UPDATE II: By U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs: Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, directed the activation of the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) Nov. 13 to be ready to support ongoing disaster relief efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Berthed in San Diego, USNS Mercy has been in a reduced operating status, which … [Read more...] about (UPDATES) U.S. Military Responds to Typhoon Haiyan Disaster
Typhoon and Hurricane (Cartoon)
https://politicalgraffiti.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/typhoon-and-hurricane/ Copyright 2013 David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Typhoon and Hurricane (Cartoon)
China Versus the American Media: Jimmy Kimmel-ABC/CNN Edition
The theme of an American media with bad collective judgement and/or acting at the behest of the U.S. government arises every so often in China media - one recalls China's campaign against CNN host Jack Cafferty, when he called Chinese forces cracking down on Tibetan monks 'goons and thugs,' or when it called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a 'disgusting figure' for paying her … [Read more...] about China Versus the American Media: Jimmy Kimmel-ABC/CNN Edition
Texas Values
Ted Cruz, the self-promoting Tea Party darling, is the new Texas standard bearer in the U.S. senate. Is he representative of Texas values? The fact that he beat a favored conservative, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, the establishment candidate in the primary, and easily won the general election shows that he does have widespread support in Texas and that his values … [Read more...] about Texas Values
How the Kennedys Made JFK a Media Star
From the start, the Kennedys were relentless about appearing lovable. In 1958 as editor of Redbook, I got a phone call from Robert Kennedy, whom I had never met. After seconds of small talk, he asked about pictures I had been sent of his kids and their cousins at the beach. Was I going to use them? When I said no, he responded cheerfully, "Maybe next time." That was the … [Read more...] about How the Kennedys Made JFK a Media Star
Making The Decision
Recently I was watching an old HBO movie called By Dawn’s Early Light, which presented a couple of interesting hypotheticals. The film is set in the 1980s and the basic story is that a group of dissident Soviet military officers launch a nuclear missile from Turkey against a target inside the USSR. The Soviets, making the natural assumption that the attack is US launched, … [Read more...] about Making The Decision
Typhoon Haiyan: how you can help – and how some US Filipinos already are
Typhoon Haiyan: how you can help – and how some US Filipinos already are (+video) (via The Christian Science Monitor) A survivor writes a message to call for help in typhoon-ravaged Tacloban, central Philippines, on Monday, Nov. 11. Authorities said at least 2 million people in 41 provinces were affected by the typhoon.(Aaron Favila/AP) The largest community of … [Read more...] about Typhoon Haiyan: how you can help – and how some US Filipinos already are
Baseball: A Game of and for the Ages
Baseball: A Game Of And For The Ages By Peter Funt TEMPE, Ariz. -- Roughly 15 million people watched each of the six games between Boston and St. Louis on TV last month, while here in the Phoenix metroplex a concurrent amateur World Series sparked every bit as much passion, maybe even more, among 324 adult baseball teams. So, is baseball gaining ground, or in a slump? … [Read more...] about Baseball: A Game of and for the Ages
If Jeb Bush wants the GOP nomination (Reader Guest Voice)
If Jeb Bush wants the GOP nomination by Jordan Cooper The truth is hard to handle. It's easy to get disconnected from reality. So for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to win another election, he has to objectively face the American people. He must remember what went wrong in his loss to Governor Lawton Chiles. He cannot forget his Dad served under the uber-popular … [Read more...] about If Jeb Bush wants the GOP nomination (Reader Guest Voice)
After Duel Stumbles – a Return to Parity and Paralyses (Guest Voice)
We saw the Republican self-inflicted wounds coming for months and then the Democrats celebrated their advantage by shooting themselves in the foot. It is difficult to say which party is now in worse shape because the problems on both sides so fundamentally challenge each side’s reason for existence. Republicans squandered any claim they had to being the party of fiscal … [Read more...] about After Duel Stumbles – a Return to Parity and Paralyses (Guest Voice)
Some heavy lifting for a Rand Paul speech (Guest Voice)
Some heavy lifting for a speech by Dana Milbank Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- Speech(1) by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky accepting the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, as prepared for delivery: (1) Source: Wikipedia My fellow Americans. With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God … [Read more...] about Some heavy lifting for a Rand Paul speech (Guest Voice)
U.S. Combat Drones Fly South for the Afghan Winter (Der Postillon, Germany)
Killer drones can be beautiful - at least according to this 'news' item from Germany's Der Postillon, which uses humor to target the use of these ever-more ubiquitous long-range weapons. One might even call it 'a rare bird.' Der Postillon's faux news item starts out this way: Kabul: It is a natural spectacle of breathtaking beauty. Like every year at this time, the … [Read more...] about U.S. Combat Drones Fly South for the Afghan Winter (Der Postillon, Germany)
Demographics doom Republicans? Poll shows Republicans losing ethnicity, age battle in California
A new poll by the Los Angeles Times has some troubling tidbits for Republicans in California -- and throughout the nation. They're steadily losing the battle for votes of voters from ethnic groups -- and the young: California right now is an extreme example of the nation, to be sure: more ethnically mixed and younger than most states, and riven for 20 years by a hobbling … [Read more...] about Demographics doom Republicans? Poll shows Republicans losing ethnicity, age battle in California
GOP blessings (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 GOP blessings (Cartoon)
BREAKING: Sarah Palin offers her heatlh care plan
Apologies we did not get this story on TMV earlier, because it is a game-changer. The big criticism of Republicans who seek to repeal Obamacare is that they offer no alternative to it. But this morning, on the Today Show, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a fierce Health Care Act critic, was asked what plan would replace Obamacare if the Republican Party could appeal it. And … [Read more...] about BREAKING: Sarah Palin offers her heatlh care plan
The Benghazing of Veterans Day
If there had been an Internet and TV during World War II, would we still be honoring the Greatest Generation? If there had been millions of voices beyond the newspapers, radio and movies that informed us back then, could there have been a nation united in a common cause? On the eve of Veterans Day, 60 Minutes issues an apology for its reporting on Benghazi, one incident in … [Read more...] about The Benghazing of Veterans Day
Ted Cruz: the guy no one likes
Given that reality, it will be interesting to see how far America lets a creep like this guy go. Will Ted Cruz, the guy about whom everyone has something bad to report, get into the big time? In the US Senate, the Tea Party Republican from Texas has continued to seek out a spot at center stage. His enemies — and he has many, including some in his own party — … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz: the guy no one likes
Bicyclists and the American right of way (Guest Voice)
The American right-of-way (via The Economist) ONION-LIKE though its title may be, Daniel Duane's opinion piece in Sunday's New York Times, "Is It OK To Kill Cyclists?", is in deadly earnest. As Mr Duane writes, motorists in America generally receive no punishment whatsoever for crashing into or… … [Read more...] about Bicyclists and the American right of way (Guest Voice)
To our Veterans: you honored us and you deserve better
Unlike my good friend Paul Elam, who is himself a US Army veteran, I do not believe the majority of wars America has fought in the last 75 or so years (the real ones, not the phony ones like the War On Drugs) have been fought for commerce or imperialism or any of those other things we commonly hear asserted in "liberal" and libertarian circles. Indeed, I find it incredibly … [Read more...] about To our Veterans: you honored us and you deserve better
Book Review: “The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy” by Larry Sabato
Editor's Note: This review will remain top left of TMV until Nov. 26. It has been 50 years since the Nov. 22 assassination of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and the anniversary is marked by a flood of new books. Quite of a few are conspiracy theory books that make their case and seem almost dismissive of other theories or the official conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the … [Read more...] about Book Review: “The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy” by Larry Sabato