Friday, May 6, 2011

Obama citizenship conspiracy theory


Conspiracy theories about the citizenship of Barack Obama claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore not eligible to be President of the United States under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution. Some of these conspiracy theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, or that his birth certificate is a forgery. Others allege that Obama became a citizen of Indonesia and lost his U.S. citizenship. Still others claim that because Obama's father was from Kenya, that meant he held dual citizenship at birth (British and American), and the supposed dual citizenship means Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States.
The claims have been promoted by a number of fringe theorists and political opponents, often referred to as birthers, some of whom filed unsuccessful lawsuits seeking to disqualify Obama from running for, or being sworn in as President, or to obtain additional proof that he is constitutionally qualified to hold the office of President. Some Republican elected officials have expressed skepticism about Obama's citizenship or have displayed a lack of willingness to acknowledge it. Republican members of the U.S. Congress and state assemblies have proposed and voted for legislation that would require presidential candidates to provide documentation of their qualifications to be president, including natural-born citizenship.
Belief in the conspiracy theories has persisted despite Obama's pre-election release of his official birth certificate from the state of Hawaii in 2008, additional confirmation by the Hawaii department of health based on the original documents, and the April 2011 release of a certified copy of Obama's original Certificate of Live Birth (so-called "long form birth certificate"). Other evidence of Obama's Hawaii birth has surfaced such as birth announcements published in August 1961 in two Hawaii newspapers. Polls conducted in 2010 suggested that at least one quarter of adult Americans doubted Obama's U.S. birth.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

True Finns


Young russian man Dimitri (shown in the Youtube video) don't know how to vote, so reporter suggests him The True Finns. Dimitri feels that he's finally found a political party he can vote for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lGPdxvVbgg

The True Finns' manifesto indicates they have much in common with right-wing populist parties elsewhere in Europe.
They believe that a low birth rate is not solved by immigration, as that results in problems and foreigners do not fit into Finnish culture. Instead, young women should study less and spend more time giving birth to pure Finnish children. That is like a faint echo of Nazi ideology.
If the True Finns do as well as expected the rival parties may opt for the traditional strategy of integration, but this time it is likely to backfire, because the economic climate has changed.
Finland suffered when the Soviet economy collapsed, because the USSR was a major export market for Finnish goods.
But in 1995 Finland joined the EU and Nokia developed into a globally successful mobile phone manufacturer. Finland joined the eurozone wholeheartedly in 2002.
But for many Finns today EU membership is no longer sexy - not when it involves bailing out countries like Greece, the Republic of Ireland and Portugal.
Other companies have caught up with Nokia and even the traditional "green gold" of Finland - timber - has lost its lustre. One paper and pulp mill after another has closed and many workers have been fired.
If the True Finns join the next coalition Finland will turn in some degree towards stronger nationalism and protectionism.