This week SCOTUS will hear two same-sex marriage cases this week; on Tuesday California’s Proposition 8 ban on gay marriages case and on Wednesday the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Category: human rights
10th anniversary of the Iraq War
The Washington Post has a slideshow of some of my print work leading up to and during the first couple of years of the Iraq War. Here’s a couple of them; you can see the full collection here.
“We will…be greeted as liberators”
Dick Cheney is back in the news and today is the 10th anniversary of his infamous “My belief is, we will, in fact be greeted as liberators”. Three years later Cheney doubled-down on that statement on Face The Nation.
White smoke, new pope
The wait (and excessive media coverage- but that’s another post) is over. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected pope. This BBC profile of the new pope describes him as “orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice”. I see that as a big contradiction. Women’s economic status, especially in poor countries, is affected by the lack of access to contraceptives and their position in society.
March 8th is International Women’s Day
Senator Rand Paul’s 13 hour filibuster against drone policy
Republican Senator Rand Paul spoke out against the Obama administration’s drone policy during a 13 hour filibuster yesterday. He was joined by several other republicans but only one democrat, Senator Ron Wyden.
More news coming out of the Vatican
More and more news about the Vatican has been appearing since the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict on Feb 11th. There’s a report which investigated the 2012 scandal over leaked Vatican documents , dysfunction within the Vatican, and criticism of Cardinal Mahony’s plans to participate in the choosing of the next pope. Speaking of Cardinals involved with the Church’s sexual abuse scandals, during next month’s gathering in Rome Cardinal Law (remember him?) will not be participating; he’s 81 and ineligible to vote in the conclave.
40th anniversary of Roe v Wade
Today is the 4oth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade, which made abortion legal in all 50 states. Every year on this day the Pro-life groups descend on Washington DC to march around the Court. I live in the area so I’ve witnessed these over the years and it always strikes me how the majority of these protesters are very young children. 
An animated look back at 2012
My 2012 look back for The Washington Post
Understanding the Fiscal Cliff (in 2m 30s)
Former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains (and draws)
from YouTube
Romney’s gifts
Mitt Romney blames his loss on Obama’s “gifts” to Hispanics, African-Americans, young voters.
Surveillance and your privacy
He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.
I didn’t know this but the actual Benjamin Franklin quote is “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” or; “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety”.
Anyway, the Petreaus still-evolving mess has brought up the issue of surveillance and how far it reaches into our private lives. Glenn Greenwald over at The Guardian has great column about it.
