On Tuesday, June 26, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in a 51-48 vote. Not a single member of the Senate broke with party lines.
The most major measure of the bill allows a union or group of employees that wish to form a union to act as the exclusive bargaining organization that engages the National Labor Relations Board. The previous law, as outlined in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, allows the employer to request a secret ballot when the same desire to form a union is invoked by workers.
The youthful Prime Minister of Ivory Coast represents hope for many of his countrymen who are eager to see the country return to its once peaceful and prosperous status after years of turbulence. The former student leader turned rebel commander turned political messiah has a reputation for being a tough negotiator and a skilled politician.
Yesterday, Soro survived a rocket attack by unknown assailants on the airplane he was traveling in. Though the attack has made many Ivorians nervous, Mr. Soro's spokesmen say he is unharmed. And while the assassination attempt may increase tensions in the country, it may also boost Soro's reputation as a larger-than-life politician.
The Seminal wishes Mr. Soro a safe return to his work.
Reports are coming in about a flaming car that has crashed into an airport terminal in Scotland. Using classic fear-mongering tactics, the mainstream press has been alleging that this incident and car bombs found in London yesterday(free registration required) are Islamic terrorist plots, ruling out the possibility that these actions could come from elsewhere in the world or spring from other ideologies. Don't get suckered in. Listen to what actual officials are saying, not what the press is insinuating. If you read each article closely, you'll notice that officials have yet to blame anyone for either of these plots, which is the right way to handle these issues, in my opinion. Wait until you have the facts, please.
Critics say the immigration bill before Congress failed for a second time because it attempted to do too much. Here are 11 different views on the state of immigration in our country(free registration required) that illustrate how complex, yet universal the problem of immigration really is.
Since starting to write this link post, 12,000 people have been born, 5,000 have died, 45 have immigrated illegally into the US, 10 people have gone to jail, and almost 3 million barrels of oil have been burned. Check out the statistics clock for more info like this, it's pretty interesting.
From The Blogs
The demographics of the blogosphere are somewhat surprising. They represent me in that most respondents read newspapers online and depend on blogs for a large portion of their news, but the blogosphere isn't me in that it is generally older and more settled into jobs and family than I am.
In light of our recent debate on Israel/Palestine politics here at The Seminal, I'd like to remind everyone that just recently President Bush held up Palestine as a model for what he wanted Iraq to become. That's right. Bush wants Iraq to become an occupied, terrorist ridden semi-country without any real government and infrastructure, locked in an intractable struggle with other Middle Eastern and world powers. Of course, we all know how popular Israel is in the Arab world, so I'm sure this makes people over there feel just great. Sounds like a wonderful future.
And, to calm the fears of all those who are scared by the recent terrorist events in Britain, here's a quick explanation of the difference between an explosive and an incendiary and why the "bombs" in London weren't actually bombs at all and couldn't have really killed "hundreds of people," as some news outlets have been reporting.
Video Of The Day
A new Wu-Tang album? I've died and gone to heaven!
What have you been reading today? Discussion continues in the comments below.
In our continuing series highlighting poetry with a political angle, we have a series of imaginative haiku by Tim, written in response to the discussion of the definition of liberalism posted previously at The Seminal. Here's the first couple stanzas, just to get you started:
Of 'Liberal' And The Unjust Demonization Of A Perfectly Good Word
The Word 'Liberal'
Is Demonized By Many
Nefarious Trolls
Spoken With Venom
Implied In The Negative
Throughout Media
Wall Street Journal reporters are not happy at the thought of a Murdoch takeover.
Schwarzenegger's conflicts with California Republicans.
INTERNATIONAL
UN inspectors describe their trip to North Korea's main atomic reactor as "satisfactory." Meanwhile, Somalia calls on the UN to send peacekeepers - but the UN says it wants to see "steps toward peace" first.
Africa's urban population is set to double by 2030, according to a report from the United Nations Population Fund.
FROM THE BLOGS
If Al Gore was a candidate in the New Hampshire primary, he would be the instant front runner.
An analysis of internet and technology uses by Democratic candidates from the Burnt Orange Report says Edwards is the most innovative and dynamic so far.
What would stricter enforcement of immigration laws look like? UrbanGrounds has a suggestion.
Via RealClearPolitics, an opinion piece on how the defeat of the immigration bill represents a "techno-populist victory."
VIDEO
I'm trying to diversify the content, but it's hard when you think in hip hop. Here's a younger Xzibit.
Media consolidation affects every American, and yet few candidates are directly addressing the issue. I've laid out the argument here at The Seminal in previousposts. In a nutshell:
The most popular source for news and information in America is through broadcast or print media. This means that to a large extent, media companies control what Americans know about, what they talk about, and what they care about. If the media doesn’t report on a story, it won’t become part of our national discussion. A free and independent press has long been recognized as a cornerstone of democracy, yet as media companies have grown from local outlets into national conglomerates, they have begun to lose sight of the average citizen they once existed to protect.
The Internet plays into this issue strongly as well. Though it may not be the prevailing way to disseminate information today, it will play an increasing role in our future. Issues of net neutrality, Internet taxes, copyright, and municipal Internet access affect more and more Americans every day. Right wing readers can find something here as well, as issues of cable choice and decency in media also fall under the media consolidation heading.
The current candidates have publicly voiced their support for various parts of this agenda. Candidates such as Hillary Clinton and John McCain have spoken out for increased Internet access for unconnected Americans. Barack Obama has called on the FCC to promote "minority, women, and small business ownership in the communications industry," saying that, "ensuring that such directives are accomplished is important to achieving a diverse media, particularly in an era of increased media concentration." John Edwards has gone the farthest, asking the FCC to free up the recently vacated 700 megahertz spectrum for open access, a move that could easily spur a new nationwide wireless Internet network, created not by big media companies but by local hotspots, much like today's wi-fi networks (but at much longer range, think hundreds of miles instead of hundreds of feet). However, no candidate directly addresses issues of media consolidation on their websites, and these issues have been relegated to a smattering of press releases and blog posts.
I believe the candidates need to be talking about these issues more vocally. A free and independent press is a cornerstone of our democracy. If you are tired of big media companies pushing partisan political arguments, or of important stories not getting the coverage you think they deserve, then I hope you'll join me in making media consolidation issues central to the 2008 presidential campaign in a way they haven't been in the past.
The Agonist on the implications of recent Supreme Court rulings.
Digby on the Edwardses and Ann Coulter: "When candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate how they handle situations in which ordinary Americans can see themselves, they should take it."
Looking to hear some perspectives from Muslim bloggers? Here's one - you can start with the About section.
In response to a couple of requests to add some humor to The Seminal (hey, I think we're a bunch of funny people over here, but what do I know?), here's a couple of fun cartoons from our friends over at Constructive Anarchy. Enjoy!
Coming in July, The Seminal tackles the thorny subject of global warming and energy. We'll take a look at alternative energy proposals, green initiatives both at home and abroad, take on global warming deniers, and more.
Stay tuned, it's going to be interesting, starting next week.
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