I liked him way better than John Williams. Oscar-winning film composer James Horner died in a plane crash yesterday near Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 61. Check out his scores: The Wrath of Khan, Cocoon, Aliens, Willow, Field of Dreams, Glory, Sneakers, Looking For Bobby Fischer, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Titanic, Deep Impact, A Beautiful Mind, Avatar… and on and on and on. … Read More
For The Last Time, The Civil War Was About Slavery
It gets exhausting sometimes having to explain to some people that the US Civil War was not about “states’ rights” or some other nonsense. That’s all 19th and 20th century revisionism, and it is not true. The Civil War was about slavery, and the reason we KNOW this is because there is an historical record. I will share some of … Read More
Obama Uses N-Word; Media Misses The Point
President Obama appeared on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron and had a long, thoughtful, and useful conversation about race in America, which included this point: “We’re not cured of it. And it’s not just a matter of not being polite to say ‘nigger’ in public. That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a … Read More
The REAL Guilty Party Is Located In Charleston Church Massacre
Charles Cotton is a member of the NRA’s board, and he knows who killed those people. No, not Dylann Storm Roof, the alleged gunman who has since confessed, silly! It was Rev. Clementa Pinckney, state senator and pastor at Emanuel AME Church, according to Cotton. How did Pinckney manage that? By voting against a bill that would have allowed people to … Read More
The Prescient NYT Column
Excerpts from “The Growing Right-Wing Terror Threat”, in the New York Times, written June 16, 2015, one day before the Charleston church shooting: … But headlines can mislead. The main terrorist threat in the United States is not from violent Muslim extremists, but from right-wing extremists. Just ask the police. In a survey we conducted with the Police Executive Research Forum … Read More
Fun Fact About The South Carolina Confederate Flag
The South Carolina Capitol did not display the Confederate Flag until 1961. In fact, it was raised on April 11, 1961 — the one hundredth anniversary of Fort Sumter. Here’s other news that happened that week: Sen. Marrion Gressette, the head of the State Segregation Committee, created in 1951 to recommend measures to maintain segregation, was supporting a resolution condemning … Read More
Don’t Call ‘Em Crazy
I really have a problem with the second-day opinion that the Charleston shooter was “mentally ill” or “disturbed”. 99% of the time, the person offering that assessment isn’t at all a qualified doctor, and 100% of the time, he hasn’t examined the shooter. There’s a ridiculous circular logic that the shooter’s actions explain his mental state, and his mental state … Read More
The Conservative Denial That This Is About Race Is Getting Bizarre
This conservative columnist for the Miami Herald (and Fox News contributor) may be the most desperate person on the internets: UPDATE: Still in denial, she later tweeted, “None of this story adds up. Even if a ‘white supremacist,’ their targets/hatred isn’t usually church-going African-Americansty” Huh?!? She got a lot of blowback and has sense set her Twitter account to private.
The Gun Problem In One Picture
The front page in today’s Charleston, S. C.’s hometown paper: That purple thing is a sticker that went out with the early edition. It’s a little hard to read, but the sticker that partly obscures the headline about a mass shooting advertises the latest deal at a local gun store. “$30 GETS YOU EVERYTHING” — all the goodies needed … Read More
Deadly History of Attacks on Progressive Houses of Worship
Last night, in a horrific act of hateful violence, a white gunman shot and killed at least nine people at the historically black Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime, immediately sparked outrage, with many wondering aloud how someone could commit such an act — especially in a church, were … Read More
SCOTUS Clears Its Docket… But Nothing On Obama Care or Marriage Equality
SCOTUS delivered itself of five opinions today as it begins to clear out its end-of-the-term caseload. But none were the Two Big Ones: the marriage equality and Obamacare subsidy cases. That means that on the remaining Mondays and Thursdays of this month and early July, the odds of the Big Ones coming down any particular day will rise. The decision … Read More
Mass Murder Hate Crime Leaves 9 Dead In Charleston Church
I may have been one of the first 1000 people to know what happened in Charleston last night. I was at rehearsal for a play I am in (barely), and backstage, I checked my phone. Nothing on the Breaking News app, nothing big on Twitter. I opened Periscope, and there was a guy working in some Charlotte newsroom who was … Read More
Do College Rape Prevention Programs Work?
Surprisingly, there is not much research on this issue. But last week, a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine which helps shed light on the issue. The study first noted what programs don’t seem to work well, or for which there lacks study. Targeted programs for men and for women that have been evaluated for sexual assault … Read More
Sanders Gets Disturbingly Close To Hillary
I suppose “disturbingly close” depends on where you are situated politically. If you are a Hillary fan, then yes, “disturbingly close”. If you are a Sanders fan, or a Republican, then the news out of Wisconsin is a reason to celebrate. It seems that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) finished just 8 percentage points behind Clinton in a new Badger State straw … Read More