In case you missed last night’s state of the union address, here it is (and here are a few departures from the script). It was…OK. It was largely focused on the economy (which is slowly getting better) and increasing opportunity for those who aren’t doing as well — so that was good. I’m not entirely convinced that Obama isn’t still in the pocket of Wall Street, but he talks a good game.
As he heads into his final few years as president, Obama seems to be finally taking a stand on a few things. He is going to veto the Keystone XL Pipeline. Hooray!
In addition to my familiar and tiresome herd of trolls, the Gateway To Reason organizer is receiving more damning information about me from another source: it’s Comma again! And he’s teaming up with slymepitters and Twitter twits! I guess I’m doomed.
I would actually agree with Republicans on something: requiring a basic civics test, as Arizona has done, seems like a reasonable expectation. It helps that it really isn’t very difficult: here’s a set of sample questions, which most people have managed to get more than 90% right (60% is required to pass; I got 100%). I am suspicious of the Republican motives, though: they probably think they are putting up a barrier for immigrants, which seems to be the obsession among Arizona politicians.
Who else is Sean Hannity going to talk to when he needs an expert on Islam? Some brown-skinned guy?
Roy Edroso and Amanda Marcotte are discussing this remarkable example of right-wing false equivalence.
Indeed, the outpouring of support for free speech in the aftermath of the Paris attack coincides with, and partially obscures, the degradation of speech rights in the West. Commencement last year was marked by universities’ revoking of appearances by speakers Condoleezza Rice and Ayaan Hirsi Ali for no other reason than that mobs disagreed with the speakers’ points of view. I do not recall liberals rallying behind Condi and Hirsi Ali then.
OMG! Condoleeza Rice and Ayaan Hirsi Ali were shot and killed? Then yes, we definitely should march in opposition to that criminal outrage…oh. They were just turned away from speaking engagements? Sorry, that isn’t the same thing at all.
Our senate is preparing to vote on whether climate change is happening. It’ll be interesting to see if the Republicans think they can vote it into non-existence.
Further evidence that the American political system is broken: Ted Cruz has been made chair of the committee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness (one of the things in that list of three does not belong…and why is “Space”, a small subset of science’s compass, given such a prominent spot?). Marco Rubio is chair of the subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard (another hodge-podge!). This is as insane as putting James Inhofe in charge of environmental policy.
There have been multiple requests demanding that the university release all their information on the nefarious PZ Myers, and as a courtesy, I get sent the replies. So campus authorities have sent me the complete report on their investigation into the heinous theft and vandalism of the Morris North Star.
Nathan Zamprogno also sent me a link to the demented stylings of LoneStar1776, who is a great fan of Kent Hovind and strange interpretations of the law, and also hates Barack Obama and those damn libruls. I think Zamprogno is trying to drive me insane with paranoia.
