The Frustrated Bunny

Technology. Science. Politics. Geek. Etc.

Tagged: Politics

Politics / Random

Governor Perry to organize “day of prayer and fasting” in conjunction with hate group

It’s rare that I title posts as sensationally as I have this one, but this particular story has been pushing my buttons since I woke up this morning. So consider this one of the times where I live up to the “frustrated” part of my blog title. Rick Perry, governor of Texas, has invited the governors of each state to join him at a “day of prayer and fasting” event called “The Response” that is being held in Houston, in partnership with the American Family Association, an organization that describes itself as “a Christian organization promoting the biblical ethic of...

Food / Politics

Do you live in a “food desert”?

The USDA defines a “food desert” as a census block or tract where 500 people and/or 33% of the population is more than a mile from a large/full-sized grocery store (10 miles for non-urban areas). This phenomenon is considered by the USDA as a leading cause of malnourishment and obesity among poor and/or rural populations, as the only regularly accessible food is often in the form of preprocessed items from small convenience stores. Earlier this week, the USDA released an online tool that allows people to visualize what parts of the country are considered food deserts. The tool isn’t perfect–some...

Politics

Bin Laden confirmed killed: Questions and commentary

Not long after my Twitter and Facebook feeds exploded with exclamations about the rumors and then confirmation of the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed by American forces in Pakistan, a series of questions and concerns started rolling in. Some were directed toward me specifically–I’m the go-to “expert” on all things policy and politics for many of my friends and acquaintances (and for once I can honestly say that I do have a piece of paper that confirms that I am in fact more of an expert than most people)–others were questions asked of the internet in general,...

Politics

Thanks, Nate.

I have been trying to put this into words for so long, I think I might want to kiss this guy for formulating a statement I couldn’t. In his post about Congress’ healthcare “time-out,” Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com said: “I don’t think the media has a liberal bias or a conservative bias so much as it has a bias toward overreacting to short-term trends and a tendency toward groupthink.” That’s pretty much the long and short of it. Except for maybe Fox News. They’re just shameless.

Politics

A quick thought about presidents…

So I’m sitting here watching the returns from the Puerto Rico Democratic primary, just like I was watching the DNC rules committee yesterday decide what to do about Michigan and Florida. Now, I realize that if you go by the rules and the numbers, that it is more or less impossible for Hillary Clinton to get the nomination. However, her supporters it seems will stop at nothing, including a floor fight at the convention, to get it for her, and she all but outright encourages their despicable and divisive behavior. Just watch the DNC rules committee proceedings from yesterday; it’s...