I was born in the South -- Kingsport, Tenn., in fact. I grew up in a small town called Marion, Va., after moving from the even smaller town of Big Stone Gap. Just after high school graduation I moved even deeper south to Charlotte, N.C., but chose to attend college at George Mason University in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. Though to some, the difference between northern and southwestern Virginia may be negligible, to native Virginians the difference in accents is quite substantial. It seems that these two parts of Virginia -- the imaginary line often being drawn around Roanoke -- are vastly unaware of each other's culture and have fewer similarities than many might assume. Frustratingly my accent, the product of a southern childhood, was one of the main "critiques" people gave me at GMU.

"Sorry, but where are you from" was a question I was often asked. It isn't a bad thing to be asked about your accent, but the assumptions that come along with it are often frustrating and almost always inaccurate. Surprisingly to some, I didn't grow up on a farm nor did my parents (both investment advisers) "just skip out" on college. Though the accent has naturally subsided as a result of my northward move at a fairly young age, much of my family still has the distinct (and, in my opinion ,quite charming) drawl.

We can look at statistics that tell us which states have the highest number of college graduates; these statistics do show a trend which slightly favors the North, but that doesn't justify the gross, ignorant assumption that all who come from the South are uneducated, uncultured, Christian, fundamentalist conservatives; furthermore, I think it's unfair for dogmatic, self-proclaimed experts to boldly proclaim that there's a direct connection between the four.

A statistic does not justify applying generalizations to people who have no obligation to live within their misconceived stereotype. As a family member of mine keenly pointed out, there has been a significant amount of righteousness coming from people who both condemn North Carolina's vote on Amendment One and link it solely to "the ignorance of the South." According to "CAPTOBVIOUS" on a recent ABC News article:

Should have let the South secede from the Union in 1860 since they have not moved out of the 1860′s anyway.

But is it really fair to condemn the South as being the sole perpetrator on this issue? Of course not -- the aspect of North Carolina's recent legislation which constitutionally banned same-sex marriage, which the prevention of I personally find to be a truly vile and despicable intrusion on the rights of others, stemming from the fear of the uninformed, was also once passed by the states of Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, and 26 others -- and I've got news for you, they ain't all in the South. Other states, though not making it illegal via their constitutions, have made same-sex marriage illegal through statutory provisions. So before you bash North Carolina, look up your own state's laws first.

Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich both supported a Federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Santorum was a Pennsylvania Senator while Gingrich was born in Pennsylvania. Mitt Romney, as the front-runner for the Republican nomination, supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and was the Massachusetts governor having been born in Michigan.

When we talk about all the hatred, fear, and ignorance in this country, I will never understand why people so quickly assume that the racism, homophobia, and brain-drain all comes from the South. Is the ignorance of the fact that we all share the blame not an example of the very problems we wish we could eradicate?

In sum, don't be so quick to judge a book by its cover. Not only is it offensive to effectively imply that a statistic should determine an individual's personality, but it's ignorant as well -- and that is something I learned down South.

Why would the esteemed Ohio University host a talk by the likes of Roger Ailes? Maybe we should ask one of the talk's patrons, Charles Koch.

Ailes, of Fox News fame, is giving his talk today. The guy who invited him says the point was to get "perhaps the most influential newsman in America" to spark a discussion about "free speech and the media," particularly given OU's "first-rate school of journalism." But Roger Ailes isn't a newsman and doesn't do journalism. He does political advocacy that's (very) thinly disguised as journalism. As Eric Boehlert of Media Matters says, "places of higher learning shouldn't help perpetuate the Fox myth while turning a blind eye to the lasting damage Ailes's enterprise is doing to journalism and to our national discourse."

Might this act of selling out have something to with the fact that the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation serves as an underwriter of the George Washington Forum, which is the OU group hosting the speech? As detailed in my film Koch Brothers Exposed, Charles Koch is a billionaire industrialist and one of the leading financiers of the American Right. He is known to meddle in educational institutions, infamously attaching strings to university donations by insisting he be able to veto a school's hiring decisions. Students and faculty at schools like Florida State University are fighting this corruption valiantly, but the encroachment on academic integrity and freedom remains a threat.

