Over at OTB Doug Matacoinis links to a piece by J.D. Tucille. American troops have engaged in continuous war in Afghanistan since 2001, so nobody can claim that they don’t know that military service might require actual military service. Then again, military recruiters focus on the young not just because they’re physically fit, but also because they have little perspective on … [Read more...] about Bergdahl and the Price of War
Twenty-Eight Percent Of Americans Believe Bible Is The Literal Word Of God
I recently cited a Gallup poll which showed that 42 percent of Americans believe in creationism. With that in mind, I imagine it is a good thing that a lower number, 28 percent, believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. Gallup reports that this is below the 38 percent to 40 percent seen in the late 1970s, and near the all-time lows of 27 percent seen in 2001 and 2009. … [Read more...] about Twenty-Eight Percent Of Americans Believe Bible Is The Literal Word Of God
NATO Badly Divided on Stationing Troops in East Europe; Facing Moscow (Die Welt, Germany)
Seventy Years after the D-Day landings in Normandy, members of the alliance forged in the aftermath of WWII are bickering over what to do about Russia and Ukraine. According to Die Welt columnist Christoph B. Schultz, Southern Europeans and Germans don't like Poland's idea of permenently stationing additional troops and equipment in Eastern Europe, as that would violate NATO's … [Read more...] about NATO Badly Divided on Stationing Troops in East Europe; Facing Moscow (Die Welt, Germany)
In Defeating the ‘Russian Disease,’ Will Ukraine Lose its Soul? (Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukraine)
Can you defeat an enemy without scruples without losing your own? That is Ukraine's dilemma as outlined by columnist Michael Dubinyansky of Ukraine's Ukrayinska Pravda newpaper, who writes that while turning back the Russian tide may be possible, in the process Ukraine is likely to end up a lot like its ruthless, and for many detestable, northern neighbor. For Ukrayinska … [Read more...] about In Defeating the ‘Russian Disease,’ Will Ukraine Lose its Soul? (Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukraine)
E Pluribus Unum Factor
Word Fight At The OK Corral A Rose By Any Other Name View From The Virgin Islands. By John McCarthy TMV Columnist I spend a lot of time thinking about words. Kind of goes with the territory if you consider yourself a writer. And if you know your Mark Twain you know that “the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between … [Read more...] about E Pluribus Unum Factor
D-Day: France Remembers the Longest Day, Salutes its Liberators
In the early hours of June 6, 1944, off Omaha Beach, the battleship USS Texas -- part of what Gen. Dwight Eisenhower called the Great Crusade* during which "we will accept nothing less than full victory..." -- let loose the fury of her ten mighty 14 in (360 mm) guns and silenced the German guns atop Pointe du Hoc. Subsequently, the battleship attacked enemy anti-aircraft … [Read more...] about D-Day: France Remembers the Longest Day, Salutes its Liberators
The Wingnut Clown Car
Well, at least we know who is in the front of the Republican clown car this week. It's Dr, Ben Carson: Dr. Ben Carson, the Republican right’s favorite African-American neurosurgeon, often says that President Obama’s health care law is the worst thing since slavery. But in my recent interview with the good doctor—who is riding high in the presidential preliminaries, having … [Read more...] about The Wingnut Clown Car
Come As You Are
I was a boring kid, more concerned with topping out in my next exam than with any sports team or rock band. I think that was an early manifestation of a tendency I retain in my adult life and will likely take to my grave: a slight disdain for what everyone else thinks is great and, by implication, thinks that I should think is great. In other words, my precociousness as a … [Read more...] about Come As You Are
Drudge Starts Fake Rumor That Hillary Clinton Is Using A Walker
No, Matt Drudge, Hillary Clinton has her hands on a patio chair for the People cover story. She is not using a walker. I imagine that the same conservatives who can't tell the difference between a market based health care system in the Affordable Care Act and "socialized medicine" also wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a patio chair and a walker. Beyond the … [Read more...] about Drudge Starts Fake Rumor That Hillary Clinton Is Using A Walker
(Predictable Update: ‘Impeach Him’) The Bergdahl Controversy: Latest Developments
Update II: The New York Times reports: A classified military report detailing the Army’s investigation into the disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in June 2009 says that he had wandered away from assigned areas before — both at a training range in California and at his remote outpost in Afghanistan — and then returned, according to people briefed on it. The … [Read more...] about (Predictable Update: ‘Impeach Him’) The Bergdahl Controversy: Latest Developments
Obama Shows Vulnerability Over Prisoner Exchange
To this day there's some dispute over who originated the phrase "grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory." What is certain is we're now seeing living examples of the phrase, demonstrated by both the Obama administration and the Republican Party. Victory's jaws are surely sore from the pulls by Obama & Co. and the GOP in a controversial prisoner exchange, where American Sgt. … [Read more...] about Obama Shows Vulnerability Over Prisoner Exchange
Obama’s Chance to Make Up for Missteps Toward Poles (Rzeczpospolita, Poland)
Poland has never been a fan of President Obama. From controversy over the anti-missile shield, to sore feelings over his administration's refusal to allow Poles to travel to the U.S. visa free, to the president's gaffe calling Nazi concentration camps 'Polish death camps,' Obama has almost always rubbed Warsaw the wrong way. Now though, with the Russian bear threatening the … [Read more...] about Obama’s Chance to Make Up for Missteps Toward Poles (Rzeczpospolita, Poland)
Ohio Bill Prohibits Insurance Coverage Of Both Abortion And Forms of Contraception
Republicans have become increasingly successful in restricting insurance coverage of abortion in many of the states where they control the state government, and a bill in Ohio could extend this to restricting access to contraception: Ohio might make it illegal for insurance to cover abortions, even in cases of rape, incest and when pregnancy threatens a mother’s life. The … [Read more...] about Ohio Bill Prohibits Insurance Coverage Of Both Abortion And Forms of Contraception
Cartoon: King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicating
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicating
The Mississippi paradox
JACKSON, Miss. -- Can you hate the federal government but love the money it spends on you? The electoral earthquake that was Mississippi's Republican Senate primary has pushed this question to the forefront of American politics. In conventional terms, the success of state Sen. Chris McDaniel in outpolling Thad Cochran, a 34-year Senate veteran, on Tuesday and … [Read more...] about The Mississippi paradox
Embattled Sterling says Clippers deal ‘all good’
Embattled Sterling says Clippers deal 'all good' (via AFP) With NBA owners studying Steve Ballmer's $2 billion bid for his Los Angeles Clippers, embattled Donald Sterling says he's ready to "move on." Sterling told Los Angeles television affiliate NBC4 he was content with the deal his wife Shelly negotiated… … [Read more...] about Embattled Sterling says Clippers deal ‘all good’
U.S. ‘Garbage’ Congress Shows True Colors With Talk of Beijing Turmoil 25 Years Ago (Huanqiu, China)
Late last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Resolution 599, which asked the Beijing government to 'respect freedom of assembly, expression, and religion, the rule of law for all its citizens, and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and their violent suppression.' This editorial from China's state-run Huanqiu refers only to the … [Read more...] about U.S. ‘Garbage’ Congress Shows True Colors With Talk of Beijing Turmoil 25 Years Ago (Huanqiu, China)
Oliver North Slams President Obama for Funding Terrorist Organization with Bowe Bergdahl Swap
The right wing hypocrisy in the Bergdahl prisoner swap knows no bounds. The least credible person of all, Ret. Lt. Col. Oliver North, is giving his two cents. He has the nerve to accuse President Obama of financing a terrorist organization with the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. You will recall Oliver North was up to his neck in the Iran-Contra scandal, in which the Reagan … [Read more...] about Oliver North Slams President Obama for Funding Terrorist Organization with Bowe Bergdahl Swap
The Boom And Bust Of Shale Oil – Continued
A few days ago I discussed how the shale oil boom in California fizzled before it got started and the boom was going to go bust in North Dakota and Texas in less than a decade. Well now the I.E.A. agrees: National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” reported this morning: NPR’s Business News starts with the outlook for oil. This is a change of course – the International … [Read more...] about The Boom And Bust Of Shale Oil – Continued
Doctors No Longer Strong Republicans
JAMA Internal Medicine has some data which I would have predicted--doctors are less likely to support Republicans now than in the past. The data is based upon campaign contributions and therefore has no data regarding reasons for the change. This data would not include contributions under $200 and it is not known if those making smaller donations differ from the larger, … [Read more...] about Doctors No Longer Strong Republicans