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.
PETERSON: Understanding Immigration Reform
Tim Peterson, Independent
A running commentary on immigration reform. Check this post frequently for new updates!
PETERSON: Illegal Immigrant? Who? Me?
Tim Peterson, Independent
On Friday, Arizona governor Jean Brewer signed into law a controversial bill that codifies racial profiling as an answer to solving the illegal immigration problem. But curbing civil liberties will only create new problems.
PETERSON: Understanding Financial Reform
A running commentary on financial regulation reform – check this post daily for updates!
PETERSON: RUNNING DIARY: SUNDAY TALK SHOW EDITION
Tim Peterson continues his series on the Sunday talk shows.
PETERSON: Hispanics, Stand and Be Counted in the 2010 Census – As White
Tim Peterson, Independent
As it stands, the 2010 Census will further disenfranchise Hispanics by disallowing them proper representation. To count Hispanics as whites—who represent the affluent side of the achievement and economic gaps—ignores the persistent problems that hobble Hispanics’ socioeconomic growth.
PETERSON: Lazy Sundays and the Devolution of Discourse
Tim Peterson, Independent
Any given weeknight viewers can tune into Keith Olbermann or Sean Hannity for denigrated discussion, but Sunday morning shows should be a Socratic seminar of sorts, an evaluation of ideas rather than a propagation of ideology.
PETERSON: America’s Unequal Representation Under the Law
Tim Peterson, Independent
What does a single poll say about a generation — and is it time to add more representatives, so votes mean more and polls matter less?
PETERSON: California’s Catch-22
Tim Peterson, Independent
Unfortunately for Californians, the current politicians would rather be elected than effectively solve the budget problem, and cater to voters’ conflicting wants as opposed to serving up their own menu.
PETERSON: The “Terrorist” Label: A Cursory Exercise
Tim Peterson, Socratic
Following Andrew Joseph Stack III’s February 18th attack on an IRS building in Austin, Texas, many have asked: did Stack commit a terrorist attack and was he, in fact, a terrorist? Indeed, the pecking over the terrorist label is a superficial debate that buries the more dire discussion of issues.
PETERSON: Fields of War – Professional Sports and the Military
Tim Peterson, Socratic
There are a lot of similarities between playing football and military service. Has the NFL robbed the armed forces of men who would otherwise be excellent soldiers? And should there be mandatory military service requirements for NFL players?
PETERSON: Education Reformers Need to Check Their Math
Tim Peterson | From the Left
In order for changes in the public education system to be enacted, the sources of educational rot need to be identified. And though Secretary of Education Arne Duncan should be praised for attempting to raise educational standards, relying on test scores is not the way to go.
PETERSON: The National Security Implications of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
Debut column from NYU graduate Tim Peterson on why “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a threat to national security and should be repealed.