Cyberattack with Larger Implications

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The article "Everything We Know About the Massive Sony Hack" describes how the massive technology corporation Sony has been under heavy cyber attack in the past few weeks. The Sony Movie division has been specifically targeted with upcoming movies being leaked, communication systems being shut down, and twitter accounts being taken over. This is really bad news for the company since box office totals significantly drop if the movie is leaked online before the release date. There is suspicion that North Korea is behind the attack because of The Interview, an upcoming movie where Kim Jong-un is portrayed as a target for assassination. North Korea has stated its disgust with this movie and its producer, Sony. The FBI and several United States government agencies are looking into this hack and treating North Korean involvement very seriously. This whole event may lead to even icier relations between North Korea and the United States.

In my opinion, North Korea needs to learn how to take a joke. The movie is a clear comedy that has no deeper, political meaning behind it. I doubt that James Franco and Seth Rogen are high international experts who purposely put subversive political agendas inside a generic, modern comedy. What it really boils down to is another situation where North Korea is going to whine until it gets what it wants from the outside world.

14th Amendment Strikes Down Photo ID Law in Badger State

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While this event may not be as new, I found it to be quite intriguing. This past April, a federal judge, Lynn Adelman, struck down a Wisconsin law that requires state approved photo identification in order to be able to vote. The case was initiated due to two lawsuits against officials on the behalf of residents of Wisconsin (mainly minority groups). Judge Adelman cited both the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act as a basis for her decision. In her decision she stated, "Blacks and Latinos in Wisconsin are disproportionately likely to live in poverty. Individuals who live in poverty are less likely to drive or participate in other activities for which a photo ID may be required (such as banking, air travel, and international travel) and so they obtain fewer benefits from possession of a photo ID than do individuals who can afford to participate in these activities." This will hurt the majority party in the state, Republican, since many of these minority voters are Democratic.

I thought that it was a well written article. The topic was fully covered, and it was nice to have direct quotes from the judge's decision within the article. I am of the opinion that photo identification should be used in all elections in order to help prevent voter fraud. However, I do see how photo identification could lead to the disenfranchisement of minority groups. I can not think of any clear cut solution to this problem at this time because any online program is liable to being hacked, documents of residency can be easily forged or stolen, and government issued papers with a photo on them would be costly and inefficient. Hopefully, a viable solution to this conundrum will appear in the future. 

Key Senate Spot Lost for Democrats

The race for the senate seat in Colorado has been called (Link). Republican Cory Gardner defeated the incumbent democrat, Sen. Mark Udall in a very close election. Gardner's campaign took off in Colorado when he was able to easily put down political attacks against him concerning abortion legislation by Udall. Gardner's campaign was also helped by an endorsement from The Denver Post which helped to propel him to a victory.

The article was well written. However, I believe that it may have been published too soon. The precincts in Colorado are still only at 96% reporting (I was trying to wait until they reached 100% before writing this. Link). This means that, at the time of the publication of this article, the election could have drastically shifted gears. Personally, I am surprised that a Republican won Colorado considering that it is typically seen as a more Democratic state with the recent legislation that it has passed.  On the other hand, looking at the views of Gardner expressed in the article, one can see that he is not a conservative but a more moderate Republican. All in all, the Colorado senate race was a key race that helped the Republican party take control of the senate.

Rounds Under Fire

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The article titled "South Dakota candidates target Rounds" discusses many issues in the current Senate race. The main point that is focussed on discusses how Rick Weiland and Larry Pressler are targeting Rounds concerning the EB-5 visa program. The program was designed to lure foreign investors to South Dakota with visas as long as they invested $500,000 in local projects. While this appears to be a sound plan, there are corruption charges that are currently being investigated by federal authorities.  Rounds has defended this plan which was instituted while he was governor causing the influx of political attacks from Pressler and Weiland.

The article is all over the place in areas but is well written when it describes the EB-5 program and why it is so vital to the race. It is being used as fodder for candidates who are desperately attempting to catch up to the frontrunner Rounds.  In my personal opinion, I do not approve of the corruption that has occurred in the project, but one has to let the full investigation be completed before making a decision about a candidate solely based on this issue It almost seems to me that this series of attacks is being used as a desperate, last attempt to gain votes before election day.  

Senate Race is Heating Up in South Dakota

The Senate race in South Dakota is heating up with three candidates that have the potential to win.  An article from the Huffington post (Link) gives an unbiased guide to how each candidate feels about certain issues. Going over the answers to each question that was given to each candidate really helped gain perspective on the race.  Looking at these, one can see that each candidate is very loyal to the beliefs of their respective parties with the Independent Pressler leaning more towards a Democratic stance. The issues discussed included a wide variety of issues from climate change legislation to gay marriage to health care legislation.

Overall, the article is a great guide to voters as it clearly states the opinions of the candidates in a way that voters can easily understand.  I will now be able to vote with more confidence since I know how each candidate feels about issues that matter to me.  This election will be influential as the balance in the Senate may be shifting greatly shown in the following graphic (Link).

First Victory in New Cold War?

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Summary- According to the Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian forces have begun to withdraw from the Ukraine region. Kerry stated, however, that a larger Russian withdrawal will be required before the United States lifts its crippling, economic sanctions on Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko within this week. Hopefully, this meeting will help ease the tensions between the two countries with the current war claiming the lives of about 3,400 lives.

Analysis and Opinion- I found this article to bring to light a key turning point in the relationship between the East and West. It is a political victory for the U.S. as Russia backed down from their aims first. The meeting between the heads of state of both Russia and the Ukraine will, optimistically, encourage the use of diplomacy instead of violence to solve this issue. I am personally pleased with the decisions made by the Russian high command since I am now eligible for the draft.

The "Key" to our Energy Problems

Summary- My current event this week discusses a mainstay issue in Congress for the past few years, the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.  The pipeline would help move crude oil from Canada and the northern states of Montana and North Dakota to oil refineries mainly located in southern Texas (Map and Quick Facts).  The propsed pipline would help free up the energy gridlock in our country and reduce the effects of a lack of consistent oil due to violence in the Middle East.  Most senators including Senator Thune from South Dakota support the building of the proposed pipeline (News Report). However, the proposal has not yet been passed due to the majority leader in the Senate and President Obama blocking it for the past few years.

Analysis-  I am entirely for building the pipeline.  The economic benefits for the communities located along the pipeline would be enormous as it brings capital and jobs to dying towns.  It will also help ease the energy gridlock as our underdeveloped and poorly maintained rail system can not handle the stress of increased oil traffic.  The technology used will make sure that no negative, environmental impacts will be felt.  All in all, the Keystone XL pipeline needs to be built to help the United States come closer to achieving economic independence.