Nancy Salvato

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A Constitutionally Illiterate Congress

March 26, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

The definition of a citizen is one who is ruled and can rule in turn. We must have the capacity for both under the law. All citizens must be able to take the following oath of office:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”

Sadly, in today’s day and age, those elected to our legislature do not have to understand the law to represent their electors. Consequently, this Congress has proven to be the most constitutionally illiterate group of people ever elected to office.
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A Constitutionally Illiterate Congress”

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Natural Born Citizens

March 23, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

This is a commentary in response to James Taranto’s recent column in which he takes yet another opportunity to use his bully pulpit to jab at the vast numbers of people who take painstakingly seriously the idea that no person except a natural born citizen shall be eligible to hold the office of President.

I used to enjoy reading James Taranto. I used to appreciate his sarcasm and wit. Not so much anymore.

Taranto writes,

You might have heard of Hawaii, a southern North Pacific archipelago that almost half a century ago became America’s 50th state. It’s known for pineapples, palm trees and tropical weather, and while it’s said to be a lovely place to visit, hardly anyone goes there because it’s so expensive and far away–over 10 hours by plane from New York, and getting there by car literally takes forever.
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Natural Born Citizens”

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An Alternative to Impending Doom

March 6, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

In the time that has passed since President Obama was elected to and now holds the presidency of the United States, there has been something of an ominous and disturbing feel accompanying the media’s portrayal of his administration. It brings to mind news coverage of third world countries taken over by a military coup or overrun by a junta or dictatorship whose next move is to nationalize their industries or indiscriminately ravage the countryside. There is a one-step removed air about the reporting that belies the gravity of what is being discussed and makes each event surreal. There is a resigned quality to the words and to what is happening to our way of life. Have we forgotten that we live under a Constitution that provides “We the People” the power to “peacefully overthrow” those who are elected to hold office? We even have the power to “non-peacefully overthrow” those elected to power, but we’ve never had to use this recourse.

“God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty…And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
– Thomas Jefferson
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An Alternative to Impending Doom”

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Effective Tools in Education

February 21, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Nancy Salvato

“I don’t know, I’m waiting for you to tell me how I feel.” (Reese stops thinking and becomes the world’s happiest tool) Reese Joins the Army “Malcolm in the Middle”

On posted a response to my commentary, Three Good Reasons to Become a Teacher: June, July and August.

“I became a teacher because I wanted to know I would be secure in retirement. I also happened to like working with kids.”

I found his comment more than slightly disturbing because one would hope that a person would enter the teaching profession based on a desire to teach, not for the pension. As a matter of face, novice teachers who participated in a study about why educators leave the profession expressed reasons for entering the field of teaching, such as; to help young people, share their love of learning, improve society, loved their subject, liked young people and felt responsibility to the next generation. Isn’t it amazingly fortuitous for Mr. Galt that he just happened to like working with kids.
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Effective Tools in Education”

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Houston, We Have a Problem

February 14, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

“64 percent of all students engage in one of three of the most serious cheating behaviors — copying from another student’s work, using cheat notes or helping someone else cheat.”

I wonder how many people find the above statistic the least bit surprising. More importantly, I’m curious as to how it has come to this? Why do students cheat in such large numbers?

I would guess that a substantial portion of these cheaters use “pre-conventional” thinking skills. According to Kohlberg’s Moral Stages of Development, cheaters see morality as something external to themselves, as something that people say they must do -so when they break the rules, it is with the intention of not getting caught. What is right to them is what meets their own interests. They haven’t internalized the values of the family or community. When they follow the law, it is only because they don’t want to get into trouble. Their behaviors as members of our society depend on external controls.
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Houston, We Have a Problem”

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Letting the Evidence Speak for Itself

February 1, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

In a letter recently submitted to Education Week CITATION Ste09 \l 1033 (Stephen Krashen, 2009) Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, draws attention to the Reading First final impact study which showed that children following an intensive decoding-based curriculum do well on tests of decoding but not on measures of reading comprehension when compared with regular students. He reminds readers that the National Reading Panel, the foundation for Reading First, came up with similar results.

