Third World S***hole Number 2: Equatorial Guinea

A small country the size of Maryland located on the central west coast of Africa, Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest and most unknown nations in the world. The CIA estimates the population of Equatorial Guinea (or EG for short) to be about 616,000 (fyi, the population of Maryland is 5.6 million). Unlike most Sub Saharan African nations, EG is fairly homogeneous, with about 85% of the population being Fang. The other ethnicity's are the Bubi (6.5%), and the Mdowe (3.6%), with the rest being others. The life expectancy of EG is better than most African nations, it is 60 for men and 62 for women. About 95% of the nation is Catholic, but traditional native rituals are still common in rural areas.


For most of its history, the area that became EG was viewed by both Europeans and Africans as useless jungle. After being passed around between different "owners", Spain formally colonized the area in the 19th century. However, it was not until the early 20th century that Spain established real rule over most of the mainland . The only legacy of Spain's only African colony was Roman Catholicism and the Spanish language (a good amount of the population does know some Spanish).


In the 1960's, as the rest of Europe gave up their African colonies, pressure was put on Spain to do so also. Spain, then under dictator Francisco Franco, was not in the mood to rush, or do anything to prepare the nation for statehood. In 1968, Spain allowed elections and gave independence to EG later on in the year. The winner of the election was one of the most unknown leaders in history, Francisco Macias Nguema. This man is so unknown that I don't even know what he did before becoming President. Here is the only picture I could find claiming to be of Francisco (and it wasn't sourced):


Nguema quickly turned into one of the most brutal dictators in world history. He quickly made himself President for Life, and executed most of the politicians in the nation. Fishing was banned and almost all the boats in the nation were rounded up and destroyed. Suddenly, the population lost a huge portion of its diet. The word "intellectual" was also banned as Nguema's speeches turned long winded nasty attacks at Spain and all things European. All churches were closed and the clergy was expelled. All of EG's school's were next to be closed. The cocoa plantations the Spanish had built to make EG profitable were destroyed and with them went the economy. Then, in the mainland part of the nation, the very few roads leading out of EG were mined. As the 1970's continued, political executions grew more common as people were jailed, tortured, and sometime even killed on trumped up charges. One Christmas Day in the mid 1970's, over 100 people were executed, and hundreds more tortured in the national stadium, located in the capital city of Malabo. So that the locals couldn't hear the screams of the victims, Nguema had a 1960's British pop song "Those were the days" played on loudspeakers put up throughout the city. Nguema also gave himself fancy titles, the best known one being "Grand Master of Education, Science, and Culture". He also spoke much about having supernatural powers, and it made people even more afraid of him. By 1979, over one third of the population of EG had fled the nation- including Nguema's own wife.



In the Summer of 1979, Nguema was overthrown in a coup led by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.


The coup was wildly popular as Nguema fled into the jungle in the mainland part of EG with suitcases full of cash. He was finally caught near the border and brought back to Malabo for trial in September. Because EG did not have an actual courthouse (and it still does not have one), the trial was held in a theater. Nguema was literally put into a cage which was then lifted to the ceiling. Nguema was found guilty and shot. Because no one EG would shoot the man they feared, the executioners had to be imported from Morocco. Nguema's nephew Obaing took over as President of EG.


A graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art (located outside of Detroit MI), Obaing got his start in EG politics in the 1970's in his uncle's military. For a while he was the head of Black Beach Prison in Malabo. Black Beach was then (and still is) the scene of much torture on political enemies. It is believed that some of the worst torture on Earth has occurred there, many on political opponents of the regime. Here is a picture of it taken a few years ago.

Though Obaing began his Presidency by releasing all political prisoners (who numbered in the thousands), reopening all churches, and reopening all schools, it was soon clear that Obinag was only a mild version of his uncle. Nothing was (or has) been done to rebuild the destroyed fishing industry. Throughout the 1980's, thousands were arrested on trumped up political crimes, and a cult of personality rose up around Obaing. He also staffed nearly all government posts with relatives of his (as well as relatives of his wife). Following the precedent made by other African dictators (including Uncle Francisco), Obaing allowed rumors to spread that he was a cannibal. Throughout EG, it was whispered that Obaing ate the testicles of his enemies. One opposition leader, Severo Moto (a Catholic priest) actually accused Obinag of wanting to eat his testicles while being interviewed in Spain - where he lives in exile - by a local radio station. As for EG's media, there was only 1 radio station (currently, where are 2), and there is a TV station, but most people in EG were (and still are) too poor to afford their own television. By the 1990, the vast majority of the population was living on a 2 dollars a day, while the nation's infrastructure continued to crumble (example, the only hotel in Malabo had no electricity). The World Bank the IMF actually ended all deals with EG because Obiang did nothing to end the rampant corruption (and most of the money the two groups gave EG usually ended up in the hands of Obaing and his cronies). Very few people even visited EG, and it looked like EG was going to remain perhaps the most unknown part of Africa.



However, between 1960 and 1990 oil was discovered in all the nations around EG. In the final years of Spanish rule, the Spanish government did allow some American oil companies to do some serious exploring, but nothing turned up. However, as more and more oil was found in the 1970's and 1980's in neighboring nations, many oil experts figured something had to be located there. In the early 1990's, the oil companies again came to EG. Finally, a small oil company based in Texas struck oil in 1996. Natural gas was located at the same time and the amounts found off the coasts of EG were staggering. Over 1 billion barrels of oil and over 35 billion cubic metric meters of natural gas were found.


Even though the US finally closed its embassy in EG in 1995 (after the last US ambassador was expelled on charges of witchcraft the previous year) on the grounds of the rampant human rights violations that Obaing committed, the US oil companies were quick to move in on EG. Everyone's favorite oil company, ExxonMobil, has become the largest presence in EG; since the mid 1990's, it invested over 6 billion dollars into EG. ChevonTexxico and the European oil company Hess also has strong presences in EG. After a decade of production, EG produces about 350,000 barrels of oil a day and over one billion cubic metric meters of natural gas has been harvested from EG. Over 3,000 American workers live in EG, manning the wells. The state makes about 3 billion dollars a year on oil wealth alone. According to the CIA, EG usually has a budget surplus of over 2 billion US dollars a year.


Now, I'm sure you're wondering about all those people in EG, the ordinary people still living in their dilapidated shacks on less than 2 dollars a day? Did Obaing behave like a Hugo Chavez or an Evo Morales and distribute the profits to the people in the form of an improved infrastructure, better education, medicine, and basic standards of living? Did he behave like a Arab emir, and eliminate nearly all taxes? Well, the answer to all these questions is no. The people of EG have not seen any of the billions EG now makes. They're still living on 2 dollars a day, and now, thanks to EG's lack of enviormental laws, now inhale some of the most polluted air in the world.


So where did all that money go? Well in 2002 Obaing granted an interview to the BBC. During the interview, the journalist asked Obaing where is the mission billions. Obaing responded that the location was a state secret and he could not tell anyone where it was being held. Obaing has always been generous to grant interviews to foreign journalists, besides the BBC, Obaing has been interviewed by 60 Minuets. When asked about the human rights violations, Obiang has always politely denied the accusations and said his political enemies make up stories to discredit him. However, should any journalist try to explore the conditions that most of the people of EG live in, they usually get arrested and deported.


Currently, Forbes lists Obiang's personal wealth at 600 million US dollars, making him one of the wealthiest leaders in the world. Obiang also owns 6 airplanes, one of which has a king size bed and gold plated facet taps. Obiang personally owns property in South Africa and in the US, much of it in the DC area. Obiang also has a suite at a luxury hotel in Paris kept on reserve for him at all times. It is also reported that Obiang is a huge fan Johnnie Walker and keeps plenty of it around (I couldn't find out which label he preferred). Here is a picture I found of Obiang and his wife living the good life.



Obiang is not the only one in his family to enjoy the good life. His eldest son Teodoro jr is probably one of the most flamboyant presidential children anywhere in the world. Officially, he is currently the Minister for Agriculture and Forestry in EG's government, but he usally is absent from government meetings. Teodoro jr has property in South Africa, France, and the US. He recently brought a 16 acre estate in Malibu CA, complete with a 15,000 square foot house (with 8 bathrooms), a pool, and tennis courts. Nearly all of Teodoro's Malibu neighbors are celebrities - his immediate neighbors are Mel Gibson, Brittney Spears, and James Cameron. It is reported that Teodoro Jr paid over 35 million for this property. At his Malibu property, Teodoro jr keeps a large fleet of luxury sports cars. And in Malibu Teodoro has entered the hip-hop industry, being a rap producer (remember he is also Minister for Agriculture and Forestry back in EG). It is reported that Terdoro jr has also had affairs with several female rappers. Not bad for a man whose official salary is $1,500 a month.



