Hello From Ben

Hello Everyone my name is Ben and I am a youth blogger.

I am 22 years of age and I currently reside in Michigan. I am a recent graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy ascertaining my Bachelor’s in Political Science. I have been working in the field of politics since 2005 when I had the opportunity to be the personal intern for Hansen Clarke when he ran for Mayor of the City of Detroit. From that campaign and through the guidance of Michigan Senator Hansen Clarke I was able to find my passion and what made me love politics so much.
I love the campaigning and the entire election process. With this years historic election I knew early on during the primary season that I wanted to be involved. I had the amazing opportunity to work in Dayton, Ohio at the headquarter office interning for the Obama for America campaign. Once I finished my undergraduate education I spent the summer interning in London, England for the Liberal Democratic Party. I worked at the headquarter office of the national party and had the chance to go out into the British countryside to work on a by-election for an empty seat in Parliament.
When I returned from London I was at a place of uncertainty because I was not sure if going to graduate school quickly was the best decision. I ultimately decided to take time off from schooling to get more real world job experience. Since making that decision I, along with one of my good friends Dave decided to start a youth political blog called The Youth Movement where we along with friends and fellow bloggers bring a voice to young people who are politically active and passionate, but because of the lack of representation in the national media and the more famous and popular blogs we feel that our voice as young people is not being heard. Instead of allow our voice not to be heard we have sought to create a platform of our own to ensure that we have a voice. I am glad to have the opportunity to blog on Think Youth and look forward to the discussions and debates that will transpire here.

Ben

What Made the Difference Tonight: Youth Turnout

Barack Obama knew something a lot of us didn’t know. He knew that young Americans wanted to find something to vote for and not against. At the beginning, many of us were skeptical of youth voter turnout. But, he proved us wrong on that Iowa night in January.

Like Obama said, the campaign took him from “the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California.” All across America young people came out and supported change.

It led him to November on the night of this historic presidential election. Young people supported Barack Obama 68-30% over Senator John McCain. Young people ages 18-29 made up 18% of the electorate this year, slightly higher than 17% in 2004 and 2000. That may not seem like a large increase, but in a year where overall voter turnout reached massive numbers (estimates place overall voter turnout at around 60%) it sure made the difference.

It was the young voters who won tonight. Those that supported one specific candidate, President-elect Barack Obama.

The American Dream Deferred

The American Dream Deferred

“America was established not to create wealth but to realize a vision, to realize an ideal - to discover and maintain liberty among men. “-Woodrow Wilson

It has been many years since the time of American Dreams realized. It would seem, since the birth of this great nation, that we the people have forgotten to realize the vision. A vision , that sculpted the mountain of the American way and made the U.S. the pinnacle of the World. Founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, and justice for all, we have throughout history contradicted the very principles that made us who we are. We as America have been the wind that has carried democracy, natural rights, and freedom throughout the valleys of the world, yet we deny many who are our fellow the natural right for well being.

Today’s America has matured from the days of slavery, denial of women’s rights, civil rights for all Americans, and public discriminatory racism to childish bickering of democrats versus republicans, conservatives versus liberals, and patriots and terrorism. When will the debauchery in America end. When will our greed and selfishness be replaced with Americanism and selflessness. People elect their representatives for irrational views than for the commonwealth of people and our nation. Our country bled the blood of countrymen for rights of freedom of religion but dictated politicians to the code of “Christianity”. Our spite of our fellow man and self interest blind our founding principles of the American way. The American dream.

Somehow we as a people have tarnished the glorious western light of liberty with pettiness and and foreign bullying. We arrogantly borrow from countries whose governmental ideologies differ from one another and then shove democracy in to nations whose culture and religion that conflicts with our concepts. The American Dream has evolved into the nightmare from the west, who dictates and forces our religion and democratic ideologies on the very difference that we cherish as America. How have we stray so far from home. Why do we roam for fear and force instead of exploration and innovation. We have allowed our fear to distort our vision of the world and manipulated Christianity to justify the cause.

