Ultraconservative DC Circuit Judge Upholds Obamacare

Ken AshfordConstitution, Health CareLeave a Comment

Opinion here.  Very well reasoned, and does a great job shooting down the legal arguments of those who think the individual mandate is unconstitutional. UPDATE:  Obviously, other circuit courts have adjudicated on the merits of Obamacare and this will all go to the U.S. Supreme Court.   But this means that three appellate courts have now considered the health care … Read More

Cain Campaign Delusional

Ken AshfordElection 2012, Sex ScandalsLeave a Comment

This is part of a statement released by the Cain campaign last night, after Cain's fourth accuser got on national television and told her story in detail: Unfortunately, the media-driven process by which one must seek this opportunity is fundamentally unserious. I have touched on this before – the emphasis on "gaffes," gotcha questions and time devoted to trivial nonsense – … Read More

GOP Polls Shows Romney Simply Not Making Gains

Ken AshfordElection 2012, PollsLeave a Comment

ABC News/Washington Post. 10/31-11/3. Republican primary voters. MoE ±5.5 (7/17, 9/1, 10/2, 11/3): The story from this poll is that Cain is neck-and-neck with Romney (although obviously, the poll does not reflect fallout from the Cain sexual assault bombshell dropped today). But the big take-away is that no matter what, Romney cannot seem to break away from the pack.  Republicans just … Read More

Poll Of The Day

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & Deficit, Election 2012Leave a Comment

Election 2012 between Obama and Whoever will (as everyone says) turn on issues of the economy and jobs, rather than foreign policy.  No president since Roosevelt has been re-elected with such dismal unemployment numbers. Obama's tactic will be to say to the American people, "Look, I've tried to get bills passed that will help stimulate the economy and put people back … Read More

Personhood and Semantics

Ken AshfordWomen's Issues1 Comment

Tomorrow, Mississippians will vote on whether to amend their state constitution to declare that embryos are persons. The ballot measure, known as Proposition 26, asks: “Should the term 'person' be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof?” Organizers and supporters of the measure are pushing similar amendments in other states. This wouldn't overturn … Read More

It’s Official: We Haven’t Contacted Aliens Yet

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

In response to an actual petition, the White House was forced to disclose the following information today: The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race. In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden … Read More

New Michigan Anti-Bullying Law Carves Out Exceptions For Christians Who Bully

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

A week or so ago, a cellphone video, showing a gay teenager being bullied and beat up in an Ohio high school, went viral.  And the issue of bullying, particularly bullying against gays, was (albeit briefly) back on the radar. We don't like this kind of thing when it happens.  The Michigan state legislature addressed the terrible phenomenon yesterday, passing the … Read More

You Sneaky Mom!

Ken AshfordYoutubeLeave a Comment

Jimmy Kimmel asked parents to tell their kids "I'm sorry. I ate all your Halloween candy", and videotape the results.  The results? LOTS of crying (but in my opinion, the last two kids are classic).  

Meta Flip-Flopping

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

Poor Mitt Romney.  He's flip-flopping on the subject of flip-flopping! Several weeks ago, in one of the more amusing political claims of the year, Mitt Romney boasted, "I stand by my positions. I'm proud of them." Given Romney's record of abandoning every policy position he's ever taken, it was hard not to marvel at his shamelessness. Soon after, Romney reversed course, … Read More

Republican Family Values

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

Forgive me if you heard about this. So, back in 2004, a teenage girl (with cerebral palsy) downloaded some music and games illegally from the Internet.  Her father, Judge William Adams (elected judge for Aransas County, on the GOP ticket) punished her. Little did he know, she filmed it.  And now that he is up for re-election, she is distributing it. This … Read More