…how long before this man is branded a traitor by those who don’t want to hear his message? Cross-posted to Random Fate. Good Intentions Gone Bad NEWSWEEK’s Baghdad bureau chief, departing after two years of war and American occupation, has a few final thoughts. By Rod Nordland Newsweek June 13 issue – Two years ago I went to Iraq as an unabashed believer in toppling Saddam Hussein. I knew his regime well from previous visits; WMDs or no, ridding the world of Saddam would...

Tom Watson has a wonderful piece on the original Honeymooners and the late, great Jackie Gleason — the person who TRULY deserved the phrase “the Great One.” This MUST be read in full but people of all ages. The new Honeymooners movie will be out, featuring a talented black cast and, reportedly, it features some of the shows’ best material — and from all reports the original strong writing still works. Younger people: Gleason was the inspiration for Fred Flintstone and...

To many — including some conservatives — the Supreme Court’s ruling saying it’s OK for federal officials to prosecute people using marijuana on a doctor’s recommendation shows that many on the court are blowing smoke when they talk about respecting state’s rights. In a decision that was not narrow, the Court added more fuel to the argument that these days left can mean right, conservative can mean liberal — and verbal and written principles can be finessed,...

Cross-posted to Random Fate. An unexpected conclusion is presented by Pennywit at his eponymous weblog: That’s something you don’t hear very often: That Justice Scalia does not apply his incisive views of the Constitution when his personal ox is being gored. Actually, other justices, and indeed, other judges, are far more guilty of this offense; differing strands of the law become more, or less, acceptable, depending on the judge’s political proclivities. Except for Justice Thomas,...

This weblog is named The Moderate Voice, but what does one do when it seems that in defense of the indefensible, one wing has gone beyond all reason? In my case, and in deference to Joe’s aim of balanced writing, instead of cross-posting, I write about it on my own weblog, and warn those cheeleaders of the far-right-wing that what I have written will not please them. In my opinion (and NOT necessarily that of the owner of this weblog, I want to make that clear), both the far-left-wing and the...

Cross-posted at Random Fate. I’ve known about the high probability that Apple would switch to Intel processors for almost six months, but I was constrained in writing about it because my information was from “inside”, and I do NOT want to muck with the FTC or the SEC, nor lose my job over my weblog: Apple to switch to Intel’s PC chips New chips will allow PC maker to lower prices By Jonathan Burton, MarketWatch Last Update: 1:44 PM ET June 6, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)...

Is Iraq bracing for a Randian revolt of the individual against the state? Probably not, but Iraq the Model makes a good point that the government structure hasn’t really changed since Saddam’s deposal, and that itself could be an impediment to civil development and clean (enough) government.

The head of Amnesty International USA on Sunday started to notably tiptoe away from charges by one of his group’s bigwigs that Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison is “”the gulag of our times.” This underscores a cautionary note for groups on the right and left and politicians as well. Using labels and potent phrases is as old as politics. What’s new is the existence of news “cycles” that are actually one continuous news cycle, zipping along at the speed...

Anyone who has even briefly done a weblog had it happen. You spend all this time writing, thinking, cutting out other things in your day to “post” to your weblog. You expect people will read it, and you understand that some people will disagree with you and…and then this happens: somebody hates YOU for what you wrote, or thinks you’re dumb for “wasting” your time on a blog. It happens…. …as it did to http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1117848662.shtml”>Dean...

If you’ve been in the news biz as I was, there are some stories that sadly repeat themselves over and over. And one of them is the latest case of a kid killed by pit bull pets that everyone said were such loving pooches. And the one that often comes out after the death story is THIS story: SAN FRANCISCO Jun 5, 2005 — San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom indicated Sunday that he may propose limitations on pit bull ownership in the wake of last week’s fatal mauling of a 12-year-old...

It looks as if the British government, seeing the way the European Union’s proposed constitution flopped in votes in France and the Netherlands, has decided to follow a new twist on an old adage: “Quit while you’re behind.” Reuters reports that the constitution is basically considered a dead issue in London: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is expected on Monday to shelve plans for a referendum in Britain on the new European Union constitution, already overwhelmingly rejected...

If you’re wondering how much the mainstream media in Iraq are missing, check the Friends of Democracy blog, sponsored by Spirit of America and written by Iraqis on the ground. Recent posts discuss Internet workshops with Iraqi women, a call to volunteerism and not waiting on the government to solve everything, and some pictures of Saddam’s booty (the monetary kind, not that one), with this message to Saddam’s lawyers: The tyrant collected these fortunes and stockpiled them in...

