Army Sgt. Vincent Hancock. USA Shooting, Men’s Skeet. A native of Eatonton, Ga., Hancock has been shooting since he was a young child and started competing when he was 11 years old. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London will mark his second trip to the games after winning the gold medal in skeet in 2008 in Beijing. He is a member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit on Fort … [Read more...] about Breaking: Defense Olympic Update – Olympic Gold!! (Updated)
They’re Orwelling Us Again
The first thing I thought when listening to Public Radio's "Marketplace Morning Report" this morning was WTF? Someone from the Heritage Foundation was saying that what poor people lack isn't money, it's lack of opportunity. And that's when it hit me. They're doing it again. They're "Newspeaking" us. Boy, these guys are smart. And they think we're all really really … [Read more...] about They’re Orwelling Us Again
Romney Implosion Continues, Aide Rick Gorka Tells Reporters ‘Kiss My Ass’ and ‘Shove It’
#Romneyshambles: Rick Gorka, Mitt Romney's traveling press secretary "lost his cool and cursed at reporters who attempted to ask questions of the Republican presidential candidate in a public plaza near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw," CNN reports. Gorka said, "kiss my ass, this is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect." He then told a reporter to … [Read more...] about Romney Implosion Continues, Aide Rick Gorka Tells Reporters ‘Kiss My Ass’ and ‘Shove It’
Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy Disaster, Palestinian Edition
WASHINGTON - WHAT A DANGEROUS road Mitt Romney is going down, as he continues making a fool of himself on foreign policy. What he doesn't know about the Middle East reminds me of when Pres. George W. Bush thought it was a good idea to push the Palestinians into elections that delivered Hamas to power, while Dr. Condoleezza Rice stood around saying who knew? Even Liz Cheney … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy Disaster, Palestinian Edition
To Jerusalem — Via New York and Toronto
The Globe and Mail reports that Mitt Romney's foreign policy has Canadian roots. Dan Senor, who has accompanied Romney on his tour of Israel, was born in New York but grew up in Toronto -- where his mother still lives. Mr Senor went to high school in the Forest Hill section of Toronto and graduated from the University of Western Ontario. Returning to the United States, he … [Read more...] about To Jerusalem — Via New York and Toronto
France Honors Our World War II Heroes with the Legion of Honor
After Paris opposed both the invasion of Iraq and the U.S.-led war against Saddam Hussein, U.S.-French relations probably reached a new low, hallmarked at times by jingoistic variations of “you're either with us or against us…” or by juvenile Congressional moves such as renaming “French fries” to “Freedom fries.” The unfairness of such resentment towards France and the … [Read more...] about France Honors Our World War II Heroes with the Legion of Honor
Clinton, Cheney Haunt Obama, Romney
As voters sleepwalk toward November, apparitions from their troubled history rise up to remind them of past errors. Dick Cheney, the vice-president who picked himself, proclaims that naming Sarah Palin to succeed him was “a mistake,” while Bill Clinton emerges for a marquee role in the Democratic convention to nominate Barack Obama for a second term. Such Scrooge-like … [Read more...] about Clinton, Cheney Haunt Obama, Romney
Jonah Lehrer: “I panicked. And I’m deeply sorry for lying.”
Michael C. Moynihan in The Tablet: I’m something of the Dylan obsessive—piles of live bootlegs, outtakes, books—and I read the first chapter of Imagine with keen interest. But when I looked for sources to a handful of Dylan quotations offered by Lehrer—the chapter is sparsely and erratically footnoted—I came up empty, and in one case found two fragments of quotes, from … [Read more...] about Jonah Lehrer: “I panicked. And I’m deeply sorry for lying.”
