Update and correction: Jimmy Leeward, the pilot of the Mustang P51 that crashed in Reno was first reported by media to be 80 years old. He is actually one month shy of being 75. TMV regrets carrying the error forward. Dr.E, M.Ed. Being closer to 80 than to 20 years of age, I bristle when people say 'old people' cant, shouldnt, ought not to (fill in the blank with any number … [Read more...] about Pilot of P51 Plane Crashed During Air Race at Reno was 80 Years Old (Update: actual age: 74)
Boehner vs. Tea Party Treason
At what point do stubborn blindness, knee-jerk resistance and blanket refusal to negotiate cross the line from ideological opposition to subversion of government? In what has now become coded language for “The Tea party won’t let me,” House Speaker John Boehner, after lauding tax cuts and less regulation as the answers to job creation he learned working in his grandfather’s … [Read more...] about Boehner vs. Tea Party Treason
Crash At Reno Air Race Kills 3, Injures Over 50
New updates: As is typical in cases like this the pilot appears to have been heroic in his last moments, fighting to steer the plane away from the crowd without any concern for his own survival. A plane has crashed at the Reno Air Races and the latest reports say 3 have died and over 50 are injured. A memorial has been scheduled for tomorrow and the remainder of the races … [Read more...] about Crash At Reno Air Race Kills 3, Injures Over 50
Republican Disunity: 1964 LBJ Campaign Commercial
Remember when... Johnson positioned himself as a moderate, and succeeded in portraying Goldwater as an extremist. Goldwater had a habit of making blunt statements about war, nuclear weapons, and economics that could be turned against him. Most famously, the Johnson campaign broadcast a television commercial on September 7 dubbed the "Daisy Girl" ad, which featured a little … [Read more...] about Republican Disunity: 1964 LBJ Campaign Commercial
Top Five Friday: Saturday Morning Cartoons
A local radio show has a bit every week called Top Five Friday. They pick a topic and have you call in with your top five while presenting their own lists. This week the topic was Saturday Morning Cartoons.... So chime in, what are your favorite bowl of sugary cereal morning memories ? … [Read more...] about Top Five Friday: Saturday Morning Cartoons
Random Thought Of The Day
Just a little wisdom from the feeble mind of me... Never forget that every thing that has been, that is, or that ever will be began (or will begin) with a single thought in the mind of one person. We are all capable of great thoughts and thus we are all capable of great things. … [Read more...] about Random Thought Of The Day
A White House Brain-Dead About Solar Energy, Too
When I say the Obama White House is "brain-dead," which I do often these days, I don't mean the folks working there are incapable of thinking. On the contrary. They think deeply about all sorts of things. It's just that their thinking always seems to lead to new versions of old ideas that are either outdated, demonstrably ineffective, or just plain silly. The well-deserved … [Read more...] about A White House Brain-Dead About Solar Energy, Too
Overreaction to 9-11 is Major Reason for American Decline (Ibaraki Shimbun, Japan)
Has the United States been in the midst of a national neurotic episode since the 9-11 attacks? According to this editorial from Japan's Ibaraki Shimbun, going around the world and "brandishing an ideal" is just as foolish for the United States as it is for al-Qaeda. The Ibaraki Shimbun editorial says in part: Ten years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks … [Read more...] about Overreaction to 9-11 is Major Reason for American Decline (Ibaraki Shimbun, Japan)
Iraqis Reject the Terrorist Message of September 11 (Sotal Iraq, Iraq)
Eight years after the invasion of Iraq, which was prompted at least in part by Bush Administration claims that Saddam Hussein was somehow involved in the 9-11 terrorist attacks, how do Iraqis feel about al-Qaeda - and about America? For the Iraqi newspaper Sotal Iraq, columnist Rageb Al-Rakabi writes that Iraqis firmly reject the terror group and its plots to attack the United … [Read more...] about Iraqis Reject the Terrorist Message of September 11 (Sotal Iraq, Iraq)
Low Lowdown on Palin
For decades, Joe McGinniss has been to journalism what Sarah Palin has become to politics--a relentless self-promoter who rarely lets facts get in the way of a good story-—and now they come together with the former’s book about the latter as she is on the brink of possibly becoming a presidential candidate. The next media scandals du jour will emanate from that 320-page … [Read more...] about Low Lowdown on Palin
I Could Care Less . . . But
I could care less if Sarah Palin had a one-night stand with a basketball player when she was a sports broadcaster back in 1987. I could care less that the player was future Miami Heat star Glen Rice, who was playing for Michigan and was in Anchorage for a tournament. I could care less that 6-foot-7 Rice is an African-American. I could care less that Rice is … [Read more...] about I Could Care Less . . . But
Solyndra and Bush
Type in "Solyndra" and "Bush" at Google and you'll get pages of media references (Fox, too, but not exclusively) to "Obama trying to blame Bush for Solyndra." In the page I looked at, there was only one "Bush role in Solyndra..." From CNN to ABC to dozens more, the story is Obama Blaming. Facts? What emerges is that a bunch of Republican donors and allies had invested … [Read more...] about Solyndra and Bush
Gulf War Syndrome Is Physical Brain Damage, Not Psychological
According to a study published this week in the journal Radiology, "abnormal hippocampal blood flow" can be measured in the brains of some ill Gulf War vets. Brantley Hargrove writes: The findings mark a significant advancement in our understanding of the syndrome, which was for years written off by the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a form … [Read more...] about Gulf War Syndrome Is Physical Brain Damage, Not Psychological
Buy American
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Buy American
Inside the Death Cult of the GOP (part ii.)
"Your morgauge is not my problum!" There is a point to painstakingly tracing the lie that masked Speaker Boehner's unprecedented bit of scheduling nastiness on the President's speech before Congress last week. It throws a harsh light onto the problem that pulls it into sharp relief. Rather than governing, the GOP strategy is to go on strike, knowing that it will tank the … [Read more...] about Inside the Death Cult of the GOP (part ii.)
GA Parole Board Swamped With Petitions
Following up on my earlier post, this afternoon the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles received petitions with over 663,000 names seeking clemency for Troy Anthony Davis: Davis' supporters, led by Amnesty International and the Georgia chapter of the NAACP, appeared at the board's offices and handed over 15 boxes filled with petitions, Amnesty Laura Moye said. The board, … [Read more...] about GA Parole Board Swamped With Petitions
The Cost of Everything and the Value of Nothing
What is truly remarkable about the politics of the early 21st century is how the difference between a cost and an investment has been undermined. This week, the Institute on Research for Public Policy released a report which estimated that it would take $200 billion to repair Canada's crumbling infrastructure. And, in Newsweek, Michael Tomasky reports that -- in the United … [Read more...] about The Cost of Everything and the Value of Nothing
Sue Happy America (Guest Voice)
From the eLocalLawyer blog, here's a Guest Voice in the form of a graphic: (Click to enlarge) Source: eLocalLawyers.com … [Read more...] about Sue Happy America (Guest Voice)
Verbal Child Abuse
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Verbal Child Abuse
An Exclusive Look at Politicians’ and Media Types’ Voice Mail
The other day I got lost in my health plan’s voice mail. By the time the call was over my nails grew an inch and my kitten became a cat. But it isn’t only corporations that are mired in voice mail mania: so are politicians and media types. How do I know? I checked. I called the White House office of President Barack Obama and got this: “This is your moment! You have … [Read more...] about An Exclusive Look at Politicians’ and Media Types’ Voice Mail