Author: KJ McElrath

Promoting Racial Equality: Viewpoint 1: “You Don’t Fight Racism with Racism”

Promoting Racial Equality: Viewpoint 1: “You Don’t Fight Racism with Racism”

Posted by | Aug 19, 2015 | |

In this two part series, Ring of Fire details the two prevailing viewpoints regarding the best means to bring about racial equality in America. The viewpoint addressed in this article is that racial equality can best be achieved by working within the system and seeking solidarity. Interestingly, the voice for this movement is Bobby Seale, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party.  In the ROF companion article also posted today, the viewpoint expressed is that racial equality can best be achieved through a black rage movement, such as Black Lives Matter. “The best way to fight racism is with...

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Judge Rules Drug Companies Have Right to Market Non-FDA Approved Drug Uses: Unconscionable

Judge Rules Drug Companies Have Right to Market Non-FDA Approved Drug Uses: Unconscionable

Posted by | Aug 19, 2015 | , |

Legally, if a pharmaceutical company wants to market one of its products for “off-label” purposes, it must obtain approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. Recently, however, a Federal judge set a dangerous precedent by ruling that the marketing of drugs for off-label use is “free speech” protected under the First Amendment. “Off-label” is a phrase referring to the use of a medication for the treatment of a condition other than what it was designed for.  A common example is the use of ordinary aspirin as an anti-coagulant in patients at risk for blood clots. Another is the...

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Who is GOP Presidential Candidate John Kasich, and Why He Could Pose the Greatest Threat to Democrats?

Who is GOP Presidential Candidate John Kasich, and Why He Could Pose the Greatest Threat to Democrats?

Posted by | Aug 18, 2015 | |

Ohio Governor John Kasich came late to the GOP presidential campaign – and he’s not well known outside the Buckeye State. Nonetheless, of the 17 currently declared Republican candidates, he might have the greatest chance of defeating the Democrats in 2016, because of his newly found “moderate rhetoric” and the fact he is from Ohio, a key battleground state. His numbers have been rising in recent polls, and he has received a significant endorsement from an unlikely source. That endorsement comes from right-wing Alabama governor Robert Bentley, who recently appointed a young Christian fundamentalist with no academic experience or...

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The Freakish Mind of a Climate Change Denier is not driven by just a lack of intellect

The Freakish Mind of a Climate Change Denier is not driven by just a lack of intellect

Posted by | Aug 17, 2015 | |

You may not have heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect. However if you’re like most Ring of Fire followers, you’ve encountered it frequently. It may have been at family gatherings where your dull Uncle Fred starts pontificating on right-wing talking points, using references from Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to make his point – or around the water cooler at work, when a fellow employee starts spouting off about how brilliant a leader George W. Bush was, or how President Obama is a “secret Muslim.” The Dunning-Kruger Effect is named for the two Cornell University researchers who were the first...

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Carly Fiorina was a Complete Failure as CEO at HP: She is Lying About her “Success”

Carly Fiorina was a Complete Failure as CEO at HP: She is Lying About her “Success”

Posted by | Aug 17, 2015 | , |

Carly Fiorina is the latest in a parade of corporate CEOs who believe their “success” in running a company somehow qualifies them to run the nation. In Fiorina’s case, it might help her credibility if she had actually been successful. If her record as CEO of Hewlett-Packard is any indication, we’d be better off handing the Oval Office over to a seven-year old whose business experience consists of running a corner lemonade stand. Fiorina, who served as CEO from 1999 until 2005, claims that under her leadership, HP doubled its revenues.  In a May interview on Meet The Press,...

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