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Twofer Tuesday: Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney both scored key primary victories last Tuesday, with Romney claiming the biggest prize in Ohio. Romney still has a large lead in delegates, 421 to 181 over Santorum, but is well short of the 1,144 needed to secure the nomination. That sound you just heard was the sound of Hollywood screenwriters crossing their fingers that the race goes on long enough that Santorum can secure a spot as Romney’s running mate. Suggested tagline: “The Grand Old Party has a grand old problem.”
Teachers’ pet peeve: According to the most recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, teacher morale is at its lowest point in more than 20 years. Oh, come on. What do they have to complain about? It’s not like they have to deal with curriculum being yanked, bills that would effectively censor them, political leaders that put more emphasis on the results of standardized tests than legitimate critical learning and the prospect that they’re farming children through to a woefully underfunded university system. Well, silver lining to some of you teachers out there: At least you don’t teach in Arizona.
Haters gonna hate: The number of hate groups and antigovernment groups in the U.S. continues to grow, according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The sharpest rise has been in the number of militia and patriot movements, which went from 824 to 1,274 groups from 2010 to 2011. When will these people ever learn? If you want to hide behind your guns and decry big government as a need to hide the fact that you’re a quasi-racist who doesn’t like the fact that the president is black, you don’t need to join a hate group. You just need to be a Maricopa County sheriff.
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Holding onto your convictions: In a 6-3 decision on Thursday, Mississippi’s Supreme Court upheld more than 200 pardons granted by outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour. Among those pardoned were four convicted murderers who worked as trusties at the governor’s mansion. Some may decry releasing those convicted of homicide back into the general population, but it really is for the best that they be allowed to take their trustee talents elsewhere. They probably have some killer references.
Throwing the e-book at ‘em: The U.S. Department of Justice is planning to sue Apple Inc. and five of the nation’s largest publishers, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group, Macmillan and HarperCollins, for antitrust violations related to the price of e-books. The Department of Justice is alleging that the six companies conspired to force Amazon to raise the price of its e-books to give Apple a competitive advantage. It’s obvious that this will be a new page in antitrust law, but the Department of Justice needs to have the spine to follow through. Justice, what a novel concept.
Arrested development: Egypt’s military rulers have filed a complaint against more than 700 people for such charges as “inciting the demise of the state and inflaming strife” against the rulers, according to The Washington Post. One man, Robert Becker of the National Democratic Institute, is accused of pursuing pro-democracy activities without a license. This is presented without comment.
