I am not a fan of issue documentaries – the preachiness of the genre is a real turn off for me and I always feel like the director is trying to radicalise me. That is why films like the Inconvenient Truth and any Michael Moore film are just not for me, despite their worthwhile subject matters. [icopyright one button toolbar] … Thanks to my increasingly intimate … [Read more...] about Bottled Life: Let’s talk about water
The downside of giving weapons
WASHINGTON -- The bodies and debris that rained from the Ukrainian sky offer a cautionary lesson about the danger of giving heavy weapons to non-state actors. I hope the hawks who wanted President Obama to ship anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian rebels are paying attention. By now there is little doubt that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, with 298 people on board, was … [Read more...] about The downside of giving weapons
Will Flight 17 sober us up?
WASHINGTON -- Tragedies concentrate the mind. American politics was trundling along on its usual unserious and trivial trajectory when news of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine shook the world. Suddenly, the stakes in public life and foreign policy were very high. Vladimir Putin's recklessness in Ukraine was no longer just about his quest for … [Read more...] about Will Flight 17 sober us up?
Ana Veciana-Suarez: Updated comic Archie’s death a cultural barometer
Ana Veciana-Suarez: Updated comic Archie's death a cultural barometer … [Read more...] about Ana Veciana-Suarez: Updated comic Archie’s death a cultural barometer
The GOP’s Biggest Weakness…
...is foreign policy says Daniel Larison in The American Conservative. One reason that the omission of foreign policy from the reform agenda seems so notable is that foreign policy is one of the largest, most glaring policy weaknesses that the GOP has. In addition to being responsible for the costly policy failures of the previous administration, Bush-era foreign policy has … [Read more...] about The GOP’s Biggest Weakness…
Downing of Flight 17 – Continuing Updates
This entry will be updated as events warrant. 22 July 2014 21:50 CDT The first bodies from flight MH17 are being flown to the Netherlands where they are expected to arrive in Eindhoven at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT). The BBC: The Dutch royal family and the prime minister Mark Rutte will meet the plane. The bodies are then due to be taken to the Korporaal van … [Read more...] about Downing of Flight 17 – Continuing Updates
MH17: Europe Must ‘Slam its Fists’ on the Table (de Volkskrant, The Netherlands)
[icopyright one button toolbar] Continuing with our examination of the Dutch reaction to the situation surrounding Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, this column by de Volkskrant columnist Hans Wansink seeks to cool the tempers of those talking about Dutch military intervention in Ukraine, and urges the immediate adoption and implimentation by the European Union of the sanctions … [Read more...] about MH17: Europe Must ‘Slam its Fists’ on the Table (de Volkskrant, The Netherlands)
Made in Russia
https://politicalgraffiti.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/made-in-russia/ Copyright 2014 David Donar. All rights reserved.Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Made in Russia
Securing MH17 Victims: Dutch Have Elite Troops for a Reason! (Elsevier, The Netherlands)
Just 24 hours ago, as this column from Elsevier of the Netherlands shows, there was significant talk among the Dutch of the need to threaten the use of elite forces to secure the MH17 crash site and the corpses of the dead - most of whom are Dutch. Whether the events of the last 24 hours have diminished that impulse is unclear. For Elsevier, columnist Eric Vrijsen begins … [Read more...] about Securing MH17 Victims: Dutch Have Elite Troops for a Reason! (Elsevier, The Netherlands)
New Surveillance Whistleblower John Tye Says NSA Violating U.S. Constitution
Move over Edward Snowden, there's a new surveillance whistleblower on the scene. His name is John Napier Tye and he's warning Americans about illegal spying. John Tye claims he filed a complaint with the State Department before leaving. In other words, he's no leaker like Edward Snowden. [icopyright one button toolbar] Tye, a former State Department official who served in … [Read more...] about New Surveillance Whistleblower John Tye Says NSA Violating U.S. Constitution
Political reporting and the statehouse: a disturbing report from Pew Research
It's well-known that digital disruption has wrecked havoc on the nation's newsrooms. What's less documented is how that disruption has played out on specific types of news and in specific geographic areas.[icopyright one button toolbar] Pew Research Center has analyzed number of full-time reporters covering state politics in every state. Using population as the relational … [Read more...] about Political reporting and the statehouse: a disturbing report from Pew Research
Another Picture
It would seem that people are burnt out when it comes to politics and foreign affairs. My last few posts here that had little to do with politics got a far greater response than those that did. I have made no secret that I consider the years I lived in Munich, Germany some of the best years of my life. Yes, Bavarian food, except for the sausage and sauerkraut was for the … [Read more...] about Another Picture
Quote of the Day
Here is the quote of the day from ~Kung Fu Monkey: There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day
Reports Show More People Insured But No Increase In New Patient Volume For Physicians Since January Under Affordable Care Act
Some favorable data on the Affordable Care Act which came out before today's news of another Republican court victory in their ongoing efforts to deny people the benefits of Obamacare: [icopyright one button toolbar] The New England Journal of Medicine has reviewed the increase in coverage under the Affordable Care Act and concluded: Taking all existing coverage expansions … [Read more...] about Reports Show More People Insured But No Increase In New Patient Volume For Physicians Since January Under Affordable Care Act
Fox News: Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation ‘Endangers Religious Liberty’ (Updated)
[icopyright one button toolbar] Read an Opinion by the New York Times Editorial Board following the post. On Monday, President Obama signed an Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Executive Order amends Executive Order 11246, issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson, adding … [Read more...] about Fox News: Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation ‘Endangers Religious Liberty’ (Updated)
Inversion or Perversion?
The house is on fire and the occupants are eating dinner and not paying attention. While our tax base is being whittled away by large American corporations, members of Congress are twiddling their thumbs and doing nothing. The willingness of Congress to allow these “inversions” to occur is another sign of the dysfunction in Washington and the “perversion” in the American … [Read more...] about Inversion or Perversion?
Cohn on 2014 Mid-Terms
Nate Cohn weighs the chances of a GOP wave in this fall's mid-term election in The New York Times. Republicans entered this election cycle with high hopes. President Obama’s approval ratings had sunk into the low 40s, and the rollout of the Affordable Care Act had been an unmitigated disaster. In an off-year election, Democrats weren’t expected to fully mobilize the young and … [Read more...] about Cohn on 2014 Mid-Terms
The Medal of Honor for a Soldier’s Actions When ‘Valor Was Everywhere’
[icopyright one button toolbar] One month ago, we reported on the White House announcement that President Barack Obama would award Ryan M. Pitts, a former active duty Army Staff Sergeant, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Today that moment came. At a moving ceremony in the White House this afternoon, attended by SSG Pitt's wife Amy and their one-year-old … [Read more...] about The Medal of Honor for a Soldier’s Actions When ‘Valor Was Everywhere’
Respected Medical Periodical Reviews ‘Obamacare’
[icopyright one button toolbar] The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) -- not a slouch -- has just published a progress report on “Health Care Coverage under the Affordable Care Act” -- “an overview of Obamacare's first year, its successes and the challenges ahead.” Talking Points Memo (TPM) says: The NEJM report pulled a wealth of information, much of it … [Read more...] about Respected Medical Periodical Reviews ‘Obamacare’
What’s The Matter With Thomas Frank?
Thomas Frank has fallen for the Green Lantern view of the presidency, thinking that the president has the power to do anything he wishes. His criticism of Obama: Why did he do nothing, or next to nothing, about the crazy high price of a college education, the Great Good Thing that he has said, time and again, determines our personal as well as national success? Why didn’t he … [Read more...] about What’s The Matter With Thomas Frank?