From these two studies, Dr. Krashen draws the following conclusion. A high level of proficiency in decoding is not necessary in order to learn to read. Yet, he has employed fallacious reasoning to confirm his obvious bias against Reading First.

What these studies actually confirm is precisely what the authors of Reading First already understood; Phonics is not an end in itself. Phonics is a critical step in supporting reading development. With this in mind, The National Reading Panel recommended explicit and systematic phonics instruction. By this, it is meant that teachers should be provided precise directions for modeling and for leading students through the process of using letter-sound relationships to read words; letter sound relationships should be taught in a clearly defined sequence; and students should be provided extensive practice in reading stories with many different words to decode. Phonics is most effective when introduced in Kindergarten and first grade.

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The Right to Defend Sovereignty

January 21, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

It is written in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” Each and every one of us has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A seemingly simple idea, it’s the definition of when a life begins or should end, when the liberty of one being is to be considered encroaching on the liberty of another, and on the meaning of personal happiness on which we disagree.

I imagine one would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t want a peaceful existence which would allow us to go about our lives unencumbered by external threats. Again, it’s the method our country uses to achieve a relatively peaceful existence and at what cost –on which we currently disagree. While all of these topics are worthy of discussion and study, the question of our nation’s sovereignty begs examination at this moment in time because our present way of life is the direct result of our nation’s sovereign status in the world and so for many of us, it is worth preserving.
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Undermining Our Sovereignty from Without & Within

January 14, 2009 by

-By Nancy Salvato

The first amendment to the United States Constitution expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws that infringe on the freedom of the press. While it should be expected that those elected to the legislature have at least a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights, this is not necessarily the case.

“Those who have held elective office earn an average score of 44% on the civic literacy test, which is five percentage points lower than the average score of 49% for those who have never been elected.” Neither score bodes well for the state of our nation.

If we are to continue to be a sovereign country, we must understand the rule of law and why each and every word of the founding documents are so important to the defense of our nation and to the continuation of our freedoms.
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True Patriots Put Country First

November 14, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Sometimes, I find it hard to stomach reading the headlines in my preferred publication of choice, the New Media Journal. I just finished an article reporting that Osama Bin Laden is planning on attacking the U.S. again –real soon. It’s hard to believe 7 years have passed since our hijacked planes were flown into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. It almost seems surreal. However, we must remember that the terrorists who would do us harm do not adhere to commonly accepted timetables, do not fight a conventional war, do not distinguish between military or civilians, and are not affiliated with any one country. And any westerner or infidel is considered fair game for their next atrocity.

While some citizens have become complacent, others have been vigilant in monitoring the war on terrorism. Most news reported about the war on terror is picked up by the New Media Journal as a courtesy for the readers who don’t want to see another 9/11 befall our civilization in their lifetime or after. For those who have opted not to take a permanent news holiday by burying their heads in the sand (As Andrew Weil recommends) and instead continue to expose their intestines to ulcers and IBS in order to stay informed and to inform others, it will not come as a surprise if there is an electro magnetic pulse explosion in our immediate hemisphere. Terrorists are capable of pulling off such a feat. Needless to say, they won’t have any remorse over such actions. It is all in a days work.
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The Oath of a Citizen

November 9, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

The United States of America has in one fell swoop rejected the status quo and elected the first black president. Now that the minorities in this country have seen one of their own elected to the highest office in the land, hopefully we can finally put the race issue to bed and discontinue the Balkanizing of America. Although we have our differences, these differences should not be what identify us. There should not be a hyphen in front of or behind the word American. Profiling should be left to those who investigate crime.

