Pandora's Box of Worms Raging Moderate by Will Durst In a move less surprising than hot dogs at a ballgame, the House of Representatives voted to give Speaker John Boehner the authority to sue the President of the United States. This isn't like a divorce, or a civil suit for money, it's more of a restraining order. They want Obama to quit trying to resuscitate the … [Read more...] about Pandora’s Box of Worms
A Brief History of ‘Delayed Death’
A Brief History of 'Delayed Death' … [Read more...] about A Brief History of ‘Delayed Death’
(Updates – Videos) Air Operations Over Iraq Continue
[icopyright one button toolbar] Update, August 9, 20:00 CDT The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a unique, non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization dedicated to “advance an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education." It is "committed to improving the nation’s ability to … [Read more...] about (Updates – Videos) Air Operations Over Iraq Continue
Richard Nixon: Honk If You Think He Was Guilty
Richard Nixon: Honk If You Think He Was Guilty by Michael Winship In August 1974, forty years ago this week, commentator Alistair Cooke faced a dilemma. The events of the Watergate scandal – “a Laurel and Hardy absurdity in the beginning,” Cooke recalled – had snowballed since 1972 from a farce of botched burglary into a severe constitutional crisis, and events were … [Read more...] about Richard Nixon: Honk If You Think He Was Guilty
Why Won’t Obama Fire the Liar?
Why Won't Obama Fire the Liar? By Dick Polman We're taught as kids that lying is bad, that liars should be held accountable. But in Washington, lying is so endemic and so flagrant that the perpetrators are rarely even rebuked. Case in point, CIA chief John Brennan. Back in 2008, voters fed up with the Bush team's lies yearned for an administration that would tell the … [Read more...] about Why Won’t Obama Fire the Liar?
Why The Economy Does Better Under Democratic Than Under Republican Presidents
We've known for a long time that if you want to live like a Republican you should vote Democratic. The economy has consistently been stronger under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents. Even under Obama, despite all the Republican efforts to block recovery, we have seen record increases in corporate profits and the stock market, which should make Republican love him … [Read more...] about Why The Economy Does Better Under Democratic Than Under Republican Presidents
Obama’s New Rules
Obama offers a formula for grownup behavior in and by the US. Whether this will deal effectively with Muslim and Republican extremists remains an open question.[icopyright one button toolbar] Obama made clear that he is only going to involve America more deeply in places like the Middle East to the extent that the different communities there agree to an inclusive politics … [Read more...] about Obama’s New Rules
Black Man Killed by Police for Walking Around Wal-Mart with Air Rifle He Likely Intended to Buy
Black Man Killed by Police for Walking Around Wal-Mart with Air Rifle He Likely Intended to Buy … [Read more...] about Black Man Killed by Police for Walking Around Wal-Mart with Air Rifle He Likely Intended to Buy
Is “Trickle Up” Back?
On Thursday, Paul Krugman wrote that evidence is mounting to support the notion that inequality can sabotage a market economy. There will always be some inequality in market economies. But gross inequality is a drag on economic growth: [icopyright one button toolbar] It’s true that market economies need a certain amount of inequality to function. But American … [Read more...] about Is “Trickle Up” Back?
This Week in Pantsuit Politics: The Shocking Exit of a Muslim British Cabinet Member
One need only look at the Oval Office to see that when it comes to politics, we've got a bit of a gender discrepancy. [icopyright one button toolbar] In this weekly roundup, Ravishly.com focuses on powerful political women in the news who are helping to break the proverbial glass ceiling of policy-making around the world. Politicos, move aside. We bring you . . . politicas. … [Read more...] about This Week in Pantsuit Politics: The Shocking Exit of a Muslim British Cabinet Member
Weekend Photo
This is a shot I got of a great blue heron a few years ago. The background has been PhotoShoped but not the bird itself. Good photos frequently have less to do with skill than being in the right place at the right time with the right lens. … [Read more...] about Weekend Photo
Letter from the President to a Do-Nothing Congress
President Barack Obama meets with his national security team in the Oval Office, Aug. 8, 2014. Pete Souza/White House Had the President’s letter been solely addressed to the Speaker of the House, the lead-in paragraph could have been: Dear Mr. Speaker: While you and your colleagues are on a five-week vacation after suing me for doing my job, I would like to … [Read more...] about Letter from the President to a Do-Nothing Congress
It’s not warming. It’s dying.
