At least the “reasonable Republicans” and “capital-C” Conservatives actually had some kind of belief system and fixed ideology (and we’ve also seen a lot of “flexibility” from some formerly self-professed “Conservatives”). Sure, that ideology includes “trickle-down” economics and lots of other hokum and hoo-ha, but…

Whether or not this is being driven by Hamas, and whether or not it’s their intention, they will in fact have some pretty effective propaganda videos when this is all said and done. I say this as someone who is pretty pro-Israel (but also pro-Palestinian, anti-Hamas, anti-Abbas, and anti-Fatah), merely as a statement…

in many ways, this perfectly describes exactly what is going on. As much as all of this is about Israel’s hard-right (and really, Netanyahu/Adelson) getting what they want (most Israelis I’ve spoken to, say that moving the embassy doesn’t really do much for them, except for Tel Aviv residents who are annoyed that…

Legalization is coming, although prohibitions on public smoking will likely remain, and will still be a source of disparities in arrests. Still, legalization can’t come soon enough (and should have happened already), and should include the expungement of all small possession charges past and present.

I was under the impression (until I watched the full hearing) that she and other members of the intelligence community had realized that torture does not work (aside from the fact that is illegal, and also wrong). Obviously, I was wrong. We should be looking for someone else, ideally with relevant experience (and…

Devil’s advocate here: it might actually be better to have someone experienced, even if they’ve participated in torture/enhanced interrogation and destroyed the evidence, who says they won’t do it again and knows that it didn’t produce any valuable information, than someone with no record at all that fervently…

We don’t do a great job talking about things—everything is a little too black/white with little room for shades of gray. Yes, it’s highly likely that Russia interfered (or attempted to interfere with our elections)—that alone is unacceptable and worthy of investigation and a proper response. Where it all goes wrong…

The hotel industry is even more angry about Airbnb, since it’s directly competing with them, although it is very expensive to stay in hotels, and staying in an apartment can be great.

ugh so when you go over to his house for a BBQ, he’s one of those rich guys that never springs for more than hot dogs and (overcooked) hamburgers? Does he even know about natural casing hot dogs, or is he a Oscar Mayer wiener? Do we think he knows about mustards other than yellow? Does he still put ketchup on his hot…

But Booker is kinda right—everybody on that stage can talk about all of these policies we’d love to have, changes we’d like to make, and bad things we’d like to get rid of—but we’ll only see them become reality if we show up to the polling place on election day and vote for the candidates that will represent us and…

First of all, was he charged with murder, or some lesser form of criminal homicide? Second, bail? Really? I mean, it seems pretty clear that he did it, whether or not he may be legally insane. If he’s not in jail until trial, he should at least be in a psychiatric facility.

I’m sure J. Edgar Hoover is rolling over in his grave: 1) because some tv personality whose only credentials are being the daughter of a senator, and a young conservative woman who is just on the right side of the scary/creepy line (unlike Tomi Lahren) is condescendingly questioning the former director of the FBI; 2)…

So he’s not technically a geologist (unlike Randy Marsh or “Geologist” from Animal Collective), but someone with geology experience. I guess the real question is: does he actually know his stuff? Are the claims he makes “as a geologist” generally supported by proper theory and practice, and more or less in line with…

yes, although a much higher percentage of well-off, well-educated white people (men and women) voted for him than is commonly thought. Many of his voters do indeed find him and his behavior distasteful. But, they either hated Hillary, or just didn’t care about anything other than taxes, which they knew he’d lower.…

Viewpoint diversity is fine, perhaps even preferred, as long as you’re working from the same set of facts that are generally known to be true (with the understanding that new facts can sometimes come to light, and that many scientific breakthroughs do contradict commonly-held beliefs), and always seeking truth,…

I mean—saying Comey cost Hillary the election is a little bit convenient. First of all—the election was so close that almost any reason, of the many that were given, could plausibly be “the” reason Trump won and Hillary lost. None of this would have come to pass if Hillary didn’t have a private email server, or if…

So, by the logic of this police department, people who run meth labs are just chemistry hobbyists?

there was a time in history where being “fiscally conservative” meant having a balanced budget, even if taxes had to be raised. I can kinda get with that idea, although deficit spending can also be OK if the money is spent on certain things—like infrastructure, not tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

This is a great point, and a great article. Ideology is indeed a choice, although not always one that we make for ourselves, but one that is made for us by our parents, our religion, or whatever tribe we happen to belong to. Many ideologies are often at odds with the facts, because they oversimplify everything in…

If those kids don’t already know the works of Ayn Rand by heart, they will by this time next year (Atlas Shrugged is really long). What does he do about those weird Objectivist/rapey sex scenes (perhaps that’s the only form of sex-ed he approves of)?