Social Media, Religion, Politics – Just Chill Out

Maybe it comes from the fact that I’m not religious. Maybe it comes from the fact that I don’t have deep-seated beliefs that I take “personally” when remarks I make are challenged. But, some people just need to chill out on Facebook, on Twitter, or whatever your social network of choice happens to be. If I challenge something you said in a Facebook status update, it’s a confrontation of that particular thought, not the entirety of you as a person. But if this “thought” is of religious nature, even if disguised as political, that’s where we get into the territory of the deep-seated belief. And maybe I just can’t understand how one would react in this situation because, again, I don’t have deep-seated beliefs on the level of religious dogma. And let’s not mistake this with ethics or morals, because they are not the same things. Your “beliefs” are not directly equitable to what society may consider ethical or moral in the aggregate. We need only look to Islamic extremists to drive this point home. Anyway, do I have a point here? Not really, other than people need to chill the fuck out when an opposing viewpoint “intrudes” into their social media territory.

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Chuck Todd Admits Mainstream Media Must Ask Softball Questions

I guess we can call it a quest for ratings when new Meet the Press moderator Chuck “The Todd” Todd (I think I stole that from someone, maybe Stephen Colbert … R.I.P.) decided it would be a good idea to invite a panel of comedians on the show to discuss comedy and cynicism within our news and political discourse. Of course, the major conveyance here is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which was a frequent reference during this MTP segment. And I’m actually fine with the panel of comedians, which included Lewis Black, Laura Krafft, and W. Kamau Bell. Maybe I’m even fine with the premise, although I think it’s a vehicle to deflect blame away from the mainstream media, and the job it is failing to do, intentional or not.

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Obama: Working Towards U.S.-Cuba Diplomatic Normalcy

President Obama announced today that the United States and Cuba would work toward diplomatic normalcy. The announcement came as we learned Alan Gross, an American imprisoned in Cuba, would be released in a prisoner swap. “I truly hope we can get beyond these mutually belligerent policies and I was very happy to hear what the president had to say today,” said Gross during a press conference.

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On Obama Immigration Order, Republicans Push Wrong Panic Button

At a time when Republicans should be pushing the panic button on their increasingly difficult electoral college math, instead they are stampeding in reaction to President Obama’s immigration executive action. Republicans and conservative pundits call Obama’s use of executive order anything from “executive fiat” to “executive amnesty” to a “constitutional crisis.” Pay no attention to the fact that Obama did nothing unusual in comparison to the executive orders issued by presidents over the past half century.

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It’s Not Good Enough To Simply Oppose Obamacare

It’s not good enough to simply oppose the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). If you are going to continue to complain about the health care law, then you need to offer an alternative. Because health care in the United States pre-Obamacare was unacceptable, and well, that’s not subjective, it’s reality. Because when tens of millions of Americans lack health care insurance, that is a problem, even if you don’t think it is.

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Why Did Democrats And Liberals Lose The 2014 Midterms?

Republicans now control the Senate, and in the House they increased their rank and file. So now the Democratic Party is apparently undergoing a post-election examination of what went wrong, just as the Republican Party did after the 2012 elections. So, why did Democrats and liberals lose the 2014 midterms?

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