A major Galileo issue

Huffington Post has determined that Donald Trump isn't a legitimate presidential candidate (even though he currently leads in the polls). "Trump's campaign is a sideshow." Therefore further coverage of Trump will be in the entertainment section, not politics, next to stories about the Kardashians.

Melissa McEwen of Shakesville says the GOP may bluster but is secretly delighted with that move. Yes, what Trump says is outrageous. But Trump's message is actually GOP policy but served straight up without the dog whistles. Says McEwen:

The truth is, when Trump asserts he's only saying out loud what other people believe, he's talking about the other candidates. Those are the things that they believe. It's frankly the most honest thing he says.
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Instead of dismissing Trump as a joke, we should point out over and over that he's just plainly articulating mainstream GOP policies. Every chance we get.

Scott Walker says he is running for president because God revealed "My plan for you." Someone with the Twitter handle TheTweetOfGod replied:

Yes. Scott. Running for president is the first part of "My plan for you." The second part: your humiliating defeat.

In America anybody can grow up to believe I want them to be President.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Their ruling is based on the idea that discrimination based on sexual orientation must mean there is discrimination based on sex. This ruling likely will end up before the Supremes.



Ragen Chastain of Dances with Fat takes a look at weight loss being touted as a miracle cure for whatever ails you, that the life of our dreams is merely a diet away. Let's ignore for a moment the claim that thin people are happier – there are lots of miserable thin people. Instead, let's look at a couple key points of the argument: (1) We do not know how to help people lose weight and keep it off long term. (2) We haven't shown that weight loss leads to better health. These two points are "a major Galileo issue of our time – widely believed, fervently defended, and unsupported by the evidence."



The Executive Committee of Boy Scouts of America has approved a resolution that allows each individual troop (and its sponsoring church or organization) to decide if it will allow gay adults to serve as scoutmasters and other leaders. Scouts for Equality say this is a big step in the right direction, but it isn't perfect. Religious chartering partners will be allowed to continue to discriminate. The National Executive Board will vote on the resolution at the end of July.