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3-D Guns and the Case for Gun Control
Tweet Share on Facebook May 11, 2013 CommentI spent considerable time today wading through Thomas Jefferson's letters in an attempt to discern what he would say about the latest complexity to hit the gun control debate: the 3-D printing of guns.
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U.S. Lawmakers Should Sever Ties With Anti-Gay Groups
Tweet Share on Facebook May 3, 2013 CommentThe Economist.com published a very disconcerting article this week entitled "The War on Gays: Strange Bedfellows." The publication revealed that certain prominent American Christian organizations have been spending significant resources overseas lobbying to erode antidiscrimination laws that protect gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender individuals from violence and human rights abuses.
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Republicans Aim to Cut Political Science Research
Tweet Share on Facebook April 26, 2013 CommentWhen I was a kid, one of the more memorable experiences I had was when my grandfather took me to the dedication ceremony of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The ceremony was particularly poignant for him. He helped Kennedy campaign for President in 1960. For me, it was one of the early factors that inspired me to study political science. The Boston Marathon bombing and the fire at the library brought this memory flooding back.
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Gun Control Filibuster Proves Senate Is Broken
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2013 CommentI've been shaking my Boggle box to come up with some colorful adjectives to add to the din of words criticizing the Senate for its failure pass the universal background check amendment in the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013.
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Obama's Gun Control Pressure Won't Move Boehner
Tweet Share on Facebook April 9, 2013 CommentEven though the likelihood of a bipartisan compromise in the Senate on President Obama's gun control proposal has increased slightly, it's unlikely that any bill will become law. The President's call to improve the background check process is dead-on-arrival. No amount of town halls, Bloomberg sponsored TV ads, or presidential calls for a vote are going to motivate the 113th Congress to press forward.
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Obama Must Change Course on North Korea
Tweet Share on Facebook April 4, 2013 CommentOnce again, North Korea's brinksmanship has the world's attention – the U.S. is scrambling to deescalate the situation, and everyone from Dennis Rodman to Rev. Franklin Graham is weighing in. Kim's actions are nothing new, and the situation is as complex now as it was after North Korea sank the Cheonan and bombed Yeonpyeongdo Island in 2010.
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Gay Marriage Advocates Must Start Courting Republicans
Tweet Share on Facebook March 28, 2013 CommentGay rights activists will probably not see the 39 state bans on same-sex marriage declared unconstitutional when the Supreme Court's issues its ruling on Hollingsworth vs. Perry, the challenge to California's Proposition 8. The audio transcripts reveal an inescapable point: The justices are reluctant to weigh in on the debate. The case will probably be dismissed on procedural grounds.
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The GOP's New Plan for the Future Lacks Long-Term Vision
Tweet Share on Facebook March 21, 2013 CommentThe Republican's "Growth & Opportunity Project" isn't comprehensive enough. It's a document filled with marketing and campaign tactics: improving messaging, appealing to minorities, building a data infrastructure, adjusting fundraising, and compressing the primary process. Don't get me wrong, these are all good ideas, but what's the long-term vision?
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Save the American Dream From Washington's Bickering
Tweet Share on Facebook March 11, 2013 CommentLast week I saw the American Repertory Theater's production of The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams's four-character "memory play" about the Wingfields: a depression era, downwardly mobile family who struggle with the disillusionment of their everyday lives.
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Sequestration Crisis Is Thomas Jefferson's Debt Fears Realized
Tweet Share on Facebook March 5, 2013 CommentThomas Jefferson would likely be very upset over the failure of President Obama and Congress to resolve the sequestration crisis last week. Throughout his political career, Jefferson made numerous statements on his aversion to public debt. One of his most succinct discourses on the topic appeared in his July 12, 1816 letter to Samuel Kercheval, a Virginia attorney and author.
