The Rest of Everything Archives - Page 38 of 56

Indiana’s Mess

March 29, 2015

Republican Governor Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on March 26. The law allows religious beliefs to trump individual rights; if it matters at all—more below—it will likely impact the LBGT community most greatly.

Why was this law passed? Was there a problem? Somebody’s religious rights being trampled? You decide, based on a brief Q and A between Governor Pence and conservative talk show host Greg Garrison:

Garrison: Just real quickly – Is the answer to my question about whether or not religious freedom has been threatened in Indiana yes or is it no?

Governor Pence: I’m not aware of cases and controversies. I mean as I travel around the state one thing I know for sure —Hoosier

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Happy Anniversary, Lorinda Wheeler

March 25, 2015

Mark Rubin

In about 3-1/2 hours Lorinda Wheeler and I will reach a milestone. We started working together on March 26, 1990, 9131 days ago. (An HP12c is great for counting days; for those who slice and dice a bit less, and don’t need a fancy calculator to count, think 25 years!)

Here’s the history, in a quick nutshell. I had a secretary in my first law firm, for about 16 months. I joined another firm, where I stayed for 16+ years. I shared a secretary briefly, then I shared another for a year or so. Given a choice, she stuck by me when we hired another—back in the day attorney-secretary ratios were usually 1:1; now they’re 3:1 or greater—and we lasted

25th anniversary, Lorinda Wheeler, Mesch Clark & Rothschild P.C., secretary

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Israel and the Self-Hating Jew

March 22, 2015

Mark Rubin

Blame it on Congressman Steve King (Rep.-Iowa). I had no plans to write about the election in Israel, or about Israel at all. Then, I saw Rep. King Doubles Down on Asking How Jews Can Be Democrats by Daniel Strauss for Talking Points Memo. In particular I focused on the exchange between Congressman King and Congressman Steve Israel (Dem.-N.Y.). It started with this comment from King:

Well, there were some 50 or so Democrats that, that decided they would boycott the president’s speech. Here’s what I don’t understand, I don’t understand how Jews in America can be Democrats first and Jewish second and support Israel along the line of just following their President.

Israel tweeted: I don’t need Congressman King

Bibi Netanyahu, Israel, self-hating Jews, Shmuley Boteach, Steve Israel, Steve King, Yasser Arafat, Yithak Rabin

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Nonprofits Revisited: The Training Institute

March 20, 2015

Mark Rubin

I wrote The Nonprofit Sector aka My Former Life almost eight months ago. Buried in the recitation of the remnants of that life was “tried to start a training institute.” It’s my subject today.

Many years ago a local nonprofit ran an inclusion program, designed to train and place minorities on nonprofit boards. There was nothing especially unusual about the program. Similar programs existed—and exist today—in many communities. The programs offer training in how to serve in the nonprofit community, along with a placement effort. Nothing wrong with any of this … but, and this is the question no one could answer, “Why do we assume minorities need training and white people don’t?”

I’ve served on many boards, committees, commissions,

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Additional Thoughts on the Iran Letter

March 17, 2015

Mark Rubin

Apologies! MRW posted 47 Again – The Letter to Iran on Friday, March 13. In the post we noted several lame, after-the-fact attempts to explain and justify the Iran letter, including a rush to leave town on account of snow. (I’ve lived in DC; two flakes and the schools close.)

Now, finally, a week after the letter came out, the National Review has cleared everything up. In The Cotton Letter Was Not Sent Anywhere, Especially Not to Iran, Deroy Murdock notes the fact—I assume it’s a fact—that freshman Senator Tom Cotton (Rep.-Ark.) and did not put the letter in an envelope, use a first-class stamp, and deposit it with the U.S. Postal Service (which he and fellow signers want

iran letter, National Review, Tom Cotton

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47 Again – The Letter to Iran

March 13, 2015

Mark Rubin

Remember 47? in case you don’t, Fact-checking Romney’s “47 Percent” Comment by Lucy Madison for CBS on September 25, 2012 will refresh your memory.

I mention 47 because the number is back in the news, brought to you again by the Rs. On Monday, March 9, Senator Tom Cotton (Rep.-Ark.) authored a letter to the Iranian government about the nuclear proliferation deal being negotiated between Iran, the U.S., and five other nations. Here’s the letter, signed by Senator Cotton and, you guessed it, 46 other Republican senators. If one more or less senator’s signature was on the letter, my theme would have been blown!

Numbers, theme, and kidding aside, the conduct at issue should shock anyone who

iran letter, John McCain, President Obama, Rand Paul, Tom Cotton

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Selma: The Speech

March 8, 2015

Mark Rubin

Yesterday in Selma President Barack Obama gave an extraordinary speech about America, exceptional in its accomplishments and its promise, yet still lacking. Here’s the transcript and the video.

Selma is a place, for sure, but it’s known most for two events. There was a Civil War battle which took place only days before the end of the war. (The 150th anniversary comes on April 1, 2015.) And there were the marches.

The first Selma to Montgomery march happened on Sunday, March 7, 1965, 50 years ago yesterday. Blacks—Negroes back then—and whites marched for voting rights. State troopers and others beat 600 of them. Right here in America, with television cameras rolling tape.

Two more marches occurred,

exceptionalism, John Lewis, President Obama, Selma, Voting Rights Act of 1965

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The Spreadsheet, Apple Co., and Change!

March 6, 2015

Mark Rubin

Last Friday I heard How the Electronic Spreadsheet Revolutionized Business by Jacob Goldstein for Planet Money on NPR. It’s four+ minutes long, it’s about change, and it’s worth your time. The big moment for me in the story comes through in this short paragraph from Jacob Goldstein:

GOLDSTEIN: When the software hit the market under the name VisiCalc, [Alan] Sneider became the first registered owner, spreadsheet user number one. The program could do in seconds what it used to take a person an entire day to do. This of course, poses a certain risk if your job is doing those calculations. And in fact, lots of bookkeepers and accounting clerks were replaced by spreadsheet software. But the number of

Apple Co., attorneys, Jacob Goldstein, legal services, NPR, spreadsheet

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Senator Marco Rubio at CPAC: What a Mess!

February 28, 2015

Mark Rubin

The 2016 election is only 619 days away. From time to time, between now and then, MRW will highlight candidates/potential candidates and their flaws. Today, we feature Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Senator Rubio’s campaign is nascent, and he helped himself not at all at CPAP on Friday morning.

Senator Rubio used his speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, in part, to comment on the U.S. fight against ISIS. Steve Benen for MSNBC, in Rubio blasts ISIS strategy he supports, reports on the fiasco of a speech. First, he shares what Senator Rubio said, in part:

“ISIS is a radical Sunni Islamic group. They need to be defeated on the ground by a Sunni military force with air

Iran, Iraq, President Obama, Senator Marco Rubio, Shia, Steve Benen, Sunni

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Bibi and the DHS Shutdown: Congress at Work!

February 27, 2015

Mark Rubin

Regular readers know that I avoid certain topics, including the Middle East. Nothing is absolute, however, and Tuesday’s speech to a joint session of Congress by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu provides a more than adequate basis for commentary.

You’ve probably heard about this fiasco for awhile. The nuts and bolts are simple. Speaker of the House John Boehner invited the Prime Minister to address Congress while he was in Washington for the AIPAC (American Israeli Political Action Committee) annual do! The invite was not cleared with the State Department or the White House. It was arranged, instead, through Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, former Miami Beach resident and Republican Party operative Ron Dermer.

So what’s this all

AIPAC, Bibi Netanyahu, Congress, Iran, Jeffrey Goldberg, President Obama, Ron Dermer

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