Half a century ago, Hannah Arendt made a scholarly argument that crimes against humanity, like those of the Nazis, are carried out not by brilliant fanatics or sociopaths but ordinary people who accept twisted social premises and pursue them as normal. A new documentary, “The World According to Dick Cheney,” updates that thesis with chilling echoes. Like Adolf Eichmann, the … [Read more...] about Dick Cheney Updates “The Banality of Evil”
Enter The Quick Buck Artiste
In the midst of the moral conflagration over the Steubenville Rape convictions, comes Nora Louise Kuzma, Steubenville Rape Victim to Bravely Speak Out Against Steubenville. It's time t0 pass Moral Judgement! If we are to be moral bastards, then let us be equally moral bastards in all directions, shall we? I might make the mistake of suggesting that we not use an event of … [Read more...] about Enter The Quick Buck Artiste
Special Report: How Power Companies Hoodwinked The National Park Service While Screwing Ratepayers
The 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, located on the middle section of the scenic Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is breathtakingly beautiful. Some 75 miles from New York City, it is visited by upwards of three million people a year. Within its boundaries is a stunning range of flora and fauna, waterfalls, the Appalachian Trail and … [Read more...] about Special Report: How Power Companies Hoodwinked The National Park Service While Screwing Ratepayers
Two Steubenville Teens Convicted in Viral Video Digital Rape Case
Two teens convicted in US viral video rape case (via AFP) Rick Gershon/Getty Images/AFP/FileThe town of Steubenville and the Ohio River are pictured in a file photo. Two Steubenville teenagers were found guilty Sunday of raping a fellow high school student -- a case made notorious when a video of boys laughing about the assault on the "dead" drunk girl went… … [Read more...] about Two Steubenville Teens Convicted in Viral Video Digital Rape Case
New Pope Young Turks (Guest Voice)
New Pope Young Turks by Mike Peters OF RELATED INTEREST: --Francis Charms Crowd on First Sunday as Pope --Pope Francis tests security detail as he wades into crowd before first Sunday window appearance --Pope must clean himself of history's stain --Pope Francis's critics in Argentina say document suggests he betrayed priests --Hamilton Catholics call Pope Francis "down … [Read more...] about New Pope Young Turks (Guest Voice)
How NOT to Honor St. Patrick (Guest Voice)
How NOT to Honor St. Patrick by Tom Purcell Ah, St. Patrick's Day is upon us. That means but one thing: time for Americans to over-celebrate the Irish tradition. I speak of the goofy Leprechaun hats, the gaudy green buttons and scarves and the propensity to drink excessive amounts of alcohol at fake Irish pubs while trying to be authentically Irish. Though I'm … [Read more...] about How NOT to Honor St. Patrick (Guest Voice)
Bank Run in Cyprus; Who’s Next?
Bank Run in Cyprus; Who’s Next? (via Market Shadows) Courtesy of The Automatic Earth. Overnight last night, the Eurogroup (Eurozone executive committee) negotiated a deal for a bailout of the banking system in Cyprus. As part of the deal, a one-time, one-off levy on depositors was agreed: deposits below €100,000 are subject to a 6.75% levy, while those… … [Read more...] about Bank Run in Cyprus; Who’s Next?
Source: Assassination Attempt on Kim Jong-un Assisted Hardliners (JoongAng Ilbo, South Korea)
Are recent North Korean moves to ratchet up the nuclear threat related to an attempt on the life of dictator Kim Jong-un? According to this news item from South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo, a well-placed intelligence source has told the newspaper that in the wake of an attempt on his life, the young leader has found it necessary to placate restive military hardliners by adopting … [Read more...] about Source: Assassination Attempt on Kim Jong-un Assisted Hardliners (JoongAng Ilbo, South Korea)
It’s Sarah Palin Versus Karl Rove (UPDATE)
Karl Rove, the former GOP political Golden Boy who can still talk a good game but increasingly seems unable to play a good one, has swallowed the baited hook. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may not be many things (a viable candidate who could win a national election, a deep political thinker, a running mate who greatly helped Sen. John McCain in 2008, Fox News' most popular … [Read more...] about It’s Sarah Palin Versus Karl Rove (UPDATE)
Help the Working Poor
The Connecticut Senate should pass the bill to increase the minimum wage to $9.75 by Jan. 1, 2015. The increase would be a boon to low-income workers and help reinvigorate a stagnant economy. Critics of minimum wage increases point to textbook economics: if you increase the price of something (in this case labor) demand for that product goes down and you get less employment. … [Read more...] about Help the Working Poor
The Disposable Citizen
Several years ago, the American educator Henry Giroux moved to Canada to take the Global Television Network Chair in English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. From there he has continued to write about the land of his birth. His criticisms have been clear-eyed and stark. Writing yesterday about Paul Ryan's proposed budget, Giroux had this to … [Read more...] about The Disposable Citizen
After Infallibility: A Blog for the Former Pope?
