anzalone told the AP:

The Republican brand has taken a hit. When you have economic anxieties, the wedge issues that Republicans use just aren't that important. People aren't fat and happy now. They're worried.

This sounds like a more-nuanced incarnation of Barack Obama's bitter-gate comments.

Another factor helping the Democrats is the fact that candidates are not shy about embracing "values issues" co-opted by the Republicans. Southern voters find pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-gay marriage candidates, running on a Democratic ticket. What makes these candidates different from the Republicans? They do not accept Republican foreign or economic policy, nor do they carry George W. Bush's baggage.

Are the Spring's special election upsets a signal that the Democrats are going to widen their congressional majority this fall. If the incoming Democrats have a lot of red in their platform, what kind of majority will this be? Are Democrats giving up their core values, or finally understanding their constituency, and thus what it takes to win?

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Prisons Running Out of Dough and Turning Prisoners Out

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:00:36 -0700

Both sides of the pond are facing a prison problem. In the US, states facing budget crises are now looking at an alternative to raising taxes - let's just say it's a lock-checking idea. They're letting prisoners go free well before their sentences are completed.

In a time of tough budget decisions and rising prison costs, a choice has to be made. Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a Washington located group that supports fairer sentencing, said: “Do you want to build prisons or build colleges? If you’re a governor, it’s kind of come to that choice right now.”

To see how some states are compromising on containment, and what's happening in the UK, read more.

California, one of the hardest hit states has proposed letting go 22,000 nonviolent, nonsexual offenders nearly two years earlier than sentenced to save nearly $1.1 billion over two years.
Providence, RI approved a “good time” early-release program, which will place a greater number of inmates under post-prison supervision and is expected to save $8 billion over five years.
Mississippi has seen their inmate population double during the past twelve years. Governor Haley Barbour has signed into law two measures to ease the financial burden. One is to let nonviolent offenders go after serving 25% of their term and the other is to release terminally ill prisoners.
Kentucky is looking at a $900 million deficit over two years and has a plan to let non-violent, non-sexual offenders serve 180 days of their terms at home, which is expected to save $30 million.

It's not just the US experiencing a problem holding their prisoners. A new documentary paints a scary picture: to ease similar overcrowding, hundreds of dangerous offenders, including murderers, are being sent to low security open prisons and then - oops - escaping.

Apparently since Labour came to power almost ten years ago, 14,000 criminals have “absconded” from open prisons, including many dangerous offenders, and some 149 offenders are still at large - including murderers, armed robbers and drug smugglers. The low-security prisons are aptly named - 130 murderers have escaped from them in the past 10 years - more than one a month.

Considering that the US has 25 percent of the world's prison population is this a troubling trend? Do states have the right priorities choosing education over prison funding, or is the choice ridiculous? Are we skimping on funding public safety?

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So Stupid? American Graduation Rate Only 70%?!

LibertySugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:00:04 -0700

Federal reporting of high-school graduation rates hide an embarrassing and depressing reality of the American education system. Only 70 percent of those who start ninth grade finish four years later.

Many states keep two statistics on hand. Mississippi for example, reports an 83 percent graduation rate to the federal government. The statistic used in the state, however, is 63 percent. California is another example. It reports 83 percent, but operates at home with a rate of 67 percent.

The New York Times explains that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy has something to do with the high reporting and low completion rate. NCLB requires students to meet high standards on proficiency tests, but sets no national requirement for graduation rates. Schools actually have an incentive to persuade failing students to drop out, as the schools' averages on tests will then increase.

Are you surprised that the national graduation rate is only 70 percent? Should US states be focusing on making sure more students graduate, or rather concentrate on helping the proficient students make greater strides?

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Awaiting Results: M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I

CitizenSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:00:48 -0700

CNN is now projecting that Barack Obama has won the primary in Mississippi. The Democrats award a proportionate amount of the delegates, but Obama will get the biggest wedge of that sweet peach pie. Polls indicated all day that Obama was ahead in the state, which hasn't voted for a Democratic candidate in a the general election in 32 years.

And congrats to laceykk23, the magnolia blossom who correctly named that last Democratic candidate in the comments!

Front Page: Roadside Bomb in Iraq, Mississippi, China Inflates

CitizenSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:55:42 -0700

Reported moments ago, at least 16 people were killed when a nonmilitary bus was hit by a roadside bomb in southern Iraq. Twenty-two people were wounded in the bombing, which occurred on the Basra-Nasiriyah road just less than 300 miles south of Baghdad. This incident compounds with a violent day yesterday that saw eight US soldiers and an interpreter killed in two separate incidents in Diyala and Baghdad.

