I don’t stand with Planned Parenthood because… okay, I DO stand with Planned Parenthood, but my point is I don’t NEED to because I don’t see a serious threat to Planned Parenthood’s existence or funding. Some might consider this naive. After all, there are these videos and congressional hearings and threats to shut down the government… all over the issues … Read More
Kim Davis Secretly Met With The Pope
Not much of a secret anymore: Pope Francis met privately in Washington last week with Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who defied a court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a Vatican spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. Ms. Davis, the clerk in Rowan County, has been at the center of a nationwide controversy over whether government employees … Read More
Trump Beginning To Lose Hard Right?
Moments ago at the conservative Value Voters summit (which met Rubio this morning to much applause), this happened: Trump booed at VVS when calls Marco Rubio a “clown.” Then he blasts Rubio for flip-flopping on immigration reform. — David Corn (@DavidCornDC) September 25, 2015 To be clear: Crowd booed Trump for referring to Rubio as ‘this clown.’ — Byron York … Read More
KKKKids: Where Are They Now?
Almost 10 years ago on this blog, I wrote about Prussian Blue – the name of the rock group comprised of two twin sisters, Lamb and Lynx Gaede, who sang songs about white pride and nationalism and had a huge following among white supremacists. Here is what they looked like then: As I wrote then, the two girls had been nurtured from … Read More
How Long Does It Take To Get Hooked On A Show And Start Binge-watching?
Netflix, ground zero of binge-watching, did a study. This is how long it takes to start binge-watching a show, by episode: • Arrow, Episode 8 • Bates Motel, Episode 2 • Better Call Saul, Episode 4 • Bloodline, Episode 4 • BoJack Horseman, Episode 5 • Breaking Bad, Episode 2 • Daredevil, Episode 5 • Dexter, Episode 3 • Gossip … Read More
The Pope’s Speech To Congress (And By Extension, The American People)
He reminds us that “America” is more than the United States, and that we are all immigrants. He calls out the black/white-good/evil mindset in politics and promotes pragmatism in resolving problems. He reminds us of the Golden Rule in calling for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty (as well as a subtle nod to banning abortions). He speaks of … Read More
The Right Wing Welcomes The Pope
The Pope’s message:: In his strongest remarks yet concerning the world’s economic and financial crises, the pope said, “Money has to serve, not to rule. “We have created new idols,” Pope Francis told a group of diplomats gathered at the Vatican on May 16, and the “golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult … Read More
Sexual Violence On Campus — Worse Than We Thought
One of the largest-ever surveys on campus sexual violence was conducted recently by the Association of American Universities. More than 150,000 students across 27 colleges were surveyed, The results, released Monday, are terrible. The survey asked students whether they had experienced events ranging from sexual touching to forcible penetration. If they answered affirmatively, they were asked follow-up questions about the circumstances and the event’s … Read More
Here Come Da Pope
I am a BIG Pope Francis fan. And I like that he is coming to America and he’s going to do some papal spanking. I noted this morning that Lindsey Graham tweeted about how the Pope has pro-life views. Indeed, he does. But he also has very strong views on sexual equality, climate change, and income disparity. I wonder how … Read More
14-year-Old Kid Named Ahmed Builds A Clock; Gets Arrested For Building A Bomb
This happened in Texas, so…. no surprise. Ahmed Mohamed — who makes his own radios and repairs his own go-kart — hoped to impress his teachers when he brought a homemade clock to MacArthur High on Monday. Instead, the school phoned police about Ahmed’s circuit-stuffed pencil case. So the 14-year-old missed the student council meeting and took a trip in … Read More
Clinton Addresses College Sexual Assaults
I’m not sure the President of the United States holds a lot of cards when it comes to the administration of universities, but Clinton is certainly going to try: “As president, I’ll fight to make sure every campus offers every survivor the support she needs and will make sure those services are comprehensive, confidential and coordinated,” she said, adding that … Read More
The Back End Of The Kentucky Court Clerk
It looks like Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis doesn’t want to go back to jail after all. Kim Davis, the embattled Kentucky county clerk, at the center of the dispute over gay marriage and religious liberty, appeared to back down from the threat of more jail time Monday, saying while she still refuses to authorize marriage licenses, she will not … Read More
Stephen Colbert’s Next Late-Night Show
I like Stephen Colbert. I liked him on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, and I like his improv work. I liked him when he did Stephen Sondheim’s Company. I liked his charactor on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, although the schtick wore very thing with me after a while. As David Letterman’s Late Night replacement on CBS, I had high hopes. Letterman … Read More
9/11 Plus 14
I’m a bit like Ed Gilgore, who writes today…: Most years I don’t get too involved in 9/11 reminiscences. It’s not like any American old enough to be aware of what was happening that day is going to forget it. Some ideologues want us all to get hysterical each 9/11, but they are the ones whose memories are impaired, forgetting … Read More