WASHINGTON -- We are about to have the worst presidential campaign money can buy. The Supreme Court's dreadful Citizens United decision and a somnolent Federal Election Commission will allow hundreds of millions of dollars from a small number of very wealthy people and interests to inundate our airwaves with often vicious advertisements for which no candidate will be … [Read more...] about How to Beat Citizens United
The Switch Family Robinson
Happy Earth Day. Not to scale or ethnicity or nothing Down in Cave Junction, Oregon, a brave family of castaways makes do without any understanding of the society of the 20th and 21st centuries. Oddly straddling the worlds of legitimate science and the world of crank science; "education reform" and "edumacashun," they eke out a meager existence only backed by the shadowy … [Read more...] about The Switch Family Robinson
Book Review: “Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns” by John Avlon, Jesse Angelo & Errol Louis
If you’ve been fruitlessly looking all these years for a big, fat book crammed with a cross section of the very best work of a variety of American newspaper columnists spanning many years: look no more. The book you’ve been fruitlessly looking for is now here. I’ve always loved columns and columnists and one of the hardest things to find was a book of columnists. Not a … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns” by John Avlon, Jesse Angelo & Errol Louis
FOR [MOTHER] EARTH DAY: FOUR SMALL STORIES OF RAGE AND REPAIR
I rarely ask you to read a long piece all the way through. I hope you will take a few minutes, and take a deep breath and read or pray (or if you'd like to cut to the chase, go to the last two stories at the bottom of the page) through these four stories within stories here with me in honor of MOTHER EARTH DAY. I thought to break these four good stories to you, up into four … [Read more...] about FOR [MOTHER] EARTH DAY: FOUR SMALL STORIES OF RAGE AND REPAIR
Two Looks At One Event
In Utah this week the GOP nominated the daughter of Haitian immigrants for Congress Here is how National Review covered it. Here is how they took it at Daily Kos Now I would hardly expect DK to say much positive about any Republican, or indeed anyone to the right of Bernie Sanders, but some of the comments certainly seem over the line, especially given that they … [Read more...] about Two Looks At One Event
It’s a Fracking Ponzi Scheme
To get the natural gas price, please enable Javascript. Hydraulic Fracking can recover otherwise unrevcoveable natural gas but it's expensive. With natural gas around $2.00 there is simply no way there is any money to be made leading some to refer to it as a ponzi scheme. Chesapeake Energy is a big player in the fracking business and the chickens may be coming home to … [Read more...] about It’s a Fracking Ponzi Scheme
Earth Day and “Paradise Lost”
Today, April 22 is Earth Day, a day designated to increase national and global awareness and appreciation of our planet’s natural environment. Earth Day Network: The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air … [Read more...] about Earth Day and “Paradise Lost”
Iran Says It Is Copying Captured Drone
Just a little cheery news for your Sunday morning. Of course just because they made a physical copy of the drone does not mean that they have actually reverse engineered the technology, but the fact they might have is not cheery news. … [Read more...] about Iran Says It Is Copying Captured Drone
Major Media Now Investigating ALEC
Front and center at the New York Times today is a report on the extent to which corporations control state legislatures through the"non-profit" American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC, which has been weaving its web for years and gotten a lot of attention in the blogosphere for at least two years, is now the focus of mainstream media thanks to the depredations of … [Read more...] about Major Media Now Investigating ALEC
New Romney Spokesman Reportedly Scrubs Past Politically Offensive Tweets
Hey, you, too, can rewrite your personal history by omission: just delete your Tweets and no one will notice. Except in this hyper-partisan, hyper political new media age (oh, and it's an election year, in case you didn't know): they do and they will. It turns out that Mitt Romney's new spokesman according to the Huffington Post has apparently scrubbed his Tweets of politically … [Read more...] about New Romney Spokesman Reportedly Scrubs Past Politically Offensive Tweets
France Heads to the Polls: Will Nicolas Sarkozy Survive?
France heads to the polls today -- with French President Nicolas Sarkozy facing a big political challenge: Voters were turning out Sunday in solid numbers for the first round of France's presidential election, with conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy's political career on the line amid frustration over his personal style and inability to turn around a stagnant French … [Read more...] about France Heads to the Polls: Will Nicolas Sarkozy Survive?
Secret Service
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Secret Service
Delayed Postings Today
I normally post a lot on Sunday but I'm at a motel in Barstow, CA right now where the internet disconnects every 5 minutes. I will not post until later this afternoon due to this (from somewhere else). Keep checking with TMV since other TMV writers will likely be posting today. … [Read more...] about Delayed Postings Today
5 Reasons You Read Enumerated Blogs
1. You can’t help it. 2. I mean you literally can’t not read them. 3. Even when you realize it is a bad list, you still read hoping it will get better. 4. Once you are half way in, you have to finish. 5. Click here to read 5 more reasons. Doug Bursch Blogs at Fairlyspiritual.org. He tweets Fairlyspiritual. … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons You Read Enumerated Blogs
Chuck Colson, Major Watergate Scandal Figure Who Became Respected Evangelical Leader, Dead at 80
It's now a cliche that when people to go prison they suddenly find religion. And the religion lasts while they're in prison -- then, in many cases, the newly found religion magically evaporates if they get out and go on to live post-prison lives. But not with Chuck Colson, who during the Nixon presidency was considered one of the Nixon's most utterly ruthless operatives, a man … [Read more...] about Chuck Colson, Major Watergate Scandal Figure Who Became Respected Evangelical Leader, Dead at 80
An Earth Day Apology
Tomorrow is Earth day. Did you notice? The New York Times didn't mention the fact in today's edition of the paper. Neither did the Wall Street Journal. Nor did the Los Angeles Times, though it did have a short piece about German environmentalists and nuclear power in their coutry. Come Earth Day itself, of course, some notice of the natural environment will be on view. … [Read more...] about An Earth Day Apology
Deficits
O'Neill said he tried to warn Vice President Dick Cheney that growing budget deficits-expected to top $500 billion this fiscal year alone-posed a threat to the economy. Cheney cut him off. "You know, Paul, Reagan proved deficits don't matter," he said, according to excerpts. Cheney continued: "We won the midterms (congressional elections). This is our due." A month later, … [Read more...] about Deficits
Romney’s Next “False Self” Coming Up
After morphing into a Tea Party zealot to win nomination, the GOP choice is in the kind of tricky transition described by JFK while running against Nixon in 1960: “It must be hard getting up every morning trying to decide who you’re going to be that day. Nixon lost then but won eight years later by virtually erasing himself to edge out disorganized Democrats. Covering his … [Read more...] about Romney’s Next “False Self” Coming Up
Disney Movie Chief Rich Ross Steps Down
If you thought Jimmy Carter was a flop as President, then read about how the science fiction film John Carter was a flop for Disney. So much so that the flop of super hyped and super money losing flick is credited with playing a big role in the major show biz story of the day: that Disney movie chief Rich Ross is stepping down. Here's a good summary from … [Read more...] about Disney Movie Chief Rich Ross Steps Down
I’m Big Bird and I Don’t Approve This Message: Court Overturns Public Broadcast Ban on Political Ads (Guest Voice)
I’m Big Bird and I Don’t Approve This Message Court Overturns Public Broadcast Ban on Political Ads by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about how the media giants who own your local commercial television and radio stations have been striking like startled rattlesnakes at an FCC proposal that would shed a light on who’s buying our elections. … [Read more...] about I’m Big Bird and I Don’t Approve This Message: Court Overturns Public Broadcast Ban on Political Ads (Guest Voice)