Politics
Has Congress Ceded Its Authority to the President? The Fourteenth Amendment and The Greatest Gift: Inform Yourself and Vote
Fourteenth Amendment - All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Prior to the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment, the protections in the Bill of Rights limited only the actions of the federal government, unless the provision specifically stated otherwise. The Supreme Court, in what is called “the doctrine of incorporation” has since interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to apply most provisions in the Bill of Rights against state and local governments as well. This has meant that the Fourteenth Amendment has been used more frequently in modern court cases than any other constitutional provision. more »
An Immigration Conversation; Lady Liberty is Weeping
Rose Madeline Mula writes: Shortly before my mother died, friends were reminiscing about the happiest days of their lives. When they asked my Mom what hers was, they expected her to cite one of her carefree childhood days in Italy, her wedding day, or the day I graduated from Boston University, which they had often heard her recall with pride. Instead, her immediate response was "The day I became an American citizen." I haven’t been to New York Harbor recently; but if I were to go there today, I think I would find that Lady Liberty is weeping. more »
Did You Remember that It Has Been Proposed That We Privatize the Postal Service? Who Is Handling These Dangerous Packages Now?
Now that our postal workers (and FBI and other law enforcement agencies) are on the front line protecting us from the transfer of potentially deadly packages across the US, this recent protest on the part of postal workers against the President's attempt to privatize our postal system, seems even more relevant. "Our postal system is older than the country itself. It was a vital component of our country's public good then. It still is today," postal worker Julia Bates stated. "And along the way, one fundamental fact has always been true: Our postal system has never belonged to any president, any political party, or any company. It's belonged to the people of this country." more »
Ridiculing Human Limitations, Odious Interests and Ill Manners: Seriously Funny, Caricature Through the Centuries
Seriously Funny aims to contextualize recently acquired French lithographs within the larger comedic graphic tradition in Europe and America by installing them alongside prints, drawings, paintings, and sculpture from the 16th to the 21st century. With its jocularity often mistaken for triviality, caricature has long been misunderstood as inferior to artworks created in the classical Grand Manner, the large and imposing academic easel paintings that artists were trained to emulate. more »