CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is set to unveil a major overhaul of the criminal justice system to ease overcrowding in federal prisons by ordering prosecutors to omit listing quantities of illegal drugs in indictments of low-level drug cases. This will change the way sentences are handed down for such offenses. Attorney General Eric H. Holder … [Read more...] about Attorney General Eric Holder Outlines Changes to Drug Sentencing Guidelines for Low-Level Offenses
GOP Infighting (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 GOP Infighting (Cartoon)
Obama takes a vacation, critics jerk their knees (Guest Voice)
Obama takes a vacation, critics jerk their knees (via NewsWorks) National Interest Dick [email protected] August 12, 2013 By Dick Polman It happens every August. Tomatoes peak in flavor, gardenias peak in fragrance, and presidents get stupidly abused for going on vacation. As soon as Barack Obama… … [Read more...] about Obama takes a vacation, critics jerk their knees (Guest Voice)
Whitey Bulger Guilty
A jury has found mobster Whitey Bulger guilty of... well being a mobster. One hopes they have good life insurance. … [Read more...] about Whitey Bulger Guilty
Texas Republican Says House Has Votes to Impeach Barack Obama
File this in your "here we go again" file: Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold said that Republicans could secure the votes to impeach Barack Obama in the House of Representatives. Farenthold was speaking at an open house held at a Civic Center in Luling, Texas, Saturday according to a YouTube video description and the Congressman’s online schedule. His answer came from … [Read more...] about Texas Republican Says House Has Votes to Impeach Barack Obama
Anthony Weiner sets polling record (highest unfavorable)
Anothony Weiner is finally ahead of the pack in a poll which finds him one of New York's most embarrassing candidates. Weiner may be proving impotent in other polls, but in this he rises to the top in his unfavorability rating. More than two-thirds of New Yorkers find Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer’s campaigns “embarrassing” and Weiner’s unfavorable rating has set a … [Read more...] about Anthony Weiner sets polling record (highest unfavorable)
Judge Rules New York’s Stop-and-Frisk Policy Violates Constitutional Rights of Minorities
Judge Shira A. Scheindlin ruled that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's policy of 'stop and frisk' violates the rights of minorities. In a decision issued on Monday, the judge, Shira A. Scheindlin, ruled that police officers have for years been systematically stopping innocent people in the street without any objective reason to suspect them of wrongdoing. Officers often … [Read more...] about Judge Rules New York’s Stop-and-Frisk Policy Violates Constitutional Rights of Minorities
Why Won’t Obama Stop Being So Cool?
Can’t the President get mad at anybody? At his press conference, Barack Obama observes that Vladimir Putin has “that kind of slouch, looking like the bored kid at the back of the classroom” and Republicans are in the grip of an “ideological fixation...The idea that you would shut down the government unless you prevent 30 million people from getting health care is a bad … [Read more...] about Why Won’t Obama Stop Being So Cool?
America’s bubble of complacency (Guest Voice)
America's bubble of complacency by Michael Gerson Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- The impending replacement of the chairman of the Federal Reserve has taken on elements of a political campaign, with members of Congress endorsing candidates and financial bloggers strafing rival monetary camps. One half expects to see ads go up in Iowa: "Janet … [Read more...] about America’s bubble of complacency (Guest Voice)
Environmental Activist Nancy Shukaitis Goes Back To The Barricades. Again.
Nancy Michael Shukaitis is a hero in her own time. Beginning in the 1950s, she opposed a plan to dam the scenic middle Delaware River -- the largest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi -- that would create an immense reservoir at Tocks Island and submerge hundreds of homes and farms. At first she was a lonely voice facing down the powerful Army Corps of … [Read more...] about Environmental Activist Nancy Shukaitis Goes Back To The Barricades. Again.
Venom gone viral (Guest Voice)
Venom gone viral by Ruth Marcus Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- It is a truth universally acknowledged that we live in an age of incivility, with coarseness enabled by the Internet's immediacy and anonymity. Still, one needn't have the delicate sensibility or decorous manners of a Jane Austen character to be shocked by the violent … [Read more...] about Venom gone viral (Guest Voice)
How do you grow an artificial burger?
