TresSugar

Would You Vote For a Third Party?

TresSugar — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:00:00 -0700

This month 27-year-old Ash Roughani launched the California Moderate Party, a new political party apparently dedicated to results instead of ideology. The new party is hoping to gain support from middle-of-the-road voters who are tired of having to choose between the lesser of two evils. The party currently stays away from "divisive issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and the death penalty."

Traditionally, third party candidates rarely win major offices. But wouldn't it be refreshing to have a viable third party to diversify the political debate in the US? Would you vote for a third party candidate that better represented your views?

Does America Need More Political Parties?

LibertySugar — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:00:32 -0700

When Gallup asked the public in 2003 whether America needed a third party, a majority opposed the idea. But asked again in 2007, the majority of both Democrats and Republicans, seemingly unsatisfied with the two-party system, welcomed more parties.

Well again this year, Americans have changed their minds. A majority of Democrats, 56 percent, and Republicans, 55 percent, think the two major parties are doing an adequate job and thus there is no need for another party to compete with them. Even though liberals support third parties the most at 51 percent, fewer liberals support third parties since the survey began five years ago. As for Independents, 63 percent want more parties . . . maybe the rest like being unrepresented?

The two-party system can add to adversarial undertones in the US - if you're a Democrat or Republican, every leader is either for or against you. In fact, every affiliated person you meet is either on your team or the enemy. Perhaps multiple parties would simply lead to a more harmonious society. And of course, those with views that do not match those of the major parties would welcome competition, too.

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Would You Vote for a Third Party Candidate?

LibertySugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:02:00 -0700

In 1854, the Republican Party emerged as a third party. Only six years later, Abraham Lincoln won the presidency for the new party.

Parties beyond the Democrats and Republicans exist today. The Constitution Party, which former Reagan official Alan Keyes recently joined, is the third largest political party in terms of voter registration. There are 367,000 registered Constitution Party voters. Ex-"spoiler" Ralph Nader is running for President again as the Green Party's nominee.

Third party candidates rarely win national elections. But, they can have an impact. Third parties can draw attention to issues that may be ignored by the majority parties, increase voter turnout, or allow people to voice dissent with a protest vote. But, do you think they can move past this secondary role, and actually start winning elections? If you want to keep up on third party news you may not catch in the mainstream media, check out Third Party Watch.

Are you ready to seriously support a truly competitive third party?

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Arr Matey! This Third-Party Candidate Emphasizes the Party!

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:00:04 -0700

It wasn't all serious speeches and Democratic unity this week: there was a third-party interloper with a pretty convincing arrrrr-gument for his candidacy. Captain Morgan for president! You couldn't throw a stone without hitting wacky characters like him this week.

With his pirate wench running mates, the captain took over the outside of the Pepsi Center to bring his message of five-day weekends and lenience on global warming because he wants to "ensure the party stays hot, hot, hot."

Fun, after all, is an important plank in the party platform. Get it? Plank? Walk the? Pirates? Sorry.

To see the captain in action, read more.

Grab Bag! "Michael Jackson" in the Year 2000

TresSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:19 -0700

What 1985 thought Michael Jackson would look like in the year 2000. - Urlesque
Surprise! Sarah Palin's feud with David Letterman gets pornified. - The Frisky
So wrong! Effigy urns make cremation creepy. - Lemondrop
Can marriage survive a consensual third party? - Em & Lo
"Maybe you're not trying hard enough." Five things single women hate to hear. - Your Tango
The "first black super model" Naomi Sims has died at the age of 61. Check out some iconic photos. - fashionologie

Craigslist Drops Ads For Erotic Services

TresSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Prior to garnering a namesake killer, Craigslist took a laissez-faire approach to erotic advertising. The site offered a gold mine for anyone looking to sell, or pay for, sex.

After the murders of call girls who advertised on the site, the classifieds giant will no longer advertise "erotic services." Craigslist announced today that it will create a new "adult services" category. (Semantics can be so sexy.) The change goes further than the name: Craigslist employees will monitor the site, and initial postings will cost $10.

