So, where does art stop and pornography begin?

Is an explicit painting from an ancient

Pompeian brothel acceptable (hallowed by time),

while its modern equivalent is not?

And, in the final analysis,

can pornography be defined with any precision?

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It's incredibly careless to say that marriage is under attack, without specifying one's meaning, and presume that everyone will intuitively understand that to mean "divorce," particularly given that it isn't the prevention of divorce about which a constitutional amendment has been repeatedly introduced.

It isn't divorcees who have been routinely, publicly accused of undermining the sanctity of marriage. Banning divorce hasn't been put on the ballot in more than a dozen states in the past two elections.

"Marriage is under attack" is such a recognizable dog whistle to opponents of same-sex marriage that it's practically synonymous with "the radical gay agenda."

Is Brian Williams, anchor of the NBC Nightly News (and regular Rush Limbaugh listener), seriously trying to tell me that he doesn't know that? If so, he's manifestly unfit for his job, because that's a truly stunning lack of awareness about one of the most important news stories in American politics and culture in the last decade.   more »

Hillary Clinton's campaign is capitalizing on an overlooked strain of feminism in blue-collar women - nurse's aides, factory workers, farmers, and single mothers - to help fuel her strength among the Democratic candidates for president.

Even many working-class women who have spent their lives in traditional roles at home and work have been animated by Clinton's effort to shatter what she has called "the highest, hardest glass ceiling."

In recent interviews, some of these Clinton supporters say that they have been impressed enough by her advocacy for healthcare and children to jettison their previous views of her as a brash, ambitious lawyer and politician.

Some said a female president would do things not just differently, but better.   more »

If you want bad symbolism, you need look no further than the venue. The US naval academy of Annapolis is the current representation of unrestrained global supremacy, from where young cadets are being sent forth to occupy Arab land by force of arms.

Appropriate place, then, for the US to host the meeting between Palestinian officials and the Israeli state, with every important government and international institution in obedient attendance.

No one has misunderstood the nature of this meeting or is vaguely fooled by what is taking place. What we have at Annapolis is yet another ultimatum to the Palestinian people to surrender their sovereign rights.

The language of the Middle East peace process has become utterly weary, intellectually bankrupted; embarrassing. The tarnished trickery of those tired catchphrases - "last chance for peace", "painful compromises", "moderates against extremists" - is now worn so thin a child would not be taken in.   more »

When it comes to the class divide in America, we can pretend that it doesn't exist.

We can pretend that we can become whoever we'd like to be in life, regardless of the family we were were born to, what neighborhoods we grew up in, and what sort of schools we attended.

We can believe our opportunities are born from personal choices, cultural values, and our wits.

The magical and rare beauty of our narrative of the classless society is its subtle power and its ability to structure society without blatant force.

Thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams, cultural identities and social habits hold the superstructure in place.   more »