Obama Taking Away Rights of Prisoners

Tonight, on the Rachel Maddow Show, Maddow is discussing the issue of Habeas Corpus and whether these rights should be given to "third country prisoners." Although Obama has said before his election that he wanted third country prisoners to retain human rights and access to a courtroom trial, he is now repealing the rights of prisoners in Bagram, Afghanistan, a Guantanamo Bay kind of prison.

This is one of the first times I've seen Rachel Maddow disagree with Obama, so as a Communications student, I find this coverage especially interesting. As someone who is known as one of the most influential liberal news anchors, it is kind of a big deal that she is having such a large segment discussing the negative outcomes of the decision Obama made on Friday.

Maddow is worried that Obama will follow the Bush Administration's lead on interrogation of prisoners. In addtion, she noted how many policies Obama has agreed with Bush on lately, which seemed to trouble her. She hopes that Obama will rethink his decision before everything becomes official regarding the issue later in the week.

Although this is a tough issue since it involves morals and ethics, I agree with Maddow, and not Obama. Even though the prisoners of Bagram are indeed, prisoners, this doesn't mean they are no longer people in the eyes of the law. Whether one is a prisoner on United States soil or in Bagram, he or she deserves proper treatment, in addition to having an option to have a fair and equal trial.

Obama Making Efforts at Global Diplomacy

Tonight, on the Rachel Maddow Show, Rachel discussed Obama's efforts at new global diplomacy, a diplomacy where no country is excluded. According to the show, the time when the United States and Russia were "enemies" are now over. In addition, Obama plans to work with China to work hand in hand to improve the current economic crisis.

Coincidentally, Rachel interviewed Colin Powell earlier than day, and he was able to share great wisdom on Obama's efforts to spread diplomacy, especially in areas where our reputation has withered away. Powell praised Obama for attempting to improve relations with Afghanistan, despite our failures and war on their soil. He believes that improving relations with the Middle East, with leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan, is essential, even if they were or still are our enemies.

From a communications standpoint, this story is certainly framed to make Obama and his efforts of diplomacy look good. Although this should be expected from a liberal political analyst, I think Obama is doing a great thing in trying to heal wounds with the Middle East, Russia, and China. Nowadays, everything is global. We can't afford to have enemies around every corner, nor would it help us in any way. Having alliances will also help the current recession by having countries aroumd the world giving ideas and help. Working closely with China and Russia especially is a great step for the United States, and I look forward to seeing our countries accepting one another, rather than feuding with each other.

AIG Continues Quest to be the Greediest and Shadiest of them all

According to msnbc.com, Obama, along with the Federal Reserve, knew about AIG's plans to distribute bonuses to "top" employees in one of its troubled offices. Apparently, AIG executives informed politicians in Washington approximately three months ago on its plans to give 165 million dollars in bonuses. Now, because of the state of the economy, praised employees are facing pressure from the public and Obama's administration to return the bonus money.

Many Washington politicians are stunned and upset that Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, somehow did not know about this bonus business. He is claiming this whole mess to be a "miscommunication." A lot of pressure is being placed on Geithner because of his focal role in bailing out AIG this past fall. Many are suspicious of him and his ties with AIG because of him somehow missing the memo that bailout money was being turned into bonuses.

According to the site, "Democrats and Republicans in Congress are increasingly questioning how Geithner could not have known about the bonuses, given his past role in AIG's bailout, which has totaled more than $170 billion. 'I'm sick and tired of hearing the administration and the Secretary of the Treasury say, 'I just found out about it,' 'Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (D-Pa.) said yesterday."

However, Geithner claims that he was focused on saving the American economy, and is not responsible to check every move made by AIG or any other corporation who received bailout money. Himself and other high-up officials are also shocked in how the bonuses have been perceived by the media and the general public, and did not expect the "political firestorm" that eventually developed.


Shady. Shady. Shady.