When Howard Dean was in the running for Democratic party chairman many moderates and even some liberals said he would be the wrong face and voice for the party — mainly because they felt he had — to be blunt — a big mouth. They warned he’d be a great choice to fire up already-convinced partisans but a lousy choice to expand the party’s base. And now, it seems, there are several signs that some Democrats believe their worst fears about Dean are coming true as he makes...

Washington Post columnist David Broder perfectly captures the meaning of Deep Throat, Watergate — and the recent effort by former Nixon administration members to discredit newly revealed source Mark Felt, the FBI’s second in command when Nixon was in power — in a blunt column that should be read, re-read, and then read again. Read the whole thing but here are key highlights that are so perfectly stated, important and true that we’ll boldface them. First, Broder notes the not...

Public Television and its relative NPR are under the microscope as Republicans continue to charge that it shows a marked political bias. This clamor has gone on for years only now there is a difference: the GOP controls virtually all of the machinery of government and now has people in place who can raise this issue as overseers of public TV and NPR. There are clearly two views on this. From the Republican/conservative viewpoint, PBS and NPR have been kind of like a government, corporate Lone Ranger...

Courtesy of Eric, The Straight White Guy, we are reminded that we have just passed an anniversary, one written about eloquently by Kathy at The Cake Eater Chronicles. She writes: I don’t think I’ll ever forget this man. No one knows who he is. No one knows if they should really be using the word “was” instead of “is” when they write about him. No one has any idea about anything in regards to him. Yet everyone remembers him. He was the one who screamed through...

Yet another news story has surfaced to give a big, fat black eye to John Bolton — but in hard-nosed political terms will it really matter in terms of derailing his likely approval as the new U.S. Ambassador to the UN? The latest comes from the Washington Post and, as usual, it doesn’t instill in readers an impression that Bolton is the Best OR the Brightest — and again raises the question: you mean to tell us that the Republican party and State Department don’t have ANY...

If you carefully listen to politicians’ promises it could make you thinner. The reason: American researchers have found that laughing can help you lose weight. No joke: next time you eat a medium sized square of chocolate try to find something to make you laugh for 10 to 15 minutes and it’ll help you burn off the calories. ABC News reports: Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, recruited 45 pairs of friends, shut them in a room decorated like a cheap hotel scientifically...

Apple Computer Inc. is reportedly poised to take a big bite out of its traditional core. According to reports, Apple is getting ready to dump its longtime chip supplier International Business Machines and use Intel Corporation’s Pentium range of processors for its Macintosh machines. The official announcement is expected Monday. That’s big news on the business front — and could mean some complicating factors for Apple customers. For instance, Earth Times reports: The company is...

After Tom Cruise’s hyper appearance on Oprah and his controversial blasting of Brooke Shields for using medication, the late Jules Verne may be rolling over in his grave with the news the War of the Worlds starring jumping-the-shark Cruise will soon come out. But here’s some news that should please the dead author (as much as any news would please a dead author). If this Guardian report is true, shouldn’t we now re-christien him a psychic? Japanese scientists are to explore the...

Between now and Monday morning TMV will be in Modesto, CA. Our wireless Internet at this hotel is virtually unuseable here. Also, our Cox Remote Internet is extremely slow from here. We’ll be posting, so check back but until our return to San Diego on Tuesday our posts will be limited out of necessity to linking to a news story or post, running parts of it and commenting on it. We will not attempt Around The ‘Sphere or any roundups from here since each post is taking about five times...

It’s the 16th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and that defining incident is likely to continue sinking further back in the public consciousness as terrorism eclipses slow-burning human rights issues. Here’s a bit of my take: For those who remember American foreign policy between the Berlin Wall’s fall and 9/11, there was a vigorous debate on how to handle a growing and increasingly prosperous China. George W. Bush, you might recall, leaned more toward the economic...

The video camera has provided the “smoking gun” to shock Serbs — and the world — into witnessing the horrors of the executions of six thin Bosnian Muslim teens by sometimes sneering and cursing Serb paramilitaries. The result: the nightmare-inducing video 1995 is making Serbs take notice of their country’s role in Europe’s worst massacre since the days of the Nazis in War War II. After World War II, many looked at what the Nazis did and used the slogan: “Never...

There’s good news for the military in a Gallup poll that suggests at least one institution hasn’t been tarnished with a perception that it’s becoming a political tool: The American public has more confidence in the military than in any other institution, according to a Gallup poll released this week. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed in Gallup’s 2005 confidence poll said they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the military –...

U.S. and foreign intelligence sources are reportedly saying Iran has become a safe-haven for terrorists by allowing them to live there, despite its official protestations to the contrary. The U.S. has repeatedly warned Tehran not to let Iran become the unofficial address (and hiding place) for terrorists. But, according to the AP , it has become exactly that: The evidence, which stretches over several years, includes communications by a fugitive mastermind of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing and the...