Mar 23, 2013 | Extremism, mic, Pennsylvania, Political Ideologies, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues, Terrorism
Published: mic (March 23, 2013), The Express Times (March 23, 2013) From neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan to the Nation of Islam and the Black Panthers, there is nothing more inherently pathetic than a bigot in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This isn't to say that bigots aren't a pitiful sight as a general rule. As the philosopher Eric Hoffer noted in his classic monograph on mass movements and...
Dec 1, 2012 | Conservativism, Conspiracy Theories, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Extremism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (December 1, 2012) The only thing worse than laziness is contagious laziness. I refer you to the following headlines from Fox News and Politico: "Ted Cruz Speech Fuels 2016 Presidential Run Speculation" "Ted Cruz Speech Stokes 2016 Speculation" Ted Cruz, for those of you fortunate enough to not be up-to-date on your Tea Party demagogues, is the Senator-elect from Texas....
Nov 29, 2012 | Class Issues, Conservativism, Economic Policy, Extremism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (November 29, 2012) The impending so-called "fiscal cliff" has not been kind to Grover Norquist. As political junkies are well aware, the conservative lobbyist who founded Americans for Tax Reform is best known for pressuring Republican politicians to sign his Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which puts signatories on the record as vowing to never support marginal income tax...
Nov 4, 2012 | Conservativism, Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), Extremism, Liberalism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, President Obama, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (November 4, 2012) There are two quotes that best sum up Pennsylvania's role in American democracy today. One comes from legendary political consultant James Carville: "Pennsylvania is Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle." This adage will be useful when following Tuesday's election returns in the Keystone State, although it's a little...
Aug 24, 2012 | Abortion, Conservativism, Elections, Elections - Other, Extremism, Gender and Sexism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (August 24, 2012) It is true that a nation which practices censorship cannot remain free. To this axiom, though, I would add that a society which doesn't respond to inflammatory stupidity with universal contempt cannot remain safe for reasoned discussion, as recent political discussion clearly demonstrates. Over the last week, the Republican Party has provided us with two...
May 10, 2012 | Conservativism, Conspiracy Theories, Extremism, Liberalism, mic, Original Source Salon.com, Political Ideologies, President Obama, Satirical Essays
May 5, 2012 | Centrism, Conservativism, Extremism, General Advice, Liberalism, Libertarianism, mic, Political Ideologies
Published: PolicyMic (May 5, 2012) No one wants to be an ideologue. Defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology," ideologues are correctly viewed as one of the banes of the political world. While at their most extreme, they provoke violence and oppress non-believers, even the more innocuous ones manage to hinder debate and...
Apr 3, 2012 | Civil Liberties, Extremism, Libertarianism, mic, Military-Industrial Complex/Security State, Political Ideologies, Religion and Religious Issues
Published: PolicyMic (April 3, 2012) Nathan Wooten has a portrait of Adolf Hitler hanging in his living room. He named his son after a leader of the German S.S. He regularly posts comments on National Socialist message boards and created a personal profile on a white supremacist social networking site. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, Wooten is a neo-Nazi. Until last month, he was also a sergeant...
Nov 21, 2011 | Centrism, Conservativism, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), Extremism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: The Morning Call (November 21, 2011) If I were a Republican, I would be very concerned right now about the future of my party. Allow me to explain. As of the moment, President Barack Obama is an extremely vulnerable incumbent. Unemployment remains chronically high, his approval ratings are mired in the low 40s, and he has done a horrendous job of selling his signature achievements to...
Aug 15, 2011 | Conservativism, Economic Policy, Extremism, Liberalism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, President Obama, Republicans
Published: The Morning Call (August 15, 2011) When reviewing "Atlas Shrugged," the magnum opus of libertarian paladin Ayn Rand, famed anti-communist Whittaker Chambers made this observation about her philosophy: "Out of a lifetime of reading, I can recall no other book in which a tone of overriding arrogance was so implacably sustained. Its shrillness is without reprieve. Its dogmatism is...