Since I have been interacting recently with bloggers of diverse political beliefs and ideologies, I thought this would be of interest. “the Catalogue For Philanthropy recently released their 2004 Generosity Index with some rather stunning findings. What this directory of non-profit organizations does every year is compare the average adjusted gross income of each state to the average itemized charitable deduction, and derive a ranking based upon the differences in these statistics.

According to their calculations, for the eighth year in a row, Mississippi is the most generous state in our nation, followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Alabama — all red states that Mr. Bush won by an average margin of 25%. In fact, the top 25 most philanthropic states according to this study all voted for Mr. Bush. This means that all the states that Mr. Kerry won in November fall into the bottom half of charitable contributions as related to income in our nation. Moreover, the worst seven states in this study also all voted for Mr. Kerry, including number 49 (Massachusetts), which Mr. Kerry won by a comfortable 25% margin. ”

Coincidence?

Some of you may have heard about the Day of Silence and the related events at Mira Loma High School here in Sacramento, CA. As a student there, I wanted to share the information I have gathered, and then, in a separate post, explain my opinion. In this post, I have tried to be as accurate and unbiased as possible, but if I have faltered in achieving either, please leave a comment.

The Day of Silence, according to the GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), is “an annual opportunity for students to tell their truths about anti-LGBT [Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender] bullying, violence and harassment.” This Wednesday, April 26, was the Day of Silence at my school, Mira Loma. As I entered school, I saw people wearing shirts like the ones above, or wearing rainbow colors.

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Over the past two months, there has been a frenzy of media attention over the takeover of P&O (a London-based company) by Dubai Ports World (a United Arab Emirates company).  This was suddenly ended when the company agreed to sell their American operations to an American shipping company.

Both Republican and Democratic politicians have been outspoken in opposition to allowing Dubai Ports World to operate the former P&O terminals. In a poll of 1000 American adults, only 17% agreed with the Dubai Port deal.  These 17% are the smart ones.

But let’s compare the opposing arguments with the facts.   (more…)

It seems that one of the most currently debated points in politics is whether or not there is civil war in Iraq. To me, this seems to be a useless point. Yes, it is true that there is violence, but it is seemingly chaotic, without a full strategy. But whatever opinions may be, hopefully everyone can agree that there is violence in Iraq that is best stopped as soon as possible. The question then remains- Will the violence decrease or increase, and what can we do to lower the amount of violence?

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South Dakota recently passed a bill outlawing abortion, except when the life of the mother is at stake. Many people may not think that this is the right time for such a law, including some pro-lifers. (Case in point: Going With Your Brain Over Heart by Andy Nevis) However, I disagree. I will examine the possible outcomes and the advantages and disadvantages of such a law, in terms of overturning Roe vs. Wade, the number of abortions, and the average opinion of abortion.

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It is my belief that liberalism, as understood today, is based on ignorance, rumors, and outright lies. But let me explain myself.

First, to even hold the liberal viewpoint, I believe one must be ignorant of the facts. Those who self-identify as liberals often hold positions such as being against the death penalty, for abortion “rights”, for affirmative action, for higher taxes for the rich, and for many more government benefits. Now, it can be said that there are two sides to every argument. Yet, when the facts are revealed, most liberal arguments dissolve almost immediately. For instance, many people who “support abortion rights”, are unaware of what actually happens in an abortion. They are surprised to see that an unborn baby is not just a lump of tissue, but a defined human being. Just an accurate picture can change a large part of their worldview. But if just an insertion of facts causes a person to change from a “liberal” into a “conservative”, this implies that liberalism is having the absence of facts, or ignorance.

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