Via Talking Points Memo:

Steve Benen:

One of the few fundamental rights in America which should never have really generated any controversy is the freedom of religion. On the surface, it seems pretty simple. In layman’s terms, this is a country where you can follow any religion or none at all, as you see fit, and the government shall make no law, etc. etc. etc. And yet, I begin to wonder about the wisdom of the founders when I read stories...

As is part of a great American tradition, a lot was said and written in honor of our veterans this past Veterans Day. And, as it has become customary during the past few years, a lot has also been said and written about our newest veterans, the troops who have served so honorably and bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, as in past years, much has been said and written about “supporting the troops.” ...

More than Political Correctness or Victimhood at Work in Fort Hood Attack by Rick Moran We all like things to be simple. This is probably due to an evolutionary quirk that rewarded simpleminded hominids who didn’t expend the enormous energy in calories that would have required us to think hard about something. The brain eats up about 40% of our caloric intake so it makes sense that those early pre-homo...

I have been away for a little while but I have collected my thoughts about a few items that may make you want to hmmm… 1) Memphis is a great city. Beale Street has the best blues clubs in the country. Graceland was interesting but I have a question: Why is U.S. 51 named for Danny Thomas in town but Elvis Presley outside of Memphis? Is the King not good enough to have the entire road named for him? 2)...

Digby is fed up with paying for Viagra:

A couple of deaths today caught my attention Carl Ballantine died at the age of 92. For those not familiar with the name he was a talented comedian and magician that many of us knew from his role as con man Gruber in McHales Navy. He also did a great deal of voice over work and so many knew the voice from cartoons but not the name. The next name was John J. O’Connor III, the husband of former Supreme Court...

Hold on to your hats! As if there wasn’t enough conflict occurring at the present time, the war of words between Colombia and Venezuela seems to be escalating – along with the paranoia. And just as Washington has won permission to open seven military bases in Colombia. This somewhat hair-raising article from Venezuela’s El Universal shows just how thorny such a war would be – and warns...

This GUEST VOICE piece is by Rafael Jesús González from California, on Veterans’ Day 2009. It is a perspective on ’supporting the troops’ …or not. I brought it here to give a small x-ray into how one family’s three generations of soldiers is evolving nearly ninety years after what was supposed to have been ‘the war to end all wars, World War One’ …GUEST VOICE...

In his excellent post honoring our veterans, Jazz Shaw mentioned that “The debt we owe to our returning heroes runs much deeper than a free pass to Disneyland.” While we have come a long way in how we treat our veterans and in improving the benefits and services our veterans receive, especially under the leadership of Gen. Eric Shinseki, we still have a long way to go. In particular, as mentioned...

RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

In his Ft. Hood eulogy yesterday, the President eloquently honored “men and women answering an extraordinary call–the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans… “Tomorrow is Veterans...

“Having a ham sandwich on the afternoon of Yom Kippur doesn’t make you less Jewish,” Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, chairman of the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, said recently. I feel like this may be a license for mis-behavior. (If you’re interested in the context of Rabbi Schochet’s remark, click here.) Cross-posted at Conventional Folly

I suppose it was somewhat heartening to see that our national parks and forests will be giving free admissions to U.S. veterans today in honor of Armistice Day. But there’s a small, bitter part of me which always finds such gestures to ring rather hollow and to be far from enough. The debt we owe to our returning heroes runs much deeper than a free pass to Disneyland. Don’t get me wrong here…...

Anti-abortion and pro-life advocates successfully added an Amendment to the House Health Reform Bill that prohibited any Federal Funds from subsidizing private insurance purchases by individuals and families on public exchanges that would cover abortions. Pro-abortion and pro-choice advocates cried foul and the amendment constituted an impermissible limit on a woman’s right to choose. The President also...

When President Barack Obama gave a speech at the memorial service for the 14 people murdered by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood, it was one of those moments Presidents don’t relish but that can linger beyond the moment. Was this one of them? The context was a thorny one. Controversies still swirl over which intelligence agency seemingly dropped the ball on the warning signs that Hasan was a potential...

Warren Buffet is nobody’s fool when it comes to global business and investing. We should all heed his suggestion to invest in America’s Railroads and private companies designing, building and maintaining key national and regional infrastructure projects around the world. We won’t be able to buy BNSF shares for a short time since Berkshire Hathaway will own 100% of it, but within the next few years, there...

David Brooks had me going there, with the first several paragraphs in his column today. He had me thinking a new David Brooks had suddenly emerged, as a butterfly from its chrysalis, with powers of insight and perception the old David Brooks could only dream of having.

President Barack Obama today spoke to a crowd of 15,000 at memorial service for the Fort Hood Massacre in which 14 people were killed. Details of the event are HERE. Here’s the full text of his address, via the White House website: To the Fort Hood community; to Admiral Mullen; General Casey; General Cone; Secretary McHugh; Secretary Gates; most importantly, to family, friends and members of our Armed...

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reseserved.

Dear, sweet Pat Robertson. Such a gentle, kindly Christian gentleman:

Not a Halloween costume either. I had to see it to believe it. Reuters posted video yesterday, calling it a novel way to address personal safety: Aya Tsukioka’s Coke-machine dress allows the wearer to quickly change appearance to that of a vending machine – blending into the urban landscape. A Japanese man says in the report that he thinks women would be better off running than pulling up a skirt...

Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, the show that has been the part of the childhood of hundreds of millions of people. A show that both entertains and educates, a program that inspires the dreamers of the day and the leaders of the future. However, there is plenty of commentary out there about how amazing the program is and how much of an impact it has had on society as a whole, so I thought...