Class Act

Nice.

Followed by even nicer.

Personally, I love exposing the Right's total lack of class.

Your Average Mitt

I admit to not being much for understanding the discourse around Americans needing to relate to a Presidential candidate. The who-would-you-want-to-have-a-beer-with, talk. But not being able to relate at all, to a Presidential candidate – this is a good example.

Things Get Awkward On Mitt's Bonding Tour Of The U.S.

I’m not much for condemning a Presidential candidate for being awkward, either. But how attractive a candidate is personally to Americans and how much said candidate can relate to the average Joe is a lot more about how genuinely interested a politician is in my life – or your life, or in the diversity that is average American life today, for that matter – than anything else.

And on that count, for the life of me I can’t figure Mitt Romney out.

Zero Sum Gain

This is not a surprise. Haven’t heard any reaction to it yet, though.

The largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States has come to a standstill. After four decades that brought 12 million current immigrants—more than half of whom came illegally—the net migration flow from Mexico to the United States has stopped—and may have reversed, according to a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of multiple government data sets from both countries. 

The standstill appears to be the result of many factors, including the weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations, the growing dangers associated with illegal border crossings, the long-term decline in Mexico’s birth rates and changing economic conditions in Mexico.

The report is based on data analysis from sources in the U.S. and Mexico. Very interesting to think about how the differing factors might be working together.

You can read the entire Pew Research Center report, here.

Rest In Peace, Levon Helm

Three great voices. One GREAT drummer.

 

 It's a time I remember, oh so well...

This-A-Way or That-A-Way

Either likely Republican nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is two points ahead of President Obama, or President Obama leads Mitt Romney by nine.

Poll results were released an hour from each other.

Dance Me to the End of Love

To my wonderful husband, a very Happy 12th Anniversary!

 

 On tax day, no less.

The War-On-Women: The Caterpillar Edition

Well, if the Republicans really want me to stop thinking they are on the front lines of the war-on-women, maybe they should have a little talk with their Republican governor in Arizona. Life before conception.

Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed a bill on Thursday that prohibits abortions in the state after 20 weeks. The bill, passed earlier this week by the state legislature, essentially bans abortions after 18 weeks because gestational age of the fetus will be calculated based on the last menstrual period of the woman.

  

In a press release (PDF) Governor Brewer defended her decision, saying "this legislation is consistent with my strong track record of supporting common sense measures to protect the health of women and safeguard our most vulnerable population - the unborn." Arizona Senator Linda Lopez responded to the law, saying "once again, (Brewer) and the Republicans in the Legislature have decided that they know better than women. They are again saying that women are incapable of making those decisions." 

But instead, we get this. Caterpillars.

 

We’ve declared war on the Vatican? The sovereign state of the Vatican?

Missed that headline.