A few random thoughts on the political scene as we approach a much needed spring break:
Senator Ted Stevens is a major disappointment. The Alaska Republican has announced he favors increasing the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow it to regulate cable television. The FCC is bad to begin with, but giving it power of cable television, which is a private industry people receive only if they subscribe, shows a clear disregard for the constitution.
Senator Stevens is not stupid; he knows that such legislation will not pass, and, even if it did, would almost certainly be struck down by the Supreme Court. What Stevens is trying to do is pander to a particular demographic (i.e. social conservatives) whom he thinks support such legislation. Unfortunately for him, most are intelligent enough to see this move for what it is: a brazen political move designed only for political reasons, and one that will surely generate more charges that conservatives do not support the First Amendment.
A friend told me an interesting story. It seems during a thunderstorm, a man entered her place of employment (which is on campus). The man was understandably not pleased with getting soaked. Who did he blame for his misfortune? God? The weatherman? No, no, silly; he blamed President Bush, explicitly stating that "this wouldn't have happened if Kerry had won." It's possible that he was joking, but no sarcasm could be detected in his voice. I can't say I'm surprised by this accusation; after all, some particularly loony liberals claimed President Bush was responsible for the hurricanes that rattled Florida last year. Apparently, the most powerful man in the world is even more powerful than we though.
An era ended last week, when Dan Rather's final news broadcast aired. Rather gave a rather emotional closing monologue about his 24 years as the CBS anchor. He will be missed by many, including myself. Since he has been anchor of the "CBS Evening News" longer than I have been alive, it will be tough to get used to not seeing him on TV. Still, I am glad to see him go. He screwed up royally on the Bush National Guard records, an infraction that probably would have gotten any other journalist fired on the spot. Here's hoping his replacement is much more objective than the outgoing Rather.
Why can't "celebrity trials" just go away after the verdict is read (or, better yet, before charges are even filed)? The Scott Peterson trial is long over, and yet it's still all the buzz on the cable news networks. Not to downplay the murder of two innocent people (which was extremely tragic), but such crimes occur everyday to people less attractive and affluent than the Petersons. These victims barely even get mentioned on the local news, let alone national news. Justice has been served, so let's move on. There are plenty of more relevant news items that could be covered.
A book I highly recommend is Natan Sharansky's "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny & Terror." Sharansky, a former political prisoner in the Soviet Union, makes a strong case as to why democratic societies are in the best interests of America, and the entire world. In this way, he is both a realist and an idealist. He dismisses any arguments that liberty is not for everyone by contending that human beings have a natural desire, even a need, to be free.
If you doubt that what we are doing is right in Iraq, this is the book you should read. Democracy has the potential to spread like wildfire in the Middle East, just as it did in Eastern Europe following the fall of the Berlin Wall and Communism. Already, we see evidence of this, from massive protests and the withdrawal of Syrian troops in Lebanon, to local elections in Saudi Arabia. If democracy fails in the Middle East, it will be because the free world failed to see it through.
Senator Hillary Clinton has been casting herself has a "moderate" in recent months, pandering to pro-lifers and "red state America." No one could imagine that she could ever make herself appear moderate when she was first elected to the senate, but such is the case. What does this tell us about the Democratic Party? That it has become so dominated by the far left that even borderline socialists like Hillary Clinton now appear "moderate."John Brown (www.johnnorrisbrown.com) is a senior in political science and history at the University of Tennessee @ Knoxville. Contact him at johnnyb325@aol.com. This column originally appeared in the February 1, 2005 edition of The Daily Beacon entitled "Political musings propounded," available here.