http://www.williamhallowell.com Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:49:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   This post is part of Billy Hallowell and Stephen Nichols' Static News project.  For more information, please visit www.static-news.com.  "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level." - John McCain For our first week ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/so-what-the-heck-are-basic-human-rights.htm   Both Barack Obama and John McCain have issued lofty statements regarding their efforts to reduce the influence that lobbyists have on the hill and throughout the American political system. But, while the candidates often speak candidly of reducing the impact that special interests have in Washington, there are ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/special-interests-pour-in-the-conventions-dollars.htm Aside from being utterly hilarious, John McCain's portrayal of Barack Obama as a left-wing celebrity who has traits and a following that are comparable to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears fetched an extraordinary amount of media coverage. The campaign ad also nabbed the attention of one of its main ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/mindless-fans-the-obama-camp-unleashes-weak-counter-strategy.htm By Lyle Hickman and Billy Hallowell Today’s Transparency Recap starts way up north with our coldest state, Alaska. According to Talking Points Memo’s, Republican Senator Ted Stevens was “arraigned last week on seven counts of false statements”. After a federal indictment, without stagnation, Stevens regrouped and organized a ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/stevens-federal-indictment-crs-reporting-consumer-rights-wal-marts-alleged-political-posturing.htm By Billy Hallowell and Lyle Hickman This week's Transparency Recap opens with a Corruption Chronicles blog entry entitled "'Nonpartisan' La Raza Council Endorses Obama." The National Council of La Raza was founded in 1968 in Washington D.C. as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. While the organization touts nonpartisan status, Judicial Watch ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/j.htm Happy Independence Day, America (a little late)! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. Today, we're going to recap some of the best in transparency and citizen engagement news from the end of last week through yesterday -- Monday, July 07, 2008. Today's recap starts with a piece entitled, "Red, ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/us-dependence-roves-testimony-detroits-political-trauma-the-domestic-records-of-terror-detainees.htm Does anyone else find it painfully ironic that John Kerry -- a man who the American people found, via the electoral system, unfit to lead -- is engaging in pointless commentary, while waging baseless claims against Sen. John McCain? Over the weekend, Kerry called McCain "unfit to lead." Am I incorrect ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/sen-john-kerry-still-irrelevant-out-of-touch-off-base-and-fringe-2.htm   This weekend's edition of the Transparency Recap focuses begins with the POGO blog's coverage of a Washington Post piece by Professor Paul Light. According to POGO, Light tackles the challenges the next president will face upon entering office. From organizing the many titles and positions within the executive ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/presidential-responsibility-personal-financial-disclosure-rep-culberson-and-the-millionaires-amendment.htm "Hope." "Change." "A new kind of politics." Barack Obama's promise to implement these ideals has led him top of the Democratic pack, as millions of Americans have contributed to his highly successful campaign. And who can blame Americans for jumping on board? On the surface, a platform that promises ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/obamas-hope-change-and-other-weasel-words-the-politics-of-usual.htm Welcome to the Friday edition of the Transparency Recap. Since we last published, the political arena has been bustling with news and happenings. Since it's been a few days since the last recap, we'll try to cover the most impactful events that occurred during the course of the week. ... http://www.williamhallowell.com/obama-opts-out-lobbyists-hold-back-and-nuke-components-missing-among-other-transparency-news.htm