The Reaction in Review (April 17, 2009)

A week's Reactions that deserve a second look:

Friday

By Mustang Bobby: "Tying his hands" -- Bobby writes a brilliant piece in defense of President Obama's decisions surrounding the torture issue and the ability of the administration to continue do its job.

By Capt. Fogg: "Ban the Assault weapons!" -- Fogg writes a thoughtfully provocative piece on some of the issues that surround the current conversation about "assault weapons."

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "The New Secessionists; or, conservative teabagging gone wild" -- Related to his 1860-61 post below, Michael reports on several recent radical actions in state legislatures that could be dangerous to the well-being of the nation as a whole.


Thursday

By Carl: "To be or not to be" -- Carl's New York residency forms the opening of his great post on the future pitfalls or possibilities of passage of a same-sex marriage law in his state.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "It's 1860-61 all over again (or, why Rick Perry is our Craziest Republican of the Day) -- Michael adds to the "tea party" merriment with a post laying out Texas' secession options, in obvious contrast to my governor's failed-history-class-take on fake big government "right-wing claptrap." (See also 4/17/09.)


Wednesday

By Carl: "Havana wonderful time, wish you were here" -- In this very clever and sensible post, Carl invites all Americans to celebrate President Obama's foreign policy changes toward Cuba.

By Boatboy: "Green or not" -- This well written guest post compares and contrasts a couple of stories about promoting a responsible U.S. energy policy, ending with a bit of his own personal experience.

By Mustang Bobby: "Of taxes and teabags" -- Bobby's great piece of writing concludes, "I wonder if there will be anyone at the Tea Parties holding up a sign saying that they're being used and then tossed -- just like a tea bag -- by the people who put them up to this?

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "The GOP, full of bad ideas" -- Regarding Eric Cantor's brainchild, the Internet "Solutions Center," Michael's post says, "it isn't that Republicans don't have any ideas but rather that the ideas they do have are bad and have been soundly rejected by the American people."

By J. Thomas Duffy: "Obsolete" -- Duffy's post brilliantly exposes right-wing outrage over DHS surveillance as deserved shoe-on-the-other-foot stuff.


Tuesday

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Obama vs. the pirates" -- This post explores what options the Obama administration might face regarding Somali piracy escalation.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Here we go: Fox News actively promoting tea parties" -- Michael takes away the Fox News' pretense of "fair and balanced" coverage of the April 15 right-wing "Tea parties." See also, on the same subject: April 13, 2009.

By J. Thomas Duffy: "You were cool, Mark Fidrych ... You were way cool ..." -- Duffy's great post pays homage to one of our favorite pitchers, who was popularly known as "The Bird."


Monday

By Carol Gee: "Tales of torture" -- This digest begins with the Red Cross report on the torture of detainees and ends with the NYT article introducing the release of Bush's OLC memos.

By Creature: "71" -- Creature opens, "That's the percentage of American people who"have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in President Obama to do or recommend the right thing for the economy."