It is that clouded judgment that has somehow made Christianity a qualification to be a real American. In a country founded on the bases of freedom of religion, we have become a nation that persecutes and isolate those whose religious preference differs from our own. In today’s world, we fight the crusade against Muslim nations and label it the war on terror so we can have a clear conscience. when we go to bed at night. Subsequently. we have become the very terrorist we despise and seek out. Not to point fingers but, it seems since Conservative Republicans took office eight years ago, hate, fear, and deception has been the fuel that drove our military into the heart of Muslim nations to wage war with and idea.

From observation of this nation’s past decade, one notion is true the American dream has been lost, abandoned for hate, diminished by fear and discouraged by deception. When will she return, when lady America grace American shores with her glory. It is not certain the time nor the hour, but merely determined by the minds and hearts of the American People who dream the dream of dreams.- William R. Gilbert, Jr.

Think Youth invited to “The Big Tent.”

In May, the Think Youth staff received word that the site had been granted credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Today, we are pleased to announce another development. It has just come to our attention that Think Youth has also been granted passes to “The Big Tent.” This is very exciting news. For those who have not yet heard of The Big Tent, here is some information about it from the website:

The Big Tent will be the place to be for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders covering the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.

We’re creating a 9,000 square foot, two-story structure that will house the work space for journalists, bloggers and new media, a Digg Stage with prominent national leaders, as well as a Google Retreat with a YouTube kiosk where you can make your own YouTube videos. The Big Tent will be open throughout the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 25- 28.

In the New Media Lounge, your pass will be a ticket to to enjoy all the benefits of the blogger / new media lounge, including free WiFi, work space, television-coverage… And you get to hang out with some of the top bloggers, new media journalists, and non-profit leaders in the country.

The Big Tent is being made possible by a number of sponsors including Digg, Google, New Belgium Brewing, and The Wright Group. We would also like to recognize the hosts of The Big Tent: ProgressNow, Daily Kos, and The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado.

On a personal note, we couldn’t be more thrilled or grateful that Think Youth has been given this opportunity. There is no doubt in our minds that having access to The Big Tent facilities for the duration of the Democratic National Convention will greatly increase our ability to provide readers of Think Youth with coverage of the highest quality.

- The Think Youth Staff

Hello Think Youth Friends

Think Youth welcomes Estevan Montemayor

Hello all,
I am a new writer for Think Youth. I am proud to write for this blog because it allows youth to express their views on politics and there aren’t many places where youth may do that. I am very involved with politics. I am a student commissioner for the Youth Commission of San Diego. It is an organization that selects youth from each council district and the youth aid the council with proposals and advice for youth related issues in the San Diego city government. I also am an active member of California Young Democrats and Young Democrats of America. I try to help get out the vote even though I can’t vote my self. I have been a very active campaign volunteer for the Hillary Clinton campaign and many local campaigns in San Diego. I work in phone banks, blogs, emails, fundraisers, rallies, and work door to door. Lastly I am a proud Mexican and I try to fight for the equality of Hispanic rights everyday I can. I was motivated to get involved in politics because when the youth get involved things change. So I hope you all dare to get involved and help change this country because we are the future and we need the best future we can get.

Youth Activism & Involvement - From a Youth’s Perspective

Cross-Posted at Dailykos

I’m a high school student in Maryland, and I think that youth activism really needs to be addressed. Given all the attention being paid to young voters and encouraging young people to get involved in civics, I think its time that perhaps instead of adults thinking about how best to reach youth, an actual youth provide his opinion. We need to make some serious improvements.

Please allow me to preface this diary with a short introduction. I am a high school sophomore at a magnet high school in Greenbelt, MD, and very interested & involved in politics. I am also the Prince George’s County Delegate and Co-Chairman of the Governor’s Maryland Youth Council, essentially the only Youth Advisory group that is state-government sanctioned. Read more

Why Hillary Clinton should be the next President

These past few months I’ve been undecided on all Democratic presidential candidates. Unlike a lot of Democrats, this was not because I didn’t like any of them, but because I liked them all. After long deliberation and thoughtful consideration to all of the Democratic presidential candidates, I strongly believe that Hillary Clinton should be the next president of the United States. Hillary’s years of activism and public service has made her a strongly qualified candidate for the presidency.

