Same-Sex Marriage Stopped in Argentina

Huffington Post: Just like the United States, it seems that Argentina is also struggling with the issue of gay marriage. It seemed that the movement was making progress when another court decided to allow the same-sex marriage, but the national judge of Argentina halted the marriage, and said the decision needed to be presented in front of the Supreme Court.

Party Losing Enthusiasm? Why?

Daily Kos: It seems that the democratic party is losing some enthusiasm for participation in major national elections. A tracking poll from Daily Kos shows the unlikeliness of democratic voters when it's time to hit the polls.

Corder's Rights Not Violated

Huffington Post: When Erica Corder gave her commencement speech at graduation three years ago in Colorado, Lewis-Palmer High School was not expecting an endorsement for the Christian faith, but Corder decided to include it in her speech. Following the speech, the principal asked her to write a letter stating the views were Corder's own. Without writing this letter, she was unable to receive her diploma. Corder sued the high school, but the Supreme Court did not hear the case. Why? The school wasn't violating the First Amendment since she was at a school-sponsored event.

PETA Protesters go to the Extreme

HuffingtonPost: Animal activist group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protested the killing of animals for their fur. The protest took place in Madrid, Spain, which was a chilly 42 degrees! A worthy cause, but extremely cold conditions for the animal-rights activists who layed on the ground, naked and covered in fake blood.

Reid's Opinion on Actions of Senators

PWire: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that the actions of U.S. Senators in the next few weeks regarding the health care reform bill will demonstrate whether they are trying to solve or create problems. Is this the case? If senators' actions don't appeal to a certain audience, does that mean they are actually creating problems or is the bill truly a vital solution to the current health care system in America?

Huckabee's Uncertainty

TPM: Mike Huckabee is still debating taking another shot at a presidential run in 2012. Huckabee says his decision will depend on several factors including how the elections turn out next year. Until then, he won't make a decisive choice.

In politics, what should we be thankful for?

Think Progress: Although Thanksgiving has passed, here are 27 reasons to be thankful. Some are a little more "out there" than others, but nonetheless, they all make for an amusing read.

Leftist Party Takes Uruguay

José Mujica was recently announced as the new president of small South American country Uruguay. Mujica secured the election with 80 percent of the people's vote. A member of the Broad Front Coalition, Mujica is expected to carry on the legacy of previous president Tabaré Vázquez.

This election is just one example of democratic policies and procedures filtering through the world's smaller nations. Mujica's running mate, Lacalle, supports processes such as privatizing state firms and removing the income tax from the country. Opposing these policies, Mujica is in favor of the leftist movement and hopes to continue what Vázquez began in his presidency.

Public Option Trigger?

DailyKos: There is still much debate about the particular public option that should be placed in the Senate's health care bill. Igor Volsky believes that a trigger of a strong public option is a better addition than the provisions that are currently in the bill.

Republicans Ideological Purists?

PoliticalWire: According to a recent poll conducted by CNN, Democrats seem to be a party of pragmatism, placing a higher priority on electoral victory whereas republicans are predominately looking for harmony with candidates on all the major issues. True?

Speaking of Climate...

AMERICAblog: Carbon dioxide emissions have risen 29 percent in the last decade, according to scientists. It is predicted that by the end of the century, the temperature will rise an additional 6 degrees celcius.

COP15 Copenhagen

After the Kyoto Conference of 1997, many were disappointed in the results after several of the world's major powers did not participate and agree to the terms and conditions of the Kyoto Protocol, an effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

However, in 19 days countries from all over the world will attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark and unlike the Kyoto Conference, there is strong optimism about the future results of this conference. Denmark's Minister for Climate and Energy, Connie Hedegaard, says she is encouraged by the spirit and initiative of the ministers to get the work done. In addition, she says that the conference is still aiming at its complete set of goals for the future of climate change. To Hedegaard, "half an agreement is no agreement," so the COP15 team is working hard to ensure that the ambitions are met.

President Barack Obama has also encouraged the optimistic spirit of the conference after meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The United States and China were two of the major powers needed for ultimate effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol, so cooperation and collaboration between these two countries is vital for the success of this conference. Obama stated after the meetings with President Jintao that the final agreement needs "immediate operational effect." Minister Hedegaard was enthusiastic about this statement by President Obama.

The question now is will the United States and China be able to compromise on certain issues so that COP15 will have full agreement among all participating countries. However, the positive spirit surrounding the conference in addition to the seemingly strong effort being made by countries such as the U.S. and China is extremely encouraging for the preservation of our environment.

Abortion in the Health Care Bill...is it Really "Neutral?"

According to a recent NPR article, I found that the Obama health care bill has been stirring up criticism due to the abortion language found in the bill. Although Congress has tried to word the bill in such a way that the abortion issue would be addressed in an impartial manner, many still believe that though the federal government doesn't often pay for abortion procedures, several private insurance companies do.

Is "abortion-neutral" language the best alternative for the bill? On one side, the abortion activists wish the procedure would be covered in the heatlh care bill because it's merely a part of women's health service. On the other hand, members of the Catholic Church are opposed to this language because they in no way want to provide funding or health-care for those who kill children. Regardless of which side one falls on, opposition seems to arise.

Despite the alleged neutrality of the bill, abortion is continuing to cause objection from different parties. Due to the nature and sensitivity of issues like that of abortion, I must ask, in a world with such controversial, polarizing issues, does the concept of neutrality still exist in government?

Joe Wilson's Remark

And while on the subject of this ELECTED official, I have no choice but to wonder what our great nation is coming to. There was a time in American history when the President of the United States was seen as a well-respected, deeply deserving and esteemed person regardless of party affiliation. Now, however, it seems that there are Americans that have transcended the lines of decency in the political arena, disregarding appropriateness and courtesy for a man that America voted into office.

Have we come so far and strayed so far from the norms upon which our nation was founded that a public official, a man chosen by his people, would have the audacity to yell "You lie," at the president? Although the incident seems to have lost some heat in recent weeks, I am still confounded that a member of Congress felt so arrogant in his position on a bill that in a televised, national address to the American citizens, he would yell out at the president.

As I said earlier, regardless of party affiliation or a position on a particular issue, there is a time and place for everything. The people of our nation need to realize the values with which we pride ourselves as a nation and to remember that respect is still something to be cherished.

Daily Kos: Joe Wilson is at it again, saying that the Obama administration is responsible for putting American lives at risk by not doing more to alleviate the short supply of the H1N1 vaccine. It is believed that this so-called lack of an alleviation effort could be yet another attack on the Obama administration by Republicans.

HuffingtonPost: Rev. Eric Lee speaks on marriage equality. In order to "reframe" this issue, Lee said we must engage voters at a religious reference point. A "Christian conscience" often gets in the way, Lee said, but this conscience contradicts Christian ideals of anti-discrimination, pesecution, etc.