lwsimmons.org

Monday, December 31, 2012

With Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts’s nomination and likely approval as U.S. President Barack Obama’s choice to replace the retiring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Kerry’s Senate seat is expected soon to be vacated, making necessary a special election to choose a new Senator. That potential race is now taking shape with two candidates having emerged as the frontrunners for their respective parties’ nominations: Republican Senator Scott Brown and Democratic Representative Ed Markey.

Massachusetts law adopted in 2004 requires a vacated seat to be filled permanently through special election held 145 to 160 days following vacation. This law was passed purportedly to prevent then-Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, from naming a replacement for Kerry, who was at the time, the Democratic presidential nominee. No such election occurred until long-time Senator Ted Kennedy died in office, vacating his seat in 2009. At the time, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick named Democrat Paul G. Kirk as a temporary replacement. Kirk chose not to run for the seat, and instead the Democrats nominated Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who lost to Brown. Now, Patrick reportedly wishes to again name a temporary replacement who will not run in the special election. Candidates for this position include: Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of Ted Kennedy; former governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis; and the retiring Congressman Barney Frank.

Amid the Senate’s consideration of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, Brown’s 2010 election broke the Democrats’ filibuster-proof super-majority in the chamber. As the first Massachusetts Republican elected since Edward Brooke in 1972, Brown gained a reputation in the Senate as a political moderate, stressing bipartisanship. However, in the most expensive Senate race in the nation’s history in 2012, he lost the seat to the liberal Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren, who tied him to conservative Senate Republicans. After the defeat, Republican Senators Dan Coats of Indiana, John McCain of Arizona, and Olympia Snowe of Maine each asked Brown to run for Senate again. He alluded to a potential return during his farewell address earlier in December, noting, “As I’ve said many times before, victory and defeat is temporary … Depending on what happens, and where we go, all of us, we may obviously meet again.” Though former Governor William Weld is also considered a potential Republican primary candidate, Brown leads him in opinion polls by a wide margin. Additionally, a December 17–18 poll conducted by WBUR shows Brown with a 58 percent favorability rate in his state and ahead of potential Democratic nominees Markey, former Congressman Marty Meehan, and Congressmen Mike Capuano and Stephen Lynch.

Patrick, Kennedy, Coakley, and Meehan have all denied interest in the seat as have other Democrats speculated to jump in including actor Ben Affleck and attorney Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., Ted Kennedy’s son. Though Lynch and Capuano have expressed interest in the seat, Markey is thus far the only announced candidate. In a statement to The Boston Globe, Markey affirmed “this fight is too important” not to run and “there is so much at stake” in the election. He added that an official announcement would come in January. Markey, who has served in Congress since 1976, previously ran for the Senate seat in 1984 but withdrew before the primary; Kerry went on to win the primary and seat that year. Markey intends to focus his campaign on global warming, gun control, protection of Social Security and Medicare, and government spending for jobs. He has secured endorsements from both Kerry and Victoria Kennedy, and with a war chest of $3.1 million from his congressional campaigns, has significantly more funds than any of his potential primary opponents. According to political scientist Peter Ubertaccio of Stonehill College, that may discourage prominent Democrats thinking about entering the race. Nevertheless, State Senator Benjamin Downing has announced he is exploring a potential bid.

Though Markey has more money than Brown’s $464,000 left from his 2012 campaign, Ubertaccio, in his analysis of the race, notes Brown has more recent campaign experience than Markey, who has not had a competitive campaign lately. Moreover, he finds Markey “very much a creature of Washington, which can be problematic in a tough statewide race.” He sees the rush to support Markey as unusual, and as a way to discourage Democratic challengers to Markey. Jon Keller of Boston’s CBS affiliate notes the rush was likely to allow Markey to begin attacks on Brown rather than Democrats, but he concludes the lack of choice for Democrats may give Brown an advantage as an outsider running against the insiders’ hand-picked successor.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Richard Thomas, the British Information Commissioner has criticized the Liberal Democrats for cold calling 250,000 British people automatically to encourage them to support their party. The commissioner announced in a press release made public on Thursday that “the Information Commissioner’s Office has taken enforcement action against the Liberal Democrats after finding the party in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.”

In the enforcement notice, which has been seen by Wikinews, the Liberal Democrats are told that “in view of the matters referred to above the Commissioner hereby gives notice that, in exercise of his powers under section 40 of the [Data Protection] Act, he requires that the Liberal Democrats within 30 days of the date of service of this Notice shall, in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Regulations, cease using an automated calling system to transmit communications comprising recorded matter for direct marketing purposes to subscribers who have not previously notified the Liberal Democrats that they consent to such communications being sent to them.”

