(Picture taken on the Taipei MRT - Obama campaign rhetoric Taiwan style)Couple of things out there which caught my eye:
- A guy called Ed Begley Jr who apparently is an environmental TV series presented in the US went on Fox news and got in a very heated row with the presenter / interviewer. Ed loses the argument owing to his rude gesturing and talking over the presenter but the presenter's arguments are facile and his questioning of how any American could support the government banning incandescent light bulbs on the grounds that the 'government is coming into my house' is puerile to say the least. Ed has all the right arguments but his presentation sadly destroyed the effectiveness of them.
- Fascinating charts on American public opinion across a range of sensitive social issues - the patterns seem quite clear (you can actually see the bible belt)
Which would you rather lose?
- David Villano questions if a belief in God is hurting America ... with these interesting points:
Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist at Pitzer College whose research looks at the link between religion and societal health within the developed world, agrees with that assertion. "The important thing we're seeing here is that progressive, highly functional societies can answer their problems within a framework of secularity. That's a big deal, and we should be blasting that message out loud," he contends.
In a paper posted recently on the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, independent researcher Gregory S. Paul reports a strong correlation within First World democracies between socioeconomic well-being and secularity. In short, prosperity is highest in societies where religion is practiced least.
"Popular religion," Paul proposes, "is a coping mechanism for the anxieties of a dysfunctional social and economic environment." Paul, who was criticized, mostly on statistical grounds, for a similar study published in 2005, says his new findings lend support to the belief that mass acceptance of popular religion is determined more by environmental influences and less by selective, evolutionary forces, as scholars and philosophers have long debated.
Zuckerman warns against hasty emulation of the Danes and Swedes. "We can't just say that secularity is good for society and religion is bad," he warns. "And nor can we say the opposite. The connections are very complex."Yet in spite of his findings, and his secularist agenda, Paul stops short of proposing measures to suppress the role and influence of religion in America. Why? It's already happening, he insists. Although we remain largely a nation of believers, our faith and commitment are slipping. Religious affiliation, church attendance and belief in God are all in slow decline in the U.S. A recent Gallup poll found that two-thirds of adults believe the influence of religion in American life is waning, up from 50 percent just four years ago.
As these trends continue, he believes, policymaking will more effectively address the true needs of society, rather than the dogma of religious idealism. "People need to know that society without religion is not a bad thing," Paul says. "And we're seeing this in other countries. We don't need religion to have a thriving, prosperous nation."
- Security personnel (protecting President Ma) advised to minimise inconvenience for the public (Taiwan News)
- Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Two descendants of Taiwan's indigenous Tsou tribe from a small village in China's Henan Province are currently on a roots-tracing visit to Taiwan to learn more about their tribal heritage and their clan.
- New Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Sheng told lawmakers Monday he would only open offices in China if the principles of equality and respect were met. (I'll believe this when I see it happen i.e. equality and respect coming from the Chinese side)
- President Ma splashing out on the campaign trail - spending NT$3.71 million a day on campaign appearances according to the DPP.
- Another hard hitting Taiwan News editorial - quotes:
Ironically, Ma's transparent sense of urgency has led to several grave errors.
For example, Ma blatantly violated the strict ban on publication of opinion polls 10 days before an election contained in Article 53 of the Election and Recall Act Wednesday by discussing the results of a TVBS survey on the Yilan race in front of news media cameras.
After an initial attempt to excuse the blunder, KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po apologized on Ma's behalf the following day, but the incident displayed Ma's willingness to disregard electoral laws by taking advantage of his presidential immunity from prosecution.
This action compounded the shocking and unprecedented dressing up of National Security Bureau special service guards and military police in the campaign vests of KMT Hsinchu County commissioner candidate Chiu Ching-chun during a vote-stumping parade in an action that has sparked fears of the possible renewal of KMT political control over Taiwan's military and security agencies.
In addition, despite promises of "party reform," Ma has evidently failed to curb vote buying by KMT candidates as shown by the fact that 11 KMT mayoral or council candidates in Miaoli, Pingtung and other counties have already been indicted, detained or questioned on vote-buying charges compared to zero for the DPP.
This unattractive tally follows the annulment of the electoral victories of five KMT legislators in the January 2008 Legislative Yuan polls and subsequent KMT defeats in two of the three by-elections held so far, including the Yunlin drubbing.
Ma, whose prestige has already been hurt by his breaking of a presidential campaign promise not to take over the KMT chairmanship if elected, is now spending the bulk of his time stumping for KMT candidates and defraying unpopular measures, such as a hike in national health insurance premiums, until after Saturday's polls.
Ironically, Ma himself has turned Saturday's local polls into the first opportunity for a large portion of Taiwan voters to express their judgement on the performance of his KMT administration.
