[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
If Kobani falls, will Obama’s Syria strategy collapse too?
WASHINGTON — It's not a particularly strategic location, the United States and its allies never pledged to defend it, and few people outside the region had even heard of it before this month. But the symbolism of US-led airstrikes failing to stop Islamic State militants from overrunning the Syrian city of Kobani could provide an early… … [Read more...] about If Kobani falls, will Obama’s Syria strategy collapse too?
Remember that $20 billion in cash, flown into Iraq by the Bush administration?
Remember that $20 billion in cash, flown into Iraq by the Bush administration? [icopyright one button toolbar] Well, they still can't account for it. James Risen writes in the New York Times today that it's all over the place -- and some has just turned up in Lebanon. The sources of some of that money for reconstruction were the accounts of Saddam's government in the … [Read more...] about Remember that $20 billion in cash, flown into Iraq by the Bush administration?
(Updates) In Surprise Move, Supreme Court Clears Way for Gay Marriage in 5 States – Alaska Next?
[icopyright one button toolbar] Update III: And the beat goes on: Alaska Dispatch News has just reported that a federal judge ruled today “Alaska’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, paving the way for gay couples to begin marrying in the state for the first time.” The ruling comes less than a week after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to … [Read more...] about (Updates) In Surprise Move, Supreme Court Clears Way for Gay Marriage in 5 States – Alaska Next?
Dempsey on Kobani and on ‘Boots on the Ground’
[icopyright one button toolbar] As the U.S. continues to launch airstrikes against ISIL terrorists around the besieged Syrian town of Kobani, on the frontier with NATO member Turkey, ISIL continues to make advances and threatens to overrun and capture the entire town -- two days ago they controlled almost half the town. The fall of Kobani would not only be a disaster to … [Read more...] about Dempsey on Kobani and on ‘Boots on the Ground’
Another Weekend Photo
This is Laetiporus sulphureus also known as chicken of the woods because it does indeed taste like chicken. It must be cooked and don't harvest it from a eucalyptus tree because at best it will make you very sick and at worst kill you. … [Read more...] about Another Weekend Photo
Texas Health Worker Tests Positive for Ebola, Cared for Thomas Eric Duncan
A Texas healthcare worker, who provided care for Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan, tests positive for Ebola virus, Texas' health agency said. The worker was isolated after presenting on Friday with a low-grade fever. The results were from a preliminary test from the state. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will now perform a confirmatory test.[icopyright one button … [Read more...] about Texas Health Worker Tests Positive for Ebola, Cared for Thomas Eric Duncan