Where and when did “Political Correctness” originate? Well, if one believes Bill Lind, “the name originated as something of a joke, literally in a comic strip…” Further in his essay, however, Lind dates the origins of Political Correctness back to the Vietnam War -- “the 1960s and the hippies and the peace movement” -- but stretching back to the Political Correctness of … [Read more...] about Thank God for Political Correctness
My most sacred day of 2015 was in a grieving church
CHARLESTON, SC, June 21–Like a lot of people around the nation, I simply felt the need to be here on that Sunday with the good people of “Mother Emanuel”—The African Methodist Episcopalian Church. Four days earlier, a crazed young white man had opened fire and killed 9 black people who were studying Bible and had welcomed him in. Not everyone who was so moved could actually … [Read more...] about My most sacred day of 2015 was in a grieving church
Trump is leading the Republican party into dangerous game of climate change denial (Guest Voice)
By Doug O'Malley In 1988, a presidential candidate argued that critics who said we're powerless to act on the "greenhouse effect" had forgotten about the "White House effect." A year later, a New Jersey governor issued an executive order calling on New Jersey to recognize the "scientific consensus" of climate change and prepare for rising sea… … [Read more...] about Trump is leading the Republican party into dangerous game of climate change denial (Guest Voice)
Bad News for Democracy Is Great News for TV Profits
Bad News for Democracy Is Great News for TV Profits by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship Political campaigns, as well as anonymous millionaires and billionaires, are spending more and more on ads to influence the presidential election — and network heads are cheering them on. Television news has gone off its rocker and turned our politics into the equivalent of a freak … [Read more...] about Bad News for Democracy Is Great News for TV Profits
The ABC News Democratic Party Presidential Debate: Did it change anything? (Blog, News and Twitter roundup)
And now the spin from partisans of Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and the Republicans will begin: in columns, on blogs, on cable and on Monday on talk radio shows. There will be more cherry-picking than during cherry season. But did the debate substantially change anything for Clinton, Sanders or a third candidate who is doomed to be a footnote, former Maryland Gov. Martin … [Read more...] about The ABC News Democratic Party Presidential Debate: Did it change anything? (Blog, News and Twitter roundup)
‘Mein Kampf’ Seen As Antidote To Extremism
Schoolteachers in Germany want to add a 90-year-old text to the high school curriculum: “Mein Kampf,” the anti-Semitic autobiographical manifesto written in 1925 by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. German teachers' association Deutschen Lehrerverbandes says that an annotated version of the text could help "inoculate" German high school students against extremism, Agence France-Presse … [Read more...] about ‘Mein Kampf’ Seen As Antidote To Extremism
Bernie vs. The DNC Part I: Response To Crisis Shows Difference From Clinton Crisis Management
Bernie Sanders’ campaign has filed suit against the Democratic National Committee after they were suspended from access to the party’s voter database. The database is being used by all three campaigns, with each campaign adding their own voter data. A breech in the system led to members of Sanders’s campaign improperly obtaining access to information from the … [Read more...] about Bernie vs. The DNC Part I: Response To Crisis Shows Difference From Clinton Crisis Management
Today’s Media: Often Pandering to Bias and Ignorance
by Walter Brasch The Texas board of education didn’t find anything wrong with a world geography textbook that said slaves from Africa were workers, but that immigrants from northern Europe were indentured servants. This is the same school board that five years ago demanded that textbooks emphasize that slavery was only a side issue to the cause of the civil war, and that … [Read more...] about Today’s Media: Often Pandering to Bias and Ignorance
Public Policy Polling Poll: 41% of Trump voters favor bombing Aladdin’s (fictional) country, 36% of Democrats oppose it
To the descendants of Aladdin who live in the fictitious country of Agrabah: a poll finds 41 percent of Republican primary voters favor bombing your country. But there is a bright side: 36 percent of Democrats poll oppose bombing it. However, the poll didn't ask voters whether they think magic carpets should be targeted and destroyed as a threatening weapon that could be used … [Read more...] about Public Policy Polling Poll: 41% of Trump voters favor bombing Aladdin’s (fictional) country, 36% of Democrats oppose it
Sanders regains access of voter files after bitter fight over data breach
