September 2011
10 posts
6 tags
The Democrats Redistricting Problem
In the Boston Review, Jonathan Rodden and Jowei Chen have an article on how geography affects the proportion of Republicans to Democrats in Congressional and legislative delegations. Their article relates to the Northeast and Midwest. They argue that Democrats are geographically limited, because they are concentrated in former industrial areas around railroads and rivers, whereas Republicans have...
6 tags
Voter ID Laws and Catholicism →
I’ve had this link saved for a while, but have passed on discussing it. However, after some recent reblogging on Tumblr and some new articles about the laws in Wisconsin and Texas, this seems like an appropriate time. According to Mr Cochran, strict photo ID laws are in conflict with Catholic teachings that urge the need for broad democratic participation and opposition to political...
6 tags
The Shame of College Sports →
In a long article that focuses on the history of the NCAA, Taylor Branch of The Atlantic argues that college athletes should be paid. The question, which remains unanswered, is how do you accomplish this? The article focuses primarily on football (and let’s face it, that’s where athletic departments make their money, if they make money) with a few references to baseball and basketball,...
8 tags
The Politics of Vaccinations
In recent debates, Rick Perry has taken some heat from his Republican rivals over his executive order (RP65) in 2007 to require vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV). At the time, Perry’s order was rebuffed by the Legislature (HB1098). The two most prominent critics are Michele Bachmann, who has seen her campaign go into a tailspin since Perry entered the race, and Ron Paul,...
4 tags
Voter ID & the 2012 Elections →
In a recent post, anglophonic suggests that you may not be able to vote if your picture ID does not match your voter registration card. Instead of telling you to make sure your ID matches your voter registration, I think it would be more appropriate and responsible to advise you to check your state laws on the matter. Call your local voter registrar or your state’s elections division.
I say...
7 tags
Book Review: Black Like Me
I recently bought and read Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. If you do not know the story, the book came about as Mr Griffin took measures to darken his skin and travel through the Deep South as a black man to learn about the trials and evils forced on an entire race of people. Mr Griffin’s journey begins in New Orleans, and after riding on a bus, he made this observation about some of...
5 tags
Book Review: Horseman Pass By
Yeah, I did quite a bit reading this weekend (as well as watching football and taking some naps). It took me one day to read Horseman Pass By by Larry McMurtry - his first published novel. McMurtry is perhaps best known for Lonesome Dove. This short novel shows life on a ranch in post WW2 Texas, as well as the conflict between new Texas and old Texas. Whether it’s the differences berween the...
5 tags
Book Review: Game Change
Over the weekend, I finished reading John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s book Game Change, and it’s been a tough slog, because I put it down multiple times with no intention of picking it back up. When the book was first released, I didn’t read it, on the basis of several reviews, and now, I believe I should have heeded those reviews because I was better off having never read this...
6 tags
Book Review: State of Minds
Last month, I bought State of Minds: Texas Culture and Its Discontents by Don Graham, and the book has opened my eyes to my own ignorance of Texas Culture (yes, there is such a thing), which would include not having read the novels of Texas authors like Larry McMurtry’s Horseman Pass By or George Sessions Perry’s Hold Autumn in Your Hand. Both books were also turned into the films Hud...
