Our political Quote of the Day gives us one more strand in the heaping-plate-of-spaghetti-of-hyocrisy called American partisan politics, where the accuracy of an assertion is not what matters. What matters is that you pick up something that can be repeated, and exaggerated and cherry picked but try to forget or deny or not mention what you yourself said. Via First Read, here's … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Mitt Romney Told Olympians They Didn’t Get There Alone
America Loves Small Business And Competition. Really?
A recent study titled "Out of Business; Measuring the Decline of American Entrepreneurship," from the New America Foundation, found that: "... America’s entrepreneurial sector is in deep trouble... Our self-image notwithstanding, the number of new entrepreneurs and business owners has been dropping – as a percent of the working-age population – for more than a generation, … [Read more...] about America Loves Small Business And Competition. Really?
Romney Praises Obama Visit to Aurora Shooting Victims, Saying It’s “Right Thing to Do”
Mitt Romney praised President Obama for his visit to Aurora CO to pay respects to the victims of the "Dark Knight Rises" shooting massacre by former medical student James Eagan Holmes. Romney said it was "the right thing" to do. Um, what kind of person says he's here as a "husband and father" to the grieving people of Aurora, in what is being described as the worst massacre … [Read more...] about Romney Praises Obama Visit to Aurora Shooting Victims, Saying It’s “Right Thing to Do”
The Moral Price of Movie Tickets
Looking for a good movie? A New York Times review reveals, in “The Dark Knight Rises,” the Batman auteur has taken “an existential drama and expanded that concept to encompass questions about power, the state and whether change is best effected from inside the system or outside it.” The British Guardian/Observer, after recounting its sleazy history, declares the film has … [Read more...] about The Moral Price of Movie Tickets
(UPDATE III) Penn State Is Fined $60 Million By NCAA & Must Vacate 14 Years of Football Victories
The plaza outside Beaver Stadium stands empty after workers removed a statue of Joe Paterno And so the penultimate act in the Greek tragedy that the Penn State University sex abuse scandal has become played out today as the NCAA fined the storied Nittany Lion football program $60 million, imposed a four-year ban on post-season play and vacated of all of the team’s victories … [Read more...] about (UPDATE III) Penn State Is Fined $60 Million By NCAA & Must Vacate 14 Years of Football Victories
Aurora
Aurora: Bloody Acts Like these ‘Cannot Be Prevented’ (Saarbruecker Zeitung, Germany)
Would stricter gun laws prevent tragedies like the Aurora massacre from happening? For Germany's Saarbruecker Zeitung, columnist Thomas Spang writes that in the U.S., Europe, or anywhere else, while stricter gun laws may be desirable, legislation can do nothing to prevent 'evil from showing its ugly face.' For the Saarbruecker Zeitung, Thomas Spang writes in … [Read more...] about Aurora: Bloody Acts Like these ‘Cannot Be Prevented’ (Saarbruecker Zeitung, Germany)
Two U.S. Military Service Members Dead in Aurora Tragedy (Update)
UPDATE: About the two military fatalities: Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress (Courtesy photo) Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress was stationed at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. He hailed from the Palmdale, California area. He had gone to the midnight showing of the film, "The Dark Knight Rises," with two … [Read more...] about Two U.S. Military Service Members Dead in Aurora Tragedy (Update)
If I Were The NRA, This Is What I’d Say.
Like many Americans, I grew up with guns. My father was an avid hunter, and from a very young age he taught my older brother and myself the responsibility that comes with handling a weapon. Everything you did with the gun - from carrying it to cleaning it to firing it - was to be done safely. My dad (and later my brother) were members of the NRA. We got the magazine every … [Read more...] about If I Were The NRA, This Is What I’d Say.
‘Check It Out. What Are You Saying? What Are You Playing?’: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
ROBERT HUNTER AND JERRY GARCIA One of the things that make the great classic songs so special is that when they are interpreted by great contemporary artists they can become greater still. The works of Cole Porter, Hoagie Carmichael and Ellie Greenwich as covered by artists ranging from Linda Ronstadt to Willie Nelson to Elvis Costello come to mind, but this … [Read more...] about ‘Check It Out. What Are You Saying? What Are You Playing?’: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
Book Review: “Dog on the Roof: On the Road with Mitt and Mutt”
It's election year and get ready for the stream of political satire and partisan humor books. And what better -- and more fun and funny -- example can you point to than "Dog on the Roof On the Road with Mitt and Mutt" by satirists Bruce Kluger and David Slavin with wonderful illustrations by Colleen Clapp? Life may be a bitch (and political life a lot bitchier) but this book … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Dog on the Roof: On the Road with Mitt and Mutt”
Obama Meets With Colorado Theater Shooting Victims’ Families (VIDEO)
President Barack Obama met with the families of victims of the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings. Here are his comments -- it's not a speech but some heartfelt words -- after he visited with the famlies and the wounded in the hospital. NBC News video: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy … [Read more...] about Obama Meets With Colorado Theater Shooting Victims’ Families (VIDEO)
LIVE VIDEO FEED: Colorado Grieves in Vigil for Aurora Movie Theater Killings
Here's a live video feed of the public vigil grieiving who were murdered while in a movie theater watching the latest installment of "Batman": Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy … [Read more...] about LIVE VIDEO FEED: Colorado Grieves in Vigil for Aurora Movie Theater Killings
The Consquences of Political Hack Hate: Anthony Weiner’s Wife Placed Under Guard
When public officials decide to hit the hot buttons and play Joseph McCarthy there can be uninteinded consequences. And if they also decide to throw racial or religious bigotry red meat out there it could be even more perilous for their targets. To wit, the New York Post (hardly considered a liberal mouthpiece) reports: Police and federal officials have placed security … [Read more...] about The Consquences of Political Hack Hate: Anthony Weiner’s Wife Placed Under Guard
Some Sunday Afternoon Wisdom From Mr. Rogers
A bit of wisdom from Mr. Rogers for this quiet, reflective Sunday afternoon "If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." Wise words worth heeding, for if we do leave something of … [Read more...] about Some Sunday Afternoon Wisdom From Mr. Rogers
Peace Dividend: A Model of Morality
[This is the 15th in the series Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship.] Somebodies and Nobodies Bullying has always bothered me. Not just being bullied, though that too of course. I mean the phenomenon of bullying, in all its forms. I think bullying troubles everyone, even the bullies themselves. No one wants to be pushed around, to be forced to act against one’s … [Read more...] about Peace Dividend: A Model of Morality
The Aurora Shootings
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 The Aurora Shootings
Good Advice
Always remember to listen to good advice. Here's one of the late Allan Sherman's BEST and least known songs on the issue of advice: … [Read more...] about Good Advice
Rupert Murdoch Tweets Support for Gun Control
Conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch has Tweeted his support for gun control: Rupert Murdoch ?@rupertmurdoch We have to do something about gun controls. Police license okay for hunting rifle or pistol for anyone without crim or pscho record. No more I guess this makes him a short-sighted, liberal, tree hugger. Or are some things too important to remain in the … [Read more...] about Rupert Murdoch Tweets Support for Gun Control
Should Government Sources Be Given the Right to Clear or Alter Quotes as an Interview Condition?
And so it looks like a bar is being lowered again. Should government sources be given the right to clear and alter quotes as a CONDITION for being interviewed? Once upon a time an editor would reply to such a suggestion by saying, "Yeah, right: in your dreams!" But that isn't what is being said all the time now. And McClatchy Newspaper's Washington bureau has drawn a line in … [Read more...] about Should Government Sources Be Given the Right to Clear or Alter Quotes as an Interview Condition?