The Patient Body: A Closely-Held Business
“The Patient Body” is a monthly column by Ann Neumann about issues at the intersection of religion and medicine. Continue Reading →
Tag: constitution
New McCarthy Era?
Despite disastrous ratings declines, Glenn Beck continues to be hard to ignore. Lately he’s taken to “red-baiting” the president, as Media Matters and others report. Since the rise of the Tea Party and Beck’s history professorship — but since the election really — commentators have been asking what’s behind the Right’s demonization of liberal and Democratic political opponents? Many have been too quick to poo poo the significance of Beck and Tea Party actors like Dick Armey. But as the Republican party works to ally it’s various Religious Right, Neocon, free-market and Tea Party factions to regain power, the question of a unifying ideology remains. A clearly defined enemy and a hefty dose of paranoia always helps.
Continue Reading →
Literal Interpretation of the Constitution
NPR’s Melissa Block interviewed Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee, on a meeting held yesterday morning regarding President Obama’s selection of a new Supreme Court justice. Here’s the money quote that Block didn’t pursue:
I would like to see a nominee who is committed to faithfully following the Constitution as it is written and that understands that they are not empowered to consult polling data or social conditions as they interpret the existing words of our constitution.