Battle in Seattle Film Festival

The first annual Battle in Seattle Documentary is coming to the UW on December 1st.

The film included are:

Indoctrinate U- Indoctrinate U is a revolutionary new film about the repressive climate on our nation’s campuses. To make the film, director and star Evan Coyne Maloney traveled to campuses across the country, interviewing students, professors, and administrators to find out what life on campus is really like. The film reveals a national campus culture in which speech codes rule the day; in which free inquiry has been replaced with prescribed, politically correct values; and in which students are not taught how to think, but what to think

Do As I Say - a film that will forever change how we see America and its leaders, filmmakers Nicholas Tucker and Lucas Abel take us on an unforgettable journey through a political landscape filled with hypocrites and humbugs. Along the way, they reveal a disturbing national truth: that the two-faced mantra "do as I say, not as I do" has become the unwritten golden rule of modern liberalism.

Flunked- Complaining about the problem is easy, but it produces few productive results — especially when many schools nationwide are truly “getting it right.” Flunked is the story of these schools—their founders, leaders, and students—who are breaking the mediocre mold by attaining great results in terms of college preparation, high test scores, and graduating competent workers for tomorrow’s economy. Discovering that one size truly does not fit all, they are finding different ways to make it work in their area, with their students.

2081- A stunning adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's short story “Harrison Bergeron,” 2081 is set in a dystopian future where everyone is “equal every which way,” a world in which a Handicapper General goes to enormous lengths to prevent competition and to eliminate innate human differences.

Each film will be followed by a period of short discussion about the film with a film maker and other students groups. Food will be provided for those that attend. 

Stories From The Nanny State: Black Markets and Loko Smugglers

Today the Four Loko ban came into effect. You can no longer buy Four lokos in Washington State. But for those that live in eastern Washington you can buy them in Idaho and for now Oregon. 

This ban will hopefully serve as a lesson in free market economics.
Besides this ban being a great marketing tool for Four Lokos what else has it accomplished?  Before the ban took effect a large number of people stocked up on Four lokos for resale and others for person consumption. What was worth under three dollars could now be sold for five dollars or more under the table. (Better Return then buying Government Bonds...). This ban also created incentives for people to go on Loko runs to Idaho or Oregon to supply college students with the sweet chemical fruity taste of Four Loko. Just with prohibition, this ban has created a underground market for the drinks.

A lesson in history: Not to long ago Idaho's drink age was 18 which meant people could cross the boarder from Washington state and get a frosty brew three years before they could in Washington State. This meant law enforcement officers  had to be spend a large part of there time enforcing underage drinking laws and not stopping more dangerous crimes. This intern drained a great deal of their local budgets. In the end federal government withheld highway grants and funds from the state unless they changed there laws. Which they later did.

The ban on Four Loko will not stop people from abusing alcohol nor acquiring alcoholic energy drinks. This ban in fact created  incentives to deal the drink illegally and tax free. Will law enforcement go on Loko busts? Will the government be able to stop the transportation of Lokos across state boarders? The obvious answer is no.  They will have about as much luck in apprehending the trade of Four Lokos as they do at stopping underage drinking.  I just hope this is a wake up call for the legislature to see how useless this bans really is. 

Thank you Washington State Liquor Board you created a new market for Four Lokos, popularized the consumption of Four Lokos with underage drinkers and hardcore party animals. And forever proved you inability to understand human nature. By turning Four Lokos into the "forbidden fruit" you just drastically increased the value and sale of for Lokos. 

It's Not You It's Me: Obamas Political Revelations

With the new elected officials settling into their new positions in congress, the media and political circles are waiting to see what the dynamic of federal government will be for the next two years. With their be bipartisanship? Will the Republicans and the Democrats work together for the betterment of American?

With drastic loses in congress Obama has been trying to draw attention away from the democratic failures and instead focus the blame on himself. The goal of this approach would seem to be an attempt my the President to glaze over the losses and thus more foreword with his agenda. If he can get the general public not to focus on why they lost, but on were his party is planing on going they might be able to regain the momentum they had before this election.

So far this is working with the Democrats but not Republicans. Lately at a number of the press conferences, the president has been attacking the republicans for there inability to "compromise" and has been losing any support from the right. Obama has attempted to make some friends by "trying" to put a end to earmarks, which the Republicans are avidly against. But will Obama be able to win some of the republicans over? So far its not looking good. Look at bills like the START arms treaty with Russia, Obama is having trouble building steam and forging allies on the right. (To learn more about the START arms treaty go to: Washington Post)

The question arises will Obama be able to regain the trust of congress and of the people. Will he be able to moderate the tough choices that will soon come to congress? Or will it be same story as usual.