In the case of Ohio University, the full extent of Koch's donations to the George Washington Forum isn't known. But we do know that Koch specifically underwrote a talk the Forum hosted by John Yoo, author of the Bush torture memos (belying Charles and his brother David's claims that their ideological activism is restricted to economic issues). We also know that through the Forum, the Charles Koch Foundation awards grants to students "interested in studying free market ideas" under an OU professor who researches conservative politics and economics. Students applying for the grant in the past have had to write an essay about a book by libertarian Henry Hazlitt. Is it just me, or does it look like Charles Koch is paying the university to spread his right-wing ideology?

Not that Koch is the only problem. Indeed, Ailes himself is a big donor to Ohio University and its communications school. If an institution of higher learning is willing to take money from an anti-journalist like Ailes, it will inevitably spread his message to students, one way or another.

Today, as Ailes takes the mic at OU, those who believe in education should redouble our efforts to stop the slow erosion of academic integrity. This erosion is reflected in the influence wielded by wealthy ideologues like Charles Koch and his political bullhorn, Roger Ailes.

Cecile Richards, The Daily Beast
If you want to see what women’s health care in America will be like if Mitt Romney becomes president, just look at Texas and Arizona.Both states are in the news these past few weeks for trying to prevent women from getting health care at Planned Parenthood. It’s wrong, and it will have devastating consequences for women for years to come—and Mitt Romney wants to do it in all 50 states.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Clad in purple socks, a nod to Louisiana State University's trademark purple and yellow, and standing beneath a shimmering disco ball, veteran newsman Bob Schieffer told graduates of the LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication that journalism was changing and politics were dying, but being a reporter is still the most fun you can have.

In an ultimately uplifting speech, the longtime CBS News reporter and current moderator of "Face the Nation" did not shy away from offering his personal opinions about our "broken" political system, which, he said, has reached a state of unbreakable gridlock.

"There's something wrong," Schieffer said, "when this much money has become the overpowering force in our politics."

He spoke about the skyrocketing price of campaigns -- "Obama and Mitt Romney are both planning to spend about a billion dollars each" -- and how the flood of money has made compromise between the parties that much harder. People who work on campaigns, he said, now find themselves "ashamed" at the end of their runs, rather than "happy or sad for what has happened."

"There's no penalty anymore for the dirty campaigning," he told the graduates. "In the old days, people on the losing side had to go back and live in their communities. But now those consultants don't have to live with their loss."

As for his own profession, Schieffer said that although the state of the industry is changing and jobs are scarce, journalists are more important than ever.

He reminded graduates that being a television reporter wasn't even possible when he was a boy, just as being an astronaut wasn't yet a viable aspiration. He told stories about working closely with Walter Cronkite, scoring his first scoop on Gerald Ford, and the time he watched Lyndon Johnson toss his hat into a crowd of admirers in Fort Worth, Texas. And then, many years later, he met the young campaign worker who has been assigned to retrieve LBJ's hat after he tossed it out.

Schieffer said much of his success was based on luck and being in the right place at the right time. Decades ago, he had entered the CBS news building uninvited, only to be called in for an interview because they thought he was somebody else.

"Lucky? Yes, it was lucky. I was very lucky," he said. "My tip to you is the harder you work, the luckier you get."

Schieffer has long been passionate about journalism education. He helped found the journalism school at his alma mater, Texas Christian University, which now bears his name.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Half Flip | Did Mitt Romney flip-flop on the economic stimulus?

