When someone asks, “Is (X place) accessible?” the answer is “no” if there are any stairs involved in getting there. It doesn’t matter if everything inside X is on one level but there are three “little” steps at the front door, or “just one flight of stairs out front.” Those “little” steps aren’t so little […]
The Hateful Tea Party, Its True Origins, and President Obama’s Accomplishments
I was challenged in comments on a friend’s Facebook wall yesterday “provide us with a specific example of Tea Party hate ful (sic) speach and some thing good that President Obama has done for our country.” The commenters there also claimed that “THE TEA PARTY HAS NO REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS” and seemed to be under […]
Where do first amendment rights go when you enter a courtroom?
I’m not even talking about the rights of defendents or plaintiffs, but those of people who are otherwise present in a courtroom who aren’t being disruptive. How much control do judges actually need in order to maintain order in the courtroom? At what point are they simply being petty tyrants?
Oh, he was obviously such a terrorist!
Dr Peter Watts, Canadian science fiction writer, beaten and arrested at US border Obviously, science fiction writers are scary people. And his reason for being in Nebraska in the first place (helping a friend move) was highly questionable, so it makes total sense that the border patrol would search his vehicle. Getting out of the […]
Why make an exception for rape and incest?
I always look forward to Dr. Marty Klein’s Sexual Intelligence newsletters, so I was tickled to see one in my inbox today. But one of the headlines took me by surprise: End Rape & Incest Exceptions to Stupak Abortion Ban. Dr. Klein always has excellent analyses, and this one is no exception. If you’re against […]
Stupak is back! Time to call your legislators again!
This time it’s in the Senate, folks. In case you just crawled out from under a rock, I’m talking about the Stupak-Pitts amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act that was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Democratic Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan and Republican Representative Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania, along […]
YAY!
We were fairly sure of this right after I finally had my Social Security hearing last month based on the very positive statements from the judge, but I didn’t want to jinx anything. We got the official letter in the mail today, saying that the decision was “fully favorable!” SQUEE! It will still take some […]
WTF? Georgia Senate Threatens to Secede!
Georgia Senate threatens dismantling of USA They really did, by a vote of 43–1. On April 1, but it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. The resolution goes on to endorse the theory that states have the right to abridge constitutional freedoms of religion, press and speech. According to the resolution, it is up to the states […]
Proposition 8: The Musical!
Civil Rights Win in Florida
Months ago, I posted about Ponce de Leon High School in Florida banning the wear or display of any kind of gay pride symbols or words, claiming that they indicated involvement in an “illegal organization.” I later found out that the problem started last fall, when a lesbian student complained that she was being harassed. […]