There is a saying, “Let sleeping dogs lie.” The only problem with the Iraq War dogs is that they never went to sleep. Even after the disastrous consequences of their ill conceived -- conceived on a lie is a better term -- ill planned, ill executed invasion and occupation of what once was the sovereign country of Iraq, they have continued to yelp for the United States to … [Read more...] about The Dogs of War Are Yelping Again
Is The Right Wing Trying to Make Thomas Alfred Taylor Hillary Clinton’s Willie Horton?
The right wing has dug up some tapes of Hillary Clinton talking about representing accused child rapist Thomas Alfred Taylor. This is akin to the Tony Rezko case they tried to smear Barack Obama with during the 2008 presidential campaign or even his former pastor Jeremiah Wright. Remember how the Republicans smeared Mike Dukakis with Willie Horton? I wish the Republican Party … [Read more...] about Is The Right Wing Trying to Make Thomas Alfred Taylor Hillary Clinton’s Willie Horton?
George Will’s False Rape Column
An OB/GYN physician responds to George Will on his statements about "false rape." I read your recent column on the “supposed campus epidemic of rape, a.k.a. sexual assault” and am somewhat taken aback by your claim that forcing colleges to take a tougher stand on sexual assault somehow translates into a modern version of The Crucible that replaces witchcraft with rape … [Read more...] about George Will’s False Rape Column
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Guns and Minuteman
Guns and Minuteman by Mike Peters Of Related Interest: --How The Las Vegas Killer Used Facebook To Exploit Gun Law Loopholes --Las Vegas killers were 2nd Amendment gun cowards --Gun violence and mass shootings — myths, facts and solutions --What now? Three mass shootings in a week leave communities wondering how to react Mike Peters is recognized as one of our … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Guns and Minuteman
What’s holding the Republican party together?
What's holding the Republican Party together? Threads. Bare threads. An analysis by seasoned political reporters at the Washington Post reveals a party that is "riven with divisions, including over issues that barely registered even two years ago." Whether they're looking at immigration or banking or schools, "the dynamics of the issues and the coalitions around them … [Read more...] about What’s holding the Republican party together?
Where’s the bread and butter?
WASHINGTON -- What if they held an election and nobody talked about how to improve people's lives? The 2014 campaign is being waged against a backdrop of national news dominated by everything except the core economic worries of most Americans. Benghazi and Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have been getting more attention than job opportunities and student borrowing costs. We are said … [Read more...] about Where’s the bread and butter?
“Horrifying Massacre” by advancing ISIS in Iraq condemned by United States
US condemns 'horrifying' massacre in Iraq's Tikrit (via AFP) The United States condemned Sunday a "horrifying" massacre by militants said to have killed hundreds of Iraqi Shia air force recruits in the northern city of Tikrit, urging the country to unite. Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant… … [Read more...] about “Horrifying Massacre” by advancing ISIS in Iraq condemned by United States
The Failure Of Republican Policy On Iraq
Iraq is now playing out as opponents of the war warned from the start. Predictably, the right wing blames Obama for Republican mistakes, when Obama understood from the start that going into Iraq was a mistake. I don't understand why the media keeps playing clips of John McCain attacking Obama over the events in Iraq. First of all, shouldn't the man who was wrong every step of … [Read more...] about The Failure Of Republican Policy On Iraq
The Roots Of The Chaos In Iraq
"There's been a certain amount of pop sociology in America ... that the Shia can't get along with the Sunni and the Shia in Iraq just want to establish some kind of Islamic fundamentalist regime. There's almost no evidence of that at all. Iraq's always been very secular." William Kristol on PBS - April 2003 David Atkins posting at The Political Animal does a really good job … [Read more...] about The Roots Of The Chaos In Iraq
Vegan Supermarket Coming To US
Vegan Supermarket Comes To US (via Planetsave) Originally published on Eat Drink Better.By Jill Ettinger Long-time vegans would say it’s about time. And the wait is almost over for a store that only sells vegan food. That’s right. A vegan supermarket is coming to the U.S. But not until 2016.… … [Read more...] about Vegan Supermarket Coming To US
Friedman on Iraq
