So, on the June 18th episode of The Daily Show, Stewart reports to us how the house republicans are trying to compare what is happening in Iran to their own “oppression” in the house and they are both using Twitter to speak out. Here is one example of the ridiculousness:

Twitter / Pete Hoekstra: Iranian twitter activity s … via kwout

I guess I see the point he is trying to make, but sometimes we need to put issues in perspective. The people in Iran are using Twitter because they have no other outlet to the world since the Iranian government has shut down their access. The members of Congress can get on the news whenever they want. I don’t think that Mr. Hoekstra was trying to trivialize the situation in Iran, but it seems like he could choose his tweets more carefully.

But, it’s not just politicians! After a great post on The Nation regarding the use of social networking to report in Iran, this was the response of one reader:

Iran’s Twitter Revolution via kwout

Comments like this make me realize how out of touch with reality some people are. People like markhammel don’t understand what freedoms exist in this country that don’t exist in other countries. I guess there may still be some questions over the 2000 US election, but in reality the election was supervised closely and openly and when there was a dispute, a re-count took place and legal action was able to be followed all the way up to the Supreme Court; a democracy/republic in action! In Iran, hand written ballots were counted in less than a day and a winner was declared and there is no legal recourse.

Even if you feel like the 2000 US election was not handled properly, you should be able to see the difference. The people in Iran, can not protest and file law suits. They have to use technology to secretly stage and coordinate their protests against the government.

This site does a phenomenal job of summarizing some of the coverage via social networking. Below is the clip from The Daily Show.

So, this seems reasonable. They are just pointing out that in America we have a good food system. But what is wrong with people growing their own food?

Apparently, not everyone can grow their own food, so no one should. {Shakes head.} In an e-mail the MACA sent out to its constituents sent out to their supporters their true feeling are revealed.

La Vida Locavore:: Organic White House Garden Puts Some Conventional Panties in a Twist via kwout

I am not an advocate of organic gardening. I don’t care either way. I believe that food can be grown well with or without chemicals. What just really gets my goat is that the Obamas are not going around saying you have to live organically. They just wanted to plant a garden to promote healthy eating and this group, the MACA, that seems to be supported by plant chemical producing companies goes and makes a big issue out of it and misses the point of the garden, healthy eating.

TheHill.com – First lady’s organic garden concerns chemical firms via kwout

In case you were wondering who is a member of the MACA, here is a list from their website.

As pointed out on the Food and Water Watch blog, it is especially interesting that they call it “conventional gardening” when people were gardening chemical free for centuries! Now, the organic side is just as biased towards being chemical free as the MACA is towards using chemicals, but the fact that this is an even an issue just makes me feel sorry for the Obamas who are trying to just live a normal life and promote healthy eating.

And, the notion that the White House garden is what is going to lead to people rejecting chemically grown food is ridiculous. I like that the White House grow organically, but the cost of organic food is going to keep me out of that market.

Also, the notion that the White House garden is what will out organic food on the map is also mis-guided. More and more stores, such as Jewel, are constantly increasing their organic sections and this is what putting organic on the map more than the White House is.

Both sides just need to celebrate the idea of growing food and eating healthy rather than focusing on the methodology all of the time.

The two best news shows in the country have covered this issue. Here are the clips.

He starts discussing the garden about half way through.

Sanchez asks about Specter’s reasoning for the switch:

DeMint gives a ridiculous answer:

The freedom tent? Really? That was a typical nonsense political answer and usually reporters let politicians off the hook with that, but today Sanchez took a stand:

CNN’s Sanchez on the Concept of Freedom in Specter Aftermath: ‘What the Hell Does That Mean?’ | NewsBusters.org via kwout

Wow! That was exactly what I was thinking. The exchange is even better when you watch it, thank goodness for YouTube!

I don’t know much about Rick Sanchez, except that he apparently let himself be tasered for a news story, but I like him. On a side not, watching Specter speak today made me feel even more strongly that we need to start setting term limits. Someone who has been in the Senate for 29 years can not possibly be in touch with society. Yeah, some of them are using Twitter, but I still don’t feel connected.