On my way home from work, there is a stretch of road that has two closely spaced intersections with traffic lights that have large amounts of cross traffic. So naturally when I approach the first intersection, I stop at the lights even when they are green if I see that the traffic is backed up ahead so that I cannot clear the intersection. This is for the obvious reason that if I have to stop in the middle of the intersection and the lights change, then I would be blocking the cross traffic which has green lights. [Read more…]
The latest revelations by Edward Snowden reveal that German chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of western European nations who expressed such concern at revelations of the NSA spying on their citizens were lying, playing roles to suggest that they are working for the benefit of their own people when in fact they are conniving with the US. [Read more…]
On the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), a fairly small group of people held a rally in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi. They were stunned when tens of thousands of anti-gay protestors attacked them, breaking through the ranks of the police and assaulting the people at the rally. [Read more…]
If Edward Snowden is causing problems for liberals and Democrats because of what his revelations say about president Obama, Glenn Greenwald’s role as his main chosen conduit has increased their discomfiture. Greenwald has become a thorn in the side of liberals and Democrats because of his unsparing criticisms of the actions of the Obama administration . The problem is that even the most loyal supporters of Obama have difficulty countering his criticisms because they are based on facts and reasoned analysis. So, as often happens, when you cannot criticize on content, you shift your criticisms to style and tone. Greenwald used to be good, they say regretfully, and he still says some good things but the problem is that he has become much more rigid and shrill and this undermines his message. [Read more…]
Bryan Fischer is a well-known evangelical leader and Director of Issues Analysis of the American Family Association who also has a radio show. He has the usual reactionary beliefs of his group, such as that men should rule over women in households and that the recent rise in the number of households in which women are the primary breadwinners was a bad thing. [Read more…]
The Guardian has released video of the second part of the interview that Edward Snowden gave on June 6 to Glenn Greenwald. Laura Poitras, and Ewan MacAskill. (The first part can be seen here.) In this seven-minute clip, he explains what made him do what he did, saying, “I don’t want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded. And that’s not something I am willing to support, it’s not something I am willing to build, and its not something I am willing to live under. So I think anyone who opposes that sort of world has an obligation to act in the way they can.” He says he acted because the people who should have spoken up or stopped it did not do so. [Read more…]
The local branch of Americans United for Separation of Church and State is having a forum on the above topic.
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 10, 6:30-9:00 pm
Where: The Moot Court room in CWRU Law School building
The program is free and open to all and refreshments will be served afterward. [Read more…]
Those who dislike what Edward Snowden did but approve of what Daniel Ellsberg did have struggled to find ways to distinguish the actions of the two in ways that support of that goal. But Ellsberg keeps pulling the rug out from under them, repeatedly praising Snowden’s actions and saying that they follow in the same whistleblowing tradition as him. [Read more…]