How could the riots change Great Britain? The Telegraph's Robert Colvile gives us this list of 10 ways. Meanwhile GO HERE and watch two almost giddy teen rioters explaining why they're doing what they're doing (to "show the rich people").' UPDATE: Meanwhile, the (always must read) Christian Science Monitor reports that the British government is now moving towards tougher … [Read more...] about How Could the Riots Change Great Britain?
Wisconsin: Conservatives Win Progressives Gain
WASHINGTON -- There will be no magic potion, no instant formula for Democrats and progressives struggling to come back from their disastrous 2010 election losses. They had hoped that Tuesday's recall elections in Wisconsin would provide a narrative-changing breakthrough, proof-positive that the overreaching conservatives who now dominate the Republican Party had … [Read more...] about Wisconsin: Conservatives Win Progressives Gain
After 300 Hundred Years, Representative Democracy is Imperiled (Les Echos, France)
With the economic crisis/collapse and the incapacity of leaders to effectively resolve it, there is a profound and existential fear gripping the modern world. According to columnist Jean-marc Vittori of France's Les Echos, Western-style democracy, which has long been considered the most advanced system of governance, may be irretrievably unraveling. For Les Echos, Jean-marc … [Read more...] about After 300 Hundred Years, Representative Democracy is Imperiled (Les Echos, France)
Staunch Republican Conservatives Picked for Deficit Committee
The outlook for the special committee -- or Super Congress -- tied in with the controversial debt limit ceiling deal is...g-r-i-d-l-o-c-k. The reason: staunch conservatives who've all signed Grover Grover Norquist's no tax pledge and who are not exactly known as best buds of Social Security, Medicare, etc are the ones who've been named. And the names on the Democratic side … [Read more...] about Staunch Republican Conservatives Picked for Deficit Committee
This Summer’s Riots In London And Manchester; Next Summer In Big American Cities?
As I watch the riots, looting and burning in English cities like London and Manchester this summer of 2011, I have the sickening feeling I'm seeing something that will be replicated on these shores in the summer of 2012. Here, however, if the sparks catch, the eruptions are likely to be bigger, nastier, far more violent, far more destructive. And they are also likely to shape … [Read more...] about This Summer’s Riots In London And Manchester; Next Summer In Big American Cities?
“Anti Fraud” Commercials Promoted By Unions ?
Here in California we've been hearing a series of radio ads talking about how it is terrible to sign any ballot petition because many of those who do the gathering are crooks and will use the info to steal your identity. When the ads first began I wondered what the story was and it turns out that the ads are sponsored by labor unions who oppose several initiatives that are … [Read more...] about “Anti Fraud” Commercials Promoted By Unions ?
Beast in the Jungle
... Obama has spent a lifetime creating his persona — superior, wise, above all parties and interests, all-seeing, calm, unflappable. But as Drew Westen, a liberal psychology professor at Emory University wrote in The Times on Sunday, puzzling about what has happened to his former hero’s passion, the president never identifies the villains who cause our epic … [Read more...] about Beast in the Jungle
NATO Attack Kills Taliban Responsible for Downing Navy Seal Helicopter
It was payback time in Afghanistan: An air strike by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan killed Taliban fighters, including a local leader, who were responsible for a weekend helicopter crash that killed 38 troops, the worst single incident in 10 years of war. "The strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired the shot associated with the August … [Read more...] about NATO Attack Kills Taliban Responsible for Downing Navy Seal Helicopter
Right All Along
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Right All Along
Will Rumsfeld Finally Be Held Accountable For Authorizing The Use of Torture?
The upshot of the Bush Torture Regime -- the systematic use of Nazi-like interrogation techniques against foes and friends like -- has been deeply dissatisfying. The mainstream news media has been studiously uncurious about the criminal behavior of top administration officials and their lackies, and none have been held accountable. But that may be about to change. A … [Read more...] about Will Rumsfeld Finally Be Held Accountable For Authorizing The Use of Torture?
