Guest Post by Morbo I wish Amnesty International had not called the Guantanamo Bay detention center a “gulag.” It’s not because I think conditions there are cushy. The existence of this camp, where detainees are housed without access to attorneys and with no charges being filed against them, is a stain on our Constitution. It’s […]
Guest Post by Morbo A poll released last week revealed, once again, that Americans like religion. In results that surprised absolutely no one, a solid majority of Americans told pollsters they consider faith important. Another key finding, that people in Western Europe are less religious than Americans, also restated the obvious. The poll, conducted by […]
I’m going to be away from my computer today, so I won’t be able to post. However, for your reading pleasure, I’ve arranged for Ed Stephan, a Carpetbagger regular, to sit in for me. Ed, in addition to being a regular contributor to my comments section, is a recently retired professor at Western Washington University […]
There was a point, in the late 1990s, when conservatives would frequently whine about “scandal fatigue.” Every time they picked up the paper, they’d say, there’d be another controversy surrounding Clinton’s White House. They insisted it was time to elect a Republican to help give the country a break after years of constant outrages. Most […]
There’s a fair bit of disarray among Republicans in Washington right now. They’re not all on the same page on a variety of legislative goals, including Social Security privatization, stem-cell research, an energy bill, the Patriot Act, and immigration, among others. It seems the GOP caucus needs something to get back on track, a priority […]
This story, brought to my attention by reader TJ and C&L, is just painful. The Tulsa Zoo will add a display featuring the biblical account of creation following complaints to a city board about other displays with religious significance, including a Hindu elephant statue. The Tulsa Park and Recreation Board voted 3-1 Tuesday in favor […]
The civil libertarian in me knows full well that there’s nothing wrong with those accused of wrongdoing hiring legal representation. The partisan in me, however, finds it entertaining to see Tom DeLay hire a team of lawyers to help get him out of his current predicament(s). House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has beefed up his […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Polls showing Pennsylvania Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. (D) leading Sen. Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum (R) last month were no fluke. A new Keystone Poll shows Casey leading 44% to 37% among […]
After 50 years of defrauding the public and poisoning their customers, the tobacco industry was poised to pay dearly for their crimes. Government experts had concluded that the nation’s largest tobacco companies should pay $130 billion, partly as punishment, but mostly to help reduce smoking in the U.S. Yesterday, however, we learned that the Bush […]
With all the talk lately about corrupt lobbyists’ relationships with lawmakers and a culture of arrogance in which public officials hand lobbyists their bills in restaurants, it’s encouraging to see Dems seize the opportunity and hold themselves out as leaders for reform. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) plans to introduce a bill to overhaul lobbying laws, […]