Autiello: Will True Christianity Please Stand Up?
Nick Autiello, Contributor
The notion that homosexuality is a sin and un-Christian is one that is less than a hundred years old. It is wrong, and has no basis in scriptural or historical reality.
SASSO: The Coming New Year
James Sasso, Associate Editor
As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.
SASSO: Kicking the Can
James Sasso, Associate Editor
For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.
CIOCCI: A Foolish Consistency
Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
AKMAN: Jon Huntsman’s Meaningless Campaign
Josh Akman, Columnist
Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.
SASSO: The 99% Rising
James Sasso
Associate Editor
For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.
STROSTER: WBC is Winning (For Now)
The Supreme Court upheld the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to denigrate America’s fighting men and women. This is a victory for freedom of speech and not a victory for the hate-group. In fact, their judicial win may sow the seeds of their own demise — if society would start ignoring them.
Stroster: America’s Revolt
Revolts and protests seem to be the thing to do these days from Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, and Iran, to our very our backyards in the U.S. Between the demonstrations in Madison, WI to the all-nighters in the U.S. House chamber, 2011 budgets are causing quite a stir.
Stroster: My Funny Valentine
This Valentine’s day, President Obama needs to relearn how to inspire Americans before kicking off his reelection campaign. Perhaps David Plouffe’s recent appointment inside the White House will help.
STROSTER: Sexual Education Matters
In a school in Memphis 26% of the girls are pregnant. Abstinence until marriage, the most common type of abstinence taught in this country, does not teach anything about sexual intercourse, except to not have it. Is this the right policy?
STROSTER: Agree to Disagree?
The Future of American Discourse Lianna Stroster, Columnist Ideology: Liberal Democrat | Writing from: Washington, D.C. Not even a week into the new Congress, a horrific shooting occurred in Tucson, [...]
STROSTER: Hope for Haiti
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
The last thing that Haiti needs is for their elections to be claimed unfair and not free. Last Sunday, on Election Day, 12 out of the 18 candidates held a joint press conference claiming the election had been rigged, and they urged their supporters to protest. Taking all this into consideration, one can ask, where is the hope for Haiti?
STROSTER: The Lame-Duck Congress
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
On November 15th, 2010, the lame-duck session of the 111th Congress began. Discussion over the past few weeks regarding the Bush Tax-Cuts suggests that some sort of compromise can be found in the lame-duck session to satisfy members on both sides of the aisle, but the Democrats have bigger fish to fry. The two issues that are in danger of passage failure are the DREAM Act and repealing DADT. Democrats need to rally for these two pieces of legislation if they want to continue to have support of the two communities affected by these bills.
STROSTER: General Motors and What it all Means
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
General Motors’ recent accomplishments have sent a message to this country: don’t count us out. While I believed the Obama Administration was the right group to help rescue GM, I didn’t expect to see such a quick turn around.
STROSTER: All the Single Ladies
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Some women elected to public office consider themselves to be the “Lioness, protecting her cubs” like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or the “Mama Grizzlies” like Sarah Palin. Since when was being a married mother a prerequisite for electoral victory? Does a woman not know how to represent her constituents in Congress if she’s never had to protect her pack of bears or lions?
STROSTER: A New Kind of Onion
From the amount of money being spent to the concern over who is making donations to campaigns, these issues only will rise over the next two years. If these midterms have given us any indication about 2012, it is going to be a bloodbath, and it is going to be expensive. Can the 112th Congress get its act together, or will Americans’ hunger be unfulfilled and we continue to see political spending spiral out of control?
STROSTER: Who is Pete Rouse?
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Last Friday, The White House announced that Pete Rouse would replace Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief of Staff as Emanuel makes his bid for Mayor of Chicago. As someone who would like to consider herself politically savvy, I honestly did not know who Rouse was before Friday. Just who is Pete Rouse, the new interim White House Chief of Staff?
STROSTER: What’s at Stake this November
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
With the general election 37 days away, campaigns are in full swing. From attack ads to yard signs in front yards, voters know it is that time of year again. But, do voters really know what is at stake this November? There is an array of choices for voters, but the decisions they make will have consequences in the future.
STROSTER: Patriotism in America
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
In politics, patriotism has become competitive. The term has been twisted during political debate to be a value only applicable to the Republican or Conservative Party. “It would be one thing if I was an anarchist,” Stroster writes, “but as a Democrat, should I seriously be deemed unpatriotic?”
STROSTER: Craigslist Censorship to Stop Human Trafficking
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Craigslist users have seen a change in the website’s homepage over the past few days. Under the “services” section, there is now a black “censored” label over the “adult services” tab. Is this new “censored” label a violation of the website’s First Amendment right, or is it not protected because the section has been aiding human trafficking through the World Wide Web?
STROSTER: Presidents in the Private Sector
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
In lieu of former President Jimmy Carter’s rescue mission last Friday, Lianna Stroster reflects on the civilian power of former presidents. “Why is it that these former Presidents can accomplish as much, if not more than they did while they were in office?” she asks.