What is the MEK and why should we care?

The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) is an Iranian dissident group that has been designated by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) since 1997. It is one of the main groups that seek to foment war against Iran and hopes to be installed as the Iranian government in the event of an invasion that overthrows the current government. It has put on its generous payroll a large number of Washington insiders from both parties (of course) who are lobbying on its behalf. [Read more…]

Is the pope a credible expert on what constitutes reality?

On the eve of his visit to Cuba, the pope said that “It is evident today that Marxist ideology as it had been conceived no longer responds to reality.”

Should we really be getting lectures on what constitutes reality from someone who worships an imaginary figure who supposedly tells him what to do? It would be as absurd as a supposedly lifelong celibate laying down rules on contraception and sexuality. Hey, wait a minute…

France moves to further limit rights

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.

Will decline of employer-based health insurance lead to a single payer system?

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…]

The power of the internet

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…]

The 2012 election dilemma

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.