by David Safier Buying guns on the internet is apparently easy and background-check free when you're dealing with private gun sales. A ThinkProgress article has the email conversations between the buyer and ArmsList.com, "a Craigslist-style site that deals solely in firearms." We searched “Smith & Wesson M&P15″ in the Colorado listings and instantly found dozens … Read more
By Karl Reiner
Last month, President Obama began his second term in office under conditions somewhat improved from four years ago. Back then, the economy was contracting at 5% per year and 600,000 to 800,000 people per month were being dumped into the ranks of the unemployed.
The effects of the Great Recession show how imperfect the tools available to policymakers are. After
complex Wall Street products helped feed the sub-prime housing mess, the resulting crisis had to be met by costly Federal Reserve and Treasury actions that stemmed the slide into depression. The remedies are unpopular because in saving the economy, the government had to help a banking sector that contributed mightily to the collapse.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The lights went out in the Superdome in New Orleans for 34 minutes at the start of the second half of the Super Bowl — a Super Bowl first.
There are already conspiracy theories on the "intertubes" about what caused the power outage, most of them tongue-in-cheek (Google it). Here are just some of the conspiracy theories floating around out there (only the first one is a plausible explanation):
1. Since it happened soon after Beyonce's halftime show, there are thoughts that the amount of electricity that went into the show's razzle-dazzle had something to do with the resulting power outage.
2. 49ers fans. The game was turning into a route after a 98 yard kickoff return by the Ravens to start the second half. "Somebody do something! Pull the plug!"
3. Rogue Saints fans. This was supposed to be their year to play in a Super Bowl at home. Oddly enough, no team in the Super Bowl has ever played in their home stadium. So I guess this means the Giants and Jets won't be playing in next year's Super Bowl (what idiot decided to hold the Super Bowl at the Meadowlands in February?)
4. “Anonymous has spoken by killing the lights at the Super Bowl. They don’t like Beyonce either.” -John Roush.
5. Bane (from the Dark Knight Rises movie). He's done this kind of thing before.
You get the idea.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Several bills have been introduced in Congress to amend the Constitution to overturn Citizens United v. FEC, and to give Congress the express authority to regulate campaign financing in elections.
If we are going to amend the Constitution regarding elections, then we should amend the Constitution to grant a fundamental right to vote. Unlike citizens in every other advanced democracy, Americans do not have a "right" to vote, it is a privilege. Popular perception
notwithstanding, the Constitution provides no explicit guarantee of
voting rights. Jamelle Boiue explains in Making Voting Constitutional:
[The Constitution] outlines a few broad parameters. Article 1, Section 2,
stipulates that the House of Representatives “shall be composed of
Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States,”
while Article 1, Section 4, reserves the conduct of elections to the
states. The Constitution does, however, detail the ways in which groups
of people cannot be denied the vote. The 15th Amendment says you can’t
prevent African American men from voting. The 19th Amendment says you
can’t keep women from voting. Nor can you keep citizens of Washington,
D.C., (23rd Amendment) or 18-year-olds (26th Amendment) from exercising
the franchise. If you can vote for the most “numerous” branch of your
state legislature, then you can also vote for U.S. Senate (17th
Amendment).
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Let's be clear about one thing: when Doomsday Preppers, Survivalists, and so-called Patriot Militias talk about their need to stockpile an arsenal of weapons and ammunition to fight a war against what they deem to be a "tyrannical" government, they are talking about preparing to kill American law enforcement officers — police, … Read more