The term Uncle Tom as an epithet has never made much sense to me. If you’ve ever read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, you know that Uncle Tom was the protagonist, a slave who was martyred by his master when he refused to give up the location of some runaway slaves. Harriet Beecher Stowe was not responsible […]
Continue reading →On the same day, both Indiana and Utah have been told that their state-wide gay marriage bans are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Richard Young (appointed by Bill Clinton) ruled that Indiana was not allowed to enforce its gay marriage ban. In hus decision, he wrote: Same-sex couples, who would otherwise qualify to marry in Indiana, […]
Continue reading →Mainstream Republican Thad Cochran edged out a win against Tea Party candidate Chris McDaniel in a Mississippi runoff election on Tuesday—by mobilizing thousands of Democratic voters. Wait, what? Yes, Cochran asked Democratic voters to vote in a Republican primary so they could keep the Tea Party out of power. After the loss, McDaniel commented on […]
Continue reading →In a 5-4 decision on Monday, the Supreme Court made it clear that straw purchases of guns are absolutely illegal. Straw purchases, when the person buying a gun at a store purchases it for another party, has been linked to the illicit trafficking of guns. Obviously most criminals with a record can’t pass a background […]
Continue reading →Nicholas Wig was trying to rob a house during a rain storm. He got soaked while he was breaking in, so he took off his wet clothes and shoes, then rummaged around looking for valuables. He found some cash, some credit cards, a watch, and an old phone or two, and was heading back out […]
Continue reading →About a year ago, Lois Lerner got in big trouble when it became clear that the IRS was knowingly targeting right-wing groups for closer scrutiny before granting tax-exempt status. The scandal that ensued resulted in her resignation, but the whole story had not yet come to light. One of the major unanswered questions was, “How […]
Continue reading →In 2010, Anwar al-Awlaki, an apparent member of Al-Qaida, was killed by an authorized drone strike in Yemen. Another man, Samir Khan, also died in that drone strike, though he had not been targeted. This particular drone strike caused quite an uproar in the legal community. Because both of the men killed were actually US […]
Continue reading →The U.S. Patent Office, which recently attended to the important work of granting Amazon it’s “subject on a white background” photography patent, recently re-affirmed its indispensability by suspending the trademarked name of the Washington Redskins. According to the Patent Office, Redskins is a racially derogatory slur aimed at “Native Americans,” and, as such, is disqualified […]
Continue reading →Is it 2016 yet? I don’t like Barack Obama’s policies. But Obama himself does actually seem like, in his honest moments, he might be interesting to talk to. Yes, he’s destroying the country. But he seems like an OK dude otherwise, for what it’s worth. His wife Michelle, on the other hand, really drives me […]
Continue reading →Rick Perry recently came under fire for some comments he made likening homosexuality to alcoholism: Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that. I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the […]
Continue reading →