During his 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney has been no fan of the stimulus Democrats passed in 2009. On the third anniversary of its passage, Romney issued a news release titled, "Three Years Later, Obama's Stimulus is Still Failing." Democrats contend Romney has flip-flopped on it. On Nov. 28, 2011, the Democratic National Committee released two videos -- a 30-second version and a four-minute version -- that claimed he had flipped on several issues, including the stimulus:     On-screen text: "Opposed the stimulus."     Video clip ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: No Flip | Did Mitt Romney flip-flop on TARP?

The Troubled Asset Relief Program -- the "TARP" program that was supposed to stabilize the financial markets -- has not been popular with conservatives. During the Republican presidential primary, most candidates attacked it. But the Democratic National Committee says Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on it. On Nov. 28, 2011, the DNC released two videos -- a 30-second version and a four-minute version -- that said Romney flipped on several issues, including TARP.         About three minutes into the four-minute version, the word "TARP" appears on screen. Then Romney ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Half Flip | Did Mitt Romney flip-flop on gun control?

Mitt Romney has at times had an awkward relationship with firearms, as when he said during the 2008 Republican presidential primary that his hunting experience generally involved "small varmints." But has he flip-flopped on gun policy? We’ll start by noting that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. Romney’s statements on gun restrictions before he became governor In ...

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Hugh Hewitt, Townhall
These quotes are from my interview Wednesday with Bloomberg View's Jonathan Alter, the transcript of which is here.Rev. Jeremiah Wright is relevant again, and about to get even more relevant, and it will be hard for the MSM which loved the 50-year old story of alleged bullying at Cranbrook to ignore the details of what happened 50 months ago. Alter is a strong supporter of Obama and a very smart guy, and he knows this re-emergence of Wright is very bad news for the president. His dismissal of the story is a cue for every other MSM lefty.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | Mitt Romney once distanced himself from Ronald Reagan, but no longer

Ronald Reagan is the ultimate icon for Republicans. But has Mitt Romney flip-flopped on his support for the Gipper? The flip-flop charge was raised by the Democratic National Committee in an video advertisement. Separately, one of Romney’s Republican primary opponents, Newt Gingrich, charged that Romney has demonstrated insufficient warmth for the late president. In this item, we’ll ask whether Romney has flip-flopped on his degree of support for Reagan. We’ll start by noting that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | Mitt Romney rejected state tax pledge before signing national one

These days, it’s hard for candidates to claim they truly oppose taxes if they haven’t put it in writing. As a presidential candidate in 2012, Mitt Romney signed a pledge to forswear tax increases. In fact, in his official tax proposal, Romney has advocated across-the-board tax cuts. But has he been consistent over the years about putting his commitment not to raise taxes in the form of a pledge? The question about Romney and the tax pledge was raised in late 2007, when the Democratic National Committee released a ...

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At a fundraiser in Elbert County last weekend, Colorado Republican Congressman Mike Coffman shared some startling thoughts about President Barack Obama, raising the issue of the president's United States citizenship.

Toward the end of his speech, after citing the downturn in the U.S. economy, Coffman said:

I don't know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don't know that. But I do know this, that in his heart, he's not an American. He's just not an American.

Listen to a clip from the Elbert County fundraiser speech that was uploaded to YouTube above, the remarks about Obama begin at 3:21.

9News, which first reported about Coffman's statement and has complete audio of his speech from Elbert County, spoke to Elbert County Republican Chairman Scott Wills who was in attendance and said that the comment was met with "deafening silence" at first, followed by applause.

Coffman apologized on Wednesday night, completely walking back from his original statement about Obama's citizenship. "I misspoke and I apologize," Coffman said about the comments in Elbert County in a written statement. "I have confidence in President Obama’s citizenship and legitimacy as President of the United States."

Coffman went on to say in his written apology: "However, I don't believe the president shares my belief in American Exceptionalism. His policies reflect a philosophy that America is but one nation among many equals. As a Marine, I believe America is unique and based on a core set of principles that make it superior to other nations."

Fox31 reports that the Democrat challenging Mike Coffman's seat, Rep. Joe Miklosi, slammed Coffman saying, "These outrageous comments once again make clear that Mike Coffman is Colorado’s version of Rush Limbaugh."