Stories From the Nanny State: Red Light Cameras

In the name of safety the local city council in Bellingham is deciding to put up red light cameras to increase "safety". Sadly red light cameras have nothing to do with safety, in fact they create more problems then solve them. In cities where red light cameras have been added to intersections, the amount of car accidents in those areas actually increase. Why you might ask? On average where ever red light cameras are located the state has a habit of reducing the length of the yellow light in order to get more tickets thus increasing state revenue. Studies show that if you increase the length of the time of the yellow lights you actual have less collisions. So adding red light cameras actually causes more accidents. So why are some counties putting up cameras across the state? Its quite simple, they want more of your money.

In Bellingham, WA a local college group the Young Americans for Liberty, are fighting to have the community have a say in whether or not they add red light cameras to certain parts of there community. The group is lobbying to have a public hearing about the cameras they want to put in their city.    


On Monday, November 22nd, the Bellingham City Council will decide whether to contract with American Traffic Solutions and install red light cameras in six intersections in Bellingham. Young Americans for Liberty have been working on this issue since September when the issue was first presented. On September 27th the Council voted unanimously to hold Public Hearing. Bellingham government send an email to concerned citizen November 10th denying Public Hearing.  

On November 2, Tim Eyman's Anti-Camera Proposition passed with 70 percent of the vote. Mukilteo voters overwhelmingly passed a measure that would require a public vote for any red light or speed zone camera in the city. After the election Bellingham City Council member Mike Lilliquist  was quoted "I am willing to make that decision without going to the voters"

There should be a large turnout at the City Council Meeting on the Monday 22nd. "We would like the city council to respect the wishes of the people," states Johny Weaver, President of the Young Americans for Liberty Chapter at Whatcom Community College.
 
To learn more go to the links below


http://www.yaliberty.org/posts/seattles-king-5-news-interviews-yal-at-wcc-president

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/227021.asp

Four lokos: Facts Behind the Ban

After doing some research on the subject, I discovered there is a process to fight the ban on Four Loko, the infamous alcohol-and-caffeine energy drink that’s been all over the news lately. I am not, however, supporting Four Loko or its parent company.
I do feel the situation involving their products at Central Washington University was mishandled. Sadly, the abuse of alcohol is not a new craze to hit college campuses. People have been making alcoholic energy drinks from vodka and Red Bull and other like products before Four Loko, and they will do so after.
The real problem that needs to be addressed is underage drinking, including educating minors on the subject. We should be focusing on education, not on government intervention. If the public views this ban as successful, that could open the door for other such bans in the name of public safety. It’s also worth noting a ban on alcoholic energy drinks has twice failed in the Legislature.

Having conducted some research on the topic, I have broken down the legal process to fight the ban and the overall impact of the band as well. See the links below for information—pro and con:
Governor’s press release on the subject
Gov. Gregoire joins Liquor Control Board chair to announce ban on alcoholic energy drinks
 Liquor board "facts" sheet regarding the ban
WSLCB Q & A
Press release from Phusion Projects (Four Loko’s parent company)
Press Release
Phusion Projects response to the proposed ban
Phusion Statement in Response to Washington State Ban on Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages
If you’re interested in fighting the ban, here are a few things you can do. Create and submit a petition. Contact your legislator. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper to get your concern out to the general public.

As it stands now, this ban will go into effect in nine days. This ban, however, is not permanent and a law will have to follow to make the ban permanent. To learn more about how to fight the ban, click on the link below.

Petition for adoption, amendment, repeal — Agency action — Appeal.

 

 

Projected time line for the regular rule making

• Nov. 10: Board approves filing the pre-proposal statement of inquiry (CR 101)
• Dec. 1: Code Reviser publishes notice; WSLCB sends notice to rules distribution lis
• Jan. 3: End of written comment period 
• Jan. 12: Board is asked to approve filing the proposed rules (CR 102 filing)
• Feb. 2: Code Reviser publishes notice; WSLCB sends notice to rules distribution list
• Feb. 23: Public hearing held 
• Feb. 23: End of written comment period
• March 2: Board asked to adopt rules

Stories From the Nanny State: Banning Four Lokos

If you haven't heard, the Washington State Liquor Control Board decided to ban Four Loko. After the events at Central Washington University, some people think Four Loko is too dangerous to have in stores. The stories of “blackout in a can” are all over the media.

Basic summary: Nine helpless CWU students were sickened after drinking too much of the lime and fruit punch flavored Four Loko after a rigorous Friday night of studying.

The whole Four Loko ban in and of itself is useless. So the state banned an energy drinks that contain alcohol...what’s going to stop people from buying energy drinks AND alcohol? Also, there are other alcoholic energy drinks on the market such as Sparks and Joose. Even Starbucks sells a coffee liquor to put in your super-powered lattes. So what’s the point of banning it? Underage drinking will still go on. People will still get “cocaine in a can,” as ABC News put it, but under different names, so what has the nanny state really accomplished?

The lesson to be taken away from this is the individuals in question should have known better. We should focus on educating people on the dangers of these drinks, not banning them. As previously stated, you can still make these drinks by combining energy drinks and alcoholic beverages, or simply buy other energy-alcohol drinks. The only way to stop or limit underage drinking is education in the home and enforcement of the laws on the streets. The best way to summarize this issue is a comment someone posted on The Seattle Times website in regards to this issue:

“Dear Washington State liquor Board.... I'm sorry to inform you that your application to be my mother has been denied.” – Unknown

FWI: You can still buy Four Loko in Idaho and Canada.