So I'm sure you're wondering about the political situation. Well, in the 1990's, Obiang, in hopes of getting back into favor with the World Bank and the IMF, officially established democracy in EG. However, it soon become clear to everyone that it was a sham, as the party Obiang belongs to the PDGE won most of the seats and few opposition members dissapered. By 2002, the PDGE and it's allies controlled (and still do) all but 2 seats in the 100 member legislature. Obiang also held Presidential elections in 1998 and 2002, winning with over 98% of the vote both times.


So I'm sure you're thinking, a ruthless dictator who pockets all of his nation's oil wealth must be shunned around the world. Well, the answer is, no. Since the discovery of EG's vast amount of oil and natural gas, Obiang has become a well traveled individual. Let's see where he's been.


Here is Obiang in Washington DC with Sceratary of State Condolezza Rice

Here is Obiang (who claims to be a devout Catholic) with Pope Benedict XVI (a couple of years before this picture was taken, an EG government spokesman declared Obiang a devine being and that he could kill anyone he wants to because he's on daily contact with God)

Here is Obiang with former French President Jacques Chirac

Here is Obiang with President Hu Jintao of China

Here is Obiang with fellow African dictator President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe

Here is Obiang with President Idriss Deby of Chad (see my issue on Chad to learn about him) and former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria

Here is Obiang in Dubai

Here is Obiang with President Anibal Cavaco Silva and Prime Minister Jose Socrates of Portugal

Here is Obiang with Cuban President Raul Castro

Here is Obiang with President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva of Brazil

Here is Obiang with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina

Here is Obiang with former UN head Kofi Annan

And in EG's former colonial overlord, Spain, Obiang gets the royal treatment

And here we see Obiang with Spainish Pime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

The coup attempt of 2004

Though Obiang used the excuse of coup plots to arrests his real and imagined enemies, nearly all of these stories were false. Then, in March 2004, a real coup plot was exposed. The brains behind this plot was an English mercanary, Simon Mann. Mann and 67 other mercanaries (almost all being South Africans - both White and Black) were arrested in Zimbabwe, where their plane was being refueled. In EG, one Nick du Troit, a White South African, was arrested on charges of being the scout of the plot. As the plot became more revealed, it was clear that a whole number of shady characters were involved ranging from Ely Calil, a Leabonise oil millionare living in London, to Mark Thatcher, the son of former British PM Margaret Thatcher (Thatcher in his defense stated he was duped and many around him are convinced he is dumb enough to be duped so easily). Also involved was Servo Moto, the exilled Catholic priest living in Spain who used to go around stating Obiang wanted to eat his testicles. Moto agreed in return for being installed President of EG, he would give Mann, du Troit, Calil and others huge oil and gas consessions. Not surprisingly, a wave of repression followed the coup attempt and currently Mann, du Troit, and a few others are currently serving long sentences in Black Beach Prsion.

So how are things going to Equatorial Guinea? Well in 2003, George Bush had the US Embassy in Malabo reopened. Obiang is a regular in Washington and in Texas, where he is wined and dined by the oil companies and people of the Bush Administration. EG is now the 3rd largest oil producer in Africa. As the West contiunes to get off Mideast oil, West Africain oil is becoming the new source for its oil. Don't be surprised that the world will contiune to ignore EG as long as the oil and natural gas continues to flow.

The Presidential Issue, Part 2

This week we're going to look into states in play:

The following are guarantied in the Democratic Camp:

Maine
Vermont
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland

Washington DC

Illinois

Wisconsin

California

Oregon

Washington

Hawaii

Total electoral votes: 197 (270 needed to win)

The guarantied Democratic states are quite a collection. First, we have the New England states, tied with the Pacific coast as the most liberal and secular region in the nation. The Republican Party, though very moderate, is being slowly killed off in these states because voters are sick of how far to the Right the national party is going. New York and New Jersey used to be competitive states, but just as in New England, voters are sick of the social issues and the Republican Party has survived by being only conservative on the economic issues. Delaware is the home of Joe Biden, and Maryland has a large population of African Americans and White liberals and Washington DC is about 70% Black. Illinois is Obama's home state, though the size of the Chicago area is large enough to make Illinois a Democratic stronghold no matter who was running. Wisconsin has a strong tradition of Progressive tradition. California, with its population of White Liberals and Hispanics who are disgusted with the racism in the Republican denouncement of illegal immigration, as well as the general corruption in the nation party. Oregon and Washington have very liberal traditions on their coastal communities, and fortunately, that's where most of the population of those states live. And Hawaii is the birthplace of Obama, but its multi ethnic population would bring its votes in the Democratic camp no matter who was running.

The guarantied Republican states:

West Virgina

Kentucky

Georgia

South Carolina

Tennessee

Alabama

Mississippi

Arkansas

Louisiana

Texas

Oklahoma

Kansas

Nebraska

South Dakota

Idaho

Wyoming

Utah

Arizona

Alaska

Total electoral votes: 197 (270 needed to win)

The first thing anyone should notice about the guarantied Republican states is that with the exception of Arizona and Texas, that they are very, very White, and had John McCain not have been the Republican nominee, Arizona would probably be in play. West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee is Appalachia, home of Reagan Democrats who as of late been voting Republican a lot and yet don't understand why things keep getting worst. Then we have the Deep South, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. This is also the Bible Belt, where a love of God, guns, and country is strong, and a hatred of homosexuals, foreigners, and atheists/agnostics/desists is almost as strong (there's still a racial problem, but at least today no one is willing to admit it). Texas, also part of the Bible Belt, with its legions of Evangelicals, is another Republican stronghold, but thanks to the Republicans hard line view on illegal immigration, the large Hispanic population has given the Texas Democratic Party a boost and the margin of victory isn't as large as it used to be. The Plains, the birthplace of American Populism, is now a conservative stronghold. Then we have the West, with its strong libertarian tradition (as well as a love of guns). Utah and Idaho are the 2 most Republican states in the nation. However most Western conservatives have never been easy with the marriage of the Christian Right to the Republican Party, and a disgust at corruption and incompetence has now put much of the West into play. Finally we have Alaska, home of Sarah Palin.

Finally lets come into the Playing Field:

New Hampshire

Pennsylvania

Ohio

Michigan

Minnesota

Iowa

Missouri

Virginia

North Carolina

Florida

North Dakota

Montana

Colorado

New Mexico

Nevada

Lets take a look at each one state by state:

New Hampshire

Once a solid Republican state New Hampshire is now Democratic stronghold on a state level and a swing state on the national stage. In 2006 both of its congressional seats went Democratic and this fall Republican Senator John Sununu (who voted to support Bush's policies 90% of the time) is up for re-election and it looks like he 's going to be creamed by the wildly popular former NH Gov Jeanne Shaheen. As the rest of New England turned more liberal, New Hampshire did as well, though at a slower pace. As many Bostonians moved into New Hampshire, they brought they're Boston values and Democratic beliefs with them. Meanwhile, unlike most Republican states, New Hampshire's culture is thoroughly secular, and many in New Hampshire, like the rest of the Northeast, have never been comfortable with the rise of the Christian Right. Though New Hampshirians still love their guns and low taxes, they also like smart foreign policy and have no problem with Adam and Steve being together. John McCain won the primary in 2008 and 2000, and many in New Hampshire still remember fondly the maverick of the 1990's who was destroyed by George Bush in 2000. McCain is very respected here. Obama, as we all know came in a close 2nd here, and many in New Hampshire would prefer McCain to Obama. However, if there is any place where Sarah Palin could turn off potential Republican voters, this is the place. Currently Obama is up by a slither in the polls. Regardless who wins, it will be a very close one.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has been a swing state since the dawn of political parties over 200 years ago. Today, both parties have strongholds in parts of Pennsylvania. The Democrats have Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and the Republicans have the rural center of the state (which is more culturally aligned with Appalachia than Philly and Pittsburgh). It is the suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as well as the eastern half of PA that is really in play. The suburban areas should be Republican strongholds, but many have been turned off by the Republican Party's extremism on social issues and its general incompetence. Obama also did very well in the primary in these areas, though he was destroyed in the rest of the state. Then there is Eastern PA, one of the most industrial parts of the nation with its legions of blue collar industrial workers. These workers are your Reagan Democrats, economically with the Democratic Party, culturally, more with the Republican Party. Lately, they have been voting Republican more and more though, though John Kerry did win a slim majority of these voters (and with that PA's electoral votes). These were also Hillary's largest group of supporters in the primaries, and many are uncomfortable with Obama getting the top job. This area has also been affected by the economic downturn of the Bush years, with more and more places closing shop. Joe Biden grew up in this area, in Scranton, and he still identifies with its blue collar culture. Right now with Sarah Palin's entrance, PA is too close to call.

Ohio

Another traditional swing state, Ohio is in a way a microcosm of the US. Some of the most die hard Republican districts are in Ohio as well as some of the most progressive districts (Super Leftest Dennis Kucinich has been representing Ohio's 10th District since 1997). George Bush won by a razor thin victory in 2004 (though I wont bring up those missing ballot boxes), and there is a huge get out the vote drive among both parties. The last time Ohio voted against the winning Presidential Candidate was 1960, so this is a real battlefield. The voters who are really up for grabs are the legions of blue collar industrial workers who call Ohio home. Like their PA counterparts, they have never been warm to Obama, and they do have a strong respect for McCain. However, Ohio has been one of the hardest hit regions in the recent economic meltdown, with home foreclosures out of control and very few new jobs entering the state. The Republican Party in Ohio has also just got through a nasty corruption scandal that included an convicted governor (who at the time of his leaving office, was probably the most despised politician in the nation, with less than 10% of Ohioans supporting him) and a congressman who had to resign. The Democrats did pick up a congressional district in 2006 as well as 8 seats in the State House of Representatives and the Governorship. Right now the Democrats are hoping that this trend will continue but the Republican Party is going to put up one nasty fight for this state.

Michigan

Another Blue Collar state, Michigan is home of some of the most industrial parts of the country. The Blue Collar culture runs deep here, but lately, more and more factories (particularly auto) are shut down, and the legions of Industrial workers who call Michigan home have been getting angry with both parties (Michael Moore is from this group of people, and remember he has been tough on both parties). Lately, Michigan has been in the Democratic camp, but usually with razor thin margins. Like their brethren in OH and PA, Michigan Blue Collar workers are Reagan Democrats, who love their guns and are for God (though it should be pointed out most Regan Democrats are Catholic) and country. However, Michigan, like Ohio, has been one of the hardest hit areas in the economic downturn, and the unions still have some sway. Though Michigan's primary results were disqualified for being held to early, many in Michigan feel another Republican President will be an economic disaster for the state (plus many didn't like it when McCain said some lost jobs weren't coming back). Michigan also has a large African American population centered in Detroit, and expect a huge get out the vote drive there.

Iowa

Though Iowa's farm culture is quite conservative, Iowans have always been willing to give liberal Democrats a chance, and last winter many Iowans fell in love with Obama. Bush won in 2004 by a small margin and many have since regretted voting for him. The success of Obama and Mike Huckabee in the caucuses this spring shows how upset many Iowans of both parties are with the direction this nation is going (though in fairness McCain made no effort in the Iowa Caucuses). The Democratic Party as a whole has been doing very well here, in 2006 Democrats got the Governorship, 2 congressional seats (giving Democrats 3 of Iowa's 5 seats), and both houses of the Iowa State Legislature. While many are predicting Iowa to vote Democratic this fall, the Republicans won't go down without a fight.

Minnesota

Minnesota is traditionally an independent progressive state. Third Parties tend to do well here and Minnesota has the highest voting percentage in the nation (close to 80%). Though Democrats have tended to do well here, Republicans have been doing well lately, winning the governorship in 2003. However, Democrats ran an aggressive local campaign in 2006 and won control of both Houses of the State Legislature by large majorities. Though Minnesota voted against Bush both times, the Republicans put up one nasty fight and expect them to do the same this fall.

Virginia

A longtime conservative Republican state, Virginia has voted Republican in every election since 1952 (except in 1964). Lately, Virginia has undergone a population shift, as Northern Virgina has become a stronghold of suburban liberals (many of whom work in DC and follow politics very closely). Add in a very large Black population (20%, one of the total population) and add in a local Democratic Party that runs more conservative candidates, you have Virginia being up for grabs. With a wildly popular Democratic Governor,(Tim Kane) and with 1 Democrat (Jim Webb) in the Senate and another (Mark Warner) expected to win the other Senate seat this fall, Democrats have put Virginia in play and are making a real effort. Right now the polls show the election to go either way, and if there is any state that could become the Florida of 2008, this could be it.

North Carolina

Another longtime Republican State (and technically in the Bible Belt), the Democrats are making a serious effort at getting North Carolina to vote Democratic for the first time since 1976. It was the results of the North Carolina Primary that determined that Obama would be the Democratic nominee, and many would love to this victory vindicated by an Obama victory in the state in November. Though African Americans make up about a quarter of the state's population, there aren't just enough White Liberals to counterbalance the local Republican Party. However, the local Democratic Party is in a fighting spirit and is going to make the Republicans to fight dearly for this state.

Florida

Florida, the state whose stolen electoral votes gave Bush the victory he needed in 2000 is again in play. With so many different demographics, both parties have a hard time in getting large majorities, though the current demographics do favor Republicans. However, most Floridians are opposed to off shore drilling, considering that many of these wells that everyone is talking about will be drilled in Florida waters and in Florida, the locals of both parties are terrified of losing millions of tourist dollars should drilling commence at the rate many Republicans want it to. Wildly popular Republican Governor Charlie Crist was until recently a major opponent to off shore drilling, and many suspect his recent change of heart has more to with orders from above rather than through personal conviction. Democrats are also trying to get the large Cuban community based in Miami. Traditionally one of most staunchly Republican groups in the country, the younger generation of Cuban Americans are being turned off by what they view as racism in the national Republican Party, and also feel that the embargo on their parents and grandparents home island is way to harsh. Also, Florida has large communities of Haitians, Puetro Ricans, and Dominicans, all of whom are loyal Democrats. And don't forget the large number of Northerners who have moved to Florida, taking their more liberal ways with them. However, the northern half of Florida is still a Republican stronghold, with the legions of the Christian Right ready to vote the way their pastors tell them to. Watch the fight for Florida get nasty in the coming weeks.

Missouri

One of the most divided states in the nation, Missouri has 2 large cities on each side of the state (St Louis and Kansas City), both of whom are progressive Democratic strongholds, the rest of the state is thoroughly die hard Far Right Republican (Rush Limbaugh is from rural Missouri). Each statewide election causes a huge turn out the vote drive in Missouri, as the numbers of the two groups are about even, and many statewide elections are resolved with razor thin majorities. As of right now the polls have the McCain being a head by a few points, though watch it really nasty in the coming weeks. Another potential Florida.

North Dakota

To everyone's surprise North Dakota is in play this year, with Obama actually being head in some polls and not far hind McCain in the polls that put McCain in the lead. The last time North Dakota went Democratic was 1964 and before that in 1936. So surprising is it that neither campaign has a real game plan for North Dakota like they do with the other states up for grabs this year. North Dakota has been quite loyal to the Republican brand for years now and I suspect Obama's surprising preformance here in the polls has something to do with North Dakotians being sick of the sleeze and disgrace that has been the George Bush Administration.

Montana

Another suprise swing state this time around, but this time there is an explanation and a game plan for Montana. While many in the Rocky Mountain states are quite conservative in attitude and outlook, these same conservatives have always been an independent thinking type known as libertarian. Also, many in the Montana (and in fellow swing states Nevada and New Mexico) are not Evangelical, so the social issues that gets the Republican base out to vote don't work here. And the Evangelicals that do live in Montana are more moderate and are more concerned with issues such as the enviroment and standard of living than the more traditional issues that most Evangelicals care about. The Democrats have tapped into this and have been getting moderate Democrats elected into office. Governor Brian Schweitzer is wildly popular here, and both Senate seats are held by Democrats. The State Senate is also in Democratic control. Obama won the primary here by a landslide, and many are hoping this can turn into Montana's votes going Democratic for the first time since 1992.

Colorado

Colorado has four main demographics. First we have the legions of the Christian Right who are identical to their Southern and Plains counterparts, and in many ways, more fanatical (In fact, many of your political organizations of the Christian Right are based in Colorado). Next we have the growing community of progressives in the Denver area and in the ski areas, many of whom are West Coast transplants who brought their West Coast values with them. Then we have the even faster growing Hispanic community. Finally, we have your traditional libertarian Republicans living in the more rural areas. In 2006, Democrat Bill Ritter was elected Governor by a landslide and the Democrats also picked up a congressional seat. The Hispanic coumminity is very loyal to the Democratic Party, in part because Tom Tancredo, one of the major opponents of illegal immigration and legal immigration (and one of the most racist in his attacks on Hispanic immigratns), happens to represent Colorado's 6th district in the House of Reps. The Democrats hosted their convention in Denver this year in aprt to bring Colorado into the Democratic camp for the first time 1992. Watch for a large get out the vote drive as well as a firece fight for the liberatian Republicans and some of the surbanites.