For a while now, law enforcers around the country have argued that Craigslist abetted prostitution with its hands-off approach. If you're wondering how blatant ads for prostitution went on for so long, federal law says that online hosts cannot be held responsible if third-party posters violate the law.

Still, public pressure motivated Craigslist to make a change. It also noted in its statement that the site's violent crime rate is far lower than the violent crime rate associated with print classified and throughout general American society.

Do you think Craigslist is taking a responsible approach, or is this just "erotic services" with another name?

Week in Weird News: Wax Museum Might Be Stiffing GOP

CitizenSugar — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:00:39 -0700

Wax Museum Accused of Dissing GOP - Some Republicans have accused Madame Tussauds of playing favorites with the Democrats. Michelle Obama is only the third first lady to get a wax figure, the other two being Jackie Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.
Austrian Woman Fined For Calling Her Son Too Much - An Austrian court fined a 73-year-old woman $478 for stalking her son. She called him 49 times a day.
Environmental Office Pollutes Washington Creek - Sewage from Washington state's Department of Ecology regional offices have been polluting a creak near Vancouver Lake.
Liquor Store Offers Home Delivery - Hoping to boost business ChrisPy's liquor store will now offer home delivery for $5, and $2.50 for senior citizens. The owner will deliver your goods himself.
Police Chief Allegedly Tasers His Wife -A police chief in a Texas town has been arrested and charged with tasering his wife.
Obama Gets Mixed Up in Midwest Rivalry - President Obama upset Chicagoans when he called in a St. Louis pizza-maker to cook deep-dish pies for a White House pizza party last night.

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What Do Ron Paul and Ralph Nader Have in Common?

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:00:39 -0700

While they often feel like the odd ones out, third-party candidates and Republican Ron Paul joined together yesterday at the National Press Club to draw attention to the positions they have in common.

Ron Paul, Independent candidate Ralph Nader, Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney, and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin agreed to the following stances:

Ending the Iraq war as quickly as possible.
Strengthening privacy and civil liberties.
Reducing the national debt.
Auditing the Federal Reserve.

Libertarian candidate Bob Barr held his own press conference afterward, saying he was less concerned about unity, and more concerned about winning. Former Republican candidate Ron Paul said he would not be endorsing John McCain or Barack Obama. He did, however, back all four third-party candidates, adding, "If you ever get to the point where you believe the two parties are essentially the same, if the majority is outside of the establishment, it's not very democratic. The process is not working."

If you were a Ron Paul supporter, who do you think you'll vote for in November?

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Negative Online Reviews: Freedom of Speech or Libel?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0800

A dentist has sued two people for posting negative reviews on the online review site Yelp, accusing them of libel. The reviewer stated that her son felt "light headed" after a visit thanks to laughing gas, and was given fillings that contained mercury. While the dentist agrees that the fillings were mercury, she says that the parents should have read the disclosure form they signed. The dentist is now suing because she doesn't want "lies to be posted on the website" about her.

This isn't the first time someone has been sued for something they posted on the Internet. Last week another Yelp user was sued by a doctor, and a model recently sued Google for negative comments posted on a Blogger-hosted blog. Considering the often casual nature of online reviews, I can't help but think suing someone for something they posted would be like suing a person for casually telling a friend that a hairdresser gave them a bad haircut. Then again, a one-star review could really hurt a person's ability to make a living.

Under US law, websites that publish third-party reviews cannot be sued for that content. Should the law protect the reviewers, too?

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Ruh Roh!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:15:00 -0800

A third-party seller posted a "Marshall Peters Hinged Mat Woven Grass for Rabbits and Small Animal" on Amazon for the ~~low, low price~~ batsh*t insane amount of $766.5 billion. The price was later corrected and listed at $13.59. I love how, down below in the "frequently bought together" section, there's an even crazier amount that's supposed to entice buyers: "Price for all three: $2,299,503,015, 952.00." (Does anyone double-check these things before posting?)

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