Hillary Clinton On Being Gay
Posted on January 19, 2013 in Quotes
I wonder how many Hilldawgs would be hanging in effigy were Westboro Baptist Church to come across this enlightened statement by our secretary of state.
Why We Won’t Stop Mass Killings
Posted on January 19, 2013 in Articles
The Article: Why We Won’t Stop Mass Killings: We Like Them Too Much by Daniel Altman in BigThink.
The Text: Forgive me if I’ve already offended you with the title of this piece, but I’m an economist. As such, I tend to weigh up the costs and benefits of just about anything when trying to figure out what it means for society. And when it comes to mass killings, my analysis suggests we have some reason for introspection.
Because of the inescapable reach of media, mass killings affect virtually everyone. While the victims and the ones who loved them suffer terribly, the rest of us may feel a combination of many emotions: grief (through empathy), fear, disbelief, curiosity, fascination, and even a thrill at seeing the commotion caused by what happened. Each horrific event puts us on a new emotional binge.
The Alarming Parallels Between Cotton And Voting Patterns
Posted on January 18, 2013 in Images and Political Cartoons
Gee, gerrymandering House of Representatives. I wonder why this is the case.
How The War On Drugs Is A War On Human Nature
Posted on January 18, 2013 in Articles
The Article: The War on Drugs is a war on human nature by Lewis Lapham in Salon.
The Text: The question that tempts mankind to the use of substances controlled and uncontrolled is next of kin to Hamlet’s: to be, or not to be, someone or somewhere else. Escape from a grievous circumstance or the shambles of an unwanted self, the hope of finding at a higher altitude a new beginning or a better deal. Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars; give me leave to drown my sorrow in a quart of gin; wine, dear boy, and truth.
That the consummations of the wish to shuffle off the mortal coil are as old as the world itself was the message brought by Abraham Lincoln to an Illinois temperance society in 1842. “I have not inquired at what period of time the use of intoxicating liquors commenced,” he said, “nor is it important to know.” It is sufficient to know that on first opening our eyes “upon the stage of existence,” we found “intoxicating liquor recognized by everybody, used by everybody, repudiated by nobody.”
Graphing The War On Drugs
Posted on January 17, 2013 in Images and Political Cartoons
An insightful GIF comparing the level of government spending on the war drugs in America versus the drug addiction rate since the inception of the war on drugs in 1970.
