There are those in the US who want to privilege Christianity in American public life by demanding the right to have prayers and Bible readings in schools and at public governmental functions, and by erecting Christian religious symbols and monuments such as the Ten Commandments tablets and crosses and paintings in public spaces.
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Joshua Holland gives seven reasons why the right-wing backlash against Syrian refugees is so misguided. Meanwhile, Seth Myers, the host of a late night talk show, gave an excellent commentary on the absurd anti-refugee stances taken by mostly Republican governors and presidential candidates following the recent attacks by ISIS.
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Yesterday, Bernie Sanders gave his speech on what he means by calling himself as a Democratic socialist. He identified it squarely with the polices advocated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt following the Great Depression, by Lyndon Johnson as part of his Great Society initiative, and incorporating the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr., thus highlighting that his vision of socialism lies well within the mainstream of American politics.
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The writers at The Daily Show and former host Jon Stewart were giving themselves high fives when Donald Trump announced that he was definitely in the race for the Republican presidential nomination because he promised to be a sure-fire source of comedy material. The must be thinking that their cup overfloweth because like Abou Ben Adhem, lo, Ben Carson turns out to lead all the rest on the roster of nuttiness.
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Is there something in the water in the US that makes it necessary for people to be in a state of perpetual hysterical fear?
There is something truly ugly about the latest manifestation, the anti-refugee hysteria in the US following the ISIS attacks in Paris and Beirut. (Incidentally, why is the media focusing almost entirely on Paris? Or is the answer too obvious to even bother to mention?) Politicians in various states are falling over themselves to grandstand on this issue, stating that they will not accept refugees because they need to keep their residents safe even though they lack the power to stop migration into the country and the movement of anyone across state borders once they are in.
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In a speech at Georgetown University later today, Bernie Sanders will explain what he means by the term ‘democratic socialist’, the label that he chooses to apply to himself.
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So Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal becomes the third Republican candidate to formally drop out of the race for the Republican nomination, joining fellow governors Scott Walker and Rick Perry.
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People may recall the famous interview that Katie Couric had with Sarah Palin when the latter had just burst on the national stage as John McCain’s pick as his running mate in 2008, a choice that will doom him forever as one of the worst judges of running mates in modern politics. In response to an innocuous question as to what seemed like a softball question about what publications she reads to keep up with world affairs, Palin flailed around defensively. But when pressed for specific newspapers, she memorably said “All of them”. That answer sealed the impression that she just does not read much at all.
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At the risk of this blog becoming all Carson all the time, here is another comedic take on Carson’s curious blend of inflated/fictional biography, sense of victimhood, and his weird beliefs.
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Bernie Sanders had a huge rally in Cleveland that attracted tens of thousand of enthusiastic supporters which I unfortunately could not attend and he again hit out at the Bush-Cheney regime for their appalling decision to invade Iraq that is the cause for the present instability and chaos in the region. Watch a short bit of his speech where he dealt with the attacks.
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