It was only a few months ago that we still saw the Republican party as a well-oiled machine, a machine that had delivered over and over against from 1980 on. Now it's back to Nixon. Worse. Because the whole party is involved, from funders like the Kochs and Scaife, flaks like Rove, numbnuts like George W. Bush, and barnicles like Wayne LaPierre, Michele Bachmann, Herman … [Read more...] about The Greatest Political Embarrassment
Quote of the Day: Republican Obstructionism and Opposition to Obama Due to Bitterness Over Election Loss
As I've noted in some other posts here -- to use a now trite phrase -- it is "deja vu all over again." Yes, we are now seemingly returning to 2009 when Barack Obama was sworn into office and Republicans soon dug in their heels in a seeming effort to check mate as many of his proposals as possible. And the New York Times attributes it this time to: bitterness over their loss to … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Republican Obstructionism and Opposition to Obama Due to Bitterness Over Election Loss
Unused School Offers Sandy Hook a New Home, and Path Forward
Unused school offers Sandy Hook a new home, and path forward (via The Christian Science Monitor) The sign is slated to go up Thursday afternoon making it official: Sandy Hook Elementary has a new home, where teachers are already beginning to set up classrooms and families have been touring in anticipation of starting back to school in early January. Police and … [Read more...] about Unused School Offers Sandy Hook a New Home, and Path Forward
Guns Don’t Die (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 Guns Don’t Die (Cartoon)
Guns, Guns and Guns (Guest Voice)
Guns, Guns and Guns Raging Moderate, by Will Durst It's only human nature to want to take action after such a harrowing traumatic event. To do something. Anything, to protect our kids. And make sure that Newtown never ever happens again. Here. There. Anywhere. But while the rest of the nation grieves, familiar opponents on The Gun Issue are focused more on making sure … [Read more...] about Guns, Guns and Guns (Guest Voice)
Mexico Drug War Leaves 20,000 Missing: Repo
Mexico drug war leaves 20,000 missing: report (via AFP) More than 20,000 people have disappeared in Mexico over the past six years of a brutal crackdown on drugs during the government of former president Felipe Calderon, a civic group said. Propuesta Civica (Civic Proposal) released a database on its website Thursday listing 20,851 people who went missing… … [Read more...] about Mexico Drug War Leaves 20,000 Missing: Repo
Obama Calls for Scaled-Back ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Package
Obama calls for scaled-back 'fiscal cliff' package (via AFP) Democrat and Republican lawmakers mulled their next move Saturday after leaving Washington for the Christmas holidays without an agreement on averting a year-end fiscal crisis that could lead to stiff tax hikes and drastic budget cuts. On Friday, US President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to pass … [Read more...] about Obama Calls for Scaled-Back ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Package
White House Christmas Message to Our Troops
In my humble Christmas message to our troops still in harm’s way, I said that it would probably be my last post before the holidays. But, then, along come the President of the United States and the First Lady with their Christmas Greetings, Best Wishes, and Thank You for our troops and their families -- and I thought you would like to know... In their message, the First … [Read more...] about White House Christmas Message to Our Troops
Giving The Speaker His Due
It's a train wreck. We all have heard this by n0w. Will Boehner's speakership survive until Plan C? Ezra Klein / Wonkblog Has there been a House speaker in modern American history with less control over his members than John Boehner? — Sad trombone... Uh, no. The 112th Congress is, arguably, the worst in American history, and in large part that's Speaker Boehner and his … [Read more...] about Giving The Speaker His Due
Rebutting NRO: Intellectual Dishonesty Taken To A New Level
A friend sent this NRO article as an "interesting explanation of what happened at Sandy Hook." It's a great example of lies, damn lies and statistics. It also contains a textbook example of dishonesty via anecdote. Combined, the article becomes a testament to intellectual dishonesty. First, lying with statistics. Incidents of mass murder in the U.S. declined from 42 … [Read more...] about Rebutting NRO: Intellectual Dishonesty Taken To A New Level
Fighting on many fronts at once
President Barack Obama is edging towards a shootout with the powerful national gun lobby next year but his bravery though long overdue could be counterproductive for him. In 2013-2014, his political capital will take severe beatings from other equally vital confrontations arising from foreign policy. He will need all the non-partisan support he can muster from the American … [Read more...] about Fighting on many fronts at once
