A Judge's Regret

In a recent interview with NPR, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is candid about his work on the court. When asked if he regrets any decisions in his thirty-four years as associate justice, Stevens says only one, when he and others upheld the death penalty in 1976.

While it is remarkable (and telling of his constancy) that among hundreds of decisions, he regrets but one—a likely inconsequential one at that, given the majority of 6:3 on that morbid decision—it is also a sad reminder of one of the ugliest sides of the American judicial system: it's perpetuation of state-sponsored murder—a most cruel and unusual punishment—that has cost hundreds of (sometimes innocent) Americans their life.

Here's a part of his interview.

Evolution's Handy Job

Opposable thumbs anyone?

It's actually more than that. NPR is on it.

On the Origin of Species

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Thank you, Darwin, for making sense of life, and for standing the test of time and scrutiny of science for 150 years.

Here's NPR on the occasion.

Those Silly Fundamentalists...

... Christians, this time.

They're praying for liberals in Congress and in the Obama administration. Even Republicans like Olympia Snowe are not safe. Audio below.

The Democracy We Engendered

As I have posted before on this blog, our 'democratizing' mission in Iraq has miserably failed with gays in that country, as with other issues or areas of life. We have created an environment where individuals are being persecuted and sought out to be killed for having committed inconsequential, consensual actions that regard only their personal lives.

On a similar note, NPR reports that women-run Iraqi businesses will suffer once the United States leave the country. The fact that women will be worse off if the United States leaves notwithstanding, it is important to also view the flip-side of this scenario: that of an economy and of a society that is, at present, so steeped in religious bigotry and clan mentality that the secularism defended and upheld by Saddam Hussein, despite its dictatorial and violent nature, may soon appear like a pleasant past deserving of nostalgia. Accompanying audio below.

Gayning Ground

A few strides have been made in the past week on gay rights, mostly in the Northeast. They are not clear-cut, though, and resistance to them is also growing.

The start of September 1 in Vermont signaled that state's recognition of same-sex marriages, prompting certain couples to take advantage of it immediately. The change was not that welcomed for representatives of the Westboro Baptist Church in Montpelier, VT, who themselves faced a crowd of supporters of same-sex marriage. To celebrate the occasion, Vermont's 'gayest duo,' Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream, changed the name of their Chubby Hubby ice-cream to 'Hubby Hubby' and offered free scoops of it around the state.

Meanwhile, opponents of same-sex marriage in Maine, which is supposed to start allowing those marriages on September 12, have gathered enough petition signatures to put a measure on the ballot in a November election, which would overturn the decision to allow same-sex marriages. Their efforts are met with resistance, however, as supporters of same-sex marriage have raised their own groups advocating the upholding of the decision. As an NPR report states, battle lines are drawn in this upcoming election. The NPR audio on the issue is below.

Proponents of same-sex marriage have also launched an ad campaign on television, appealing to the independent nature of Maine residents, hoping to garner their votes when the issue goes on the ballot. One of these ads is below.

Despite all these advances, gay rights advocates are not satisfied with president Obama's performance on the issue, claiming that he is not working fast enough on national issues such as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or the Defense of Marriage Act.

On a national level, Congress is closer to passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, protecting LGBT individuals from discrimination at work because of their sexual preference or gender identity.

Women in the News

In light of the latest gender scandal in sports, BuzzFeed has compiled a list of famous disputed/questionable genders in Olympic history. They are all interesting, I must say.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made the news thanks to her way of doing diplomacy around the world. NPR audio below.

On the other side of the spectrum, Sarah Palin remains in the news, this time thanks to the Huffington Posts, which posted some of the most memorable videos of her from this past year in the national arena.

On two separate articles, the BBC reports that England and Wales have made it possible for lesbian couples to have each of their names put on birth certificates of their children. Criticism, no doubt, followed.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, women's rights have suffered, as fewer women showed up at the polls, reminding the world that progress is too distant for Afghani women.

Newsweek has an interesting article on women's efforts to break the glass ceiling. Apparently, their success depends on their ceasing to be 'good girls' and becoming 'bitches.'

On Public Option

First, what is the public option? It's an insurance policy funded and managed by the government. That is all... nothing more, nothing less. Here's an article describing how it came about. Chris Hayes of The Nation does a good job of explaining it for the lay man in the video below. Keep reading for more on the controversy started last weekend over it.

Second, why has it been in the news so much?

A week ago, both Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius and president Barack Obama stated in different places and times that the public option was not essential to the healthcare reform bill, that it was not an integral part of it, thus signaling their willingness to drop it from the proposal.

Outrage and speculation ensued, and rightfully so, over the importance of the so-called public option and the futility of a healthcare reform bill without it. Howard Dean was one of the first and most vocal supporters of the public option, claiming that a healthcare reform bill without it was no reform at all. At the same time, the Obama White House started to juggle with the idea of non-profit co-ops, which would bring the government and private insurance companies together in providing healthcare subsidized by the government and with no profit for the partaking private insurance. Needless to say, people discussed that option, as well, with some experts saying that the measure has a 'checkered history.'

