As I write this, the drama is still unfolding… but it has been a crazy night in Boston. In a nutshell: Yesterday at 5;15 pm, the FBI released photos of 2 men, believed to be responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing. Last night, these two men — who we now know to be brothers — robbed a 7-11 near MIT … Read More
Why The Background Check Bill Failed
Ezra Klein nails it: The gun vote didn’t fail because a couple of red-state Democrats bolted, or even because too many senators are afraid of the National Rifle Association, or even because Sen. Pat Toomey couldn’t bring along more Republicans. Those factors help explain why the gun vote didn’t clear the extraordinary bar set for it to succeed. But they’re not … Read More
Bachmann’s Ethic Troubles Get Worse
Last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) participated in a press conference about Medicaid reimbursement, but reporters had some questions about the right-wing congresswoman's ethics troubles. Instead of responding, Bachmann literally ran away, while some aides "physically blocked reporters" to keep them at bay, and other aides were seen "pushing reporters out of the way as Bachmann left the room." It … Read More
CNN Really Screwed It Up
Jon Stewart made fun of it. Now Buzzfeed takes its turn. I happened to be tuned in to MSNBC, who obviously went on the air with "Breaking News" because CNN had done so. However, MSNBC didn't have any sources, so its coverage was more cautious to begin with. From the get-go, they were saying there are only "rumors" and confusion. … Read More
What The Texas Explosion Reveals
I was reading an analysis of last night's fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, and came upon this paragraph: This explosion is nothing at all like what happened in Oklahoma City back in 1995. That was a mixture of ammonium nitrate, a dry solid, and diesel fuel. Ammonium nitrate is made from ammonia, but the United States banned it after that … Read More
Boston Marathon Explosions
It's hard to know what to say about what happened yesterday. Obviously a terrorist attack. Is it domestic or foreign? You automatically assume foreign, but given the event (Patriot's Day, Tax Day), you just can't be sure. 3 dead, including an 8 year old boy, pictured below. 144 injured (although that latter number still varies). Many amputees. Typically, major praise … Read More
Lockdown at NC A&T
10:25 a.m. Breaking news… GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro was put on lockdown Friday morning after a man was seen carrying a rifle on campus. The school posted an alert on its website shortly before 10 a.m., warning people to stay inside and lock classrooms, doors and windows. Officials described the man as black, standing 5 feet 11 … Read More
The GOP Split Is Starting To Get Real
Over the past few months, the GOP has talked a lot about re-branding, and softening its views on gay marriage and immigration, in order to appeal to normal people. The base is not happy: Tony Perkins says religious conservatives should stop donating to the Republican Party until it clarifies its position on social issues. The president of the Family Research … Read More
More NC Legislature Embarrassment
North Carolina lawmaker Michele Presnell is against allowing Islamic prayers to be conducted before a legislative meeting because she "doesn't condone terrorism."
Weak Background Check Bill Passes Senate Filibuster
And so it begins. The Senate voted to move forward on gun control Thursday, clearing the first of what is expected to be many 60-vote hurdles for the legislation. In a 68-31 vote, the Senate approved a procedural motion that will allow debate on the Democratic measure to being. Sixteen Republicans voted in favor of the motion, while two Democrats … Read More
Shorter Rand Paul
Shorter Rand Paul: I was NEVER against the Civil Rights Act. I just think the whole desegregating lunch counters went a bit far. His attempt to snow the people at Howard University was a disaster. TPM covers it: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a proponent of civil liberties, told a professor on Wednesday that he never opposed the Civil Rights Act … Read More
NRA Lashes Out Against Background Check Compromise
It looks like Congress might actually vote on some safety measures for guns, although assault weapons and large magazines are still dead-in-the-water. It looks like background checks are the only possiblity, and while its passage is a no-brainer, and yields 90% support in the country, you just KNOW the NRA isn't going to like it. And here's the NRA statement: Expanding … Read More
Four People Shot By Toddlers This Past Weekend
A Tennessee woman was shot in the stomach by her 2-year-old child on Sunday. Rekia Kid was sleeping with the toddler and her three-week-old baby when the toddler discovered a Glock 9 mm stored underneath her pillow and discharged the weapon. Kid managed to get out of the house and crawl to a neighbor’s porch where she was found by the neighbor, … Read More
Your Second Amendment At Work
CNN: It happened in just seconds, by all accounts. A gunshot killed a lawman's wife this weekend in Lebanon, Tennessee. And the tragedy is one more instance of gun violence reverberating across a nation obsessed and at odds over the politics of firearms. A pistol in the hands of a 4-year-old boy went off Saturday and killed Josephine Fanning, the 48-year-old … Read More
