Tag Archives: Politics

Generally, I reserve my blog for more lighthearted topics and areas of interest but from time to time, I’ve been known for the occasional political rant.  After reading this weekend’s NY Times editorial, The Slow Demise of Capital Punishment, I knew I wanted to comment.  The OpEd points out some interestinng stats.  Did you know?

– In 2013 Maryland became the 6th state in 6 years to end capital punishment bringing the total of states to abolish the death penalty to 18 plus the District of Columbia.

– The death penalty is dormant in the federal system and the military.

– 30 states have had no executions in the last 5 years.

The NYT editorial wrote, “As it becomes less frequent, the death penalty also becomes more limited to an extremely small slice of the country, and therefore all the more arbitrary in its application.” This “arbitrary application” becomes all the more apparent when you realize that all 80 death sentences in 2013 came from 2% of counties, and of all 39 executions (more than half occurred in TX and FL) and took place in 1% of all counties.

I echo the editor’s thought and hope our country soon comes to realize that capital punishment is a 20th century experiment that has failed and needs to be made unconstitutional.

Earlier today New Mexico’s State Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality advocates, making them the 17th 16th state (and the District of Columbia) in the US to recognize same sex marriage.

“Denying same-gender couples the right to marry and thus depriving them and their families of the rights, protections and responsibilities of civil marriage violates the equality demanded by the equal protection clause of the New Mexico Constitution.”  – Justice Edward Chavez

Well done New Mexico.  Doesn’t it feel great to be on the side of progress and equality. Which state do we think will be the next to join the 21st Century?

Thanks for sharing the quote Ruy!

Fifty years ago today in Dallas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The Kennedy family which calls Boston home is no longer the political dynasty it was in the previous century, but JFK remains one of America’s most admired Presidents. His words of wisdom may now be a half century old but they still ring true. Let’s hope that today we will pause, reflect and learn.

This was an off year election for most people but there were two notable elections that took place in the United States yesterday. Neither election played out the way the Tea Party would have liked.

NJ: Incumbent Republican Governor Chris Christie was re-elected despite the fact he is loathed by the Tea Party because of his willingness to work with President Obama last year after Hurricane Sandy devastated the NJ coastline as well as a false perception (that’s my opinion) he is a moderate.

VA: The nasty gubernatorial race between (former Democratic Party Chair) Terry McAuliffe, and the Tea Party backed candidate, Ken Cuccinelli (Virginia’s current A.G.), has resulted in a  McAuliffe win, meaning the Democratic Party has won back a Governor’s seat. Thank you Tea Party 🙂

I have a Tea Party hangover and wish I could just take two aspirin in the morning and have this go away.  Does anyone have a remedy for this persistent headache?

I wonder if we will ever see the day.

Last week at this time the country was obsessed with the government shutdown.  The shutdown happened because Tea Party members were intent on defunding the Affordable Care Act. The NY Times has an interesting interactive map explaining the various factions in the House.

The image above is a snapshot of the 42 members that the NYT refers to as Tea Party core members.  They are mostly from the south and represent rural districts.  I’ve encircled the Northeast because this part the country doesn’t have anyone from the Tea Party or their affiliates (the NYT indicates there are another 26 members).  If you’re a political junkie, you’ll find this interactive map interesting. Check it out here.