America is a great place for workers. Let’s not forget what got us here. Happy May Day.
Previously unreleased reworking of How to destroy angels’ “The Space in Between” by Sonoio (Alessandro Cortini).
This is the version we play live.
Source: SoundCloud / howtodestroyangels
This is absurd, and it needs to change. I understand the argument for the second amendment, and I recognize the need for people to be able to own guns in case their government becomes malicious. What I don’t understand is the unwillingness to even entertain the possibility that the completely lawless gun availability supposedly proclaimed by the 2nd Amendment was a little too unrestricted. The Constitution is worth protecting, but both it and the Bill of Rights have been wrong before. (I’m thinking the five-eights clause and Prohibition, just off the top of my head.) This quasi-religious devotion to follow the letter of laws written over two hundred years ago, without recognizing the differences between 1789 and 2013, is completely absurd.
I honestly don’t know what the right level of gun laws is. That’s supposed to be the job of smarter people than I, but the gun lobby has ensured that won’t happen.
If you want to acquaint yourself with some of the outrage at what happened in the Senate this past week, President Obama’s statement from the Rose Garden and Jon Stewart’s monologue last night are both excellent.
Source: momsdemandaction.org
The worst fears of America’s Islamic community just came true.
Just a few hours after news broke that Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan & Dzhokhar Tsarnaev identied as Muslims, Fox News has already published a piece suggesting links to Islamic extremism.
Whether the ties exist or not, the bombing is a tragedy for the victims, for their loved ones, and for America’s Islamic community, as news organizations like Fox News exploit dormant American Islamophobia in the wake of the disaster.
This makes me sick.
“Evil acts don’t topple cities. They reveal their character.”
Source: reddit.com
Two days after my last final exam.
Oh yes.
Gay Marriage: Why We Don’t Agree At All
Amid all the support poured out on Facebook in the last week, those opposed to gay marriage have tried to make their views known as well. This is a good thing. Coming from the viewpoint of supporting equal rights for gay couples, it is easy to characterize anyone with a different opinion as a bigot—after all, they oppose granting what we see as equal rights to a certain group of people.
But it isn’t quite as black-and-white as that. Many of these people aren’t hateful bigots. Some exhibit those qualities, to be sure, especially those who cling to the belief that loving someone of the same gender is a choice, a disorder, or something against nature. But many have legitimate concerns (These might be unjustified or irrelevant in the end, but they are rational enough to the people who believe them to convince them to oppose gay marriage.)
One of the articles being passed around is by Christian apologist Trent Horn. Titled “Gay Marriage: Our Agreements Solve Our Disagreements,” it proposes to analyze the topic of gay marriage, and marriage in general, in non-religious terms. It argues against extending the traditional definition due to societal concerns, rather than biblical morality.
As I was reading, however, I couldn’t help but notice religious foundations to many of the claims made. I decided to mark it up and publish what I thought. Again, you can read the full text here.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The story of every known drone US strike in Pakistan
Incredibly interesting interactive infographic presenting every know drone strike ordered by the US inside Pakistan.
The key numbers:
- 3,105: total killed by drones
- 2% of these were high-profile targets
- 5.6% were children
- 17.2% were civilians
- 75.6% were other alleged combatants
This isn’t a condemnation of drone use in war, and I certainly appreciate the fact that each of these strikes most likely saved American lives.
It’s just important to keep them in perspective.
America fought two decade-long wars over the murder of 3,000 people. It might be good to keep that in mind as the collateral tallies creep closer to that number.
Source: drones.pitchinteractive.com
I'm a student at Princeton from outside of Philly.
