Citizenship Test

Just for fun... how many of these can you answer correctly? The first thing this made me think of is JayWalking on the Tonight Show - I am constantly amazed at how little people know about America, even people who have lived here their whole life and gone through 16 years of school! Wouldn't it be amazing if high school seniors had to be able to pass this test before they were allowed to graduate?

What a wonderful world it would be... :)

1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. How many stars are there in our flag?
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
5. How many stripes are there in the flag?
6. What color are the stripes?
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8. How many states are there in the Union?
9. What is the 4th of July?
10. What is the date of Independence Day?
11. Independence from whom?
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13. Who was the first President of the United States?
14. Who is the President of the United States today?
15. Who is the vice-president of the United States today?
16. Who elects the President of the United States?
17. Who becomes President of the United States if the President should die?
18. For how long do we elect the President?
19. What is the Constitution?
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23. How many branches are there in our government?
24. What are the three branches of our government?
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
26. Who makes the laws in the United States?
27. What is the Congress?
28. What are the duties of Congress?
29. Who elects the Congress?
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
31. Can you name the two senators from your state?
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
33. How many representatives are there in Congress?
34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
35. What is the executive branch of our government?
36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38. What is the supreme court law of the United States?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What is the capital of your state?
41. Who is the current governor of your state?
42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the vice-president should die?
43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
44. Can you name thirteen original states?
45. Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?
46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
48. How many terms can the President serve?
49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
50. Who is the head of your local government?
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
53. Who selects the Supreme Court justice?
54. How many Supreme Court justice are there?
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the Americans colonists?
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62. What is the national anthem of the United States?
63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
65. What is a minimum voting age in the United States?
66. Who signs bills into law?
67. What is the highest court in the United States?
68. Who was the President during the Civil War?
69. What did the Emancipation Declaration do?
70. What special group advises the President?
71. Which President is called the "Father of our country"?
72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
75. What are the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
76. Name 3 rights of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
77. Who has the power to declare the war?
78. What kind of government does the United States have?
79. Which President freed the slaves?
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82. Name one purpose of the United Nations?
83. Where does Congress meet?
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86. Name one benefit of being citizen of the United States.
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88. What is the United States Capitol?
89. What is the White House?
90. Where is the White House located?
91. What is the name of the President's official home?
92. Name the right guaranteed by the first amendment.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
95. In what month do we vote for the President?
96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
100. How many states are there in the United States today?

Click here to see the Answers.

NYT: "We Just Might Win"

Somewhere, pigs must be flying. The New York Times today ran a positive(!) editorial on the War in Iraq (albeit not by one of their in-house folks, but they ran it, nonetheless). As if that weren't astounding enough, it is actually a very well-written piece analyzing the prospects for success in Iraq post-surge.

And guess what... that surge? The one everyone said would just get our troops more mired in a Vietnam-esque quagmire? It's actually working.

Excuse me while I regain my composure.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30pollack.html?pagewanted=all

Not Exactly Lincoln-Douglas

Anyone watch the Democrats debate last night? No? It's okay, neither did most Americans.

Regardless of the fresh/new/modern approach to debate courtesy of CNN and YouTube, it really wasn't all that much better than, well, any other televised debate. In fact, I found it even more frustrating at times.

Still, it did provide an entertaining, odd and somewhat disturbing look into the state of modern American politics and the Democratic party. I wasn't quite as freaked out as my brother (who is convinced that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ), but it was a bit frightening that the substance of true political debate could be trumped by questions like "Who was your favorite teacher and why?" You've got to be kidding me.

I'll let you make your own judgment...

What YouTube doesn't change (Guardian Unlimited) Last night's YouTube-sponsored Democratic presidential debate just took an old question-and-answer format and made it much, much worse.

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And This Round Goes To... (Washington Post Online) CHARLESTON, S.C.--Monday's CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston was the best of the campaign season

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Debate over whether YouTube made a difference (Reuters) The latest presidential debate format, which debuted with video questions uploaded to YouTube, was widely applauded on Tuesday for spontaneity and for forcing candidates to be more flexible.