Nevada

Nevada is really 2 separate places, Las Vegas, and the rest of the state. Vegas is home to a large Hispanic popualtion (about 20% of the total population), many of whom are employed by the casinos in the service sector. These legions of Hispanic (many of whom are Mexican) waiters, busboys, dishwashers, maids, cleaners, gardeners, and contruction workers are what makes your visit to Vegas confortable and convenient. If it wasn't for these hard working immigrants (many of whom are working for crappy wages), Vegas wouldn't be the great destination it is today. While the casino bosses and owners tend to vote Republican, the Hispanic community tends to vote for the Democrats. Though Hillary won this group by a landslide, many were quick to jump on the Obama bandwagon once it was clear who was going to win the nomination. It is the rest of the state that is in play. This is the old school Nevada, home of libertarian ranchers and mine owners living in small towns and with the odd bordello or 2, a holdover from the frontier era. While many are very conservative, many are disgusted with the recent behavor of the Republican Party and many are open to voting Democratic. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is from Nevada, and he is wildly popular there, winning by a landslide back in 2004. The Republican Govenor, Jim Gibbons, however, is even more unpopular than Bush is and is embrolled in quite a few scandals, ranging from bribery to employing an illegal immigrant to sexual assult. Watch these 2 factors come into play as both parties try to woo the more rural parts of the state.

New Mexico

Though New Mexico is in the heart of the Southwest, it is a very diverse place. New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics in the nation, with 40% of the state's population claiming at least some Latino heritage; about half of this group speaks Spanish at home. The very popular Democratic Governor, Bill Richardson, is a Hispanic himself and grew up speaking Spanish. Though this group was up for grabs at one time, throughout the nation Hispanics are being turned off by the Republican crackdown of illegal immigration, and New Mexico Hispanics are no exception. Another 10% of the state's population is Native American, which while traditionally Republican, has been more supporitive of Democratic candidates lately. The remaining 50% is White, but this group has a strong libertarian tradition, and has been voting Democratic on the state leval more and more lately. It will be this group that will be up for grabs.

So there is the playing field. Right now this race is too close to call.

The Presidental Issue - Part 1

Today, the Swanson Blog is bringing you the first of a two part series on the Presidental Showdown that is currently going on. Without a doubt, this is a historic election. What was supposed to be Hillary against Rudy turned into Barack verus John. This Fall, Americans will have to choose between two men, one who will be the first President of African decsent or the oldest elected President (as well as having the first female Vice President).

This Spring, we were treated to two showdowns, one of which became an epic as the first major female canidate went head to head against the first major canidate who wasn't White. Taking advantage of a large segment of the Democratic Party who were unconfortable with a Clinton restoration (as well as Hillary's vote for the Iraq War), Barack Obama challenged the might of Bill and Hillary Clinton. As what should had been a short term show down, the Democratic Primary season dragged on into the Spring. The resutlt of this is the Democrats split into warring factions, White Collar Liberals against Blue Collar Moderates; men against women; college grads against non college grads, young against old; rich against poor; and (unfortuately) White against Black. As the final primaries ended, and Barack was the clear (but by a razor thin majority) winner, the Democratic Party leadership was quick to start the healing process.



As the Democrats were tearing themselves to pieces, the Republicans had their own problem, John McCain. John McCain is, to be blunt, the default canidate. When the Republican leadership took a look at the field of canidates they really didn't like what they saw. Rudy: Hero of 9-11, fighter of crime, but a social liberal who moved in with a homosexual couple after his second wife threw him out for repeatedly cheating on her, and even his own children hated him. Mitt: The darling of the Far Right but everyone else was turned off by the fact that he was a very recent convert to the Far Right, and as governor, he ran Massachusetts as a centrist (by Massachusetts standards). Mike: Mike Huckabee came out of nowhere because the Christian Right never really went for Mitt's charm (plus, they wern't confortable with Mitt's Morminism). But Mike had a problem, as Governor of Arkansas, he actaully raised taxes and spent quite heavily (by Republican standards) on helping poor people. Plus, Mike was a Southern Baptist Minister, which isn't a good thing with the seventy percent of Americans sick of the shenagians of the Christian Right. Fred: Fred was supposed to be the Second Comming of Ronald Regan, but Fred proved to be a dud. So then there was John: John still had the respect of Indpendents, and many within the Party remembered the Maverick John from the Clinton years, the Maverick who fought his own Party, the Maverick who forced Campaign Finance Reform down the throat of the Republican Party, the Maverick who worked well with some of the most liberal Democrats in the Senate. Of course, McCain had voted with Bush 90 percent of the time, so they knew they had a loyalist.

But the Far Right and the Christian Right (FYI: there's alot of overlap between these groups) were not confortable. McCain never butt-kissed the Right Wing Windbags like Mitt did. John also was quiet about his religious views, which the Christian right didn't like at all. Though John and these two groups officially made their peace as Barack verus Hillary was reaching its peak, many within these two groups were still unconfortable with John McCain.

However, it appears the healing process has happened, and unity is occuring in both parties. Obama's pick of Delaware Senator Joe Biden was seen as good choice due to Biden's blue collar roots and his foreign policy experience. The Democratic National Convention went flawlessly, going above and beyond expectations, perhaps being the best political convention ever. The Clintons threw their full weight behind Obama, even saying Biden was a excellent VP choice. I have to admitt I was impressed big time by Hillary's speach and by the fact it was she who stoped the roll call vote and called for Obama to be declared the nominee by universial acclumation. I will admitt that I have a new respect for Hillary by being gracius in defeat and calling her supporters to vote for Obama and reminding them why they should. Bill's speach was also impressive, and for once we got to see the old Bill Clinton, the Bill Clinton of the 1990's who could whip up a crowd. Finally there was Barack's speach. Barack's speach was flawless and it brought down the house. Barack did something that neither John Kerry nor Al Gore did: grow a spine and challenge the Republicans, even bringing up social issues that most Democrats dare not bring up. AND he responded to his critics who said his campaign was nothing but fluff: he spelt out what his administration would do. The Democrats came out of the convention swinging.

Now it appears John McCain has also brought unity to the Republicans through his choice of Sarah Palin as VP

WHO IN THE WORLD IS SARAH PALIN???????

I have to admit that I never heard of Sarah Palin until she was announced as McCain's VP pick. At first I thought (and I'm sure most people thought the same) that McCain's choice was going after Hillary supporters. But as I started reseraching about her, it turns out that this woman is a full blown member of the Far Right. Which is of course why the Republican base has rallied around her and (finally) the McCain campaign.

Sarah Palin has been Governor of Alaska since 2006. Before that, Palin was mayor of Wasilla, a town with about 7,000 people, for six years. Palin ran for govenor on an ethics reform platform, and swept the Republican primary, and won the general election easily in this Republican state. Palin ran as an ethics reformer because in the past decade, Alaska has become the most corrupt state in the union. Alaska is home to Senator Ted Stevens, the poster boy of wastefull spending (such as the bridges to Nowhere that we're now learning Palin actaully supported), and now under indictment under corruption charges. In the past few years, a very large number of Alaskian officals (I've personally have counted over 20) have been indicted or under investigation for corruption, many for taking bribes from oil companies. Some of them even had polo shirts made with CBC insribed on them, CBC being short for "Corrupt Bastards Club". Oh yes, and they're all Republicans. With so many Republicans being caught with dirty hands, the unknown and clean Palin was able to sweep the primaries, and has been an ethics reformer in office. Due to her clean house approach to dealing with corruption, Palin has close to 80 percent approval ratings in Alaska (though some of her harshest critics are fellow Repubicans).

Now to Palin's political views. Like I said before, this woman is a full blown member of the Far Right. On reproduction rights she is totally in the "anti choice" camp. A Pentacostal, she doesn't think highly of homosexuals, and believes its ok to teach religion in public schools. As Governor, Palin has supported abstenace only sex education. Palin is also a big time hunter, with moose being her favorite thing to shoot (appearently she also loves moose burgers) and is a proud member of the NRA. Her husband has worked for the oil companies in the past (starting off as a regular worker), and currently between the 2 of them they have alot of connections to the oil and natural gas industries. As you should expect, Palin is for drilling for oil anywhere (which is actually a popular position in Alaska). A mother of 5, her children are named - are ready for this - Track (m), Bristol (f), Willow (f), Piper (f), and Trig (m). Here is a picture of Palin, her husband Todd, and her 3 daughters:

However, in the few days since Palin being named to McCain's ticket, 5 scandals have emerged. The first is the Wooten scandal. Recently, Palin's sister was going through a messy divorce from her husband, Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten. Apparently Palin put pressure on Alaska's Public Saftey Commissioner, Walter Monegan, to fire Wooten as revenge for dragging her sister through the mud during the divorce. Palin has now admitted to actaully calling Monegan and other state officials to talk about the situation, but still state that it wasn't to force him to fire Wooten. Monegan refused to fire Wooten and shortly after, Palin removed Monegan from his post. Under Alaska law, the governor has the right to remove top burricrats at any time for no reason, it usually is considered decent to have a resason to remove one from his or her job. Though Palin quickly offered Monegan a new job in a different position, (which Monegan turned down) the damage was done. Palin was no longer seen as the squeeky clean ethics reformer, as this is a clear case of an abuse of power. As of right now, Palin has hired a lawyer to deal with the situation and the Alaska State Legislature might end up having a full scale investigation on the matter.

