As President Barack Obama forwards his political policies with little or nothing to show for it thus far, the bandwagon of hope and change is beginning to lose riders. The latests numbers for cable news ratings now show Fox News as the only TV news outlet to increase viewership since the election one year ago.

As the most effective critics of Obama’s obviously left-leaning agenda, Fox News has received an unusual amount of exposure to the public eye during the seemingly endless debate over universal healthcare.

Despite democratic smears and even White House opposition, Fox News now has the ten most popular cable news programs on television according to left-wing blog, The Huffington Post. Even when President Obama speaks out against Fox News by ever-so-subtly referring to them as “a certain news organization”, Fox’s ratings continue to skyrocket with no signs of falling.

It’s no secret that most major news outlets in America identify with the Democratic Party far more often than not, nor is Fox’s benefit to the Republican Party a secret. The overall quality of the news however, is better on Fox simply because they are able to ask questions that would never be asked on CNN or MSNBC because the answers to these questions benefit conservative thought.

The reason people get upset about the viewpoints of Fox’s four openly conservative programs is because the beliefs held by Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Greta van Susteren are unprecedented in national news. The reason it works so well is because they all make sure both sides of the story have representation. Yes, they are bias, but every topic they cover is accompanied by a liberal ready to argue the other side. Honest representation of both sides of the aisle is just not something that can be expected from CNN. The ratings speak for themselves.

The people who believe Fox is unfair are the people who have become accustomed to the liberal media and just aren’t sure what to do with themselves when confronted with conflicting ideals. Fox is fair, and even if they weren’t, since when are conservatives not allowed to watch TV? The overflow of liberal programming on television is the real injustice. It is not a coincidence that the generation that propelled our President into office watches an average of 70 hours a week of television. (It’s not Fox News)

I don’t see Fox changing their game plan anytime soon. They have proven that Obama could give them the cold shoulder or go on The O’Reilly Factor every single night, “Fair and Balanced” reporting is all the American people are asking for.

Dear colleagues, friends, and casual observers,

We currently live in a time of increasing economic hardships, as you well know.   We live in a time that sees tuition rising higher and higher, and higher.  We also live in a time that sees student disgust with this upward trend.  But sadly, we find ourselves lacking the necessary coordination, collaboration, solidarity and camaraderie necessary to stand up against this gross violation of principle.  Together, as a collective student body, as one university student body spanning the entirety of the United States, we not only can resist, but shall.

The situation in California is a bit more somber than here in Indiana, at least for now.  Tuition is being raised by 32% for in-state students.  Protests have erupted, students have organized, and the fight ensues.  However, I am a firm believer that we, as university students at IU, have a responsibility and obligation (if not a moral one) to express solidarity and support for our colleagues in California (for the fact of the matter is that tuition, whether we like it or not, will rise, and rise again, here in Bloomington.) The best chance we have to curtail this malignant growth is through inter-university collaboration. For starters, we must conduct constructive dialogue amongst ourselves and reach out to our student government, IUSA, to support us (This begins by sharing your ideas below…)

When we are able to express ourselves fully with university students in California, the statement will be made and we will have a chance to defend ourselves, and our rights, before it is too late.

The fight in California is our fight as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/education/20tuition.html

The European Council voted today in a closed-door meeting to appoint the low-profile Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, to the newly-created position of Permanent President of the European Council, passing over the heavyweight candidacy of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair that was heavily campaigned for by the current British PM, Gordon Brown.

Touted as the first “President of Europe” (that’s a bit of a misnomer), the newly-created position (along with a newly created EU-wide Foreign Minister) was designed to provide a higher profile for the EU on the international stage.

The EU's governance system is highly complicated to an outsider (or even to an insider - most Europeans are extremely apathetic about EU politics). Here's a chart that I nerdily made to show how political power in the EU works

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You don’t have to look far today to find people talking in plain language how America is the greatest nation in the world. Whether it’s the correspondents on MSNBC, Newt Gingrich, Fox News, it’s basically reiterated every time you turn on the TV, and how Obama, by trying to be diplomatic somehow doesn’t believe in “American Exceptionalism” despite the fact he directly spoke of his belief in American Exceptionalism in his speech in Cairo, is not a believer in America.
I’m not in a position to make a statement on American Exceptionalism, as having never left the country, I have no basis of actual comparison beyond what is jammed into my head by media every day. I’ve never even been to San Francisco, which apparently shouldn’t even be part of the U.S.
Having said that, I have to defer to Lewis Black and his position on American Exceptionalism. As he says,  “There are countries that may be giving stuff away every day. Canada’s one of those countries, you know what they give away? HEALTH INSURANCE!”

In yet another show of just how out of touch they are with the modern youth, MTV has shown how the Grammys will NOT nominate Lady Gaga for Best New Artist.  I mean, she all ready won the VMA award for the same,  because as MTV says -

Few new artists in recent years have made an impact on the pop music scene as quickly as Lady Gaga

And how true that is. Because the pop music scene is such a wonderfully deep arena full of vastly talented people. But she stands above them all. Lady Gaga represents everything about modern pop culture – mediocrity, banality, redundancy, and fashion before talent. And how are we supposed to know who we should be praising if the people who awarded Milli Vanilli and Jethro Tull awards won’t honor her with another misplaced award? Look, Madonna isn’t getting any younger, we need another slutty white girl wearing ridiculous looking fashion to make up for generic music and 8th grade lyrics. And we all know artists like K’naan (I mean, who wants to listen to music about politics, that shit is depressing! and I don’t like to think), or Radiohead (Too many weird noises! His voice is weird), or Sigur Ros (What the hell are they saying, anyway? I want to be able to repeat every word of a song the first time I hear it) are just weird music for those weird art kids. I just wanna dance without having to think that there’s a world beyond my little bubble.

