Much has been made of guns in the wake of the shooting at Newtown Elementary School, and more recently the killing of two first responders at a house fire deliberately set by a convicted murderer in Rochester, N.Y., and pro-gun advocates have had enough. They are coming out swinging with ideas of their own, and some are gaining the attention of lawmakers, at least on the local level.

The United States Constitution protects the right of the people to petition the government for a redress of grievances. In the spirit of the First Amendment, WhiteHouse.gov has a petitions page where people can submit a petition to the Obama administration on just about anything.

The United States Constitution protects the right of the people to petition the government for a redress of grievances. In the spirit of the First Amendment, WhiteHouse.gov has a petitions page where people can submit a petition to the Obama administration on just about anything.

Another year has passed and a handful of notable media misreports along with it. One of the most prestigious journalists was caught plagiarizing another journalist’s work this year as well as one reporter's serious lack of fact-checking regarding the Aurora shooting.

Perhaps the most heinous of media misreports this year was not a single event at all but the consistently uncritical examination of the 2012 election process. This list of 5 media fails of 2012 reviews the more memorable media missteps of this past year.

Aurora Shooting

2012 was a powerful whirlwind in foreign policy. Some of the major foreign policy events of 2012 will continue to shape geopolitical relations around the would in 2013.

Three regions will be of major importance in 2013: the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

The Middle East:

The Syrian Civil War