The Talk Radio Party? by Michael Reagan So what does the Tea Party want this fall? A repeat of 2010, or a repeat of 2012? The Tea Party succeeded spectacularly in 2010. Its principled enthusiasm put Republicans back in charge of the House of Representatives and, if the Tea Party hadn't been so stupid in several races, it should have given the GOP control of the … [Read more...] about The Talk Radio Party? (Guest Voice)
Kristof: Where GOP Gets It Right
Nicholas Kristof on ways the GOP gets it right on poverty (but wrong on policy) in The New York Times. So, come on, Republicans! You’ve highlighted enduring truths about the importance of family, jobs and school reform. But, while your diagnoses deserve respectful consideration, your prescriptions have mostly been proved wrong. One more thing: These aren’t just abstract … [Read more...] about Kristof: Where GOP Gets It Right
Lech Walesa: Europe ‘Cannot Count on the United States’ (Rzeczpospolita, Poland)
When it comes to the handling of the Ukraine crisis, Cold War leader of the trade union Solidarity, former Poland President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa has some choice words for President Obama, NATO, and the West - and for Poland's new batch of leaders. Mr. Walesa recently gave this interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, in which he explains what he … [Read more...] about Lech Walesa: Europe ‘Cannot Count on the United States’ (Rzeczpospolita, Poland)
J Is For Judgement
Every day in our lives we have to make choices, sometimes for minor things and sometimes for major ones. As those choices work their ways out we sometimes consider if we had good judgment when we made our decision. As I see it there are two or three basic kinds of decisions you make in life and with both of them there is good reason to give yourself a bit of a break over … [Read more...] about J Is For Judgement
US health secretary to resign after Obamacare woes
US health secretary to resign after Obamacare woes (via AFP) President Barack Obama's Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is to resign, paying the price for the chaotic initial rollout of his signature health care law, officials said Thursday. Obama will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, his… … [Read more...] about US health secretary to resign after Obamacare woes
Stabbings and Guns (Guest Cartoonist Cartoon Guest Voice)
Stabbings and Guns by Mike Peters OF RELATED INTEREST: --No guns this time, just more good old American violence --The Gun Is Never The Problem: A Guide To Right-Wing Responses To Mass Shootings --Anti-gunners plan Seattle event; will they discuss school stabbings? --GUN LOVERS PRETTY THRILLED ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA HIGH SCHOOL BOY STABBING ALL THOSE KIDS --The … [Read more...] about Stabbings and Guns (Guest Cartoonist Cartoon Guest Voice)
The circus is in session
The circus is in session by Dana Milbank Washington Post Writers Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Dave Camp had a secret. The House Ways and Means Committee chairman was ready to send the panel's files on former IRS official Lois Lerner to the Justice Department for a possible prosecution, a handover that could have been accomplished with a simple phone call to … [Read more...] about The circus is in session
I is for Irish: Priest Stuns Bride And Groom
He told them he "might sing a little something" at their wedding. This is what they got. … [Read more...] about I is for Irish: Priest Stuns Bride And Groom
‘Wages and Gender’ – Continued…
There has been a lively debate here at TMV on men-women wage inequality. This issue is presently being debated nation-wide with equal vigor. The New York Times had an Editorial Board piece Wednesday on “The Truth about the Pay Gap,” including the oft-cited and "controversial" claim that women on average make 77 cents for every $1 earned by men. Whether it is the … [Read more...] about ‘Wages and Gender’ – Continued…
CBS: Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman
Big breaking entertainment news: CBS has announced that Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert -- the guy that Fox News' Bill O'Reilly said is "destroying America" after Colbert destroyed him in segment -- will replace David Letterman when Letterman retires: CBS named Stephen Colbert to succeed David Letterman as host of “The Late Show,” handing the reins of its flagship … [Read more...] about CBS: Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman
“The spectacle of stupid goes on and on”
