Despite Public Pressure, Florida Republicans Dodge a Bullet on an Assault Rifle Ban

by Nomad

How should state legislators react in the aftermath of not one but two horrific mass shooting events? Republicans in Florida struggled against public pressure to do something without offending the NRA.

How America's Inflexible Immigration Policy is Tearing Families Apart

by Nomad

Whatever your views on immigration, the story of the Pukri family is a tale of what happens when broad policy trickles down to a human level. 

Having left their home country for the US nearly two decades ago, the goals of the Vitor and Neta were to obtain their legal status to remain in the country they loved. At the time, with the civil order broken down, Albania was a dangerous place to raise a family.
Take a listen to this short podcast.

Sanity Sunday- The Music of Cat Stevens

by Nomad

For anybody who came of age around the early 1970s, the name Cat Stevens is bound to be wrapped up with quite a few personal memories. (The same is true for singer/songwriters like James Taylor, Carole King and many others.)

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his religious or political opinions, his music still sounds as fresh as it did back in that time.

How Decades of Fear-Stoking by the NRA and GOP Have Made Smart Gun Laws Impossible

by Nomad

Yesterday was a historic day. It was the day President Trump led the nation into an era of meaningful gun law reform and defied the all-powerful NRA.
That was the idea anyway.

If you had the stomach for it- I endured about 5 minutes- this exercise in suspending disbelief was both disturbing and fascinating.
With the cameras rolling, the president sat down with members of Congress from both parties. Calling upon the attendee to draft "comprehensive" and radical reforms, Trump declared "“It’s time that a president stepped up.”

• Expanding background checks to weapons purchased at gun shows and on the internet? Sure, why not?
• Keeping guns from mentally ill people? Sounds good!
• Securing schools and restricting gun sales for some young adults? Let's do it!

Our Benedict Arnold Presidency

by Nomad

When we examine the most infamous traitors of American history, we inevitably turn to Benedict Arnold? His crime was treason but specifically, what were the details of that crime?
For this discussion, a few historical details are important.