According to Dezeen magazine, graphic designer Milton Glaser has launched an awareness campaign centered on global warming.[icopyright one button toolbar] Glaser created the iconic “I love NY” logo as well as a Smithsonian-featured '60s image of Bob Dylan. "There is no more significant issue on earth than its survival," Glaser told Dezeen. "The questions is, 'how can … [Read more...] about It’s not warming. It’s dying.
So who are the Yazidi
Like most I suspect I had never heard of Iraq's Yazidi population. Over at Vox they explain who they are, their beliefs and history. Rather than do a lot of inadequate copy and pastes I will simply direct you to the post. … [Read more...] about So who are the Yazidi
Not The “Libertarian Moment” But Also Not Hillary Clinton’s Moment To Attract Millenials
Robert Draper asks, Has the ‘Libertarian Moment’ Finally Arrived? in The New York Times Magazine. [icopyright one button toolbar] Libertarians, who long have relished their role as acerbic sideline critics of American political theater, now find themselves and their movement thrust into the middle of it. For decades their ideas have had serious backing financially (most … [Read more...] about Not The “Libertarian Moment” But Also Not Hillary Clinton’s Moment To Attract Millenials
Iraq and ISIS
I'll be honest up front, I opposed the initial invasion and occupation of Iraq but in an area made up largely of bad actors ISIS (ISIL) are the baddest of them all, so bad in fact that even al-Quada has denied any association with them. Dorian covered the recent US involvement below. I still think the Iraq war was one of the greatest blunders in American history but that … [Read more...] about Iraq and ISIS
The Kurds, ISIL, and Iraq’s Icosahedron Triangle of Interests (L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon)
Whose fighting who - and whose helping who, in the geopolitical maze called Iraq? L'Orient Le Jour columnist Christian Merville outlines the latest baffling wrinkle in the quagmire, suggesting that, despite the fact that they appear to be under attack by ISIL, the Kurdish Peshmerga, thought to be extremely close to the Americans, may in fact be cooperating with none other than … [Read more...] about The Kurds, ISIL, and Iraq’s Icosahedron Triangle of Interests (L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon)
My New Book Now Available For Order Online: ‘When All Are One and One Is All To Be A Rock And Not To Roll’
A character in the Doonesbury comic strip once called the 1970s "A kidney stone of a decade," and compared to the 1960s and 1980s, it indeed was. It was a period of economic and political decline and, of course, abuses of power with Watergate being the worst but by no means only scandal. Decades get demythologized; it is a quintessential part of the Great American Meat … [Read more...] about My New Book Now Available For Order Online: ‘When All Are One and One Is All To Be A Rock And Not To Roll’
Book Excerpt: ‘There Must Be Some Way Out Of Here Said The Joker To The Thief’
(Excerpt from opening of first chapter) [icopyright one button toolbar] The first time I went out to Kiln Farm, bumping along in an aluminum beach chair anchored to the floor in the back of Eldon's Chevy Step Van, it seemed like it took forever although the farm was only 10 miles from New Park. Back then New Park was a quaint college town without a … [Read more...] about Book Excerpt: ‘There Must Be Some Way Out Of Here Said The Joker To The Thief’
(Continued Updates) Air Operations in Iraq
[icopyright one button toolbar] For some background, scroll down to the end -- Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Airstrikes in Iraq At approximately 6:45 a.m. EDT, the U.S. military conducted a targeted airstrike against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists. . Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided … [Read more...] about (Continued Updates) Air Operations in Iraq