UPDATE: Pence is giving a press conference this morning in which he re-asserts that the Indiana RFRA is just like the federal RFRA and the RFRAs passed in 30 other states. He is lying (or is stupid). It is similar, but has important differences. He’s playing the victim, claiming (repeatedly) that he and Indiana are being “smeared”. Still, he’s calling on the … Read More
The Indiana “Religious Freedom” Law Isn’t Like Past Laws
Last, week, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence stirred up controversy when he signed a “religious freedom” bill into law. The law has businesses and civil rights groups up in arms and threatening — or in some cases pledging — to boycott the state. Critics assert the law could be used by individuals and businesses to discriminate on the basis of religion — … Read More
Meet The New Host
revor Noah, who first debuted on “The Daily Show” as a correspondent in December, is to replace Jon Stewart as the show’s new host. “You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” Noah told the New York Times ahead of Monday’s official announcement from Dubai. “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you … Read More
You Would Think These People Should Know Better Than To Opine
Unbelievable: Idaho state Rep. Paul Shepherd (R) reportedly compared gay people to slave owners by noting that both were “good people” who made terrible decisions, Idaho Reports, a program of Idaho Public television, reported on Friday. Shepherd’s comments were made to a reporter from Idaho Reports who met with the congressman after his website was commandeered by a gay rights … Read More
It’s Perving and Slut-Shaming Season
Like clockwork, around this time of year, Sean Hannity has the unpleasant job — no, he really hates doing this — of telling his viewers about the terrible terrible debauchery going down in Florida, as students flock to places like South Padre Island or Daytona Beach to drink, do drugs, have wild and glorious hook-up sex — all the things we think … Read More
Indiana Governor Plans To Sign Pro-Discrimination Bill Into Law
Sometime today, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is to sign into law a religious objections bill that would allow discrimination against gay people. [UPDATE: 10:45 am EST – Bill signed] The signing would make Indiana the first state to enact such a change this year among about a dozen where such proposals have been introduced. The measure would prohibit state and local … Read More
King Richard III Buried
England’s slain King Richard III, exhumed from an undignified grave under a car park, was finally buried with honor today, 530 years after his death on the battlefield. In a ceremony filled with pageantry and poignancy, a coffin containing his bones were lowered into the ground at Leicester Cathedral in central England as thousands of well-wishers gathered outside. “We return … Read More
Too Many “Ethnics” On TV?
Wow, this article is offensive. Just the title alone — “Pilots 2015: The Year of Ethnic Castings – About Time or Too Much of Good Thing?” — stinks. [Note to author Nellie Andreeva — the word “ethnic” means “of or relating to races or large groups of people who have the same customs, religion, origin, etc.” — which means white people are “ethnic” … Read More
Ted Cruz Started Liking Country Music On 9/11
HuffPo: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who announced Monday he’s running for president in 2016, said he started listening to country music because of 9/11. During an interview with CBS’ “This Morning,” Cruz revealed he didn’t like the way rock bands reacted to the terrorist attack. “Music is interesting. I grew up listening to classic rock, and I’ll tell you sort … Read More
The Cheap Wine You’ve Been Drinking May Contain Too Much Arsenic
That’s the allegation in a lawsuit (read the complaint here — PDF) filed in California this week. The origins of the lawsuit draw back to Kevin Hicks, a former wine distributor who started BeverageGrades, a Denver-based lab that analyzes wine. The lab tested 1,300 bottles of California wine, and found that about a quarter of them had higher levels of … Read More
Suicide Or Lynching?
The last person who saw Otis Byrd before he disappeared was a friend who dropped him off on March 2 at a casino in Vicksburg, Miss. Byrd, 54, enjoyed going to casinos every so often before he went missing, a family member toldlocal television station KMBC. He reportedly attended church regularly and held down various jobs, including work on an … Read More
Attacking The Rape Kit Backlog
A couple years ago, two Texas Republicans — Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the Senate and by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) in the House — introduced a common sense bill called The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry Act, also known as the SAFER Act of 2012. It would have reallocated $117 million to help make a dent in the nationwide backlog … Read More
Michele Fiore Tries Even Harder To Replace Bachman
It was only a few weeks ago that I wrote about Michele Fiore, a local congresswoman in Nevada, where I wondered aloud if she was to become the next Michelle Bachman. It seems that she’s still trying to win my heart, using an offensive racial term common in the 1960s to describe an African American colleague. Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, … Read More
Kudos
I’m not a big Kathy Griffin fan — I don’t care for her snark — but shes get my praise for this.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Racists Lawyer Up
Really? The local chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon is planning to pursue legal action against the University of Oklahoma, and possibly OU President David Boren. The group has hired high-profile attorney, Stephen Jones to represent them. Jones told NewsChannel 4 the group is outraged over President Boren shutting down the fraternity house and branding all SAE members as racists and … Read More