Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category
Let's Section-8 'Em
I'm getting the idea that "to section-8" will, at some future time, become a popular political buzz-phrase. Probably not right away, because there's too much hysteria, too much raw emotion, too much manufactured urgency, and too much political pressure. But later, when cooler investigations have had time to do their work and we can look […]
In: All, Current Events, Feeling Peevish
How's that Deregulation Working Out for You?
I've been thinking recently about deregulation, the great "free-market" panacea that has been so strongly touted in recent decades. You do remember how deregulation is always always said first and foremost to benefit the American public–more competition, more choice, cheaper prices, something along those lines is always uttered as hands wave about dismissively. Frankly, I […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Celebrity & Politics
We liberals seem to have a difficult time at politics because we like to talk about ideas and problems and solutions to those problems, even though we know that the electorate doesn't particularly care to talk about ideas and solutions to problems. Instead, what gets the candidate elected is celebrity, that elusive and vacuous quality […]
In: All, Current Events, Wanderings
Lambeth Focused on Bishop Robinson
There's the woman in the short, red dress who brought on her own rape because she dressed provocatively. Or any number of black men in the south who had to be lynched because they got uppity. Martin Luther King, Jr. got plenty of advice from helpful white folk about how he could help his movement […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
End-of-Civilization Vigil
This is just a little reminder, in case it has slipped from your attention, that civilization as we know it will end this evening at 5:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time.* I'll be listening for the first cracks. The end itself will begin, of course, with the institution of marriage, thought by some to have survived […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Vote for People to be Happy
Timothy Kincaid at Box Turtle Bulletin ("The Most Effective Campaign") pointed out a nice, personal story from the Fresno Bee about a woman in California named Renee DeMusiak. Now, Ms. DeMusiak was what one might call a marriage traditionalist until rather recently when she changed her mind, largely because of her feelings about her boss, […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Living in History
I am not totally immune to the excitement of living in history, even if it is political–at least at the moment. Yes, it was quite extraordinary that the main contenders for the Democratic nomination for president were a black man and a white woman. Exciting even. I have to admit, though, that I didn't find […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Number of States Recognizing Marriage Equality Doubles
The California Supreme Court today decided a case in favor of marriage equality for all loving couples. There are now two states in the union (i.e., 4% of the country) where marriage equality has been legally recognized.The opinion is available here: In Re Marriage Cases, S147999. The heart of the litigation was the question whether […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Reich on Ignoring Economists
After hearing Hillary Clinton say on television this morning: "I'm not going to put my lot in with economists” , Robert Reich wrote In case you’ve missed it, we now have a president who doesn’t care what most economists think. George W. Bush doesn’t even care what scientists think. He rejects all experts who disagree […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Larry King on Larry King
You may recall the events of a few of months ago when gay student Lawrence King was murdered by a fellow student. On 25 April a national day of silence will be observed by many students in many schools to bring attention to the problem of bullying and name-calling faced by so many young people […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Doing the Impossible
Hillary would have to win 69% to 70% of the delegates in every remaining state in order to catch Obama. He [NBC's Chuck Todd] then says that if Obama and Clinton split Indiana and North Carolina on May 6, as expected, then she'd need to win 80% of the delegates in every remaining state. Basically […]
In: All, Current Events, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
Tutu on Human Rights…Again
This week people all around me here near Washington, DC are all agog with the arrival of The Pope, which is odd since so few of them are Catholic although it is true that Vatican City tends to have pretty stamps and he is the head of state of that petite philatelic gem. As I […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Ed Kelly: "What If?"
You may remember the case of the now-notorious homophobe in Oklahoma named Sally Kern, the one who fervently believes that gay people are a bigger threat to America than terrorists, etc. A little while back there was a rally on her behalf; 1,000 people attended to shout their support for Sally's bigotry and to proclaim […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Shooting the Gordian Gun
Sometimes recently the Supreme Court heard arguments concerning the District of Columbia's hand-gun control laws. Swirling about this event were many arguments, many familiar arguments, about Constitutional Rights and whether the Second Amendment of said document guarantees the freedom to bear arms only in the context of a defensive militia, or in any circumstance whatsoever, […]
In: All, Current Events, Eureka!
Judy Shepard on Kern's Poison
You may remember mention of Sally Kern, the homophobic state representative from Oklahoma who likes to think that gay people are worse than terrorists, and who likes to tell everyone about it. You may also remember that she feels she is being censored because her hateful nonsense is being heard by so many people–a curious […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Subprime Lesson #1
Q. Why did the US lending institutions lend money to people who couldn't pay it back? A. Because the people who could pay it back didn't need a loan. … No use lending to them … they've already got plenty of money. ["Clarke and Dawe: the comic duo you can bank on", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, […]
In: All, Current Events, Laughing Matters
Viral Censorship
Oklahoma has a state representative named Sally Kern who is a homophobe. This will surprise no one. Kern believes that gay people are a bigger threat to American society than terrorism, that it spreads (join hands and sing "We Are A Cancer"), that we are infiltrating the government, that we want to destroy the country, […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
…and Then There Were Three
We've heard by now, with excitement, about the election of the Democratic physicist Bill Foster, in special election, to take over the long-corrupt seat of Denny Hastert, but I was also excited to hear the news about the election of the Democratic physicist Bill Foster, etc. Here's how fellow physicist Bob Park talks about it […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Park's Leap-Day Look at Science & Non-Science
Bob Park seems reinvigorated by all the science-silliness and some non-silliness going on that he reports in the latest (29 February) edition of "What's New". (Subscription information here.) Between feeling lazy and amused, I decided to include it all! 1. FENCES: SOMETHING THERE IS THAT DOESN’T LOVE A WALL. Technology makes us arrogant. A 28-mile […]
In: All, Current Events, It's Only Rocket Science
DeGeneres on Lawrence King's Murder
Ellen DeGeneres made a statement on her television show about the murder of Lawrence King, an eighth-grader in Oxnard, California. He was killed by a fellow student who apparently objected to King's saying he was gay, and to King's gender expression. It's a story that should leave homophobes in stunned silence at where their hatred […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity