Caroline Calais -- Democracy in Americas

Is Lori Drew, the 49-year old Missouri mother accused of driving 13-year old Megan Meier to suicide, a cyberbully? She posed as a teenage boy and sent nasty messages via a MySpace account, among other things telling Megan the world would be a better place without her. Many people think not. “I have concerns about the term cyberbullying being applied to this situation” says Nancy Willard, a former lawyer and executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use to New York Times. “Cyberbullying usually occurs between peers. It is not this kind of situation”.

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Robert D. Putnam, a Harvard professor in Public Policy, finds that ethnic diversity is increasing in most countries. The reason: Immigration. And it is not a good thing, he points out, at least in the short run as immigration and ethnic diversity challenges social solidarity and inhibit social capital. Evidence from the US shows, for example, that trust is lower, altruism and community cooperation rarer, and friends fewer in ethnically diverse neighborhoods (Putnam, E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century). Just look at the Dallas suburbs Farmers Branch and Carrollton. In 2007 the city of Farmers Branch decided to not rent apartments to people without proof of citizenship or residency. English also became the city’s official language, and the Police could apply to participate in a federal program that enabled them to check the residency status of suspects in custody and to initiate deportation proceedings. Past Saturday the city of Carrollton followed, and newly elected mayor Ron Branson has promised to get rid of the city’s illegal immigrants.

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With gas prices soon at $4 gallon, oil at $120 barrel, and a world oil supply soon depleted, I had hoped Senators Clinton and McCain would have suggested a real energy policy – instead they settle on a gimmick. For by agreeing on the suspension of the federal gas tax during the summers high peak driving season, both candidates show how little they care about our energy problem. It also points out how desperate Hillary Clinton is to win Indiana and North Carolina.  Come on! The European Union, taking climate change, the increasing dependence on fossil fuel and rising energy prices into account, has already put a comprehensive energy policy into place. Here we look to save consumers $30 this summer, or $70 if you believe Mrs. Clinton’s figures!

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