Hey, he said it, I didn't. But may I use the word "ditto?" Martin Longman in a post says "The spectacle of stupid goes on and on." And he offers two examples (read his posts in full). (1) Republicans once again rejected a budget put forward by President Barack Obama, an event that happens almost on automatic pilot in this era when compromise is seen as partisan treason and … [Read more...] about “The spectacle of stupid goes on and on”
The New, Creative Routes Hackers Use
If you think your network is secure, you might want to think again. Recently, a giant oil company revealed that its network had been compromised, even though it thought the system was airtight. The hackers came in through an unexpected method — a menu from a Chinese food restaurant. This hack is the latest in a series of major data breaches, such as the Target hack that … [Read more...] about The New, Creative Routes Hackers Use
Newly Insured Able To Find Doctors Despite Republican Predictions Of Shortage And Long Waits
With people actually becoming enrolled in health insurance due to the Affordable Care Act, we have further evidence that the Republican scare stories are not coming true. There are no death panels. The government has not taken over health care. Enrollment in plans sold through the exchanges have met earlier projections despite the initial problems with the computer system. … [Read more...] about Newly Insured Able To Find Doctors Despite Republican Predictions Of Shortage And Long Waits
The United States Of Cowardice: Still No Accountability For Torture Regime Perps
WE DO NOT TORTURE TERROR SUSPECTS ~ George Bush (November 7, 2005) Since 2007, I have written over 30 in-depth blog posts on what I term the Bush Torture Regime. Underpinning these posts have been a call for accountability for the men who used the 9/11 terror attacks not as a clarion call to affirm all that is right about America, but manipulated the so-called War on … [Read more...] about The United States Of Cowardice: Still No Accountability For Torture Regime Perps
LBJ’s Way
WASHINGTON -- History offers a rough kind of justice. As the nation's current president and three of his predecessors gathered this week at the University of Texas for an LBJ Library conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, they confirmed what has been building for many years now: a thoroughly justified revival of Lyndon B. Johnson's … [Read more...] about LBJ’s Way
To the Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States:
To the Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, RE: The Appearance of Corruption by Peter W Johnson I grew up in our country being taught that we all have the opportunity to fulfill our lives by becoming what we want to become, simply by playing with the help of some definite rules of fairness and acknowledging their importance. In recent years, with … [Read more...] about To the Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States:
Republicans kiss votes from women goodbye (Guest Voice)
Republicans kiss votes from women goodbye by Dana Milbank Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- This was not the way Republican leaders had planned to observe Equal Pay Day. On the eve of Tuesday's commemoration -- the day symbolizing how far into 2014 women must work to catch up to the wages men earned in 2013 -- a small newspaper in Louisiana, The … [Read more...] about Republicans kiss votes from women goodbye (Guest Voice)
It is better to be feared than loved, or not
It is better to be feared than loved, or not by Richard Barry Ryan Lizza has a fascinating piece in The New Yorker on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's political style. For the piece he interviewed former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, who clearly has issues with Christie: "He doesn't always try to persuade you with reason," Kean said. "He makes you feel that your life's … [Read more...] about It is better to be feared than loved, or not
Harvard students insensitive to terror victims (Guest Voice)
Harvard students insensitive to terror victims By Stephen M. Flatow/JNS.org The controversy over the Harvard University students who recently posed, smiling, at Yasser Arafat’s grave sent a shot of pain through every one of us who has lost a loved one in the terrorist attacks that Arafat and his allies have waged over the years. But it must have been particularly awful … [Read more...] about Harvard students insensitive to terror victims (Guest Voice)
20 hurt in mass stabbing at US high school
20 hurt in mass stabbing at US high school (via AFP) An American student stabbed 19 teenagers and a security guard in a bloody 30-minute rampage in the classrooms and hallways of a Pennsylvania high school on Wednesday, officials said. At least four students were critically injured in the shocking assault… … [Read more...] about 20 hurt in mass stabbing at US high school