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The Moderate Voice

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The Joy Of Working With One’s Hands: Report From 20 Paws Ranch

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(PORTIONS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN JUNE 2009) One of the best decisions that I ever made was to take a deep breath after 10 years in the newspaper business, some of it spent covering big stories in exotic locales, and ponder my future. The upshot was that I quit the business to learn something that I had long yearned to do -- be a carpenter. I ended up apprenticing … [Read more...] about The Joy Of Working With One’s Hands: Report From 20 Paws Ranch

Romney’s Bain Problem

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WASHINGTON -- While the Supreme Court's upholding of the health care law was last week's most important event in historical terms, it will not be the decisive event of the 2012 election. In the long run, polling in swing states suggesting that Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital is hurting him could have larger implications for where this campaign will move. It's … [Read more...] about Romney’s Bain Problem

Benjamin Netanyahu Undercut!

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From Newshoggers friend and contributor Gareth Porter we have this: New Israeli Deputy PM Undercuts Strategy of Pressure on Obama By staking out a policy line on Iran reflecting the views of the Israeli national security leadership, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz has undercut the Benjamin Netanyahu government’s carefully planned strategy to get U.S. President Barack … [Read more...] about Benjamin Netanyahu Undercut!

PRI Wins Mexican Elections

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Voters in Mexico have elected Enrique Pena Nieto, the candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to the Presidency and may will give the party control of both houses of the Mexican Congress. This marks a major comeback for the party that ruled Mexico for over seventy years before losing power in 2000. In 2006 things were so bad that they came in third but this … [Read more...] about PRI Wins Mexican Elections

Support for Health Care Reform Law Rises After Supreme Court Ruling to Uphold

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The Supreme Court 5 to 4 ruling upholding President Barack Obama's controversial health care reform law has given "Obamacare" a big bounce in the polls, Reuters reports: Voter support for President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul has increased following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling upholding it, although majorities still oppose it, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on … [Read more...] about Support for Health Care Reform Law Rises After Supreme Court Ruling to Uphold

Why One God Is Better Than Ten

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[This is the 6th in the series Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship.] The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. – Albert Einstein With the idea of god, early humans were imagining someone or something who knows, who understands, who can explain things well enough to build them. Now then, if God knows, then maybe, just maybe, we … [Read more...] about Why One God Is Better Than Ten

One Soldier Killed, Two Wounded in Fort Bragg Shooting (UPDATED)

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UPDATE II: Spc. Ricky G. Elder, the soldier who fatally shot his superior officer, Lt. Col. Roy L. Tisdale (above), during a safety briefing in Fort Bragg and then turned the gun on himself has died. Elder deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to November 2007 and to Afghanistan from September 2010 to July 2011, according to the Stars and Stripes. Tisdale was … [Read more...] about One Soldier Killed, Two Wounded in Fort Bragg Shooting (UPDATED)

Question (Almost) No One Is Asking

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What if Ron Paul storms out of the Convention and endorses Gary Johnson? Further question: what's to stop Johnson from offering Ron Paul a spot as his running-mate? Possibly significant bit o' trivia: Ron Paul was the Libertarian Party Presidential candidate in 1988. Ron Paul has said no to this, and there is speculation as to why, but I'm not not convinced just yet that … [Read more...] about Question (Almost) No One Is Asking

CBS News: Roberts Switched Views to Uphold Health Care Law (UPDATED)

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What many analysts suggested was likely is reportedly true, according to CBS News: Supreme Court Justice John Roberts altered his original position on the health care reform law. If he had stuck with his original inclination, the law would have been completely overturned: Chief Justice John Roberts initially sided with the Supreme Court's four conservative justices to … [Read more...] about CBS News: Roberts Switched Views to Uphold Health Care Law (UPDATED)

Global Warming and The Garfield Assassination

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As I write, the temperature outside is 109 degrees; it's the third day of all-time record-breaking heat. Global Warming is obvious, the scientific consensus agrees, but we in America don't. It's not the first time... CBS Sunday Morning did a wonderful piece on the assassination of Pres. John Garfield. An assassin shot him, but the doctors killed him: American doctors at the … [Read more...] about Global Warming and The Garfield Assassination

Maybe I Really Am A Socialist

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I never used to think of myself as a socialist. That was because I believed socialism involved the government owning all the means of production and distribution, and being in charge of all media and modes of transportation. That sort of thing. These days, however, now that Republicans have redefined "socialism" and "socialist," I find that I actually do fit within their … [Read more...] about Maybe I Really Am A Socialist

Defense Update: Syrian Downing of Turkish Reconnaissance Aircraft — Questions Are Raised (UPDATED)

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UPDATE II: The BBC reports that Turkey has scrambled six F-16 fighter jets near its border with Syria after Syrian helicopters came close to the border. Excerpts from the BBC report: Six jets were sent to the area in response to three such incidents on Saturday, the statement said, adding that there was no violation of Turkish airspace. Turkey's government has … [Read more...] about Defense Update: Syrian Downing of Turkish Reconnaissance Aircraft — Questions Are Raised (UPDATED)

The Politico’s White House Reporter Joe Williams to Leave in Wake of Remarks About Mitt Romney

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Last week I did this post about Joe Williams, The Politico's White House reporter who was suspended after remarks on MSNBC saying presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney seemed most comfortable around white people -- and after some ill-advised Tweets. A later report contained what seemed to be a swipe at his employer. Now The Politico has issued a statement with the fig leaf … [Read more...] about The Politico’s White House Reporter Joe Williams to Leave in Wake of Remarks About Mitt Romney

Defense Update: The Colorado Fires (Continued and Updated)

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Fires continued to burn in the Mount Saint Francis area of Colorado Springs, Colo., while firefighters battle several fires in Waldo Canyon, June 28, 2012. UPDATE: All eight Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems are now assisting in multi-agency efforts to control wildfires in Colorado and other … [Read more...] about Defense Update: The Colorado Fires (Continued and Updated)

What Roberts Achieved

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What Roberts achieved ...The most important function of the federal courts is to legitimate state building by the political branches. That is the best way to understand what happened in the Health Care Case. It also helps explain why Chief Justice John Roberts' opinion is written the way it is. ...The Atlantic Legal scholar Jack Balkin parses the chief … [Read more...] about What Roberts Achieved