In the clip below from this morning’s TODAY show, U.S. Representative from Minnesota and Republican primary candidate for president, Michele Bachmann, shows how to handle being asked if she fears being “palinized” (in the video at about the four minute mark). In my opinion, as someone who has run for office, anyone who “fears being palinized” should not be running for office in...

It’s hard to know where to start, as a mother of three kids under 18, one of whom has a recurring respiratory problem whenever he gets a cold, and living in a state that gets an overall F in clean air, when it comes to how universally savage the Republican presidential hopefuls are toward the Environmental Protection Agency. If you missed the news, here’s a breakdown of how each of seven candidates...

It’s possible no one else will say it, but US Rep. and now Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann got major earned media tonight at the New Hampshire primary debate because she announced that she’s officially entering the presidential primary competition. Why else was it her night? (If you missed the debate, I live-blogged it all here and so did Joe Gandelman, here.) She did not use any...

Christiane Amanpour hosted an excellent roundtable this morning on This Week that explored the following observation: You’d be hard-pressed to find a sex scandal involving a female politician these days, which begs the question, what if there were more women in politics and in positions of power? Would they change the way business is done from Wall Street to Washington and beyond? I urge you to watch the...

Senator Robert F. Kennedy died on this date in 1968 at the age of 42. He was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles the night before. He had just won the California Primary for the Democratic Nomination for President. Coming just two months after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this date probably marks the end of true “liberalism” in the United States. In retrospect,...

I’m actually the spouse in politics in my house, but as I watch how the media – and voters – handle the spouses of candidates and politicians, it seems impossible to determine the root cause for why one particular spouse gets followed and others, you have to actually Google to find out what their first name is. For example, I knew that Haley Barbour’s wife had reportedly nixed his run...

Their tagline is: “You can’t BRAG if you don’t ride!” The 32nd annual Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) began Sunday at Oglethorpe College in Atlanta. It moves on to Oxford, Milledgeville, Dublin, Metter and Hinesville before coming to an end in Savannah on Saturday. Rest stops, set up every 15 miles along the route, are managed by the Special Olympics. This is the fourth year in a row that my partner,...

How’s this to a)spoil your appetite at breakfast if it happened to your toast b)be begging for all kinds of interpretations (you’re free to share some in comments) c)be something his followers may declare as a sign and others declare as a sign of the end of the world? Osama bin Laden’s face has appeared on a piece of toast in Great Britain: For almost a decade there were no sightings of Osama...

Seems that it is not as unusual as some would have us think

I get to see Ezekiel Isaac Malekar at least twice a year. A pleasant person wearing a kippah, Malekar is a permanent invitee at many Indian government’s national functions, including the birth and death anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi at the Gandhi Smriti, in the heart of New Delhi, where Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. Sitting next to a Maulvi, a Muslim teacher/scholar, Malekar recites passages from...

5,609,004 views and counting… Frankly, I think it’s overrated. But, hey, the internet is made of cats. And it’s a sweet diversion for a lazy holiday weekend. Let’s turn now to animal behaviorist John Bradshaw, who will give this post some substance: We know they dream because you can measure the brain waves and the movements of the animal (unintelligible) which are very similar to the...

When it’s the 19th inning of a ballgame approaching six hours and 600 hitters and you’ve used your last pitcher, what you gonna do? Philadelphia Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel scratched his head extra hard and finally turned to infield position player Wilson Valdez, who later said he hadn’t pitched since a backyard game in his native Dominican Republic in 2002. You’d never...

This photo of President Obama and his national security staff hunkered down in the White House Situation Room as the Navy SEAL team raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound unfolded has a lock on 2011 Picture of the Year. Well, at least for non-meteorological events. That in turn has triggered an orgy of Photoshopped versions. Kill a few brain cells feasting on the details in the version below. Yes, that’s...

