“The second cargo of Syria’s most toxic chemical weapons was exported by ship on Monday for eventual destruction at sea,” says the New York Times in a column on Monday. Reportedly, this is the second cargo exported thus far from the port of Latakia. The first one left the port on January 7 each carrying 15 to 20 tons, according to the Times, which adds that, if confirmed, … [Read more...] about The ‘Cape Ray’ Is Ready – Are the Syrians Ready and Willing?
Behind the Paranoia of the 1%
Josh Marshall analyzes financier Tom Perkins' comparison of the critique of income inequality and the 1% to Hitler's persecution of the Jews on Talking Points Memo. If you've been in the media slipstream today you know the outrage and mockery directed at Tom Perkins, one of the world's wealthiest and most successful Silicon Valley venture capitalists, for an oped he wrote in … [Read more...] about Behind the Paranoia of the 1%
State Of The Union Blah Blah
This is a repost of my regular commentary on the State of The Union speech. this year of course we will have a slightly different take because of the 2014 campaign aspects to the address. Both President Obama and the GOP responses are likely to add more rhetoric and a bit more of a partisan tilt to their speeches. But overall I think the commentary stands As we move closer … [Read more...] about State Of The Union Blah Blah
Dignity in the Workplace (Part 1)
This is the seventh part of the serialization of All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (Berrett-Koehler, 2006). The ideas in this book are further developed in my recent novel The Rowan Tree. CHAPTER 4: DIGNITY IN THE WORKPLACE (Part 1) This is the age of the Resume Gods…in which it is immoral to;discriminate according to race or sex, but … [Read more...] about Dignity in the Workplace (Part 1)
Big friendly fish bites unwise scuba diver (Video)
One of the first rules in dealing with any kind of wildlife is: respect it. Remember, even a panda looks fluffy and cuddly, but cuddle a real one at your own risk. What what happens when a scuba diver encounters a huge friendly fish and let's his guard down. In fact, his guard is almost bitten off: … [Read more...] about Big friendly fish bites unwise scuba diver (Video)
Obama will use executive order to raise minimum wage under federal contractors
Faced by Republicans in Congress who most of the time effectively check-mate his agenda, President Barack Obama will use an executive order to require that janitors, construction workers and other workers who work for federal contracts get a minimum $10,10 an hour. Obama will still press for action from Congress but he'll use the executive order to get at least part of his plan … [Read more...] about Obama will use executive order to raise minimum wage under federal contractors
Did the real Mitt Romney stand up?
Here is another review of the Netflix documentary Mitt for TMV to enjoy. This will appear sometime this week on my site. ... In the heat of the 2012 elections, I had a real deep seeded hatred for Mitt Romney. There were a number of reasons for this: He was going up against a man who I considered a hero, I thought he represented a type of venture capitalism that I … [Read more...] about Did the real Mitt Romney stand up?
Lobbyists, Politicians, and Access
It’s like a disease, a plague that continuously infects our democracy, for which no treatment seems to work. Laws are passed by Congress to try and control the scourge of the lobbyists, but lobbyists and the politicians find ways to circumvent the laws and hook up again to benefit the special interests- the clients of the lobbyists. However, some observers would not describe … [Read more...] about Lobbyists, Politicians, and Access
Gentle Warrior For The Common Man, Dies. RIP Pete Seeger
No doubt many of you in my generation who stumbled about with a guitar [mine was a sunrise red and yellow Gibson that I worked months to pay for] and calloused fingers, adored this kindly subversive who sang about LAND belonging to EVERYONE, the United States belonging to EVERYONE, [bear with, I think I can pull it all back from memory; we all sang Seeger's songs so often… … [Read more...] about Gentle Warrior For The Common Man, Dies. RIP Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger Dies
Folk musician Pete Seeger has died at the age of 94 More details to follow as the story develops … [Read more...] about Pete Seeger Dies
The Obama nation revisited: the blame dog business of whoever smelt it dealt it (Guest Voice)
The Obama nation revisited: the blame dog business of whoever smelt it dealt it The View from the Virgin Islands by John F. McCarthy TMV Columnist The State of the Union is nigh upon us again - a time to reflect back on the year that was - and look forward to the year - and the future - that still is - possible. But looking farther back, after the first such … [Read more...] about The Obama nation revisited: the blame dog business of whoever smelt it dealt it (Guest Voice)
Hustled by the best of them (Guest Voice)
Hustled by the best of them by Peter W. Johnson Funny how around the late 1960s scientists began to worry about long term environmental trends, and in the next two decades, (70s, and 80s) made accurate predictions about the climate change---nearly four decades before today. So, this global conspiracy not only spans several generations, but the plot to take over the … [Read more...] about Hustled by the best of them (Guest Voice)
Science is telling us something
WASHINGTON -- Another insane cold wave -- not the infamous "polar vortex," but its evil twin -- is bringing sub-zero and single-digit temperatures to much of the nation. And global warming may be even more extreme, and potentially more catastrophic, than climate scientists had feared. This is, of course, no contradiction. The rallying cry of the denialists -- "It's … [Read more...] about Science is telling us something
Internet Gift from God (Cartoon)
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 Internet Gift from God (Cartoon)
Why the GOP Can’t Moderate
Brian Beutler says the Republican Party has backed itself into an ideological corner preventing it from becoming more moderate in Salon.com. I think it’s fairly evident that Republicans’ increasing reliance on an older, whiter, more conservative constituency has trapped them into a number of non-negotiable policy dogmas. And I think they they bear most of the blame for their … [Read more...] about Why the GOP Can’t Moderate
U.S. Olympic Committee Announces Sochi Team USA
We have been reporting on the four-man bobsled team made up of U.S. Army soldiers and the two soldiers who will participate in the luge event at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, in addition to three U.S. Army soldier coaches -- all from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) . Today the U.S. Olympic Committee officially announced Team USA that includes the nine … [Read more...] about U.S. Olympic Committee Announces Sochi Team USA
Did the new Netflix “Mitt” Romney documentary come a year too late?
Did the new "Mitt" documentary about Mitt Romney come a year too late? The documentary has gotten generally rave reviews and positive reviews from many (including TMV's Ron Beasley whose review is here) who felt it showed a Romney they never knew. The Spectator blog's Bill Zeiser definitely thinks it would have been not just good politically it if had run sooner but would have … [Read more...] about Did the new Netflix “Mitt” Romney documentary come a year too late?
Test Your Ideology
From time to time I think it is fun to revisit this topic, especially since there is a natural tendency for people to assume that mainstream means their own viewpoint. I myself have fallen into the trap before and so to test myself for real I have gone to several of the political ideology tests on the web to find out where I really stand. I thought it might be fun for the … [Read more...] about Test Your Ideology
An Appreciation: Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker
(The recent publication of Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker , the first volume of a biography by Stanley Crouch, has rekindled interest in one of the true jazz originals. Portions of this post were originally published in May 2010.) It is unlikely that anyone in the pantheon of jazz greats has been idolized more and heard and appreciated … [Read more...] about An Appreciation: Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker
The President and the post-Obama era
WASHINGTON -- President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday is about more than the final three years of his presidency. Its purpose should be to influence the next decade of American political life and begin shaping the post-Obama era. For the first time since his early days in office, Obama has the philosophical winds at his back. He may be struggling with … [Read more...] about The President and the post-Obama era