Then, another scandal has emerged. It turns out Palin's 17 year old daughter Bristol is pregnent and in her second trimester. When Palin was named the Republican VP, rumors started circulating that Palin was not the mother of her youngest child, Trig, but Bristol was. The eveidence was the following 1) Palin did not announce her pregnacy until she was 7 months in; it took everyone who knew her by surprise and no one on her staff even suspected she was pregnant. 2) Palin went into labor while attending a conference in Texas and flew on an 8 hour flight in order to give birth in Alaska (without even telling her doctor) and 3) Bristol had a long absence from school due to an "illness". These rumors was so loud that in order to silence them, Palin and her people issued a statement stating that yes, Bristol is pregnant, she will carry to term and she will marry the father. The Religious Right applauded this move and many of its leaders have been calling for the meida to leave the Palin family alone (after all, when you're a gun-loving, gay-bashing, abstenance-only-sex-educaion-in-schools member of the Religious Right, you have every right to privacy when it turns out that your own daughter doesn't even listen to you). The fallout of the Bristol scandal has yet to be determined but many feel that its proof that McCain did not properly vett Palin.

Then, a third scandal has emerged, it turns out Palin's husband Todd was arrested about 20 years ago on a DUI charge. Once again, many are openly questioning McCain's reasoning of his choice of Govenor Palin. However, many Republicans reminded themselves that George W Bush also had a DUI charge at one point in his life.

And now, we're learning about the Palins assoication with the successionest Alaska Independence Party. The most successful 3rd Party on a statewide leval, the AIP (as it is known as in Alaska) offically states on its website that all it wants is for Alaskans to be given chance to vote in a referendom that was supposed to happen in 1958. The referendom would give Alaskians a choice of independence, statehood, remain a Federal controlled territory, or become a Commonwealth like Purtro Rico. (In case you were wondering, there actaully was a vote in 1958 in which statehood won by a landslife, winning more votes than all other options combined) The AIP is one of the most anti Federal government political parites in the nation, openly opposed to any forms of government regulation, espially in regards to the enviroment. The AIP's founder, Joe Vogler, has said some of the nastiest things about the US government outside of Terhan. According to the Clerk of the AIP, Sarah and Todd Palin actaully attended the 1994 AIP Conventrion (though the Palins are denying this). And it now has been recently confirmed that Todd Palin was indeed a member of the AIP as late as 2002. As Governor of Alaska, Palin has sent to the AIP a video messeage giving them a very friendly shout-out (you can see the whole video on youtube).

And just recently, a video of Palin that was filmed just this spring in her local church in Alaska. In the video Palin decalers that the Iraq War is "a task that is from God". She also asked the congergation she was speaking to to pray for a successful outcome in a pipeline deal she was working on. And we're now learning that its pastor, Ed Kalnins, is an extreeme Far Rightist who makes Rev Jeriamiah Wright look like Gandhi. Just to give an example, in 2004 he preached that anyone who voted for John Kerry would go straight to Hell. With the media scruniy given to Obama and Rev Wright this spring, watch for plenty of scrunity given to Palin and Rev Kalnins.

Since more and more is pilling up about Sarah Palin, here is an article about some more discoveries about Sarah Palin (otherwise this edition will never be published, I was supposed to update this back on Sunday but I keep finding out more and more about Sarah Palin):

http://www.alternet.org/election08/97350/8_more_shocking_revelations_about_sarah_palin/

Reaction to Sarah Palin has been mixed. The Far Right and its legions of Evengelicals are bombastic that one of their own was choosen. Of course, they're totally ignoring Palin's daughter, calling her situation a "personal issue". Even though her acceptance speach showed that she is indeed a fighter, there is still much whispering about the haste of this decision and its potential to backfire. The rest of the nation is a different story. Obama and Biden have decided to keep quiet for now, playing a "wait and see" stragedy. So far, with 5 scandals (6 if you include Palin going fishing without paying for her licence) in 7 days, it's probably the best thing to do.

We'll close this section on Sarah Palin with a clip of her talking about the Vice Presidency about a month before she was named McCain's choice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=006axc2aELE

So ends part one of the Presidential Issue. Next we'll be turning to the playing field of states in play as well as anything else that will come to light by then.

How can it exist? Belgium

Belgium, to put it simply, is one of those accidents of history. Coming into existence only in 1830 (which makes it young by European standards), Belgium was before that briefly ruled by the Netherlands; but for most of the previous 400 years before independence, rule of Belgium was passed between Spain and Austria (don't ask me how two nations that are not even close to Belgium ended up ruling it) with France often invading trying to take it over. Before that, what is today Belgium was in the Middle Ages a collection of free towns and feudal domains that was a part of that great anomaly of history, the Holy Roman Empire (and if you want to go really far back, what is today Belgium was part of the Roman Empire, as the province of Belgica, from which the name Belgium comes from).


When Belgium became an independent state in 1830, it did not have (and still does not have) a unifying language, ethnic group, or culture. In religion, it was a bit more unified with it being about 75% Catholic and 25% Protestant (the figures remain the same today, except the churches in present day Belgium are mostly empty on Sundays). The result of this is since independence, Belgium has been a strange political marriage between two ethnic groups, the Flemings and the Walloons. The Flemings live in the North and speak their own version of Dutch while the Walloons live in the South and speak their own version of French.

We'll get into more on the divide in a moment, but first, the founders of Belgium, realizing that they needed a focal point, decided to make it a monarchy and invited a prince of the Saxe Cobourg family, a small but well connected family of German princes, to be their head of state. While the Belgians have had a turbulent history with their monarchs (Leopold II colonized what is today the Democratic Republic of the Congo against the wishes of his government, and later milked the Belgian treasury to pay for it - Leopold's rule of the Congo saw some of the worst atrocities ever committed during Africa's colonial period; his grandson Leopold III was forced to abdicate after WWII due to suspected collaborations with the Nazis during their occupation of Belgium), Belgians today have a favorable view of its (currently) scandal free monarchy. Here is a picture of the current Belgian royal family, with King Albert II and Queen Paola and their relatives (FYI: the King is seated on the bench, the Queen is to his left holding her grandchild)

This family you see above is one of only three things that unites Belgium, the other two are its national soccer team (like the rest of Europe, Belgians are soccer mad) and its famous beer.

If there is one thing Belgians really take pride in, its their beer. Without a doubt the best beer on the planet, Belgian beer is the result of centuries of perfection. Many of the brands of Belgian beer sold today, Hoegaarden, Stella Artois, Leffe, Dubbel and others are based on recipes going back to the Middle Ages (the recipe for Leffe actually goes back to the late 1100's). These beers and other Belgian beers has a quality that has such a richness in taste that few other beers can even come close to. Yes, it does take a little getting used to, but if you open your palate to the symphony of flavor that is the pride of Belgium, you too will soon be wondering how did you ever drink that standard watery crap that the FDA somehow allows to be called beer.

Of course in the world of Belgian beer, nothing beats Trappist Beer. Today, the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly referred to as the Trappists, allows only eight of their monasteries to market the beer they brew. Six of them are in Belgium and these six produce what is without a doubt the best beer brewed on Earth. In the United States Chimay is usually the easiest to get. Compared to the sewer water that you drank in high school and college, it is a bit expensive, but its worth every penny.

Now here is the best part. The Trappists (no way am I going to keep writing their formal name), follow the Rule of St Benedict (St Benedict was an Italian monk from the sixth century). In the Rule, St Benedict told generations of future monks that hard work is important as a service to God, and today the Trappists take it as the way to live. While most Belgian beer today is brewed in standard breweries, only using recipes that monks came up with 500-800 years ago, Trappist beer is still brewed in the monasteries by the monks themselves with little outside help. And all profits are used for the upkeep of the monasteries and the rest going to charities around the world. So next time you want to have a real beer and help out the unfortunate of the world, have a glass of Trappist beer.

