UK Ministry of Defense Deems Wind Towers a National Security Threat by James C.K. Daley Twenty-plus years on, the collapse of the USSR in 1991 threatened massive Western defense budgets, bereft of a major enemy like the “Evil Empire.” Western militaries conveniently found a new global enemy a decade later following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, and since … [Read more...] about UK Ministry of Defense Deems Wind Towers a National Security Threat (Guest Voice)
Chief of Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Branch Accused of Sexual Battery
The Chief of the U.S. Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response branch was arrested this weekend and accused of sexual battery. The Stars and Stripes: Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, of Arlington, Va., was arrested Sunday morning, according to the Arlington police. He’s accused of approaching a woman in a parking lot and grabbing her breasts and buttocks, … [Read more...] about Chief of Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Branch Accused of Sexual Battery
Are We Intervening in Syria Yet? (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 Are We Intervening in Syria Yet? (Cartoon)
Quote of the Day: Mike Lupica on Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin and Wayne LaPierre at the Convention
Our political Quote of the Day comes from the New York Daily News' Mike Lupica, who has a column on Sarah Palin appearing at the NRA. Here's his lede: Sarah Palin showed up at the NRA convention the other day, which was merely perfect. She belonged there as much as anybody in the hall just because from the start, from the time John McCain picked her out of the chorus, … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Mike Lupica on Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin and Wayne LaPierre at the Convention
Three women, missing for years, found in US home
Three women, missing for years, found in US home (via AFP) Three women who had been missing for years -- two of whom disappeared as teenagers -- were found alive in a house in Cleveland, police in the US state of Ohio said. A neighbor spotted one of the women -- Amanda Berry -- screaming and trying to get out of the house. "I heard screaming... And I see this… … [Read more...] about Three women, missing for years, found in US home
Iconic Host John McLaughlin Once Sought U.S. Senate
Some things might surprise folks about McLaughlin Group host John McLaughlin. He is 86 years old. He used to be a priest. And he was once a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat from the state of Rhode Island. The year was 1970 and McLaughlin was aiming in a futile -- kamikaze is even appropriate, quest to unseat the venerable John Pastore. In the words of McLaughlin, "Issue … [Read more...] about Iconic Host John McLaughlin Once Sought U.S. Senate
Ben-Hur, Benghazi, Ben Gay
Well, the rumor is that Sharyl Attkisson is going over to Faux Nooz, after a bizarre series of "walking Right Wing Konspiracies" into the "mainstream" media. And lookie what the Faux Nooz crowd got today (not exactly refuting the rumor): click to enlarge; click here to go there Look at that sea of red. Only Little Green Footballs and Daily Kos have any rebuttal to the … [Read more...] about Ben-Hur, Benghazi, Ben Gay
NRA Looks on the Bright Side
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 NRA Looks on the Bright Side
FBI: Minn. raid disrupts ‘localized terror attack’
FBI: Minn. raid disrupts 'localized terror attack' (via The Star-News) MINNEAPOLIS - The FBI believes authorities disrupted a terrorism attack that was being planned in a small western Minnesota city when they arrested a man after converging on a mobile home that contained Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms, the agency said Monday. Buford Rogers, 24,… … [Read more...] about FBI: Minn. raid disrupts ‘localized terror attack’
NRA Convention: Man Sells Torsos of Obama Likeness: Bleed When Shot.
Many who are aware of how threats are handled against the President of the US as a Class D felony under US Code Title 18, Section 871, wonder if [see story here]: the seller is advocating murder of a duly elected President, or if the seller might claim he is a comedian. Viz: When President Wilson was threatened by a man with these words in writing: "President Wilson … [Read more...] about NRA Convention: Man Sells Torsos of Obama Likeness: Bleed When Shot.