Dr. Drew on Health Care

Short, sweet and to the point.

Thank You for Smoking

This just in FDA health panel discovers smoking can kill you. In order to drive this issue home the FDA has crafted new labels to include on cigarettes. Lucky the cost of printing  billions of additional color labels will own help stimulated the economy. Thus helping smokers everywhere quit smoking and employ people in the printing business. (That last parts is a lie).

Honesty the FDA must be running out of idea for how to convince people and had to turned to Hollywood for inspiration. This idea was the underlining plot for the 2005 film Thank you for smoking. In the film after a comical and emotional debate between the lobbyist and the panel of senator. The idea is shot down after they discuss the including of  warning signs on air plans and on fast food. But this whole idea of having to include the pictures on the cigarettes containers to further inform the public about the problem, is just an over extension of government influence. Like they said in the film, "if you can label cigarettes what would stop you from labeling anything and everything from cheddar cheese to air planes"?

This example of the nanny state, further shows the over zealous nature of the governments control. Instead of educating people and giving them the means to decide for themselves. They go after the companies and not the motivations or the rationals behind the actions of the people.

"The most oppressive leaders are those that believe that only through them will salvation be found. For they're not after the money of the people but there hearts and minds and will not be content until he controls both."--Martin Luther          

Where the Axe falls: Reducing the deficit

With the new officials in office real change is coming to Washington. The biggest issue on the minds of Americans and congress is the deficit. With the economy propped up by borrowed money, cuts and reductions will have to be made. But to whom will the axe fall? What programs will our legislatures cut?

Much of the hard choices that will have to made in the next two years, will be influence by us. As voters we have a say in what happens in the future of our nation. Which is why more then ever, we will have to be willing to write too and contact our senators and representatives to help them decide on what government programs to cut back on.


Reports of cuts to higher education funding is a very likely possibility. Along with reduction in number of staff for government agencies. But deciding which group will be hit the hardest relies realistically  not on who needs it more, but to whom the congressmen value the most. So if your worried about losing you benefits or college funding, contact your legislature. Voting is only a part of getting our nation headed in the right direction. Only by being involved will your voice be heard.   

A War of Attrition : Finding the Middle Ground

Everyone in office can agree we need to compromise, but which side will have to comprimise? The sad fact of life is which ever side does find the middle ground will feel the pain come election season. So will anyone risk reelection for compromise? Not likely. In an article today, The Washington Post did an story about the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, and how it could split the republicans. Those who are not going for reelection might vote for it to support GOPround ( the gay rights organization with in the republican party). With compromise being the dirt crime of our decade, will there be any change possible in our future without one party completely taking over?


Very big problems are coming to America in 2011 and we will have to deal with them. With the republicans now controlling more of the legislature, they will have to work with Democratics to tackle the main issues below.


1. High unemployment
2. Reducing the deficit
3. Increase the pace of economic recovery
4. Cutting back in government services

Will the Democratics and Republicans be able to work together in time to fight the decline of our great nation? Or will inaction be the death stroke that sends American in a downwards spiral to our eventual demise as a world power?

Obama's Revelations

"Yesterdays vote confirms what i have heard from across America. People are frustrated, deeply frustrated, with the pace of recovery and the opportunity for there children and grand children"- Obama

We Cant all be Winners : Election recap

 

With a six pack siting next to me and a bowl of chips in hand, yesterday's election felt more like the Superbowl then an election. My family and I had out our laptops while watching the news, eagerly awaiting the results of this years elections. Whenever our candidate pulled ahead a cheer would erupt. When they fell behind another swig if my Samuel Adams Winter Ale was sure to follow. By the end of the night, most of the result were in, and just like on the Superbowl the post game began. For those that haven't heard the results here is what happened.

Income tax failed  (1-1098)

Initiative 1100 concerns liquor (beer, wine and spirits) 

is 2 points behind so it could change

Imitative1105 failed ( The Costco version for the beer, wine and spirits) 

2010 US election results

Democrat

|

Republican

US House

185 seats

239 seats

US Senate

51 seats*

46 seats

WA US Senate

(62% reporting)

50% Murray

50% Rossi

For more information go to Washington State Election Result Page 

The final results for some of the measures are still coming in and with Dinno and Murry most likely going to a recount. Nationally the Republicans retook the house, but not the senate. Overall there is a pretty balance spread of Republicans and Democrats nationally. Which will either bring about a fair and balance government (not likely) or a deeply divided government (realistic outcome).

When the night came to an end, the result gave me comfort that the our nation is headed in a better direction. It wasn't the radical change i had hoped for but it was progress. I cant wait for overtime! Lets get ready for a Washington State favorite past time, the recount....    

Check my blog later today for a more in depth look at were our nation is going