July 4, 2013
CARTOON: Let’s Celebrate July 4th, Scandal-Free!
• • •
June 7, 2013
NSA Spying On Americans: We Are The Reason It Will Continue
There’s a simple reason the National Security Agency’s (NSA) data mining of phone records and internet content/traffic will continue unabated — This is how Americans now expect their government to behave. We want to be protected, and so many of us have made peace with it. As long as it’s out of sight, out of mind, there’s no civil liberty concerns.
• • •
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.
• • •
April 19, 2013
Reuters: Boy Scouts of America To End Ban On Gays
In a Friday news dump, and a day where attention is focused elsewhere, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) told Reuters the organization will soon end it’s ban on gays. But nothing is official at the moment. The BSA board members must vote to approve the change.
• • •
April 5, 2013
Rachel Maddow: Rights Are Not Supposed To Be Voted On
“Here’s the thing about rights. They’re not actually supposed to be voted on. That’s why they’re called rights.”
• • •
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.
• • •
February 5, 2013
You Can’t Bridge The Gun Chasm
After two months of gun control and gun rights rhetoric, there is one thing that has become painfully obvious — there’s simply no way we can span the fissure between gun “rights” advocates and gun “control” advocates. I’m not sure even the most skilled arbiter could bring forth a workable solution for both sides. One side believes nothing should be done to existing gun laws, well, except to further weaken them. The other side wants very strict controls, up to and including bans on certain types of firearms.
• • •
January 22, 2013
NRA’s Wayne LaPierre Says Obama Believes ‘Absolutism’ Is A Dirty Word
The National Rifle Association’s executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, apparently has a guilty conscience.
• • •
January 21, 2013
President Obama’s Second Inaugural Speech: Memorable Moments
Today President Obama delivered what many are calling a notably progressive inaugural speech. It was a speech that some on the Right may find partisan, but if you understand the history of this nation’s founding you will find a parallel between Obama’s address and the preamble to the constitution.
• • •
January 14, 2013
The Second Amendment Right To “Keep And Bear Arms” Is Not Absolute
Just as other constitutional rights are not absolute, like freedom of speech, the right to “keep and bear arms” is not unlimited. The idea of equally applied rights is not in question here. What is in question is the scope of each right. Where one person’s right infringes upon another person’s right, that is where the line is drawn. Just as there are reasonable limits on the reach of free speech, so too can there be reasonable limits on the arms one can bear.
• • •