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Dems Debate Questions From Cyberspace (Forbes, NY) How big a change did CNN give viewers? More than a stunt and less than a revolution, this first YouTube debate was more impressive for some of the questions it raised than the answers it delivered. One reason: Too many candidates, too little time, and a format that discouraged followup questions or actual debating. Those are problems YouTube can't fix.

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YouTube emerges as star of Democrats' debate (CTV.ca, Canada) Perhaps more than any other example, Monday night's Democratic presidential debate in Charleston, SC put the 'you' in YouTube.

So Much For "Majority Rule"

Another article worth passing along... this time by Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard, explaining how congressional Republicans have successfully stopped Democrats from doing... well, pretty much anything.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/weeklystandard/20070723/cm_weeklystandard/anunusuallyeffectiveminority

Facebook vs. MySpace

This is a fascinating article about the class distinctions represented by the demographics on MySpace vs. Facebook. While I don't agree with everything the author writes, it is definitely thought-provoking!

http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html

Apartment Pictures

Here you go, Mom and Dad (and everyone else). Since the pictures somehow vanished from the disk I sent you guys, I have posted some of the pictures of our new apartment, all nice and clean and unpacked and homey. :) Enjoy!

The entry:

The guest bath:
The kitchen:

The dining room:



The living room:









And, the best part... the view:
(This one was taken on a less hazy day)

Dreams Come True

This is just a quick update to let you all know about the newest and most exciting development in my life (and no, Liz, I'm not pregnant).

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM, I will be realizing a dream that I have had since I first started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I will be working on the Hill!

After about 6 weeks of endless meetings and interviews, I will be going to work for a Virginia Congressman, and I couldn't be happier. It is a wonderful office with a great staff, and I can't wait to start work.

I went to my new office this afternoon to fill out paperwork, and it was kind of surreal. There is nothing quite like having something that you've wanted to happen since you were 12 years old finally happen. There have been only a couple other times that I have felt this way - one being when I got married to the love of my life, and the other when I moved permanently to DC for the first time. Both were things I had dreamed about since I was a little girl. Now, I get to add one more to the list.

I have to echo what my brother so eloquently wrote in his blog: Don't settle. Too many times I've seen people sacrifice their passions, desires and dreams for that safe-and-cozy feeling you get when you don't ever take a risk to do something your heart longs for.

Granted, not everyone can be a rock star or an astronaut, but I have talked to too many intelligent, passionate people who never took the leap or decided to pursue their passions, and who now regret not trying. I've also met people who tell amazing and inspiring stories of being stuck in a job they hated for 20 years, and then eventually deciding to go to law school/ med school/ design school/ [you name it] and finally realizing their true calling.

Life is way too short to let fear keep you from doing something you love, something that makes you feel fully alive.

That's how I feel living here. Alive. Like I'm doing what I was born to do.

So kudos to you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me early on to find something I loved to do, and then find a way to make money at it. It was that kind of support and encouragement that let me try out a music major in college (with remarkably little "encouragement" to make sure I could pay the bills after I graduated), only to find myself enamored by my Poli Sci class my sophomore year and find a career that would make me excited to go to work every day. I owe you big time.

Look for me on CSPAN!!

The Road to Hell...

Victor Davis Hanson is brilliant. The left is so wrong on Iraq it is dumbfounding, and this week's displays of incompetence and borderline-treasonous actions are even more proof. It amazes me how easily facts and evidence are trumped by emotions, negative media reports and the polls they influence. There is a reason we do not have a pure democracy, but a representative republic with three separate branches of government: because it protects the American people from themselves. Let's just hope that good intentions don't produce fatal policies, for America or the Middle East.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (a.k.a Our Crazy 4th of July Story)

One of the things I love most about living in Washington is that there are so many things that you just can't do anywhere else in the world. One of my greatest frustrations when we live here, then, is when we don't take advantage of living here and doing all those things. We didn't take advantage enough during the 2 years we were here before, and I am determined to not make the same mistake this time around.

This year, we decided (meaning I decided) that we were going to take advantage of the fact that the fireworks show the rest of the country was watching was taking place in our backyard. Robbie was pretty excited about it, since it's the first time he's ever lived here for the 4th. Brian was much less excited, but was informed that he really didn't have a choice this time around, since his complaining about having to brave the crowds had kept us from going in the past.

