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Earlier, we posted about a speech delivered by Shepard Smith at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi, in which he discussed his experience coming out. During that same address, Smith also talked about the Confederate flag — and called upon the state of Mississippi to remove the Confederate flag pattern from its own state flag. “It’s got to go,” Smith said. “Put it in the museum. Don’t get rid of it. Certainly put it in a museum, used it as a teaching device, have it as part of your curriculum… Get it out of the stadium. Get it out...

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Tuesday it’s “none of anyone’s business” how much money former President Barack Obama makes for a speech to a Wall Street bank. “It is none of anyone’s business what someone who is a member of the private sector decides to accept in terms of compensation, with all due respect to anyone who chooses to comment publicly on what Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or anyone earns as a member of the private sector. It’s just, like, MYOB,” Wasserman Schultz told CNN’s Erin Burnett Tuesday night, citing the acronym for “mind your own...

Former White House Secretary Josh Earnest told MSNBC's Chris Jansing that President Obama wouldn't engage in political debates unless the federal government started to cross "clear red lines."

International mediators trying to promote Mideast peace warned in a highly anticipated report Friday that Israel’s settlement expansion is eroding the viability of a Palestinian state and raises “legitimate questions” about its commitment to a two-state solution. The Quartet of Mideast negotiators — the U.N., U.S., European Union and Russia — also criticized the glorification of Palestinians who commit “terrorist attacks” against Israel and called on the Palestinian Authority to “act decisively” to stop incitement to violence and clearly condemn “all acts of terrorism.” While the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and the majority of people on both sides support a...

An honest question fro Trump supporters

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi says, "The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner, of hosting those who come from other countries in search of a life of dignity and peace." Lombardi's comments Tuesday night came in response to Trump criticizing the pope's plan to visit the border wall that separates Ciudad Juarez from El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday to put a focus on the plight of migrants. Trump said in an interview with Fox that he doesn't think the pope understands the...

Dear Amy: My neighbor, who is otherwise clean and healthy, imagines being spied upon, imagines break-ins and is generally paranoid. My neighbor is clearly disturbed by these thoughts and I worry this person might go "over the edge." ... Dear Concerned: ... If you feel this person's actions rise to the alarming stage and pose a risk to him/herself or others, call 911 and be very specific with the dispatcher that this is a mental health call. Report exactly what you see. Some police departments have crisis intervention teams. Ask if there is a CIT officer available. Then repeat all...

WASHINGTON - Pope Francis on Wednesday urged the United States to help tackle climate change and touched on other divisive U.S. political issues such as immigration and economic inequality on his first visit to the world's richest nation. In a speech on the White House South Lawn on the first full day of his U.S. trip, the Argentine pontiff lauded President Barack Obama's efforts to reduce air pollution, months after Francis made the environment one of his top concerns by issuing a landmark encyclical letter to the church. "It seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem...

The Sins That Come From Being a Busybody – A Meditation on a Teaching of St. Gregory By: Msgr. Charles PopeFaults in others I can see, but praise the Lord there’re none in me!The term “busybody” usually refers to one who is intent on the matters of others but looks little to his own issues. Busybodies also tend to focus especially on the faults, foibles, and troubles of other folks. Seldom are they chattering away about good news related to other people; more often it is the scurrilous and scandalous that occupy their minds.Merriam-Webster online defines a busybody as  “a person who...

Lawyers from California have cast accusatory eyes on Mississippi, declaring that the state’s Confederate symbol on its flag that’s flown at a Santa Ana display is racist and needs to go. The Orange County Bar Association has passed a resolution to remove the Mississippi flag from the Santa Ana civic center where it now hangs, along with the flags of all other states, The Los Angeles Times reported. Members of the group say the Confederate symbol is an outdated relic that represents racism and hatred, The Associated Press reported.

A shocking new video shows a muscular young man punching a pro-life protester in the face before chasing, pushing, and threatening to shoot a group of pro-life activists standing outside an Oklahoma abortion facility on Tuesday. -snip Toby Harmon says he and his friend, Jeremy Brown, approached a young couple just leaving Dr. Larry Burns'Abortion Surgery Center in Norman, Oklahoma, and asked if they could help. “She replied something like, 'You can't help us. There's nothing you can do to help us,'” Harmon says. Then, the says, he young man removed his jacket and came toward them in a menacing fashion. The...

