Update: Scroll to the bottom to read the Joint Statement released by the United States, the European Union, Ukraine, and Russia. Original Post: Several news sources are reporting a breakthrough in the Ukraine crisis. "Diplomats from the United States, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union have agreed to a framework plan designed to end violence in … [Read more...] about (Updated) Breaking News: ‘Framework’ to End/De-escalate Ukraine Violence Agreed to?
Jews ordered to register in east Ukraine (UPDATED)
Russian President Vladimir Putin's military push -- he has asserted his right to use force in Eastern Urkraine and there is speculation he's poised to take over the city of Odessa soon -- has brought comparisons with Stalin and with Hitler. And now we have a new twist: pro-Russian forces in the Ukraianian city of Donetsk are asking Jews to register. Not a good sign of … [Read more...] about Jews ordered to register in east Ukraine (UPDATED)
Is The Regime in North Korea About To Collapse?
Over at Real Clear Defense Christopher Lee thinks the Kim Jong Un regime in North Korea is about to collapse, Kim Jong Un is defined by many as an egotistical fanatic whose recklessness led to dreadful mistakes during his two year tenure. First, instead of implementing a sound plan to alleviate the mass hunger and poverty in his nation where the average annual income is … [Read more...] about Is The Regime in North Korea About To Collapse?
Insurance Companies Plan To Increase Policies Offered On Exchanges Following 2014 Success, And Other Health Care News
The first year of enrollment for insurance under the exchanges is largely for first getting our feet wet, with more people projected to sign up in the future. It certainly exposed problems in the computer system and allowed for them to be fixed (although further testing before October was clearly needed). Insurance companies got to see whether this was a profitable market they … [Read more...] about Insurance Companies Plan To Increase Policies Offered On Exchanges Following 2014 Success, And Other Health Care News
Putin: Russia Does Not Spy on its Citizens — as the U.S. Does
According to Breibart.com, in a question-and-answer session with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow via video, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, asked Putin if Russia had similar surveillance programs as the United States--referring to the mass collection and storage of data from individuals around the world. This is how it went: “Mr. … [Read more...] about Putin: Russia Does Not Spy on its Citizens — as the U.S. Does
A Gun Control Network to Rival the NRA?
It’s fairly common knowledge that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is a very influential group in our nation’s politics. With around 5 million members, the NRA is one of the largest lobbyist groups in the country. It’s also one of the most powerful. According to a Gallup poll taken in 2013, most Americans favor stronger gun control. Due in a large part to the NRA, … [Read more...] about A Gun Control Network to Rival the NRA?
Suicide By Capital Punishment
Kansas City Killer Kills 3 In KKK Play Yet Another Pointed Victory For The NRA The View From The Virgin Islands By John McCarthy TMV Columnist I used to be a competitive tennis player. The thing about tennis – being an individual sport – is that you are not only battling your opponent – but your own head – meaning your own desire to succeed. I … [Read more...] about Suicide By Capital Punishment
(Update) Military in the News – Images
South Korean Ferry Disaster: UPDATE: As horrific stories about the Korean ferry disaster emerge -- already called one of South Korea’s worst peacetime disasters -- there is also hope that survivors may still be trapped inside the ferry. Nearly 300 passengers are still missing. CNN: While no one knows if any of the 287 people who remain missing are still … [Read more...] about (Update) Military in the News – Images
Sullivan on Obamacare Politics
Andrew Sullivan notes the eroding political value of the GOP's opposition to Obamacare on The Daily Dish. It’s that long game thing again, isn’t it? Like the civil rights revolution of the Obama years, it seemed a close-to-impossible effort to start with, and then was gradually, skillfully ground out. It also seems true to me that the non-event of the ACA for many, many people … [Read more...] about Sullivan on Obamacare Politics
O Is For Oreo
There is something special about the Oreo cookie... part of many childhoods and a guilty pleasure for many adults (including me). But what do we know about the noble Oreo cookie ? From Wikipedia The "Oreo Biscuit" was first developed and produced by the National Biscuit Company (today known as Nabisco) in 1912 at its Chelsea factory in New York City (the current-day … [Read more...] about O Is For Oreo
It’s official: America has become an oligarchy
Remember the myth of noble America exporting democracy to other countries? Like Iraq? Well, it didn't really work and almost certainly wasn't meant to. Iraq was another glorious opportunity to shift the power in America from the American people (cannon fodder) to business interests (military-industrial complex) -- better known now as the "oligarchy." It's official, … [Read more...] about It’s official: America has become an oligarchy
Jeb Bush’s optimism school
NEW YORK -- The Republican Party faces a long-term challenge in presidential elections because it is defining itself as a gloomy enclave, a collection of pessimists who fear what our country is becoming and where it is going. The party's hope deficit helps explain why there's a boomlet for Jeb Bush, a man who dares to use the word "love" in a paragraph about illegal … [Read more...] about Jeb Bush’s optimism school
Rush Limbaugh: the beginning of the end?
