WASHINGTON -- The bad news is that approval ratings for both the president and Congress are sinking, with voters increasingly frustrated at the bitter, partisan impasse in Washington. The worse news is that in terms of admiration for our national leaders, these may come to be seen as the good old days. I'm an optimist by nature, a glass-half-full kind of guy. But try as … [Read more...] about Obstruction as the new normal
Big Weenie (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Big Weenie (Cartoon)
Police hold Spain train crash driver for ‘recklessness’
Police hold Spain train crash driver for 'recklessness' (via AFP) Spanish police said Friday they have detained the driver of a speeding train that crashed in the nation's deadliest rail disaster in decades, accusing him of criminal recklessness. The country was in mourning over Wednesday's horrific tragedy, which… … [Read more...] about Police hold Spain train crash driver for ‘recklessness’
Solving the Student Loan Crisis is Only the First Step
Congress will likely hammer out some sort of deal, which Republicans will love and Democrats will be forced to swallow, but it’s worth considering whether we view education in entirely the wrong way here in America. In Britain, where my girlfriend lives, students don’t begin paying off their loans until they find stable employment, and the cost is in proportion to their … [Read more...] about Solving the Student Loan Crisis is Only the First Step
A Closer Look at the FISA Court
Judges selected for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court by Chief Justice John Roberts are trending towards ideologically conservative judges with executive branch connections, leading to concerns that the court will grow even more biased in favor of government surveillance requests. There is a lot of surprising information in that one sentence, starting with the fact … [Read more...] about A Closer Look at the FISA Court
A President and a Veteran Recall the ‘Forgotten War’
It has been 60 years since the end of a war that many Americans call “The Forgotten War.” While the Korean War may be for many, “a conflict fought in a far-off country and so painful that even survivors have tried to erase their memories of it,” the North Koreans have not forgotten. “Sixty years after the end of the Korean War, the country is marking the milestone … [Read more...] about A President and a Veteran Recall the ‘Forgotten War’
Ode to Dolores Umbridge
I love villains in movies and literature. I have always thought a bad guy says a lot about a film’s protagonist and to a certain extent that film’s writers and directors. A poor villain can render a story meaningless in my eye. I don’t think the Harry Potter series, book or film, gets a proper bonafide superstar villain until Dolores Umbridge strolls into town with her cats … [Read more...] about Ode to Dolores Umbridge
(UPDATE) And You Thought the NSA and CIA Were Secretive…
UPDATE: The Hill reports that Majority Leader Harry Reid has stated that he wouldn’t be taking part in the process set up by Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to engage the rest of the Senate on the tax reform issue. Reid suggested that other senators who aren't on the tax-writing committee should stand down, and stressed with … [Read more...] about (UPDATE) And You Thought the NSA and CIA Were Secretive…
A Review of The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (man that’s a long title)
The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance is the very model of a modern major musical. Simply put, James Rocco's rendition of this theatre classic is a vibrantly fresh, clever, laugh out loud, hilarious romp. After writing "romp," I decided to look up what it actually means. The internet suggested that to romp is "to play or frolic … [Read more...] about A Review of The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (man that’s a long title)
Our ‘Moral’ Press
Funny that we're so "concerned" about the government raping our privacy, but don't care when the 'press' does so. The murderous clowns of the New York press corpse strike agin! You've got to hand it to our Press Corpse: however disgusting you might have found the Weiner wiener scandal Part the Deux, the "moral arbiters" of the press have managed to race to the gutter MUCH … [Read more...] about Our ‘Moral’ Press
Three Women Now: Roasted Weiner
It'd be tempting to do a headline about New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner saying he vows to stay in the race with the headline: "WEINER STIFFENS RESOLVE," but I would NEVER show such a lack of good taste. And that headline wouldn't matter now. He is now toast. Or, rather, a roasted Weiner. There's more bad news involving him -- and a bad poll. If news that he had … [Read more...] about Three Women Now: Roasted Weiner
With Robert Seldon Lady, America ‘Humiliates’ Italy (La Repubblica, Italy)
Days ago, acting on an Italian arrest warrant issued by Interpol, Robert Seldon Lady, a former CIA Bureau Chief, was detained by Panama in connection with the kidnapping, aka/extraordinary rendition, of Muslim cleric Abu Omar from a Milan street in 2005. Hours later, Lady was released without explanation. For Italy's La Repubblica, columnist Frederico Rampini vents Italy's … [Read more...] about With Robert Seldon Lady, America ‘Humiliates’ Italy (La Repubblica, Italy)
The Real Enemies Of The Middle Class: Washington’s Best And Brightest Economic Thinkers
Simplicity is a major threat to people who make their livings in certain professions. Deep thinkers can only justify hefty billing and huge salaries if they can concoct weighty solutions to weighty problems. This necessity is of course well understood by those charged with fixing the American economy. Thus, the very best and brightest in Washington anguish endlessly over … [Read more...] about The Real Enemies Of The Middle Class: Washington’s Best And Brightest Economic Thinkers
Weiner, Steve King: Tip of the Stupidity Iceberg
Ideological and ethnic opposites Anthony Weiner and Steve King are redefining shameless stupidity and uniting their own parties against them but, in our media-salivating world, getting more attention than comparatively sane office holders. Republicans have already moved away from King by dissuading him from running for the Iowa Senate seat next year, but Weiner is still a … [Read more...] about Weiner, Steve King: Tip of the Stupidity Iceberg
Shocking Video: Spanish Train Derailment
Truly shocking video that shows you a brutal tragedy occurring literally in seconds. … [Read more...] about Shocking Video: Spanish Train Derailment
The First ‘Post-Snowden’ Vote
As public attitudes are shifting against Snowden “with more than half of Americans now supporting criminal charges against the former security contractor who’s disclosed details of surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency” and while most Americans don’t see such surveillance unjustified intrusions on our privacy rights, it may not have come as a surprise that the … [Read more...] about The First ‘Post-Snowden’ Vote
In Snowden’s Wake, Duma Takes Up Russia’s Online Vulnerability (Kommersant, Russia)
Is the Kremlin really surprised by the NSA's capacity to spy on Russia? If it is, what can it do about it? For Russia's Kommersant, reporter Oleg Khokhlov reports on hearings in Russia's parliament featuring representatives of Russia's IT sector and secret services. For Kommersant, Oleg Khokhlov writes in part: The Duma, which considers Snowden's extradition "morally … [Read more...] about In Snowden’s Wake, Duma Takes Up Russia’s Online Vulnerability (Kommersant, Russia)
McCain and McConnell Poised to Increasingly Clash
Now that (in some ways) Arizona Sen. John McCain is reverting to an incarnation of the more independent McCain of 2000 and earlier, he is increasingly poised to clash with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Hill also notes that the two have locked horns in the past: The relationship between Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) … [Read more...] about McCain and McConnell Poised to Increasingly Clash
78 dead in worst Spanish train crash in decades
78 dead in worst Spanish train crash in decades (via AFP) A train flew off the tracks as it reportedly tore at twice the speed limit around a bend in northwest Spain, killing at least 78 passengers and injuring more than 140 in the nation's deadliest rail disaster since 1944. Carriages piled into each other… … [Read more...] about 78 dead in worst Spanish train crash in decades
JFK’s sole survivor named ambassador to Japan
JFK's sole survivor named ambassador to Japan (via AFP) President Barack Obama nominated Caroline Kennedy to become US ambassador to Japan, in the biggest foray into public service for John F. Kennedy's sole surviving child. The former first daughter, who long resisted running for public office, if confirmed… … [Read more...] about JFK’s sole survivor named ambassador to Japan