Outside the Beltway

The eighth Democratic debate raises the question of whether we really need this many debates.

The effort to stop Donald Trump seems likely to set off a civil war inside the Republican Party.

Five months after Charleston, Mississippi is still struggling to rid itself of symbols of the Confederacy.

Republicans insist that uttering the words “Radical Islamic Terrorism” is somehow important in the fight against ISIS and other terror networks, but it is entirely unclear what doing so would accomplish.

The news that at least some of the men who were involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris were among the refugees who have arrived in Europe since the summer is likely to complicate an already complicated situation.

Ben Carson has no government experience, he has a history of saying things that don’t seem grounded in reality, and he lacks the resources for a credible campaign. And yet, he’s closing in on Donald Trump in the polls.

Finally.

The Confederate Flag needs to be removed from official places of honor, but do we really need to worry about reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard?

The people who continue to claim that the Confederate Flag is about anything other than hatred, racism, and a nation that celebrated slavery are lying to you and to themselves.

Good for her.

If Jim Webb runs for President, he will be the only candidate in either party who is on record defending the Confederate Battle Flag. And he’s thinking of running as a Democrat.

An important tenet of the internet is “don’t read the comments.” Well, I have violated that rule of late–which means more musings on the symbols of the CSA.

President Obama gave an interesting and somewhat unusual interview to a podcaster late last week, but the media is obsessed over a single word.

With notable exceptions, most of the Republican candidates for President are refusing to take a stand on the propriety of South Carolina flying the Confederate Flag. That’s called cowardice.

The murders in Charleston have revived a debate that should have been over a long time ago.

A word that has come in recent years to be used to refer chiefly to Muslim fanatics obviously applies to a man who murdered nine people because they’re black.

The Supreme Court ruled that states don’t have to grant license plates that display the Confederate flag. Their decision has the potential to seriously harm the First Amendment.

Surely it’s time to put a woman on American currency again, but why go after Alexander Hamilton?

It could cost you $250 to say “F- Arlington” if you happen to be in Arlington when you say it.

Hillary Clinton told supporters she’d require Supreme Court nominees to pledge to overturn Citizens United, a decision she completely misrepresented.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are talking about fundamentally changing what it means to be an American, and it’s a bad idea.

150 years later, Abraham Lincoln continues to inspire us.

We’re down to debating whether bigots should have to sell cakes to gay people.

Thinking about comparative American struggles against tyranny.

Sadly whenever Alabama is first at something (save perhaps in football) it is never for something good.

The Atlantic has a fascinating cover story by Graeme Wood titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”

Ben Carson is not a serious candidate for President, but he’s likely to get a lot of support from the GOP’s Tea Party wing.

There’s more to life than politics. Unfortunately, there are many Americans who don’t seem to recognize that fact.

As usual, politicians and pundits are helping to create a climate of fear and concern about Ebola that is not justified by the facts.

After 200 years, Francis Scott Key’s most famous work may have outlived its usefulness..

With just nine days to go, it’s anyone’s guess how the Scottish Independence vote will turn out.

Just in time for the midterms, Todd Akin is back to remind voters of the GOP’s problems with female voters.

Some odd developments in Nigeria

Boko Haram is threatening to sell the 200-plus Nigerian girls it has kidnapped into slavery.

A prime example of the failure of the “infotainment” industry that American news media has turned into.

Cliven Bundy still has his defenders among the hardcore right, but many people have joined Kentucky’s junior Senator in throwing Cliven Bundy under the bus

Polarization is not the cause of our problems.

The notion that the past has been fully settled is simply incorrect and our debates over symbols illustrate this fact.

History matters.