How do you grow an artificial burger? (via The Economist) WHEN the world's press descended on a small film studio in London on August 5th, it was clear that something momentous was afoot. And indeed, the hundred-odd reporters got a glimpse of what might be nothing less than the future of food: the cooking… … [Read more...] about How do you grow an artificial burger?
GOP Strategist Confronts Congressman For Bigoted Comments On Immigrants: You ‘Should Get Some Therapy’
Rep. Steven King (R-IA) apparently is of the GOP school that believes in never backing down and never refusing to double down on things that most people agree are hurting his party. Saying that for every valedictorian among young illegal immigrants there are a hundred drug smugglers and then going on national television and yet again saying that comprehensive immigration … [Read more...] about GOP Strategist Confronts Congressman For Bigoted Comments On Immigrants: You ‘Should Get Some Therapy’
TRAYVON MARTIN: Why blacks need to travel
Educating ourselves to the ways of the world — and the knowledge that the rest of the world isn’t all the same as America when it comes to racism — is a major reason why black Americans need to travel. This Sunday, I have Trayvon Martin on my mind. To a lot of people, the death of this young man, and the acquittal of his killer under Florida’s “stand your ground” law, … [Read more...] about TRAYVON MARTIN: Why blacks need to travel
Curing the Poison of “Rankism”
I got a close look at the poison of "rankism" at the age of seven, when my classmate Arlene was sent to the hall for the whole school day. Arlene lived on a farm and wore the same dress to school each day. When she spoke, it was in a whisper. Our teacher, Miss Belcher, began every day with an inspection of our fingernails. One day she told Arlene to go to the hall and stay … [Read more...] about Curing the Poison of “Rankism”
Oh, mommy, please make him go AWAY (Donald Trump is hyping again) (UPDATED)
Oh, mommy, please make that man go away. Please, mommy, just make him go away. That's likely the verdict of a good chunk of America's electorate as the media -- and, in many ways, Republicans -- continues its love affair with Donald Trump, a living example of how lots of money and loudness brings lots of attention. And -- no, joke, now...this is not from The Onion or Mad … [Read more...] about Oh, mommy, please make him go AWAY (Donald Trump is hyping again) (UPDATED)
This chart shows just how anti-gay Russia is (Guest Voice)
This chart shows just how anti-gay Russia is (via GlobalPost) European tolerance of homosexuality in society | Create infographics The media frenzy surrounding the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia has highlighted an ever-growing divide between Russian and the rest of Europe over the rights and civil… … [Read more...] about This chart shows just how anti-gay Russia is (Guest Voice)
Hillary Game: In Your Biopic, Who Should Play You?
Heated negotiations go on for a miniseries about Hillary Clinton as a well as a biopic about her youth. Republicans are in a dither over NBC producing it, but now Fox is showing interest. The politics are a mess, of course, but rumors about which actresses will play the various Hillarys interest me more. Diane Lane, who won an Oscar for portraying an athletically adulterous … [Read more...] about Hillary Game: In Your Biopic, Who Should Play You?
Fringe Factor: Gay Love Is Just Like What Ariel Castro Had With His Victims
YEP someone in our political culture, where no one misses a chance to demonize someone who they disagree with or disdain in the most transparent way, actually said it on (get ready for the surprise) Fox News: "Gay Love Is Just Like What Ariel Castro Had With His Victims" -- as The Daily Beast notes in this collection of some examples of why independent voters often vote … [Read more...] about Fringe Factor: Gay Love Is Just Like What Ariel Castro Had With His Victims
Hannah Anderson rescued, James Lee DiMaggio killed as abduction ends
Hannah Anderson rescued, James Lee DiMaggio killed as abduction ends (via The Christian Science Monitor) Mary Rook of the Salt Lake City FBI speaks during a press conference at the Cascade Fire Station in Cascade, Idaho, Saturday. The man suspected of kidnapping 16-year-old Hannah Anderson was shot dead in Idaho as the girl was rescued.(Robby Milo/AP)… … [Read more...] about Hannah Anderson rescued, James Lee DiMaggio killed as abduction ends