Now I am a big animal right supporter and I am concerned that all animals in captivity are treated properly, but as usual PETA is making themselves look ridiculous. They are asking a federal judge to award constitutional rights to a group of whales. Of course to a degree this is a PR stunt, but I am sure there are people who really think this makes sense…

Not sure if I want to laugh or cry

President Obama today announced an expansion of the program to help homeowners who need to modify their mortgage. Specifically the program will now allow those who are significantly underwater on their loans to qualify for the program. Previously the program only allowed those who were within 25% of value to participate. This left many out in the cold in states like Florida, Arizona, Nevada and California because the market there dropped more than 50%. Certainly this is a helpful step and one that...

Watching a superb miniseries: Backstairs at the White House The series is based on a book by Maggie Rogers-Clark. In 1909 her mother went to work as a maid at the Taft White House. Her mother kept working there until the late 1930′s and in the informal era often took Maggie to work with her. Eventually Maggie went to work there full time, remaining on duty until 1961. Her book is thus a first hand account of a half century at the White House and eight First Families. Absoutely amazing to watch...

Sadly this isn’t getting as much coverage as it should (including here at TMV)

George Will has a good column in the WaPo today about Richard Lugar facing a primary challenge from the right wing of the party (though he should know they are Hoosiers, not Indianans). As Will points out, Lugar’s record is pretty mainstream Republican and is hardly one of a ‘RINO’ type, assuming there is such a thing (my comment not his). Lugar is one of the finest members of the Senate and as I’ve said it before, if he loses this primary it may well be the last straw for...

Governor Bobby Jindal of Lousiana was easily re-elected tonight with about 67% of the vote. The GOP also appears to be headed for a sweep of the rest of the statewide races, indeed in several cases the contest was between two Republicans as the Democrats did not field any candidates. The Republicans also appear likely to retain control of both houses of the legislature. Given the one time dominance of the state by Democrats, this level of meltdown is somewhat stunning. In many other southern States...

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has died at the age of 80 to 85 depending on what source you follow. Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz was successor to the current monarch King Abdullah who is himself in his late 80′s and in poor health. Sultan was part of a faction of the ruling family which had fought reforms promoted by Abdullah (minor as they may be by our standards). The expected successor as Crown Prince is 77 year old Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, the current Interior minister. He is, if...

Given the debates raised by Occupy Wall Street I thought I’d bring up this topic again, since it seems quite timely. The basis of my original post was a caller to a local talk show. He was the father of 5, the youngest in her 5th year of college, so you figure he’s around 60ish. He grew up as one of 12 children in a working class family, not abject poverty but very tight money wise. As teens he and his siblings were encouraged to go to college but were told they’d have to pay for...

I would have posted about this earlier but was having connectivity issues. President Obama today formally dedicated the Martin Luther King memorial in Washington DC. The original ceremony was delayed by Hurricane Irene and the aftermath. There is something truly fitting that King’s memorial would be dedicated by the first black President. During his lifetime King was denied entry to businesses and persecuted by the government for the color of his skin. Today a black man is the leader of the...

Good to see that they are willing to accept that God loves everyone. Sad that some feel the need to hate (I have no issue with those who have sincere difference of opinion as to Biblical position on homosexuality but some just hate.)

Apple has confirmed that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has died at the age of 56. Not entirely shocking news given his long illness, but he is now in a better place. And he certainly changed this world before he left. And here is a little humor I am sure he enjoyed

She is headed home after a jury acquitted her.

A gay couple trying to attend church was attacked after the pastor of the church reportedly ordered the congregation to do so. As if that weren’t enough, the Pastor is one of the men’s father.. I’m not sure which makes me madder, the attack itself or the fact that as a Christian this is NOT what my faith is about. On the other hand I am slightly bemused the church is located in Fruitland

While it may not come as big news to you that today is the first Monday in October, for those in the legal game it is a significant occassion. Every year on the 1st Monday of the month of October the United States Supreme Court opens for the annual session. Cases which have been working up the legal ladder have an opportunity for their fall (or spring) debut. Needless to say the most anticipated case (or cases) likely to be reviewed by the court this session are those related to the Affordable Care...

For most of us one of the most frustrating words of our childhood was the dreaded and disliked ‘Because’. When a parent would tell us we couldn’t do something or could not go somewhere and we asked why, the response was ‘Because I said so’ or just ‘Because’. But as I grow older I think it is time we all revisit this term with a little more affection and respect. It is not much of a stretch to say that we are in less than encouraging times right now. We have...

This is a repost of an earlier commentary that I felt was worth a second look. One of the hallmarks of a civilized society is how they treat their less fortunate members. From the earliest days of American society we have tried to meet that noble goal. There has always been an unspoken understanding that ‘Society should provide the less fortunate with their basic needs’. This goal is correct and proper and I strongly support the basic premise. However over the years the meaning of those...

Poking around the net I found this gem in which Peter Ferrara declares that the GOP is going to sweep to a historic victory in 2012. Now I am certainly not going to deny that both the President and the Congress have low approval ratings and that anything is theoretically possible next year. Then again it is theoretically possible that I could win the lottery and retire to an island with a bevy of suitors. But I’m not counting on it. The first flaw in Ferrara’s analysis is his adoption...

An interesting article that takes a look at how the new 2012 electoral college impacts things. New Republic is hardly a right wing rag so the conclusions are interesting.

In an earlier video he came out to his Dad, now he does so with Mom. She still loves him but her reaction is more unsettled, I suspect because Moms tend to think grandkids more than Dads do and she thinks that just went away

The reports of President Obama’s ‘gaffe’ during a speech to the Congressional Black Caucus has sparked another round of silliness from some of the net pundits. For those who may have missed it, Obama was trying to say that he wanted millionaires to pay more taxes than janitors but he made a minor slip that seemed to come out ‘jews’ instead of janitors. This has led to all kinds of fury on the net about how it shows some form of anti-semitism on the part of the President,...

The Senate has reached a bipartisan compromise to pass the spending bill that will fund FEMA and avoid a government shutdown. The compromise bill will now go to the House for a vote later this week. The increased spending for FEMA applies only to the new fiscal year, not the current one. Since FEMA has indicated they do not need extra funding for this year it avoids a conflict with the House.

With his announcement that he will run for President, Russian ‘Prime Minister’ Putin has ended the pretense that he hasn’t been running the show the whole time via his puppet Medvedev. Assuming, as is likely, he wins then Putin will be able to serve two 6 year terms. Adding this to his two prior terms as President (2000-2008) and his service as ‘Prime Minister’ from 2008-2012, he will have ruled Russia for about a quarter centurt (2000-2024). This would make him second...

They pretty much nail it. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/gop-debate-cold-opening/1358180/

This is one of the most touching videos I’ve seen during the DADT repeal For some time a soldier has been posting videos discussing his being gay and his feelings on DADT. Up until now the videos have blocked his face. But after the repeal, he posted one with his face, in which he called his father and came out to him. The agonizing moment where he asks “Do You Still Love Me ?” is touching and the reaction to his daddy’s response even more so.