I’ve seen people just flat out declare that they don’t like Hillary. Then when you ask these people why, they have absolutely no idea why they dislike her so much. This is the only problem Hillary will face in the general election. But when Hillary has a chance to step out onto the national stage, not being the one on Bill’s side, they will see what her core supporters see. A person that has what it takes to be a strong leader in this time of turmoil and important decisions to be made that will affect our future as youths of America.

When the American people look for candidates to support in an election, they choose the one who they agree with on most or all issues. Not only do I agree with Hillary’s stances on the issues, but I trust her.

If we really want change, how about we put an experienced, thoughtful, woman in the White House. Hillary will end the war, will stop global warming, will provide America with national healthcare, and she will make America a better place to live. But she can’t do these things without all of our help. So if Hillary does get the nomination, I’m asking all you Obama fans, Gravel fans, John Edwards fans, Kucinich fans, Joe Biden fans, Richardson fans, Dodd fans, and everyone to support Hillary because she will always make the right decision, and do what is best for America.

Fri. December 7th Live Podcast: Mike Connery Interview

We interview Mike Connery of FutureMajority.com as he discusses his new book, “Youth to Power” about progressive youth politics.

Co-hosted by Dan Solis and Mike Rushmore.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[Download MP3]

Maybe Ron Paul Is Good After All

Libertarianism is about unrestricted freedom, and so is the Internet. So it’s not surprising that Ron Paul and the Internet where a natural match. He has uploaded the most videos to YouTube, and claims to have raised $3 million online in one day.

But I’m no where near endorsing Ron Paul. My point is that the people are taking back the press - and this is due to the Internet. Today the local elections occur in my state of Virginia. After doing my usual round of blog posting I went to check how many visits I had on my local blog. And today that blog had a record number of visits - greater than when one of our residents was killed in India (don’t you love local news).

But I’m not here to brag about it’s visits. Most of the people who visited my site where searching for information about one of the candidates. Due to the local newspapers inability to have a reasonably good online presence, those searching for information came to my site. Hopefully I influenced some peoples views.

But there’s one problem, in Reston I’ve found only a handful of other blogs, most echoing generally my beliefs. On my blog I do have an agenda to pass, and that’s where the danger enters in. Those searching for information get only one view. That’s why blogging and other Web 2.0 activities are so important, especial for people who can’t vote, but still want a say, like teens and “illegal” immigrants.

The web has become an inseparable part of our Democracy and everyone needs to contribute. Maybe you don’t have time to write a blog post - but certainly if you’re already online you can post a comments. But it’s time for more than just geeks, liberals, and youth to give back the power of the press. If America will work we all need to use our first amendment rights.

Who is the candidate for America’s Youth?

When the campaign season starts, most candidates don’t worry about appealing to the youth vote. But if the candidates did appeal to young voters, there would be a substantial increase in youth voter turnout. In turn, young voters feel alienated and left out, because they are being left out by those same candidates. It’s kind of an oxymoron, and a sad waste of votes. Each group, candidates and young voters, are only hurting themselves and their involvement in the political process.

But this election season, it seems like the candidates are trying to appeal to young voters. You can add Barack or Hillary as your friend on MySpace or join their Facebook group along with thousands of other supporters. Sometimes they try to hard to appeal to young voters. I hardly doubt there are any young people who would love too have a ringtone of their favorite candidates’ speeches.

Young voters want change. They see change in a minority or woman running for president. That’s one of the ways they believe real change can occur. They want different, and more diverse leaders.

So I’m asking you, who is the candidate America’s youth should stand behind in 2008? And if Stephen Colbert hadn’t dropped out, maybe it would have been him.

