You Call This an Odyssey? by Peter Funt If nothing else, the current operation in Libya confirms that the United States has overwhelming global superiority in coming up with bad names. Odyssey Dawn sounds like a porn star. I recall in my youth being intrigued by ads for the work of a stripper named Modesty Blaze, who I imagine took her name from the comic strip Modesty Blaise – either of which would have...

Can we possibly start a new week without someone suggesting the United States get into a new war? This isn’t a snarky question because now…today…at this moment.. at the height of controversy over the United States’ military involvement in Libya, Connecticut Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman is now raising the possibility of the United States intervening in Syria. No joke: Senate Homeland...

We always knew that partisanship was an ideal petri dish for the flowering of hypocrisy, but the ongoing debates about U.S. intervention in Libya have provided such heavy doses that to not notice would indicate, well, hypocrisy about hypocrisy. From Republicans and many conservatives: Having consistently comdemned the post-Vietnam War Powers Act as an unconstitutional attempt by Congress to infringe on the prerogatives of...

Our linkfest taking you to blogs and websites of differing viewpoints. Links do not necessarily represent the opinion of TMV or its many writers. Verbal Overkill? Townhall’s Andrew Tallman will ‘take his chances with the Jared Loughners of the world’ over our Government. Syria? Is it time for a regime change? Glenn Reynold’s view HERE. Riots in England Over Budget Cuts: Is this a sign...

Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

A truly hideous disturbing video, via CNN: A woman named Eman al-Obeidy is dragged away on camera after accusing 15 members of Gadhafi’s militia of sexual assault. The only thing they didn’t do was knock her out or slap tape over her mouth. Here’s the video: (This segment is with Don Lemon. I was on several political segments as an independent talking on his newscast earlier this year. Even...

Editor’s note: As reported earlier, Canada’s government has fallen and a new election is set for May 2. Here’s a take on what happened on the Canadian political scene by Canada’s Owen Grey.) Prime Minister Harper’s speech in front of Rideau Hall offered Canadians a glimpse into what makes him tick. He completely ignored the non-confidence vote — claiming that it was an under...

After China abstained on U.N. authorization for a no-fly zone over Libya, this article from the state-controlled Beijing Youth Daily examines why, after decades of almost unilateral decision-making, Washington is letting France take the lead in operations against Muammar Qaddafi’s forces. Beijing academic Zhang Guoqing concludes that the unpopular President Sarkozy is hoping to demonstrate strength to...

I am amazed at the flip-flopping and inconsistencies that are going on when it comes to supporting or opposing the coalition’s enforcement of the UN-established no-fly zone in Libya. There are those who supported the Iraq war and support the coalition’s present action in Libya. While I think they were wrong on Iraq, they are at least consistent. There are those who opposed the Iraq war and who oppose our...

Taylor Jones, El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

It’s a long standing complaint across Latin America: Who gave the people of the United States the exclusive right to call themselves ‘Americans’? With President Obama on a state visit to Chile, columnist Orlando Alfonso Olave of Chile’s La Nacion exhorts his compatriots to take back a word that he asserts belongs just as much to Latin Americans as it does to people living north of...

As one of the first public disagreements between President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin shows, Russians are split on the wisdom of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. Rossiyskaya Gazeta columnist Yevgeniy Shestakov warns those who were hoping for a Russian veto of the U.N. Security Council resolution on Libya, that had Moscow done so, the consequences would have been extremely damaging...

If only Jeffrey Goldberg et al. became this exercised when major U.S. news organizations refer to the C.I.A.’s torture program as “what some call torture.”

Libya: Not so much a question of “if” as of “when” by Prairie Weather True: “Qaddafi poses no threat to America.” Well, except for an airliner full of people brought down by Qaddafi or the recent killings of Americans in Berlin. Even leaving aside those incidents, D.B. Grady, writing in The Atlantic, is right about what Obama has managed to do. Here is the rare alignment...

Clean Coal and the Price of Eggs in Japan By D. R. Welch As many environmentalist dance around the grave of nuclear power, Japanese farmers are busy trying to allay fears of radioactive produce. Ok, maybe not the fear of eggs but, the fear of radioactive spinach and milk. As all six reactors have had power reestablished, workers, engineers and scientists will begin trying to restart the cooling pumps. The damage...

All of the articles I’ve linked to below came to me via my Twitter feed.

The troubles at the Fukishima nuclear facility have all but disappeared from the US media and I believe it’s intentional.  Public opinion in the US is already turning against nuclear power and the corporate media doesn’t want to do anything to encourage that trend.  I’m sure that the situation in Japan is much worse than the Japanese are saying but even what they are saying is dire. There...

What is the ‘international community.’ Does it represent nations working things out in concert, or is it closer to pure fiction? Columnist Olivier Picard of France’s Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace laments that the events of the past few days reflect the sad truth of the politics of our fast-globalizing world. For the Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, Olivier Picard writes in part: We...

EGYPTIAN AIR FORCE FIGHTER JETS To paraphrase the great military blogger Tom Ricks, the only people not freaking over Libya are those who didn’t like the idea of a no-fly zone in the first place. That noted, the U.S.-led NATO air forces have accomplished what they set out to do in a mere three days. Radar and anti-aircraft missile sites are in ruins and Moammar el-Qaddafi’s air force is effectively...

UPDATE: According to the blog Israel Matzav there has been one death. Carl live-blogged, the newest updates are at the bottom of the post. ================================= MSNBC just reported that a bus blew up in Jerusalem and there are many casualties. This may signal a new reign of terror by Palestinians. A bus explosion in Jerusalem has caused dozens of casualties, police said Wednesday. Scores of ambulances...

The selective memory is John McCain’s:

Hajo de Reijger, The Netherlands This copyrighted cartoon is license to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

A new CBS poll finds that nearly 7 in 10 support air strikes in Libya — a sign that the U.S. public will give early efforts a chance. But if the history of past wars is any indication, patience won’t last forever — and probably even less in the case of Libya: Nearly seven in ten Americans support the use of military air strikes in Libya in order to protect civilians from attacks by Libyan leader...

I had just finished paying for some magazines at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport before heading back to San Diego when the cashier asked me: “Do you want some gum with that?” “No,” I told her.” “Some water?” “No.” “A newspaper? “ “No!” “How about a candy bar?” “No!! Just the magazines.” I went to my doctor due to a stomach problem. After the exam the doctor asked...

If all you have is a hammer — which in this case is the world’s biggest military — then every problem ultimately resembles a nail. ~ WILL BUNCH I have reluctantly come around to supporting the no-fly zone over Libya because, as belated as the action may be, it is in the service of a larger cause — the democratic transformation of the Arab world, warts and all as well as risks and all...