Mediaite: Vast Majority of National Advertisers Won’t Advertise on Rush Limbaugh’s Show
What you are seeing now apparently is a)spin control at work, b)the "marketplace" at work. We earlier ran this post about conservative talk show titan (and some say de facto strategist and polemical riff creator for today's Republican Party) Rush Limbaugh threatening to leave Cumulus Media because he's irked over how the CEO has blamed him for the company's big ad loss … [Read more...] about Mediaite: Vast Majority of National Advertisers Won’t Advertise on Rush Limbaugh’s Show
Gov. Rick Perry Equates Rejecting LGBT Community to Fighting Slavery Over Boy Scouts Anti-Gay Policy
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (Mr. Oops) is equating rejecting the LGBT community to fighting slavery during the pre-Civil War days. Gov. Perry appeared on the Family Research Council's program "Stand With Scouts Sunday," and urged the Boys Scouts to stand firm against any drive to change its policy on gays. “The fact is, this is a private organization,” Perry said of the Boy Scouts. … [Read more...] about Gov. Rick Perry Equates Rejecting LGBT Community to Fighting Slavery Over Boy Scouts Anti-Gay Policy
(UPDATES) Air Force ‘Stratotanker’ Crashes in Kyrgyzstan
UPDATE IV: The Stars and Stripes has published additional details on the three Air Force crew members who were killed Friday in the crash of the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft in the rugged mountains of Kyrgyzstan. The Stripes also provided different hometowns for two of the three crew members than were provided yesterday by DOD (marked with an asterisk*) Capt. Mark … [Read more...] about (UPDATES) Air Force ‘Stratotanker’ Crashes in Kyrgyzstan
Germany arrests ‘Auschwitz guard’ on murder charges
Germany arrests 'Auschwitz guard' on murder charges (via AFP) German authorities arrested Monday a 93-year-old alleged former guard at the Nazi death camp Auschwitz on charges of complicity in the mass murder of prisoners. Prosecutors in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said the man was believed to have worked at the camp between autumn 1941 and its… … [Read more...] about Germany arrests ‘Auschwitz guard’ on murder charges
New Airport Security Threat? 3 D Plastic Guns
The good news: modern technology has advanced to a point where someone can use a 3 D printer and make something out of plastic. The bad news: modern technology has advanced to a point where someone can sue a 3 D printer and make a gun out of plastic, which could pose a security threat a places like airport. A Texas company is set to release blueprints for making a … [Read more...] about New Airport Security Threat? 3 D Plastic Guns
Ecuador’s El Oriente: A Paradise Still in Peril
About two years ago, I wrote about the idyllic weeks and months I spent as a child in Ecuador’s “el Oriente.” El Oriente is Ecuador's magnificent jungle region on the East side of the majestic Andes Mountains. It is the beginning of the Amazon rain forest basin -- some parts still pristine -- and one of the most biologically diverse regions on earth, an ecological … [Read more...] about Ecuador’s El Oriente: A Paradise Still in Peril
Obama’s Wake Up Call
WASHINGTON -- President Obama got roughed up by the pundit class last week. The question is what lessons he draws from the going-over. Here's one he should take: The nation's political conversation has grown stale and many Americans have lost the sense of what he is doing to improve their lives. You can argue that this perception isn't fair. The Affordable Care Act, if … [Read more...] about Obama’s Wake Up Call
Report: Rush Limbaugh may leave Cumulus Due to CEO Blaming Fluke Comments for Ad Loss
Are we on the verge of a major media story that could shake up talk radio? Or will this report be one that sparks a new round of (sigh) left and right skirmishing? Or will it turn out to be merely a contract negotiating ploy? According to The Politico, conservative talk show host king (and in many ways the de facto strategist of the Republican Party, if you look at how the … [Read more...] about Report: Rush Limbaugh may leave Cumulus Due to CEO Blaming Fluke Comments for Ad Loss
“We’re Number 17! We’re Number 17!” America’s Hellbent Race To The Bottom
The United States was once an indisputably great country, and in some respects perhaps the greatest country. I speak not of American Exceptionalism, the belief of neoconservatives and some fundamentalist Christians that God made this nation to spread liberty and democracy to the unwashed masses, in the case of the Iraq War at point of gun. I speak of a nation where … [Read more...] about “We’re Number 17! We’re Number 17!” America’s Hellbent Race To The Bottom
Howard Kurtz Apologizes on CNN for Jason Collins Mistake
Earlier this week, The Daily Beast and Howard Kurtz "parted" ways in the wake of his erroneous report about NBA star Jason Collins and a correction that some felt fell short of the mark. Today on his "Reliable Sources" CNN show he formally apologized and definitively retraced the erroneous part of his on CNN, hoping his viewers and readers will give him a second … [Read more...] about Howard Kurtz Apologizes on CNN for Jason Collins Mistake