Further loosening the reins on the role of money in politics, the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down restrictions on the grand total that any person can contribute to all federal candidates for office. Today's decision left intact the cap of $2,600 per election that a contributor to give to any single candidate for federal office, but it invalidated the … Read More
The Hobby Lobby Case
Justice Anthony Kennedy, on whose vote the Hobby Lobby SCOTUS case rests, seems very concerned about the government forcing corporations to cover abortion: WASHINGTON, DC — Justice Anthony Kennedy thinks gay people are fabulous. All three of the Supreme Court’s most important gay rights decisions were written by Justice Kennedy. So advocates for birth control had a simple task today: convince Kennedy … Read More
How To Talk About Rape In High School? Censorship.
Cardinal Columns is a student newspaper at Fond du Lac High School, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In last month's issue, a student wrote an article entitled "The Rape Joke", a thoughful article about the rape culture that percades high schools and youth. You can read the article here. And once you do, I hope you'll agree that the student … Read More
“Justified Shooting”
That's what the chief of police in Albequerque, NM calls this. There is a verbal confrontation between James Boyd, 38, a homeless and mentally disturbed man camping out in the mountains of New Mexico… and the armed police with attack dogs. But eventually, Boyd agrees to gather his stuff and go. He does not make a move to the officers. … Read More
Not Dead
Yes, I haven't posted in a loooooong time, and it's very frustrating because some interesting stuff has been going down (the excuse is work — I'm covering for a sick co-worker and it has been time-consuming). The MOST interesting story, as far as I am concerned, came from Arizona and SB1062, the "religious freedom" pro-bigotry bill which would permit businesses to … Read More
Then And Now
53 years ago today, an outgoing President Eisenhower said: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” He went on: “We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or … Read More
Calling It Quits
Jimmy LaSalvia co-founded political action group GOProud to prove to America that the Republican Party is a safe home for gay conservatives. But he no longer believes his own arguments. On Monday, he announced on his blog that he could no longer take his own party’s refusal to stand up to bigotry: he was leaving the Republican Party and had registered as … Read More
Coming South
Oklahoma court rules that a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. There's an appeal though.
To Arms!
Once again, a gun nut has been censored for speaking out on the subject of guns. You would think that the Tea Party patriots would be going ballistic, crying "HOW DARE THEY STIFLE HIS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS JUST BECAUSE HE GAVE HIS OPINION ABOUT GUNS?!?!?!" But that's not happening. Why not? Because this guy spoke in favor of reasonable gun legislation. … Read More
Everything That Is Wrong With This Country Now
'Duck Dynasty' family to launch line of guns http://t.co/cF0VM2uIJ7 — NBC News Business (@NBCNewsBusiness) January 2, 2014 Millionaire hillbillies greedily putting more guns into the hands of its cultureless fans.
Our Gun Culture
What would you do if a confused man rang your doorbell and jiggled your front door handle at 4 AM? Would you conclude that, like Avon ladies, ruthless home invaders always warn potential victims by ringing the doorbell? If you’re Joe Hendrix of Chickamauga, Georgia, you’d go outside to confront the menace and plug the old codger in the chest with your … Read More
White Mans’ Paradise Ruined By Gubmint Intervention
Sigh. It's so hard to be a bigot these days: BISMARK, N.D. – An order giving white supremacist Craig Cobb five days to come up with a plan for installing running water and a sewer outlet into his home in Leith expired Monday and it’s possible the house could be declared uninhabitable. The order was written by the Custer District … Read More
Common Sense Needs To Enter The Gun Debate
People need to start asking some serious questions here: The shooting Monday at Washington’s Navy Yard that killed at least a dozen people occurred not only at a secure military installation but in a very secure building. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the shooting took place in Building 197, the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command, a workplace … Read More
Shooters in Washington Navy Yard
Terrible unfolding of events. First it was a lone gunman, and nobody wounded. WaPo is now saying it is three gunman and several are dead…. #BREAKINGNEWS: Police say 1 shooter down, 2 shooters remain in building http://t.co/jmWBtL7CmV #NavyYardShooting — Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 16, 2013 Hmmm… sounds like bad info. Nobody else is saying more than one shooter. And … Read More
Science Again Confirms What We Already Know: Gun Edition
The largest study of gun violence in the United States, released Thursday afternoon, confirms a point that should be obvious: widespread American gun ownership is fueling America’s gun violence epidemic. The study, by Professor Michael Siegel at Boston University and two coauthors, has been peer-reviewed and is forthcoming in the American Journal of Public Health. Siegel and his colleagues compiled data on … Read More