In the name of compromise, Congress and the Administration are once again shelving the obvious, the prudent, the manifestly best option, and going instead for something that may or may not properly address a huge problem. Last year's foolish shelving involved health reform, where a single payer approach would have provided the desired universal coverage while dramatically … [Read more...] about With Financial Reform, Washington Again Flees The Obvious
Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Banning Depictions of Extreme Animal Cruelty
I'm all for free speech -- in fact, I consider myself a firm civil libertarian in this regard -- but some "speech" isn't really speech and shouldn't be free. Take, for example, the case of videos depicting extreme cruelty to animals: The Supreme Court on Tuesday forcefully struck down a federal law aimed at banning depictions of dog fighting and other violence against … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Banning Depictions of Extreme Animal Cruelty
Democrats Have $22 Million More In Cash Than Republicans for Campaign 2010
The new, good news for the Democrats is that the Democrats have $22 milliion more in cash than Republicans for camaign 2010. The old, bad news for the Democrats is that it really does seem to be shaping up as a lousey year for Democrats, when the party could face a major blow out at the polls -- and President Barack Obama could wind up having his political sails … [Read more...] about Democrats Have $22 Million More In Cash Than Republicans for Campaign 2010
First Amendment Trumps Animal Rights – Depiction Of Animal Cruelty Constitutionally Protected
The United States Supreme Court yesterday handed down its long awaited decision in United States v. Stevens. Full opinion here. For those who may have forgotten the factual background, Stevens was a pit bull aficionado who sold various pit bull related items over the internet. When his home was raided, authorities found a video, filmed in Japan, of dog fighting. Stevens was … [Read more...] about First Amendment Trumps Animal Rights – Depiction Of Animal Cruelty Constitutionally Protected
Bad Strategy, Clever Politics on Israel
Imagine a dark future where vicious drug gangs have completed their destruction of the Mexican state and have reduced Mexico to a extreme anarchic condition akin to Somalia. Now add to that dystopic vision the rise of a warlord in Tijuana, intractably anti-American and dedicated to the idea that Mexicans should regain control over the southwestern United States. In pursuit of … [Read more...] about Bad Strategy, Clever Politics on Israel
FOX challenges McCain
Fox News Sunday:WALLACE: What a lot of people see in John McCain these days is a move to the right, a more aggressive posture towards President Obama, that they attribute to the fact that you face a tough challenge from former Congressman J.D. Hayworth in the GOP primary. Of course, you're running for reelection in Arizona. And they point to a comment that you made to … [Read more...] about FOX challenges McCain
A magical peace in the Middle East
Bill Clinton on ABC:Half of the energy coming out of all this organization and money-raising for terror comes out of the allegations around the unresolved Palestinian issue. If there were a Palestinian state working in partnership, with the policies Mr. Fayyad's following on the West Bank, it would be a whole different world. All the Arabs would identify with Israel. They'd … [Read more...] about A magical peace in the Middle East
Current Prices for Free Speech
On a day when dog-stomping videos get Constitutional protection, questions arise about how First Amendment freedoms may be exacerbating today's political polarization. Americans have come a long way from 1923 when Time Magazine first appeared to save them from being confused by "the million little chaoses of raw news" with a Voice from Above to explain what it all … [Read more...] about Current Prices for Free Speech
Gawker Brazenly, Publicly Flouted the Law
Jeff Bercovici argues persuasively that the Gawker iPhone scoop was clearly theft: I am somewhat scandalized, even outraged. Put simply, Gawker Media brazenly, publicly flouted the law. It subsidized a crime: the selling of stolen merchandise. Then it published a misleading, whitewashed account of the seller's actions meant to make it look as though he was not acting with … [Read more...] about Gawker Brazenly, Publicly Flouted the Law
Two cheers for the NY Times
When I browse the Public Editor's column in the Sunday Times, I'm generally impressed with his ability to direct substantive criticism at his own employers. On Sunday, Mr. Hoyt observed, Despite written ground rules to the contrary and promises by top editors to do better, The Times continues to use anonymous sources for information available elsewhere on the record. It allows … [Read more...] about Two cheers for the NY Times
