This weblog is named The Moderate Voice, but what does one do when it seems that in defense of the indefensible, one wing has gone beyond all reason? In my case, and in deference to Joe’s aim of balanced writing, instead of cross-posting, I write about it on my own weblog, and warn those cheeleaders of the far-right-wing that what I have written will not please them. In my opinion (and NOT necessarily that of the owner of this weblog, I want to make that clear), both the far-left-wing and the...

Cross-posted at Random Fate. I’ve known about the high probability that Apple would switch to Intel processors for almost six months, but I was constrained in writing about it because my information was from “inside”, and I do NOT want to muck with the FTC or the SEC, nor lose my job over my weblog: Apple to switch to Intel’s PC chips New chips will allow PC maker to lower prices By Jonathan Burton, MarketWatch Last Update: 1:44 PM ET June 6, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)...

Courtesy of Eric, The Straight White Guy, we are reminded that we have just passed an anniversary, one written about eloquently by Kathy at The Cake Eater Chronicles. She writes: I don’t think I’ll ever forget this man. No one knows who he is. No one knows if they should really be using the word “was” instead of “is” when they write about him. No one has any idea about anything in regards to him. Yet everyone remembers him. He was the one who screamed through...

Cross-posted to Random Fate. From MSNBC.com: Turned off science Students may be the real victims of the evolution wars By Sandra Lilley News planning editor NBC News Updated: 1:49 p.m. ET June 3, 2005 The battle over teaching evolution is raging in communities across the country, but the headlines rarely focus on the “quiet” impact of this controversy. Science is becoming a political “hot potato” for some students – transforming what should be a dynamic, fascinating...

I am one of the guest-posters that Joe often refers to when he has other, more important and pressing issues to attend to than this weblog. I apologize for not being able to add any additional commentary this evening than a few brief posts linking to some recommended reading. I am currently living in France, and it is after 2:00AM here. For me it is after an evening out with colleagues and friends, so I have little energy left, not even for my own weblog, Random Fate. I hope you have followed the...

Pennywit, who hosts a quasi-group blog at Pennywit.com (based upon a Drupal publishing system, the contributions of others frequently make the front page and RSS feed) and who is self-described as a liberal, has posted a response to the writings of one of his conservative contributors regarding the recent behaviors of the Democratic Party: The Ridiculousness of Being a Conservative I recommend making Pennywit.com a regular read, because even if you do not agree with his politics, often topics are...

The Commissar at The Politburo Diktat is a self-described conservative; however he is uncomfortable with much of what he has seen written by bloggers, even those on the right-wing, as he illustrates here in this recommended reading: Questioning Patriotism Think seriously about what he has to say.

Cross-posted to Random Fate. PARIS and GRENOBLE, France – The “Non!” vote has carried the day, in no uncertain terms. However, it is important to remember the wise words of an American politician, the equivalent of which I have yet to encounter here in France: All politics is local.    -Senator Thomas P.”Tip” O’Neill I visited Paris the weekend before the election, and while I walked about town I looked to see any signs of advocacy for either a...

…it is important to remember that this involves only federal government funded research. It does not affect privately funded research on stem cells in the United States, regardless of the origin of the stem cells. This is a key point that is lost sometimes, and it may be an important compromise in acknowledging that not all feel the same about the true significance of embryos. Compromise is needed everywhere if we are all to live together.

…and is exposing the complete debasement of both sides, regardless of their motives.

…and some landmarks in a life highlight how much things can change.

Cross-posted to Random Fate. At The Kudzu Files, hboswell has written about a situation that could have been presented as a hypothetical case in arguments over life and death. A woman in need of a liver transplant has a close relative on death row in Indiana who has offered to donate, but the procedure that will be used to execute the inmate will essentially poison the liver, rendering it unfit to transplant. Apparently, the Indiana Department of Corrections is not being very cooperative. Go...

With the recent string of exposures of outright inaccurate reporting due to insufficient sourcing, checking, and re-checking, not limited to the recent Newsweek Periscope retraction or the Dan Rather/forged memo imbroglio, is it reasonable to say that journalism “ain’t what it used to be”? Joe Gandelman, the proprietor of this weblog, writes in his recent commentary on reporting: Indeed, Newsweek — like Dan Rather in the memos scandal — seems to have been caught...

Unfortunately, time-consuming problems related to a dying computer prevented me from posting much here or on my own weblog, Random Fate, the past several days, so I have not been as responsible a guest-poster as I would have liked to have been here. I extend my apologies to both Joe and the audience here. Perhaps the missive I have posted today on the recent Newsweek misreporting problem can help make amends. There is more to this imbroglio than first appears, when you look at the fundamentals. UPDATE:...

…this certainly didn’t take very long: Swastika drawn on new Holocaust memorial Vandalism came shortly after Germany dedicated site The Associated Press Updated: 5:03 p.m. ET May 13, 2005 BERLIN – Within hours of the opening of Germany’s national Holocaust memorial to the public, a vandal scratched a swastika into one of the 2,711 gray slabs, a spokesman for the memorial said Friday. The small swastika was spotted by security guards and quickly removed, though the vandal...

The Bull Moose questions the current priorities in Washington, especially regarding judicial nominations: Under any circumstances, this partisan confrontation would be annoying and unnecessary. But, it is particularly distressing that our political leaders could not find a way to resolve their differences while the nation is at war. We have returned to a pre-9/11 politics with a vengeance. Forget about national unity, partisan advantage is job #1. If we had a President who was truly “a uniter...

Cross-posted at Random Fate under “Letters from Europe“. GRENOBLE, France - The Real ID Act was passed today by the United States Senate as an amendment of a spending bill on the war in Iraq. While I am too much a cynic (in the Shaw definition of the term) to truly be surprised by this development, I am still disheartened. I despise hyperbole when used in political discussions because it weakens arguments and causes a loss of credibility when the fine line between spicing up the writing...

The Real ID Act, attached as an amendment to another bill in the Senate, has potential far-ranging consequences and will likely result in effectively creating a national ID card. Unfortunately, this issue is flying under the radar and the bill has not even been debated on the Senate floor, despite the likely consequences that will arise if this bill becomes law. You can find out more about the Real ID Act and my perception of other troubling trends in restricting liberty by following the links...

For those who want a bit of additional information regarding the recent history of judicial nominations, along with a bit of intemperate, immoderate, and possibly injudicious commentary, then go read this: For those complaining about the Democrats blocking 10 judicial nominations… Don’t say you weren’t warned.

…then I have two questions I need answered at Random Fate.

Pennywit follows up his original post with a response to Media Girl, who disagreed. Interestingly enough, they are both towards the left side of the political axis. More recommended reading if you are interested in the friction between blogging and the mainstream media.

There is a new Letter from Europe posted at my weblog, Random Fate: The forgetting will be their second death

Pennywit has some thoughts on the conflict between some bloggers and some members of the mainstream media. If you are interested in blogging at all I highly recommend reading what he has to say.

Interesting news from the Tri-Cities area of Washington state (the heart of a region that produces some mighty fine wines, by the way): Dead rattler may have legs This story was published Friday, May 6th, 2005 By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer Nancy McLeod of West Richland knew she had snakes in her back yard, but she had no idea one of them was a biped. The 2-foot-long reptile, which McLeod believes is a rattler, was discovered Thursday morning on her Red Mountain Road property as a friend was...

…how will the heirs to Jonathan Swift even be recognized?