Rights and Democracy
Justice for a 9-Year-Old Girl’s Killers in the Courts and in Print
A chilling trial is underway in Tucson for the murder of 9-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father. According to eyewitness testimony from her mother (the attackers thought she was dead) Brisenia pleaded with anti-immigration vigilantes, who had invaded her own home, not to shoot her—shortly before they murdered her anyway.
Renovating The New York Times Op-Ed Section
The New York Times recently named Trish Hall its next op-ed editor. She’s going to call the shots regarding who gets a guest spot in the nation’s premiere opinion pages, which typically feature brilliantly written, sharply argued, and perfectly edited commentaries on sometimes dry yet always inarguably important topics.
Ripping off Newspaper Websites Shortchanges Democracy
There’s a feast raging on the Internet. Websites and bloggers are helping themselves to huge servings of whatever newspapers offer online.
All Women Deserve a Sporting Chance
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the law prohibiting discrimination in educational programs receiving federal tax dollars, including sports.
SOTU: Smoked Salmon on Wonder Bread
This may end up as Obama’s “smoked salmon” speech, just as we remember President George W. Bush’s 2006 State of the Union address as his switchgrass moment.
Second Amendment Solutions
Oh, Brother
Perhaps by now we are accustomed to the annual right-wing co-opting of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy. Over at FPIF, Mark Engler offers an instructive example from the Pentagon. He quotes DoD’s general counsel Jeh C. Johnson: “I believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would recognize that we live in a complicated world, and that our nation’s military should not and cannot lay down its arms and leave the American people vulnerable to terrorist attack.”
Baby Scapegoats
Named for the former lead singer in the band Genesis, little Peter Gabriel weighed in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Congratulations, kid! Now, after your next diaper change, some politicians from Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina would like to check your papers.
Heritage of Shame
A Southern heritage group is planning a celebration in Montgomery, Alabama, that will feature a parade down the city’s historic Dexter Avenue. That’s the same street where thousands of civil rights marchers rallied in support of voting rights at the culmination of the historic Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965.
The Right to Bear Arms, Even if You’re Nuts
Say what you will about the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). Add in the murder and severe injuries suffered by assorted bystanders in Tucson and. it all proves that we’re still a free country. God bless America!
