While the country has become more liberal in some ways, the Republican Party has moved to the extreme right, and the Democratic Party has filled in the vacuum in the middle by also moving to the right on many issues. As a consequence, many people who previously considered themselves in the middle are finding that the current views of the left are closer to their views. Thomas … [Read more...] about Why Many People In The Middle Now Identify With The Left
General Dempsey Speaks on the Ukraine Crisis
[icopyright one button toolbar] Adding insult to injury -- if the cowardly downing of a passenger airliner can be couched as such -- Russian president Vladimir Putin is responding to the outrageous crime by his thugs in eastern Ukraine by escalating military aggressive actions against Ukraine. This morning, both Reuters and the Washington Post report on Russia firing … [Read more...] about General Dempsey Speaks on the Ukraine Crisis
Klein: Halbig Won’t Destroy ACA
Ezra Klein argues the Halbig decision won't gut the Affordable Care Act on Vox. The Halbig case could destroy Obamacare. But it won't. The Supreme Court simply isn't going to rip insurance from tens of millions of people in order to teach Congress a lesson about grammar. As Adrianna McIntyre explains, the Halbig case holds that Obamacare's subsidies are illegal in … [Read more...] about Klein: Halbig Won’t Destroy ACA
A Late King’s Words to Netanyahu Still Resonate Today
[icopyright one button toolbar] I have always liked and admired the late King Hussein of Jordan. In my opinion, he was a kind, wise leader -- a haven of peace, reason and steadfastness in the always-troubled Middle East. Thus I was not surprised to find very similar words in his official biography: His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, the father of modern … [Read more...] about A Late King’s Words to Netanyahu Still Resonate Today
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Putin’s Notches
Of related interest: --MH17: Vladimir Putin will lose Ukraine through stupidity --Trapped in His Own Labyrinth: Putin, Ukraine, and MH17 --Will MH17 air crash damage Russia's Putin? --Flight MH17 demonstrates Putin’s way of business Mike Peters is recognized as one of our nation’s most prominent cartoon artists for his outstanding work as both a political and comic strip … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Putin’s Notches
Balch Creek Canyon – Another Picture
I don't seem to getting much response from my political or science posts so how about another picture. I explained the history and my relationship with Balch Creek Canyon here in case you missed it . … [Read more...] about Balch Creek Canyon – Another Picture
Moving Left
It use to be common knowledge that as you got older you became more conservative. At 68 I am at the leading edge of the baby boomers. I became politically active during the Vietnam war- I was an Eisenhower/Rockefeller Republican back then. During the Nixon years I changed my registration to Independent. Although I didn't like Jimmy Carter I didn't vote for Ronald Reagan. … [Read more...] about Moving Left
Near Miss
In July of 2012 the earth had a near miss, a huge coronal mass injection barely missed the earth. Such an event did hit the earth in 1859. [icopyright one button toolbar] Before July 2012, when researchers talked about extreme solar storms their touchstone was the iconic Carrington Event of Sept. 1859, named after English astronomer Richard Carrington who actually saw the … [Read more...] about Near Miss
Going to China? You May Want to Skip the Fast Food
Recently, fast-food chains in China have been receiving a lot of bad press after a Chinese television station revealed some McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants were stocked with spoiled meat. The popular fast-food chains allegedly received shipments of rotten meat from a supplier known as Shanghai Husi Food Co., the Chinese branch of Illinois-based OSI Group. Authorities … [Read more...] about Going to China? You May Want to Skip the Fast Food
As We Dutch Mourn Our Dead, Russians Should Mourn their State (Elsevier, The Netherlands)
Generally speaking, it takes a lot to knock the Dutch off balance, but the catastrophe in Ukraine has done so, even to the point of bringing Dutch threats of unilateral military action. Continuing with our monitoring of the Dutch reaction to the crisis, for Elsevier, columnist Afshin Ellian lashes out at Vladimir Putin and the 'mafia state' that according to him, comprises part … [Read more...] about As We Dutch Mourn Our Dead, Russians Should Mourn their State (Elsevier, The Netherlands)
Off and on the record
