The carnage at the Navy Yard by gunman Aaron Alexis who shot to death 12 people has one lesson, according to NRA leader Wayne LaPierre: there "weren't enough good guys with guns." National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre argued on NBC’s Meet the Press that “there weren’t enough good guys with guns" to confront the shooter responsible for last week's Washington … [Read more...] about NRA’s La Pierre: there “weren’t enough good guys with guns” at Navy Yard
59 murdered so far: Gunfire as Kenya forces battle to end mall siege
Gunfire as Kenya forces battle to end mall siege (via AFP) Kenyan troops backed by Israeli agents battled Sunday to end a siege in an upmarket shopping mall and free hostages held by Somali militants in an attack that has killed at least 59 people. Sporadic gunfire rang out as Kenyan security officials said… … [Read more...] about 59 murdered so far: Gunfire as Kenya forces battle to end mall siege
CNN’s John Avlon: GOP Trying to ‘Extort the President’
CNN's John Avlon cut away the nicities and just said it: the GOP is trying to extort the President. May I say "ditto?" (actually I have my take HERE about some of what is going on..). Watch for yourself HERE as Avlon, a leading voice for centrists, independents and moderates tells it like it is, … [Read more...] about CNN’s John Avlon: GOP Trying to ‘Extort the President’
Why terrorists struck at upscale Kenyan mall
Why terrorists struck at upscale Kenyan mall (+video) (via The Christian Science Monitor) A police officer takes cover outside a mall in Nairobi, Kenya, as gunmen attack the mall.(Ben Curtis/AP) Kenyan officials said Saturday they had tightened security across the country in the wake of a terrorist attack that has underscored the challenges… … [Read more...] about Why terrorists struck at upscale Kenyan mall
University of Alabama Removes a ‘Final Barrier’ in Nine Days
A link on Facebook posted by my sister who lives in Alabama took me the web site of The Crimson White (CW), the University of Alabama’s student newspaper. Once at the site, I could hardly believe the title of the story that was staring me in the face in the Year of Our Lord 2013: “The Final Barrier: 50 years later, segregation still exists.” In the story that starts with … [Read more...] about University of Alabama Removes a ‘Final Barrier’ in Nine Days
The GOP Endgame on Welfare “Reform”
Alex Pareene on Salon points out that the $40,000,000,000 in cuts to SNAP that the House GOP passed is just the logical continuation of the GOP view of the "welfare reform" of 1996. The events of that time have been examined and here's part of what has been found. The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published a report in 2006 on the … [Read more...] about The GOP Endgame on Welfare “Reform”
The Pope Makes the GOP Look Medieval
Primal prejudices are intractable, but American liberals are put to the test with a new Pope professing a large-hearted vision of the Catholic faith even as the Tea Party hunkers down in Washington to defend to the death its deep belief that the poor and the sick are unlovable and evil. Religion and politics collide in a spiritual train wreck. Those of rational bent are … [Read more...] about The Pope Makes the GOP Look Medieval
Hi-Tech Harvest
Hi-Tech Harvest by Peter Funt SALINAS, Calif. — It's possible that the weapons of choice to combat illegal immigration will turn out to be drones and robots. We're not talking about patrolling the borders with Mexico — although, in fact, drones are being tested there. The real breakthrough is in the fields, here in the Salinas Valley and elsewhere across the Salad Bowl … [Read more...] about Hi-Tech Harvest
What Are the Motives Behind Iran’s ‘Charm Offensive’? (Guest Voice)
What Are the Motives Behind Iran's 'Charm Offensive'? (via PBS News Hour) GWEN IFILL: So, what do President Rouhani's overtures to the United States mean? And how much change is actually happening inside Iran? For those answers, I'm joined by Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, and… … [Read more...] about What Are the Motives Behind Iran’s ‘Charm Offensive’? (Guest Voice)
Atom bomb nearly detonated over North Carolina in 1961
US nearly detonated atomic bomb by accident in 1961: file (via AFP) The US Air Force came dramatically close to detonating a huge atomic bomb over North Carolina in 1961, according to a newly declassified document published by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Saturday. Two hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over… … [Read more...] about Atom bomb nearly detonated over North Carolina in 1961
America’s political center has completely vanished
The political center is dead in America. And if it isn't dead, it's at least on life support. Far-right House Republicans just prevailed over the party establishment in what most analysts consider a fruitless, politically suicidal move in which the GOP threatens to shut down the government to force Democrats to defund ObamaCare. But the seemingly outlandish idea that … [Read more...] about America’s political center has completely vanished
Texas Latino Growth May Soon Impact Deep Red Cong. Seats
For political strategists and junkies alike, the redrawing of Texas Congressional boundaries is a fascinating and unpredictable dream. The state's massive growth and Latino population surge always guarantees an increase in House seats, and with it, a gargantuan, Texas-sized struggle between Democratic and Republican interest groups over how they'll be allocated. This cycle … [Read more...] about Texas Latino Growth May Soon Impact Deep Red Cong. Seats
HBO’s “Newsroom:” Is It Over?
