This was recorded on July 10, 2016 in Oklahoma City a few days after the mass murder of police officers in Dallas, Texas.
Senator Scott on Race Relations
Tim Scott is a Senator from South Carolina. He's a Republican. That's not unusual. Most senators from the South are Republicans. What is unusual is that senator Scott is black. He's one of only two black senators. The other is Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey. So, being a black, Republican Senator from South Carolina makes Scott a unique figure in modern American politics. It also means that when he talks about race, he can grab some pretty big headlines. That's what happened on Thursday last week. Senator Scott stood up on the floor of the senate and talked about how he had been racially profiled by Capital Hill Police.
Stronger: The Movie
I was reading through an article in the Military Times. As I read news, I'm always looking for bias issues. One, as a journalist, bias in reporting drives me crazy. Two, spotting that bias is able to give me better insight into the main issue. It's a filter. In order to filter out the reporter's bias, you first have to spot it. So, here's the first sentence.
Rule of Law RIP
I told you a couple of weeks ago that the Rule of Law was about to die; that it is being replaced by the Rule of the Victors. It turns out I was right to say the Rule of Law's existence was in peril. I was wrong to say that it could die in the future. Turns out, it was already dead. I can prove it to you.
Criminalizing Climate Part 2
There was a little covered, but frighteningly dangerous event in New York City this week. The Attorneys General from 12 states and the US Virgin Islands got together with their pal, Former VP Al Gore to announce those 12 states would start to work together (to collude, if you will) to prosecute climate deniers for fraud. Their main target is Exxon Mobile, but really, they will go after anyone who has said things about climate change that don't match up with the settled science.
Climate and the Constitution
If you've been listening to the podcasts these last two weeks, you know I'm finishing up a series on climate science. I have one more left in the series that I'll be releasing tomorrow talking about what I believe actually drives the climate system here on Earth. Here's a hint... It's a big, giant fireball that that provides 99% of all heat on our planet.
This entire series was inspired by the UN's climate conference in Paris. Well, that conference finally reached an "agreement." Notice how all the language about the conference refers to an agreement and not a treaty?
Then a Miracle Occurs
Back in high school, I had a lucky t-shirt. I wore it for every physics test and it served me well. It featured the cartoon you see above of two scientists working on a mathematical proof. The first scientist has written, "Then a miracle occurs..." as part of his work, and his counterpart thinks, "You should be more explicit here in step two." The cartoon always struck me as funny. Now, it seems a little to real.
Welcome!
Welcome to America on Parr. I appreciate you visiting and hope you'll come back regularly.
America on Parr is, as I always say, a Powerful Punch of Political Punditry in a Pithy Podcast. I believe politics in America has become too polarized to be productive, thanks in part to flame wars on the internet. While I don't have any delusions of being able to change that by myself, I am dedicated to not being a part of the problem. I work to present my political views in a way that doesn't demean or belittle my fellow countrymen and women who disagree with my conclusions. I try to make sure my opinions are backed with facts and reason, not rumor and hysteria.
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