WASHINGTON -- It's not too soon to state the obvious: At this point, the war against the Islamic State can only be seen as failing. U.S.-led air power has barely been able to keep the jihadist militants from capturing the Syrian town of Kobane, near the Turkish border -- and the besieged city may yet fall. Far to the southeast, Islamic State fighters have come within a … [Read more...] about No shock and no awe
She Asked “Do I Look Like Man”
The short answer is no. [icopyright one button toolbar] I just returned from a trip where I coached and mentored elite female athletes competing in or preparing for the triathlon World Championships; Ironman Hawaii. Ironman is a combined 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. For the elite athletes it’s a race, not a bucket list event. For some it may be hard … [Read more...] about She Asked “Do I Look Like Man”
Plunging Oil Prices
To get the WTI oil price, please enable Javascript. Oil prices have been plunging. This is bad news for many oil exporting nations. The biggest energy story in the world right now is the collapse of global oil prices. And for major producers like Russia or Iran or even Saudi Arabia, that's unsettling news. How bad is it? One good place to start is with this excellent … [Read more...] about Plunging Oil Prices
(Updates) Federal Judge Blocks Texas Voter ID Law
Update II: And here we go again in the courts-one-upmanship saga. The Austin American-Statesman reports: A federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated Texas' tough voter ID law for the November election, which the U.S. Justice Department had condemned as the state's latest means of suppressing minority voter turnout. . The ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th … [Read more...] about (Updates) Federal Judge Blocks Texas Voter ID Law
Is The Culture War Really Over?
Bill Scher has an article at Politico on How Republicans Lost The Culture War. While it might be premature to say they lost and the war is over, a subject I’ll get into later, he does have some good points as to what went wrong for the Republicans. Scher makes three main points. First, Republicans stopped being savvy on abortion. Rather than taking the purist position which … [Read more...] about Is The Culture War Really Over?
Democrats’ chances are changing
Democrats' chances are changing. This just posted at the Times: ... The chances of the Republicans taking control of the Senate have inched up to 68 percent. Democrats struggling to hang on to the Senate, who have been drowning in dreary news, have spotted a hopeful sign: Democratic voters who sat out the 2010 elections are becoming more interested in voting this … [Read more...] about Democrats’ chances are changing
The French American – A True Story
[icopyright one button toolbar] It is a story of idyllic young love in Nazi-occupied France, suddenly and heartbreakingly cut short -- but never abandoned or forgotten. It is a story of bravery and patriotism. It is a story of war, intrigue, "La Résistance," invasion and eventual liberation. It is also a story of hope and sheer perseverance on the part of a World … [Read more...] about The French American – A True Story
The New Poll Tax
For politicians, democracy entails getting a leg up on your opponents if you possibly can by changing the rules of the game and lying about it if necessary. If what is done is unfair or what is said is untruthful, so what? Winning is everything and every dirty trick that can be used, should be used. This includes doing whatever is possible to keep various population groups, … [Read more...] about The New Poll Tax
Cartoon: Target Audience
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Target Audience
Are European Taxes REALLY Oppressive? (Guest Voice)
Are European Taxes REALLY Oppressive? by Fig Letters on car mirrors sometimes says "Objects may be closer than they appear." Some emails circulated on the Internet should have the advisory "Some emails circulated on the Internet may not be as accurate as they appear." For instance, this one: Current European Tax Rates United Kingdom Income Tax: 50% VAT: … [Read more...] about Are European Taxes REALLY Oppressive? (Guest Voice)
Americans in ‘right-leaning’ states search Internet for porn more often than liberal counterparts: study
Residents of "right-leaning" U.S. states are more prone to seek out Internet porn than their liberal counterparts, according to a new Canadian study compiled by sifting through Google search data. Published this month in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour, the report concludes that even when they are surrounded by "very religious or conservative citizenry," Americans will… … [Read more...] about Americans in ‘right-leaning’ states search Internet for porn more often than liberal counterparts: study
