According to a Harvard study, attendees at July 4th Independence Day celebrations tend to swing towards the right. I’m not sure how they came up with this theory, but if true, then it should be a requirement that all Progressive Liberals attend July 4th celebrations. Here’s what the researchers said;
Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend’s July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day.
“Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation’s political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party,” said the report from Harvard. [See political cartoons about the 2012 GOP field.]
“The political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century. Survey evidence also confirms that Republicans consider themselves more patriotic than Democrats. According to this interpretation, there is a political congruence between the patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party. Fourth of July celebrations in Republican dominated counties may thus be more politically biased events that socialize children into Republicans,” write Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam. [Enjoy political cartoons about President Obama.]
“There is no evidence of an increased likelihood of identifying as a Democrat, indicating that Fourth of July shifts preferences to the right rather than increasing political polarization,” the two wrote.
The three key findings of those attending July 4th celebrations:
When done before the age of 18, it increases the likelihood of a youth identifying as a Republican by at least 2 percent.
It raises the likelihood that parade watchers will vote for a Republican candidate by 4 percent.
It boosts the likelihood a reveler will vote by about 1 percent and increases the chances they’ll make a political contribution by 3 percent.
What’s more, the impact isn’t fleeting. “Surprisingly, the estimates show that the impact on political preferences is permanent, with no evidence of the effects depreciating as individuals become older,”said the Harvard report.
Finally, the report suggests that if people are looking for a super-patriotic July 4th, though should head to Republican towns. “Republican adults celebrate Fourth of July more intensively in the first place.”
In an implicit admission that Israel is so threatened by terrorism that it is not only surrounded by countries and territories that produce terrorists but also unwillingly harbors terrorists within its own territory in a way the most other nations in the world do not, the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 “specially designated countries” it believes “have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members.
Also included on the list–separately from Israel–are the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the four nations bordering Israel.
So because a few terrorists are able to hide in the cities of Israel, they are put on this terror watch list? We might as well add the US to that list as well. How many terrorists do you reckon are hiding here in America?
Check out this video of possible UFO sighting in London, England. It looks to be a large ship with four or five smaller ships flitting all over the sky. Is it possible to “photoshop” something like this?
We get a history lesson on the Declaration of Independence and it’s correlation to the Constitution. As Stacy McCain says, it’s tenth grade American history… or it used to be as I remember it. Hell, I recall learning about this in elementary school in the fourth grade.
What was the purpose of the Constitution’s preamble?`Here, let’s read it:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Fifty-two words of plain English. And as every 10th-grader used to know, the convention that produced the Constitution had originally been delegated merely to revise the Articles of Confederation, the shortcomings of which had become clearly evident since the end of the Revolution.
Because the convention had exceeded its original authority, it was necessary first for the delegates to explain why they had done so, and the 52-word preamble was this explanation. They invoked the authority of the “people,” and listed six general objectives as innocuous as they were vague. (How could anyone be against securing the blessings of liberty?)
The phrase “to form a more perfect Union” was merely an expression of the universally recognized problem with the Articles of Confederation: The Union (of the 13 states) was decidedly imperfect. States were levying tariffs on goods imported from other states, for example, and some state governments were struggling with heavy debts from the Revolution. Such was the state of affairs that during Shay’s Rebellion, local militia had to commandeer weapons from the federal armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, to prevent the armory from being captured by the rebels.
This is why the men who wrote the Constitution began by saying that this new framework of government was intended “to form a more perfect Union” — that is, to create a more harmonious connection between the several states than had hitherto existed. Nothing more significant could reasonably be read into those plain words.
This is a very compelling and articulate essay against Same Sex Marriage written from a secular viewpoint. That means “non-religious” for all you secularists out there.
Roxeanne de Luca challenged socially conservative bloggers to write a non-religious case against same-sex marriage, so here's mine. I can't possible cover everything, but I will make three arguments. Same-sex marriage is bad for children Same-sex marriage is bad for civil society and business Same-sex marriage is bad for public health Let's look at these in order. 1. SSM is bad for children Traditional marriage is beneficial for children for 4 re … Read More
An excellent article. I especially like the way the author uses the words of infamous eugenicist Margaret Sanger to make his points.
I was making my rounds earlier today and came across a very thought provoking piece by Colin over at Fleece Me. The piece, A clarion call African Americans, takes on a very difficult topic: the black community and what it can expect in the future should America fall into a full-blown utopian Socialist state. I found his assessment to be pretty much spot on and the truth is, it’s a bleak future for the black community. Fleece’s approach comes from … Read More
Fleece Me has some thoughts on the sin of compromise and it’s unintended consequences in the political spectrum.
“One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” ~ Chinua Achebe “Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of retaining another–too often ending in the loss of both.” ~ Tryon Edwards “Compromise used to mean that half a loaf was better than no bread. Among modern statesmen it really seems to mean that half a loaf is better than a whole loaf.” ~ G. K. Chesterton “Compromise is when one person … Read More
Phoebe has been keeping up with the Casey Anthony murder trial and found this little tidbit of information. It just goes to show how family cohesion is a factor in how well a child grows up.
Belvin Perry Jr. is the Judge assigned to the Casey Anthony trial. Belvin Perry Sr. `He Was A Cop's Cop' No-nonsense Belvin Perry Sr. didn't finish high school — but sent 4 kids to college. February 23, 2007|By Jeff Kunerth, Sentinel Staff Writer It was a windy day in 1993, too windy to fish, so Belvin Perry Sr. stayed home and polished his guns inside the house on Domino Drive that he built on a waiter's tips and a policeman's salary. A man who … Read More
Don’t ya just hate that- when people who have no children of their own try to tell you how to raise them. I know I sure do. I have three grown up daughters and six and a half grandchildren.
One of the easiest things in the world to do is to tell other people how to raise their children. This is especially easy if you have no children of your own.
Looking for blog-fodder at Google News, I saw an interesting headline under the “Spotlight” feature:
How to Talk to Little Girls I went to a dinner party at a friend’s home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time.
Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, “Maya, you’re so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing!”
But I didn’t. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are. . . .
Check out this essay by Phoebe. It’s a good one. And considering the events of the last few days, it’s apropos. I had some of the same experiences with race and race relations growing up, although I was from the other side of the country.
I grew up in the whitest state in the nation…Maine, never had any prejudice, never saw a black person until I was a sophmore in High School when we got our first black teacher, he was wonderful and the kids just loved him. When I finally managed to leave Maine for the first time I went to Florida. I got a job in a restaurant, the owners were very nice, they became my friends but at the same time I felt slighted because they didn't see me as sk … Read More
Posted by thatmrgguy 
