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The Moderate Voice

An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right


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My Market Meltdown Fears

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Are you frightened about what's going on in markets these days? Perhaps you should be. The EU's euro is shrinking, like a summer ice cream scoop; Our own overspending has left us, awash in that old debt soup; The struggling Dow and Nasdaq, can’t seem to find a floor. And investor fears are rising, rising, rising, Investor fears are rising, Are rising more and … [Read more...] about My Market Meltdown Fears

Civil War thoughts on Andrew Johnson

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When Tennessee's capital was occupied by Union troops in late February 1862, President Lincoln appointed Andrew Johnson as the new Military Governor of the state. This was, I argue, the beginning of the Reconstruction of the South, and it placed one of the most enigmatic figures in America at the center of it all. Johnson faced a precarious balancing act between his oft-stated … [Read more...] about Civil War thoughts on Andrew Johnson

Convicted Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrah Dies of Cancer in Freedom in Libya

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The day many families of the 270 victims killed in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has been waiting for has arrived: if will never be closure for those who look at photos of the innocent men, women and kids murdered in a political lives that cost lives and forever changed others -- but it is the closing of a chapter. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Lockerbie … [Read more...] about Convicted Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrah Dies of Cancer in Freedom in Libya

BREAKING: Chinese Dissident Chen Guangcheng Arrives on American Soil (UPDATED)

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UPDATE: Safely in the U.S. -- in “the heart of Greenwich Village” -- Mr. Chen held “the kind of open-air news conference that he could have never imagined while under virtual house arrest in China,” says the New York Times. Speaking through a translator, Mr. Chen said, “I hope to see that they continue to open discourse and earn the respect and trust of the people.” … [Read more...] about BREAKING: Chinese Dissident Chen Guangcheng Arrives on American Soil (UPDATED)

Not Forgetting Viet Nam: ‘Song Be’ near Cambodia: May Shells and Soldiers Rest in Peace

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I collect and look at black and white photos, garage sale cast offs, collections of oddities of our world that someone chose to immortalize in what used to be called 'film.' This is a photo of two men piling spent howitzer shells at a sandbagged gun emplacement at Song Be. On the back of the photo is writ: Song Be, less than a hundred miles from Siagon, near the Cambodian … [Read more...] about Not Forgetting Viet Nam: ‘Song Be’ near Cambodia: May Shells and Soldiers Rest in Peace

So Much for Geraldo Rivera’s Apology on Hoodies

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I need to say it again how truly sad it is for those of us who went to journalism school (I was at the Medill School of Journalism) in the early 70s to watch the current incarnation of Geraldo Rivera. Once upon a 1970s time he was the quintessential aspiring investigative broadcast journalist who was indeed something of a role model due to his "enterprise reporting" and … [Read more...] about So Much for Geraldo Rivera’s Apology on Hoodies

The Yard Sale Economic Index

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Economists have a lot of ways to measure how the economy is doing. I've got a measure of my own — at least about the local economy of my neighborhood and a few surrounding areas. It's the number of yard sales every weekend, and the kind of things being offered. Yard sales hereabouts used to be an adult version of kids' lemonade stands. They were basically just fun affairs, a … [Read more...] about The Yard Sale Economic Index

Hillary Speculation Won’t Die (Guest Voice)

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Hillary Speculation Won't Die by Peter Funt If Julia Louis-Dreyfus can be "Veep," then why not Hillary Clinton? The notion has been kicked around in the media for more than a year, and pooh-poohed by both the secretary of state herself and the Obama campaign, but as the 2012 race heats up the possibility of an Obama-Clinton ticket is likely to be given renewed … [Read more...] about Hillary Speculation Won’t Die (Guest Voice)

UPDATE: Mr. Chen Has Left China — China’s Military Visit to the U.S. and Mr. Chen’s Pending Release: Just Mind Games?

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UPDATE: The New York Times has just reported that Chen Guangcheng has left China aboard a commercial flight bound for the United States, "according to friends who have spoken to him." Mr. Chen left Beijing on a United Airlines flight bound for Newark with his wife and two children at around 5:30 p.m. after facing earlier delays. Earlier Saturday Mr. Chen told … [Read more...] about UPDATE: Mr. Chen Has Left China — China’s Military Visit to the U.S. and Mr. Chen’s Pending Release: Just Mind Games?

Medal of Honor for Marine Sgt. Peralta: Once More With (Congressional) Feeling

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For more than seven years the Pentagon has steadfastly refused to award the Medal of Honor to Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Similarly, for almost as many years, U.S. Representatives from California, especially U.S. Congressmen Bob Filner, Duncan L. Hunter and Duncan D. Hunter have been steadfastly fighting to see that justice is done. For a full background on the struggle to … [Read more...] about Medal of Honor for Marine Sgt. Peralta: Once More With (Congressional) Feeling

Pondering the Failure of Americans Elect and the Significance to Third Party Hopes

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The Washington Post Chris Cillizza has these must read comments on the failure of Americans Elect and the significance of that failure. The failure was for any potential candidate to reach the national support threshold the group itself set. And the failure will go down as yet another instance in American political history where those who yearn for a strong, viable third party … [Read more...] about Pondering the Failure of Americans Elect and the Significance to Third Party Hopes

Salute “The Big Stick” (USS Iowa) This Weekend

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While some people will head to the theaters to watch the movie Battleship there is an opportunity to see a real live one. This weekend marks the end of an era in United States Naval History. The USS Iowa, also known as The Big Stick, will head of of San Francisco Bay and head south to San Pedro where it will become a museum. This will be the last time a battleship will … [Read more...] about Salute “The Big Stick” (USS Iowa) This Weekend

Will Greece Elect Pro-Bailout Government?

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It looks like the leftist coalition that forced new elections in the hopes of gaining more power may see thing backfire. A poll shows that the two traditional parties will get enough votes to form a new government. This is a good sign for the Greek (and world) economy. You can debate the relative merits of the bailout and austerity but the fact is that Greece simply … [Read more...] about Will Greece Elect Pro-Bailout Government?

Arizona’s Birther Secretary of State Says Obama Might Not Be On Arizona’s November Ballot

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Yes, is is happening. Arizona's top official who can determine who can go on the ballot in November, Secretary of State Ken Bennett, is seriously suggesting that he might keep President Barack Obama off Arizona's November ballot until he provides the state with a birth certificate to its liking. Two things that need to be said about this, if it is indeed a serious threat and … [Read more...] about Arizona’s Birther Secretary of State Says Obama Might Not Be On Arizona’s November Ballot

The Iranian Nuclear Talks, Part 2: Back to the Negotiating Table

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By Ali Ezzatyar (For part 1, see here.) Iran and the international community (read: U.S.) are set to retake their seats at the negotiation table next week in Baghdad. If these were real chairs, one would hope they were made of a durable mahogany, as they have been frequented for ten years by fidgety, tough-talking diplomats on both sides, and there is still no likelihood … [Read more...] about The Iranian Nuclear Talks, Part 2: Back to the Negotiating Table

More Warnings That Democrats Should Not Be So Smug About Mitt Romney

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If you surf the web a lot (like I do) and travel a lot in the car (like I have the past 9 months) and listen to tons of talk radio and cable new shows on all the networks (as I do on XM Radio) there has been a kind of smug attitude among many Democrats that in the end they'll hold the White House. It reminds me of the attitude Democrats had when Ronald Reagan ran for … [Read more...] about More Warnings That Democrats Should Not Be So Smug About Mitt Romney