Off and on the record By Ruth Marcus Washington Post Writers' Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Let us now praise anonymous sources. The new White House press secretary got into a familiar old spat with the White House press corps the other day over the use of anonymous sources. Josh Earnest -- has there ever been a more perfectly named White House … [Read more...] about Off and on the record
Arizona criminal Joseph R. Wood III “…repeatedly gasped for one hour and 40 minutes before dying” in execution
"...repeatedly gasped for one hour and 40 minutes before dying,,,, [icopyright one button toolbar] If that doesn't stop America's barbaric executions, I don't know what will. Certainly the Supreme Court is pushing to enter the hall of shame. At 1:52 p.m. Wednesday, one day after the United States Supreme Court overturned a stay of execution granted by a federal … [Read more...] about Arizona criminal Joseph R. Wood III “…repeatedly gasped for one hour and 40 minutes before dying” in execution
Surveys Show Benefits Of Obamacare For Individuals And Hospitals
Two polls were released Wednesday regarding opinion of the effects of the Affordable Care Act, one from consumers and one from hospital administrators. The first is reported by CNN: More than half the public says Obamacare has helped either their families or others across the country, although less than one in five Americans say they have personally benefited from the health … [Read more...] about Surveys Show Benefits Of Obamacare For Individuals And Hospitals
Ukraine festers as Obama and Putin skirmish
The Ukrainian civil war in the eastern regions is rapidly turning into a skirmish between President Barack Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, instead of advancing towards a truce or peace talks after the missile strike on Malaysian Air flight MH17. [icopyright one button toolbar] The stakes are too high to let Ukraine fester in this manner. Putin’s irredentism is luring … [Read more...] about Ukraine festers as Obama and Putin skirmish
Today We Are All Dutch
[icopyright one button toolbar] The achievements of the Dutch people and the tragedies they have suffered have, at times, been immensely disproportionate to the small population and the tiny size of this remarkable nation. Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, “tiny Holland” -- the “Northern Low Countries” with less than 2 million people -- experienced an era of … [Read more...] about Today We Are All Dutch
Arabs, Palestinians Suffer Fate of the American Indian (Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria)
The depth of Arab agony over the Palestinian predicament and the future of the Muslim world pours out of this column from Algeria's Le Quotidien d'Oran. Columnist Moncef Wafi, expressing a sense of betrayal and frustration over almost every decision-making authority imaginable, writes that the Arab Spring is to Arabs what the White man was to the American Indian: 'a cancer that … [Read more...] about Arabs, Palestinians Suffer Fate of the American Indian (Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria)
‘We Shot Down MH17,’ Says Pro-Russian Soldier
‘We Shot Down MH17,’ Says Pro-Russian Soldier … [Read more...] about ‘We Shot Down MH17,’ Says Pro-Russian Soldier
Renisha McBride: Trayvon Again
The jury is being chosen in Detroit for what some think of as a repeat of the Trayvon Martin case. This time it's about a 19-year-old woman -- Renisha McBride -- who, after a car accident likely caused by drinking, knocked on the door of a 55-year-old white man and was shot as a prospective "burglar." In Detroit, you understand, burglars commonly knock first. [icopyright one … [Read more...] about Renisha McBride: Trayvon Again
Working Less
People can be critical of France and Germany's reduced work weeks and lower retirement ages but they really don't know why they did it. They did it to reduce unemployment - when people work fewer hours and retire earlier more people are working. We have reached a point where there are more people who need jobs than there are available jobs. Some of this is because of … [Read more...] about Working Less
Activist Conservative Judges Attempt To Destroy Obamacare, Causing Potential Problems For Republicans
We had two different federal appeals court panels give conflicting rulings on Tuesday regarding the legality of subsidies in the Affordable Care Act. This came about due to some ambiguities in the writing of the law–primarily a proof reading error at one point which suggests that only insurance purchased in state exchanges can allow subsidies. The bulk of the law makes it clear … [Read more...] about Activist Conservative Judges Attempt To Destroy Obamacare, Causing Potential Problems For Republicans