Category: Health of the Republic
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Sure, but just imagine how sorry you’ll be if the British invade…
Kellermann found people turned those guns on themselves and others in the house far more often than on intruders. “In other words, a gun kept in the home was 43 times more likely to be involved in the death of a member of the household than to be used in self-defense,” he says. (Source: NPR)
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Raw Deal
TR had the Square Deal. FDR had the New Deal. Harry S has the Fair Deal. Barack Obama will have the Raw Deal. So a debt-ceiling “deal” has been reached. Going in to this, the President was willing to compromise but had a few lines in the sand: What did he get? None of these. …
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Can seeing a US flag turn you Republican?
And if so, what can be done about it? A study referenced in Discover has the provocative conclusion that seeing a small American flag while completing a political questionnaire can induce the respondents into being more Republican, even up to 8 months later. Is our society doomed by our optic nerves to surrender to the…
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The debt ceiling and the 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment is more-or-less the Swiss Army knife of the US Constitution. It defines citizenship, extends constitutional protections to state constitutions, and so on. Lately, it’s become popular to posit that it also holds the key to avoiding a default of US credit. Specifically, Section 4 reads 4. The validity of the public debt of…
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National Constitution Center endorses torture
Well, by extension. They’ve invited John Yoo to participate in a forum on “A Conversation on Civility and Democracy in America” — apparently without a blink of irony, too. Yoo, you might recall, is the author of the infamous Torture Memos, that said the United Stated could and would abandon its obligations under the Geneva…
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Quote of the Day
From a post by Steve Benen over at Political Animal: In human history, it’s never been easier to get — and stay — well informed. Folks just have to take some responsibility. If they don’t, the result can be a dysfunctional democracy. It’s impolitic to say this but not all pastimes and passions are equal.…
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Wow. Just… wow.
http://www.marktalk.com/blog/?p=10387 (Also hosted at Political Correction, in case the original gets “disappeared”, and reproduced below the fold here — although apparently it’s already been edited.) I don’t really know really even to begin to comment on this “letter” from Tea Party Express chairman Mark Williams. It takes something really, um, special to answer charges of…
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Excellent headline explaining why we’re headed for the next Great Depression
Bravo, Paul Krugman! “The Invisible Bond Vigilantes Continue Their Invisible Attack” Could we call this the phantom menace? 🙂 The Invisible Bond Vigilantes Continue Their Invisible Attack
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The President and the Ring
I hate to turn into just a site that reposts The Daily Show but sometimes they’re spot on. The continued failure of President Obama to live up to his pre-election rhetoric on the rule of law is the most galling development of his administration. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p /…
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Seconded…
This piece from the Atlantic captures my feeling pretty close to exactly, re: the recent Rand Paul flap on the Civil Rights Act and his alleged “courage”. In particular, the conclusion: Now, after the police dogs, night-sticks and fire-hoses have been beaten back, Rand Paul wants to reopen the question, while, to be sure, claiming that…