Opinion from Newser

One Reason Clip of London Attacker Is So Jarring

John Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:58:05 CDT

It almost looks like something out of a movie, but the video from London yesterday in which a man holding a cleaver with bloodied hands explains why he and an accomplice just butchered a man is unfortunately not. (You can see it in this story .) "There is a particular...

Hangover III Barely a Comedy

Kevin Spak — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:45:05 CDT

The Hangover Part III is here, but if critics are to be believed, you might want to black out and erase it from your memory. Here's what people are saying: A giraffe is decapitated in the first five minutes, and maybe someday "beheading the giraffe" will replace "jumping the shark"...

Rob Ford May Smoke Crack, but He's a Good Mayor

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:32:00 CDT

Philip Preville's Slate piece on Toronto mayor and possible crack-smoker Rob Ford is not exactly kind—he calls Ford "a crass, offensive, and ill-tempered buffoon" with a "capacity for breathtakingly stupid behavior," among other things—but, Preville says, you have to admit Ford has been a pretty good mayor. He's...

The Good News: Pope Francis Is Cool With Atheists

Kevin Spak — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:19:56 CDT

Pope Francis had a refreshing message when asked about atheists yesterday on Vatican radio, assuring his flock that yes, the godless could be good people, too. "'But father, he is not Catholic! He cannot do good,'" Francis imagined a follower protesting. "Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must...

Apple Case Clinches It: We Need Tax Reform Now

John Johnson — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:52:04 CDT

So what can we take away from Apple chief Tim Cook's testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday about the company's byzantine tax strategy ? Not that Apple did anything illegal, only that it's savvy enough to employ "smart accountants and tax lawyers," says the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal...

Immigration Bill Latest Proof Democrats Suck at This

Kevin Spak — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:00 CDT

The immigration bill that emerged from the Judiciary Committee yesterday has Sally Kohn wondering—and not for the first time—if the "modern Democratic Party's strategy is secretly being bankrolled by Eli Lilly as a ploy to sell Prozac to liberals," she writes at Salon . Democrats couldn't even "stiffen their...

Dear Republicans: No One Cares About These Scandals

Ruth Brown — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:25:36 CDT

So-called "scandals" like Benghazi, the IRS, and AP phone record seizures have dominated political discourse in recent weeks. And yet, polls find Obama's approval rating hasn't wavered. Maybe these issues will eventually gain traction with voters, says Charlie Cook in the National Journal —but maybe regular people just don't care....

Hey, Tea Party: How Does It Feel to Be Profiled?

Kevin Spak — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:53:05 CDT

Imagine you're an overworked IRS employee, charged with finding, in your massive stack of 501(c)(4) applications, the groups most likely to make electioneering their main focus. Wouldn't it make a little sense to focus on self-proclaimed Tea Party groups? Sure it would. And there's a word for that shortcut, Farhad...

Word Choices Show We're Me-Centric, Less Moral

John Johnson — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:22:05 CDT

Lexicologists poring over a Google database of books and word usage suggest three general traits of the past half-century, writes David Brooks in the New York Times . Society has become more individualistic (with words and phrases such as "self" and "I come first" on the rise), less moral ("virtue" and...