In 2011, a Colorado judge ruled in favor of Democratic-drawn redistricting map and in the process made Coffman's once solidly Republican suburban Denver seat (District 6) much more competitive by including a relatively even split of Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated voters, 7News reported.

Congressional boundaries are redrawn every 10 years by the state legislature to accurately reflect population changes.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Obama ad claims Romney, Bain left misery in wake of GST Steel takeover

Mitt Romney’s business record is the central narrative of his presidential campaign -- and the main line of attack by his rivals. Is he a savvy businessman who understands the factors that make economies thrive? Or a corporate raider who makes rich profits for himself while often leaving working people as collateral damage? You can guess which storyline President Barack Obama’s campaign is weaving. A new ad from Team Obama tells the story of GST Steel, a company taken over by Bain Capital, the private equity firm Romney led for years before his entrance into ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Mitt Romney said there are "49 different federal job training programs that report to eight agencies"

During a campaign stop in St. Petersburg on May 16, 2012, Mitt Romney said he intended to make government work better and save money in the process. As an example, he cited the federal government’s efforts to provide job training. "Do you know how many federal job training programs there are? 49 different federal job training programs that report to eight agencies," he said. Romney said he would look to consolidate programs and send them to the states. "I want to take those dollars, put them together ...

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Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
Over the last four years, almost all of the news about the shaky European Union has been financial, with some attention paid to southern Mediterranean tabloid attacks on Germany and the German media counter-stereotyping of irresponsible siesta-loving sunny Mediterraneans.But as Greece falls apart, and as panic spreads to other debtors, we are starting to see a stage II political crisis, with socialists and extremists, both left and right, revolting over “austerity” — or rather over the mere taste of austerity that has never been really swallowed in whole. But all...

The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | Mitt Romney evolved significantly in his position on abortion

Mitt Romney has faced years of accusations that he’s flip-flopped on various issues. One issue where Romney has clearly changed his position is abortion.     We should note that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. First, we’ll look at some of the things Romney said earlier in his career about abortion, when he was waging a losing bid for a U.S. Senate seat in ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Half Flip | On Mitt Romney and whether humans are causing climate change

Do humans contribute to global warming? There’s been a robust debate over whether Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on this question. In this item, we’ll try to determine whether he has. We’ll start by noting that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. Romney’s campaign website is silent on climate change. But in Romney’s 2010 book No Apology: The Case for ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: No Flip | Mitt Romney has maintained consistent stance on same-sex marriage

With President Barack Obama's change of position on gay marriage -- which earned a Full Flop on our Flip-O-Meter -- we thought it was a good time to take a fresh look at Mitt Romney's position on the same issue. Shortly after Obama’s announcement, Romney was pressed about his own stance on same-sex marriage. In each case, he offered similar answers. At a campaign event in Oklahoma City, reporters asked Romney to clarify his position. "My view is that marriage itself is a relationship between a man and a woman. ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Obama ad says Romney opposes gay adoption

Within a day of President Barack Obama announcing his support for same-sex marriage, his campaign released an ad chiding Republican rival Mitt Romney for opposing it. It’s true that Romney does not support gay marriage -- he reaffirmed that position the same day as Obama’s historic announcement. But the Obama campaign video claims that Romney would deny certain rights to gay partners, including the right to adopt children. The ad shows short clips of both candidates talking about gay marriage -- Obama saying he supports it, Romney saying he doesn’t -- then ...

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Mitt Romney walked back on his earlier comment that it's "fine" for gay couples to adopt, saying he will "simply acknowledge" that gay adoption is legal.

"Well actually I think all states but one allow gay adoption, so that's a position which has been decided by most of the state legislators, including the one in my state some time ago," Romney told Charlotte, North Carolina's WBTV on Friday. "So I simply acknowledge the fact that gay adoption is legal in all states but one."

