CPAC 2010

Wow! If ever there was an event that made it easy to transition back into regular blog entries CPAC was it!

CPAC, for those readers who don't know, is the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference held in Washington D.C. This was a fantastic weekend full of conservative values and inspirational messages for the future of our great nation. In addition it was just another way for the WSU College Republicans to get out there and represent Wright State in the political arena.

Listing all of the cool things that happened at CPAC would be no fun, because who likes a list? However, a list of cool things that happened accompanied by videos? JACKPOT! Luckily another website already created such a list and you can view it HERE.

Almost all the speeches given at CPAC can be found online with no more effort than the use of Google. Although, since you, the reader, already took the time out to visit our blog it only seems fair to hit you with a few links:

Ron Paul's CPAC speech - It's also worth noting that Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll for who attendees would most like to see as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012.

Mitt Romney's CPAC speech

Glenn Beck's CPAC speech

"I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." - Barack Obama

Does N. Korea Have the Muscle to Back Up Its Tough Talk?

North Korea's recent nuclear test and belligerent talk has put a spotlight on the Korean Peninsula. It has long been one of the most militarized zones in the world.

Since its nuclear test Monday, North Korea has issued a stream of harsh rhetoric, even declaring that the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War is null and void.

Not surprising
Experts on North Korea say its tough talk is not unusual. Kim Tae-woo is the vice president of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis in the South Korean capital, Seoul.

"This is very normal kind of language [for North Korea]," Kim said. " We already get used to that kind of practice."

Provoking reaction

However, he says North Korea does appear to be trying to provoke some sort of reaction from South Korea and other countries with its nuclear test.

The bitter divide between communist North Korea and democratic South Korea has left a legacy of military force on the peninsula. Kim says North Korea has long maintained one of the largest armies in the world - with more than one million active-duty troops.

Read the full story HERE.

Proposition 8 Upheld by California Supreme Court

San Francisco police arrested about 175 protesters who were part of a group that blocked a major intersection for hours today in response to the state Supreme Court's ruling upholding Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

Hundreds of people filled the intersection of Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue late this morning after word spread of the ruling. The court also ruled that roughly 18,000 existing same-sex marriages in California remain valid.

Around 12:45 p.m., officers were seen placing plastic handcuffs on protesters and leading them to police vans waiting nearby. With each new arrest, the crowd cheered.

Police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said the protesters were arrested for being outside a crosswalk and failing to obey an officer. Tomioka said she was not aware of any injuries related to the protest.

As of mid-afternoon the intersection had been cleared and traffic was moving through normally.

A separate gathering was planned for 5 p.m. today by the group Marriage Equality. Tomioka said police will maintain a high profile during that protest, which included a planned march from City Hall to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial at Yerba Buena Gardens.

The state Supreme Court by a 6-1 vote today upheld Proposition 8, passed by California voters in November. The initiative was approved by 52 percent of voters as an amendment to the state Constitution.

Read the full story HERE.

Nevada Governor Takes the Moral High Ground With Regard to Gay Relationships

CARSON CITY, Nev.—Gov. Jim Gibbons vetoed a law Monday that would give domestic partners, whether gay or straight, many of the rights and benefits that Nevada offers to married couples.

Gibbons said in a statement released during the Memorial Day holiday that Senate Bill 283 conflicts with a state constitutional amendment approved by Nevada voters in 2002 supporting marriage between a man and a woman.

"Only the voters should have the right to undo or amend constitutional mandates," he said.

It was not immediately clear if the Legislature would seek to override Gibbons' veto.

The measure would prohibit discrimination against domestic partners, and give them the same community property and debt rights as married couples.

The Republican governor also said domestic partners can sign private contracts to accomplish many of the goals of the law.

Harrah's Entertainment has called for an override if Gibbons vetoed the measure.

The casino giant pointed to an estimated $700 billion in buying power among potential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers.

The bill also had support from of the powerful Nevada Resort Association, and drew praise from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

Gary Peck, ACLU executive in Las Vegas, called domestic partnership rights an economic and civil rights issue.

Read the full story HERE.

Criticism of Pelosi Continues

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich today called on current speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to resign, saying her accusation that the CIA lied to her threatens national security.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich weighs in on the Pelosi firestorm.

"She really disqualified herself to be the speaker," Gingrich said on "Good Morning America" today. "She has a unique responsibility for national security. ... She made this allegation that smears everyone who's trying to defend her."

Leaving her in her place would be "very dangerous for the country," Gingrich added.

Last Thursday Pelosi denied that she knew the CIA employed waterboarding, a harsh interrogation technique that simulates drowning. The speaker said the CIA "misinformed" her when they briefed her in September 2002, the month after Guantanamo Bay detainee Abu Zubaydah was subjected to waterboarding.

Gingrich said on "GMA" that Pelosi is the one who misinformed the American people.

"What she said Thursday was a stunning dishonest statement about a major American institution that has a key role in our survival," he said. "I think the Democrats should get a new speaker."

Read the full story HERE.

RNC Chairman Calls for Sharper Criticism of Obama, Among Other Things

Seeking to reassert himself as a party leader, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele yesterday implored GOP members to stop "navel gazing" and sharply attack President Obama.

His early tenure marred by a series of gaffes, Steele continued a recent re-emergence into the public fray, declaring Obama's first several months "a reign of error" in a speech to RNC members, and adding that the Republican "renaissance has begun."

"We've seen strategists writing memos and doing briefings urging that Republicans avoid confronting the president," Steele said in remarks at a convention center at National Harbor in Prince George's County. "If we have the courage of our convictions, and we do, then we will and we must stand up against disastrous policies, regardless of the president's popularity."

It was Steele's most high-profile speech since a series of controversies left him apologizing to talk show host Rush Limbaugh and assuring Republicans he would reduce his number of mistakes as well as his number of television appearances.

But while encouraging stepped up party action, Steele has also warned against overreaching.

His sharp criticism of Obama came as some members of the 168-person committee pushed for a resolution demanding the Democratic Party rename itself "the Democrat Socialist Party."

Earlier this week, Steele said, "I don't think that that is an appropriate way to express our views on the issues of the day."

His committee allies have sought to soften the resolution's tone, but others said it is likely to pass despite Steele's concerns, though the language might be altered.

Read the full story HERE.

Republicans to Pelosi: "Put Up or Shut Up"

Top Republicans are demanding an apology from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or proof to back her claim that the CIA misled Congress about the use of harsh interrogation tactics.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says the CIA misled Congress about harsh interrogation tactics.

Pelosi last week said that she was briefed by the CIA on such techniques only once -- in September 2002 -- and that she was told at the time that techniques like waterboarding were not being used.

Pelosi, D-California, said she learned from an aide that waterboarding had been used after other lawmakers were briefed in 2003.

A recently released Justice Department memo says the CIA used waterboarding at least 83 times in August 2002 in the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, a suspected al Qaeda leader imprisoned at U.S. facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Monday that if Pelosi's accusations are not true, she may need to step down.

"She made some outrageous accusations last week where she said that the CIA lied to her and lied systematically over a period of years. That is a very, very serious charge," Hoekstra said Monday on CNN's "American Morning."

"Either the CIA needs to be held accountable for their performance during this time or the speaker needs to be held accountable and be responsible for the actions and the statements that she made last week. One or the other is correct, one or the other is wrong," he said

Read the full story HERE.