Archive for 'Politics'

Kim Jong-un’s Rise to Power

Kim Jong-un’s Rise to Power

Kim Jong-un’s rise to power in North Korea reveals much about the country’s inner power circle and its exultation of the military.  With his father Kim Jong-il dead and a constitution that emphasizes the military above all else, Kim Jong-un’s position serves as little more than a figurehead to mask the machinations of those [...]

The North Korean Ideology of Power – What Kim Jong-un Wants

The North Korean Ideology of Power – What Kim Jong-un Wants

As North Korea and its young leader Kim Jong-un have raised their militaristic rhetoric, threatening  even “thermonuclear war“, the world has been cautiously reticent in its response.  Perhaps this is because it is not exactly clear what North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un actually want.  But as some examination of the North Korean ideology reveals, [...]

Why Better Gun Control Is Important – Reflections on Violence in America

Why Better Gun Control Is Important – Reflections on Violence in America

President Obama urged Congress last week to remember their duty to stand up and fight for gun reform in the wake of the Newtown tragedy (and amidst tremendous popular support for better gun control legislation), reprimanding “shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”  Obama’s words are a test of whether Americans’ resolve; about whether we [...]

US State Gun Violence Statistics: Where the Murderers Strike

US State Gun Violence Statistics: Where the Murderers Strike

In my previous post on gun violence, I examined national gun violence statistics in order to assess the scope of gun violence in the US.  The US, however, is a large country and gun violence can vary widely from one state to the next.  So what do US state gun violence statistics tell us [...]

Gun Violence Statistics: U.S. Murders in Numbers

Gun Violence Statistics: U.S. Murders in Numbers

In the wake of the Newtown shootings, the political uproar over gun control has reached a (justifiably) feverish pitch, and the gridlock in Washington got me wondering–what do gun violence statistics tell us? Using data culled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I ran some analyses on America’s murder and gun [...]

Politics and the Oscars – Violence in Lincoln and Django Unchained

Politics and the Oscars – Violence in Lincoln and Django Unchained

Every year, Hollywood gets its time at the podium of public opinion during the Academy Awards, and as with many years past, the movie industry has produced a number of films with powerful social commentary, once again bringing together politics and the Oscars.  Several of this years’ Oscar-nominated films have evoked strong political reactions, though what really [...]

What’s the Chuck Hagel Filibuster About Really?

What’s the Chuck Hagel Filibuster About Really?

Chuck Hagel has been the center of political infighting in Washington, with his Secretary of Defense cabinet nomination being filibustered by fellow Republicans in the Senate.  While Republicans certainly have made incendiary claims about the would-be Secretary of Defense, the Chuck Hagel filibuster does have the whiff of manufactured controversy, especially considering that Hagel [...]

Is Health Care Constitutional?

Is Health Care Constitutional?

With the Supreme Court displaying skepticism during oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama has responded in its defense, bringing the Supreme Court case to an almost unprecedented level of politicization. 26 Republican governors have challenged the health care act, and right now, it looks like the Supreme Court [...]

Game Change: Sarah Palin and the Power of Ignorance

Game Change: Sarah Palin and the Power of Ignorance

With the nation abuzz about presidential politics, HBO has added a colorful portrait to the political landscape with the film Game Change–the story of the vice presidential nomination of Sarah Palin in 2008, directed by Jay Roach and based on the book by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. Game Change reveals the inner-workings of the John McCain [...]