Syrian Activist Danny Dayem Interviewed
Posted on February 14, 2012 in Videos
Reporting from Homs, Syrian Activist gives Al-Jazeera keen insight into what’s going on with the Al-Assad crackdown. There is no excuse for this.
The Komen-Planned Parenthood Controversy: Why It Spiraled Out Of Control
Posted on February 14, 2012 in Articles
As Americans try to make sense of the political frenzy that was the Komen-Planned Parenthood debacle, many wonder why there was such an intense battle to begin with over Komen’s withdrawal of funding to Planned Parenthood. While the 72-hour crisis was an important PR lesson, the complex political motivations as part of a broader culture war are the feud’s main legacy.
Closer inspection reveals that despite being a fund-related issue, money was a nominal one for Planned Parenthood: the organization would have only lost funding for a mere 5% of the breast exams they currently conduct. Rather surprisingly, Planned Parenthood’s response to Komen was the result of a freak political storm born in the House of Representatives during the winter 2011 budget crisis.
Amid this unsightly blotch in our history, Congress failed to come to a consensus regarding much of anything. Still, the House was able to pass a bill to help balance the budget, which included a later-added provision concerning Planned Parenthood. This provision sought to eliminate all federal funding to Planned Parenthood, which legislators believed would save $363 million per year.
Obama’s Winning Hand On Religion
Posted on February 13, 2012 in Articles
The Article: Obama’s Winning Hand On Religion by Sarah Posner on Salon.
The Text: President Obama’s strategy of “reaching out to” or “appealing to” religious voters has proven to be ineffective electorally and counterproductive for policymaking. As much as Obama seems to understand the complexities of American religion, he listens too much to the voices of religious leaders who want the government to accommodate their edicts regardless of the impact on everyone else. The spoils go to the ones with access, to those who sit in the valued “seat at the table” in Washington.
After decisively issuing the contraception coverage rule last week, the administration took only a few news cycles, dominated by liberal Catholics like E.J. Dionne fretting about how Obama “botched” the issue, to dispatch surrogates to assuage the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“There are conversations right now to arrange a meeting to talk with folks about how this policy can be nuanced,” pastor Joel Hunter, a conservative evangelical who is close to the president, told the Washington Post on Tuesday. “This is so fixable, and we just want to get into the conversation.” The bishops promptly signaled that they would reject the floated compromise out of hand.
I Want Love To Roll Me Over Slowly
Posted on February 13, 2012 in Videos
Love Interruption by Jack White off of his new solo single from the upcoming album Blunderbuss.