Although I chose to support McCain-Palin, I feel none of the angst that my Democratic brethren expressed at President Bush’s election. I am willing to accept America’s choice in the next leader of this free country. To be perfectly honest, I am relieved that the sky did not fall, Chicago did not succumb to rioting, and there is a relative sense of calm in the air.
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The Constitution, Two Candidates & An Election

November 4, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

We are presently witnessing an historic event during this 2008 presidential election. On the one hand, we could see the first female vice president resulting from the vote. On the other hand, we may find that we have elected our first black president. Either way, a glass ceiling will have been broken, heralding in a new era in our history. Many challenges had to be met before a moment like this could take place, beginning with the creation of a written constitution which reflected an entirely new understanding about government. I’m not talking about federalism or the idea that democracy could be scalable. What I’m referring to is the idea that there can be “conflict in consensus.”

Our Constitution was ratified on September 13, 1788 but only after a series of compromises were made, first by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and then during the ratification process when it was promised that a Bill of Rights would be added to the document in order to convince some state representatives to vote affirmatively. The careful notes that James Madison took during that long summer when the delegates hammered out the changes to his Virginia Plan –which later became the US Constitution, inform us that it wasn’t an easy process and that no one was entirely satisfied with the finished product. However, the Framers accepted that the Constitution they molded would not create a utopia. They were striving to achieve “national cohesion, political stability, economic growth, and individual liberty” -all out of reach under the Articles of Confederation. They understood that they were creating a more perfect union and that this process would be ongoing.
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Article 2, Section 1: Just Words

October 30, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

In a 1995 Press Release is a statement by the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Deval Patrick (yes, that Deval Patrick -“just words”), on the Appellate Court Ruling upholding the Constitutionality of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (otherwise known as “Motor-Voter” Law), a bill signed into law by then President Clinton.

“Today’s favorable decision by the Court of Appeals follows similar victories in federal district courts in California and Pennsylvania. The decision sends a clear message that Congress was well within its authority to pass a law making it easier for all Americans to register to vote. Today’s decision also reaffirms the lower court’s opinion that the state had no legal basis for failing to comply with such a common sense law.

Motor-voter is government made easy — one stop shopping. Already the law is producing tremendous results across the country. Millions of Americans already are benefiting from this law — now millions of citizens of Illinois can, as well.” [1]
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The Hidden Costs of Voting Early

October 25, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Voting early in the presidential election? Seems like a great idea to many Americans.

For folks who have done their homework and believe themselves absolutely certain that their mind is made up about who they want to win an election, there is probably nothing to lose. For the person who reads all the information available regarding each of the candidates, even an October surprise will likely not come as a surprise. Rather, it will probably validate his or her existing beliefs about who should be our next president.

“More than 100,000 people cast their ballots in the first week of early voting in Chicago and suburban Cook County that began Oct. 13.” [1]

It is guaranteed there will be countless more numbers of folks heading to the polls when it’s most convenient for them.
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Money, Influence and Motive

October 17, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

I found it absolutely remarkable that George Soros was lampooned in the Saturday Night Live skit, Washington Approves the Bailout. (1) This is because I had previously wondered aloud to my husband my suspicion that there might be more at work than what was being reported around the tanking of the stock market. While I concurred that Fannie May and Freddie Mac contributed to the crisis we currently find ourselves in, I couldn’t help but wonder if the stock market was being manipulated in some other way. Although I initially dismissed my thought as likely “black helicopter” the fact that the writers on SNL included Soros in their parody piqued my interest again. So at the risk of being labeled a conspiracy theorist, I’m going to jump on Former Governor Mike Huckabee’s bandwagon and raise the question.

Former Governor Mike Huckabee, already voicing this same concern, pointed out that the market has continued to lose value because extremely large sell orders are causing panic. One has to wonder, who has enough money, influence, motive, or all of the above to manipulate the United States economy in such a way? (2)

A quick inventory of people in the news who hate America would include George Soros (3) (a promoter of Socialism), Osama bin Laden and Al –Qaeda (they took down the World Trade Center), Vladimir Putin’s Russia (which is playing havoc with the petro-dollar market) (4), China (which owns an enormous amount of US debt) (5) and the Saudi Royal Family (which has the ability to manipulate the oil market at will) (6). What do they all have in common? They would like to see the dominance of the American economic system compromised and they probably wouldn’t mind a Barack presidency either. Both would help to usher in their alternate vision for America.
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Let the Records Speak for Themselves

October 16, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

It’s been about two years now that the mainstream media has been reporting on the campaigns to win the 2008 presidential election. Sen. John McCain formed his exploratory committee in November 2006 and Sen. Obama announced his plans for an exploratory committee in January 2007. Both senators announced their candidacies for president in February 2007.