The Liberal Democrats have been given 28 days to appeal against the action, although the party has said that they accept the decision. In 2005, the party successfully stopped the Scottish National Party for continuing to carry out a similar cold calling campaign. Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, defended the party’s actions by saying that “I rather hope it won’t disturb. People don’t have to pick up the phone if they don’t like the time at which the call is made.”

If the Liberal Democrats continue to cold call users in thirty days time, they are at risk of prosecution and an unlimited fine.

Monday, June 13, 2016

The following is the first edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2016 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories.

In this month’s edition on the campaign trail: a former Republican congressman briefly joins the Libertarian Party and runs for vice president; the Democratic Party names its National Convention Platform Drafting Committee amid controversy; and Wikinews interviews a candidate who had a surprisingly strong performance in the West Virginia Democratic presidential primary.

The time is 18:00 (UTC) on June 23rd, 2006, and this is Audio Wikinews News Briefs.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

The American Library Association (ALA) is observing Banned Books Week 2005 from September 24 until October 1, the last week in September. The ALA’s list of suggested activities for members [1] includes various activities which draw attention to the books that have been challenged or banned within the last few years (see 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000), such as posting lists, organizing readings, and assigning research papers on censorship in the U.S. to students.

Attempts to ban books from library shelves rose by more than 20%, to 547 formal challenges, in 2004. The most frequent attacked books included several with gay themes, including Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” The most challenged book was Robert Cormier’s classic novel “The Chocolate War”. In Norwood Colorado, parents recently burned copies of Rudolfo Anaya’s “Bless Me, Ultima” after having them pulled from the High School curriculum.

March 23, 2005

Ottawa says it will allow the harvest of 320,000 young seals this year, prompting a backlash from international environmental activists who call for a boycott of the Canadian fisheries products.

The seal hunt is an annual event on the ice floes off the east coast of Canada where the seal nurseries give birth. This year’s hunt begins March 29, and lasts for two months.

The government reports the harp seal population is large and healthy. “The harp seal herd – the most important seal herd for this industry – is estimated at around five million animals, nearly the highest level ever recorded, and almost triple what it was in the 1970s,” a Department of Fisheries and Oceans statement said. Large scale hunts will continue to be allowed until the harp seal population drops below four million.

Environmental activists protest and observe the hunt annually, but this year’s larger number of seals has brought a bigger response. Observers are already in the hunt area, and officials said if too many show up they will be prevented from interfering with the hunt. The annual protests, and the publication of photos of the hunt, are a public relations problem for Canada.

Protests were held in 50 cities around the world last week, and activists say they would press consumers and restaurants to avoid Canadian fish for at least the duration of the hunt.

“We’re going to be encouraging consumers to enter into dialogue with their grocery stores and their restaurants and say ‘Please don’t serve Canadian seafood’ or ‘I won’t buy Canadian seafood until this hunt is over’,” said Pat Ragan of the Humane Society of the United States [HSUS] to Reuters.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare sponsored two independent veterinary teams to observe the 2001 hunt which concluded the animals are often (42% of the time) killed in an inhumane manner and not in accordance with Canada’s own laws.

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

Ferrari’s second driver, Rubens Barrichello, announced today that he will depart from Ferrari at the end of the season. Barrichello was with the team since 2000, won nine Grand Prix, helping win five constructor titles. He will most likely continue his career in BAR.

Ferrari announced Felipe Massa, currently driving for Sauber, as Michael Schumacher’s teammate for next season. “I am aware of the responsibility it places on me and I cannot wait to be part of a team like Ferrari, alongside the best driver in the world, Michael Schumacher,” said Massa.

Massa was Ferrari’s test driver in 2003 season: “Now, I am in my third season as a Sauber driver and I can also count on a year’s experience as a Ferrari test driver, an experience which helped me to grow a great deal.”

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

While testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, passed out briefly while answering a question from Senator John McCain from Arizona.

While answering the question, Petraeus slumped over in mid-sentence and the hearing was immediately suspended while several people rushed over from the table to help him. Shortly after, Gen. Petraeus regained consciousness and walked from the hearing room under his own power.

The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Michigan Senator Carl Levin said the general “appears to be doing very much better.” The senator also said that Petraeus was eating and may have been dehydrated, and that the hearing might resume. Petraeus was testifying on the Afghanistan War.

After a short time, Petraeus returned from the room he was in, smiling and sipping from a cup. Though the hearing was resumed briefly, given the circumstances, Levin postponed the hearing until Wednesday. As the hearing closed, McCain called the general one of the “nation’s heroes” and also said “we’re glad you have recovered and look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.” As Levin sounded the gavel that closed the hearing for the day, applause broke out.

Some people have speculated that Petraeus passed out because of McCain’s questions, as the General slumped over while answering McCain. However, later General Petraeus said “It wasn’t Sen. McCain’s questions. I just got dehydrated.”