In case you’ve lived on a secluded island for the last couple of years, in which case, Hello! And how can I get there?, you have probably heard of Conservapedia, brainemptyshell project of Andrew Schlafly, son of historically unimportant right wing non figure Phyllis Schlafly, a woman unaware of the irony of a woman opposing the ERA. An examination of their “Commandments” reveals criminal prosecutions to the fullest extent for anyone who may change their site around. This includes

Vandalism is punishable up to 10 years in jail per 18 USC § 1030. Harassment is punishable by 2 years in jail per 47 USC § 223. The IP addresses of vandals will be reported to authorities. That includes your employer and your local prosecutor.

That’s utter professionalism. The phrasing sounds like the same language used by the people who try to prosecute you for walking on “their” sidewalk. I’m sure federal authorities are just itching to arrest the SOB who vandalizes conservapedias well written articles on ID, and liberalism.

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Once again, Mr. Obama is being faulted for bowing to a foreign leader.  Here is the video of our president briefly genuflecting to Emperor Akihito of Japan.

Barack Obama bows to Japan’s Emperor Akihito

All the president is doing is showing his respect for another culture’s traditions.  I happen to believe that many traditions are antiquated nonsense, such as saying “god bless you” after someone sneezes, but a diplomatic rendezvous with one of the world’s most powerful leaders is not the best platform to assert your views on outdated conventions.

Critics of Obama’s graceful curtsy can call it a sign of weakness all they want; it only shows how cripplingly insecure they really are.  I doubt the president’s momentary bending at waist will trigger a massive overthrow of the United States government.

“He bowed to the emperor? That’s the sign we’ve been waiting for! Bust out the nukes boys.”

Respectfully bowing is the very least of our worries.  If another country wanted to destroy our nation, I’m sure we’ve given them plenty of other, more relevant reasons, such as the two wars we are currently fighting, or the career of Nicolas Cage.  And let’s not forget the hand-holding stroll through a park former President Bush took with Saudi King Abdullah.  At least Obama didn’t treat the emperor like a nursing home resident.

So I think our country is going to be just fine.  No Pearl Harbor 2 (Pearl Harder), and no more Pokemon designed to secretly poison our youth against us.  After all, this country did nuke the hell out of two Japanese cities not that long ago – the least we can do is be a little nice.

The following is directly from a Facebook post Sarah Palin put up November 13 regarding the Obama Administration’s use of the American Justice System:

“Horrible decision, absolutely horrible. It is devastating for so many of us to hear that the Obama Administration decided that the 9/11 terrorist mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be given a criminal trial in New York. This is an atrocious decision.

Mohammed and his terrorist co-conspirators are responsible for the deaths of more than 3,000 Americans. Thousands of American families have suffered through the loss of loved ones because of the disgusting attacks launched against the United States, and now this trial venue adds insult to injury, in addition to compromising our efforts in the War on Terror. Heaven forbid our allies see this decision as a reason to become less likely to support our efforts in the future.

Criminal defense attorneys will now enter into delaying tactics and other methods in the hope of securing some kind of win for their “clients.” The trial will afford Mohammed the opportunity to grandstand and make use of his time in front of the world media to rally his disgusting terrorist cohorts. It will also be an insult to the victims of 9/11, as Mohammed will no doubt use the opportunity to spew his hateful rhetoric in the same neighborhood in which he ruthlessly cut down the lives of so many Americans.

It is crucially important that Americans be made aware that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks may walk away from this trial without receiving just punishment because of a “hung jury” or from any variety of court room technicalities. If we are stuck with this terrible Obama Administration decision, I, like most Americans, hope that Mohammed and his co-conspirators are convicted. Hang ‘em high.”

Sarah Palin’s call to kill individuals without a fair trial, no matter the circumstances, is one with a tragic history in our country – violence without due process of law has given way to lynchings and mob mentality. This trial is a phenomenal step forward for the United States as a nation and as a people with a raised consciousness beyond retributive based justice – even if the outcome of this trial is the death penalty for these individuals, we as a people will have the powerful assertion that comes from following our own laws both fairly and equally in every circumstance.

There’s really only one video I’ve seen this week that’s worth repeating (besides Rep. Buyer’s amazing interview) -

1) Auto Tune the News

But in honor of the recent IU conference on Black impact on Rock , I thought that it was worth mentioning the rapper from “the only place more dangerous than Kandahar,  and that’s kind of hard”,

2)  Somalia

It’s nice to know there’s modern music out there that’s not autotuned and doin the stanky leg.

Apparently, in a manner befitting a democratic society, the “Teabagger” groups have decided to burn effigies of Virginia Representative Tom Pereillo and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Because nothing says democracy and freedom like burning effigies suggesting to murder democratically elected public officials. In a small session he had with some of the Teabaggers, Rep. Pereillo attempted to calm their fears, and hear out their opinions.  But of course, you can’t have a conversation about health care reform, particularly with a group of over 50 right wingers, without hearing the  “When I was younger, and didn’t have insurance, I paid out of pocket for it.  Now I have to cover myself, and someone else?” argument akin to the “walking uphill both ways in snow to get to school barefoot” stories. We will never advance as a society, as long as a huge portion of Americans live with the idea “I had to suffer through…blah blah blah…without insurance…now someone else won’t have to suffer? NOT ON MY WATCH!”

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