28043877
I can’t get all hot and bothered about Mayor Michael Nutter’s ban on feeding the homeless outdoors. He didn’t ban feeding them, folks! Just “outdoor” feeding. If I want to have a family barbeque in Logan Square, would I be permitted? …
When did our country lose its sense of humor? Robert De Niro sarcastically cracks this country might not be ready for a white first lady and there’s an uproar on Fox News. Newt Gingrich demands an apology (not from De Niro) but President Barack Obama. Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann Romney, said she laughed (I like her already). Our national motto for 2012 ought to be Lighten Up. …
Columnist Michael Kinsley once said a faux pas in politics is when one inadvertently tells the truth. Romney’s communications director had his own inadvertent moment of truth last week. When asked how Romney could move to a more moderate position if he wins the nomination, he said the campaign would just hit a reset button, like shaking up an Etch A Sketch. I am not sure why that would shock anyone, as Romney has already flip-flopped on most of his previous positions. In order to win his party’s nomination, Romney is being forced to abandon all rational thought. Once he presumably wins the nomination, he’ll plead temporary insanity and hit reset. In my day, we used a Magic Slate. …
Some outraged Catholics and pro-life supporters protested outside Independence Hall last week, and I defend their right to have done so. It involves the federal mandate that all employers (religious organizations are exempt) include contraception coverage in employee health plans. Philadelphia’s archbishop is upset that this mandate would cause Catholic employers to violate their conscience. If polls are correct, about 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women use some form of birth control, so while Archbishop Charles J. Chaput may see this as a pressing issue, he might want to check with most of his flock. Also, what about the rights of non-Catholic female employees who work for Catholic employers for whom the use of birth control is not a religious issue? By unwisely conflating contraception and abortion, the pro-life movement has undercut its own strategy that had been building momentum. …
Aren’t there really only two options left for most of us who want to see the practice of sending our troops into harms way for multiple tours of duty end? Either accelerate the withdrawal of American soldiers out of Afghanistan or institute a draft so we can satisfy every war that Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman want to get us involved in. …
Republicans desperately want to repeal The Affordable Care Act (or what they scornfully call Obamacare). Tell us then, what would you do for unemployed young adults younger than age 26 who would lose their health coverage under their parent’s plan? What would you do about insurance companies who presently deny folks care who have pre-existing conditions? What would you do about those young adults who choose not to get health coverage, get into a serious accident, and must be treated at the expense of the rest of us who were responsible enough to get health coverage? And especially for Romney, why would Pennsylvania folks be less worthy than Massachusetts folks who love their Romneycare?
Will someone please ask Gov. Tom Corbett’s wife if she got raped and wanted to have the fetus aborted, would she be happy just to shut her eyes while the state forced her to have a medically unnecessary ultrasound? Who will pay for these medically unnecessary and not physician-prescribed ultrasounds?
I like sports talker Mike Missanelli’s show on 97.5, but his argument against the suspension handed down to the New Orleans Saints coach for rewarding his players for injuring opponents was way off base. The claims are two-fold.
On the first point, Missanelli claims NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall’s harsh penalties are an admission that safety issues are a big deal in the NFL; therefore, more lawsuits will occur. Circumstances have changed. No longer is the league one that winks at concussions. Goodell has imposed strict guidelines on what defensive players can and can’t do. Repeat offenders have been handed suspensions and fines.
Missanelli’s other argument, that the penalties against one team will do nothing to stop the practice in the future would be correct, if the NFL hadn’t taken action. By instituting an evolving series of rules to protect player safety and handing down stiff penalties against offenders, the NFL can argue it is taking every reasonable measure possible. You can’t prevent serious injuries in a violent sport, but you can minimize them by enforcing the rules and dealing harshly with those who violate them. …
Listen up. The president doesn’t control the price of gas. Oil prices are set globally. During Obama’s four years, oil production in America has increased while our imports have fallen.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
28043877