Voters in Mississippi head to the polls today, the latest state to weigh in on the increasingly tight Democratic race. Polls show Barack Obama with an advantage in the state, which has 33 delegates up for grabs. Obama spent yesterday campaigning in the state, while Hillary Clinton focused her energy on Pennsylvania. That state has 158 delegates at stake in just over a month. Polls close in Mississippi at 7 p.m. EDT. Check back here for results later today.
Consumer prices in China ballooned last month, the fastest pace of increase in more than 11 years, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. Food prices were the biggest contributor, up 23.3 percent from the same month last year. Though China's heavy winter storms are partially to blame, the government has been issuing large amounts of Chinese currency every week and banks have been lending aggressively, creating a surge in circulating money. Leading economists believe the rapid money supply growth is the driving force behind the huge inflation.

Obama Says No to Dream Ticket

LibertySugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:56:05 -0700

Barack Obama emphatically said no to running as Hillary Clinton's vice president. Speaking at a town hall campaign event in Mississippi, Obama said, "I don't know how somebody in second place is offering the vice presidency to a person who's in first place." Obama pointed out that he was ahead in popular vote and delegate count and had won twice as many states as Hillary Clinton.

Obama also exposed an inconsistency in the Clinton message. She has said that Obama would not be ready to be commander in chief on day one, yet would still be a responsible VP choice. He went on to say that Clinton was attempting to "hoodwink" voters, and that they should not be confused into thinking that they can have both Clinton and himself on a dream ticket. Voters, Obama said, must make a choice.

Can Mississippi Legislate People Thin?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:40:55 -0800

Mississippi, the fattest state in the Union, introduced a bill last Friday that would ban some restaurants from serving anyone with a BMI over 30.

The bill, HB 282, is sparking uproar. Two of the bill's sponsors did have careers related to healthcare prior to becoming lawmakers. Regardless, many are wondering now if this bill, despite its intentions to make Mississippians healthier, does so at the detriment of the big three: life, liberty, and the pursuit of Big Macs. Has Mississippi's State House crossed over the line? Should you be required by law to weigh in before the menu arrives?

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Mighty Mississippi River Bursts Its Banks Forcing Rescues

CitizenSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:00:03 -0700

Despite backbreaking teamwork to sandbag the riverbanks, the Mississippi River broke through an Illinois levee forcing nearly half a dozen people to be rescued by helicopter. However, because the federal government learned from a 1993 flood in the same area and planned for a repeat, the damage could have actually been much worse.

After the 1993 Mississippi flood, President Clinton purchased much of the low-lying land buying out more than 9,000 homeowners. The land was turned into parks and underdeveloped areas creating much less of a risk when the next flood - like this one - occurred.
The buyout plan moved whole communities including Rhineland, MO and Valmeyer, IL. FEMA also spent $1.6 million to move the resident of Elkport (whose population then numbered 80) and razed the remaining buildings. The ones who remained are paying the price today as their town is now completely inundated with water.

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The National Weather Service predicts crests in the next few days along the Mississippi River near St. Louis to approach those 1993 levels. In Canton, MO, the river might reach 27.7 feet high, more than 13 feet above the flood stage.

Though 1993 preparations controlled some damage, area residents are still hurting. Reports of raw sewage and farm runoff in floodwaters raise concerns about public health, and some long-time river dwellers are calling it quits. One woman who's 83, said, "I'm not going back after this one." It was the third time she'd been flooded out of her home since 1965.

Given the sheer number of recent weather-related disasters, is emergency response after the fact enough? Do we need more planning like the 1993 buyout to minimize disaster's affect?

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The First One! Finally! Who's Watching the Debate With Us?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:45:43 -0700

Well, after a few days of up-in-the-air-edness, it's finally here: the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain at the University of Mississippi. It starts at 9 p.m. (EDT) and there are so many ways to mark the occasion. We'll be here during the whole debate commenting in this thread, please join us, we're dying to know what you're thinking!

Now that the official head-to-head discourse is starting, maybe you'll want to see just how what they say to each other stacks up against the promises they've made so far this campaign. This tool from the National Journal is outstanding - you can search promises from each candidate by subject - keep it handy while you watch!

Tons of you mentioned . . . games of a drinking nature - we found a few pretty funny ones from Wonkette and Radar, and Comedy Central if you're so inclined to enjoy said debate with an adult beverage.

We'll be posting our full reactions to the debate afterward, and we haven't made up our minds as to just who won - yet. Our radio friends Maegan Carberry and Lizzy Blackney are twittering during the debate, and we'll be checking back with them afterward to see what they thought.

So who's with us? Who's settling in for the big debate?

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