From quietly colluding with Iran to tamper with the Iraqi elections and keep Nouri Maliki in office - even though he lost, to looking on passively as Bashar al-Assad goes about bombing, torturing, and otherwise killing his Syrian opponents, the Obama Administration has convinced L'Orient Le Jour columnist Michel Touma that it is either disconnected from reality, or up to no … [Read more...] about Obama Coddles Assad to Please Iran, Endangering Millions (L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon)
Weather and Wild Fires
It's been very warm to hot this summer in the Pacific Northwest. It's been cooler the last couple of days but we had a two week string of temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. That combined with a number of high base thunderstorms (lots of lightening and no rain) has resulted in a lot of wild fires. Below is a picture I took several years ago in one of the areas now burning. … [Read more...] about Weather and Wild Fires
Are Religion and Democracy Compatible?
Does religion interfere with democracy? It depends on the religion. The more modern and open religions, that do not demand strict conformity to the positions of their leaders, can coexist with democracy, causing no problems for the religion or interference with the democratic process. Conservative or orthodox religions and religious fundamentalists, that do not countenance free … [Read more...] about Are Religion and Democracy Compatible?
Will The Sarah Palin Channel Rival Comedy Central?
This just in! If you're willing to spend more money than you currently drop on Netflix, you can now get the Sarah Palin Channel online, which promises to "discuss the great issues of the day and work towards solutions." [icopyright one button toolbar] Wait, solutions? How can THAT be the Sarah Palin Channel? To some conservatives, Palin tells it like it is and is … [Read more...] about Will The Sarah Palin Channel Rival Comedy Central?
WATCH: Rand Paul Bolts While Rep. Steve King Belittles Immigration Activists (Video Guest Voice)
WATCH: Rand Paul Bolts While Rep. Steve King Belittles Immigration Activists (Video) … [Read more...] about WATCH: Rand Paul Bolts While Rep. Steve King Belittles Immigration Activists (Video Guest Voice)
Dems leave the right in the dust on social issues
Facing re-election, Gov. Scott Walker, Republican of Wisconsin, no longer talks about stopping same-sex marriage. “It’s those on the left that are pushing” the issue, he says. ...NYT The New York Times' John Harwood catalogues the vast changes in social attitudes -- brought about by the left in America -- and sometimes very rapidly. In fact, the left is leaving the … [Read more...] about Dems leave the right in the dust on social issues
A Mid Week Photo
It's a bit abstract but it is a photograph taken on the Oregon Coast with no Photoshop. I have always liked this image for it's simplicity but at the same time it has detail we frequently don't see. … [Read more...] about A Mid Week Photo
Cartoon: Playing Israel vs Palestinians
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction strictly prohibited. … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Playing Israel vs Palestinians
Time For It To End
I've written on this topic before but recent events and comments from a good friend prompt me to do so again. It is long past time for us to remove ALL of our forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't mean most of them, I mean every single one. Now I know there are people in both countries who want us there but they do not seem to be doing much to show it. I also … [Read more...] about Time For It To End
As Gaza Truce Holds, Ukraine Tensions Rise
A truce between Israel and Gaza militants that started at 05:00 GMT seems to be holding. The BBC: Israel says it has withdrawn all forces to positions outside Gaza, and some residents there are now returning to discover the fate of their homes. . The truce has drawn an international welcome, and the focus for a longer deal will now fall on talks in Cairo. In … [Read more...] about As Gaza Truce Holds, Ukraine Tensions Rise
Leaker Giving Media Classified Docs on Terrorist Screening Database AKA TIDE
Move over Edward Snowden, CNN is reporting that there's a new leaker who is supplying members of the media with classified documents. The Intercept published a story on Tuesday based on disclosures supplied by an unnamed source concerning the U.S. government's use of watchlists to monitor known and suspected terrorists. The document leaked is dated August 2013, weeks after … [Read more...] about Leaker Giving Media Classified Docs on Terrorist Screening Database AKA TIDE
Political Scammers: A Giant ‘I Told You So’
My life is very strange these days: I turn on the TV or listen to the radio, or cruise the internet, and people are citing my OWN reporting back to me, without attribution, and without a clue that I've been telling you for years. Yesterday, on the Rachel Maddow Show, Steve Kornacki read back a story of insider politics that I knew about more than seven years ago. And now this, … [Read more...] about Political Scammers: A Giant ‘I Told You So’
(Updated) U.S. General Killed in Suspected Green-on-Blue Attack in Afghanistan
[icopyright one button toolbar] The Pentagon has identified the general killed today in Afghanistan as Major General Harold J. Greene His biography can be read here. Our condolences to his family and friends. Update: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby has confirmed that “An American general was killed today in Kabul, Afghanistan, when an … [Read more...] about (Updated) U.S. General Killed in Suspected Green-on-Blue Attack in Afghanistan
Time to tame the monster
WASHINGTON -- The CIA now admits that it spied on a Senate investigation into the agency's shameful program of secret detention and torture. Do we need any more proof that the spooks are out of control? An internal "accountability board" will look into the incident, an agency statement said, and might recommend "potential disciplinary measures" or even "steps to address … [Read more...] about Time to tame the monster
Ebola Drugs
I did a post the other day on a potential Ebola vaccine but perhaps a vaccine is not the route to go. What if a cure was a better thing? [icopyright one button toolbar] It appears the lives of the two Americans that contracted the disease may have been saved by a highly experimental drug produced by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. The drug had been tested on monkeys but … [Read more...] about Ebola Drugs
Cillizza on GOP Immigration Bill
Chris Cillizza comments on the immigration bill recently passed by the GOP House majority in The Washington Post. This is the latest in a string of incidents in which Republicans have been their own worst enemy -- often because they simply can't get out of their own way. Given their dismal approval ratings, the best way for Republicans to handle almost every issue -- including … [Read more...] about Cillizza on GOP Immigration Bill
Mitch Albom: Now we’re arresting parents for what might have happened
Safeguarding Syria’s Heritage Sites – How About Also Safeguarding Its Humanity
[icopyright one button toolbar] The U.S. Department of State and the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) have signed a $600,000 cooperative agreement to comprehensively document the current condition of cultural heritage sites in Syria and to assess the future restoration, preservation, and protection needs for those sites. It is hoped that this “will raise … [Read more...] about Safeguarding Syria’s Heritage Sites – How About Also Safeguarding Its Humanity
Can the voters change the GOP?
WASHINGTON -- The central issue in this fall's elections could turn out to be a sleeper: What kind of Republican Party does the country want? It is, to be sure, a strange question to put to an electorate in which independents and Democrats constitute a majority. Yet there is no getting around this: The single biggest change in Washington over the last five years has … [Read more...] about Can the voters change the GOP?
Chuck Todd: Republicans talking impeachment playing into White House hands (with VIDEO)
Who are becoming one of the greatest boosts to Democrat Party fundraising? [icopyright one button toolbar] Republicans talking about impeaching President Barack Obama. It has become clear from a slew of news stories documenting the infusion of money into happily-receiving Democratic Party coffers. And NBC's Chuck Todd, who was one of the country's best political analysts before … [Read more...] about Chuck Todd: Republicans talking impeachment playing into White House hands (with VIDEO)