An overwhelming majority of New Yorkers don't want politicians grilling Chick-fil-A. A Quinnipiac University poll being released today found that voters by a lopsided 83-11 percent margin feel elected officials shouldn't try to discourage people from patronizing the fast food chain just because its CEO openly opposes gay marriage. By a similar 82-12 percent margin, they called on pols not to interfere in the government permitting process for the popular chicken sandwich shops. "New Yorkers may disagree with what you say, but they defend your right to sell chicken," said poll director Maurice Carroll. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who...

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a fast food chain’s opposition to gay marriage is none of “the government’s business.” Bloomberg said Friday that he strongly disagrees with the mayors of Boston, Chicago and San Francisco in that regard. SNIP The billionaire businessman-turned-politician called the three “good mayors” but disagrees with them in this case. He says cities should not ask about political beliefs before issuing a permit. SNIP

The Cain threads have been passionate and spirited. Many supporters of Cain here, cheered by the statement from his campaign, that he is continuing in the race, have already sent him more $$$, or promised that they will do so shortly. I have TWO questions for these people:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is a leading advocate of gun rights who likes to boast of having dispatched a coyote on a recent jog, so I asked him during today's walking press conference at the Iowa State Fair whether he was armed. "I never comment on whether I'm carrying a handgun or not," he said. "That's why it's called concealed." (If he was armed, he could have found himself in hot water with the state police over a ban at the fair that has rankled some local gun groups.) Perry's appearance at the fair, where he challenged reporters on whether...

One of the great lessons we all learned as children was the importance of minding your own business. And just to be clear, that’s MYOB, not BYOB, although that is also an important principle to keep in mind. MYOB is a simple idea, but if you think about it, it has also been the basis of all modern civilization. It was behind the Reformation, the Enlightenment and parliamentary democracy. It spawned the Magna Carta, the U.S. Constitution and the Charter of Rights. Basically, it’s the right to tell everyone to mind their own business as long as you’re doing something...

Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in an interview Friday that last month’s massacre of 72 migrants doesn't undermine Mexico's moral authority to demand better treatment for its own migrants. "Of course we have the moral authority, because Mexican officials are not shooting Central American youths at the border, but U.S. agents are shooting Mexican migrants," Calderon said in an interview with the Spanish-language Univision network. "If we are talking about responsibility, at the root of this, in the case of immigration, is the lack of immigration legislation in the United States that would recognize this phenomenon," Calderon said.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters yesterday, in answer to a query about First Lady Michelle Obama's Spanish vacation where she is protected by 70 Secret Service agents, 250 Spanish law enforcement officers, will meet with Spain's king and queen and is staying at a luxury hotel where she has reserved 60 rooms, that it is none of the American people's business because she is a "private citizen."Lynn Sweet reported at the Chicago Sun-Times that Gibbs was asked about "the appearance" of Obama's vacation and that Gibbs blew it off by asserting Michelle Obama is a "private citizen":"The...

The Tiger Woods story is back in high gear and the media love it. I’ve heard several people compare his plight to that of Bill Clinton and other disgraced politicians. In my mind the only people to whom Tiger Woods owes an apology are his wife, children and his sponsors. Tiger Woods doesn’t foist his morals or lack thereof on the public by signing or vetoing legislation. Tiger Woods doesn’t nominate Supreme Court Justices and Tiger Woods is not the Commander of the most powerful military on Earth. Tiger Woods plays a game. If anyone, the people who owe us...

The latest issue of People magazine features a cover story about the famously large Duggar Family along with a chilling question: “How Many Kids Are Too Many?” The moment I heard that Josie, the Duggars’ 19th child, was born prematurely, weighing only 1 lb. 6 oz., I knew the stars of the TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting would face some harsh criticism for continuing to have children despite the risks. But really? This couple was facing some pretty tough criticism already. Every time the Duggars announce a new pregnancy or welcome a new baby, the comments sections...