Gene Policinski: Offensive views need airing so they can be better rebutted

  By now there likely are few Americans who don’t recognize the names of a tiny Topeka, Kan., church and of the family that makes up most of its members — Westboro Baptist Church and the Phelps family.

  For years, various Phelpses have been demonstrating at funerals — most notably at services for U.S. military service members killed in combat overseas — to condemn America’s acceptance of homosexuality and other “sins.” In early March, the family won an appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case involving a lawsuit brought by the father of a Marine who died in 2006.

  The 8-1 decision supported public protest that involves issues of public concern. Margie Phelps — the family’s lead lawyer in successfully arguing the case — appeared recently in New York City at a convention of college journalists, in a standing-room-only discussion that I moderated.

Steve Flowers: Inside The Statehouse: Friends and enemies

  There is a well known maxim that says keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That adage came to mind when Gov. Robert Bentley brought his Democratic gubernatorial opponent Ron Sparks into the fold of his cabinet.

  Bentley appointed his former rival to head the newly created Alabama Rural Development office. On the surface it would appear to be a Machiavellian political maneuver. However, it is vintage Bentley. He simply wanted to get the best person available while at the same time saving state dollars. Bentley’s predecessor Bob Riley had created two agencies, the Alabama Rural Action Commission and the Black Belt Action Commission, by executive order. Bentley rolled them into one agency and got the perfect appointee in Sparks whose love and passion is agriculture. By his own admission Sparks never really wanted to run for governor but would have chosen to run for Agriculture Commissioner again if he had not been prohibited constitutionally from seeking a third successive term.

Jonathan Cykman: Misplaced union envy

  Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and homes since the financial collapse of 2008. Tens of millions more are in fear of losing their jobs and homes. Conservatives and tea party activists have chosen to blame the government and public sector workers for what ails us. This narrative has flourished in our political discourse despite the facts to the contrary.

  And what this clearly demonstrates is that a fearful electorate can be easily manipulated by a corrupt and self-serving political elite. The most recent targets of anti-government forces are American unions, especially public sector unions. Why, you ask? It's a political calculation. Deny unions the ability to organize and collect union dues and you rob the Democratic Party of a major source of political campaign funding and muscle.

Christian E. Weller: The Consequences of conservatism

  The 2012 presidential primary season is already upon us and the Grand Old Party is, not surprisingly, engaged in a grand old opportunity to rewrite history about the causes and consequences of the Great Recession. So it’s time, once again, to set the record straight.

  The Great Recession was so great not just because of very sharp unemployment increases but also due to an unprecedented decline in wealth—as the Federal Reserve detailed in a report released this week. That wealth destruction is key to understanding the Great Recession since massive house price drops led to a foreclosure crisis that then fueled massive layoffs. Much of the unprecedented wealth destruction in 2007 and 2008 can be traced back to failed economic policies under President George W. Bush, when opportunities to put the economy and the labor market on the right track were ignored.

Charles C. Haynes: Shariah hysteria: unwarranted, unconstitutional

  In my last column, I sounded an alarm about rise of Islamophobia in the United States, calling attempts in various states to pass anti-Shariah legislation an attack on religious freedom.

  That inspired a good number of irate readers to sound their own alarm about what they view as my naïve and dangerous dismissal of the threat Shariah (Islamic law) poses to the United States.

  “This is not a First Amendment issue,” explains one reader. “This is a life and death issue. Muslims have already taken over Europe. They will not succeed here.”

  Another reader sees my defense of American Muslims and opposition to anti-Shariah laws as downright un-American.

Eesha Pandit: Top five ways health reform is helping women and their families

  Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and yesterday advocates were celebrating the health care reform law’s advantages for women.

  This past year, however, many of the law’s improvements in insurance coverage were overshadowed by attacks on the Affordable Care Act and on women’s reproductive health care coverage. The criticisms have left many women confused about what health reform means for them. Simply put, the law is working for women, our families, and our communities. But, the fight for women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health care in health reform is ongoing, and there are other important issues that still need our voices.

Ian MacIsaac: A Paralyzed Republican field cowers in the face of the Obama campaign machine--Who's Running in 2012?

  There is something rotten in Denmark--or at least in the Republican Party. At this point on the calendar in the last election, all of the major candidates--Clinton, Obama, Romney, McCain--had all announced: Obama himself announced in February 2007, a full 19 months before the election. But we're pushing into April and no one has announced yet, not counting Newt Gingrich's sorta-kinda exploratory thing. What's going on?

  I happen to understand American presidential politics better than I understand almost anything else in the world, and I can't help but feel absolutely sure it has something to do with how strong the president is among the people right now. Whatever it was that gave him a major boost at the beginning of this year, Obama has gone from the nadir of his presidency at the time of the 2010 midterms to holding a very strong electoral position looking forward to the upcoming election. Pew--second only to Gallup in exceptional polling results--released a poll on Wednesday conducted March 8-14 showing that Americans prefer reelecting Obama to electing a Republican in 2012 by a 48%-35% margin, with 16% saying they "didn't know."

Steve Flowers: Inside The Statehouse: Governor Bentley's off to a positive start

  Our new governor, Dr. Robert Bentley, now has two months under his belt as our state’s leader. Although he inherited a ship of state that is fiscally sinking, he has rolled up his sleeves and gotten to work.

  Bentley is the right man for the job in these trying times. He is a plow horse rather than a show horse. He is a meat and potatoes type of guy who works to solve problems rather than worrying about who gets the credit. He has gathered around him an excellent cabinet and they are not panicking or anxiously throwing chairs off the deck. Instead, they are resolutely rearranging the chairs in an effort to keep the ship afloat.

  Even though Bentley is not glamorous he does have a way with communication that depicts and displays his down home country doctor persona. He aptly says that he applied for the job of governor for 18 months and the people of Alabama hired him. He applied for the job for the right reasons. He wants to do a good job.

Eric Alterman: NPR and O’Keefe: Déjà vu all over again

  It’s difficult to decide what is most infuriating—or depressing—about the spectacular success of James O’Keefe’s sting operation. But here are a few nominees.

  O’Keefe is a known fabricator, and the mainstream media has already allowed him to make them look like idiots. And yet they did it again. I went on the NPR show “On Point” last week to discuss the still-exploding scandal and suggested that whenever anyone discussed any alleged malfeasance discovered and presented by the criminal right-wing provocateur, it’s a good idea to wait a few days and find out what he’s lying about.

  O’Keefe lied to the country about his big ACORN sting. He lied about his meetings with ACORN officials and the videos he doctored in support of those lies. You can find examples here, here, here, and here. He makes no bones about this. O’Keefe sets up his sources, lies to them, and then lies to the public about what they said and did. And he’s not above using criminal methods to stalk his prey.

Gary Palmer: Alabama Legislature must address overall pension reform

  If you wondered why there has been so much emphasis on eliminating the Alabama Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) program, it can be summed up fairly simply…it is part of an effort to pull the state of Alabama back from the brink of fiscal insolvency.

  Despite the misguided attacks launched by Alabama Education Association (AEA) lobbyists and AEA-backed legislators who supported DROP, the Legislature has taken a needed step toward reforming the state’s benefits and pension plans to make them affordable and sustainable.