Thomas Friedman spells out five principles for understanding the implosion of Iraq in The New York Times. Having just returned from Iraq two weeks ago, my own thinking is guided by five principles, and the first is that, in Iraq today, my enemy’s enemy is my enemy. Other than the Kurds, we have no friends in this fight. Neither Sunni nor Shiite leaders spearheading the war in … [Read more...] about Friedman on Iraq
The Politics Of Resentment
Doug Saunders writes, in the Globe and Mail, that the politics of resentment is tearing modern conservatism asunder. The argument is about immigration; and it was apparent last week in Washington with the fall of Eric Cantor. There are now two distinct camps: One group: argues that immigrants tend to be natural conservatives: They’re more likely than other voters to … [Read more...] about The Politics Of Resentment
While Iraq Unravels, Over in Ukraine…
While the focus of the world is on the advances of the ISIL forces towards Baghdad and it holds its breath as to what the U.S., and others, will do, things are unraveling rapidly in Ukraine -- again. The Guardian reports, “Pro-Russian rebels have shot down a military transport plane in Luhansk in the bloodiest single day of fighting in eastern Ukraine since the conflict … [Read more...] about While Iraq Unravels, Over in Ukraine…
Where Have You Gone, Thad Cochran?
Tip O'Neill said "all politics is local." With all the out-of-state money pouring into Mississippi for the Republican primary and runoff between Thad Cochran and his Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel, all the national dynamics that seem to be in play, all the rather absurd attempts by McDaniel's supporters to paint Cochran as something approaching a liberal, I'm still … [Read more...] about Where Have You Gone, Thad Cochran?
A counter to scientific denialism: ASAP Science videos
Science, technology, engineering and math, aka STEM, are key areas of knowledge for the 21st century. Heck, they were key in the 20th century, too! Remember JFK and the moon challenge as well as his tribute to science on the 100th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences? Recent scientific advances have not only made international cooperation desirable, but they have … [Read more...] about A counter to scientific denialism: ASAP Science videos
To Save Iraq and Itself, West Must Drop War on Assad (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
With ISIS terrorists battling both Bashar al-Assad's Syria and Nouri al-Maliki's Iraq, does it make any sense at all to pursue the toppling of Syria's odious dictator? For Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, columnist Rainer Hermann urges an immediate reconsideration of Western policy toward Syria, and suggests it might be a good idea to think anew about Iranian … [Read more...] about To Save Iraq and Itself, West Must Drop War on Assad (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
Iraq And The Media
The media was pretty compliant when Bush/Cheney made the decision to invade and occupy Iraq after 911. Even though Iraq seems to be coming apart at the seams the media seems to be much less enthusiastic about intervention. The major theme is to ignore those who got us into the Iraq mess to begin with. Paul Waldman: As you watch the debate on this issue, you should remind … [Read more...] about Iraq And The Media
(Updates) No Boots on the Ground in Iraq, But…
Update I: What was was previously "reportedly" is now a fact. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to move today from the North Arabian Sea into the Arabian Gulf, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby. American Forces Press Service: In a statement, Kirby said the order will provide … [Read more...] about (Updates) No Boots on the Ground in Iraq, But…
“Lining its streets were the decapitated heads of policeman and soldiers”
This isn't Islam. "They’re knocking at a policeman’s door. It’s the middle of the night, but the cop soon answers. Then they have him. He’s blindfolded and cuffed. They take him to the bedroom. And, reports say, they decapitate him with a knife." ...WaPo It's ISIS, the "Islamic State of Syria and Iraq" and it is a parody of Islam in much the same way as, though to … [Read more...] about “Lining its streets were the decapitated heads of policeman and soldiers”
Deception in Advertising (Infographic): Do misleading ads influence your buying decisions?
Ever notice that ads for food (fast food and other food) make the food look a lot better than it really looks? There's a reason: deceptive advertising - and some surprising (often eyebrow-raising) tricks. Here's a great infographic: Reviews by Martin -- Visit our LinkedIn … [Read more...] about Deception in Advertising (Infographic): Do misleading ads influence your buying decisions?