mmckerral's blog
As the debate continues over the proposed plan to build a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, it becomes clear to me that a combination of politics, misinformation and imprecise polling mixed with a heavy dose of genuine dislike for foreigners, especially non-Christians, has created a toxic cocktail that’s difficult for me to swallow.
Two questions:
- If the U.S. Supreme Court believes the First Amendment guarantees election candidates the right to get unlimited campaign donations from corporations, unions and non-profits, would it support a candidate’s right to use the First Amendment to protect a likely racist statement on a ballot?
- Has the election of President Barack Obama elevated racial tension in the U.S.?
The U.S. Senate recently approved Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan 63-37.
President Barack Obama selected Kagan to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, and she became the fourth female justice in the court's history.
A federal court ruling moved the battle between Arizona and the federal government back to the front page this week.
Predictable fallout from the decision by Judge Susan R. Bolton included rallies and protests in Arizona and throughout the country, a quick appeal by the Arizona governor and word from other states that they plan to move ahead with legislation similar to Arizona’s — despite the ruling.
The release of thousands of classified documents on WikiLeaks about the nine-year U.S. war in Afghanistan represents the contemporary equivalent of the Pentagon Papers in many ways.
- The documents have embarrassed both governments.
- An insider “whistleblower” put the documents in the website’s hands.
- The material contains a mix of information already made public and some that those who classify documents hoped would remain classified, such as covert operations aimed at high-ranking Taliban leaders and the number of civilian deaths.
An adage warns us to avoid discussions about religion and politics. But these days, that gets harder and harder to do.
I spent Saturday at a pre-Independence Day party hosted by a close friend of my nephew. Seven or eight families attended, almost all with two or three kids, ranging in age from infants to the oldest — my nephew Cole — age 5.
I kept an eye on the stories in my newspaper to see how long it would take for the BP PLC oil-spill story to move off the front page.
It took about two weeks before I saw a Page 1 without a BP story. Maybe that’s because the tar balls have not reached Kentucky — yet.
Some presidents do well face-to-face with the public and the media, and others — particularly President George W. Bush — strike fear in the heart of their handlers when they take to the podium.
President Barack Obama made his way to the presidency in part with the ability to speak eloquently, extemporaneously and charismatically.
Some folks do not spend a lot of time thinking about the cache that comes with U.S. citizenship. So, it’s understandable that when some people do, they conclude that it ought not apply to just anyone.
And so, the immigration battle comes into play.
