Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
Section 5 of the 1964 Voting Rights Act requires certain covered jurisdictions (mostly but not exclusively in the South) to get the pre-clearance of the federal government before they can make any changes in their voting laws. These changes can range anywhere from voter registration rules to changes in polling locations. It was supposed to Read More
So there I was, blasting away at the bull’s-eye with a .22 rifle. When I was done, I handed the gun back to its owner and wondered if I should feel exhilarated or manly or something. But I just felt indifferent. I was 14, and that’s the only time I’ve ever fired a gun. In Read More
On Thursday, March 14th Republican Senator Rob Portman from Ohio expressed his support for gay marriage, the only current Republican Senator to do so, after a process which started with his son coming out to him as gay two years ago. A lot of the subsequent media response has been to: a) praise another politician’s Read More
Humanity certainly needs its wishers and hopers. So it’s good to see there are still some optimists enduring in the most inhospitable place on earth: “Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) on Tuesday downplayed the notion that a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants would serve as a major obstacle to passing comprehensive immigration reform, arguing that Read More
Two Rand Paul pieces in one day? The earth must’ve slipped into a wormhole last night. Surely this day will live in infamy on the pages of WTF history: “Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is endorsing a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants, a significant move for a favorite of Read More
Gun control. Treatment of undocumented immigrants. Police brutality. Voting rights. These are issues of great concern in most U.S. Latino’s minds these days. Even sovereignty in our mother countries. But drones? We hadn’t heard about those. Rand Paul’s recent filibuster and national theatrics have raised awareness about the potential dangers this new sophisticated weapon called Read More
The public has a penchant for looming conflicts. Last year it was the fiscal cliff. Now the country’s apparently headed toward a racial cliff: “A historic decline in the number of U.S. whites and the fast growth of Latinos are blurring traditional black-white color lines, testing the limits of civil rights laws and reshaping political Read More
Last week BL ran two consecutive articles giving the atheist point of view (here and here), and this Christian gets it! It was a hard week for atheists. You had the appointment of a new Pope, and the Catholic Church was everywhere, so I get the reaction. Of the two articles my FB friend Hector Read More
The parting of ways between the California Republican Party and Latino voters occurred in 1994 with the passage of Proposition 187, which was championed by the party and then-Gov. Pete Wilson. Though it was subsequently ruled unconstitutional, and litigation regarding it ended in 1999, no Republican candidate with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger has won Read More
Proving most predictions moot, the Vatican’s College of Cardinals elected (with the Holy Spirit’s counsel, of course) Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, as the new head of the Catholic Church. Widely considered by colleagues and his porteño parishoners as a humble man, upon assuming his new role as the spiritual leader for Read More