Pennsylvania Cop-Killer Manhunt In Disarray As Unanswered Questions Continue To Pile Up
As the manhunt for state trooper killer Eric Frein lurches toward its sixth week, the Pennsylvania State Police are on the defensive because of the latest scandal to tarnish the long troubled agency, while a law-enforcement insider says the search itself is in disarray. [icopyright one button toolbar] The insider, who has many years of experience in tracking and … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Cop-Killer Manhunt In Disarray As Unanswered Questions Continue To Pile Up
The Sun Also Rises in Iraq
[icopyright one button toolbar] I find the photo above, of a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules pilot scanning over central Iraq as the sun rises and his crew returns to base, to be a poignant reminder that our troops in, around and over Iraq are risking their lives not only to combat the ISIL terrorists but also to render desperately needed humanitarian aid to the innocent … [Read more...] about The Sun Also Rises in Iraq
Oregon Election
It is a given that Oregon is a very blue state. The Republican will win the Congressional district in the Eastern 2/3 of the state but the Democrats will win the state wide offices and everything else. As usual Oregon has several ballot measures which is what is really interesting. 86: Amends Oregon Constitution to create fund for Oregonians pursuing post-secondary … [Read more...] about Oregon Election
The Highly Successful Presidency Of Barack Obama
Paul Krugman has been defending Barack Obama much more recently, such as in a recent article in Rolling Stone and on ABC’s This Week. Krugman’s views on Obama have evolved over the years. I think that early on he was critical of Obama based upon disagreements on policy matters. Two things have altered how he discusses Obama. First there are all the off the wall attacks on Obama … [Read more...] about The Highly Successful Presidency Of Barack Obama
SciFi Weekend: The Flash; Arrow; Gotham; Sleepy Hollow; Agents of SHIELD; Person of Interest; Doctor Who; Selfie; 12 Monkeys; Renewed Shows; Utopia; Gracechurch; Red States & Pornography
The Flash was off to an excellent start last week. It looks like it will be a lighter version of Arrow but has started to set up an interesting back story. There's the death of Barry's mother in the past and the episode ended with a look into the future which raises the question if they plan their own version of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. We don't know for certain that the … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: The Flash; Arrow; Gotham; Sleepy Hollow; Agents of SHIELD; Person of Interest; Doctor Who; Selfie; 12 Monkeys; Renewed Shows; Utopia; Gracechurch; Red States & Pornography
(Updated) Ebola Crisis – U.S. Military: ‘It’s Our Job’
[icopyright one button toolbar] Update: The Australian government will not send doctors or nurses to West Africa to help contain the Ebola crisis until it is certain “all of the risks are being properly managed”, the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has said, according to The Guardian. Parts of Prime Minister Abbott’s remarks, as reported by The Guardian: “We aren’t … [Read more...] about (Updated) Ebola Crisis – U.S. Military: ‘It’s Our Job’
Citizens disunited
WASHINGTON -- Are we spending our democracy into oblivion? This is the time of year when media scribblers bemoan how nasty political campaigns have become. The complainers are accused of a dainty form of historical ignorance by defenders of mud-slinging who drag out Finley Peter Dunne's 1895 assertion that "politics ain't beanbag." Politics has always been nasty, the … [Read more...] about Citizens disunited
Voter fraud FUD from NRO
The tweet made me do a double-take, followed by a click: Braced for Voter Fraud in Colorado (John Fund / National Review) http://t.co/mJevbn48IE http://t.co/nYHOMckfDM— memeorandum (@memeorandum) October 13, 2014 Living in a state that has had 100% vote by mail for four general elections, I coughed a bit as I read the long-winded objections (FUD = fear, … [Read more...] about Voter fraud FUD from NRO
A weekend of resistance in Ferguson
It's been two months since Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, 28, in Ferguson, MO. We've covered this story here at TMV as it has unfolded. Check out the weekend's action and news in this Storify. [View the story "A weekend of resistance: #FergusonOctober" on Storify] … [Read more...] about A weekend of resistance in Ferguson