Mercury in our Water and the Fish

Mercury a substance known to cause birth defects, is able to damage the nervous system, and can cause learning disabilities has been shown in results of federal study in fish widespread. The Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana have been found to be the states with the highest levels of mercury contamination in their “blackwater streams”. Certainly all fish have traces of mercury contamination but only a quarter of the fish have high concentration that exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency.

Andrew Rypel a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Mississippi said that research has shown that Mercury has been found in fish from isolated areas of Alaska and Canada and even species that live in deep Ocean. On Wednesday 19 a federal study released information on tested fish from 300 streams across the U.S. Mercury was found in every fish sampled, the results showed how widespread is the issue of contamination of the fish.

What is the source causing the Mercury contamination through out the nation? One cause is gold mining. Through out the fish tested the most tainted and highly concentrated fish was a smallmouth bass that was found in Carson River in Nevada an area that was “tainted” with mercury because of gold mining. 58 other streams mostly in the West that have acidic conditions cause by mining could also contribute to the mercury levels. All states except Alaska and Wyoming have issued a fish consumption advisories because of the contamination.

The Obama administration said, earlier this year, that they had begun drafting new regulations to control the emission of Mercury. The administration is attacking power plants after the court appealed plans that were drafted by the Bush administration that favor industry. The Bush drafting would of let power plants buy and sell pollution credits instead of putting a restriction to mercury pollution. Obama is doing a good job on attacking the issues in the U.S. and nationwide. He is not only attacking the political issues but also environmental issues. Yay Obama.

Health Care V.S. Immigration

On August 10 Barack Obama said that the health care problem will be further resolve by this fall in exchange for this the immigration issue will be postponed until 2010.



In the news conference he also defended the efforts the U.S. is taking to restore Manuel Zelaya's (Honduran President) power after being overthrown by a coup on June 28. Though Obama believes that critics had been saying he is being a hypocrite on his policy on Honduras yet at the same time they are also saying that he hasn't intervened enough.



Obama spoke to Felipe Calderon the President of Mexico and Stephen Harper the Canadian Prime Minister about his domestic and foreign "agendas" that include both the war of drugs in Mexico and the fight with Health care at home.



The drastic war of Healthcare is going wild. Republicans are unsatisfied with Obama's effort while the Democrats are blaming Republicans for sabatoging the Healthcare discussion.

Obama strongly believes that when people see the legislation that is being passed there will be more intelligent arguments to discuss. He expects an immigration legislation to be drafted but it will be further discuss in 2010. Right now the issues that are of importance in the U.S. are health care, energy legislation, and the “overhaul of financial regulatory rules” to finished Obama’s first term.

To Double, or Not to Double

Senators and advisers of the military want Obama to double forces in Afghanistan. The supporters want to boost the "Afghan National Army and police" to 400,000 employees from the 175,000. Joseph Lieberman chairman of Homeland Security Committee and Carl Levin chairman of the Armed Services Committee wrote that postponement to support Afghan forces would prevent the U.S. from internal improvements.

General Stanley McChrysal the U.S. and NATO commander recommends a faster expansion of Afghan forces in a report he will give to Robert Gates head of the Defense Department and Anders Fogh Rasmussen general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In his report he would not mention how many more NATO or U.S. troops would be needed to train the Afghan forces.

In a letter dated May 19 Obama 17 Democrats and Republicans urged doubling Afghan forces. The U.S. already agreed to have 134,000 personnel and 96,800 police by 2011. Though the Defense Department has requested $7.5 billion to fund the expansion in 2010.

Obama is reluctant to the idea of training and equipping 170,000 additional forces because it will increase the cost. Building Afghan forces is much cheaper than sending American soldiers to Afghanistan. The cost of sending one American soldier equals the cost of training 60 Afghan s.

Obama’s pledged 17,000 U.S. ground troops and 4,000 trainers would be in Afghanistan by the end of September. During this period of time there are 62,000 U.S. troops and 40,500 NATO forces in Afghanistan that is the highest number since the war to overthrow the Taliban in 2001

Gay and Lesbian Leaders in the White House

Barack Obama open the White House for gay and lesbian Leaders on June 29. The reason for opening the doors was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of riots surrounding Stonewall Inn, where the police and gay patrons when against each other in Greenwich Village. Not only that but Obama wanted to tell gays and lesbians that he did not forget their issues.

Obama compared and related African American's issues with gay and lesbian struggles. Even though some gay activist liked the idea of being invited to the White House others were frustrated. Some activists are frustrated because they believe that Obama is not acting quickly to help them with the discrimination through out the US.

At the end of the event Obama promised to overturn the military policy on gays, repeal the marriage act, and pass a hate-crime bill in respond to Matthew Shepard's murder (The Laramie Project for those who were in the Theater History class). Not only that but he stated that he hopes to be judge not by the promises he makes but by the promises he keeps.

Obama's administration is making sure they keep Obama's campaign pledges but they are trying to avoid the idea that Obama is "giving in to any one group's demands."

Sara Palin and the Split of the Republican Party

Shocking news that let every one with the mouth open, the governor of Alaska (Sara Palin) is resigning. Before finishing her first term, Sara Palin decided to step down and turned the office to Lt. Gov. Sean Pamell, who is going to take the position on July 26.



Palin's resignation stunned the GOP or Republican Party. Her defenders believe that leaving office leaves her free to do anything she wishes without "home-state opponents criticizing" her. While other Republicans believe that resigning during mid-term of her position and the way she resign was a political suicide. Todd Harris the Republican media consultant compared her as "the Miami Vice of American politics" that once it was cool but later is just a practical joke.

The criticizing of Palin's resignation is dividing the GOP because some think that is a good idea the way she is trying to be free, while others think that her resigning makes her look foolish. Most people ask themselves what is her purpose of resigning, Palin says she is resigning because she feels that her life is being control by the media, or that she is not "good" for the position of Alaska's governor, but other people like Carl Forti the GOP communication strategist state that in order to run for national office resigning and getting out of Alaska is a good step to take, even though now her resignation damaged her chances of becoming the 2012 presidential election.