It helps to read things through before reacting.
For most of the country, this topic isn’t even on the radar. As usual, California’s out beyond the normalcy curve. And yet, even much of California (and most of the rest of us) lack the context to follow what’s going on. So, to help understand both the law and the backlash, here’s a bit of background:
(more…)“…a heated debate over religion with fellow students broke out at the dorm and led to people accusing Khan of blasphemy against Islam. That attracted a crowd that grew to several hundred people, according to witnesses.
The mob kicked in the door, dragged Khan from his room and beat him to death…”
Main Article:
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-04-14/dorm-debate-led-to-death-in-pakistan-blasphemy-killing-witnesses
I have faith, myself.
I’ve never burned anyone, or mobbed or stoned them. I’ve never rioted or chanted or held horror signs outside abortion clinics. And most of the people I know (more…)
President Donald J. Trump: The words are painful for many of us. This is understandable; his persona is not one that engenders trust and comfort, and we’ve had it easy for eight years. Obama was quietly charismatic and sought bipartisanship; Trump is almost diametrically opposite. So yes, it’s a bit of a shock.
Since the inauguration, Mr. Trump’s opponents both in the (more…)
(NOTE: This article is being written in advance of the new Executive Order designed to function in place of that order of 27 January which has been partially blocked by the 9th Circuit. It is designed to be predictive in nature. When the new order finally is released, expect to see this updated with comparisons, but I’ll try to leave my predictions intact so you can see how smart I am — or how foolish, just as the case may be. The new order has now been released; comparisons are in a separate section at the end of the article.)
One week after taking office, President Trump released an executive order banning travel to this country on certain passports. I’ve written extensively on the pros and cons of accepting refugees, on the ways the ban went horribly wrong and why, and on the justifications for that ban. Combining that with the decision of the 9th Circuit to block some of its implementation, we should be easily able to predict what’s about to get ordered. (more…)
Every time something horrific happens, every op-ed writer in America puts out their thoughts on it: why it happened, how it could have been prevented, the senselessness of it all. And what’s sad is, a lot of people are getting sick of it, ignoring it, moving on. We see so very much that’s horrible and we just can’t face one more thing in a litany of more things. And the last thing we need is some self-important armchair political hack telling us who did what wrong and who’s at fault.
So why am I, yet another self-important windbag, writing anything? Why do you need another helping of empty wind from someone else who doesn’t matter? Why do we need any of them yapping at us when what we really want to do is grieve in peace or fix the damn problem already and get on with the business of living but this time in safety?
Good questions. Here’s the answer: (more…)
Yes, this is about the 9/11 attacks. Yes, I firmly believe nineteen hijackers drove four planes into three buildings and a field in Pennsylvania. No, I don’t think that’s the whole truth.
Half the people reading left after the first sentence; most of the rest left after the second. Even my saintly mother left after reading the third. If you’re still here, you’re either very intelligent or very bored.
I can work with that. (more…)
The New York Daily News is renowned for attention-grabbing headlines. “Anything to sell a paper” could be their motto (and some say it is). Today, they’ll be printing “God Isn’t Fixing This” on the front page as a slap at the Republican presidential candidates. (more…)
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
– Albert Einstein
A friend and I were discussing this tonight, and we saw it in different ways.
“Science is science, religion is religion. They are NOT mutually dependent,” he said. As he continued, I had to admit I saw the justice in what he was saying. The two are quite distinct, two very different ways of seeing the world, for science applies logic to perception and measures the universe, seeking facts, finding and testing rules; whereas religion seems to apply its own rules to the universe, forcing everything that exists to fit into the laws and commandments and rituals of the faith. (more…)
(NOTE: This article has been revised again; the pros and cons listed have been kept up to date, even though the intro is vintage campaign.)
Major media outlets are full of reactions to recent announcements that the President will be asking to increase the ceiling on Syrian refugee acceptance for next year. Unsurprisingly, the stories are largely focused on the reaction to the announcement; contention drives the media profit mill, and so it would be unusual to see any other form of response from them.
Since it’s the height of the upcoming Presidential election cycle, it’s also not surprising that every hopeful candidate has (more…)
There is global outrage at the recent terror attacks on civilians, and rightly so. The group calling itself the Islamic State (I’ll be referring to them as Daesh, following the example of France’s President Hollande) has claimed responsibility for not only the attacks in Paris, but also bombings in Beiruit and a passenger jet in Egypt, Metrojet Flight 9268. In all, several (more…)
The Not Fake News 