Our political Quote of the Day comes a coalition of Tea Party groups that shows why the Tea Party has become anathema to many non-Republicans, independent voters, and moderates. While Tea Partiers will love this quote, many of the other Americans will react by shaking their heads and vowing to vote against candidates that support or enable people who are so openly pitching this … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: no on compromise and bipartisanship
Missouri legislator files suit to be exempted from contraception mandate in state health plan
Another Republican politician decides to waste court time with a challenge to a facet to the ACA. This Missouri state representative involved wants to claim that unless he and his family are personally exempted from having to have coverage that would even allow for the possibility of contraceptives being covered it violates his First Amendment right to freedom of religion. He … [Read more...] about Missouri legislator files suit to be exempted from contraception mandate in state health plan
Russell Simmons Apologizes for Video Disparaging Abolitionist Harriet Tubman
Russell Simmons is trending on Twitter today for all the wrong reasons.He managed to piss off a whole lot of people with a video parodying abolitionist heroine Harriet Tubman, with a "sex tape" video. Kinda makes Don Lemon's scathing rebuke of him on-point. I have never found Russell Simmons, who helped to create the gangsta culture, credible on matters of race. He let his own … [Read more...] about Russell Simmons Apologizes for Video Disparaging Abolitionist Harriet Tubman
How to lose Independent voters and non-conservative Republicans
Oh, please GIVE ME A BREAK(!). … [Read more...] about How to lose Independent voters and non-conservative Republicans
Christie criticizes GOP rivals: gets good establishment response
Has New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie now positioned himself as the candidate of pragmatism who wants to win -- read that as "expand the Republican base" -- and in effect defend the Republican establishment that talk radio and Tea Party types attack? It sounds that way and, as usual, he is not mincing words: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie planted himself firmly in the … [Read more...] about Christie criticizes GOP rivals: gets good establishment response
Unearned blessings
WASHINGTON -- In thinking about inequality, we tend to focus on practical remedies such as raising minimum wages or supplementing the incomes of the working poor. We have far more trouble affecting that ineffable thing we call luck. You do not get to choose your parents or where you are born, and no government program can guarantee that you'll benefit from acts of … [Read more...] about Unearned blessings
Number 16: Great-grandmother accuses San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment
The body count is steadily inceasing for San Diego Mayor Bob "I-will-not-resign" Filner, who now has 16 women accusing him in often graphic detail of sexual harrassment. The latest is a great grandmother: A great-grandmother will hold a news conference with attorney Gloria Allred Thursday afternoon, alleging she is a sexual harassment victim of Mayor Bob Filner. A news … [Read more...] about Number 16: Great-grandmother accuses San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment
Baseball and Politics: Looking for a Level Playing Field
Friends and family in Westport, Connecticut are agog over a bunch of 12-year-old boys playing baseball in the Little League World Series starting tonight in Williamsport, Pa. and televised on national TV. While Big League counterparts are mired in steroid scandals, these pre-teens symbolize the purity that the national pastime used to signify in more naïve times, a reminder … [Read more...] about Baseball and Politics: Looking for a Level Playing Field
New Mammal Species Discovered
New Mammal Species Discovered (via Planetsave) A small carnivorous mammal in the raccoon family has been discovered to be a unique species. Using DNA analysis, scientists distinguished the new olinguito from olingos. Both eat meat and are native to Central and South America. There is also a close… … [Read more...] about New Mammal Species Discovered
Obama cancels US exercises, but not aid, with Egypt
Obama cancels US exercises, but not aid, with Egypt (via AFP) US President Barack Obama on Thursday canceled exercises with Egypt's military to protest the killing of hundreds of protesters but stopped short of suspending $1.3 billion in annual aid. Obama urged Egypt's army-installed authorities to lift a state… … [Read more...] about Obama cancels US exercises, but not aid, with Egypt
Warning to Non-Gardeners: Beware Zucchini Bandits
Never turn your back on a home garden in August. Years ago my family came back from a week’s vacation to find scores of zucchini the size of Little League bats. Since I devoutly disapprove of wasting food, we packed a large plastic bag of the overgrown squash and took them to a Sunday brunch that would be attended mostly by gardenless weekenders. Into each unlocked car, we … [Read more...] about Warning to Non-Gardeners: Beware Zucchini Bandits
Egypt’s darkest day (Guest Voice)
Egypt's darkest day (via GlobalPost) CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt’s military-backed government imposed a month-long nighttime curfew in nearly half the country’s provinces Wednesday night, following a day of nationwide violence that was striking in its brutality and that marked one of the… … [Read more...] about Egypt’s darkest day (Guest Voice)
Republicans fear their 2016 nomination battle will help Hillary Clinton
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not even declared that she's running yet, and the new big political stories are about whether her speeches and her and daughter Chelsea Clinton's moves to the Clinton Foundation are tipoffs that she's in the race. Couple that with the likely expected reaction. Do we really need to even quote how Fox News talking heads are framing … [Read more...] about Republicans fear their 2016 nomination battle will help Hillary Clinton
Egypt death toll 500: Islamists call new march
Egypt Islamists call new march (via AFP) Islamists vowed to rally Thursday in support of deposed president Mohamed Morsi despite a violent crackdown that sparked Egypt's worst day of violence for decades, with over 500 people killed. As the death toll from the carnage soared, condemnation… … [Read more...] about Egypt death toll 500: Islamists call new march
Looking Back At The Mortagage Crisis
Although the problems will continue to haunt us for years we are slowly moving past the mortgage crisis and I thought it might be time for us to again try to look back and figure out exactly what happened. During the peak of the crisis it was popular to try and blame everything on the other party while excusing your own. This is understandable politics and is a pattern as old … [Read more...] about Looking Back At The Mortagage Crisis
Essentials Thomas Jefferson Believed were omitted from the Constitution
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743, and in 2026 he'll have been dead for 200 years. Sometimes when I read some of his writings, I marvel at how far he saw, how thoughtful... and sometimes how blind. A human with a partially divine view for humanity. Still, what a mind seemingly often 'borne into the future.' Given in his time, newspapers were small presses and a greater … [Read more...] about Essentials Thomas Jefferson Believed were omitted from the Constitution
When Science-Funding-Lovin’ Republicans Walked the Earth
Another piece by David Weigel at Slate refers to a time that now seems like it must be mythical. Can you imagine any of the current generation of Republicans holding truly positive positions when it comes to funding scientific research, especially when it's something as important as what the NIH does? Image provided by Shutterstock … [Read more...] about When Science-Funding-Lovin’ Republicans Walked the Earth
Orson Scott Card Worries About Obama Turning “Urban Gangs” Into His Personal Police Force
Orson Scott Card's opinions on gay marriage and homosexuality have been looked at askance by a lot of science fiction fans for a while now. The Daily Dot does a pretty good job of showing why in this piece. Now he's moved into the realm of paranoid fantasies about President Obama and his recruitment of unemployed urban youth as his enforcers as David Weigel writes on Slate. … [Read more...] about Orson Scott Card Worries About Obama Turning “Urban Gangs” Into His Personal Police Force
Weiner forever (Cartoon)
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 Weiner forever (Cartoon)
These intense eye-witness videos show just how bad it’s gotten in Egypt
These intense eye-witness videos show just how bad it's gotten in Egypt (via GlobalPost) Enlarge Protests and ensuing clashes between security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi have taken place across Egypt today, with most of the violence concentrated in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adaweya and Nahda Squares. Egypt has declared… … [Read more...] about These intense eye-witness videos show just how bad it’s gotten in Egypt