The Rios Montt trial set back a month and will now likely collapse, a sad day for international justice. But for neoconservatives, the decision is good news, because Reagan’s shady connections with Montt have been exposed (for the few willing to discover them). And yet some on the right are still trying to protect Montt and Reagan – here’s how you spin a genocide. J. Michael … [Read more...] about How to Spin a Genocide
Michele Bachman Says She Won’t Try to Be Re-Elected
Says it's not because she thinks she cant get re-elected Not because of anything, sorta, really really. And that she will spend her time left in office fighting hard for 'constitutional conservatism.' It occurs to many of us that the trope-code amongst politicians is as weird as the code at the Vatican, words meaning not what they mean or more than they mean, or not … [Read more...] about Michele Bachman Says She Won’t Try to Be Re-Elected
Terrorist Attacks Not Just Failing to Connect the Dots
There's good news and bad news in the twin terrorist outrages of the horrific running over and hacking to death of a British soldier and the Boston Marathon bombings. The good: intelligence agencies had some of these young terrorists on their radar. The bad news: having them on the radar did little good since the murderers still successfully completed their planned … [Read more...] about Terrorist Attacks Not Just Failing to Connect the Dots
Remembering storm, Obama, Christie again the odd couple
Remembering storm, Obama, Christie again the odd couple (via AFP) US President Barack Obama on Tuesday rekindled his odd couple relationship with Republican rising star Chris Christie, as they high-fived on a New Jersey boardwalk hit by Hurricane Sandy. Christie, the state governor, welcomed Obama to New Jersey on a trip meant to highlight coastal areas rebuilding… … [Read more...] about Remembering storm, Obama, Christie again the odd couple
Does Struggling J.C. Penny’s Tea Kettle Look Like Adolf Hitler?
Poor J.C. Penny, one of my favorite stores (yes I go there a lot and have a store credit card.) In April, the corporation's CEO Ron Johnson, whose change in marketing strategy many believe chased customers away, resigned under pressure. Earlier this month the retail giant reported bigger loses than expected. And now it's being accused of marketing a tea kettle that looks like … [Read more...] about Does Struggling J.C. Penny’s Tea Kettle Look Like Adolf Hitler?
Dow hits new record on strong economic data
Dow hits new record on strong economic data (via AFP) The Dow closed at a new all-time high Tuesday after strong gains in US home prices and consumer confidence boosted stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 106.29 (0.69 percent) at 15,409.39, a new all-time high. The S&P 500 put on 10.46 (0.63 percent) at 1,660.06, while the Nasdaq Composite… … [Read more...] about Dow hits new record on strong economic data
To Win Congressional Elections in 2014, Run AGAINST Money
In post-Citizens United America, political wisdom says the country has become a mammonocracy, that a candidate with the most money wins, or only loses when the other candidate has almost as much money. Is this true? Maybe now it is. Need it always be true? Maybe not. Suppose a candidate instead of depending on raising money to win, uses the fact he/she is running … [Read more...] about To Win Congressional Elections in 2014, Run AGAINST Money
A Sharp Turn in the War on Terror
As the President eulogizes those who fought past and present wars, he also reminds us that a few days ago “I outlined the future of our fight against terrorism--the threats we face, and the way in which we will meet them.” Amid Memorial Day parades, speeches and war movies on TV, Barack Obama declares that Americans’ post-9/11 mindset has to change: “Our systematic effort to … [Read more...] about A Sharp Turn in the War on Terror
Can Social Conservatives Change?
Though limiting the size and power of the government and fiscal policy have recently been the issues galvanizing conservatives, social concerns are still the major factors motivating many conservatives. These invariably have a basis in religious beliefs, most prominently in evangelical Protestant churches and the Catholic Church, though also a hallmark of Orthodox Judaism. The … [Read more...] about Can Social Conservatives Change?