It seems as if every week, another story pops up on MSNBC about corporate companies giving out bonuses with bailout money. These financial bigwigs have no respect, and have clearly lost their perception of ethics as their bank accounts became stuffed with more cash. They should be happy they didn't fully destroy their company, like their colleagues at what used to be Bear Stearns. Hopefully the money given in bonuses will return to the proper hands and go where it was intended to: to rebuild AIG.

Stem Cell Research Gains Momentum

A major victory was won today for science, technology, and medical innovation. On both "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," each political analyst revealed how Obama has reversed Bush's previous anti-Stem Cell Research ban. Obama declared that this was a win for science, and against efforts to make political decisions based on personal ideology. This overturning of Bush's plan will greatly increase funding for Stem Cell Research, and will hopefully lead to cure creations for diseases such as Diabetes, Parkinson's Disease, and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, Obama has emphasized the importance of "scientific integrity" and how the government must support a decision that could have the ability to ease human suffering. A breakthrough in this research could potentially help over millions of Americans and countless others around the world.

I am thrilled to see increasing funding for stem cell research. With increased biomedical research and experimentation, who knows what diseases could be eradicated. Some believe that stem cells may even be able to be used to cure some types of cancer.

What do you guys think? Will increased stem cell research be beneficial to our country?

Recession Pessimism

According to MSNBC, 51% of Americans are pessimistic about the current state of the economy and the path we are on for 2009, whereas 49% are optimistic that things will get better. Even after President Obama's uplifting speech about his stimulus and budget plan, most Americans still see 2009 as a year of economic stress. Obama announced his $4 trillion, yes trillion, budget plan, and tried to assure the American public that even though it will take time, tax cuts and universal healthcare efforts will exonerate most Americans of their final troubles.

Personally, I believe that the economy will get worse before it gets better, but in due time, the stock market will be on the rise, foreclosures will slow down, and credit will be reimbursed. It is only natural that an economic recession will turn into financial progression.

What do you guys think? What do you think lies ahead economically for 2009?

"It's not about helping banks...but helping people."

Tonight, President Barack Obama addressed Congress and the nation about his plan to transform and stimulate the American economy. Throughout his speech, he made many great points about the proper moves to get the country out of a recession. Some of the high points of his speech include comments about green energy creation in order to lessen pollution and create jobs, and statements about how banks should still allow families to receive loans to buy homes and cars. Since unemployment is high, millions of homes are in danger of foreclosure, and many Americans are in danger of losing health insurance, Obama did a great job assuring America that there are indeed solutions to this economic mess. Will his new Act he is passing do the trick? Sure, it will take time to get the nation out of the recession because of the extent of the housing and credit crisis, but Obama's oratory gave myself (and I'm sure most Americans) hope that change will come. Reform is key, and I am hopeful that it will come.

Check out Barack Obama's Presidential Address to Congress!

Tune in to MSNBC (channel 33 for you Lehigh students) at 9 PM, EST, for Obama's Presidential Address! Will his speech strengthen efforts for party bipartisanship? We'll find out in a minute!

Rupert Murdoch's Apology: Too little, too late?

Tonight, on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Olbermann and Reverend Al Sharpton discussed Newscorp CEO Rupert Murdoch's apology for the New York Post political cartoon that shocked the nation. For those of you who need a refresher, the Post published a cartoon that revealed police officers shooting a monkey, and the caption read, "They'll have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill." This caused a stir because of the apparent racial undertones associated with the image of the monkey, which was obviously meant to be President Barack Obama who had just presented his idea for the Stimulus Bill for the economy. Murdoch issued an apology in the New York Post, but did it truly erase the negative press the cartoon received? Olbermann and Sharpton both agreed the racist cartoon will be remembered for a while, and it was perhaps, too little of an apology for such a shocking image.

However, there is freedom of the press and of speech in our country.

Should newspapers be able to publish whatever they want, even if it is bound to offend readers? Or should the Post have been more respectful of President Obama and the newly passed Stimulus Bill? What do you guys think?