So I'm sure you thinking, the nation that produces that most incredibly awesome beer brewed in the universe must be a happy nation. Well, unfortunately, no. Belgium is one of the most divided nations in Europe, divided into three different regions with two main ethnic groups. In the north is Flanders. Home to about 60% of the population, this Dutch speaking region is one of Europe's wealthiest regions, with its population having a better lifestyle than most Americans. In the south is Wallonia. Home to about 30% of Belgium's population. In this French speaking region, things aren't so great. In the 19th century, Wallonia was home of one of mainland Europe's most industrialized regions, but in the mid 20th century, the region became a rustbelt, very similar to the American Mid West, though lately it has been making a rebound. And then there is the last region of Belgium, home of the final 10% of the population, Brussels. Brussels, a French speaking (though officially bi-lingual) city in the Dutch speaking region, is one of the most modern and cosmopolitan cities in Europe today. Headquarters of the EU, home of many international corporations, and with a large multi ethnic population of professionals from around Europe as well as a vibrant community of African immigrants, Brussels is a city that many nations would love to have.

Since independence in 1830, the Flemings and the Walloons have been in a continual power play of give and take with power being balanced between the national government in Brussels and the two regional governments. In the 19th century, the Walloons, being more wealthy, dominated the national government, but allowed the Flemings to decide local policy in their region. In the 20th century (in which Belgium was overrun twice by Germany, in both WWI and WWII), the Flemings took over (and most of the prime ministers since have been Flemings), but in the process gave up more local power in order to please the Walloons. By 1990, Belgium had the distinction of being Europe's most divided nation - that's right even more divided than Northern Ireland and Bosnia.

The Flemings and the Walloons almost never interact. In Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants (who have been shooting at each other for the past 300 years) have more interaction. In Bosnia, Serbs and Muslims (remember, just a decade ago they were slaughtering each other) have more interaction. Even Belgian politics reflected this division. Unlike most nations which usually has two or three main political parties, Belgium has a large collection of regional parties. In Flanders there are eight major political parties and in Wallonia there are five major political parties as well as a bunch of other minor parties. Belgium is one of those nations where you can have members of three or four or even five parties running the show. The result of this is Belgian governments are always a bizarre coalition of several parties, each one always trying to get a larger piece of the pie. Even Belgian media is divided, the TV and radio networks in Belgium are all localized.


So now comes the fun part of our account, the Elections of 2007.

In June 2007, Belgians went to the polls for what should had been routine (by Belgian standards) elections. Since 1999, the prime minister of Belgium was this man: Guy Verhofstadt

By the way, this was most flattering picture I could find of Mr. Verhofstadt.

From what I've gathered, it appears Verhofstadt ran Belgium in a Clintonesque centrist way, but without the scandals. After eight years in power, Belgian voters in both regions were tired with his coalition and the two main partners of his coalition, the VLD (Dutch speaking) and the Socialists (French speaking) suffered a huge set back at the polls - the VLD (a center left party) actually came in forth behind the far right Flemish Interests Party. The winners of the election were the CDV (Dutch speaking) and the Reform Movement (French speaking). Verhofstadt resigned as prime minister, and under Belgian law, King Albert named Verhofstadt head of the caretaker government while a new government was to form.


The honor of forming the new government as well as the prime ministership would go to this man, the head of the CDV, Yves Leterme

Now under normal circumstances, after a few weeks, a coalition between the CDV and Reform Movement (and perhaps one or two smaller parties) would had been established and Leterme would take over. Unfortunately, this time around, it didn't happen. Leterme had ran on a "give more power to the local regions" platform and Flemish voters voted for it in huge numbers. In Wallonia, both the Socialists and the Reform Movement both had a "more power to the national government" platform, and the Walloons voted for this in large numbers. The result of this platform split was deadlock occurred in the collation talks between the CDV and Reform Movement and other parties over how much power would go to Brussels and how much would go to the regions.

The deadlock continued for weeks

Then months

And into 2008

As of this was going on, a collective sense of embarrassment began to emerge in all three regions of Belgium. Belgians began to look at their nation and how divided it was and as the months dragged on without a government, the talk of a possible divorce of Belgium in the style of Czechoslovakia began to get louder. Suddenly, what had previously been laughed at was now being seriously discussed as a possible solution to the problem. Also, Guy Verhofstadt was still running the caretaker government, which under Belgian law really couldn't do anything. Even King Albert got involved, personally having the leaders of the main parties over at his estate for private closed door talks.

As of this went on, the rest of Europe watched very nervously. As the EU continues to gain more power, slowly turing Europe into a single Federated State, many EU supporters realized that if Belgium couldn't last after 180 years in existence, what chances does the EU have of turing Europe into a single state?

Finally in March of 2008, Leterme finally broke through and a government was finally formed. The new government included a large number of parties including the CDV, the Socialists, as well as nationalists parties from both regions. Though the government included parties from every part of the political spectrum, Belgians all across the region breathed a sign of relief as a new government led by Leterme was sworn in another round of elections would occur until 2011.

Then on July 14, Yves Leterme offered his resignation to King Albert. When Leterme was sworn in back in March, he vowed to get all enact his platform by July 15, and when July came and no power had been transferred to the regions (due to the French speaking parties blocking constitutional reform), Leterme announced his resignation. Belgians across the nation screamed in horror as another election could be in the near future. King Albert refused the resignation and asked Leterme to form a committee to try to solve the transfer of power problem. The committee is to report to the King on July 31. Meanwhile, a plan to redraw the electoral districts in Brussels is angering the people of Brussels because they are convinced its designed to give more power to the Flemish speakers. Things aren't looking so good for Belgium.

So what's in store in Belgium's future? No one knows, Belgium is already becoming the new Italy, with governments not lasting long and long disputed elections. Will Belgium split up? Will Belgium become a nation that exist in name only with all power belong to the regions? Or perhaps the French speaking parties could get their way and more power will go back to Brussels. Stay tune for what happens next.

Meet your Congressman - Rep. Danny K Davis

Today the Swanson Blog introduces you to Congressman Danny K Davis, Democrat, Illinois




Davis has been representing the Illinois 7th district (which contains downtown Chicago, the West Side of Chicago and a few immediate suburbs directly west of Chicago) since 1997. Before that he was Commissioner of Cook County, Illinois (1990-1997) and before that he was a member of the Chicago City Council (1979-1990). Davis' district includes some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the nation (Chicago's super wealthy financial district is located in the 7th), most cultural neighborhoods (most of Chicago's world famous museums and colleges are in the 7th) as well as some of the most poorest, gang ridden neighborhoods in nation as well (many of Chicago's infamous projects are also found in the 7th). With its population mostly made up of African Americans (who make up 62% of the district) and White liberals, the 7th is one of the most Democratic districts in the nation. Like most urban congressional districts, Republicans are far and few between and Davis won re-election in 2006 with 86% of the vote.


As congressman, Davis has been one of the most progressive members of the House. Recently, Davis was successful in getting the Second Chance Act passed with bi-partisan support. Basically, Second Chance funds programs to help convicts reenter society after release from prison. Being from an urban district, Davis has spent much of his time in Congress lobbying hard for its success, and its final passage in both houses was a victory for urban activists.

However, in recent years, a very bizarre side of Davis has come to light. The best example of this bizarre side was the night he took part in the coronation of the Rev. Sun Myong Moon.

In case you don't know who Sun Myong Moon is, he is an eccentric billionaire from South Korea (though he now spends most of his time on his estates in suburbs of NYC). Moon is also the founder and head of the Unification Church, one of the most bizarre cults in history, famous for its members taking part in mass weddings, and also for its members going out into the streets begging for money as a way to raise funds for the Church. Moon - who claims to be the new messiah sent to finish Jesus' mission - also spent a year back in the 1980's in a US Federal prison on tax evasion charges. Since then Moon has become a huge donor to the Republican Party and social conservative causes. Lately Moon, now approaching 90, has been traveling around the world giving ranting speeches about people's "love organs"(that's the term Moon really uses, just google Moon's name with the term). In one speech Moon told male followers to always remember to pinch their "love organ" at least once a day with a pair of pliers. Moon also loves to talk about the shape of our "love organs". In a speech given at a dinner in Washington DC attended by a large number of conservative politicians and journalists, Moon actually stated: "The human sexual organs are shaped as concave and convex" (you can see the actual footage of this speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QuDK5mmOvA&feature=related ). If you want to know more about the eccentric Rev Moon, you can find plenty of websites exposing him and his very strange teachings.

