‘Opinion/Commentary’ Archives
Study Finds Stricter Gun Laws Mean Fewer Fatalities
By Allison Brito A study released last week by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association): Internal Medicine shows a direct correlation between gun laws and gun-related fatalities. While the study is mainly based on the number of gun laws, not the type (it doesn’t, for example, specify which particular laws are the most effective), it confirms that generally speaking, stricter gun laws result in fewer deaths. The report, entitled “Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related ... Full Story
‘Good Guys With Guns’ Will Not Stop Gun
By Bob Cesca On HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday there was an extended and heated debate about gun control. The participants included Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker and author Sam Harris, who, in case you don't recognize the name, happens to be an insufferable marketeer of the "both sides are awful" false equivalence. The debate mostly centered around Cory Booker arguing for a massive effort to seize illegally-obtained firearms, with Maher and Harris telling him he's crazy to ... Full Story
Losing my religion for equality
Jimmy Carter Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God. I HAVE been a practicing Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, ... Full Story
The Christian Right’s Failed Prophecies
Notable (and Hilarious) Examples of the Christian Right's Failed Prophecies The people who claim to be the conduits of God's will are scam artists. By Adam Lee, AlterNet, January 21, 2013 | The Christian right in America, like all organized religions, claims to have a correct and exclusive understanding of God's will. To hear them tell it, the almighty creator of the universe has strong opinions about corporate tax rates, firearm ownership and what consenting adults do with ... Full Story
Politics are tribal warfare
Have You Ever Wondered What Compells Your Conservative Relatives to Vote the Way They Do? Jonathan Haidt on why seemingly decent people are so divided on politics. By Ryan Howes January 3, 2013 By the time you’re reading this, the 2012 election will have been decided, and we’ll all have had our fill of the partisan rancor that’s become commonplace in politics. Perhaps you yourself have had the experience of getting lost in an argument in which you became ... Full Story
Where has liberty gone
The Bill Of Rights Has A Very Bad Week By Charles P. Pierce Of course, while everyone in Washington, and the courtier press that serves them, were endlessly droning on and on about the Gentle Fiscal Incline, the Bill Of Rights closed out 2012 by having one of the worst weeks it's had in the two centuries of its existence. But the courtier press paid that little mind, possibly because selling out the Bill Of Rights was done on a "bipartisan" basis, and the denizens of the various ... Full Story
Honest Conservative?
Bruce Bartlett: ‘My Life on the Republican Right And How I Saw It All Go Wrong’ By Brad Friedman on 11/27/2012, 3:33pm PT We've been quite remiss by failing to offer the The BRAD BLOG's much-sought yet rarely-bestowed "Intellectually Honest Conservative" Award to Bruce Bartlett, Ronald Reagan's domestic policy adviser and George H.W. Bush's Deputy Asst. Secretary for Economic Policy. We were reminded of our delinquency again today upon reviewing his ... Full Story
Generals Run Amuck
Tomgram: William Astore, Generals Behaving Badly Posted by William Astore He was “an ascetic who... usually eats just one meal a day, in the evening, to avoid sluggishness. He is known for operating on a few hours' sleep and for running to and from work while listening to audio books on an iPod... an encyclopedic, even obsessive, knowledge about the lives of terrorists... a warrior-scholar, comfortable with diplomats, politicians..." Those were just the ... Full Story
Collapse of the Petraeus facade
As pointed out last week in this publication, General David Petraeus' reputation appears to be built upon a foundation of public relations sand, a foundation that is quickly becoming quicksand. More and more publications and reporters are now beginning to take a hard look at the General and what they have written about him in the past. It appears that his greatness has been a media creation, one that he directed and fostered. My observations in the above mentioned article are based on my ... Full Story
The Medals They Carried
A reader writes You observed that so many journalists stand in the presence of men like Petraeus with "open jaws and worshiping eyes." That brings to mind the military's cultural shift in its medals, ribbons, and badges. Consider these portraits of Generals Petraeus and Eisenhower. Petraeus is wearing over 30 ribbons and badges on his uniform. I'm sure he earned each of them. But of that 30, how many civilians will notice that only one item was for heroism (Bronze Star with ... Full Story
