Tennessee State Senator Stacey Campfield Defends His “Don’t Say Gay” Bill

Tennessee State Senator Stacey Campfield is promoting what is being called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would prevent teachers in grades K-9 from bringing up anything to do with homosexuality.  Campfield claims, in spite of what educators are saying, that teachers are spreading the gospel of the gay in classrooms around his state. But when he came on radio with me, he couldn’t give any specifics.  He’s been pushing this for seven years, but only now, with Republicans running both houses in his state, is he getting his bill out of committee.  Of course, if you are worried about …

Haley Barbour: “I Will Not Be A Candidate For President Next Year”

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has announced he will not seek the presidency in 2012.  Here is his statement:

“I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.

“Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign. Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations …

Stockman Joins March Away From GOP Plans

by Stuart Shapiro

It’s been a big weekend for established Republicans to march away from the insanity that has become the core of the GOP platforms.  First David Frum and now David Stockman, budget director for Ronald Reagan, decried both the Obama and Ryan budget plans as unrealistic.  Stockman saved his harshest words for Ryan:

Ingratiating himself with the neo-cons, Mr. Ryan has put the $700 billion defense and security budget off limits; and caving to pusillanimous Republican politicians, he also exempts $17 trillion of Social Security and Medicare spending over the next decade. What is left, then, is $7 …

Trump Bites Back At DeNiro: “Not The Brightest Bulb”

Donald Trump was quite offended that Robert DeNiro called his birther message “awful” and told Trump, “How dare you!” On his weekly Fox and Friends appearance, The Donald struck back, calling DeNiro “not the brightest bulb on the planet.” Trump also reasserted his belief that President Obama hasn’t released his birth certificate.

“Well he’s not the brightest bulb on the planet. I’ve been watching him over the years and I like his acting, but you know in terms of when I watch him doing interviews and various other things, we’re not dealing with Albert Einstein. And he can say …

Will Mitch Daniels Run?

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has to make a decision soon about whether he is going to throw his hat into the presidential ring. Can he change the nature of the race, and will Republicans accept someone who cares less about social issues and more about the economy, and someone who realizes you have to compromise at times?

Daniels also would challenge his own party, with a message that calls for focusing on fiscal issues over social ones, for appealing seriously to voters who are not part of the conservative coalition and for being prepared to compromise with Democrats to solve …

Supreme Court Rejects Virginia’s Fast-Track Challenge To Health Care Law

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a request from Virginia to fast-track a challenge to the Affordable Care Act.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli asked the court to let the state bypass the normal federal appeals process and take the case directly to the justices. While the court’s rules allow for this, such a rapid review is granted only very rarely. The Justice Department opposed the request to put the case on a fast track.

The court’s decision means the issue will continue working its way through the federal appeals courts. Several cases are pending, including challenges to the …

Wikileaks Releases Intelligence Gathered From Guantanamo Bay Prisoners

by toma

If you’ve ever wondered what the U.S. has gotten in return for the public relations disaster that is Guantanamo Bay prison, this latest Wikileaks document dump will be worth your time.

A trove of more than 700 classified military documents provides new and detailed accounts of the men who have done time at the Guantánamo Bay prison in Cuba, and offers new insight into the evidence against the 172 men still locked up there.

The Washington Post used the documents to provide an overview of the activities of top Al Qaeda members in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 11, …

Michael Bloomberg Says With Birtherism GOP “Deserves To Lose”; Robert DeNiro: “How Dare You! That’s Awful To Do”

Robert DeNiro “won’t mention names,” but it’s obvious to whom he’s referring in remarks he made at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“I won’t mention names, but certain people in the news the last couple weeks, just, what are they doing? It’s crazy. They’re making statements about people that they don’t even back up. Go get the facts before you start saying things about people. It’s like a big hustle. It’s like being a car salesman. Don’t go out there and say things unless you can back them up. How dare you? That’s awful to do. To just go out and …

Bahrainian Crown Prince Declines Royal Wedding Invitation After Accusations Of His Regime’s Brutality

Al Jazeera English reports that human rights activists are outraged that Bahrainian Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is among 40 foreign royals invited to the royal wedding.

Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that protesters were expecting the British to take a “tough stance,” rather than invite those accused of grievous human rights abuses to the high-profile celebrations.

“Calling our crown prince at a time when people are being killed … for demanding their political rights and peacefully protesting, is extremely disappointing,” he said in a phone interview.

“They’re losing …

My Favorite Liberal

By Yashwanth Manjunath

Happy Easter everyone. On this special day I thought I would talk about my favorite liberal, and one of my favorite people, Jesus.  I mean, there was so much to like about the guy. He really was a man ahead of his time on a number of controversial issues that we are still trying to sort out.

Take gay marriage for example. Now, we don’t know how Jesus felt about the idea of gay people marrying because he never talked about the issue specifically. But we do know that he certainly was not in favor of judging …

Happy Easter. Here Are Garland And Astaire To Celebrate

Fred Astaire and Judy Garland starred in the 1948 classic “Easter Parade” featuring the music of Irving Berlin.

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