The "Whitewater" school of phony outrage has been turned all the way up to eleven on the media amplifiers. from "This is Spinal Tap" There is nothing surprising in this. What is surprising is that the same tired con works on the same tired brains with the same tired conclusions that it did back in the good 'ol Ken Starr daze: Obama's Counsel Told of IRS Audit Findings … [Read more...] about Scandal Eyes
House Fishing Expeditions- Hoping to Hook a Big One
The House GOP refuses to let up. As long as they can keep potential scandals in the public eye by going fishing, they will keep at it. They’re hoping this will energize their base for the 2014 elections and keep the general public from focusing on the fact that important legislating is not getting done. The questions are how long they will be able to keep these events at … [Read more...] about House Fishing Expeditions- Hoping to Hook a Big One
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) Holding Constituents Hostage by Seeking Budget Cuts for Tornado Aid
SHAMEFUL: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is willing to hold his constituents in the face of a major tornado disaster in Moore, Okla., hostage by saying he won't support disaster relief for his home state unless the budget is cut elsewhere. Given that he voted against Sandy relief aid for New York and New Jersey, I have to say he's consistent, if anything. To echo Americablog, Tom … [Read more...] about Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) Holding Constituents Hostage by Seeking Budget Cuts for Tornado Aid
Angelina Jolie’s ‘Breasts of Social Contention’ (News, Switzerland)
With her announcement of a double mastectomy, Angelina Jolie has created a social media tsunami. But according to columnist Patrik Etschmayer of Switzerland's News, she has unwittingly done something else: expose the ugly underbelly of misinformed new media opinion. For Switzerland's News, Patrik Etschmayer writes in part: Anyone who has actually read her statement … [Read more...] about Angelina Jolie’s ‘Breasts of Social Contention’ (News, Switzerland)
More Guns Laws, Less Crime
Gun rights advocates are jumping at recent polls showing that gun violence has decreased and the public is unaware of this phenomenon. Rush Limbaugh argues that, “as America arms up, gun violence goes down,” parroting the infamous book by Dr. John Lott, More Guns, Less Crime. Emily Miller argues in the Washington Times that, liberals have been “muzzled” by the news. But, in … [Read more...] about More Guns Laws, Less Crime
Job Killing for The Masses: Tech vs. Manufacturing
Once built by people... by Jim Satterfield No, technology is not an unmixed blessing Jaron Lanier cautions against the common wisdom that technology will replace the jobs it eliminates. His new book, Who Owns the Future? he tries to make this point among others. A rather good example is mentioned in this article from Time. The bankruptcy of the photography-giant … [Read more...] about Job Killing for The Masses: Tech vs. Manufacturing
Dozens dead as tornado hits US city
Dozens dead as tornado hits US city (via AFP) A powerful tornado swept through an Oklahoma City suburb, tearing down blocks of homes and at least two schools and leaving at least 51 people dead, local officials told US media. The state medical examiner's office released the latest death toll but the number was climbing rapidly, as emergency crews… … [Read more...] about Dozens dead as tornado hits US city
Justice’s assaults on journalists could give black eye to US
The US Justice Department actions against Fox News and AP strike at the core of the White House’s credibility around the world as a defender of those who risk their lives to exercise journalistic freedoms and force accountability upon governments. It could give a black eye to central tenets of the much-admired soft power underlying US foreign policy. Three quarters of the … [Read more...] about Justice’s assaults on journalists could give black eye to US
Tornado whallops Oklahoma City suburb
Tornado hits Oklahoma City suburb (via AFP) A powerful tornado ripped through an Oklahoma City suburb Monday, striking at least two elementary schools and leveling block after block of homes, according to US news reports. Reporters on the ground for local television station KFOR saw school pupils as young as nine being "pulled out" of one school… … [Read more...] about Tornado whallops Oklahoma City suburb
Why IRS investigation is already Obama’s Watergate – and Benghazi, too
Why IRS investigation is already Obama's Watergate – and Benghazi, too (+video) (via The Christian Science Monitor) Copyright ImageClick to View President Barack Obama speaks under an umbrella held by a Marine as a light rain falls during a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Thursday at the White House. He was asked questions about the … [Read more...] about Why IRS investigation is already Obama’s Watergate – and Benghazi, too