Romney's thoughts on gay adoption came up just one day earlier in an interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto. Romney appeared on the show to discuss President Barack Obama's recent support of same-sex marriage when he made a comment on gay couples' parenting.

"I happen to believe that the best setting for raising a child is where this is the opportunity to a mom and a dad to be in the home," Romney said. "I know there are many circumstances where that is not possible, through death or divorce. I also know many gay couples are able to adopt children. That's fine."

Since Obama came out in support of gay marriage on Wednesday, Romney has continually reiterated his views on the issue. While delivering Liberty University's 2012 commencement address on Saturday, Romney again emphasized his stance, saying he believes "marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | President Barack Obama's shifting stance on gay marriage

ABC broke into its daytime lineup May 9, 2012, to announce a historic shift: the president of the United States declaring his personal support for gay marriage. "I've been going through an evolution on this issue," President Barack Obama told ABC News. Indeed. While the president has consistently supported civil rights for gay couples — peppering his comments with specifics such as hospital visitation, transfer of property and Social Security benefits — his discussion of marriage has differed. He’s called same-sex marriage unstrategic, against his religious beliefs, and something ...

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Charlie Bass says expiration of Bush tax cuts would be highest tax increase in history

U.S. Rep. Charles Bass sees a perfect financial storm looming. Meeting last month with The Telegraph editorial board, Bass, a New Hampshire Republican, ran through the list of upcoming votes that could divide Congress and American taxpayers over the coming months. "We now have a sequester of about $1 trillion hanging over our heads at the end of the year," Bass said in the April 3 meeting, referring to mandatory cuts that will take effect if Congress doesn't act. He added, "We have the payroll tax issue to address. We ...

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Simendinger & McPike, RCP
President Obama's personal embrace of same-sex marriage could cost him votes in key swing states in November, he conceded during an interview with ABC News on Wednesday.Political analysts said it is impossible to gauge in a vacuum whether the first-ever presidential endorsement of gay marriage will prove a net loss for Obama on Election Day, compared with the support his change of heart might mobilize, including among younger voters, who overwhelmingly back marriage equality, according to recent polling."There are obvious risks in this, but I dispute the conventional wisdom that...

An anonymous former high-school classmate of Mitt Romney's told ABC News on Thursday that many fellow students have "really negative memories" of the Republican presidential candidate, and that his behavior during those years was "like
'Lord of the Flies.'"

The interview came on the heels of a Washington Post report that detailed Romney's behavior as a student at the Cranbrook School, a prestigious institution in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. In the article's most explosive revelation, multiple classmates of Romney's recall how he led a group of students that forcibly cut the hair of John Lauber, a student who was thought to be gay.

Romney countered the allegations quickly, making a surprise appearance on Fox host Brian Kilmeade's radio show Thursday morning.

"They talk about the fact that I played a lot of pranks in high school," he said. "And they describe some that you just say to yourself, back in high school I just did some dumb things, and if anybody was hurt by that or offended by it, obviously I apologize."

“I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school, and some might have gone too far, and for that, I apologize," he added.

Earlier in the interview, Romney said that during his high-school days -- the mid 1960s -- a student's sexual orientation "was the furthest thing from my mind."

Romney's advisers are hoping for backup on those words. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/romney-friend-stu-white-says-campaign-wants-him-to-counter-prank-accusations/" target="_hplink">ABC News reports that his campaign has approached some of the candidate's Cranbrook friends to counter the sometimes harsh image put forth in the Washington Post article.

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Barack Obama says government job losses on his watch are unprecedented

In a May 8, 2012, speech on the economy in Albany, N.Y., President Barack Obama sought to put the nation’s economic challenges on his watch in historical context. He especially sought to explain how hard it’s been to increase the national employment level when governments have been hemorrhaging jobs. These job losses, he suggested, have weighed down the comparatively healthy private-sector job-creation statistics. "It's worth noting, by the way -- this is just a little aside -- after there was a recession under Ronald Reagan, government employment went way up," Obama said. "It went up after the ...

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