Readers may remember the unconscionable appearances by members of a so-called religious group from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, at military funerals claiming that the deaths of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for America’s acceptance of homosexuality. They show up at military funerals regardless of whether the fallen hero was gay or not. They appear at funerals...

I was going to start out with “this is just outrageous.” However, in the spirit set by Laura Ingraham’s new book let me say that this is “informative and hugely entertaining” and it is meant to “inspire both laughter and critical thinking about the future of the nation and the man currently at the helm.” I am talking about Glenn Beck’s appearance last night on the O’Reilly Factor. Glenn...

In 18 months, President Obama has captained three major pieces of legislation with an economic stimulus package, healthcare reform and overhaul of financial institution regulations. Yet, his popularity is heading south and if it were not for 90% of his black constituents could reach depths not seen since George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. Here’s my assessment. Jobs. Despite flutters of improvements, the American...

In this sober expression of national power from the state-run Global Times, author Dai Xu defends China’s role in opposing the United States and its allies in the Korean War, and castigates the ‘selfish’ who fail to ‘account for the interests of all parties.’ He writes that the Korean War was a great victory over America, the humiliations and hardships of China’s modern...

If forced to choose between Israel and Iran, which side would Arabs in the Arabian Gulf be on? This article from Kuwait’s Al Seyassah makes it hard to guess. Al-Sayasseh editor and chief Ahmad Abdal Aziz Al Jarallah accuses the Iranian regime of following the policies of the former Shah to economically and culturally take over Arab lands, starting with calling the ‘Arabian Gulf’ the ‘Persian...

I have been waiting patiently as most of the civilized world that ought to give a damn should on whether this latest attempt to cap the BP oil blowout is successful. What is critical is not that the cap has plugged the gusher 5,000 feet under the Gulf of Mexico. But the pressure tests as to the well’s integrity 8,000 feet below close to the reservoir holding billions of barrels of crude. Lose pressure, and...

The saga of the disappearance of Iranian nuclear researcher Shahram Amiri appears to have ended, with his arrival in Iran to a hero’s welcome. But reading between the lines of this news item from Iran’s state-run Kayhan newspaper, which calls this a ‘ fascinating but inevitably obscure story,’ it appears that the Tehran regime would rather not address open questions on whether he defected...

For many of you who use the Firefox browser to access my blog Right Wing Nuthouse, you may have found reading it an impossibility over the last 10 days or so. I ask your pardon. I was unaware of the problem until a reader emailed me and mentioned it. I was having problems accessing the site myself but I thought it was specific to my computer and not a general problem with viewing the website in Firefox (IE and...

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Eric Boehart of Media Matters, writing on the Huffington Post. He asks when Fox News’ and talk show host Rush Limbaugh become a news story? Here’s the key chunk of his post: Fox News (aka the Opposition Party) openly and proudly engages in jaw-dropping episodes of demagogic race-bating, as they depict the president of the United States as a hater of white...

WASHINGTON — Good for the NAACP. We need an honest conversation about the role of race and racism in the Tea Party. Thanks to a resolution passed this week at the venerable organization’s national convention, we’ll get it. The minute you say there are racist elements in the Tea Party — reflected in signs at rallies, billboards, and speeches from some of its major figures —...

Dave Weigel has a fascinating post over at The Daily Dish about the Megyn Kelly-Kirsten Powers dust-up over allegations of voter intimidation by members of the New Black Panther Party during the 2008 presidential elections, and supposed attempts by the Obama administration to lighten the case against the Panthers. (In fact, as Adam Serwer documented here, the case was downgraded from criminal to civil on January...

The BBC and NPR have the most thorough and interesting news coverage in the world.  That is the premise for Columbia University President Lee Bollinger’s argument that the government should respond to the rapid disintegration of economic viability in the newspaper industry by providing government subsidization of news coverage. The problem is that the admittedly excellent scope of coverage at the BBC...

Although I often disagree with the political views expressed on The Huffington Post that does not mean I do not enjoy reading many of the posts there. It gives me a challenge to my own opinions and often provides me with interesting information. Sometimes they even cause me to change my mind. More importantly, the HP has, for the most part, refrained from the nastier aspects of the partisan sites like Kos on...

Here are the top 10 most obnoxious political, media and cultural phrases: 1. “A defining moment…” A phrase as cringe worthy as chalk scratching a blackboard. So who determines a “defining” – pivotal — moment? Once upon a time it was a great historian or newspaper pundit. Today the phrase is trotted out by anyone who feels self-important. 2. “Tried to change the subject…” Translation:...

Even with a new government in power in Great Britain, one thing is remaining the same: the new government of David Cameron wants to keep the ban in place on bombastic American talk show host Michael Savage: Right-wing U.S. shock jock Michael Savage is still Britain’s least wanted man. That’s the word from London, where a new coalition government led by Prime Minister David Cameron has decided to...

David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Do Indian nations within U.S. borders have the right to issue passports? Most non-native Americans are unaware that North America’s Indian nations have never yielded in their battle to assert rights of national sovereignty like these. One of the stories we’re following at Worldmeets.US is an incident that emerged on July 8 between the United States and nationals of the Iroquois Nation. Over recent...

About six weeks ago, we had a spirited debate here at The Moderate Voice on the policy, the strategy and the tactics of the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the interception of and subsequent violence aboard the Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla, which intended to challenge, perhaps break, Israel’s authority and control over what goes in and out of Gaza. The debate covered all aspects...

Judging by the articles we have translated from the Swiss press today, there is little but pride in Switzerland over today’s decision to reject America’s extradition request for Roman Polanski, and setting the film director free. Arguing that the Americans failed to provide the needed documentation, this editorial from Switzerland’s 24 Heures by Chief Editor Thierry Meyer praises the decision...

Early today, after over a year of deliberations, Swiss authorities announced that they are rejecting an American request to extradite film director Roman Polanski, who has spent decades evading U.S. justice. According to columnist Francois Modoux of Switzerland’s Le Temps, the decision was not only just – it was absolutely necessary to safeguard Swiss sovereignty and the rights of Swiss citizens. For...

If we had a media that actually WAS “impartial” and non-partisan, this would be on the front page of every newspaper in the country:

It is not that the German psychic octopus has been turned into a recipe, or that he has met some other tragic fate. No, according to the New York Times, the famous cephalopod who correctly predicted “the outcome of as many World Cup matches as he has legs — all seven of Germany’s games plus the Spain-Netherlands final — is going to retire.” According to a spokeswoman for the Sea Life...

If Republicans take control over the U.S. House, and possibly the entire U.S. Congress (Senate included) this November, what will likely occur over the next two years politically and economically in the Nation? Based upon the prior performances of Republicans during the past dozen years and the stated policy positions over last two years of the GOP and the Obama Administration, next to nothing is to be expected...

WASHINGTON — If the midterm elections were held now, Republicans would likely take control of the House of the Representatives. It’s as hard these days to find a Democrat who’s not alarmed as it is to find a Cleveland Cavaliers fan who’s cheering for LeBron James. Worse for Democrats: They face two very different challenges, and addressing one could make the other worse. The...

Bob Schieffer interviewed Attorney General Eric Holder on CBS’s Face the Nation, and of course questioned him about the Obama administration’s decision to file suit against Arizona over that state’s new illegal immigration law.