President Romney?
It’s looking like 1976 again. A nation suffering from political post-traumatic stress syndrome (Watergate then, the economy now) is shying away from more of the same in Washington and ready for a less polarizing president or, in a more cynical view, open to the idea of keeping the Oval Office vacant. Back then, enter Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer who had gone to the Naval … [Read more...] about President Romney?
Mad Leadership
No, not "mad" as in Tea Party anger. Instead, we're talking "mad" as in A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness. Stephen Colbert did an excellent interview with its author, Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood Disorders program at Tufts University Medical Center. Ghaemi says strong conviction, … [Read more...] about Mad Leadership
Congress + The FAA + U.S. Airlines = What’s Wrong With America
I was dumbfounded when I first read that between July 23 and August 7 American airlines would not be collecting federal ticket taxes because our straightjacketed Congress failed to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. I was outraged when I read that American airlines raised ticket prices by the amount of the tax (exceptions: Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit) but did not … [Read more...] about Congress + The FAA + U.S. Airlines = What’s Wrong With America
Making Sense Of The #UKRiots
I was offline most of the weekend and Monday, so you can imagine my shock when I turned to Tweetdeck this morning and the first thing I saw was tweets about riots in the U.K. I found some articles to help bring me up to speed and provide some context. There were shocking bits: One journalist wrote that he was surprised how many people in Tottenham knew of and were critical … [Read more...] about Making Sense Of The #UKRiots
GOP Appears To Hold Wisconsin Senate, Some Dems Claim Fraud
There were six Senators facing recall tonight in Wisconsin, all of them Republicans. For the Democrats to take back the chamber they needed to win 3 and it appears they fell one short. State Senator Dan Kapanke lost as expected (his district is strongly Democratic). Margin looks to be 56-44. Senate Senator Randy Hopper also lost and this was also expected due to the … [Read more...] about GOP Appears To Hold Wisconsin Senate, Some Dems Claim Fraud
Quote of the Day: Is It Time for England to Confront Its Race-Related Issues?
Our Quote of the Day is actually part of a must-read post in The Huffington Post by Lola Adesioye on the ongoing riots in England: In 2011, it's shameful that any of England's citizens feel that violence is the best way in which to express frustration. Watching live online footage of yesterday's rioting in Tottenham from America, I was thrown back to yesteryear. This … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Is It Time for England to Confront Its Race-Related Issues?
And it’s one, two, three
And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for ? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam; And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why, Whoopee! we're all gonna die. Country Joe and the Fish Those of us who are old enough to remember Vietnam - yes that includes me, although I was never in … [Read more...] about And it’s one, two, three
Evaluation BS (Guest Voice)
Evaluation BS by Steve Suranovic The economic news is riveting this week especially to an economist, but it amazes me all the BS I hear and read about as people are asked to assess the situation. Harry Frankfurt, a Princeton philosophy Professor, wrote a brief treatise titled “On Bulls---” a few years ago in which he tried to answer an obvious question, “Why is there so … [Read more...] about Evaluation BS (Guest Voice)
How Much Is that F-35 in the Window?
How much is that F-35 in the Window? Some will say, if you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford that puppy. But since that question is so frequently and persistently asked, let's first take a good look at the puppy. It is a pedigree puppy that has been carefully "developed" following years of exhaustive and expensive research and selective breeding in order … [Read more...] about How Much Is that F-35 in the Window?
You Can’t Escape Suggestive Selling In Life or the Media
SAN DIEGO, California — This time I was about to get on my plane at San Diego International Airport when I went to the newsstand to buy a copy of the Los Angeles Times. As the clerk rang it up she asked me in a robot-like type tone: “Do you want a sweatshirt with that?” “No,” I told her. “How about a book?” “No.” “Crayons?” “No.” “Breath mints?” “I don’t … [Read more...] about You Can’t Escape Suggestive Selling In Life or the Media