Burn Notice

In the wake of the devastating wildfires that are engulfing the hills of southern California, we as a nation must, at least for a moment, remember our blessings. As cliche as this is, you really don't know what you got until it's gone. At the same time, our leaders should not make the same mistake they made when they stalled an immediate action for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, the federal government let so many without homes remain homeless, let many without hope remain hopeless, and let victims open to more victimization.

Katrina, to the eyes of many, was a time in which the federal government did not do its job because of skin color. I do not neccesarily subscribe to this claim, but it is curious to think that FEMA would have acted sooner had Katrina hit New Hampshire, instead.

Will the race card be played post-San Diego? Will critics claim that aid to the fire victims was expedient because many San Diego victims were white and well-to-do? I hope not. Americans, more so human beings, are the victims of these fires. We should look beyond Katrina, beyond pointing fingers, and prepare for future disaters correctly. Let us help rebuild what is lost in San Diego, and look forward, not back.

Goodnight, and good luck.

More for Gore

The unthinkable has happened: A man who spent all of his life serving the public, and recently brought the issue of climate change to the international arena has won the Nobel Peace Prize. For Al Gore, winning something that did not require the popular vote is poetic justice at best. What will he do next?

Many speculate that he will run for president. I, however, disagree. Gore is larger than life(as well as larger than he was 8 years ago), and will probably not want to share the limelight with the other Democratic candidates. I will say this: if he decides to endorse Hillary, one can be sure that Hillary will be the nominee. Next to Bill Clinton, Gore is probably the most popular and respected figure within the party. On the other hand, Gore endorsed Howard Dean in 2004 because of Dean's anti-war position. Hillary, after all, voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq. If Gore was truly consistent, he should probably endorse Senator Obama, who not only was opposed to the invasion from the beginning, but shares an identical base of support among 18-30 year old voters with the former vice-president.

Maybe there's a job opening for Gore in the next White House besides the highest office in the land.

Kicking the Tires, but Not So Much Lighting the Fires.

This post could have been about Sen. Larry Craig's refusal to resign from the Senate, or Al Gore's possible Nobel Prize nomination, or even Hillary Clinton's cleavage and giggle. However, I just had a nightmare of a morning.

What happened was one of my tires exploded as I was driving to class. Not only did I miss all of my Tuesday classes waiting at Pep Boys as unusually friendly mechanichs replaced my shredded tire, but my friend(whom I drop off work every morning) was an hour and a half late.

One may wonder why I would post such a story on my unambiguously political blog. I thought about it too. I remembered something Ralph Nader said a few years ago: "If you're not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you."

My father always reminded me that the now-blown-up was soft, and that I had to keep a close eye on it. I didn't see it as a big deal; I had too much going on with school and work to even care. Unfortunately, my neglect led to the demise of my tire.

Perhaps this metaphor can apply to the upcoming election. It would be irresponsible for us to ignore the issues of this very important contest; decisions made by the next president could very well effect my generation for years to come.

I hope voters stay alert this election, for all of our sakes.

Goodnight, and Goodluck.

Why pundits and voters should stop looking at national election polls.

The Washington Times reported a sort of "paradox" in the current GOP primary polling numbers. Although Rudolph W. Giuliani has shown that he is the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination in the national polls, it is Mitt Romney who is actually leading in the first four caucus and primary states.

The Times provides us with with the numbers from these states:

Iowa: Mr. Romney leads with 26 percent, followed by Mr. Giuliani with 16.8 percent, Mr. Thompson with 15.3 percent, Mr. McCain with 8.3 percent and Mr. Huckabee with 8 percent.

New Hampshire: Mr. Romney leads with 26.4 percent, followed by Mr. Giuliani with 22.4 percent, Mr. McCain with 15.2 percent, Mr. Thompson with 11.8 percent and Mr. Huckabee with 3.6 percent.

Nevada: Mr. Romney leads with 28 percent, followed by Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Thompson with 18 percent each and Mr. McCain with 8 percent.

Michigan: Mr. Romney leads with 26.3 percent, followed by Mr. Giuliani with 18.7 percent, Mr. Thompson with 14 percent, Mr. McCain with 12.7 percent and Mr. Huckabee with 3.3 percent.

Despite the fact that Romney's polling fourth in most national polls, if he does win these first four states, he could gain momentum for Super Tuesday. After that, a coronation in Minneapolis would be a certainty.

The truth is that I could care less about Governor Romney. I mention these statistics because national polls show that Hillary Rodham Clinton is heavily favored amongst Democrats. However, in polling of Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina show that Senator Obama is not too far behind.

The moral of this story is: don't believe all the polls you see. Remember Howard Dean? Joe Lieberman was the presumptive front-runner until Dr. Governor of Vermont came into the picture. Oh yeah, eventually some third-place senator from Massachusetts ended up winning Iowa, New Hampshire, and the rest.

We will know who the nominee of each party will be after the fifth of February. You can write that down. If I am wrong, I have no political instincts. That's a gamble I'm willing to take.