Crackdown on the Gambio Organized Crime Mafia Family Includes Allegations of Craig’s List Teenage Prostitution Ring
In a scene that could come right out The Sopranos or The Godfather, officials announced that 14 alleged members of the Gambino crime family have been indicted on a number of charges. But with difference: some have contended that the Mafia had a kind of unwritten law that they wouldn't get involved in prostitution involving minors. If that was the unwritten law, it was allegedly … [Read more...] about Crackdown on the Gambio Organized Crime Mafia Family Includes Allegations of Craig’s List Teenage Prostitution Ring
Now, Sonia Sotomayor Was a Centrist Pick
Daniel Foster at The Corner reacts to a report at TPMDC that Pres. Obama "isn't taking a cautious approach to selecting a nominee" to replace Justice Stevens on the Supreme Court [emphasis is Foster's]: … [Read more...] about Now, Sonia Sotomayor Was a Centrist Pick
Scenes From A Tax Day Tea Party
Did you know that President Obama is considering banning fishing in America? That and other assertions in New Left Media's latest video: On Thursday, April 15, Tea Partiers from around the country gathered in the nation’s capital to protest what they perceived to be egregious increases in taxation under the Obama administration, despite taxes having actually been lowered for … [Read more...] about Scenes From A Tax Day Tea Party
Political Correctness Hobbles America’s WASP Ruling Class: Estadao, Brazil
Despite comprising 60 percent of the population, America's once dominant White Anglo-Saxon Protestants appear to be losing their special place in society. According to Gustavo Chacra of Brazil's Estadao newspaper, this process may be a sign of progress, but it is not without its injustices. For Estado, Gustavo Chacra writes in part: Until the last presidential election, … [Read more...] about Political Correctness Hobbles America’s WASP Ruling Class: Estadao, Brazil
My Eyjafjallajokull Story, Ctd.
By ShannonLee Check here for the first installment in this two-part series. ------------------------- At the end of the last installment, I had just decided that we were to stay in Dublin and wait for our Sunday evening flight to Frankfurt. Our seats had moved from stand-by to verified, and in my best judgment at the time, that was safer than arriving in London with … [Read more...] about My Eyjafjallajokull Story, Ctd.
Court Overturns Ban On Crush Animal Videos
For the second time this year, the Supreme Court has expanded the role of free speech, this time striking down a federal law that banned videos showing graphic violence against animals. The court voted 8-1, with Justice Samuel Alito dissenting, a case involving the criminal conviction of a Virginia man who sold videos of pit bull fights. The 1999 law limited Internet sales … [Read more...] about Court Overturns Ban On Crush Animal Videos
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The Unraveling
Two weeks ago, in an article “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave…” I wrote about the case of Air Force Lt. Robin Chaurasiya who, after “telling” that she was a lesbian and that she was in a civil union with another woman, was not discharged by the Air Force as required under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. The Air Force, in my opinion, was … [Read more...] about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The Unraveling
To Doom Iranian Regime, Let it Pursue The Bomb: Le Monde, France
Since stronger sanctions are likely to cause Iranians to rally around a regime they dislike, would a better approach be to allow Tehran to continue on its present course without sanctions, and trust the Iranian people to topple the unpopular regime? As risky as this sounds, Le Monde columnist Caroline Fourest writes that of all the available options, this is the most likely to … [Read more...] about To Doom Iranian Regime, Let it Pursue The Bomb: Le Monde, France
Seriously, A Domed Stadium For San Diego? Yes, Maybe
I know Nick Canepa and he is no Dan Quail. I knew Nick as a copy kid on the old Evening Tribune in San Diego where he now perches as one of the nation's best sports columnists at the new, revitalized San Diego Union-Tribune. I thought Canepa, a San Diego native, lost his Italian navigation system when his column siren beckoned Tuesday for a new domed stadium for the San … [Read more...] about Seriously, A Domed Stadium For San Diego? Yes, Maybe
Those Who Govern – Mitch McConnell
Republican Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, is coming under increasing attack as financial reform works its way through the Senate. Withering criticism has come personally from both the President and the Senate Majority Leader over McConnell’s recent closed door meeting with leaders of the financial sector. McConnell is the longest serving senator in Kentucky … [Read more...] about Those Who Govern – Mitch McConnell