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
V.A. Physicians Are Not the Problem
What has been seen as a serious problem with the care given at our Veterans Administration hospitals is not really a V.A. problem, although the Veterans Administration is being battered by the media and politicians seeking publicity. The vast majority of veterans are quite content with the care they receive at the V.A. and the quality of the physicians. Their main gripe is the … [Read more...] about V.A. Physicians Are Not the Problem
Study Shows People Less Likely To Take Storm Seriously If It Has A Female Name
People are really stupid A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (via The Washington Post) found that people are more likely to be killed by storms with a woman's name than a man's name because they don't take them as seriously: Researchers at the University of Illinois and Arizona State University examined six decades of hurricane death rates … [Read more...] about Study Shows People Less Likely To Take Storm Seriously If It Has A Female Name
Sen. Dianne Feinstein Upset with Obama Administration Over Secret Prisoner Swap Deal
The controversy surrounding President Obama's deal to release five Gitmo prisoners in exchange for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who either went AWOL or is a POW, when he was captured in Afghanistan five years ago. It now turns out that the White House is apologizing for an "oversight," in which they neglected to tell Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the other heads of … [Read more...] about Sen. Dianne Feinstein Upset with Obama Administration Over Secret Prisoner Swap Deal
Obama’s promises in Europe are fraught with risk
President Barack Obama’s promises today of expanded US military support to Poland and countries formerly dominated by the defunct Soviet Union were music to their ears, but not others in Europe. They could also cause new entanglements that may not please American voters. The former Soviet satellites are now members of the European Union and NATO, the western military … [Read more...] about Obama’s promises in Europe are fraught with risk
Fact-Checking GOP Response to EPA Rules
Two fact-check sites weigh in on the Republican response to the Obama administration's EPA rules. From Politifact.com: President Barack Obama’s administration unveiled tough new regulations on existing power plants that seek to significantly curb carbon emissions in the coming decades. Moments after the proposal was released, it was widely panned by … [Read more...] about Fact-Checking GOP Response to EPA Rules
Freed Bowe Bergdahl may face investigation: general
Freed US soldier may face investigation: general (via AFP) Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, recently freed after five years as a captive of the Taliban, may still be disciplined if the army finds evidence of misconduct, the US military's top officer said Tuesday General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs… … [Read more...] about Freed Bowe Bergdahl may face investigation: general
Israeli Politics
If this post makes some think I am anti-semitic so be it. It is no secret the right wing Zionist PM of Israel and President Obama are often at odds. Now we have this: Israeli PM 'Troubled' By US Decision On Palestinian Gov't Israel's prime minister said Wednesday he is "deeply troubled" by the United States' decision to maintain relations with the new Palestinian unity … [Read more...] about Israeli Politics
(Update) The Bergdahl ‘Controversy’ and the Embrace of Military Ethos
Update: Secretary of the Army John McHugh echoed the sentiments of Chairman Dempsey on the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl: "As an Army, we are grateful that an American soldier is back in American hands. The warrior ethos is more than words, and we should never leave a comrade behind. "Our first priority is ensuring Sgt. Bergdahl's health and beginning his … [Read more...] about (Update) The Bergdahl ‘Controversy’ and the Embrace of Military Ethos
D-Day and the bombing of Auschwitz (Guest Voice)
D-Day and the bombing of Auschwitz By Rafael Medoff/JNS.org Seventy years ago this week, the Allies staged the D-Day invasion, landing some 24,000 troops on the beaches along France’s Normandy Coast in one of the major turning points of World War II. What is not widely realized, however, is that the D-Day assault on June 6, 1944, also had an important link to the fate of … [Read more...] about D-Day and the bombing of Auschwitz (Guest Voice)
Cartoon: Prisoner Swap
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on The Moderate Voice by Cagle Cartoons. Reproduction without licensing is strictly prohibited. … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Prisoner Swap
TMV columnist wins awards
Walter Brasch, whose weekly column appears in The Moderate Voice, recently won awards for both his column and his radio commentary. Brasch won first place in commentary (general) and second place in commentary (humor) from the Pennsylvania Press Club, against statewide competition. During the past decade, he has also won multiple awards from the National Society of Newspaper … [Read more...] about TMV columnist wins awards
‘Godzilla’ of Earths circles distant star
'Godzilla' of Earths circles distant star (via AFP) Astronomers have spotted the "Godzilla" of all Earths, a huge rocky planet orbiting a star 560 light years away that is changing scientists' understanding of the origins of the universe. This new mega-Earth weighs 17 times as much as our planet, and… … [Read more...] about ‘Godzilla’ of Earths circles distant star
Will Congress be as brave as Shinseki?
WASHINGTON -- If you want a prime example of what's wrong with our politics, study the response to the veterans' health care scandal. You would think from the coverage that the only issue that mattered to politicians was whether Gen. Eric Shinseki should be fired. Shinseki is a true patriot, and his resignation as Veterans Affairs secretary on Friday calls Congress' … [Read more...] about Will Congress be as brave as Shinseki?
Curing Constitutional Paranoia
[two_third] The facts in Bond v. United States seem to come more from soap opera than real life: a wife outraged by the discovery that her husband impregnated another woman sought to punish the other woman by spreading toxic chemicals on things she was likely to touch, hoping to cause a rash. Hardly the stuff of a federal case, right? Wrong. The U.S. government charged … [Read more...] about Curing Constitutional Paranoia