Aaron R. Hanlon – Ayn Rand will destroy the GOP: Paul Ryan, gun control and the brazen, cynical politics of self-interest

Republican legislators and candidates responding to President Obama’s recent executive measures on gun control have openly and willfully distorted the president’s stated policies and ambitions. Thus, when Paul Ryan says “the president has never respected the right to safe and legal gun ownership,” it’s not because his listening and reading comprehension are so poor that he took the following words …

Daniel Barker – Soda industry dying as Americans seek healthy beverages that don’t cause diabetes, obesity

Americans are finally waking up to the fact that drinking soda is an unhealthy practice. Sales of sugary, carbonated drinks have fallen dramatically in recent years, sending the soda industry into a panic. It may be bad news for Big Soda, but it’s good news for the rest of the populace. Sodas have long been one of the main contributors …

PAUL THEROUX – The Hypocrisy of ‘Helping’ the Poor

EVERY so often, you hear grotesquely wealthy American chief executives announce in sanctimonious tones the intention to use their accumulated hundreds of millions, or billions, “to lift people out of poverty.” Sometimes they are referring to Africans, but sometimes they are referring to Americans. And here’s the funny thing about that: In most cases, they have made their fortunes by …

Sofie Ghitman – FBI Warns Right-Wing Militias Are Targeting Mosques and Muslims

The transparency website Public Intelligence just obtained [3] an FBI Intelligence Bulletin warning that groups of “militia extremists” (also known as home-grown terrorists) are likely to ramp up the targeting of mosques and other gathering places for Muslims. According to the report, many of these extremists have conducted surveillance of “diverse locations including Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Montana, New York, North and South …