July 4, 2013
CARTOON: Let’s Celebrate July 4th, Scandal-Free!
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June 15, 2013
NSA Leak: Law-Breaking, Civil Disobedience, And Who Do You Trust?
Democrats will need to go above and beyond to be trusted when it comes to their opinion on the NSA leak by Edward Snowden. What do I mean by that? With a Democrat in the White House, I don’t trust Democrats who say Snowden is a traitor. Similarly, I don’t trust Republicans, particularly libertarians, who say Snowden is a patriot or a hero.
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June 14, 2013
CHART: Fear Of Terrorism Makes People Irrational – Terrorism Fatalities vs. Firearm Homicides
America is a country that prides itself on bravery and strength, but we have an irrational fear of terrorism in the post-9/11 years. You are more likely to die in a car accident, a fall, or even drown, than die in a terrorist incident. In some cases, many thousands of times more likely. But while we made no rash or illogical decisions regarding automobile deaths, we have done exactly that in response to terrorism. In addition to car accidents, falls and drownings, you are also more likely to be murdered by firearm than murdered by terrorist attack. And while car accidents, falls and drownings are accidents, murder by gun is no accident, and that makes it a good statistic to compare to terrorism.
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June 10, 2013
NSA Spying: The Collective ‘Meh’ Heard ‘Round America (Pew Poll)
Americans read about NSA surveillance of internet traffic and data mining of phone records and they responded with a collective “meh.” This blog doesn’t exactly tear it up in the page view department, but my recent posts on NSA Spying have gotten very little traction at all. And that leads me to believe when it comes to the NSA leak story, Americans just don’t give a shit.
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June 6, 2013
NSA Spying: Hey Conservatives, I Got Your Tyranny Right Here!
The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald reports that Verizon phone records as well as the data systems of major internet companies are being tapped by the National Security Agency (NSA) to mine data, apparently at will.
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June 4, 2013
Stop Government Waste And Overreach: Legalize Marijuana
On the issue of marijuana legalization, Democrats need to grow a spine, and Republicans need to show they are not talking out of their asses.
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May 9, 2013
NRA’s Wayne LaPierre Says ‘We Are In The Midst Of A Once-In-A-Generation Fight’
During the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) annual celebration of gun violence (and rights), otherwise known as their national convention, executive vice president Wayne LaPierre made it clear that he believes the NRA and gun owners are in a war. “We are in the midst of a once-in-a-generation fight for everything we care about,” said LaPierre. Many of us on the left label the gun crazies as one-issue voters, and with that single statement, LaPierre has confirmed it.
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April 8, 2013
Exxon – When A Company Is This Large, Freedom Takes A Backseat
Does anybody really believe it’s healthy for capitalism, and more importantly democracy, when one company hauls in a net income of over $40 billion a year? And do you think a company this large, with that much money and power to throw around is not going to disrupt freedom, liberty and civil rights if it suits the interests of the company? And do you think a company this large will not influence government policy, legislation and even local law enforcement? This is not conspiracy theory territory, it’s a simple truth that when you combine human beings with incredibly profitable businesses, you end up with an endless thirst for power.
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March 29, 2013
Justice Alito: Same-Sex Marriage Is ‘Newer Than Cell Phones Or The Internet’
During Tuesday’s “Prop 8” oral arguments, Justice Alito compared same-sex marriage to modern technology saying, it is “newer than cell phones or the Internet.” I don’t know about you, but I find statements like this unconvincing, and actually in this case, just bizarre. Because the whole point of the “Prop 8” and “DOMA” cases is that gays and lesbians are being denied equal rights. If you’ve been denied equal rights for decades or centuries, but only started to gain those rights (state-by-state) in recent years, how can that be used against you? Same-sex marriage is new because it was illegal until recently. Same-sex marriage is not new because it’s the latest trend, fad or what all the cool people are doing.
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March 26, 2013
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness: Marriage Equality is Inevitable
There are times when it feels like we are taking one step forward, two steps back. There are times when advancing freedom and liberty takes a backseat to narrow-mindedness and bigotry. But over the past decade, on the issue of gay rights, Americans have made great strides in social acceptance. And regardless of bumps in the road and hurdles yet faced, for those of us who are not guided by prejudice, bigotry and dogma, we see what is inevitable — that all 50 states will some day recognize same-sex marriage, and afford gay and lesbian couples the same rights.
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