The United States government claims that there’s a distinction between the NSA’s wholesale collection of information by and about individuals and governments overseas, versus the Chinese army unit charged with industrial espionage against American companies. The rest of the world, however, isn’t buying it.
The USA Freedom Bill was presented as a means to rein in some of the NSA’s privacy violations. But when the Obama Administration asked nicely, a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans agreed to make the reform toothless and thus worthless. Who said bipartisanship was dead in Washington?
Joining Utah and South Dakota, the state of Missouri is quickly moving toward requiring a three-day waiting period for women seeking abortions. What is the logic behind this? Do they really think women aren’t thinking these decisions through?
The Federal Election Commission has ruled that Bitcoin and other virtual currencies may be accepted by political candidates up to $100 per candidate per election. How will politicians adapt to a new form of influence selling and corruption?
13 years after the attacks, the 9/11 Memorial has opened at the site of Ground Zero. Among other criticisms, the facility has been drawing fire for an exorbitant $24 admission fee, behind which lie the remains of the victims of the attacks, thus monetizing their deaths. A gift shop will also sell T-shirts.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the town of Greece, New York did not violate the Constitution by opening its public meetings with prayers, even though the vast majority the chaplains involved were Christian. How would smug Christians feel if they lived in a nation where they were members of a religious minority?
A study from the National Climactic Data Center reveals that average temperatures have increased dramatically in areas where liberal media elites live, while dropping slightly in parts of the country dominated by conservatives. Which could explain why liberals and conservatives have such different opinions about climate change.
In an essay for Vanity Fair, Monica Lewinsky complained, among other things, that she was consistently refused jobs, despite her qualifications, which include a masters degree, due to her notoriety. Though I have no doubt that that is true, and I am nothing but sympathetic to her and the way she was slut-shamed by American Puritans, it’s worth pointing out that many qualified workers are unable to find appropriate work.
Between the NSA, nosy workers and ex-mistresses who surreptitiously record your racist phone rants and release them to the gossip media, Americans’ thoughts are no longer their own…not even in bed. Unless you take certain precautions.
The state of Oklahoma shocked the nation with the latest in a string of botched executions. Using an experimental cocktail of drugs to carry out the killing, state workers missed the victim’s vein, leading to a massive heart attack after 43 minutes of agonizing pain.