The Brotherhood of Man and the Politics of Dignity
[This is the 19th in the series Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship.] As prophets in every religion have tried to tell us, humankind is one big extended family. The simultaneous advent of globalization and the emergence of dignitarian values is no coincidence. Greater exposure to "foreigners" is making their demonization untenable, and, as discussed in previous … [Read more...] about The Brotherhood of Man and the Politics of Dignity
Defense Olympics Update Nr. 5: Profiles of the Military Olympians
I hope some of our readers had the chance to watch the “Today” show this morning where military race walk Olympian John Nunn and his Olympian team mate Maria Michta showed the “Today” show hosts the “fundamentals” of race walking. It was fun to watch the hosts attempt to “walk the race walk” but it was somewhat disappointing that the military background of Army Staff Sgt. … [Read more...] about Defense Olympics Update Nr. 5: Profiles of the Military Olympians
With Olympic Ban on Belarus President, West Initiates New Era of Sport Politicization (Gazerta, Russia)
Has the Western world made a mistake imposing an Olympic ban on Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko? This editorial from Russia's Gazeta is a dual warning, first to the West, which for the first time is denying a head of state the right to attend the Olympics for political reasons, and to Russian leaders, who are quickly putting themselves in the same category as Lukashenko … [Read more...] about With Olympic Ban on Belarus President, West Initiates New Era of Sport Politicization (Gazerta, Russia)
My Coming To Grips With The Question: Is America Still A Democracy?
Sometimes you know things viscerally, but you don't want to know them at a higher level of consciousness. That's the way I've been with something my good friend Bob Walters has been saying for years, a rap that generally runs: "I have said since the 60s that the US is not a democracy, it is a plutocratic oligarchy. This is not news. So why are so many people finally waking up … [Read more...] about My Coming To Grips With The Question: Is America Still A Democracy?
Obama and the Economy
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 Obama and the Economy
Quote of the Day: Romney’s Uneven Israel Trip?
Was presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney's a big success that will burnish his foreign policy credentials in the general election? Or was it another gaffe fest? Our political Quote of the Day comes via First Read which argues there were no major disasters on it to feed the perception reflected in the Wolverton cartoon above. But it (again) wasn't something … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Romney’s Uneven Israel Trip?
CNN Plays “Stupid Girls” To Intro Palin Piece
Eight months ago Jimmy Fallon had Michele Bachmann on his show. As she walked out to join the show, the house band played “Lyin’Ass Bitch.” Edgy humor? Poor taste? Sexist crap? Depends on your perspective I suppose. But, at least Fallon fancies himself a comedian, not a serious news source. That excuse doesn’t work for CNN. The self-proclaimed nonpartisan 24 hour news … [Read more...] about CNN Plays “Stupid Girls” To Intro Palin Piece
Tea Party and Sarah Palin Poised for Another Upset: In Texas
The Tea Party and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin look poised to help bring off what is being perceived upset victory, this time in Texas: Ted Cruz is on the cusp of a win in the Texas Republican Senate runoff that would shatter conventional campaign wisdom and elevate him as one of the brightest stars of the tea party generation. Even some of his aides concede … [Read more...] about Tea Party and Sarah Palin Poised for Another Upset: In Texas
Moral Hazard and Health Care- Is There An Answer?
Moral hazard is a term used in economics in relation to an individual who is willing to take risks because he or she will not have to bear the cost of his or her action. It is the reason purchasing health insurance was mandated under the Affordable Care Act, but it comes into play in other areas of health care as well. It is clear that in the past and currently, many healthy … [Read more...] about Moral Hazard and Health Care- Is There An Answer?
Make No Mistake About It, The American Dream Is Deader Than Ever: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
I wrote 16 months ago that America was broken and the intervening months should silence anyone who believed that perspective was histrionic. The death of the American Dream has been ongoing for decades as the gap between the rich and poor has grown, but it was during the dark days of the Bush-Cheney interregnum that it shifted into high gear. And has kept accelerating … [Read more...] about Make No Mistake About It, The American Dream Is Deader Than Ever: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
Romney and the Go-for-Broke Election
WASHINGTON -- Here are the two great campaign mysteries at midsummer: Why does Mitt Romney appear to be getting so much traction from ripping a few of President Obama's words out of context? And why aren't Romney and other Republicans moving to the political center as the election approaches? Both mysteries point to an important fact about the 2012 campaign: For … [Read more...] about Romney and the Go-for-Broke Election
Entertainers In Their Prime and at the End: Frank Sinatra
I've always been fascinated at watching the evolution of enteratainers: how the looked in their prime and how they looked and performed at the ends or later parts of their lives. This is the first in an occasional series. Some evolve and adapt. Others simply lose their gift. Here's Frank Sinatra at the top of his game in 1966 doing Witchcraft -- with a notably unPC … [Read more...] about Entertainers In Their Prime and at the End: Frank Sinatra