Anyway, back on March 23, 2004, one of the most strange events in recent history took place as Rev Moon was crowned "King of Peace" in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. The event began very innocently as an award ceremony as peace awards were given out to many in attendance. Also in attendance was Rep. Davis and probably about 6-8 other Congressmen and Senators (the Moonies claim that 81 members of Congress were there but footage they themselves shot show no more than six or so recognizable members of Congress). About halfway in the evening things took a strange turn as Moon declared a reconciliation of the world's races and religions, and people representing all groups got up on stage and reconciled by hugging each other. As the evening continued (you can see footage of this event on youtube), Congressman Davis joined in as he went up on stage and read a poem Moon had written as a teenager. At another point in the evening, a rabbi got up on stage and basically declared Moon to be the Messiah. Finally it was declared that Moon and his wife were to receive the International Crown of Peace awards, and as such, would now be known as the "King and Queen of Peace". Then Moon and his wife were dressed in fancy robes and then crowned. Davis took part in the coronation as he brought out Mrs. Moon's crown (wearing white gloves and very much looking life a footman in a European royal court), and is seen in footage to be bowing before Rev. and Mrs. Moon. Moon then went on to give a long ranting speech in which he declared himself to be the true Messiah and it was time for the world's governments to recognise him as so. Moon - who has stated that if given the chance he will purge the world of homosexuals in the same way Stalin got rid of his enemies -has also declared that every dead president has become a follower of him in the Spirit World.

Here we see Congressman Davis arriving with Mrs. Moon's crown.



This is the official picture taken at the event. Congressman Davis can be seen third from the right of Mrs. Moon.

Anyway when the event was exposed some time later, Davis was naturally questioned about his role in the event. While the few other congressmen who were in attendance stated they had been duped into attending (and the footage the Moonies themselves shot seem to confirm this for at least several of them), Davis' very public role in the evening prevented him from taking a similar path. Davis under questioning admitted that the Moonies have contributed to his campaigns in the past and the reason why he attended the dinner was to honor the Moonies commitment to world peace (when asked to name a single initiative Rev Moon has started to end wars Davis could not name one). Davis - who is a Deacon in the Missionary Baptist Church, - said the Moonies simply asked him to take part in the ceremony and he agreed. Davis then went on to say that the coronation of Rev and Mrs Moon was not that important and was the same thing as high school students crowning a king and queen at the prom (since the coronation, Moon has been making more and more appearances wearing a crown). Sometime after the event, Davis actually praised Rev. Moon on the House floor and entering some of his statements praising Rev Moon into the Congressional Record.

After the fallout of this Davis' bizarre side was exposed again when he took a trip to Sri Lanka paid for by the Tamil Tigers, a group the US government has long considered to be a terrorist organization. Since the 1980's, the Tamil Tigers has waged a war of Independence in Sri Lanka, fighting to establish a Tamil state on the Northern side of the island. In their fight, the Tigers favorite means of fighting include using suicide bombers (until the 2000's they dominated in this field), child soldiers, and blowing up crowded buses (again, until the 2000's they also dominated in this field). The trip, which took place in April of 2005, took Davis and an aide into the parts of Sri Lanka under the control of the Tigers. Davis said he took the trip at the requests of ethnic Tamils living in the Chicago area to see how they were recovering from the Tsunami that had struck back in December. Davis said he thought the group who funded it were simply associated with the Tigers, and not an actual branch of them. Further investigation revealed that Davis has ties with several known shady people of Tamil origin, a couple of whom have been charged with trying to steal technology from the US military. Once again, Davis has claimed ignorance of all of this.

So what lies in the future for Congressman Davis? This spring he destroyed his competitor in the primary (which in a district with almost no Republicans, is the real election for who gets to sit in the House of Reps.), winning with almost 128,000 votes cast while his opponent, Robert Dallas, got a mere 12,000 votes - Note: remember the turnout for this primary had more to do with it being on Obama's home turf (he lives in a nearby district in Chicago's South Side) than with the popularity of Congressman Davis. Perhaps the new congressional term will reveal a new bizarre side of Congressman Danny K Davis.

Third World S***hole Number 1: Chad

A mostly desert nation of about 10.1 million people (about 80% of which are either subsistence farmers or herdsmen), Chad has remained in the top ten poorest nations in the world since becoming independent in 1960. Currently (according to the CIA) Chad has a life expectancy of 47 years and a literacy rate of 48% (which by the way is misleading because under Chadian law, you are literate if you can read either Arabic or French, and many who are literate cannot read both). For most of its history, the people of what is now Chad were clan based farmers and herders who back in the Middle Ages converted to Islam. In the late 19th century, France moved in and took over this desert region hoping that it would prove to be rich in minerals, but the region was soon neglected. During its rule, France founded the first real urban areas, and brought modernization to the area. French rule also introduced Christianity to the area that became Chad; currently, 53% of Chadians are Muslim, 20% are Catholic and 14% are Protestant - interestingly, while religion is factor of division in many other African nations, religion has never been a big player in Chad, and Christians and Muslims have peaceful relations.

When France left Chad in 1960, the nation quickly fell into violence and corruption as rebellions broke out in rural areas and the Office of the President became unstable as Presidents came and went due to coups and rebellions. Ethnic strife also became common as members of the nine major ethnic groups (as well as other smaller ethnic groups and clans) fought for power in a political system that was based on patronage, favoritism, and kickbacks.

Since 1990, Chad has been run by this man, General Idriss Deby

Deby (a native of the Sahara region in the north) got his start in the Chadian army in the 1970's when his intelligence was recognized and he was sent to France for training and study. After returning, he teamed up with Hissene Harbe, a former rebel leader who overthrew the government and became president in 1982. During the Harbe years (which saw over 40,000 political killings), Deby rose to the top of the military but in 1989 a rift between the two occurred and Deby fled to Sudan. A year later he returned with a rebel group of his own (financed by Sudan and - according to some human rights groups - France). Harbe, very unpopular, fled and in November Deby marched into the capital N'Djamena and declared himself president.

Since coming to power in 1990, Deby has become one of the most corrupt presidents on the planet. As president, Deby has openly favored his ethnic group, the Zagawa, a small group which is one of the smallest in Chad with less than 3% of the population (it doesn't even make the top 9). While Chadians have long been used to Presidents favoring their own, Deby has turned this into an art form, putting almost all his relatives - both close and distant - into all the top jobs. On a day to day basis, corruption has reached epic proportions, with bribe being needed to get about anything done, and if you're a subsistence farmer or herder (in case you forgot they make up 80% of the population), the government has done nothing for you except take men away for the army and take part of the harvest to feed the army.

As President, Deby has maintained good relations with Chad's former colonial overlord, France. Deby is a regular in Paris and has been close to both former President Chirac and current President Sarkozy. Here is a pic from one of Deby's recent trips to Paris to meet Sarkozy.

Deby has also welcomed Chinese investment to this cash strapped nation. Here he is visiting President Hu of China

In case you're wondering what does the fifth poorest nation on Earth has to offer to outside investment, Chad has deposits of limestone, uranium, gold, gravel, salt and oil (though there's alot of dispute on how much oil Chad has to offer and its industry only really got started in the past few years).

Though Deby has had decent relations with the West, he has been fighting a virtual war with his neighbor to the east, Sudan. Though Sudan's President Omar al Bashir and the Sudanese government was Deby's main backer in the 1990 coup, Deby has had a fallout with his former Sudanese backers and the since the late 1990's, the two have been fighting a proxy war by secretly backing rebel groups in each other's nation. Since the late 1990's, the east of Chad has been a nasty battleground as rebel groups backed by Sudan (Western intelligence groups have concluded that Sudan pays for all weapons, ammunition, and trucks the rebels use) fight the Chad army and create havoc on the countryside forcing people to flee. The CIA estimates that about 200,000 Chadians (most from the east) have become refugees in their own country.

In case you're wondering who are these rebels, many are actually army deserters who hated the way they were treated in the army, where nearly all the top officers were Zagawas (remember, this ethnic group makes up less than 3% of the total population), and everyone else was treated like garbage. One group is actually led by a couple of Deby's nephews, who had a fallout with their uncle a few years back.

Now if you take a look at the map of Chad above, you will see the entire east of Chad borders Sudan, and most of that part of Sudan is the province of Durfur. Yes, the Darfur, which is acknowledged by just about everyone to the be the shittiest place on Earth. And yes, Deby and the government of Chad is partly responsible for making Darfur what it is today. Since the late 1990's, Chad has supported rebel groups in Darfur, which prevents any form of peace breaking out. Deby has even allowed most Darfur rebel groups to take refuge in Chad. Meanwhile 300,000 Darfurians have fled into Chad and have found themselves trapped in refugee camps that are in the middle of another war zone

In 2006, Deby ran for reelection (though first he had to change the constitution in order to allow himself a third term). Having rigged the previous 2 elections, the opposition parties refused to take part and the Catholic Church called for a voter boycott. Eventually, a few Deby loyalists were talked into running to make the vote look valid. Here we see Deby and one of his wives voting in N'Djamena.