Hello, my fellow Progressive Youths

Hello, my fellow Progressive Youths, I am the newest addition to the list of writers for this Think Youth website. Allow me to introduce myself: I’m Elizabeth Cable, a 15-year-old Student, Political Activist, and a Mike Gravel (for president in 2008) supporter. As for my political affiliation, I consider myself a progressive Independent (I couldn’t call myself a Democrat anymore after I realized that both political parties are completely corrupt). I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but I now live in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, with my parents, my younger brother, four cats, and two dogs. Because of the seven dear animals that inhabit my house, it could be safely compared to a barnyard.

I was completely in the dark about the politics of the United States and of the world until about three or four years ago, when I was around the age of 12. My parents allowed me to chuck Middle School and take up homeschooling instead. As soon as I did so, my true education began, and a new (political) dimension was added to my thinking. This was because my mom often liked to talk to me about how horrible George W. Bush was, saying what a terrible liar that he was, how he had lied us into a war with Iraq, how there really were no weapons of mass destruction. This was back in late 2003 and in 2004.

Freed from the confines of the school system, hearing all of the political talk and adding a great deal more to it myself, I eventually became well enough informed and capable of free thought, and I have continued along that path into the present-day. Unfortunately, not every citizen is able to inform themselves, due to the entertainment culture of the media, the stresses of daily life, and the general lack of accessibility to real information.

And I would like to note here that, while Freedom of Speech is guaranteed in our Constitution, Freedom of Thought most certainly is not. (This may sound extreme, but, if there is freedom of speech in a country, the government must make sure that what comes out of our mouths is the right thing.) All of the forces that encourage members of a society to adopt that society’s set of norms and ideas are devices that very successfully quash freedom of thought. Forces such as these are the family (usually), churches, the media, the government itself, and the schools.

So this I why I am inclined to agree with this statement of Bertrand Russell’s: “We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought.” At least, I have found this to be true in my own experiences. And I should think that “No Child Left Behind” is certainly not helping with this problem.

I look forward to posting further articles on the Think Youth blog, and I apologize if you have heard all of this before: it’s all new to me.

Teen Accused of “Child Molestation” Freed

Genarlow Wilson, now a man, has been ordered set free by the Georgia Supreme Court. In 2005, the then 17 year old was accused of child molestation for having oral sex consensually performed on him by another 17 year old.

I don’t know about you, but when was the last time you heard of someone thrown in jail for consensual sex? Being that this occurred in Georgia I just assumed racism, with a persistent district attorney appealing his first “cruel and unusual” punishment ruling, which would have let him walk free earlier. But then I found the Attorney General Thurbert Baker, was Democratic and -gasp- black.  I assume others in his office must have pressured him into not looking a person who was lenient on people of his own race, which lead him to fight for this man to be put in prison for something, many, many people do every day.

But thanks to Jack and Jill Politics, I realized the 17 year old girl may have been white, and thus reason for a legal “lynching.” If so this explains the harsh sentencing. But whatever the reason behind this, I’m glad that the justice system, has at least this time, restored the justice part of their name.

A Personal Declaration — People under 18 should be able to vote!

Here’s an essay I wrote for English, a “Personal Declaration” about how people under 18 should be able to vote. Check out this and this for some more information/support. Hit “Read More” for my writing.

Read more

Young Adults Can Go To War, But Can’t Own Guns

The mayor of Cleveland wants to ban guns for people under 21. Not just from buying a gun, but from possessing a firearm. Considering that you have to register for selective service in order to participate in modern society, it seems you should be able to posses a fire arm.

And what happens when you pick and choose who can have guns? Since African Americans supposedly shoot and kill more than the average American, should guns be banned from us too? Or what about families that have mentally ill members? The mayor did have the ban idea right, it just needs to be applied fairly, which means on everyone.

Of course you know I’m anti-gun, and I feel the military should be the only one with guns. But there needs to be a complete ban for people of all ages. And what are our under 21 soldiers supposed to do when they come back to Cleveland, turn their weapons over to the police until they leave the city? I hope the mayor realizes a haphazard response won’t decrease crime.

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