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Most Americans are familiar with the common Thanksgiving traditions. With a seat at a table filled with food and family, our turkeys, mashed potatoes, and gravy boats are all staples of a tradition. But what are some of the less traditional facts associated with Thanksgiving? 1. Thanksgiving on Alcatraz Since 1975, hundreds of members of indigenous tribes have met on Alcatraz Island for the "Unthanksgiving Day" ceremony at sunrise to commemorate the survival of American Indians following the

Voting with a touch of a finger has allowed us to conduct elections with greater ease, but the aging hardware of the electronic voting machines used in many states has caused security concerns to swell. There are countless demonstrations of gaping security holes in widely used voting machines. Changing the outcome of an election might be easy as "123" or "admin," considering those are some of the passwords used to secure voting machines. Other findings are equally as disturbing. During a secur

The latest headlines on nonpartisan voting rights from across the nation. Enjoy. What Impact Could An Independent Run By Jim Webb Have on 2016? Source:  Austin Plier, FairVote My Take: An interesting piece exploring angles not often explored, including a role in the electoral vote outcome of a number of swing states--especially his native Virginia. Unheard Voices: Why Aren’t More Californians Voting? Source:  Caitlin Maple, PublicCEO My Take:  While the article touches on the fact that l

On Tuesday, former Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb ended his bid for the Democratic nomination for president, while also leaving the door open for an independent run. Webb, a former Republican whose views are more conservative than many Democrats, never found momentum as a Democratic presidential candidate. He indicated his interest in running as an independent however, stating, "Poll after poll shows that a strong plurality of Americans is neither Republican nor Democrat. Overwhelmingly they're

On October 20, shortly after the Democratic presidential debate, former U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) decided to withdraw from the 2016 Democratic primary. If your first thought is bewilderment over who Jim Webb is, it only highlights how the media has overlooked this presidential candidate. Jim Webb is acutely aware of the current percentage of independent voters to Democrats and Republicans, and not only in the interests of a possible run as an independent candidate. He knows that it is the i

Former U.S. senator from Virginia, Jim Webb, announced today at the National Press Club in Washington that he has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for president of the United States. However, he says that he is considering launching an independent bid for the presidency in 2016 instead. “I fully accept that my views on many issues are not compatible with the power structure and nominating base of the Democratic Party. That party is filled with millions of dedicated, hard-working Americans,

The most recent scuffle over congressional redistricting in Virginia illustrates how poor a job single-winner districts do at achieving meaningful elections with fair results. The maps and tables above present the impact of four approaches to congressional districting in Virginia. As part of an amicus brief submitted in federal court, Common Cause analyzed these maps: the first two (on top) it describes as partisan gerrymanders, giving the Intervenor’s plan a grade letter of “F.” Common Cause g

After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, many thought his greatest policy initiative, the 1963 Civil Rights Act, would be buried with him. It was not. The man who would take President Kennedy’s failed Civil Rights Act, and bulldoze it through the Congress using tact, skill, intimidation, and cunning was a man who had been one of the most influential elected officials in U.S. history. He was also, for all intents and purposes, a creature of United States politics. If the American e

Anti-BDS resolutions, legislation, and advocacy claim that BDS is the main influence on an 'alarming rise in anti-Semitism.' Is there a rise in anti-Semitism, and is the cause the BDS movement?, Jewish citizens in the U.S. are most likely to be victimized by religious hate crimes. Religious hate crimes make up 17% of all hate crimes, and 60% of those are aimed at Jewish citizens. According to FBI statistics Many polls measuring anti-Semitism have come out recently. Most shocking is the Anti-De

We all know that the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution contains ten amendments. However, it is less well known that the Bill of Rights sent to the states for ratification originally contained 12 amendments. What we know today as the First Amendment – the one enumerating our basic freedoms of religion, speech, and so forth – actually appeared third on this list. The current Bill of Rights contains just ten amendments because the requisite number of states – three-fourths of those in t