The US Senate, where both candidates work, is in session every month of the year except for August. Sen. John McCain has served as a member of the senate since 1993 and Sen. Barack Obama since 2005. Some people might find it relevant that during his entire senate career—which began Jan 6, 2005– Obama has missed 24% of his votes. On the other hand, during his entire senate career –beginning Feb 4, l993– McCain has missed 18% of his votes. For their performance, (as of 2006, unless he or she is a Senate Leader) our elected senators earn $165,200 per annum –a figure that Sen. Obama considers a middle class income, a salary that would warrant a tax cut if he is elected the next president of the United States.

In light of the above statistics, a case might be argued that when a presidential candidate is running a campaign, he or she cannot possibly devote enough energy to continue representing their constituents in an elected capacity. The question begs to be asked, how has their attendance (or lack, thereof) affected their ability to perform in their role as senators? The answer, it would seem, in Sen. McCain’s case, is not negative. On the other hand, for the Junior Senator from Illinois, this absence has most definitely hindered his influence in the Senate.
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Don’t Know What You’ve Got ‘Til It’s Gone

September 27, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

“The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.” James Madison

My mother used to say that it’s better to go from being poor to being rich than from having been rich and become poor because you don’t yearn for what you’ve lost. However, my experience has been that if you’ve always been free from want, you might not ever gain an appreciation for what was taken for granted. In any event, it wasn’t until I reached middle age that I began to understand what for me truly constitutes being rich and it wasn’t until 9/11 that I really gave much thought to how quickly it could be taken away.

During World War II, when peace and stability were shattered by acts of physical aggression initiated by the axis powers, Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech on what he referred to as the four freedoms.
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Censorship May Open Our Eyes to China

August 17, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Reporters charged with covering the Olympics are now whining about “not knowing what they will be able to cover and not knowing how much the Chinese government will censor their online coverage.” (1)

The fact that the mainstream media is even remotely surprised at a Communist Government not allowing complete freedom of the press is laughable, irrespective of the fact that China promised them complete freedom to report on the events after this one party state was awarded the honor of hosting the Olympics. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is absolutely right when it reminds folks that the Chinese government is “only doing what authoritarian and dictatorial regimes always do.” (2)

Those reporters who dominate the mainstream media are finally getting a small taste of what it feels like to navigate the barriers set up by a country that limits their liberty to speak their mind. The New Media writers have been all too aware that the continuing erosion of our own country’s freedoms in the name of political correctness has been steadily subsuming our constitutional rights for years now. Many writers plying their craft in the New Media are used to their message not being published by agenda driven mainstream papers. A substantial number of people who rely on the New Media for the news have long recognized that the sovereignty of our people is being subsumed by the one world agenda being preached by the socialist left and echoed by the alphabet network lemmings. The hours spent identifying and exposing the prejudices embedded in the mainstream coverage of the issues has well honed the analytical skills of New Media writers.

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The 180lbs. “Guerrilla”: China’s Military Aspirations

July 28, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

As the mainstream media is dominated by its attention to the preparations for Beijing Olympics being held August 8-24 this year, an obvious truth is being ignored or going unaddressed. The more important story is that China is on a mission to dominate the United States and the rest of the world militarily by building nuclear weaponry meant to defeat the United States on the world stage. The actual Olympics pale in comparison to this upcoming event. And while our people continue to be distracted by a variety of “shiny things” meant to divert their attention, the Chinese continue their march to dominance in the military sphere. What serves to distract our nation from such an important subject?

Let’s first look at the notion of Global Warming. Despite the fact that, “There is a considerable presence within the scientific community of people who do not agree with the IPCC conclusion that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are very probably likely to be primarily responsible for global warming that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution,” (Daily Tech) the mainstream media continues to report on a phenomenon that has not been proven as though it is fact. Furthermore, policy around carbon emissions is being developed based on this misinformation. “In the past 70 years the Sun was more active than at almost any other time in the past 11,400 years…Mars, Jupiter, Neptune’s largest moon, and Pluto warmed at the same time as Earth.” (IBID)

The upcoming election serves as a distraction — in that the really important issues are not discussed and instead media attention is focused on Barak Obama’s associations, i.e., Jesse Jackson using the “N” word (in two different ways, mind you); Jeremiah Wright and the novel idea (sarcasm) that there is a contingent of black people who do not like white people; fellow democrat Kucinich, who during his first presidential campaign quoted the Koran and roused his Muslim audience to chant Alahu akbar (Daniel Pipes) wants us to spend oodles of tax payer dollars to impeach George Bush (and at the end of his term of office, completely irresponsible), and Tony Rezko, a slumlord connected to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (who may also, rightly so due to his mismanagement of Illinois government, face impeachment). None of this enlightens the electorate on Obama’s strategic plan for the defense of our country, if he was to be elected to the highest office of the land. If Obama had plans to aggressively fight terror, secure our borders, and defend our sovereignty, I think it would be safe to say that most of the people who want to see this on his platform would ignore all the rest.

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Academic Freedom

July 18, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

An article published in the Chronicle of Higher Education reflects the notion that academic freedom means being allowed to advocate a personal point of view in the classroom.

Outspoken scholars fared much better than one would have expected in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Richard Berthold, at the University of New Mexico, incurred only a reprimand for telling his freshman history class that “anyone who bombs the Pentagon gets an A in my book.” At Columbia University, Nicholas DeGenova got essentially a pass when he called for “a million Mogadishus.” Arthur Butz remained a professor in good standing at Northwestern University after he lauded Iran’s president for Holocaust denial. The moderate and deliberative response to such incidents and others suggests that academic freedom is in excellent health.

Others would define the above examples of academic freedom as proselytizing in the classroom or using the classroom as a “Bully Pulpit.”

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Direct Election v. Electoral College

June 19, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Nancy Salvato

The constitutional amendment process is a complicated and lengthy affair. This is because we cannot be certain what consequences might arise from a seemingly minor alteration of the Constitution. To be sure, exchanging the electoral-vote system for direct election would adversely impact the entire constitutional and political structure of the United States.

To begin, our Constitution is dedicated to securing everybody’s rights. This requires that we be concerned not only with size, but with the character of the majorities voting our president to office. There are many ways in which our Constitution is configured to prevent simple majorities.

  • The federal system prevents less populous States from being engulfed by more populous States.
  • A bicameral legislature divides responsibilities between House and Senate on grounds other than those of population.
  • Power is invested in a non-elective judiciary.
  • Each State has a minimum of three electoral votes in the Electoral College.

One way the Electoral College creates moderately characterized numerical majorities includes assuring that each state’s vote actually represents the state’s interests in the selection and election of Presidents. By requiring a majority of electoral votes to win the presidency, a political party must campaign in all or most of the States -expanding its base of support beyond a narrow geographical region.
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A More Perfect Union Rests on a Balance of Ideas

May 10, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” – James Madison, Federalist #51

Classical Philosophy

By reading the Greek historians Herodotus (484BC-425BC), Thucydides (460BC-395BC), known as the father of scientific history and political realism, Polybius (203BC-120BC), who wrote about political balance, and Plutarch (46AD-120AD) who emphasized the importance of virtue, and philosophers Plato (428BC-348BC), known for his theory of forms and Aristotle (384BC-322BC), who created a system of philosophy, and the Roman philosophers Cicero (106BC-43BC), the famous orator and historians such as Livy (59 BC – AD 17), the framers became well acquainted with the greatest thinkers of Greek and Roman civilizations.
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The Confluence of Religion & Freedom

May 2, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

“Textbooks today are trapped in an ideological straitjacket that, in contrast to the surrounding popular culture, restricts content and sterilizes social realities.” – The Mad, Mad World of Textbook Adoption

I’ve always enjoyed learning about history. When I look back on my history classes, it wasn’t because I was interested in reading the textbooks, it was the teacher who made history come alive, by inserting anecdotes that made it “real,” showing footage of actual events, or by connecting what happened in the past to the present. As a matter of fact, most of the textbooks I used put me to sleep. I loved to read and often wondered why we couldn’t just read books instead of textbooks to learn about people, places, and events.

