by Don Hermann Do you like what you see? Do you know your country is falling apart? Do you feel any responsibility? Who do you think is responsible? Is it fixable? If you were in charge, what would you do? What’s going to happen to you and your family? Do you believe your politicians are looking out for you? If things continue on the current path, how are you going … [Read more...] about Politics: Look in the Mirror
Russia has mobilized for war many times before – sometimes it unified the nation, other times it ended in disaster
A Russian citizen being called up for duty. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Eric Lohr, American University Vladimir Putin’s mobilization of 300,000 additional Russian soldiers to fight in Ukraine has gotten off to a rocky start. Nominally aimed at calling up reserve forces with prior combat experience, early reports suggest a broader … [Read more...] about Russia has mobilized for war many times before – sometimes it unified the nation, other times it ended in disaster
The Line Between Nationalism and Fascism
Right-wing nationalism and tribalism is a growing threat to democracies globally, with the boundary between nationalism and fascism often unclear. A number of supposed democracies are nationalist states verging on fascism. In many of these nations, nationalists were elected by popular vote and the nationalist leaders subsequently transformed the governments into fascistic … [Read more...] about The Line Between Nationalism and Fascism
Herschel Walker and Family Values
Is GOPer Herschel Walker’s Georgia Senate Campaign Quickly Imploding?
The Georgia U.S. Senate campaign of former NFL football player Herschel Walker, a candidate endorsed and some say picked by Donald Trump, looks like it's rapidly imploding. He is locked in a race with Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock, who's campaigning for a full Senate term after he won a 2021 runoff that helped give Senate control to the Democrats. And, like in another … [Read more...] about Is GOPer Herschel Walker’s Georgia Senate Campaign Quickly Imploding?
Is Vladimir Putin’s Grip On Power Starting To Fray?
Published by BOOM LiveBy The Conversation Vladimir Putin's bizarre ceremonies formalising Russia's annexation of some 15% of Ukraine once again revealed the yawning chasm between Kremlin triumphalism and reality. Never mind Russian forces didn't even fully control the territories Putin brought under the Russian flag. Never mind Russia's "referendums" were a blatant fabrication … [Read more...] about Is Vladimir Putin’s Grip On Power Starting To Fray?
UN chief roundly condemns Russian annexation. It may be the start of Putin’s undoing.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is digging a deeper hole that might swallow him because of his unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions through military conquest. All the more since his conquest is so fragile that the Ukrainian military snatched back a strategic town within hours of his declaration. Earlier, it recaptured within a week territory that took his … [Read more...] about UN chief roundly condemns Russian annexation. It may be the start of Putin’s undoing.
Why do some people enjoy being scared?
Why do some people enjoy being scared? Why would anyone want to watch a movie that is designed to frighten people? For people who enjoy being scared, October is the best month of the year because that is when television networks bombard their viewers with horror movies and monster movies. One might even be able to watch a horror movie in a theater during October. If fear … [Read more...] about Why do some people enjoy being scared?
Russia plans to annex parts of Eastern Ukraine – an Eastern European expert explains 3 key things to know about the regions at stake
A woman votes in the controversial referendum in Donetsk, Ukraine on Sept. 27, 2022. Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Tatsiana Kulakevich, University of South Florida Russia is set to formally annex four occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, claiming the region as its own more than six months after it first invaded its neighboring country. … [Read more...] about Russia plans to annex parts of Eastern Ukraine – an Eastern European expert explains 3 key things to know about the regions at stake
WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK WORLDWIDE
Even as more women appear to be participating in the political process worldwide and holding high offices, women’s rights in many nations appear to be under attack by the patriarchal order. This is true in both democratic and autocratic countries where men want the power to control women and their bodies. The most obvious and brutal suppression of women’s rights appear to be … [Read more...] about WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK WORLDWIDE
HURRICANE RON (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful category 5 storm that hit the Atlantic ocean in 2019. It decimated much of the Bahamas before traveling up the east coast hitting Florida, Georgia, North Carolina (where it made landfall), and Virginia. It even hit Newfoundland and Nova Scotia with hurricane-force winds before finally petering out over Greenland. Note that none of … [Read more...] about HURRICANE RON (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
TRUMP AND THE VERY BEST MIND LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE
We’ve long been exposed to Don the Con’s superpowers, his ability to scam millions of presumably sane Americans and make them think his bullcrap doesn’t stink. But this week in an “exclusive” appearance on Faux News, he announced that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Turns out, he’s telepathic! He’s telepathic like you wouldn’t believe. Very stable telepathy. Everybody is coming … [Read more...] about TRUMP AND THE VERY BEST MIND LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE
Review of The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre
The other day while driving with my 20-year-old son, I noticed an electric car I had never seen before. As we drove by the bright light blue sedan, we were unable to identify its make and model until we reached the front and saw its iconic emblem. Both of us responded with similar quizzical expressions: “I guess it’s a Mustang.” What followed was a long conversation about why … [Read more...] about Review of The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre
TELEPATHETIC TRUMP (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDE0)
Part of Trump’s defense for having classified government documents at Mar-a-Lago is that he declassified all of them. That doesn’t explain why he took the documents and worked so hard not to return them to the government. It doesn’t explain why he obstructed justice to keep them. It doesn’t explain why documents on the nuclear capabilities of our allies or the personal life of … [Read more...] about TELEPATHETIC TRUMP (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDE0)
Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but voters don’t like it – and it could backfire in the 2022 midterm elections
A voter and her child cast a ballot during the midterm primary elections in Virginia in June 2022. Alex Wong/Getty Images Beth L. Fossen, Indiana University Spending on political advertising is setting records in the midterm elections. But evidence shows that negative messages might discourage voters from casting ballots altogether. As the 2022 … [Read more...] about Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but voters don’t like it – and it could backfire in the 2022 midterm elections
THINKER TRUMP (CARTOON)
As Books Come Increasingly Under Attack, a Story of How They Were Treasured, Protected, in One of Hitler’s Death Camps
If you thought that book burnings were a barbaric relic of the Middle Ages, think again. In the 1930s, in Nazi Germany, Austria and, later, in occupied territories, the Nazis conducted massive burnings of books they felt contained anti-Nazi ideology – including books written by Jewish authors, one of them Sigmund Freud. Perhaps most infamous were the massive, May … [Read more...] about As Books Come Increasingly Under Attack, a Story of How They Were Treasured, Protected, in One of Hitler’s Death Camps
Trump: On and On and On
Donald Trump has been out of office now for almost two years, yet he continues to dominate the news. We can’t get rid of him from the front pages of our newspapers or the lead segments of our news programs. He sticks around like a piece of gum on your shoe that you can’t get off. Most of the news regarding the Donald is negative at this time, with him involved in multiple … [Read more...] about Trump: On and On and On
Oops! MAGA GOP Cat Accidentally Let Out Of The Bag
Apparently, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy doesn't understand that things posted on the Internet can be preserved for all to see. Now, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Press Office is letting the world know what McCarthy's office accidentally revealed before trying to hide it. From the Speaker's Press Office, 21 September 2022: "OOPS. Looks like Leader McCarthy fumbled … [Read more...] about Oops! MAGA GOP Cat Accidentally Let Out Of The Bag
Ron DeSantis dropping migrants off on Martha’s Vineyard may be illegal – an immigration lawyer explains why
An immigrant mother and child stand outside a church on Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 15, 2022. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California The unexpected arrival of approximately 50 Colombian and Venezuelan migrants on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Sept. 14, 2022, has prompted legal … [Read more...] about Ron DeSantis dropping migrants off on Martha’s Vineyard may be illegal – an immigration lawyer explains why