August 14, 2014
Your Constitutional Rights Are On The Line In Ferguson
If you value your freedom, you should care about what’s happening in Ferguson, Missouri.
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August 14, 2014
The Hunger Games Dystopia Is Brewing
On Saturday an unarmed teenager was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. This is a story that is becoming all too common lately — aggressive police force, usually against racial minorities, resulting in the death of an innocent person.
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August 14, 2014
The Negative Responses To Robin Williams’ Death
If you have something negative to say about the death of Robin Williams, if you feel the need to turn it into a political battle, if you have an overwhelming urge to call him a coward, well, my friend, you are the definition of an asshole.
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August 13, 2014
Ferguson: May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor
I’m still trying to figure out why the police in Ferguson, Missouri feel the need to show such force. And it’s scenes like the one in the above AP photo that got me thinking about The Hunger Games.
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August 13, 2014
We The People Should Democratize Internet Access
Internet access in 2014 is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is a prerequisite for education. It is a prerequisite for commerce. It is a prerequisite for participation in modern society, which means it is imperative that every American have fast and affordable access to the internet. So why not democratize our internet access? After all, the internet started as a government initiative, it’s hardly a radical idea to make public such a vital service.
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August 13, 2014
A Perplexing Armed Rebellion, A Not So Perplexing Racial Bias
There are some who say we should have no restrictions on guns because there might come a day when the people must rise up and lead an armed rebellion against a tyrannical government.
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August 13, 2014
Russell Brand Says What We Are All Thinking About Robin Williams
As we have come to expect, we can turn to the wise words of Russell Brand to make sense of a senseless act. In his article on The Guardian, Brand asks, “Is it melancholy to think that a world that Robin Williams can’t live in must be broken?”
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August 12, 2014
Police Department or Militant Cabal?
In the 13 years since the events of 9/11, police departments across America, from large cities to small towns, are increasingly resembling military personnel in Iraq, not the friendly neighborhood police force they should be. I mean, what the hell are small town police forces doing with MRAP (Mine-resistant ambush protected) vehicles anyway? Yes, they’ve got ’em. While we were busy worrying about our personal finances and holding on to our jobs, the police slogan “to protect and serve” was beaten over the head and dragged through the streets until it resembled something more like “to harm and harass.” And the constitutional rights of citizens and journalists are in jeopardy when the police decide they need to use force, which it seems is happening with greater frequency. Police departments are using violent force in response to events and protests, force that is not justified or equal to the facts on the ground. Is this really the land of the free? Or is this just a continuation of a shared experience of minorities in this country, since it’s founding, that now knows no racial border? Are white guys like me simply waking up to a reality that has long existed in this country for racial minorities? But even if that is true, I still feel as if something has shifted for the worse when we decided as a country to militarize our police forces in the aftermath of 9/11.
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August 12, 2014
Government Fail?
Conservatives are hung up on big government, saying government doesn’t work, government can never work. But in a segment from a while back, Rachel Maddow clarified this jaundiced attitude when she said, “Government = Bad is not a solution to our problems.” It’s much more productive knowing what you are for, instead of waging a negative campaign in search of the next thing to be against. “Government = Bad” is not a political philosophy, it’s just the unthinking hyperbole of a regressive political curmudgeon, uninterested in solving problems.
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August 11, 2014
The New Economic Norm? Nah, It’s The New Cultural Norm
The economy is doing well for those who are already wealthy, but the average worker sees very little of it. Salary increases, when they happen, don’t keep up with inflation. President Obama refers to this as an economic problem. Others call it the new economic norm.
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