Don't ask if Senate Republicans are bigoted; they won't tell you

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Thursday September 23, 2010 · 8:08 AM PDT

2010/09/23 · 08:08

For about three decades, homosexuals have been, as a matter of written US policy, discriminated against by the United States military. First, the discrimination came in the form of Department of Defense regulations which prohibited homosexuals from serving in the armed forces. Next, discrimination was codified into 10 U.S.C. §654 (now referred to as "Don't ask, don't tell"). The United States House of Representatives has now passed a repeal of DADT and the President has said he would sign such a repeal into law. Unfortunately, Senate support is also required and the repeal effort just failed (for now) in that body due to a Republican filibuster. While the Congress' inability to pass a repeal of DADT is troubling, its inability to pass this particular repeal law is even more troubling, as I will explain below.

thefourthbranch

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Thursday September 16, 2010 · 2:44 PM PDT

2010/09/16 · 14:44

Earlier this week I responded to an article in Forbes written by Dinesh D'Souza where D'Souza argued that Obama is best understood if his decisions are viewed through the lens of "Kenyan anti-colonialism." Substantively, D'Souza's article was poorly argued, full of misinformation, and laden with wild conclusions. Yes- it really was that bad. I explained the substantive failings at length in my reply.

D'Souza has now posted what can loosely be described as a "response." "Misdirection" is probably a better word for his latest posting, as it almost completely fails to address any of the issues I and others have raised about his article.

thefourthbranch

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Tuesday September 14, 2010 · 10:56 AM PDT

2010/09/14 · 10:56

Yesterday, I noted that D'Souza's recent article for Forbes (where he argued that Obama is best understood as an "anti-colonialist") was lazy, unsupportable, and flat out wrong on almost every point. Not only did D'Souza's examples given to support his argument fail completely in that effort, but he never bothered to explain why being a "Kenyan anti-colonial" was a bad thing.

Ta-Nehisi Coates does a great job discussing why everyone should have been opposed to colonialism in Kenya. It was a brutal and oppressive system that heavily favored whites over blacks.

thefourthbranch

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Monday September 13, 2010 · 10:00 AM PDT

2010/09/13 · 10:00

In a recent interview with the National Review, Newt Gingrich had this to say about President Obama:

What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]?" Gingrich asks. "That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior."

"This is a person who is fundamentally out of touch with how the world works, who happened to have played a wonderful con, as a result of which he is now president.

Newt's comments are beyond asinine and are clearly designed to play on already existing paranoia regarding Obama's race, citizenship and ideology.

thefourthbranch

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Monday August 23, 2010 · 9:10 PM PDT

2010/08/23 · 21:10

According to a recent Pew Poll, 18% of Americans (and 34% of Republicans) believe President Obama is a Muslim. This number is surprising, not just because there is no evidence to support the belief, but also because it represents an increase from 2008 levels, when 13% of respondents said they thought Obama was a Muslim. Given that Obama has been president for 1.5 years, you would suspect people would know more about him today than in 2008 when he was only a presidential candidate. Clearly that's not the case- at least with respect to his religious beliefs.

I'm not going to bother debunking the myth as to whether President Obama is a Muslim. That has been done repeatedly and more than sufficiently, and those who hold the belief do so without regard to fact and won't be persuaded anyways. Instead, I ask a simple question: why does it matter?

thefourthbranch

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Wednesday August 18, 2010 · 7:51 AM PDT

2010/08/18 · 07:51

"Ground Zero Mosque." That's the name (coined by Fox News) now popularly used to refer to an Islamic center which is neither a mosque nor located at Ground Zero. Of course, such labeling isn't a linguistic accident (although Fox News' first use of the phrase didn't appear malicious), it is part of a concerted effort to attack the Muslim community.

thefourthbranch

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Monday August 16, 2010 · 2:40 PM PDT

2010/08/16 · 14:40

Last week, Jim Geraghty of the National Review published a post arguing that Sharron Angle is in the midst of implementing a strategic and savvy campaign against Harry Reid, and that her plan is working. I responded to his post by arguing that while she is undoubtedly following a strategy (it would be amazing if she wasn't), there isn't much evidence it actually is a good strategy as of now. Mr. Geraghty was kind enough to respond to my unsolicited comments, which I take as an invitation to continue the debate.

thefourthbranch

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Monday August 09, 2010 · 10:05 PM PDT

2010/08/09 · 22:05

A reader sent me an email correcting my statement that Judge Walker has "issued a stay pending appeal to the 9th Circuit." The reader is correct. Judge Walker has actually issued a temporary stay while he decides whether or not to grant a permanent stay. A "stay" is an order from the judge delaying implementation of a ruling. In this case, a "stay" means that homosexuals cannot get married in California until the stay is lifted.

While the reader's correction may seem overly technical, it actually is a big difference from my initial incorrect statement. The 9th Circuit likely will take a long time to hear the case on appeal (first in a 3 judge panel, then most likely on a second appeal in an 11 judge "en banc" panel), and throughout that period Judge Walker's ruling would remain on hold if the stay were extended until all appeals were resolved.

thefourthbranch

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Monday August 09, 2010 · 8:58 AM PDT

2010/08/09 · 08:58

Judge Vaughn Walker's opinion in Perry v Schwarzenegger concludes that California's Proposition 8 (which effectively made homosexual marriage illegal) is unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause. In overturning Prop 8, Judge Walker held:

Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis,the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

thefourthbranch

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Wednesday August 04, 2010 · 9:01 PM PDT

2010/08/04 · 21:01

Rep. Louie Gohmert recently delivered a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives suggesting that al Qaeda may be plotting to bring pregnant women to the United States, have the baby here (which makes the baby a US citizen, per the 14th Amendment), and then raise the baby to destroy America from the inside.

I once mocked Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) for the asking perhaps the most insanely idiotic question in a House committee hearing ever when he pondered if Guam might capsize as its population grew. Rep. Johnson can breathe easy- Rep. Gohmert now holds the title of "dumbest statement ever."

thefourthbranch

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Sunday August 01, 2010 · 9:48 PM PDT

2010/08/01 · 21:48

Paul Ryan (R-WI) is taking significant criticism following his interview with Ezra Klein of the Washington Post, in which he said the following:

We need to do things to free up credit. We need regulatory forbearance there. Right now, the policymakers and regulators are doing opposite things. So you’re right that there’s a lot of capital parked out there, and we need to coax it out into the markets. I think literally that if we raised the federal funds rate by a point, it would help push money into the economy, as right now, the safest play is to stay with the federal money and federal paper.

Ryan is incorrect about the effect of raising the fed funds rate, as many have since pointed out.

thefourthbranch

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Monday July 26, 2010 · 11:33 AM PDT

2010/07/26 · 11:33

Few institutions have escaped the wrath of Glenn Beck over the years, but for the past several months, the conservative commentator's attacks have taken a surprising turn- Beck is targeting many Christian denominations and other religions.

Beck has become convinced that the term "social justice" is a code word used by institutions, including religion, for Communism and even Nazism.

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Don't ask if Senate Republicans are bigoted; they won't tell you

Dinesh D'Souza responds to my article

The racial underpinnings of D'Souza's argument

Newt Gingrich's dirty politics and Forbes' awful article

Obama and Islam

The "ground zero mosque" debate: equating "Muslim" with "Terrorist"

A response to Jim Geraghty

The odd circumstances of Perry v. Schwarzenegger

Justice Scalia is boxed in by Prop 8 ruling

Worst terrorist plot... ever. Unless you ask Fox News.

Paul Ryan's economics problem has little to do with the fed funds rate

Glenn Beck's "crusade" against social justice