During my senior year of high school, learning was a little more fun because we read news magazines and newspapers for Current Events class and because we read works of fiction and non fiction in Language Arts. In college, history classes as an upper classman were the most compelling because there were no textbooks, just books on a particular aspect of history. All things considered, it is somewhat surprising that I majored in history without reaching the conclusion of many of my peers who believed history to be completely boring. I have to credit the teachers who made it a subject worthwhile.

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Promoting Alternative Energy for the Right Reasons

April 25, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich are featured together in a television commercial which focuses on how conservatives and liberals can come together to find solutions for problems caused by climate change. Mr. Gingrich’s explanation for joining this $300 million dollar advertising campaign is to force conservatives into debating liberals about the ways our country should best promote alternative energy sources. This in itself is a fine idea because I don’t know any person who wants our country to continue relying on oil for fuel. Most would agree that cleaner sources of energy are preferable.

While there should be robust debate about how best to pursue alternative energy, I believe this ad is misleading because it presents these two political adversaries as working together to find solutions to the problem of climate change in and of itself, as if there is a scientific consensus that climate change truly poses the problems outlined in Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Speaking of Al Gore, he is the person who is funding this effort and hired the advertising agency known for their caveman and talking lizard/Geico ads to produce these commercials.

Certainly, Gore has become a master of hyperbole in order to draw attention to his cause. While becoming a great promoter, he has done a great disservice to true science. The global warming argument is based on two assumptions. The first is that it’s caused by man and that we can stop it. While we may contribute to global warming, it is difficult to conclude that our activities can substantially affect the changes in temperature. The second assumption is that global warming is inherently bad. We cannot ignore dramatic climate shifts that have occurred in the past and declare that all climate changes are due to human activity and bad.
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A Superhero Without Special Powers

February 28, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

I missed the train today…again. The nitwit in front of our car let out her husband at the stop sign instead of making her way through the three-way stop and across the tracks. By the time they finished their goodbye, the brief window of opportunity to pass through the intersection had passed and the gates were down. This happens for a combination of reasons.

One reason this happens is because the train I ride is so long that the crossing gates are triggered well before it arrives. The second reason is that another train, heading in the opposite direction, always arrives 5 to 7 minutes before my train and triggers the gates. Traffic lines up, this train slowly backs up so the gates will be triggered to go up, they go up for about a minute to a minute and a half, and go back down when my train appears in the distance. Damn! Pedestrians pay a $250.00 fine for crossing the tracks when the gates are down. Is it any wonder, though, why so man try and make their way to the other side? I see my friends waving at me through the doors of the 3rd vestibule as the train moves past me.

I eventually make my way across the tracks and walk the platform for 20 minutes thinking about how much I have to do when I arrive to the office. I can’t even buy next months ticket; I have no checks with me. The train makes its way into the station. I climb the steps into the vestibule and there is already a woman standing in there, talking on her cell phone…loudly. The cars are full, this being the last stop. However, as a courtesy to other passengers, I hadn’t planned on taking a seat since I’m getting over a cold. I put down my briefcase and unzip my jacket, preparing for the ride into the city. Two other people join me in the vestibule. There is no way we’ll be having any conversation because this woman has no intention of ending her conversation and she is really LOUD.
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00Publius Contributor - Elections - Media Bias - Nancy Salvato - News - President - Society/Culture

Play President For Me

February 7, 2008 by

-By Nancy Morgan

Form, not substance, will determine the Democrat nominee

The candidate enters the room. Applause, excited whispers. Candidate strides to the podium, scanning the crowd, making sure the cameras are on. Halfway to the podium the candidate pauses. Eyebrows go up, mouth opens, surprise registers and up comes the arm, pointing to someone in the audience. A dozen people start swivelling their heads to catch a glimpse of the anointed. Finding no-one, a full half will be amazed that the candidate actually remembered them from that meet and greet 5 years ago. Wow!