End of the World and End of Empire
So the vast majority of us are still here – at least just after 4 PM (Mountain Time) in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, December 21, 2012. Now I no longer have an excuse not to get out there and "Get a job - dammit" or go back to finishing my "magnum opus." The “world” has been predicted to end many times in the past (and it didn’t) and we’ll have many people predicting its … [Read more...] about End of the World and End of Empire
Full Video of Widely Condemned NRA Press Conference Reacting to Sandy Hook School Shootings
The NRA today may have shot itself in the foot with a press conference that may prove to be a godsend to its foes -- new and old. And it could lose the group some membership. Read the background HERE. The full version at this writing cannot be embedded so GO HERE. We'll add the full video when we can get it. You can also follow stories on this presser by going to THIS … [Read more...] about Full Video of Widely Condemned NRA Press Conference Reacting to Sandy Hook School Shootings
The Solution to Gun Violence is Clear (Guest Voice)
The solution to gun violence is clear By FAREED ZAKARIA NEW YORK -- Announcing Wednesday that he would send proposals on reducing gun violence in America to Congress, President Obama mentioned a number of sensible gun-control measures. But he also paid homage to the Washington conventional wisdom about the many and varied causes of this calamity -- from mental health … [Read more...] about The Solution to Gun Violence is Clear (Guest Voice)
World Ends Today, Details After This Message
The Mayan Calendar’s forecast will come and go, but there is another sense of finality in the air. After today, Americans take a brief break from conflict and chaos to try evoking the spirit of the season. In Washington, politicians scamper home for the holidays away from the fiscal cliff and debates about gun control as normal people finish gift-buying and travel back to … [Read more...] about World Ends Today, Details After This Message
Obama Picks John Kerry as Secretary of State
Obama picks John Kerry as secretary of state (via AFP) US President Barack Obama on Friday nominated Senator John Kerry as his new secretary of state, as he began to reshape his national security team for a second term clouded by increased global turmoil. Kerry, 69, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, defeated former presidential candidate and foreign policy… … [Read more...] about Obama Picks John Kerry as Secretary of State
Global Reaction to Newtown Massacre Continues (China, Sweden, Guatemala and Brazil)
Continuing with our global coverage of the reaction to Newtown, we have four fresh translations on the subject from China's 022 China, Sweden's Svenska Dagbladet, Guatemala's Prensa Libre, and Brazil’s Estadao. On the same day Alan Lanza went on a rampage with an assault rifle in Newtown, Connecticut, killing 20 children and six adults, half a world away, in China's Henan … [Read more...] about Global Reaction to Newtown Massacre Continues (China, Sweden, Guatemala and Brazil)
First Lady Michelle Obama Writes Heartfelt Letter About Newtown Shooting
Full disclosure, I am a big fan of First Lady Michelle Obama, as I was of Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush. Mrs. Obama wrote a touching and heartfelt letter to the people of Newtown, Conn., in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre that left 20 children dead and six adults. Here's the letter in its entirety: Over the past week, we as Americans have … [Read more...] about First Lady Michelle Obama Writes Heartfelt Letter About Newtown Shooting
Potential Defense Secretary Pick Chuck Hagel Retracts Gay Slur, Says it was “Insensitive”
Former senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) retracts his 1998 comment about gays, now says those comments were insensitive. I guess he has "evolved" because that Defense Secretary position is being dangled like a carrot in his face. He shouldn't have said it in the 1st place. Those comments turned some top Democratic activists against Chuck Hagel as a potential Secretary of … [Read more...] about Potential Defense Secretary Pick Chuck Hagel Retracts Gay Slur, Says it was “Insensitive”
Pew Poll: Most Gun Owners Think Assault Weapons Make Us Less Safe
Updated: There may be issues with defining what an "assault weapon" is, but according to todays news from Pew: Half of those with a gun in the household (50%) say allowing citizens to own assault weapons makes the country more dangerous for citizens, fewer (34%) say this makes this country safer. That is huge, given that most people in the country don't own guns. Of the … [Read more...] about Pew Poll: Most Gun Owners Think Assault Weapons Make Us Less Safe