Stephanie Ragusa, a 28-year-old special education teacher, was arrested Thursday and charged with five counts of lewd and lascivious battery for what sheriff's deputies in Hillsborough County described as a consensual sexual relationship with a 14-year-old male student.

Ragusa's alleged affair took place between January and May 2007 and included intercourse on at least three occasions and oral sex twice, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The encounters took place in Ragusa's Tampa apartment and in the back seat of her Lexus, according to the sheriff's office.

A school resource officer met with the student, now 15, after rumors began swirling about an affair involving a teacher. Detectives then interviewed the teen and his parents. The teen told authorities that Ragusa had a pair of tattoos on "either side of the groin area" that could only be seen if the teacher was naked.

Under police direction, the teen called Ragusa, who "admitted to the interaction" and also said she knew of the "repercussions for having engaged in the act," according to the sheriff's office.

Hillsborough investigators consulted with the state attorney's office and obtained a warrant for Ragusa's arrest. Ragusa, who appeared in court today, is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bail.

The democratic nomination is reaching the late stages of the game. Just recently Hillary Clinton proposed that Barack Obama become her running mate. Whether this was a sign of weakness or of over confidence it didn't plan out as expected.

From Bloomberg.com:

March 10 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama touted his front- runner status in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination today and rejected rival Hillary Clinton's recent suggestion he might be her running mate.

```With all due respect, I won twice as many states as Senator Clinton. I won more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton. I have more delegates than Senator Clinton,'' Obama said while campaigning in Mississippi, which is holding a primary tomorrow. ``I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to somebody who is in first place.''

Obama, a senator from Illinois, said voters shouldn't think that somehow they can ``get both'' New York Senator Clinton and himself on the Democratic ticket.

``We are in a tough battle, and I don't presume I have won this election,'' Obama, 46, said in Columbus, Mississippi. ``But I want everyone to be absolutely clear. I'm not running for vice president. I'm running for president.''

Obama is favored to win the Democratic primary in Mississippi and the majority of the 33 pledged convention delegates at stake, according to recent polls in the state. Clinton, after winning in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, is focused on the Pennsylvania primary on April 22.

This open play for power on Clinton's part should have little effect on tommorows primary in mississippi.

Enlightened Progressivism: In an Attempt to bring nack progressivism with the combination of 18th century enlightenment ideals I created this blog and to futher explain progressivism I obained a quote from wikipedia:

Progressivism is a term that refers to a broad school of international social and political philosophies. The term progressive was first widely used in late 19th century America, in reference to a general branch of political thought which arose as a response to the vast changes brought by industrialization, and as an alternative both to the traditional Conservatism response to social and economic issues and to the various more or less radical streams of socialism and Anarchism opposed them. Political parties such as the American Progressive Party organized at the start of the 20th century, and progressivism made great strides under American presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.^[1]

Progressivism historically advocates the advancement of Worker's Rights and social Justice. The progressives were early proponents of Anti-Trust laws, regulation of large corporations and monopolies, as well as government-funded environmentalism and the creation of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves