WASHINGTON -- I think I've figured it out. Republicans must be staging some kind of fiendishly clever plot to lure Democrats into a false sense of security. That's the only possible explanation for some of the weirdness we're seeing and hearing from the GOP. The party must be waiting to come out with its real candidates and policy positions at a moment when unsuspecting … [Read more...] about Is this the best the GOP can come up with?
Spain welcomes move to name princess in graft case
Spain welcomes move to name princess in graft case (via AFP) Spanish media on Thursday hailed the decision to name King Juan Carlos's daughter Princess Cristina as a suspect in a corruption case, saying the unprecedented moved showed that nobody was above the law. "If the decision to summon the princess had not been taken, the idea would arise of an attempt… … [Read more...] about Spain welcomes move to name princess in graft case
This Is Your Brain On Propaganda. Got It?
A majority of Americans now support the legalization of marijuana. What's interesting to me is just how effective the whole "JUST SAY NO/WAR ON DRUGS propaganda war was. Look at the minimum tolerance year on the graph. (And I think it's insulting to call the post World War II generation the "silent." ) Majority Now Supports Legalizing Marijuana Numbers / Pew Research … [Read more...] about This Is Your Brain On Propaganda. Got It?
Majority Of Senate Now Backs Marriage Equality
Florida Senator Bill Nelson (D) has become the 51st senator to come out in favor of marriage equality (and repeal of DOMA). 49 Democrats and 2 Republicans now support repeal of the law. Of course it takes 60 to break a filibuster and the House is not yet there, but it is pretty amazing progress. … [Read more...] about Majority Of Senate Now Backs Marriage Equality
Roger Ebert, RIP
Film critic Roger Ebert has died. As someone who came of age in the 1980s in the Chicago area, I remember him and Gene Siskel being the first regular movie critics I ever watched on television. To be honest I more often disagreed with Ebert than I did his late cohost Siskel, and sometimes I felt Ebert let his politics intrude too deeply into his views of various movies--but … [Read more...] about Roger Ebert, RIP
Thursday Night T.V. Sucks. Watch This Instead.
See the video here. Intelligence Squared is a moderate's best friend. Each debate includes top experts in the relevant field, and you generally discover by the end where the acceptable range of disagreement is. The debate on drones is no exception. The new "Versus" debates conspicuously use Google's Hangout technology, which leads to some troubles, most notably with the … [Read more...] about Thursday Night T.V. Sucks. Watch This Instead.
James Carville Signs on with pro-Hillary Super PAC
The big political news is that (1)a pro-Hillary Super PAC has been created to get former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in to the 2016 Democratic race and (2) legendary Clintonista political consultant and TV talking head James Carville has now signed on with the PAC. How much closer can you get to it being HIGHLY likely Hillary Clinton will run for President in 2016 and … [Read more...] about James Carville Signs on with pro-Hillary Super PAC
‘Ready for Hillary’ supporters launch website
'Ready for Hillary' supporters launch website (via AFP) Supporters of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton are laying the groundwork for a possible 2016 White House bid, officially launching a website Tuesday that features photos of the would-be candidate and plenty of praise. The site -- www.readyforhillary.com -- belongs to the Ready for Hillary… … [Read more...] about ‘Ready for Hillary’ supporters launch website
The State Of The Climate Change Battle: Science-Based Warnings Vs. The Politician’s Caution (Guest Voice)
The State Of The Climate Change Battle: Science-Based Warnings Vs. The Politician’s Caution. (via Planetsave) During a ten-day period last month, two very different views about climate change were presented to the public from two very different bodies of influence. The two conflicting perspectives illustrate well the chasm which now exists between mainstream science and … [Read more...] about The State Of The Climate Change Battle: Science-Based Warnings Vs. The Politician’s Caution (Guest Voice)
The Test Score Racket
WASHINGTON -- It is time to acknowledge that the fashionable theory of school reform -- requiring that pay and job security for teachers, principals and administrators depend on their students' standardized test scores -- is at best a well-intentioned mistake, and at worst nothing but a racket. I mean that literally. Beverly Hall, the former superintendent of the … [Read more...] about The Test Score Racket
