The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

It seems like a fairly easy question to answer, doesn't it? Vladimir Putin is a Russian dictator. Barack Obama was the U.S. president who got his country through the greatest recession since the Great Depression. Stunningly, this is how Republicans see the two men: Approval Rating Putin: 25%/62% (net -37%) Obama: 18%/80% (net -62%) Difference: Putin +25%/Obama -25% This is how backwards the Republican Party has become. They prefer a Russian dictator over a U.S. president who was void of any major scandals and ended his second term at 60% approval. Not only that, but the gap is 25 points. So, there you have it. When asked, "Who do you like more, Barack Obama or Vladimir Putin?," while most of the world laughs at the question's seeming ridiculousness, Republicans go another route and say, "Yeah, we'll go with the Russian dictator." https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/Vladimir_Putin https://www.washingtonpost.com/page...

I just read about an extremely strange legal case in North Carolina. Apparently, a 17-year-old was charged with multiple counts of sexual exploitation for taking and possessing nude photos of a minor. Who is this minor? Himself, as he sent nude photos of himself to his 16-year-old girlfriend (and vice versa). That's right, according to North Carolina law, this kid was both the perpetrator and victim of this crime. Not only does that sound strange in and of itself, if this 17-year-old were to engage in sexual intercourse with his 16-year-old girlfriend, that would be perfectly legal under the state's laws. But to take a nude photo of himself and send it to his girlfriend? That's going to cost him... Fortunately, he was able to reach a plea deal where he won't have to register as a sex offender or spend any time in prison. He will be placed on probation for a year, however. This is a very strange, backwards, and ancient law, in my opinion. Just imagine if this kid had t...

I have a feeling, that before too long, Florida's state motto will be, "Don't ask questions. Just shoot." This wild and crazy trend continued recently when a federal appeals court upheld what has become known as the "physician gag rule," where doctors risk sanctions or even their license if they talk to patients about the dangers of guns. The American Bar Association has been adamant in their opposition to the law, as the organization released this message: "Preventive care through safety counseling is a pillar of modern medicine, and is vitally important to the health and welfare of patients." At least ten medical associations have also opposed the new law, including the American Psychiatric Association, which said that, "health professionals and health systems should ask about firearm ownership whenever clinically appropriate in the judgment of the physician." So, in Florida, citizens supposedly have free speech, yet doctors don...