5 Reasons Why Libertarians Are the Hipsters Of U.S. Politics
Published: mic (June 17, 2013) The slaying of sacred cows is one of the foremost responsibilities of anyone who hopes to shape public opinion in a responsible fashion. That is why most of America's prominent political groups have received their fair share of ridicule, from The Colbert Report's shtick parodying conservatives to South Park's legendary lampoons deflating liberals. Considering the...
Why Joe Biden Should Run For President in 2016
Published: mic (July 17, 2013), The Morning Call (July 17, 2013) According to a recent Politico article, Vice President Joe Biden is being criticized by some of his backers for not doing more to promote his 2016 presidential candidacy. Should Biden choose to run, he would, no doubt, face a formidable opponent in Hillary Clinton, the erstwhile first lady, senator, and secretary of state who is...
“J’Accuse” George Zimmerman
Published: mic (July 14, 2013) More than a century ago, the French novelist Emile Zola drew attention to one epidemic of bigotry that was infecting his country. In his classic essay "J'Accuse," he pointed the finger of accusation at anti-Semites throughout the Western world who were celebrating a wrong that had been perpetrated against a Jew, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, because he was a Jew. As I...
What Men Can Learn From Dustin Hoffman’s ‘Tootsie’ Breakthrough
Published: mic (July 11, 2013) Sometimes it's necessary to feel ashamed of yourself. This unpleasant epiphany came to me when I came across a Dustin Hoffman interview in which the Academy Award-winning actor discussed his experience preparing for the 1982 cross-dressing comedy Tootsie. As he described the studio's attempts to make him look like a convincing woman, he recalled his shock at being...
9 Republicans Who Can Give Modern Liberals Hope
Published: mic (June 28, 2013) While most liberals remember the exact moment when Barack Obama became a national figure — i.e., his delivery of the Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention — few recall that one of the central messages of that brilliant speech was giving the other side its due. To use his own words: "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America....
Paula Deen and John Galliano Have More in Common Than You Think
Published: mic (June 25, 2013)co-author Tillie Adelson As the culinary world continues to be rocked by the scandal over Paula Deen's racist remarks, the fashion world is being revisited by a similar specter from its past — i.e., the ghost of John Galliano. The ghost has broken his silence. He's been torn down to his simplest form or "Galliano in the Wilderness," as Vanity Fair is choosing to...
3 Ways Police Screw Up Science When Investigating Rape
Published: mic (June 24, 2013) Anyone with a passing interest in the politics of 2012 will recall the drivel spewed by the likes of Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock on so-called "scientific" facts about rape. Ironically, though, there IS recent scientific work that has provided us with valuable information on rape, most notably in the areas of ascertaining the credibility of victim reports and...
3 Ways PRISM and Edward Snowden Have Exposed Obama As a Hypocrite
Published: mic (June 23, 2013) As Edward Snowden continues his flight from the grasping arms of the federal government, President Obama finds himself in the most unenviable position that can face an ostensibly idealistic politician. He looks like a hypocrite. When I made this observation in a panel discussion last week on HuffPost Live, moderator Josh Zepps correctly pointed out that I was in...
The Sad Reason Edward Snowden is Our Generation’s Biggest Symbol
Published: mic (June 19, 2013) Is Edward Snowden a hero? There is an anecdote, perhaps apocryphal, that best answers that question. It comes from the early years of the Franklin Roosevelt administration, back when the newly-elected president was meeting with labor leaders to address their concerns about the plight of the working class. After pleading their case and sensing that their one-man...
Prop 200 Ruling: Voter Suppression Is Just 21st Century Racism
Published: mic (June 17, 2013) First the good news: Champions of civil liberties should celebrate the Supreme Court's ruling Monday overturning an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to vote. By empowering county registrars to "reject any application for registration that is not accompanied by satisfactory evidence of United States citizenship," the "proof of citizenship" provision of...
Why Philanthropic Ozwald Boateng is the Angelina Jolie Of Fashion Designers
Published: mic (June 16, 2013) co-author Tillie Adelson There is a phenomenon about celebrities that we have decided to dub the "Bono effect" or more currently the “Angelina Jolie effect.” In summary, it refers to the tendency of the rich and famous to engage in conspicuous charitable and/or philanthropic endeavors for reasons that smack more of self-aggrandizement than genuine nobility of...
Dear Obama: Stop Acting Like Dick Cheney — Sincerely, Liberals Everywhere
Published: mic (June 18, 2013), Live Interview with Huffington Post (June 19, 2013) Our commander-in-chief had a lot to say during Monday night's interview with Charlie Rose, but CNN aptly summed it up in four words: "I'm no Dick Cheney." If I may, Mr. President, I'd like to respond to that claim with a question I bet all of your supporters (many of them now erstwhile supporters) are asking:...
Gun Control Debate 2013: Republicans’ “Slippery Slope” Arguments Show An Ignorance Of History
Published: mic (June 8, 2013) In light of the recent ricin attacks on Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg, and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, it is time for us to acknowledge an unavoidable reality: When the slippery slope fallacy is applied to politics, the consequences can be dangerous. As defined by the Nizkor Project (an organization dedicated to debunking Holocaust denial), a slippery slope...
Bloomberg Ricin Attack: Don’t Overreact Just Yet
Published: mic (May 29, 2013) When an issue is as superheated as gun control, one can almost instinctively predict the reaction to news stories such as this one: "New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has received an anonymous threatening letter that preliminary tests indicated contained the presence of the poison ricin, law enforcement officials told NBC News. A similar letter, which early...
George Zimmerman Trial: Release of Trayvon Martin Text Messages is Racist and Reprehensible
Published: mic (May 27, 2013) After facing a wave of controversy for their decision to release Trayvon Martin's private cell phone records to the public, George Zimmerman's attorneys are defending themselves by claiming they merely wish to demonstrate that Martin was "hostile." In their own words, their sole goal is to "assist the jury in understanding why Trayvon Martin chose to hide then...
Joe Biden Gaffe: VP’s Jewish Comments Were Not Anti-Semitic
Published: mic (May 25, 2013) While Joe Biden is notorious for his gaffes, his recent comments in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month should not be designated as such ... despite the outcry from some critics claiming otherwise. First, let's take a look at what he said: “The truth is that Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are that it’s fair to...
Why Today’s Democrats Are Not Like LBJ
Published: mic (May 23, 2013) There are days that call for history lessons, and while most liberals don't realize it, we should definitely insist on May 22 being one of them. After all, it was 49 years ago yesterday that President Lyndon Baines Johnson intoned these words at a speech delivered to a graduating class at the University of Michigan: "For a century we labored to settle and to subdue...