Thursday, November 11, 2010

Armistice Day

Before it became Veterans Day, November 11th was known as Armistice Day. The title was bestowed on this day because of what happened on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918--the end of The Great War. The Great War is now known as World War I, though at the time it was regarded as the war to end all wars. A year later, President Wilson proclaimed this day as a commemoration of Armistice Day.

More information can be found on the History of Veterans Day page on the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs site.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Meet the Press (10/31/2010)


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Face the Nation (10/31/2010)


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

President Obama's Presidential Address (10/30/2010)


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Election Results

Here are the results for the various Senate, Representative and Governor elections.

Some interesting laws were voted on in this election...

In Arizona, Proposition 203 to okay medical marijuana is in a dead heat with 50% for and 50% against.

In California, Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana was defeated with 54% of the votes (3,789,423).

In Colorado, Amendment 48 (which states that the right to life begins at conception) was defeated with 70% of the votes (1,122,404).

In Illinois, House Joint Constitutional Amendment 31, which would allow voters to have a hand in deciding if a governor should be recalled passed with 66% of the votes (2,107,989). This amendment was inspired by the scandal surrounding former-Gov. Tod Blagojevich. It would put the recall to a vote, allowing the citizens to decide for themselves.

In Nevada, the Eminent Domain Amendment, Question 4, which would have prohibited the taking of private property if it is to be transferred to a private party, was defeated with 67% of the votes (439,534).

In Rhode Island, Question 1, also known as the Name Change Amendment, was defeated with 78% of the votes (244,237). It would have changed the state's official name from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "Rhode Island."

In South Dakota, Initiated Measure 13 (the Medical Marijuana Act) was defeated with 64% of the votes (189,133). This would have legalized the use of medical marijuana.

In Vermont, Proposal 5 (the Voting Age Amendment), which allows 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 before the general election, passed with 81% of the votes (64,882).




Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Election Day

Today is Election Day, which means many of you will be heading to the polls to elect your chosen representative or senator. But did you know that there has been many pushes to make Election Day a national holiday? Here is the latest piece of legislation from the 109th Congress. Unfortunately, various incarnations of this bill have never made it very far in congress.

Just a fun bit of history. Now, go and make a difference...and keep an eye out for some of the more interesting items on the ballots across the country.

You can keep an eye on the results as they come in here.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering