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Thompson needs substance, not just hype

The theme of last week’s CNBC Republican debate was certainty. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Governor Mitt Romney tried topping each other with statistics about who cut the most taxes while in office. Rep. Ron Paul continued to blur ...

Catching illegal immigrants: At what cost?

The Los Angeles Times sang praises this week for local immigration sweeps targeting gang members. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended 28 suspect foreign nationals; among them was a man whose criminal record includes drug dealing and ...

Crying “First Amendment” in vain

Telecommunications’ giant Verizon came under fire last week for barring an abortion rights group from operating a text message alert system over Verizon’s network. NARAL Pro-Choice America planned to message subscribers who opted-in for ...

MoveOn's ad brought controversy and little else

MoveOn.org achieved at least one goal last week with its advertisement asking “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” - stirring up publicity and controversy. Whether they raised the level of political discourse, however, is a different ...

Of course there's intelligent life out there

The thought that our human population is the only advanced race ever baffles me. I don't have any proof that there is extraterrestrial life out there, but I think that's because science's scope outside our planet is relatively limited when you try to...

Why not ban trans fats?

'Live and let live.' I'm usually all about it, barring particularly harmful or destructive situations. Something bugs me about telling seemingly competent adults how to live their lives in the realm beyond public safety and order. But I can't see a g...

Where is the strong legal argument against same-sex unions?

Many people argue from a standpoint based in personal religious or moral beliefs that same-sex marriage is wrong: it threatens the sanctity of marriage, is sinful, blazes a path for other immoral behavior, and unnatural. However, where is the legal ...