Anthony Stanford masterfully tells how African-American history and the fight for equality has made black culture less (rather than more) tolerant of its LGBT members. His research is thorough and meticulous; his writing is clear and engaging.

Emails released by the White House contradict some of the quotes from versions of the same emails Republicans in Congress leaked to the media. The White House recently released the emails in response to allegations of a coverup by Obama Administration officials relating to the administration’s knowledge of Al-Qaeda’s involvement in the attacks on the Libyan diplomatic post.

Well this poll surely puts Sandy Hook and the failed gun legislation in context. 29% of the American population and 44% of Republicans believe an armed revolution might be necessary in the next few years.

If you feel like that recovery we keep hearing about hasn’t quite trickled down to your block, there’s a good reason. A huge swath of the country’s workers are out of sync with the economic cycle, continually falling further behind the rich. And, now Obama’s proposed budget may hinder them even more.

According to a new multi-year study by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project, many families are priced out of “recovery” for reasons that long predated the recession and will persist indefinitely even as the economy “bounces back.”

Only a few months after being defeated in the Presidential Election the Republican Party is having an identity crisis. The party has split in two over the issue of civil liberties and presidential power. The split came to a head when Senator Rand Paul filibustered CIA Director John Brennan’s nomination for 13 hours. In response to the popular display Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham condemned Paul mocking his arguments. McCain would ultimately insult Senator Paul by claiming he and his allies represented the wacko bird caucus.

Five candidates — two Democrats and three Republicans — are vying for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts vacated by John Kerry. All of these candidates support marriage equality except Mike Sullivan, a Republican, who thinks that gays should be barred from civil marriage.

One shouldn’t forget that there is far more antipathy toward Obama in Israel than there is, even among white GOP conservatives and Tea Party fanatics, in the USA.

After a long, bitter, and at times surreal confirmation process fmr. Senator Chuck Hagel has been confirmed as Secretary of Defense. The vote was 58-41 with only four Republicans voting in favor of the nomination despite Hagel previously being a member of the Senate Republican Caucus. Hagel was attacked continually by the right-wing of the Republican Party and conservative media for being soft on Iran and antagonistic towards Israel. The confirmation vote did little to satisfy critics who continue to maintain their opposition to Hagel serving as Defense Secretary.

What do you think?

Karl Rove could have called it a day after successfully re-electing George W. Bush in 2004. It could have been the capstone on one of the most successful and substantive careers in modern American politics. Rove would have left a master strategist feared by his enemies, admired by his friends, and mythologized by observers of all persuasions.

Instead Rove hung around too long and embarrassed himself.