Waiting this long to watch your recorded season finale doesn’t even earn you a “spoiler alert.” The question hanging in the air for those who enjoy Aaron Sorkin’s HBO media circus is whether or not the show will be back for a third season. As the season ender ties up so many plot knots, it’s natural to wonder if the fast-talking characters have finally run out of steam. And … [Read more...] about HBO’s “Newsroom:” Is It Over?
Pope Francis Sees the Catholic Church as a Big Tent – a ‘Field Hospital After Battle’
"This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal church to a nest protecting our mediocrity." Pope Francis, in an interview with La Civiltà Cattolica Back in March of this year, I -- as a South American -- was proud, humbled and … [Read more...] about Pope Francis Sees the Catholic Church as a Big Tent – a ‘Field Hospital After Battle’
Republican House jumps off political cliff: votes to fund government but defund Obama Care (UPDATED)
And now the Republican Party's rebranding is complete. Not rebranding the party as a more inclusive, compassionate party, but a party seemingly controlled by the Tea Party movement and far-right segments of the party that have now ignored warnings from Republican political pros and GOP establishment types: House Republicans have voted to keep the government open and linked that … [Read more...] about Republican House jumps off political cliff: votes to fund government but defund Obama Care (UPDATED)
Occam’s Razor Economics — The Middle Class Solution
The middle class is being squeezed and downsized. Its spending power, the main engine of the economy, is being diminished. More and more of its members are falling into poverty. The upper one percent of earners, meanwhile, are seeing their own incomes rise dramatically. It soaked up 19 percent of all new income last year, the highest percentage since 1928. The economic … [Read more...] about Occam’s Razor Economics — The Middle Class Solution
The Nation as a Hostage
I consider it singularly appropriate that this article from The Daily Beast refers to the current actions of the GOP as a murder-suicide. Consider that there are basically two schools of thought among the more radical members of the GOP on how the attempt to defund Obamacare will play out. One says that the Democrats will cave in because they won't want to be blamed for a … [Read more...] about The Nation as a Hostage
Children blackmailed into sex abuse online
Children blackmailed into sex abuse online (via AFP) Children as young as eight are being blackmailed into performing sex acts live on webcams, causing some of them to self-harm or even commit suicide, a British watchdog warned on Friday. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said… … [Read more...] about Children blackmailed into sex abuse online
Obama Beats McCain Again–as a Pen Pal
In the age of sound bites, the President and his 2008 opponent are reviving an ancient art, lobbing letters at foreign adversaries rather than missiles, an improvement no doubt but neither quite has the hang of it. John McCain, in his usual retro style, sends Putin an old-fashioned “Dear Sir, You Cur” missive, telling his constituents, “I am pro-Russian, more pro-Russian … [Read more...] about Obama Beats McCain Again–as a Pen Pal
Obama needs to stand his ground
WASHINGTON -- Republicans in the House are like a bunch of 3-year-olds playing with matches. Their hapless leaders don't have the sense to scold them and send them to their rooms -- which means President Obama has to be the disciplinarian in this dysfunctional family. Mature adults in the GOP should have explained reality to these tantrum-throwing tykes long ago: It … [Read more...] about Obama needs to stand his ground