Could the end really be in sight? Is Rush Limbaugh now sounding like he'll say anything -- a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g -- to try and press the ideological hot buttons to please his audience, even if it seems like he's cleaerly straining? Has the whale truly jumped the shark? Forbes' Rick Ungar thinks so. At issue is CBS's announcement that it has signed Stephen Colbert to replace the … [Read more...] about Rush Limbaugh: the beginning of the end?
The Pistorius Defense
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 The Pistorius Defense
Law firm hired by Christie for internal probe donated money to Republican Governors Association in 2014
I absolutely hate the phrase "it doesn't pass the smell test," so you know something smells bad if I say: this doesn't pass the smell test. Nine days before a team of its top lawyers made public a report clearing Governor Christie in the George Washington Bridge scandal, the law firm donated $10,000 to the Republican Governors Association, a group he heads. Gibson Dunn … [Read more...] about Law firm hired by Christie for internal probe donated money to Republican Governors Association in 2014
Obama ‘Turns the Nuclear Cheek’ To Vladimir Putin (Libero Quotidiano, Italy)
Why did President Obama decide last week, in the midst of the Ukraine crisis, to cut the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal four years earlier than required under the 2010 NEW Start Treaty? For Italy's Libero Quotidiano, columnist Glauco Maggi writes that not only are most E.U. leaders on Putin's side, but President Obama 'is a left-wing ideologue, a slave to a pacifism divorced from … [Read more...] about Obama ‘Turns the Nuclear Cheek’ To Vladimir Putin (Libero Quotidiano, Italy)
To Beat Putin, West Needs Armor, Not Empathy (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
Does historical fear explain German 'understanding' for Vladimir Putin's behavior in Ukraine? For the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, columnist Volker Zastrow challenges the idea that Moscow is justifiably indignant after NATO broke its promise not to expand NATO, and warns that hand-wringing and 'false empathy' will do nothing to address the security problem Russia represents. … [Read more...] about To Beat Putin, West Needs Armor, Not Empathy (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
The Real Threat
The events at the Cliven Bundy ranch in Nevada and the horrible killings in Kansas City have once again reminded us of the threat posed by right wing extremists in the United states. But are they a greater threat than the Islamic terrorists? Peter Bergen thinks so: In fact, since 9/11 extremists affiliated with a variety of far-right wing ideologies, including white … [Read more...] about The Real Threat
Please Take A Moment To Meet Ashol-Pan
The next time you're feeling chuff about that backyard barbeque you put together all by your lonesome, breaking 250 in league bowling, or that honor roll student child who you're convinced is destined for an Ivy League school, please pause for a moment and take a brief trip to the other side of the planet to meet a girl by the name of Ashol-Pan. Ashol-Pan is a Kazakh who … [Read more...] about Please Take A Moment To Meet Ashol-Pan
Bill O’Reilly: Conservatives won’t watch Stephen Colbert on the ‘Late Show’
Bill O'Reilly: Conservatives won't watch Stephen Colbert on the 'Late Show' (via NJ.com) The conservative campaign against Stephen Colbert is just getting started. Days after radio host Rush Limbaugh described David Letterman's replacement as a threat to "traditional American values," Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has predicted conservatives… … [Read more...] about Bill O’Reilly: Conservatives won’t watch Stephen Colbert on the ‘Late Show’