By Megan Cassella and James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders regained access to crucial voter files on Friday after taking the Democratic National Committee to court and accusing party leaders of trying to undermine his White House bid and help rival Hillary Clinton. The DNC had blocked access to the voter data after a … [Read more...] about Sanders regains access of voter files after bitter fight over data breach
Civil war rages in Democratic Party over DNC response to allegations of Sanders’ campaign seeing Clinton voter files
For months now, Democrats have watched the Republican primary battle with its cast of political Twilight Zoners and smiled. They could sit back and enjoy the spectacle of a weakened and threatened GOP political establishment battle the party's increasingly powerful talk-radio-show and Tea Party fueled base -- political debate encased within razor-thin layers of anger, rage and … [Read more...] about Civil war rages in Democratic Party over DNC response to allegations of Sanders’ campaign seeing Clinton voter files
Military Weekend: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Update)
Update: Found this year’s U.S. Air Force Band’s flash mob performance. It is a lively musical arrangement sequence of “Jingle Bells” and “Auld Lang Syne” performed at DC’s Union Station on Dec. 3. Enjoy, too, following last year’s classic performance at the Air and Space Museum at the bottom. Original Post: We have seen how NORAD is preparing to track Santa … [Read more...] about Military Weekend: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Update)
Sandra Bland was my Person of the Year
2015 has been a bitter year of many murders and premature deaths. In the dimness of its prevailing sadness, the absolutely wanton passing of one young American woman in a Texas jail cell stands out in its grim narrative. Sandra Bland, in her consuming desperation and misfortune, was the Person of the Year. We will never know everything about the inflamed pull-over, arrest, … [Read more...] about Sandra Bland was my Person of the Year
Sanders campaign accused of accesssing Clinton data
By Susan Heavey and Megan Cassella WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was accused of breaching voter data from rival Hillary Clinton's campaign, adding intrigue to a debate featuring the two this weekend. The breach of Democratic National Committee files led to the firing of a top Sanders data staffer and prompted the … [Read more...] about Sanders campaign accused of accesssing Clinton data
Trump/GOP on Putin: Booyah!
Josh Marshall on Donald Trump's exploitation of Republican fascination with Vladimir Putin on Talking Points Memo. Again and again over the last six months we've seen Donald Trump take memes and messages which are either implicit in mainstream Republican politics or explicit on the fringes of conservatism and make them loud and explicit. That might be on bashing Mexican … [Read more...] about Trump/GOP on Putin: Booyah!
Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 33 points: poll
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a 33-point lead over Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont in a new national poll on the 2016 Democratic presidential field, with nearly three-quarters of Democrats reporting a favorable opinion of Mrs. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton received 59 percent support in the national Monmouth University poll released this week, compared to… … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 33 points: poll
Bernie Sanders Receives Two Major Endorsements
Bernie Sanders picked up two major endorsements on Thursday from the Communications Workers of America union and Democracy for America. MSNBC reports on the first endorsement of the day: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is set to pick up one of his biggest endorsements yet Thursday from the powerful Communications Workers of America union, sources told NBC’s … [Read more...] about Bernie Sanders Receives Two Major Endorsements
Is America Admired?
Is America admired? Not as much as we like to think. Is our fear of terrorism legit? Well, you can certainly make a case for thinking "not really." But fear is useful to politicians and even more useful to media. Between the two, we're being handed -- day after day -- not just snake oil but live rattlers. Politicians sell themselves to voters by using scare … [Read more...] about Is America Admired?
Cartoon: Bloodsucking Shkreli
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Bloodsucking Shkreli
Vilified for drug pricing, CEO Shkreli busted for securities fraud
By Nate Raymond and David Ingram NEW YORK (Reuters) - Martin Shkreli, the boyish pharmaceutical entrepreneur who caused a public uproar after he drastically raised the price of a life-saving prescription drug, was arrested on Thursday for engaging in what U.S. prosecutors said was a Ponzi-like scheme at his former hedge fund and a pharmaceutical company he previously … [Read more...] about Vilified for drug pricing, CEO Shkreli busted for securities fraud