This news report from Germany's Netzpolitik gives new meaning to the phrase 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.' Even at this late date, and even if the entire world knows about it, German officials and lawmakers who read media coverage of the leaks by Edward Snowden are, according to the German Interior Ministry, liable for prosecution, unless they have security … [Read more...] about German Officials Face Prosecution for Reading Snowden Coverage (Netzpolitik, Germany)
Mitch McConnell, Partisan Hack And Liar
The ACA (Obama Care) has been a great success in Kentucky. So what is Mitch McConnell who is facing a tough general election race to do? He tries to have his cake and eat it too and lie. Well a Kentucky newspaper has called him out. One of the biggest newspapers in Kentucky is taking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to task for taking a bizarre new position … [Read more...] about Mitch McConnell, Partisan Hack And Liar
MAYA ANGELOU: GODMOTHER TO THE WORLD HAS PASSED
Dr. Maya Angelou of the beautiful name and the radiant spirit has passed. I hope for all who love her, and who admired her many works in civil rights, in autobiographies, in speaking out boldly, that we can be today and always in happiness for her life on earth-- for certain she is One of a Kind. Iconic woman, hard scrabble beginnings, raped as a child, mute from the post … [Read more...] about MAYA ANGELOU: GODMOTHER TO THE WORLD HAS PASSED
Why restraint makes us stronger
WASHINGTON -- By laying out a long-term foreign policy vision in a speech at West Point on Wednesday, President Obama challenged his critics, at home and abroad, not to speak in vague terms about American "decline" or "weakness" but to answer the question: Exactly what would you do differently? This is as close as we have gotten to an Obama Doctrine, and here it is: The … [Read more...] about Why restraint makes us stronger
Why UKIP? The Answer Is In History – Not Bigotry
Many people regard Magna Carta as the first Constitutional guarantee of the basic liberties of the English-speaking world. Fewer people know that Magna Carta wasn’t imposed on King John just because he abused his power (which after all has been true of most kings and governments throughout history), but because he had handed away the sovereignty of England to a foreign … [Read more...] about Why UKIP? The Answer Is In History – Not Bigotry
After Memorial Day…
. ~.~ . One of my wife’s favorite songs -- I like it, too -- is Engelbert Humperdinck’s After the Lovin' What does it have to do with Memorial Day, or the day after? Perhaps nothing. It just seems to me that it is after Memorial Day, after the photographs of officials and celebrities laying wreaths, making speeches, remembering and honoring our fallen … [Read more...] about After Memorial Day…
In Which Sarah Palin Is Called Out Again
Sarah Palin, the former half-term Alaska Governor, vice presidential candidate, presidential wannabe, conservative heart throb and coiner of the term "death panels," has never been good at irony. Come to think of it, in the six years since she burst on the national scene, she has repeatedly proven herself to be good at nothing except deception and obfuscation, as well as a … [Read more...] about In Which Sarah Palin Is Called Out Again
Medicaid Expansion Leading To Increased Care For Poor And Increased Revenue For Hospitals
After Medicaid was expanded in Oregon prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act there was an increase in Emergency Room visits from people using their new coverage. This was not surprising and the challenge was to get those with the new coverage both established with primary care physicians and to get the Medicaid patients in the habit of seeing a primary care physician … [Read more...] about Medicaid Expansion Leading To Increased Care For Poor And Increased Revenue For Hospitals
The Imprinting of Elliot Rodger and Us
When the news first hit that 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six students in Santa Barbara, it didn't foreshadow the horrific details yet to come. Six promising young lives knifed and shot dead. Families instantly plunged into grief. Rodger's film industry parents getting his 137-page biographical manifesto and seeing his threatening YouTube videos racing from Los Angeles … [Read more...] about The Imprinting of Elliot Rodger and Us
Cartoon: War On Hillary
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: War On Hillary
Did Karl Rove’s Riff on Hillary Clinton’s “Traumatic Brain Injury” Backfire?
Is onetime Republican political maven Karl Rove too transparent for his or his party's own good? As I noted here, Rove was back to his old tricks recently in masterfully conducting the new and old media orchestras when he made charge he could later deny he made that thrust the (non) issue onto news cycles, on talk radio and -- naturally -- on ideological blogs. The (non) issue … [Read more...] about Did Karl Rove’s Riff on Hillary Clinton’s “Traumatic Brain Injury” Backfire?
Senate Leaders Kill Patent Reform, Once again Thwarting Democracy to Protect Special Interests (Guest Voice)
Senate Leaders Kill Patent Reform, Once again Thwarting Democracy to Protect Special Interests by Hans Bader Hundreds of moderate and conservative bills have passed the House of Representatives, often overwhelmingly, only to die in the Senate without even being voted on there. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) doesn’t want these bills to pass, because they contain … [Read more...] about Senate Leaders Kill Patent Reform, Once again Thwarting Democracy to Protect Special Interests (Guest Voice)
Cartoon: Mass Killer YouTube Channel
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: Mass Killer YouTube Channel
Obama sets out US exit from Afghanistan by end of 2016
Obama sets out US exit from Afghanistan by end of 2016 (via AFP) US forces will complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, President Barack Obama said Tuesday, unveiling a plan to end America's longest war 15 years after the September 11 attacks. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Obama… … [Read more...] about Obama sets out US exit from Afghanistan by end of 2016
James O’Keefe Strikes Again
This time he got some Hollywood celebrities to agree to take funding from an oil sheik to fund an anti fracking movie. I'm sure there are two sides to the story but this video is pretty damaging … [Read more...] about James O’Keefe Strikes Again
(Updates) President Obama’s Statement on Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
Update: Supporting statements by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and by Secretary of State John Kerry following the president’s remarks. Original Post: Please find below the full transcript of the President's statement on the U.S. withdrawal of troops from, and how many will be left for what missions in, Afghanistan. More updates, including the inevitable GOP … [Read more...] about (Updates) President Obama’s Statement on Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
Google Doodle Memorial Day Controversy
I am not as freaked out as others about the lack of a Memorial Day Google Doodle but I do think the critics have a reasonable point. Yes Memorial Day is primarily a holiday in the United States but Google has done doodles for a variety of nation specific doodles and honoring those who have died in service of their country seems a thing most people can get behind. But … [Read more...] about Google Doodle Memorial Day Controversy
The Boom And Bust Of Shale Oil
The fossil fuel industry has been pulling your leg - shale oil is not a panacea. The shale oil boom will become a bust in North Dakota and Texas in less than a decade. And now it appears that the great California shale oil boom is a bust before it even got started. The great imaginary California oil boom: Over before it started, California has been abuzz for the past … [Read more...] about The Boom And Bust Of Shale Oil
The European Union
Is the European Union (EU) unraveling? I lived in Germany for over 3 years and visited several European countries including Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, England and Italy. I got to know the people and they were often very nationalistic and often very prejudiced. After WWII there was a shortage of labor they instituted a guest worker program. I lived in Munich, a … [Read more...] about The European Union
The Demons of Democracy
Here they are again, the demons of democracy making a reappearance and questing for power. For a while, it had seemed as if they were under control, poking their heads out now and then, but hidden for the most part and believed suppressed by the mainstream politicians and the media. Well, they ain’t suppressed and they’ve come back to upset the apple cart and haunt those who … [Read more...] about The Demons of Democracy