Wheeler’s widow is handed flag at Arlington inurnment on April 29 It has been going on five months since the battered corpse of defense consultant John P. Wheeler fell from a trash truck at a northern Delaware landfill, and if anything the mystery surrounding his death has deepened. As dead guys go, Jack Wheeler would not seem to be the kind of person who would end up in a landfill, but a closer look...

When I was young I used to read a series of books called “The People’s Alamanac” and “The Book Of Lists”. Each book offered hundreds, if not thousands of interesting factoids. These books came to mind when I was perusing the shelves at my local library and made a great discovery. Have you ever had a moment where you wondered about the things that are part of our everyday lives ? Why...

On a TMV comment thread I was presented with this question: “Well, now that you have brought up the subject of reading legal opinions, Elijah, I have my opening to ask HOW, in your view as a legal professional, a layperson *should* read a legal opinion?” Because of the many discussions on legal topics, constitutional issues and political policy issues that touch on court decisions or are later affected...

This is me and my mother 63 years ago.  Then she took care of me now I gladly take care of her.  She is 88 years old.  She cooked, cleaned and looked out for my every need for 20 years.  She was always there to support me.  She let me help even though it would have been easier if I didn’t.  I now do the same for her.  My way of saying thank you Mom.

Let’s begin with the premise that jackrabbits, of the hare family, are related to deer. Now I don’t know if that’s true or not, and I’m not about to research it. If I were to research it and it weren’t true, it would undermine the premise, and this story would go nowhere. Of course, some smart ass reader will research it, discover that I’m completely full of it, post it in the comment section...

This article is dedicated to the memory of Marine Lt. Col. Earl Charles “Charlie” Rodenberg A few weeks ago we attended the “Celebration of Life” service for a dear friend and neighbor who passed away after a long and valiant struggle with cancer. Our friend’s final battle was as courageous as was his long service to country and to the Marine Corps. Marine Lt. Col. Earl Charles “Charlie” Rodenberg...

I clearly remember the first time I felt my cell phone vibrate. I was alone, driving a low budget rental car on a surprisingly empty southern California freeway. It was dark and I was somewhat lost. I preface my lostness with “somewhat” to placate my masculine sensitivities. However, totally lost may be a more objective description of the situation. I had just finished a long day of doctoral classes...

I’ve decided I’m not going to write about my vasectomy. Although my vasectomy is fertile soil for comedic musings, it would be unwise to dedicate an entire blog to such a crass subject. Lowbrow readers might clamor for some inappropriate commentary, however, I refuse to provide even a snippet of salacious reporting. Frankly, my cutting edge compositions are not worthy of such unseemly prose. Therefore,...

The Dust of Eden It’s all a bit odd. Dirt covers the earth and pavement covers the dirt. People travel the pavement in cars. They sit in their cars, on their phones, talking to someone else, somewhere else. Eden is buried, it’s beneath us. Dirt covers the earth and buildings cover the dirt. In the buildings sit chairs, tables, and beds. The beds, tables, and chairs are turned towards screens. The...

I hate Monopoly! I grew up in a home that did not condone excessive use of the word “hate”. Whenever I whined the word “hate” to show my displeasure, my mother would remind me that “Hate is a very strong word that is best used to describe such things as the devil.” With this in mind, I want you to know that I hate the devil and I hate Monopoly! Charles B. Darrow created Monopoly in the early 1930s....

Here’s an incredibly powerful statement of conviction about what goes on, still, in most classrooms and what educating is all about. I’d love to have him compose a similarly-toned response for me and other local electeds when we’re getting abused for reminding people about the finite nature of resources and the short and long-term consequences of making decisions for a municipality based purely...

I’ve lost 22 pounds since the first of January. Since I have a habit of finding the weight I’ve lost, I’m going to celebrate this achievement while the scale is still cooperating with my efforts. About 7 years ago I weighed 277 pounds. After a prolonged stretch of low-carbing and Taco Bell avoidance, I got my weight down to 237. Since that time, my weight has fluctuated like the tide. Right now I’m...