CALIFORNIA -- On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court refused to hear the case, Rubin v. Padilla, a third-party challenge to the state's nonpartisan, top-two open primary. Third parties claim that the new primary system violates their right to be on the general election ballot.
Another man dies at the hands of police under questionable circumstances. Protesters fill the streets, but their pleas are overshadowed by violence, looters, and the responses required to maintain law and order. We saw it in Ferguson and are now seeing it again in Baltimore.
In both cases, it is hard not to shift focus from a death to the looters, seeing them as separate events -- one distracting from the other. However, if we connect all the dots, we may find that both are related.
If Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wasn't a favorite among gay rights activists and supporters of marriage equality, she certainly is now. As The Guardian reported Tuesday, her stance on the issue is not surprising as she is commonly perceived as one of the court's more liberal justices. Yet what she had to say silenced even her conservative colleagues on the bench and may have a profound impact on how the court ultimately rules:
This week, the Washington Post published an analysis of Georgia's gerrymandering problem. Gerrymandering is the practice of manipulating electoral boundaries to favor one political party or dilute the voting power of specific voting blocs.
We humans are rational beings. We need rationality in our lives. We especially need rationality in communal life, to govern governance.
Ideology was conceived to replace theology for governing governance. Ideology is secular, but it is not rational. Ideologies are based on secular beliefs, just as theologies are based on spiritual beliefs. Ideologies are in effect secular religions.
There are multiple ideologies; ideology is divisive. There are multiple theologies; theology is divisive. There is only one rationality. Rationality is inclusive.
BenSwann.com reported Tuesday on a scene of over 100 clergy marching peacefully through the streets of Baltimore on Monday, responding to violence in the city and demanding that the juvenile rioters stop burning buildings and looting. However, as mentioned in the article, the scene was only picked up by some local media outlets and was completely ignored by national media channels, who instead make Baltimore look like a war zone.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments for and against the constitutionality of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. Given the history of the court, it is
widely speculated that the justices will declare universal equal rights with a ruling expected in July.
While her peers were bucking the system, free riding on national civil rights and anti-war movements,
Hillary Clinton worked, honing her skills and refining her ideals of how to serve the United States of America. Hillary Rodham Clinton has always served, and probably always will.
1. States Send Delegates to the Electoral College that Represent Parties, Not People
When envisioning the electoral college, the goal of the Founding Fathers was to send electors who were “free from any sinister bias” to select the next president.
CALIFORNIA -- The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) hit record numbers after the 2014 midterm elections, expanding its membership to twelve. The caucus is now in a better position to push major items on its agenda, and some members say recent changes to the state's electoral system are partly responsible.