We (again, meaning I) packed up a great picnic for us, and we set out from Arlington to stake out a spot on the West Lawn of the Capitol to watch A Capitol Fourth, the concert that airs on PBS every year. We took the Metro to Capitol South and hiked up the hill to the entry point where you have to wait in line until 5pm to get in.

The "line" was actually groups of people spread out all over the grass, picnicking and relaxing in the shade.


It was a beautiful day - sunny, breezy, and about 80 degrees. We got there around 2:00, found a nice shady spot, ate lunch and hung out until 4:45 when the Capitol Police let us all start lining up in front of the security checkpoint.


When we did finally start to line up, we were the very first people in line! We even made friends with some of the cops and got the scoop about where the best places would be to sit (on the Capitol steps for the best view of the fireworks, close to the ropes on the grass for the best view of the concert), and Robbie and I split up carrying everything so Brian could be the first in and run to get a good spot.


Then, the most frustrating thing happened. At 5, when we were supposed to be able to go through the gate, all the cops walked to the other side and huddled. Then they came back and told us that we had to wait to see what the weather would do before we could go in. It was starting to get windy and cloudy, but there was no rain yet, and we hoped there wouldn't be.

About 15 minutes later, the huddle formed again, only this time as they came back, they started putting equipment into bags as one of the cops announced that everyone had to evacuate the area because there was severe weather coming (rain, hail, wind, etc.). All that waiting to be first in line, for nothing. I was so annoyed.

We debated for a minute whether to follow the crowd to the Rayburn parking garage to wait out the storm, but decided to go home and watch the news to see what happened. We wandered around looking for a cab and eventually bribed a DC cab to take us to Arlington. Driving back was crazy - there were cars parked all along the freeway by the river and people tailgating on the side of the road to watch the fireworks!

We eventually made it back and got up to our apartment just as it started pouring rain. We turned on the news and watched as the weather guy pointed to a bright red blotch on the satellite that was heading straight toward the Mall, and collectively congratulated ourselves on our good decision. Ten minutes later, the weather guy announced that the weather should clear up in time for the show to start on time at 8:00. So we packed up a bag with the tarp and a blanket and headed back out. This time though, we really did have to brave the crowds. It seemed that every person in northern Virginia had the same idea that we did, because the Metro was already full when we got on.

As we hiked up the hill again, I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I saw the line of people waiting to get in to see the concert - stretching all the way along Independence Ave. almost to the Library of Congress. It was moving, though, which was encouraging.


We started standing in line at about 7:45, and didn't make it to the front of the line until about 20 minutes after the concert started at 8. Along the way, we asked several policemen whether there was any way to get in sooner after what happened to us, and every single one snapped back at us to shut up and get back in line. Needless to say, we were not happy campers.

As we finally got to the gate, we saw one of the cops (who shall remain nameless) that we had made friends with after spending 3 hours waiting to go in that afternoon. He recognized us and said hi and asked how we were.

"Well, that whole evacuation thing really didn't work out so well for us."
"Did you guys have to wait in line this whole time?" he asked.
"Yep, kinda sucks since we would have been first in line to go in before," said Brian, somewhat jokingly.

To our great surprise and relief, he was actually apologetic, and pulled us aside after we went through security.

"Come on guys, I'll make this right."

He then proceeded to personally escort us to the priority seating at the very front of the stage! With chairs and everything!! He also asked our names and told us to be sure to call him personally next year to make sure we get good seats!

By the time we got in, the show was about halfway over, but the part we did get to see was awesome, and our seats were amazing!

4th of July 2007

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At the end of the concert, we got to watch the fireworks show over the Washington Monument to the sound of the National Symphony Orchestra playing the 1812 Overture and various Sousa marches. It was an experience I know we will never forget, and it definitely made the entire ordeal worth it.

4th of July 2007 #4

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So cheers to our Officer friend - we are forever in your debt. You single-handedly salvaged the reputation of every other Capitol Police Officer that was out there that night in all their rudeness and power tripping, and you made a few kids from California very happy.