We’ve all heard the same argument in different contexts—the argument that the public has no right or need to know important information because some officials think it would hurt the public’s interests if the information got out. We’ve heard it when the issue is police brutality. Oh, no, we’re told, if that’s examined too closely, it would hurt the morale of police officers who...

by Walter Brasch PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 28–The crowd at Lincoln Field gave superstar quarterback/convicted felon Michael Vick a standing ovation when he entered the game on the second play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On his first play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Vick tossed an easy shovel pass for a four yard gain. “It was unbelievable the way I was embraced and the warm welcome I received,”...

When bringing to the attention of our readers articles written by others, I normally try to add some of my views, my own perspective—my two cents’ worth. In the wake of Senator Kennedy’s death, three giants at the Washington Post have written opinion pieces on the Senator’s passing. Yesterday, David S. Broder and George F. Will wrote “A Man Unbowed and Unchanged,” and “The...

Believe mewhen I tell you I am writing a column about a review by Jessica Bennett of Newsweek about psychologist Robert Feldman, the author of a new book, The Liar in Your Life, the inspiration for a new film, The Invention of Lying, as well as a Fox TV series Lie To Me. We are a nation of liars, Feldman is quoted. Writes Bennett: Time and time again, public-opinion polls show that honesty is among the top five...

Professional journalists in America, those who record the first chapter in the books of history, are challenged writing obituaries of our fallen leaders when the person’s life is filled with complexities, contradictions and accomplishments such as that of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Citizen journalists, those who write blogs, are not constrained by such niceties. They call it as they see it. They come straight...

Only a few hours after the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, there is a flood of stories on the life and the accomplishments of the Lion of the Senate. The vast majority of the stories are complimentary of the Senator. There are some exceptions. As all humans, Ted Kennedy had his flaws and made his share of mistakes. I understand that the Senator will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Perhaps,...

As I write this, Chula Vista, Calif., is about to play San Antonio in a preliminary round of undefeated teams in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Penn. The Chula Vista all-star team is the equivalent of the 1927 Yankees. They slugged 46 home runs in their last eight games and shutout their first two World Series opponents 29-0. Sally Jenkins, the renowned sports columnist for The Washington...

Whenever health care reform is talked about, Republicans respond in an almost Pavlov-style manner. Immediately we start talking about the evils of the Canadian and British healthcare systems and about the loss of American freedoms. Some even go a step further and claim as blogger John Vecchione writes in a recent post, that there is no health care crisis and when nations make universal health care a goal it...

Many have compared the Iraq war to the Vietnam War, especially as in “quagmire.” Recently, some are beginning to compare the war in Afghanistan to the Vietnam War. Some are even beginning to refer to the Afghanistan war as “Obama’s Vietnam.” I don’t have a problem with the Iraq-Vietnam comparison. There are indeed some similarities and historical analogies, both in how and why the two wars were...

At least one California legislator has retaliated with a popgun attack against Nevada’s million dollar ad campaign to lure Golden State businesses to the Silver State. What started as a tongue-in-cheek snarky campaign by Nevada which has inundated the major California markets via cable television advertising the past two weeks is now being greeted by Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) who told The...

I live across the street from Chaparral High School in Temecula, Calif., and every school morning and afternoon dozens of yellow school buses roll in and out of the campus’s sprawling parking lot. Temecula is a semi-rural area 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles and its boundaries extend miles in all directions. As most school districts, Temecula offers bus transportation to students living outside a determined...

Saying that the stock market’s behavior has been crazy in recent months is like saying the weather has been crazy this summer. The market and the weather always act in crazy ways. Still, at least in the market’s case, sometimes even the folks stacking the deck get a bit queasy about the craziness. That’s happening now. You look at the financial press and financial web sites, and many recently...

As many of you may know the space shuttle is scheduled for a Monday evening/Tuesday morning (depending on your location) launch. I have been a space nut since I was a little kid and if I could have my wishes I’d probably be on the shuttle myself. But failing that I am incredibly proud and inspired by the fact that one of the astronauts on the current mission comes from my hometown of Stockton, California....

If you thought seniors fighting phantom cuts in their Medicare benefits at those town hall meetings were angry, wait until the first of the year when it dawns on all of them they’re getting no cost of living increase for the next two years. In fact, six million of Social Security’s 50 million recipients will suffer a pay cut and all will pay more for drugs. I say “phantom” cuts because...

Yes, it is possible: read this which doesn’t rule it out. Also be SURE to read the fourth paragraph: it is totally written from the viewpoint of someone immersed in the talk radio political culture (Hannity is as likeable as Ronald Reagan? Which Ronald Reagan did he SEE I will ask as a then-Democrat who voted for Ronald Reagan). It’s unlikely that many independent voters, moderate Republicans or...

Early this summer as the health care debate began to heat up I recall reading a very smart critique from one of TMV’s sharpest regular commentators – CStanley. She argued that each of the individual goals set out by Obama and advanced in the then-progressing HR3200 attack serious problems with the health care system. But the problem was in reconciling a whole bunch of mutually contradictory elements,...

Governments and international agencies are taking a big risk by playing down the potentially lethal effects of the H1N1 flu pandemic, earlier called “swine flu”, because most information during the last 11 months has come from the world’s rich countries. People affected are expected to double every three to four days for several months but in rich countries they are generally well nourished and access...

Believe me when I tell you how hard I gritted my teeth and refrained from commenting on the clucking chatter of First Lady Michelle Obama stepping off Air Force One wearing short shorts in 108-degree temperature on a visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. “Smart, lady,” I say to myself. “Very practical.” But, nooo. Her critics among the fashion police piously complained she was showing...

Nothing more to say. A soldier home from Afghanistan is greeted by one of the loves of his life.

One of the great things working for newspapers for so many years is the corrections we needed to print. Some editors were more sensitive to the process than others. A few were impervious to the point of neglecting their responsibility until the filing of a lawsuit. Some may recall the recent plight of The New York Times when its ombudsman corrected a story written by the paper’s TV critic who committed...

Former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge in an upcoming book will make an allegation that seemingly will confirm to many what Bush administration critics have long suspected: the administration’s attempts to raise color terrorism alerts smelled political to him. The New York Times reports: Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security, asserts in a new book that he was pressured by top advisers...

I have been a sports fan all my life but concede in the twilight of my existence what once was fiery passion has turned to embers. I’m not really jaded, bored or turned off because of steroids or performance enhancing drugs. No. What bothers me are the superstar athletes who don’t know when to call it quits. I’m undecided whether it’s the money or a severe ego problem. Probably a lot...

We’ve had lots of discussion the last few days about what motivates people opposing reforms that hinge on government-run health care. I’ve concluded that even educated, well-intentioned, and highly engaged people, regardless of ideological orientation, sometimes seem to have an unfortunate tendency to fit the narrative to a worldview. Take E.J. Dionne, Jr, in a Guest Post right here on TMV today...

I was just heading out to court when this broke, so excuse the shortness of the post. Scottish authorities have released Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of his role in the terror bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. The attack killed 270 people in the plane and on the ground. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that his terminal condition (he is dying of prostate cancer) and Scottish values bound...

Better than DEET and less toxic, too: A chemical that resembles natural products from black pepper can deter mosquitoes four times longer than DEET, the world’s most widely used bug repellent. The new substance could be used to protect people who live in the developing world, or to shield soldiers from insects when they deploy to countries with pest problems. “Our goal is to reduce disease transmission,”...