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via Brian Stelter, The New York Times Emboldened by Rush Limbaugh’s public apology over the weekend to a law school student whom he had called a “slut” and a “prostitute,” critics of the radio talk show host are intensifying their online campaign against his advertisers. The apology, they said, was a signal that the campaign was … Continue reading
via Gov. Martin O’Malley, The Huffington Post Martin O’Malley is the Governor of Maryland. During the debate in Maryland’s House, I joined same-sex marriage supporters outside of the chambers who were anxiously awaiting the vote. I met two moms and their 4-year-old son Will. After standing for hours, Will was tired and seemed a bit … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, The New York Times State legislators in New Hampshire, who are on the verge of writing government-sanctioned discrimination back into state law, might want to take a look at a powerful ruling on marriage equality by the federal appeals court in San Francisco. A three-judge panel on the court ruled 2 to … Continue reading
via Rachel Marsden, Chicago Tribune Rachel Marsden is a columnist, political strategist and former Fox News host. I can’t believe that I actually agree with something President Barack Obama has done. Granted, I’m one of those conservatives who has never subscribed to the full-meal-deal checklist, preferring to critically consider whether each of my positions is … Continue reading
via Gail Collins, The New York Times I am shocked to report that Congress, the beating heart of American democracy, is unpopular. Not unpopular like a shy kid in junior high. Unpopular like the Ebola virus, or zombies. Held in near-universal contempt, like TV shows about hoarders with dead cats in their kitchens. Or people … Continue reading
via AP, ABC7 News Chicago A Chicago college is offering a class on the Occupy movement. Thirty-two undergraduate students are enrolled at Roosevelt University’s “Occupy Everywhere” class. It’s a three-credit political science course that looks at the movement that started last summer near New York City’s Wall Street and spread nationwide. The Chicago Sun-Times reports … Continue reading
via Editorial Staff, The New York Times Even in the ultrapolarized atmosphere of Capitol Hill, it should be possible to secure broad bipartisan agreement on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 law at the center of the nation’s efforts to combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The law’s renewal has strong backing … Continue reading
via Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune Noah Millman of the American Conservative asks us to perform a thought experiment: Pretend it’s not the Catholic Church at the center of the current controversy over the rights of religious institutions to exercise moral judgments regarding their employees’ health care plans. Instead, Millman suggests in a recent commentary, pretend … Continue reading
via Rep. Mike Quigley, The Huffington Post On January 20th, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that most employers will need to cover contraception in their basic benefits packages. Bearing in mind the religious objections of some to contraception, the administration also included an exemption that will allow religious institutions that exist for … Continue reading
via Antonio Alarcon, The New York Times One of my happiest childhood memories is of my parents at my First Communion. But that’s because most of my memories from that time are of their being absent. They weren’t there for my elementary school graduation, or for parent-teacher conferences. From the time I was just a … Continue reading
On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama delivered this year’s State of the Union address to a joint-session of Congress. Below, Obama’s prepared remarks as released by the White House. As Prepared for Delivery — Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune Show of hands: How many of you tried to go to Wikipedia on Wednesday and, instead of reading “List of Gilmore Girls Episodes,” were puzzled by the black and white screen that said “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge”? Every English-language article was blocked, the frivolous ones and the serious … Continue reading
via Corey Boles, The Wall Street Journal Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who survived a gunshot wound to the head a year ago last week, said Sunday she was stepping down from Congress. In a video released on YouTube, Ms. Giffords said she had more work to do on her recovery. “I’m getting better … Continue reading
via Sari Horwitz and Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post One of the world’s largest file-sharing sites was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said. An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and … Continue reading
via Luke Johnson, The Huffington Post The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), have ignited widespread online protests–yet there is considerable confusion surrounding the legislation. Here’s a rundown of how the bills would work: The legislation would allow copyright holders and the Justice Department to seek court … Continue reading
via Jasmin Melvin, Reuters Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation in its tracks on Friday, delivering a stunning win for Internet companies that staged an unprecedented online protest this week to kill the previously fast-moving bills. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for January 24 “in light … Continue reading
via Amanda Terkel, The Huffington Post Democrats needed to collect 540,208 signatures to trigger a gubernatorial recall election against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R). On Tuesday, they announced they had far exceeded that number, collecting more than one million signatures. Tuesday was the deadline for recall organizers, led by the group United Wisconsin, to turn … Continue reading
via Jeff Zeleny and Michael D. Shear, The New York Times Gov. Rick Perry of Texas dropped out of the Republican presidential race here on Thursday and announced his endorsement for the candidacy of Newt Gingrich, a man he called a “conservative visionary.” “I’ve never believed that the cause of conservatism is embodied by one … Continue reading
via Mike Masnick, Techdirt Well, well. It appears that Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) really wants to tempt fate and stick his tongue out at the internet. Beyond announcing that he’s moving forward with SOPA, he’s also continuing to mock the critics, calling the Wikipedia blackout a “publicity stunt”: “It is ironic that a website dedicated … Continue reading
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via Zach Carter, The Huffington Post Google will join thousands of tech activists, entrepreneurs and corporations on Wednesday in protesting the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, a controversial bill that has generated national outrage among Internet experts. On Wednesday, more than 7,000 websites are expected to voluntarily “go dark,” by blocking access to their content … Continue reading
via Sarah Skidmore, Christian Science Monitor Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night. The website will go dark for 24 hours in an unprecedented move that brings added muscle … Continue reading
via Josh Wretlind, Examiner In a surprise move today, Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced that he will stop all action on SOPA, effectively killing the bill. This move was most likely due to several things. One of those things is that SOPA and PIPA met huge online protest against the bills. Another reason would be … Continue reading
via Jonathan Turley, The Washington Post Every year, the State Department issues reports on individual rights in other countries, monitoring the passage of restrictive laws and regulations around the world. Iran, for example, has been criticized for denying fair public trials and limiting privacy, while Russia has been taken to task for undermining due process. Other countries … Continue reading
via Michael Scherer, Time Stephen Colbert is laughing at the U.S. Supreme Court. He started Thursday night, on his show, when Colbert transferred control of his super PAC to his mentor, business partner and friend, Jon Stewart. Here is the clip: It’s a great set piece of comedic theater underscored by a serious argument: Justice … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 