At first, state run media announced that Deby won with 77% of the vote, but was later lowered to 64%, no explanation was given to this change in results. In ether case, not bad for a man who most experts report to be despised by nearly all of the population.

Since the 2006 elections, Chad has slowly started to implode. In the east, rebel groups go about, for the most part unchallenged, with the army being used to protect the more populated west. In April of 2006, a rebel group marched unopposed to N'Djamena and was repulsed in street fighting. In February of 2008, another group stormed the capital, and after 2 days of vicious fighting, were repelled. Even though both Chad and France denied it, French troops stationed in N'Djamena were important elements in the victory of Deby's forces (it is believed that France uses its air supremacy to locate rebel locations). Here are a couple of scenes from the day after the battle in the capital ended.

During the 2 day battle, many of N'Djamena's 700,000 people fled the city across the Charri river into Camernoon. Since February, most have since returned to the capital city. Here is a pic I found showing one of the border crossings:



Meanwhile while all of this was going on, members of a French charity were arrested for being involved in a scam that stole children from their parents and send them to Europe and the US as orphans up for adoption. Needless to say, the case became huge not just in Chad, but in the rest of Africa and in Europe as well (of course the US media was too busy reporting on the latest celebrity gossip to notice this story).

So now you know a little about one of the most shittiest places on Earth (sorry for the blunt language, but s***hole is the only word that can describe what it really is).

The Vice Presidential Issue, Part 2

First of all, I have to congratulate Senator Obama for finally defeating Senator Clinton on Tuesday as he reached the golden number needed to win the nomination! And with Clinton "suspending" her campaign, Obama is the certain nominee. Regardless of what you think of Obama, you have to respect this man. Just a few years ago, he was unknown outside of Chicago and the Illinois State Senate. Now he has taken on the most powerful, dynamic, and organized powerhouse couple since Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and won. I will devote a future issue explain how this occurred, but first I have to finish what I started last week and introduce you to the possible Democratic VP candidates.

First though, with Hillary dropping out of the race (or as the term Mitt Romney and John Edwards used this Spring, "suspend"), our final Hillary joke of the blog:



Now on today's topic:

The Vice Presidential Issue, Part 2, Democrats

Last week I put the Republican candidates for VP into 2 categories, based on their chances of becoming McCain's running mate, but with the Democratic race just being settled, and with Obama and his people saying it may take a while before a choice is made, I'm going to put the candidates into one single category. The exception will be the first one, and it will be clear why because she is:

Hillary Clinton

Back in 2006, when everyone assumed Hillary was going to be the nominee, alot of people talked about having Obama, the rising star of the party, as her VP, uniting the various factions of the Democratic Party under a dream team which would win the White House in a landslide. Now, if it is going to happen, it will be the reverse and it will only be to keep the party from imploding. However, if Hillary really wants it, she will have it because of the leverage she has from coming in a close second, and with many of her followers screaming that they will never vote for Obama, it may be the only way to keep mass defections of older white women and Mid Western blue collar workers, both groups who are critical to winning the White House this fall. The question, however, should be does Hillary really want to be Vice President Hillary? Remember, the constitution gives the Vice President only two jobs: to break ties in the Senate, and to take over if something happens to the President. And after eight years of Satan (sorry, I mean Dick Cheney, I'm always confusing the two), the most powerful VP in US history, most Americans want a more traditional Vice President who goes on Jay Leno and make goodwill trips to nations most people never heard of. There are many more jobs that Hillary can get that have real power. If Hillary does not take the VP nomination, but goes out and campaigns hard for Obama, watch her get some other position should he be elected. Perhaps Justice Hillary on the Supreme Court, or Secretary (fill in the gap) Hillary in the Cabinet, or Governor Hillary of New York, or maybe Ambassador Hillary to the UN. However, don't forget the 800 pound gorilla in the closet, Bill Clinton.

Pros: She's Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Cons: She's Hillary Rodham Clinton.



Kathleen Sebelius

Governor of Kansas since 2003, Sebelius is a popular Democrat in one of the most Republican states in the nation (remember, Kansas is the state where they tried to take science out of the classroom). While she could never get elected in a liberal state like Vermont or Oregon, Sebelius, a practicing Catholic, is the type of Democrat who can win in the more conservative parts of the US. That does not mean she is a DINO (Democrat In Name Only). She is in favor of reproduction rights, is opposed to the death penalty, and has stood up to the gun lobby. Though she had originally won due to a split in the Kansas Republican Party, she has now become one of the most respected and popular governors in recent history.

Pros: Has five years experience in running Kansas, also is 13 years older than Obama, which would be a good age balance. Moderate views will definitely help with older and more conservative voters.

Cons: Even with her popularity, she cannot put Kansas and its 6 electoral votes into play, the state is way too conservative. Also is not the greatest speaker in the world, which only looks worst compared with Obama's orator skills.

Bill Richardson

Governor of New Mexico since 2003, Richardson has the perfect resume to balance the newcomer Obama. Richardson got his start in the 1980's when he was a congressman representing New Mexico's 3rd district. Later on during the Clinton years, he went to work for them first as Ambassador to the UN and later in the Cabinet as Secretary of Energy. As governor, Richardson has been a major supporter of decriminalization of marijuana and a die hard supporter for rights of homosexuals. However, he is also a supporter of rights of gun owners, and has supported business friendly tax laws that most Democrats would never support. And, despite his gringo name, 3 out of 4 of Richardson's grandparents were Mexican (his parental grandfather, who he was named after, was the only American in the family). Richardson's mother, Maria Luisa Lopez Collada Marquez, only moved to the US when she was pregnant with Bill. After a couple of years in the US she brought her family back to Mexico and Richardson spent his childhood in Mexico City before moving back to the US for good. As such, Richardson, who grew up speaking Spanish, considers himself to the a Latino and is well known and very popular in the Hispanic community.

Pros: Will deliver New Mexico and its 5 electoral votes. Popularity among Hispanics will put Texas and Arizona into play and there's a good chance he can clinch Nevada, which is already in play. Resume will balance Obama's perfectly.

Cons: Richarson is just a little too pro big business for most Democrats, also is well known as a loose cannon who shoots his mouth off. Finally, Richardson may not want the VP job. If he's not the nominee, he will definitely be a major player in an Obama administration.

Joe Biden

Senator from Delaware since 1973, Biden has a resume that also balances Obama's through his long term service on two of the most powerful committees in the Senate: The Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Biden was a strong supporter of the Iraq War in the beginning, but has now been very vocal in calling for a change in policy that's neither total withdrawal nor stay the course. Also, Biden has been a vocal supporter on making higher education easier for poorer families.

Pros: Long term Senate service balances Obama's. Definitely will help win over some of those who want a tougher foreign policy.


Cons: Delaware has only 3 electoral votes. Also, Biden doesn't create excitement the way other VP candidates have cause.




Jim Webb



Senator from Virginia since 2007, and like Obama a fellow survivor of an epic election, Webb is one of the more conservative members of the Democratic Party. In fact, he was a Republican only until 2006. Back in the 1980's he was secretary of the Navy under Reagan. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Webb has been a major opponent of the Iraqi War (though he's opposed to immediate total withdrawal) and has been very vocal in opposing any military action with Iran. Webb's family has "redneck" roots and he's very proud of it, writing a book on the history of the Scotch Irish, the ethnic group whose culture he claims developed into the "hillbilly/redneck" culture of the upper South.


Pros: Will clinch the deal for Virgina and its 13 electoral votes and will put North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes into play, and could even get West Virgina and Kentucky back into play. Being a moderate will balance the more liberal Obama.


Con: Has been in elected office even less than Obama. Also service in the Reagan Administration may turn off more liberal Democrats.



Claire McCaskill



Senator from Missouri since 2007, McCaskill is a rising star in the Democratic Party and has been a major Obama supporter since the beginning. McCaskill herself went through an epic election battle, winning by a very slim margin in one of the most divided states in the nation (Missouri has about an equal number of anti war/socially progressive liberals and conservatives who are all for guns, God, and Bush). In the Senate, she's been very active, going after wasteful spending, exposing corruption in the government, working to get better medical treatment for wounded soldiers, and pushing to raise the minimum wage. Will definitely be a major figure in an Obama administration.



Pros: Will probably deliver Missouri and its 11 electoral votes. Will defiantly help with the older female voters who are very disappointed Hillary is not the nominee.


Cons: Has been in the Senate for only 2 years and her only other elected office was Auditor of the State of Missouri.


So there are the potential VP nominees for both parties. However, this election being what it is, don't be surprise if one of both candidates pick someone from outside this group.