Understanding The Greatness Of Obama’s Historic End-To-Perpetual-War Speech
Barack Obama's speech last week calling for an end to perpetual war was, bar done, the greatest given by an American president in my lifetime. This is because the speech articulated fundamental truths about the times in which we live long overdue in the telling, chief among them that our democracy demands that while we must continue to fight terrorism, the perpetual war … [Read more...] about Understanding The Greatness Of Obama’s Historic End-To-Perpetual-War Speech
Report: British Officials Knew Suspect in Soldier’s Death Had Ties to Al Qaeda
This serious stuff. It isn't just a matter of "not connecting the dots" -- but not noticing the lines. The New York Times: Britain’s security agencies appeared headed for a period of deeply uncomfortable scrutiny after the government said Sunday that it had been aware for more than two years that one of the two men suspected of hacking an off-duty British soldier to death … [Read more...] about Report: British Officials Knew Suspect in Soldier’s Death Had Ties to Al Qaeda
Memorial Day In A Small Town
Memorial Day has, for many, become a reason for a family or group picnic, or maybe an extended time on the water, or one of a myriad of activities with family and friends. But there are still many places where the original reason for the day is still revered. One of those places is St. Simon's Island, Georgia. We happened to be there this evening for their 22nd annual Taps … [Read more...] about Memorial Day In A Small Town
Remembering The Vietnam War
I graduated from high school in June of 1964. The US had placed military advisors in Vietnam since the French left in 1954. In August of 1964, a few weeks after my high school graduation, the North Vietnamese allegedly fired on 2 US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin and congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving President Johnson unprecedented power to wage war. The … [Read more...] about Remembering The Vietnam War
Donald Trump Reportedly Spends $1 Million on Electoral Research for Possible 2016 Presidential Run
Carnival barker Donald Trump is reportedly eyeing a 2016 presidential run. Lord, please let him run and become the GOP nominee with Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann or Allen West as his running mate. The Democrats would be certain of another four years in the White House. This is precisely the kind of madness Bob Dole referred to when he said the RNC should hang a "closed for … [Read more...] about Donald Trump Reportedly Spends $1 Million on Electoral Research for Possible 2016 Presidential Run
The Saddest Part of Memorial Day
It is sad enough that this Memorial Day we mourn the more than 4,500 Americans who died in the war in Iraq, and the nearly 2,200 who have given their lives in Afghanistan, in a war that is now in its 12th year. It is even more tragic that among those Afghanistan casualties there are men and women who were children when the war began. Already in 2010, people were noticing and … [Read more...] about The Saddest Part of Memorial Day
Greatest Generation World War II Veteran Richard Gandelman Remembered
My father Richard Gandelman died on Memorial Day 2007 at age 88, a proud World War II veteran who saw a lot of death when he served, but cherished his years of service. His father Nathan Gandelman died in a car crash after saying goodbye to my father as he was about to go overseas ....then saying he didn't know why but he had to turn back and say good bye to him one more … [Read more...] about Greatest Generation World War II Veteran Richard Gandelman Remembered
The Obama riddle
WASHINGTON -- You wonder if President Obama sometimes finds himself singing a variant on Kermit the Frog's anthem about the burdens of being green: It's not easy being Barack Obama. This is not simply or even primarily a matter of color, although the president's racial background has been a source of both opportunity and trial. As the first African-American in the White … [Read more...] about The Obama riddle
Top 10 New Species Of 2012 — Lesula Monkey, Lilliputian Violet, Lyre Sponge, No to the Mine! Snake, Cave Painting Fungus, Glow-In-The-Dark Roach, Etc
Top 10 New Species Of 2012 — Lesula Monkey, Lilliputian Violet, Lyre Sponge, No to the Mine! Snake, Cave Painting Fungus, Glow-In-The-Dark Roach, Etc (via Planetsave) The annual Top 10 New Species list has just been released by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. The 2012 Top 10 New Species List this year includes: a false … [Read more...] about Top 10 New Species Of 2012 — Lesula Monkey, Lilliputian Violet, Lyre Sponge, No to the Mine! Snake, Cave Painting Fungus, Glow-In-The-Dark Roach, Etc
Memorial Day: Remember
It's Memorial Day. Remember. And: AND: AND: See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license these cartoons for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Memorial Day: Remember
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag (Guest Voice)
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag by Peter Funt MONTEREY, Calif.—They don't ask, "Paper or plastic?" around here anymore. Single-use plastic bags are banned, and stores offering paper are required to charge the stiff price of 25 cents per bag. The Monterey law, like many anti-bag ordinances popping up around the nation and the globe, seems to have been authored with good … [Read more...] about BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag (Guest Voice)