Federal judge finds probable cause Fox News reporter helped leak classified docs (Guest Voice)
Federal judge finds probable cause Fox News reporter helped leak classified docs (via Raw Story ) In the wake of reports that the Department of Justice seized phone records from The Associated Press while investigating an intelligence leak, The Washington Post revealed on Monday that a Fox News reporter had been fingered has a “co-conspirator” in a previous leak of classified … [Read more...] about Federal judge finds probable cause Fox News reporter helped leak classified docs (Guest Voice)
Quote of the Day: How Obama Handles a Crisis
Our political Quote of the Day comes from President Barack Obama's former speechwriter John Favreau who notes how Obama has often been counted out when he didn't respond to a crisis the way the national media and political elites wanted him to -- and that it proved to be the wise thing to do. Here's his key quote in his piece on The Daily Beast:. The handwringers and bed … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: How Obama Handles a Crisis
Obama’s Energizer Bunny in a Wax Museum
Sunday brings White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer to five morning shows claiming the GOP is trying to “drag Washington into a swamp of partisan fishing expeditions, trumped-up hearings and false allegations.” Pfeiffer’s Energizer Bunny Presidential defense counterpoints the usual suspects wheeled out from the punditry wax museum and animated with higher-volume loops of their … [Read more...] about Obama’s Energizer Bunny in a Wax Museum
The Inner Game
by Dr. Kevin Purcell My brother and I recently compared our experiences growing up. In my family there are four siblings; three brothers and a sister. The three brothers shared a room. We had the same father and mother. Our parents were married until my dad died suddenly at age 49. At that time, we were 23, 21, 20 (me) and 16. All of us are married with children. How … [Read more...] about The Inner Game
Things That Matter: the Compassionate Jail Guard
NOTE: This is a new series I'll be doing on Things That Matter - the nonpolitical aspects of life. It was Sunday morning when I visited a jail in San Diego County to see a young person in there for a dumb probation violation that he acknowledges as such. This was not a "hard" lockup for hardened prisoners but a jail. I was there with his step dad who loves him very much. … [Read more...] about Things That Matter: the Compassionate Jail Guard
Is democracy in trouble?
WASHINGTON -- We know American politics are dysfunctional. But after a week of scandal obsession during which the nation's capital and the media virtually ignored the problems most voters care about -- jobs, incomes, growth, opportunity, education -- it's worth asking if there is something especially flawed about our democracy. Our circumstances certainly have their own … [Read more...] about Is democracy in trouble?
The 2013 Warrior Games: They Came, They Competed and They All Won
Team captains Cpl. Jorge Salazar of Delano, Calif., Cpl. Travis Greene of Boise, Idaho, accept the Chairman’s Cup on behalf of the Marine Corps team, coaches and wounded warrior regiment staff in the closing ceremony for the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 16, 2013. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Corey Dabney The fourth Warrior Games are … [Read more...] about The 2013 Warrior Games: They Came, They Competed and They All Won
What happens to Obama under fire?
Maureen Dowd does a great take on Hillary and Bill Clinton and their remarkable, continuing, and certifiable ability to overcome scandal and insult. Obama? Not so much. Actually, not at all. I hope he reads her column and does a u-turn, but I don't think he will. Of course, given the fact that he's been under constant siege -- possibly not as intense as the siege on … [Read more...] about What happens to Obama under fire?
Tax agency scandal thrusts Tea Party back into spotlight
Tax agency scandal thrusts Tea Party back into spotlight (via AFP) Left adrift in the wake of President Barack Obama's November election victory, the anti-tax Tea Party is predicting renewed popularity and relevance -- thanks to the scandal now rocking the IRS. The federal tax agency admitted this week that it inappropriately screened conservative groups, in particular… … [Read more...] about Tax agency scandal thrusts Tea Party back into spotlight
Those Online Dictionaries
Since English is an acquired language for me, I am a very frequent user of English dictionaries -- and foreign language dictionaries, too, but more on that later. Thus it is no surprise that an article, “The Role of a Dictionary,” by David Skinner, at the New York Times this weekend grabbed my attention. Skinner’s article is full of all kinds of interesting lexicographic … [Read more...] about Those Online Dictionaries