At the podium, candidate remembers to smile, sometimes pointing again and mouthing an imaginary conversation with another good friend they’re surprised, surprised to find in another area of the audience. Finally, hands up, palms out, a look of humility, before registering whatever emotions have been scripted for that particular venue. Now, down to business.

The script may vary but there are certain established rules that Democrat candidates must follow if they are to have a chance at the brass ring. Image is first and foremost. Apparel, accessories, makeup and hairdo determine that important first connection.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Immigration/Immigrants - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - Nancy Salvato - News - Religion - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

While The Cat’s Away, The Terrorists Will Play

January 30, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Now that the present administration’s 150 billion dollar economic stimulus package has caused a substantial portion of the population worry about the economy taking a nosedive and an ensuing recession, there is less incentive to discuss the more immediate threat of securing our borders from those who mean to cause our country substantial harm. While growing the economy is extremely important to maintaining the many comforts to which we’ve become accustomed, an incredibly large amount of damage can come to our economic well being from one well planned terrorist attack aimed at harming our infrastructure.

I recently read a human interest story about a cat that climbed into a piece of luggage. This animal was not discovered while going through security. Worse still, this particular piece of luggage was picked up at the terminal by a person who mistakenly thought it was his own. Upon returning to his house, he opened the suitcase and out popped the cat. Discovering his mistake, he called the owner and returned both the cat and suitcase. While this is a wonderful story about the cat’s survival and the integrity of the person who made good, there was no mention of the bigger implications of an airport security system that clearly failed. Certainly, I am questioning the effectiveness of any and all the security measures we’ve willingly endured since 9/11.
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00Publius Contributor - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - Nancy Salvato - News - President - The Law

A Primary Caucus Primer

January 24, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

While a great number of people do not see the value in the Electoral College (And “W” Takes the Series), it is possible an even greater number of people don’t fully comprehend how each political party selects their candidate for president. During the Iowa Caucus, after I heard several people draw a blank when asked to explain how a Caucus works, I decided it might be time to put together a primer on the nominating process.

The Republican and Democratic political parties < href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_primary>“officially nominate their candidate for President at their respective national conventions, usually held the summer before the election.” In order to win the nomination, a Democrat must win 2,025 delegates out of 4,049 possible and a Republican must win 1,191 delegates out of 2,381 possible. Leading up to the national conventions, there are a series of presidential caucuses and primary elections which take place across the nation. Traditionally, this begins with the Iowa caucus, held in early January of the presidential election year, and is quickly followed by the New Hampshire primary.

“Most [Emphasis mine] of the delegates in each party are awarded based upon election results in any given state.”

“Depending on state law and state party rules, when voters cast ballots for a candidate in a presidential caucus or primary, they may be actually voting to award delegates bound to vote for a candidate at the state or national convention or may simply be expressing an opinion that the state party is not bound to follow in selecting delegates to the national convention.” [Emphasis mine]
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Nancy Salvato - News - Society/Culture

Prime Time Primaries

January 17, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

I’m enjoying the prime time primaries, carefully considering what each politician brings to the table as they all campaign to participate in what policy wonks might consider the political equivalent of the National League and American League playoffs in baseball.

It’s exciting and compelling observing the players moves; assessing “statistics” comprised of voting records and accomplishments; and listening to analysts determine the catalyst behind voter reactions, compare and contrast the candidates’ styles, analyze the spin, and comment on occasional heartfelt passion, as each contender competes to “go to the show,” our nation’s 2008 presidential election.

After the Democrats choose their candidate and the Republicans choose their candidate, each will compete to win the electoral votes in the 50 states. They do not win based on the popular vote; they win based on which states electoral votes they’ve earned. This is not unlike the World Series in baseball. The team that takes the series becomes the champion based on the best of seven games played, not on the number of runs cumulatively earned during the series.

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