Long time readers of this blog know that I have been very critical of some of the policies of president Barack Obama and the Democratic party. But even I have been taken aback by the sheer viciousness of the attacks on him that have come, not just from nutcases, but from the very leaders of the Republican party. [Read more…]
Jonathan Turley points to disturbing trends in France to steadily limit speech, ranging from bans on blasphemy, hate speech, and ‘anti-historical’ speech to the latest proposal by president Sarkozy (in the wake of the recent killings by a Muslim extremist) that will enable the jailing of anyone who ‘repeatedly’ visits extremist websites.
This seems to be becoming standard practice, for governments to use the occasion of a horrific crime to push through legislation that restricts civil liberties.
Beginning today and spread over the next three days, the US Supreme Court will take the extraordinary step of scheduling six hours of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. In my series of posts on health care, I have said that I am in favor of the single-payer system and have criticized the Obama administration for their ACA plan, even though it definitely has some good points and repealing it would be a step backwards. [Read more…]
As the election season progresses, Tom Tomorrow alerts us to expect this this kind of news coverage.
I have said before that the internet has created a means by which the previously voiceless can now have a large megaphone simply by virtue of the collective action of the many. We saw how the mighty Rush Limbaugh had to issue an apology to a mere student because of the wrath unleashed upon him by huge numbers of ordinary people for his behavior towards her. This would not have happened pre-internet. [Read more…]
Andy Borowitz points out how a presidential contest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is going to pose an agonizing problem for bigots., saying “Across the U.S., voters who describe themselves as bigots are complaining that a first-ever matchup between a Black man and a Mormon, while historic, is forcing them to ask a difficult question: which group do they hate more?”
Although Borowitz is a humorist, I think this will actually be a real problem for some bigots, except for that subset of them who are also nutcases and think that Obama is a Muslim. Then it becomes an easy choice in favor of Romney.
Most Americans are not aware that visitors to the US are subjected to questioning whose intrusiveness is exceeded only by its absurdity.
It comes mainly in the form of an online form called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization that you must fill before you travel. An airline pilot has written an article titled How Not to Attract Tourists that discloses some of the questions visitors are asked. [Read more…]
It is a puzzle why people would want to join organizations that seem to actively work against their interests. Jason Jones of The Daily Show explores the weird logic used by those Muslims who want to join the Republican party and by the Republicans who are trying to keep them out. [Read more…]
There is a job opening to head the World Bank and there have been some interesting maneuverings to fill it.
Ever since its creation in 1944, the job has gone to an American while the corresponding position at the sister institution the International Monetary Fund has gone to a European. While the decision is ostensibly made by consensus, the actual voting strength depends on the contributions of each country and the US has about 16% and the EU countries have about 29%. As long as they stick together, it will be hard for other nations to get one of their own into the position. [Read more…]
One of the bizarre turns that this election campaign has taken is the assault on women’s rights by the Republican party. It seems crazy for politicians to advocate steps that could alienate potentially 50% of the electorate. Valerie Tarico argues that this is merely the flip side of their desire to appeal to their fundamentalist religious base. [Read more…]