One of comedian Chris Rock’s trademarked bits is the one about Martin Luther King Avenue. Rock, musing on African-American history and what people remember
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Shooting down the arguments against background checks for gun sales
What’s not to like about background checks for gun sales? They’re sensible, logical and the right thing to do. Public-opinion polls consistently show that
Honey Boo Boo versus the wastewater treatment guy
It happens every year, in the early spring. Right before we become obsessed with NCAA basketball, and several weeks before pollen blankets our patio
Are Republicans really the “ignorance caucus?”
Recently, economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times that many Republicans act as if they were members of “the ignorance caucus.” As
Nate Silver: 2012 (Data)person of the year
It’s official. Time magazine recently anointed Barack Obama as the 2012 Person of the Year. With all due respect to the editors of Time—and
FDR’s Fourth Freedom and gun control
As our national debate on gun control continues, we can learn a great deal from FDR and his Fourth Freedom. This was part of
Benghazi and Newtown
Go figure. Republicans have made a bogus issue out of the September 11, 2012 incident at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. They sabotaged
Extreme gerrymandering: Coming to a state near you?
Americans woke up on November 7 having elected a Democratic president, expanded the Democratic majority in the Senate, and preserved the Republican majority in
Progress: Women, minorities make up majorities in newly elected government
“The Democratic Caucus will bring to the 113th Congress the first Caucus where the majority is women and minorities. Our new Caucus will celebrate
Obama: Calm, cool, and hated for it
Back on August 8, 2012, I published a piece on Occasional Planet in which I pondered the intense hatred that President Barack Obama inspires