Controversies
Hidden Clause in Republican Gulf Oil Bill Moves Lawsuits to Industry-Friendly Court
Buried within legislation intended to help the Gulf region recover from the BP oil spill is a provision requiring lawsuits against oil companies to be heard in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Critics say the move would be a boon for indu... read more
Jewish and Veterans Groups Ask for Arlington Memorial for WWII Rabbi
When the USS Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo and sunk off the coast of Greenland on February 3, 1943, during World War II, the ship’s four chaplains helped the men aboard find lifejackets, gave away their own, preached courage to those tr... read more
Senate Democrats Re-Introduce DREAM Act
Democrats in the U.S. Senate are hoping to restore the dream of citizenship for children of illegal immigrants by reintroducing the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
The legislation would allow undocumented stu... read more
The Non-Regulating Nuclear Regulatory Commission
If the United States endures a nuclear power plant disaster, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) may have to be renamed the Nuclear Complicity Commission.
Rather than enforce safety regulations governing the operation of nuclear plants, ... read more
Girl Scout Cookies Clash with International Politics
The Girl Scouts of the USA received a harsh lesson recently in social media etiquette when they tried to censor online comments calling for a change in the ingredients of their famous cookies.
To date, Girl Scouts cookies are made using palm... read more
Illinois Tries to Opt Out of Federal Deportation Program
Illinois wants out of a supposedly voluntary federal program in which state law enforcement agencies inform immigration agents about illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. But the Obama administration is refusing to let Illinois out of th... read more
Navy Chaplains to Perform Same-Sex Marriages…Or Not
The U.S. Navy was going to train its chaplains to perform same-sex marriages in military chapels—until Republicans in Congress raised an uproar over the idea.
Following the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Navy altered its chaplain traini... read more
FDA on the Attack against…Raw Milk
Acting under the belief that raw milk should never be consumed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking a Pennsylvania Amish farmer to court to prevent him from selling unpasteurized milk.
After a yearlong investigation that in... read more
Arizona to Use Prisoners and Private Donations to Build Border Fences
Strapped for cash, but determined to keep illegal immigrants out, the government of the state of Arizona plans to build more fence-line along the border with Mexico using private donations and prison labor.
The legislature has already author... read more
Florida Law will Prohibit Pediatricians from Asking Parents if Guns are Safely Stored
Republicans in Florida are preparing to adopt a new law forbidding doctors from asking patients if they own guns.
Representing the first of its kind, the legislation is directed primarily at pediatricians, who routinely ask new parents if th... read more
Utah Sues Interior Dept. to Unprotect 6 Million Acres
Claiming the Obama administration overstepped its bounds, the state of Utah is suing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar over the Department of the Interior’s designation of six million acres of state territory as “wild lands.”
Utah offici... read more
Boeing’s Fight with Unions Spills into Obama Administration and Senate
Frustrated over repeated strikes by its workers in Seattle, Boeing has sought to build a new airliner production line to South Carolina, an anti-union state. But the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled the manufacturer must have the ... read more
Supreme Court Refuses Case of Cheerleader Forced to Cheer for Player Who Tried to Rape Her
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review the case of a Texas high school cheerleader who was kicked off her squad after refusing to chant the name of a basketball player who had allegedly tried to rape her.
The girl, known as H.S. because ... read more
Drug Shortages Spreading in U.S., Endangering Cancer, Heart Attack, Leukemia Patients
American hospitals and healthcare practitioners are running short of important medications, depriving patients of potentially lifesaving therapies.
The shortage of drugs is considered “unprecedented,” and threatens the well-being of those de... read more
Gas Prices Up, but so Are Profits and Exports as Refiners Hold Back Production
Rather than match demand for gasoline, oil companies are producing less for the U.S. market and exporting more to other countries, while taking increased profits. The result: higher prices at the pump.
The national average for one gallon of ... read more
Should Food Stamps be Used for Soft Drinks?
Arguing the move would stigmatize poor people at the checkout stand, the soft drink industry is opposing a plan by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to ban the use of food stamps to buy “sugar-sweetened beverages.”
Bloomberg says the res... read more