As a magazine editor, I once negotiated for weeks with the Vatican to publish a Christmas message for women bylined by the Pope. That memory stirs speculation about any public afterlife for the first former Pontiff in modern history. Now that the white smoke has risen, must Benedict XVI retreat into total silence and meditation? His Twitter account has been closed, but … [Read more...] about After Infallibility: A Blog for the Former Pope?
CPAC Conservatives Choose Rand Paul for President: Poll
US conservatives choose Rand Paul for president: poll (via AFP) Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP/FileUS Senator Rand Paul arrives to address the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) March 14, 2013 in Maryland. US conservative activists picked Tea Party favorite Paul as their choice to become the 2016 Republican presidential nominee.US conservative… … [Read more...] about CPAC Conservatives Choose Rand Paul for President: Poll
If cities were stocks, you’d want to short Phoenix
One of the centers of conservative ideology is Arizona's valley of the sun, Phoenix. Climate Change denial is the norm in the Phoenix are but William deBuys explains that it could also become one of the first Climate Change ghost towns. Of course, it’s an easy city to pick on. The nation’s 13th largest metropolitan area (nudging out Detroit) crams 4.3 million people into … [Read more...] about If cities were stocks, you’d want to short Phoenix
Unhappy Meal (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 Unhappy Meal (Cartoon)
Swiss Tourist ‘Gang-Raped in India’
Swiss tourist gang-raped in India: police (via AFP) /AFP/FileA Indian policeman patrols Ganjbasoda in Madhya Pradesh state on January 15, 2003. A Swiss female tourist was gang-raped in Madhya Pradesh -- the latest victim of sexual violence against women in the South Asian nation.A Swiss female tourist was gang-raped in rural central India, police said… … [Read more...] about Swiss Tourist ‘Gang-Raped in India’
Maryland Is Latest To Abolish Death Penalty
Following on the heels of New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Illinois and Connecticut, Maryland has become the sixth state in the last six years to abolish the death penalty. Following earlier State Senate approval the Maryland House of Delegates on Friday voted by a strong 82-56 vote to do away with the state’s death penalty in favor of life in prison without the possibility … [Read more...] about Maryland Is Latest To Abolish Death Penalty
Report: House GOP Would Need $5.7 Trillion in Tax Hikes to Offset Ryan Rate Cuts
To many GOPers, Paul Ryan is a kind of mantra, whether what he says adds up or doesn't. It increasingly is clear his budget doesn't add up: House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) fiscal plan promises to balance the federal budget in 10 years, make major cuts in income tax rates for both individuals and corporations, and raise the same amount of revenue as current … [Read more...] about Report: House GOP Would Need $5.7 Trillion in Tax Hikes to Offset Ryan Rate Cuts
New Pope’s Control/Obama’s Old Chaos
What would that clichéd anthropologist from another planet make of the doings on ours this week? One gaggle of aging men selects an infallible leader for multitudes while another hobbles the choice of millions into political impotence. As Barack Obama expresses hope that new Pontiff will have “a tremendous and positive impact on the world,” he admits discouragement about … [Read more...] about New Pope’s Control/Obama’s Old Chaos
What Rob Portman Teaches Republicans if They’re Watching. (But They’re Not.)
The web is chuck-full of Americans who have noticed, as you and I did, that Rob Portman's "acceptance" of gay marriage was as much a sign of godawful narcissism as anything. Funny, we were all thinking, at his age it still took a personal experience to wake him up to the suffering and frustration of many right in front of his eyes for years. Here's part of Matt Yglesias's … [Read more...] about What Rob Portman Teaches Republicans if They’re Watching. (But They’re Not.)