Jul 20, 2013 | Foreign Policy, Jewish Experiences, Media Issues, mic, Scandals, World Affairs
Published: mic (July 20, 2013) How does an American political historian cope with the death of Helen Thomas? She was a pioneer for female journalists, an old-fashioned shoe-leather reporter, an astute observer of Washington's grimy, smarmy underbelly who had personally interrogated every president since John F. Kennedy. When Stephen Colbert used the third act of his legendary 2006 White House...
Jul 19, 2013 | Liberalism, mic, Political Ideologies, President Obama, Race and Racism
Published: mic (July 19, 2013) Liberals ... we have our Obama back. Well, let's not go too far. The president who repeatedly compromised when it wasn't necessary (see the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), reneged on promises (see Guantanamo Bay), and betrayed his own professed principles (see PRISM) cannot be entirely forgiven for his ideological betrayals simply after one press...
Jul 18, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (July 18, 2013) As the multiplexes bombard us with such irredeemably awful fare as Grown Ups 2 and The Lone Ranger, I figured it was time to take a look at four movies so awful, they're actually pretty wonderful. In no particular order... 1. Troll 2 (1990) Yeah, anyone familiar with B-movies could have guessed that this garbage would make an appearance. For those of you unfamiliar...
Jul 17, 2013 | General Advice, Libertarianism, mic, Political Ideologies
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...
Jul 17, 2013 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), mic, Political Parties, Vice President Biden
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...
Jul 14, 2013 | Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, mic, Race and Racism
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...
Jul 11, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Gender and Sexism, General Advice, mic
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...
Jun 28, 2013 | Economic Policy, Gay Rights and Other LGBTQIA Issues, Health Care Reform, Immigration, mic, Military-Industrial Complex/Security State, Original Source Salon.com, Political Parties, Republicans
Jun 25, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Media Issues, mic, Race and Racism, Scandals
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...
Jun 24, 2013 | Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Gender and Sexism, mic, Science and Technology
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...