China President Xi Jinping, Obama and Li’l Kim (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. 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 China President Xi Jinping, Obama and Li’l Kim (Cartoon)
Interview with Stewart “Buz” Eisenberg
Interview with Stewart "Buz" Eisenberg by The Talking Dog Stewart "Buz" Eisenberg is an attorney in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and together with co-counsel, represents two men currently detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, both of whom have been "cleared for transfer" by unanimous consent of President Obama's inter-agency task force, but nonetheless remain held in indefinite … [Read more...] about Interview with Stewart “Buz” Eisenberg
N. Korea Approves Nuclear Strike on United States
N. Korea approves nuclear strike on United States (via AFP) North Korea dramatically escalated its warlike rhetoric on Thursday, warning that it had authorised plans for nuclear strikes on targets in the United States. "The moment of explosion is approaching fast," the North Korean military said, warning that war could break out "today or tomorrow". Pyongyang… … [Read more...] about N. Korea Approves Nuclear Strike on United States
(UPDATE) Deployment of Missile System to Guam. Other North Korea Updates
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right center, meets with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se at the Pentagon, April 3, 2013. Hagel congratulated Byung-se on his appointment as foreign minister, and discussed the United States' commitment to its alliance with South Korea. Photo:DOD UPDATE: On Thursday, Korea time, North Korea dramatically ratcheted up its … [Read more...] about (UPDATE) Deployment of Missile System to Guam. Other North Korea Updates
Rutgers’ Mike Rice had to go: (Guest Editorial)
Rutgers' Mike Rice had to go: Editorial (via NJ.com) Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY The evidence against Mike Rice was too damning, too vile, too extreme for him to spend one more day on the Rutgers University payroll. That he remained employed this long – long after a line of Rutgers officials that winds all the way to the president’s office had watched… … [Read more...] about Rutgers’ Mike Rice had to go: (Guest Editorial)
Four African Teenage Girls Create a Pee-Powered Generator
If you're pissed off at power prices, this may be a natural: In the past week or so since Hurricane Sandy devastated a large portion of the East Coast, we've seen people get creative about ways to harness power. From sharing outlets on the street, to using bikes as generators, people have come up with innovative ways to charge their cell phones and other items necessary … [Read more...] about Four African Teenage Girls Create a Pee-Powered Generator
China Cannot Afford North Korean Fukushima (Global Times, People’s Republic of China)
In order to put the North Korean nuclear genie back in its bottle, should China protect Pyongyang under its nuclear umbrella while forcing the regime to give up its nuclear program? For China's state-run Global Times, columnist Zhu Zhangping offers some suggestions that may give Beijing a way out of its unquestioned backing of North Korea, and asserts that whatever benefit … [Read more...] about China Cannot Afford North Korean Fukushima (Global Times, People’s Republic of China)
It’s Official: Fallon to Replace Leno in 2014
It was all but official given the news reports and Jay Leno's pointed monologue jabs. Now it is official: Jimmy Fallon will replace Leno in 2014. … [Read more...] about It’s Official: Fallon to Replace Leno in 2014
It’s Jim Carrey Versus Fox News
Traditionally it's the Hollywood celebrities with a cause who seem way out there, and the pundits discussing their verbal excesses who seem more thoughtful. Not so in the rage fest between Canadian-born star Jim Carrey and talk-show-model-born Fox News. The catalyst was a comedy-political video showing actor Jim Carrey in a "Hee Haw" satire portraying the late NRA bigwig and … [Read more...] about It’s Jim Carrey Versus Fox News
An Arab Summit Without Syria? … Ridiculous! (Thawra Al Wehda, Syria)
Is the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad so integral to the Arab world, that holding an Arab League Summit without it is absurd? According to columnist Dr. Issa al-Shummas of Syria's state-run Thawra Al Wehda, the League has given Syria's seat to 'the illegitimate child of Qatar and the CIA,' and blocking the Syrian regime's involvement would be like depriving a body of its … [Read more...] about An Arab Summit Without Syria? … Ridiculous! (Thawra Al Wehda, Syria)