Texas GOP makes a critical error
This week the Texas Republican Party “accidentally” included opposition to critical thinking in its education platform that will be in effect until 2014. Under the topic of “Educating Our Children” is this plank: We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a […]
Q: Was the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare a victory or a defeat? A: Yes, it was.
Depending on your perspective, Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the “Obamacare” program was either a thumping victory for progressives everywhere or a clever corporatist / conservative flanking maneuver that makes it even less likely American citizens will ever enjoy the kind of basic access to healthcare that the rest of the developed world takes for […]
State's Rights: be careful what you wish for
My friend Mike, recently retired editor of a major newspaper, writes: Luckily Scalia and his pals were in the Supreme Court minority on the Arizona immigration ruling, but his logic is scary: Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. each filed dissents. Scalia went the furthest: “As a sovereign, Arizona has the […]
Heavy grows Israel's finger on the trigger
What would U.S. policy toward Iran look like if free of pressure from Israel and its supporters?
Lindsay Lohan to run for Congress? Why we should vote for her
The strikingly beautiful young woman — she will turn 26 years old on July 2 — approaches the podium with its waiting forest of microphones. Her hair, reddish blonde and flowing well below her shoulders, is caught briefly in a gust of wind as she walks to the front of the press corps on the […]
Good week in the courts for the Obama Administration
It’s been a good week in the federal courts for the Obama Administration. On Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency – and against a legion of state Attorneys General and industry groups – on the EPA’s greenhouse gas Endangerment Finding. The […]
5-4 SCOTUS split on state campaign funding may signal need for change
by Jane Briggs-Bunting Democracy took another hit with this week’s 5-4 split decision by the Super Supremes to overturn a 1912 Montana law that limited corporate spending on state political campaigns. And the court announced its decision without oral arguments in what is known as a “summary reversal.” In doing so the majority signaled its continued support […]
If you live in a wildfire threatened area (or you know someone else who does), please read this now
I tripped across this earlier today. It was written by an experienced firefighter and represents some critically important advice for anyone who lives in the path of a wildfire (a particular concern for many along the Colorado Front Range). Many thanks to hallbuzz for providing these tips.
Defense spending: How much is enough? Who decides? How?
The preamble to the American Constitution requires that government “provide for the common defence.” I would hope that no American would wish this country to be inadequately prepared to fend off threats to the survival of the Republic. But what is adequate? Where is the substantive, deliberative debate on how to define adequacy of American […]
The 2012 Colorado wildfires were predicted; now, understanding why they're happening
The national media and much of America is watching the Colorado wildfire drama in rapt, apocalyptic fascination. For those who are just now recognizing the scope of the disaster, S&R has been writing about this (and predicting it) for some time now. If you’d like to better understand the causes of the explosion of wildfires in […]
Newspaper ownership shifting, says Pew; better days ahead? Nope.
Those grad students in the business of writing dissertations about media and newspapers now have an old topic with a new twist: Who owns the media now? Critic Ben Bagdikian, author of six editions of “The Media Monopoly,” traced ownership of America’s media through decades of consolidation. In a PBS interview at the end of […]
Iran nuclear standoff: what Israel has wrought
Israel’s nukes beg to be balanced, claims a noted international relations scholar.
NYTimes Green blog: Burning Colorado forests may not regenerate
The NYTimes Green blog reports that the burning Colorado forests may not regenerate into forest, but rather into shrubland.
S&R Nonfiction: "62 Questions to Ask a Ghost," by Leanna Lawrence
I. May 30th, 2010. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In which I insist upon the veracity of the enclosed. The characters in the following narrative were once really alive, even the kangaroo. What is your name? How old are you? Do you have any relatives? Are you married? Where do you live? Where do you work?
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- The Rest is Noise (6)—Descent into the Maelstrom
- I hate handguns, but I have still considered owning one
- Redneck jokes are racist
- Largest study of peer-reviewed literature to date finds overwhelming climate disruption consensus (UPDATED)
- Boehner: Oh, so now you’re angry?
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
-
satanicpanic: I've thought about this myself. Other than needin…
-
Otherwise: 1. this whole collapse of order stuff is nonsense.…
-
Otherwise: yes, technically you're correct. bigotry would ha…
-
Samuel Smith: Even if I agree with every point you make, we're n…
-
Frank Balsinger: We might disagree on some of the not-so-fine point…
