Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

20 Oct 2010 11:20

tags

U.S.: Oh yeah: Boy Scouts still legally allowed “Don’t Ask” policies

  • Don’t ask, don’t tell – Boy Scouts edition: Jon Langbert, the father of a 9-year-old Cub Scout and a leader within his local chapter, was removed from the position because he’s gay. Apparently, other members of the Dallas, Texas chapter complained, and the complaints eventually got really loud. The organization, by the way, does not allow gays or atheists to be in leadership positions, but says it would have let Langbert stay in his position if he chose not to publicize it. The Supreme Court, by the way, allowed this in a 2000 court decision. With all the attention that gay suicides are getting right now, we have a feeling that this will eventually become a tough position for the organization to hold onto culturally. (BTW, we were in scouting as kids.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2010 23:53

tags

U.S.: Obama’s tax cuts: Stealthy and unnoticed by most Americans

  • 95% the percentage of people who got an Obama tax cut
  • $400 the size of the maximum tax cut for individuals ($800 for couples)
  • 1:10 the ratio of people that realized they were actually getting a tax cut
  • 8:10 the ratio who thought their taxes went up or stayed the same source
  • » Why nobody noticed: Well, Obama’s method for doling out the tax cuts was a little weird. Most people expect tax cuts on the back end, in the form of giant refund checks. Obama, on the other hand, put the cuts (as part of his $787 billion stimulus plan) directly in paychecks, to be distributed slowly, week to week. In a way, it’s brilliant because nobody thinks about a couple extra bucks in their paycheck and will spend the money like nothing ever happened. But in another way, it means the effects of the stimulus went unnoticed by millions of people. Hmm. For point of comparison, most people are well-aware of Bush’s tax cuts.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2010 21:26

tags

U.S.: Clarence Thomas’ crazy wife randomly calls Anita Hill

  • 1991 During Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court Senate nomination hearing, Anita Bryant testifies that Thomas sexually harassed her. Thomas denies the claims.
  • 2007 Thomas releases his autobiography. During a related interview, his wife Virginia says this: “I hope she once day calls up and apologizes and I look forward to forgiving her.”
  • 2010 Hill, now a professor at Brandeis University, receives a message from Virginia fishing for an apology. Hill, ticked off at the tone, doesn’t have one to offer. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2010 20:56

tags

U.S.: Gay (back) in the military: Welcome back to the Army, Dan Choi.

Hey Dan Choi, welcome back to the Army. Your public-face-of-the-movement fighting really helped keep this issue in the front burner. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2010 17:22

tags

Politics, U.S.: Clinton holds more sway over Dems than Obama

  • 48% of Democrats like a candidate more if Barack Obama endorses them
  • 53% of Democrats are persuaded by a Bill Clinton endorsement source
  • » They don’t call him the Big Dog for nothing. He’s been out of office twelve years, yet Democratic voters trust his judgment more than that of their official party leader. Clinton’s been in high demand this cycle, and luckly for Democrats, he’s been more than happy to rise to the occasion. The 42nd President has been campaigning for Democrats left and right, and many believe it was his endorsement of Blanche Lincoln that enabled her to defeat Bill Halter in the Arkansas Senate primary. Curiously, there hasn’t been a corresponding demand for George W. Bush on the Republican side.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2010 15:19

tags

Politics, U.S.: GOP candidate articulates nuanced views on foreign policy

  • “My philosophy has always been very simple: We win, you lose.
  • Senate Candidate John Raese (R-WV) •  Discussing foreign policy in the West Virginia Senate debate. It sounds more like something you’d hear from a gang of schoolyard bullies than from a candidate seeking a Senate seat.  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2010 13:28

tags

Politics, U.S.: Palin endorses candidate, forgets which state he’s from

  • endorseOver Twitter, former half-term Governor Sarah Palin rallied Pennsylvanians to elect John Raese to the US Senate.
  • retract Palin deleted the tweet upon learning that Raese isn’t running for Senate in Pennsylvania. He’s running in West Virginia. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Oct 2010 10:06

tags

U.S.: Judge denies request to sustain Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

  • NO federal judge won’t delay injunction against DADT source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2010 15:43

tags

Politics, U.S.: Sharron Angle knows how to get the Hispanic vote

  • I don’t know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me.
  • Sharron Angle • To a room of Hispanic teenagers, at the Hispanic Student Union. Well-played! She also mysteriously claimed that she’s been called “the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly.” Anyone want to try and make sense of that? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2010 15:30

tags

Politics, U.S.: Joe Miller bleeding support in Alaska

  • 7% decrease in Joe Miller’s support over last month source
  • » For a while, Joe Miller had it in the bag. But things have changed. It started when incumbent Lisa Murkowski, having lost the Republican primary to Miller, announced that she’d run a write-in campaign. Polls then began showing erosion of Miller’s popularity, with his negatives increasing by 6% in the last month. Then, news broke last night that Miller’s private security detail handcuffed and detained a reporter at a town hall meeting. Now, Nate Silver says that “any ordering of the top three candidates is possible.” This is a race to watch on November 2nd.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>