Red, Brown & Blue

War on Religion? Women Aren’t Buying It.

People in the United States who consider themselves religious, particularly women of that group, should be angry with the Republican party. By continuing to equate faith and Biblical adherence with policies that are anti-female, anti-gay, and intolerant of anything outside a very selective and narrow interpretation of scripture, the GOP helps give Christianity a bad reputation. The continued antics of the extreme right paint Christians as unforgiving and completely antonymous with compassion.

Republican mouthpieces are choking the airwaves this week with cries of religious persecution, claiming that President Obama’s mandatory order to extend health insurance coverage of contraceptive medicine for all women violates the right of religious organizations who do not support birth control. The claim is shameful and ridiculous. Continue reading “War on Religion? Women Aren’t Buying It.” »

Santorum and Synchronicity

Religious Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum won nomination contests in three states on Tuesday night, just a few hours after a federal appeals court in California overturned controversial ballot initiative Proposition 8, which had prevented gay and lesbian couples from legally marrying. His victories also come on the same day the Susan G. Komen organization lost a key executive, who resigned under a cloud of public criticism for allowing conservative, anti-woman political agendas to end their partnership with Planned Parenthood. The synchronicity of these happenings form an ironic juxtaposition, because while each Republican hopeful espouses roll-backs in women’s reproductive rights and champions continued discrimination against homosexuals, Santorum is the most strident on both fronts. Continue reading “Santorum and Synchronicity” »

Super Bowl

These contests tend to play out along a familiar script. Each side has its own fans, rabid in their loyalty. The talking heads spend weeks and months before the event prognosticating outcomes. Marketing expenditures rise to millions and millions of dollars. Finally, when the big day arrives, things turn out a bit anti-climactic, the buildup seeming far more exciting than the payoff. The winner often runs away with the win instead of facing a real threat from the opponent and, at the end of the night, half of the people paying attention are disappointed while the other half are celebrating. The celebratory half get bragging rights the next day but otherwise nothing changes the day-to-day lives of those who spent so much time anticipating the final score. Continue reading “Super Bowl” »

Florida Not a Knock-Out, But a Devastating Knock Down

By winning the Republican primary in Florida on Tuesday night, Mitt Romney delivered a powerful punch against Newt Gingrich’s effort to eventually secure the nomination. Extending the metaphor, Gingrich faced a standing eight-count in the fourth round of a fight that has eight rounds to go. He can still come back and beat Romney, but Newt will probably need to land a stunning right hook to decisively overcome the perception of the Florida round. Continue reading “Florida Not a Knock-Out, But a Devastating Knock Down” »

The State of the Union, the Campaign Trail, and the President’s Plan

Barack Obama’s speech before Congress and the American public on Tuesday night served as the introduction to his 2012 reelection campaign. While the Republicans continued to feint and parry with one another through a highly entertaining Florida debate, searching still for the correct message and messenger, the man to beat already boarded the plane and started delivering his message around the country. President Obama visited five states in three days, beginning Wednesday in Iowa and ending in Michigan on Friday, talking about the economic plans he laid out in the State of the Union address. Continue reading “The State of the Union, the Campaign Trail, and the President’s Plan” »

The Time for Talk is Now

We give our followers a lot to talk about. The political circus we’ll all witness this year leading to the presidential election provides endless topics for us to write about, and for you to talk about with people you know. Bring those people to us!

Our long-term goal is to create a higher-level conversation in the political sphere, comprised of equal parts reason, compassion, determination, and foresight. Ultimately, Red Brown and Blue would like to start or shape positive ideas that resonate nationally and globally. We think the more people who read our work, the more people will join the conversation and help us all move forward in a positive direction. You can help by pointing us out to your friends, family, and coworkers. If you like our essays, please email them to your contacts and share our links across your social networks. In order to get people to talk about important issues, sometimes we need to be the one among our friends who starts talking.

Red Brown and Blue examines issues affecting the people of the United States, the causes of those issues, and changes that could be made to improve the lives of the people impacted. Here on the site, we deliver articles of new, original thought to the conversation several times a week. But did you know that we collect stories from around the web generated by news outlets, creative thinkers,and progressive organizations that may be of interest to RBB followers? Those like-minded pieces can come to you by following us on Twitter @RedBrownandBlue and by liking our page on Facebook.

Talk to you soon!