Part of Republicans’ problems and, frankly, to tell you the truth, some in the evangelical Christian movement, I think have appeared too eager for war. When people come to me and they’re lobbying for ratcheting up some bellicose policy –- even if it’s a bad country — I tell them: When I read the New Testament, and when I read about Jesus, he wasn’t really involved in the war of his days. …Blessed are the peacemakers, not blessed are the warmakers.Senator Rand Paul • Delivering a unique criticism of the GOP’s traditional posture on military and war policy, in an interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Demonstrated in Paul’s criticism is his ability both to appeal to and alienate varied ideological groups simultaneously — his anti-war ethos may be no doubt appealing to traditionally left-wing political watchers, but his invocation of personal faith to justify a secular public policy may not. Conversely, many on the right-wing admiring of Paul’s evident reflection on Jesus’ example may be rankled by, relative to the modern state of the GOP, a thoroughly unorthodox plea for peace. source
Pastor Rick Warren, founder of the evangelical Saddleback Church of Southern California, has suffered a devastating family tragedy — according to a press release from his church, his 27-year-old son Matthew committed suicide earlier today: “Matthew was an incredibly kind, gentle and compassionate young man whose sweet spirit was encouragement and comfort to many. Unfortunately, he also suffered from mental illness resulting in deep depression and suicidal thoughts. Despite the best health care available, this was an illness that was never fully controlled and the emotional pain resulted in his decision to take his life.” (Photo by jurvetson) source
[HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’] action was politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.Federal Judge Edward R. Korman • Denouncing, in very unambiguous terms, the decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to block the FDA’s decision that morning-after emergency contraception be made available over the counter, as opposed to requiring a prescription for girls age 16 or younger. Sebelius, with the vocal support of President Obama, had blocked the FDA’s proposed lifting of the rule in 2011 — Obama commented at the time: “I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine.” Judge Korman’s take? That the decision, in the midst of a contentious election season, was “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.” source
As humans we can identify galaxies light-years away, study particles smaller than an atom, but we still haven’t unlocked the mystery of the 3 pounds of matter than sits between our ears. …Imagine if we could reverse traumatic brain injury and PTSD for our wounded veterans coming home. Ideas are what power our economy. It’s what sets us apart. It’s what America has been all about.President Obama • Announcing the “BRAIN Initiative” (BRAIN stands for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, naturally), a public/private project he hopes will successfully map the human brain, yielding valuable new insight into our most impressive, and least understood organ. He’s proposing $100 million in government funding to get the ball rolling, which while a pittance on the scale of federal spending, may yet be a hard sell for a congressional opposition devoted to austerity policy. And it’s not as if that amount will cover the full cost anyways — the deeply arduous scientific endeavor is expected to cost billions over a ten-year span. source
The bottom line is simply that what Kim Jong Un is choosing to do is provocative. It is dangerous, reckless. The United States will not accept the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) as a nuclear state. …the United States will do what is necessary to defend ourselves and defend our allies, Korea and Japan. We are fully prepared and capable of doing so, and I think the DPRK understands that.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry • Speaking sternly on a North Korean declaration to reopen its primary nuclear reactor complex in Yongbyon. North Korean state media reported that the reactors, as well as a uranium enrichment facility, were shut down and disabled as part of a 2007 agreement with the United States, which the government now plans to “readjust and restart.” This is not the first indication of a renewed international belligerence on the part of North Korea and its hereditary leader, Kim Jong-un — they also declared last week that they were entering a “state of war” with neighboring South Korea. source
Yahoo wants to buy Hulu now too. They’re going on an “I...
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
The above piece of green rock has a very noteworthy and curious history — that is, if scientists are correct as to its origin. It is a meteorite which was found in Morocco last year, and as its peculiar color might betray, it’s a rather one-of-a-kind find — it’s believed to have come from Mercury, the first such space rock of its kind discovered on Earth. Or, if not Mercury, from a hitherto unknown body somewhere in our solar system. Their estimate of its age? A whopping 4.56 billion years. source
Austin has a lot of international cache. It’s seen as a center of music, as a center of exciting technology, and they want to show they can threaten that. They want to show that they can do something to get attention.Jeremi Suri, Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas • Offering up one explanation as to why, on a map apparently displaying North Korean military targets photographed and released by their government, the city of Austin, Texas, most recently home of SXSW, appears marked for rocket attack. Suri also cited the location of South Korean company Samsung in the Texas city as a possible factor. Austin resident Jeff Miller had a simpler, tongue-in-cheek explanation: “He’s going to wreck a couple of musical festivals, I guess.” source
Who on Gods earth is this person saying he’s coming out of the closet in the NFL?
— Christopher Clemons (@chrisclemons91) March 26, 2013
Chris Clemons, star defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks, clearly either unaware or unconcerned about diving into the deep end. He tweeted this on Tuesday, and subsequently defended his remark to incredulous respondents — he insisted he wasn’t homophobic, but that the idea of a player coming out was “selfish,” an example of “trying to make themselves bigger than the team.” Of course, the extent to which an active NFL player coming out would make them “bigger than the team” is a function of the league’s permanent, ongoing state of repression on this issue — no player has ever publicly revealed their homosexuality. This all stems from a report last week that one player was strongly considering coming out, and at the risk of editorializing, we hope he does. Such a move, in the major American sport with perhaps the greatest reputation for homophobia, would render this man a legitimate civil rights hero. And rightly so.
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