The administration's statements on dropping the public option from the healthcare reform bill drew ire from the more liberal factions of the political spectrum: The Nation had an article calling a healthcare reform bill without a public option 'a squandered opportunity,' and another article analyzing the public option more in depth, while many progressive groups made it clear they would not give up on it. The more liberal Democrats in Congress, for their part, vowed the same, as the NPR report below shows, though Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com added that they might 'cave' and vote for a bill that has other perks, if not public option.

As the week progressed, Democrats seemed more supportive of public option and more united behind it. And, as of late this week, both Sebelius and Obama had all but recanted their statements. In the immediate aftermath of their announcement last weekend, White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, dismissed rumors that the public option was dead, prompting Paul Krugman to write an op-ed in The New York Times restating the importance of the public option from an economic perspective. Most recently at Ohio State University, Sebelius stated she supported a state-run health insurance.

Gays and Lutherans

After a week of discussions, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has slightly updated (pun intended) its position on gay clergymen and women. They had formerly allowed openly gay individuals to serve in the church only in cases where the individual was celibate. As of today, the ELCA will allow even sexually active men and women that are in committed relationships with individuals of the same sex.

The resolution passed with a super majority of over two thirds. In both these articles, there are individuals within the church who speak both for and against the resolution. One of the most sensible quotes:

We can learn not to define ourselves by negation... by not only saying what we are against, which always seems to be the same — against gay people. We should be against poverty. I wish we were as zealous about that.

Those Commie Europeans

They have things figured out pretty darn well if you ask me. The French are probably the kings of vacation time in the world and the rest of Europeans are right behind them. There's good news for all of them: vacation time leads to happiness and health.

Obama on the Offensive

President Obama has finally come to the aid of the Democratic congressmen and women who are going around the country advocating for the passage of the health bill. In his town hall meetings across the country he has attacked high insurance premiums; criticized the nature of insurance companies, reminding citizens that the latter care more about their profits than the well-being of the insured; reprimanded the same insurance companies for making a bureaucracy out of patients' health while themselves scaring the nation that a government-run insurance plan will do the same; addressed concerns of citizens about the funding of the healthcare program; given his listeners examples of Americans who have gone bankrupt because of unaffordable healthcare, and all the while has debunked Sarah Palin's outrageous lies and fear-mongering propaganda about the non-extant 'death panels.'

NPR coverage of one of those town hall meetings is in the audio below.

California in the News

California seemed to be the main preoccupation of last week's edition of The Economist, from the expansion of the state in the 1960s and its initial and recurring problems, to the troubled state of the University of California system, and the legalization of marijuana and the economic consequences that accompany it.

NPR follows up with a report on the popularity of medical marijuana in the state. The audio can be found at the same link, since it cannot be embedded here. More marijuana news from a retirement community in Orange County, where the residents are trying to popularize the use of marijuana, as well as encourage its cultivation within the community. The accompanying audio is, again, at the same link.

Religious Left for Healthcare

NPR and Reuters reported today that liberal religious groups (apparently, they do exist) have joined the healthcare debate and are advocating for its passage. I normally don't like the involvement of religious groups in policy-making, but for once they are acting like the Christians they purport to be.

Women in the News, etc.

First, some education on Victoria Claflin Woodhill (1838-1927), an uncelebrated women's rights pioneer and the first woman to run for U.S. President in 1872.

In Sudan, a journalist is making the most of her public status to challenge that country's law condemning 'indecent' clothing for women. In her case, 'indecent' means trousers. She faces forty lashes or a high fine for wearing pants in public.

Women are also catching up to men in drinking and DUIs nowadays. The number of DUI arrests is on the rise among women and in decline among men.

Meanwhile, Norway is helping break the glass ceiling by demanding that 40% of boardroom members be women. The corresponding audio is below.

Cruel & Unusual Punishment

California might be guilty of it.

Don't Sell Canada Too Short

People are always trying to spread fear about the proposed public health insurance option in this country by taking Canada and its healthcare woes as a 'bad example.' As this report shows, Canadians are highly satisfied with what they like to call 'socialized insurance.' There are certainly those who seek care south in the United States, but they are extremely rare, much like those being 'struck by lightning,' which also explains why we hear about them and not the majority of the satisfied Canadians. Audio is below.

Cuba Opens Resorts to Cubans

Cuba opens up its hotels and resorts to Cubans, not just tourists. Certainly a welcomed change. NPR audio below.

The Necessity for Better Healthcare

NPR depicts this necessity in only one part of the country in this article. Many more await the same treatment across the country. As an example, 10,000 individuals are expected in Los Angeles in a similar project.

Heart-wrenching to hear that people in such dire need do not forget to be thoughtful and considerate of others: 'Somebody may need them more.' Why can't more Americans act that way?

The audio is below.

Recovery Act Update

Well, it turns out that the recovery act has started to work, namely by avoiding catastrophe and making it 'merely bad.' The media have not stopped talking about it in the last few days and it is certainly good news for all of us.

Obama still warns—and justly so—that the recession is still not over and we may still be months away from that day.

Meanwhile, in the audio below, NPR gives an account of how the recovery act works and how it targets communities in dire need of a financial boost.